You Should Watch This Iconic Stephen King Film Prior to the Series' Upcoming Installment
The series Welcome to Derry is filled with references to the author's wide-ranging collection of tales. Apart from the obvious links to It, the series includes an explicit link to King's famous novel via the appearance of the youthful Dick Hallorann. Currently, as the narrative progresses, Welcome to Derry is integrating another classic King story that deserves a revisit.
The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
While Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as horror, especially in contrast with a lot of the author's additional writing, it remains a haunting story about an innocently imprisoned man condemned to spend the rest of his life in a infamous prison. It is this specific institution that becomes important here, as the Shawshank facility possesses significant lore across King's stories — a tradition which persists in Welcome to Derry.
Some of the tales which mention the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Through these narratives, we discover regarding the terrible life at Shawshank State Prison and several of those imprisoned there, including the boyfriend of a of Pennywise's early targets, who was found guilty of armed robbery.
Thus far, however, the most we have discovered about the prison was through the eyes of the protagonist in Shawshank Redemption, played by the actor Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. Andy ends up in Shawshank after his wrongful conviction, then experiences assaulted and abused by fellow inmates, while taken advantage of by those in officials in power for his expertise in finance. He requires nearly three decades to tunnel an escape route of the prison, before crawling "through sewage" to take back his liberty.
The Prison's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry
In relation to It: Welcome to Derry, viewers first learned of Shawshank's involvement via an initial preview for the series, in which a correctional transport appeared bearing the title displayed on its side. During the second episode, it is revealed who is probably headed to the prison.
Though it is known he was not responsible for the child deaths initially, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for those offenses. A teaser for episode 3, "Now You See It," reveals an officer telling a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what happens to child murderers in Shawshank?"
The Consequences for Hank and Ronnie
Given that the real murderer in Derry is a primordial entity originating elsewhere preying on and murdering children, Hank's prospects of proving his innocence appear slim. And even if he ends up to Shawshank and viewers don't follow him inside, knowing what we do regarding Shawshank indicates that his experience would not be enjoyable.
More importantly, though, this situation could threaten Ronnie. He acts as her guardian. Terrible events are occurring in the town that nobody, young or old, understands and Ronnie only has her new group of friends to depend on. She's going to need her dad as the story progresses, but if the prison system has any say, she could be out of luck.
A single fact seems clear: Hank lacks 28 years to dig his way out.
It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are streaming now via the streaming service. New episodes air weekly on Sundays.