You Should Watch One Legendary Stephen King Film Prior to It: Welcome to Derry's Next Episode
The series It: Welcome to Derry is packed with connections to Stephen King's extensive universe of narratives. Apart from the clear ties to the original story, the show also features an explicit connection to The Shining through the cameo of the youthful future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Currently, as the story unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in one more beloved King story which merits another look.
The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
Although The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically considered horror, especially compared to a lot of King's other writing, it is a haunting tale about an wrongfully convicted man sentenced to live his remaining years in a infamous penitentiary. It is this specific penitentiary that becomes important in this context, as the Shawshank facility possesses considerable lore throughout King's stories — a pattern which persists in Welcome to Derry.
Among the stories that reference Shawshank are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these stories, we discover about the terrible conditions at Shawshank State Prison plus several of those imprisoned within, such as the partner of a of Pennywise's early targets, who was found guilty for robbery with a weapon.
Thus far, however, the most we have discovered concerning Shawshank was via the perspective of the protagonist from The Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by Tim Robbins in that 1994 film. The character Andy winds up in Shawshank after his wrongful conviction, and finds himself assaulted and abused by other prisoners, and taken advantage of by those in authority figures for his expertise in finance. It takes him 28 years to tunnel an escape route of the prison, prior to making his way "through sewage" to reclaim his freedom.
The Prison's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry
Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, audiences initially discovered of Shawshank's involvement from an early trailer for the show, where a correctional transport appeared with the name painted on the side. In episode 2, it is revealed which character is likely headed to the prison.
Although it is known he was not commit the murders of children initially, the character Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for the crimes. A teaser for the next episode, "the upcoming installment," reveals an officer informing a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what they do to child murderers at that prison?"
The Implications for the Character and Ronnie
Considering that the real murderer in Derry is a primordial entity originating elsewhere hunting and killing children, Hank's chances of clearing his name do not look good. And even if he ends up to Shawshank and the audience do not see him there, understanding what we do about that prison indicates that his experience would be far from enjoyable.
More importantly, though, this development could threaten Ronnie. Hank is her protector. Horrible things are occurring in the town that nobody, child or adult, understands and she just has her recently formed of friends to rely on. She will require her dad in the coming episodes, however should Shawshank plays a role, she could be without help.
A single fact is apparent: Hank lacks three decades to tunnel to freedom.
It: Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now on HBO Max. New episodes are released each week each Sunday.
