You Should Watch This Classic Stephen King Cinematic Prior to It: Welcome to Derry's Next Episode
The series It: Welcome to Derry is packed with references to Stephen King's vast universe of narratives. Apart from the clear links to It, the series showcases a direct link to King's famous novel via the cameo of a young Dick Hallorann. Now, as the story unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in another classic King story which merits a revisit.
The Powerful Story of The Shawshank Redemption
Although Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as a horror film, particularly in contrast with much of the author's additional work, it remains a gripping tale about an innocently imprisoned individual condemned to spend his remaining years in a infamous penitentiary. And it's that very institution which is central in this context, as Shawshank State Prison holds considerable lore across King's stories — a pattern that continues in It: Welcome to Derry.
Among the stories which mention Shawshank include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Via these narratives, we discover regarding the terrible conditions at Shawshank State Prison plus some of the inmates there, including the boyfriend of a belonging to Pennywise's initial targets, who was convicted for robbery with a weapon.
Thus far, however, the majority we've learned concerning Shawshank has been through the perspective of the protagonist from The Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by the actor Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. The character Andy ends up in Shawshank following being wrongly convicted, then experiences assaulted and abused by other prisoners, and exploited by those in officials in power due to his expertise in finance. It takes him 28 years to dig an escape route of the prison, prior to crawling "through sewage" to reclaim his liberty.
The Prison's Role in Welcome to Derry
Regarding the series, audiences first learned of Shawshank's involvement from an early trailer for the show, in which a prison bus appeared with the name displayed on its side. During the second episode, it is revealed which character is likely headed to the prison.
Although we know he was not responsible for the child deaths in the first episode, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for those offenses. The preview for the next episode, "Now You See It," reveals a guard informing Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what they do to kiddie killers at that prison?"
The Implications for the Character and Ronnie
Considering that the actual killer in the town is a primordial entity from another world preying on and murdering children, Hank's chances of proving his innocence do not look good. Even should he does go in the prison and the audience do not see him there, understanding what we do regarding Shawshank indicates that his time there would not be enjoyable.
More importantly, however, this development would endanger Ronnie. He acts as her guardian. Horrible things are happening in the town that nobody, young or old, comprehends and she just has her new group of friends to depend on. She's going to need her father as the story progresses, however should the prison system plays a role, she may be without help.
A single fact seems clear: Hank lacks three decades to dig to freedom.
It: Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are currently available via the streaming service. Additional installments are released each week on Sundays.