Don't Miss One Legendary Stephen King Movie Prior to the Series' Upcoming Installment
The series It: Welcome to Derry is filled with nods to Stephen King's wide-ranging collection of tales. Apart from the clear links to the original story, the series showcases a direct connection to The Shining through the cameo of the youthful future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Now, as the story unfolds, Welcome to Derry is weaving in one more beloved King story that deserves another look.
The Haunting Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
While Shawshank Redemption may not be considered horror, especially compared to a lot of the author's additional writing, it is a haunting tale of a innocently imprisoned individual condemned to spend the rest of his life in a notorious prison. And it's that very institution that becomes central here, as Shawshank State Prison holds significant history across King's fictional world — a pattern that continues in Welcome to Derry.
Among the stories which mention the prison are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Through these narratives, we discover about the awful life inside Shawshank State Prison and some of those imprisoned within, such as the boyfriend of a of Pennywise's initial targets, who was found guilty for robbery with a weapon.
So far, however, the most we have discovered about the prison was through the eyes of the protagonist from The Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by Tim Robbins in that 1994 film. The character Andy winds up in Shawshank after being wrongly convicted, then finds himself assaulted and abused by fellow inmates, while taken advantage of by those in officials in power for his financial knowledge. He requires him 28 years to tunnel an escape route from Shawshank, before crawling "through sewage" to take back his freedom.
Shawshank's Role in Welcome to Derry
In relation to It: Welcome to Derry, audiences initially discovered of Shawshank's involvement from an initial preview for the series, where a correctional transport appeared bearing the title painted on the side. In episode 2, we learn which character is likely destined for Shawshank.
Although we know he was not commit the child deaths in the first episode, the character Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for those offenses. The preview for episode 3, "the upcoming installment," shows an officer informing a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what happens to child murderers in Shawshank?"
The Implications for the Character and His Daughter
Considering that the real murderer in the town is an ancient power originating elsewhere preying on and killing kids, Hank's chances of proving his innocence appear slim. And even if he ends up in the prison and viewers don't follow him inside, knowing what we do regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his time there would be far from enjoyable.
More importantly, however, this situation would endanger Ronnie. He acts as her protector. Horrible things are happening in the town which no one, child or adult, understands and she only has her recently formed of friends to depend on. She's going to need her father as the story progresses, but if the prison system has any say, she could be without help.
A single fact is apparent: Hank doesn’t have three decades to dig to freedom.
Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are currently available via the streaming service. New episodes air weekly each Sunday.
