You Should Watch This Legendary 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 It, the show showcases a direct link to The Shining via the appearance of the youthful Dick Hallorann. Now, as the story unfolds, Welcome to Derry is weaving in another beloved King story which merits a revisit.
The Haunting Story of The Shawshank Redemption
While Shawshank Redemption may not be considered a horror film, especially compared to a lot of the author's additional work, it remains a gripping story of a innocently imprisoned individual sentenced to live his remaining years in a notorious penitentiary. And it's that very institution which is central here, since the Shawshank facility possesses significant lore throughout King's stories — a pattern which persists within It: Welcome to Derry.
Among the tales that reference Shawshank are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Via these narratives, we discover about the awful conditions inside Shawshank State Prison plus some of the inmates within, such as the partner of a belonging to Pennywise's early victims, who had been found guilty of armed robbery.
Thus far, though, the most we have discovered about the prison was through the perspective of Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by the actor Tim Robbins in the 1994 movie. Andy ends up at the prison after his wrongful conviction, then finds himself assaulted and raped by fellow inmates, while exploited by the authority figures for his expertise in finance. He requires nearly three decades to dig his way out of the prison, prior to making his way "through sewage" to reclaim his liberty.
Shawshank's Role in Welcome to Derry
In relation to the series, viewers initially discovered about the prison's involvement from an early trailer for the show, where a correctional transport was seen bearing the title painted on the side. In episode 2, it is revealed which character is probably destined for Shawshank.
Though we know he was not responsible for the child deaths in the first episode, the character Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. The preview for episode 3, "Now You See It," shows a guard informing Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what happens to kiddie killers in Shawshank?"
The Consequences for Hank and Ronnie
Considering that the real killer in Derry is a primordial entity from another world hunting and killing children, Hank's prospects of clearing his name do not look good. Even should he ends up to Shawshank and viewers do not see him inside, knowing what we do about that prison makes it clear that his experience would not be pleasant.
More importantly, however, this situation would endanger his daughter. Hank is her protector. Terrible events are happening around Derry which no one, young or old, comprehends and Ronnie only has her new group of friends to depend on. She's going to need her dad in the coming episodes, but if Shawshank plays a role, she may be without help.
One thing is apparent: Hank doesn’t have 28 years to tunnel to freedom.
It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are streaming now via the streaming service. Additional installments are released each week each Sunday.
