Make Time For One Classic Stephen King Film Before the Series' Next Episode
HBO's It: Welcome to Derry contains numerous references to Stephen King's vast library of stories. Beyond the obvious ties to the original story, the series also features a direct link to King's famous novel through the cameo of the youthful Dick Hallorann. Currently, as the story progresses, Welcome to Derry is weaving in one more classic tale from King which merits a revisit.
The Powerful Story of The Shawshank Redemption
While Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as horror, especially compared to a lot of the author's additional writing, it remains a gripping story of a wrongfully convicted individual sentenced to spend his remaining years inside a infamous penitentiary. And it's this specific penitentiary that becomes important here, as Shawshank State Prison holds considerable lore across King's fictional world — a tradition which persists within It: Welcome to Derry.
Among the stories which mention the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these narratives, we discover regarding the awful conditions at Shawshank State Prison plus several of the inmates there, such as the boyfriend of one belonging to Pennywise's early targets, who was found guilty for robbery with a weapon.
Thus far, though, the majority we've learned concerning Shawshank has been via the eyes of the protagonist in The Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. The character Andy ends up at the prison following being wrongly convicted, then finds himself assaulted and raped by other prisoners, while taken advantage of by the authority figures due to his expertise in finance. It takes him 28 years to dig an escape route of the prison, prior to crawling "through a river of shit" to reclaim his liberty.
Shawshank's Role in It: Welcome to Derry
Regarding the series, audiences initially discovered about the prison's inclusion from an initial preview for the show, in which a prison bus appeared with the name painted on the side. In episode 2, it is revealed which character is likely headed to the prison.
Although we know he was not commit the child deaths initially, the character Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for the crimes. The preview for episode 3, "the upcoming installment," shows an officer telling a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what happens to child murderers in Shawshank?"
The Implications for the Character and Ronnie
Considering that the real murderer in the town is an ancient power from another world hunting and murdering kids, Hank's prospects of proving his innocence appear slim. And even if he does go to Shawshank and viewers do not see him there, understanding what is known regarding Shawshank indicates that his time there would not be enjoyable.
Crucially, however, this development could threaten his daughter. Hank is her protector. Terrible events are happening around Derry which no one, young or old, understands and Ronnie only has her recently formed circle of pals to depend on. She's going to need her father in the coming episodes, but if the prison system has any say, she may be without help.
A single fact seems clear: Hank lacks 28 years to dig to freedom.
Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are currently available on HBO Max. New episodes are released each week each Sunday.
