You Should Watch One Iconic Stephen King Movie Before the Series' Next Episode
The series Welcome to Derry is filled with connections to Stephen King's wide-ranging collection of tales. Apart from the clear links to the original story, the show showcases an explicit connection to King's famous novel via the cameo of a young Dick Hallorann. Now, as the story unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is integrating one more beloved tale from King that deserves another look.
The Haunting Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
While Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as horror, especially compared to a lot of King's other work, it remains a haunting tale of a innocently imprisoned man sentenced to spend the rest of his life in a infamous prison. And it's this specific institution that becomes central here, as Shawshank State Prison holds significant history across King's fictional world — a pattern that continues in It: Welcome to Derry.
Among the stories that reference the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Through these stories, we learn about the awful life at the state penitentiary and several of those imprisoned there, such as the partner of one belonging to Pennywise's early targets, who was found guilty for robbery with a weapon.
So far, however, the most we've learned about the prison has been through the perspective of Andy Dufresne from The Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. Andy winds up in Shawshank after being wrongly convicted, then experiences beaten and abused by other prisoners, and taken advantage of by the authority figures for his expertise in finance. He requires him 28 years to tunnel his way out of the prison, prior to crawling "through sewage" to reclaim his freedom.
The Prison's Role in It: Welcome to Derry
In relation to It: Welcome to Derry, audiences first learned of Shawshank's inclusion from an initial preview for the show, where a prison bus appeared with the name painted on the side. During the second episode, it is revealed who is likely headed to Shawshank.
Though we know he was not responsible for the murders of children initially, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for those offenses. The preview for the next episode, "the upcoming installment," shows an officer informing a jailed Hank, "Do you know what they do to kiddie killers at that prison?"
The Consequences for the Character and Ronnie
Considering that the actual killer in the town is an ancient power from another world preying on and killing kids, Hank's chances of clearing his name appear slim. And even if he ends up in the prison and viewers don't follow him there, 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 circle of pals 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 out of luck.
One thing seems clear: Hank doesn’t have 28 years to tunnel his way out.
It: Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now via the streaming service. New episodes are released each week each Sunday.
