Don't Miss This Classic Stephen King Movie Prior to the Series' Next Episode
The series Welcome to Derry is filled with connections to Stephen King's wide-ranging library of stories. Apart from the obvious links to the original story, the show showcases a direct connection to The Shining through the appearance of a young future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Now, as the story unfolds, Welcome to Derry is weaving in one more beloved King story which merits a revisit.
The Powerful Story of The Shawshank Redemption
Although Shawshank Redemption may not be considered horror, particularly in contrast with much of the author's additional work, it remains a gripping tale of a innocently imprisoned man condemned to live the rest of his life inside a notorious penitentiary. It is that very penitentiary which is central here, since Shawshank State Prison holds considerable lore throughout King's stories — a pattern that continues within It: Welcome to Derry.
Among the tales which mention the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Through these stories, we discover regarding the awful life inside the state penitentiary plus several of the inmates there, such as the partner of one belonging to Pennywise's initial victims, who was found guilty of armed robbery.
Thus far, however, the majority we have discovered about the prison was through the eyes of the protagonist from The Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in the 1994 movie. The character Andy winds up in Shawshank following being wrongly convicted, and finds himself beaten and raped by fellow inmates, while taken advantage of by those in officials in power for his expertise in finance. It takes nearly three decades to tunnel an escape route of the prison, prior to crawling "through sewage" to take back his liberty.
Shawshank's Appearance in Welcome to Derry
In relation to the series, viewers initially discovered about the prison's involvement from an initial preview for the series, in which a prison bus appeared bearing the title displayed on its side. During the second episode, we learn who is probably destined for the prison.
Though it is known he was not commit the murders of children initially, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for those offenses. The preview for the next episode, "the upcoming installment," reveals an officer telling a jailed Hank, "Do you know what they do to child murderers in Shawshank?"
The Consequences for the Character and Ronnie
Considering that the real killer in the town is a primordial entity originating elsewhere hunting and killing children, Hank's chances of clearing his name appear slim. Even should he ends up to Shawshank and the audience do not see him there, knowing what is known regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his time there would be far from pleasant.
Crucially, however, this situation could threaten Ronnie. He acts as her guardian. Horrible things are happening around Derry which no one, young or old, comprehends and Ronnie just has her recently formed of friends to rely on. She's going to need her dad as the story progresses, but if the prison system has any say, she may be without help.
A single fact is apparent: Hank doesn’t have 28 years to tunnel his way out.
Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now on HBO Max. New episodes air weekly on Sundays.
