You Should Watch This Iconic Stephen King Cinematic Before the Series' Next Episode
The series Welcome to Derry is filled with references to Stephen King's wide-ranging universe of narratives. Beyond the obvious ties to the original story, the series includes a direct connection to King's famous novel through the appearance of a young Dick Hallorann. Now, as the story unfolds, Welcome to Derry is integrating one more classic King story that deserves a revisit.
The Haunting Story of The Shawshank Redemption
While The Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as horror, especially in contrast with a lot of the author's additional work, it is a haunting story of a innocently imprisoned individual condemned to spend his remaining years inside a infamous prison. And it's that very institution which is central here, as Shawshank State Prison possesses considerable history across King's stories — a tradition which persists within It: Welcome to Derry.
Among the tales which mention Shawshank are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Through these narratives, we learn regarding the awful life inside the state penitentiary and some of those imprisoned there, including the partner of a of Pennywise's early targets, who had been found guilty of armed robbery.
So far, however, the most we've learned concerning Shawshank has been through the eyes of the protagonist in The Shawshank Redemption, played by the actor Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. The character Andy ends up at the prison after being wrongly convicted, and finds himself beaten and raped by other prisoners, and taken advantage of by the officials in power for his expertise in finance. He requires him 28 years to tunnel his way out from Shawshank, prior to crawling "through a river of shit" to take back his freedom.
The Prison's Role in It: Welcome to Derry
In relation to It: Welcome to Derry, audiences first learned about the prison's inclusion from an initial preview for the series, where a correctional transport was seen with the name painted on the side. During the second episode, we learn who is likely destined for Shawshank.
Although we know he was not commit the child deaths in the first episode, the character Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for those offenses. A teaser for the next episode, "Now You See It," shows an officer informing Hank in his cell, "Do you know what they do to kiddie killers at that prison?"
The Consequences for the Character and His Daughter
Considering that the real killer in Derry is an ancient power originating elsewhere preying on and murdering kids, Hank's chances of proving his innocence do not look good. And even if he ends up to Shawshank and viewers don't follow him inside, understanding what is known regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his experience would be far from enjoyable.
More importantly, however, this situation could threaten Ronnie. Hank is her protector. Terrible events are happening in the town which no one, young or old, comprehends and Ronnie only has her recently formed of friends to depend on. She's going to need her dad as the story progresses, but if the prison system plays a role, she may be without help.
One thing seems clear: Hank doesn’t have three decades to dig to freedom.
It: Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are currently available via the streaming service. New episodes are released each week on Sundays.
