Make Time For This Iconic Stephen King Movie Prior to the Series' Next Episode
HBO's It: Welcome to Derry is filled with nods to Stephen King's vast collection of tales. Beyond the clear links to It, the series includes an explicit link to The Shining through the cameo of a young Dick Hallorann. Now, as the story unfolds, Welcome to Derry is weaving in another classic tale from King which merits another look.
The Powerful Story of The Shawshank Redemption
Although Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as horror, especially in contrast with a lot of the author's additional writing, it is a gripping story about an wrongfully convicted man sentenced to spend the rest of his life inside a infamous penitentiary. And it's that very institution which is important in this context, since the Shawshank facility possesses significant lore throughout King's fictional world — a tradition which persists in It: Welcome to Derry.
Among the tales that reference Shawshank include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these narratives, we learn about the terrible conditions inside Shawshank State Prison plus several of the inmates there, such as the partner of a belonging to Pennywise's initial targets, who was found guilty of armed robbery.
So far, however, the majority we've learned concerning Shawshank has been via the eyes of the protagonist in The Shawshank Redemption, played by the actor Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. Andy ends up at the prison after being wrongly convicted, then finds himself beaten and abused by other prisoners, while taken advantage of by those in authority figures due to his financial knowledge. It takes nearly three decades to dig an escape route of the prison, prior to making his way "through a river of shit" to take back his liberty.
The Prison's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry
Regarding the series, viewers first learned of Shawshank's involvement from an initial preview for the series, where a prison bus was seen bearing the title painted on the side. During the second episode, we learn which character is likely destined for the prison.
Although it is known he was not commit the child deaths in the first episode, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. A teaser for episode 3, "Now You See It," reveals an officer informing Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what they do to child murderers in Shawshank?"
The Implications for the Character and His Daughter
Given that the real murderer in the town is an ancient power from another world hunting and killing children, Hank's prospects of clearing his name do not look good. Even should he does go in the prison and the audience don't follow him inside, understanding what we do regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his experience would be far from enjoyable.
Crucially, though, this development could threaten Ronnie. Hank is her protector. Terrible events are happening around Derry that nobody, child or adult, understands and Ronnie only has her recently formed of friends to rely on. She's going to need her dad in the coming episodes, however should the prison system plays a role, she may be out of luck.
One thing is apparent: Hank doesn’t have 28 years to dig his way out.
Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available on HBO Max. Additional installments air weekly each Sunday.
