Don't Miss This Iconic Stephen King Cinematic Prior to It: Welcome to Derry's Next Episode
The series Welcome to Derry is filled with connections to Stephen King's wide-ranging universe of narratives. Beyond the obvious links to It, the show showcases a direct link to King's famous novel via the cameo of the youthful future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Now, as the narrative progresses, Welcome to Derry is integrating another beloved King story which merits a revisit.
The Powerful Story of The Shawshank Redemption
Although The Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as a horror film, particularly in contrast with a lot of the author's additional work, it is a haunting story of a wrongfully convicted individual condemned to live his remaining years inside a notorious penitentiary. And it's this specific institution which is central in this context, since Shawshank State Prison possesses considerable lore across King's stories — a tradition which persists within Welcome to Derry.
Some of the tales which mention Shawshank are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Through these stories, we learn regarding the awful conditions inside the state penitentiary plus several of the inmates within, such as the boyfriend of a of Pennywise's initial targets, who was convicted for robbery with a weapon.
So far, however, the most we've learned concerning Shawshank has been via the perspective of the protagonist in Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. The character Andy winds up at the prison following his wrongful conviction, and finds himself assaulted and raped by fellow inmates, while taken advantage of by those in authority figures for his expertise in finance. He requires him 28 years to dig his way out from Shawshank, prior to crawling "through sewage" to reclaim his liberty.
Shawshank's Role in It: Welcome to Derry
In relation to the series, audiences initially discovered of Shawshank's involvement from an initial preview for the series, where a prison bus was seen bearing the title painted on the side. In episode 2, we learn which character is likely destined for Shawshank.
Although it is known he was not responsible for the murders of children in the first episode, the character Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for those offenses. A teaser for episode 3, "the upcoming installment," shows a guard telling a jailed Hank, "Do you know what happens to kiddie killers in Shawshank?"
The Implications for Hank and His Daughter
Given that the actual killer in the town is a primordial entity from another world hunting and murdering children, Hank's chances of clearing his name do not look good. Even should he does go in the prison and viewers don't follow him inside, understanding what is known regarding Shawshank indicates that his experience would be far from pleasant.
More importantly, however, this development could threaten his daughter. He acts as her guardian. Terrible events are occurring around Derry that nobody, child or adult, comprehends and Ronnie just has her recently formed circle of pals to depend on. She's going to need her dad as the story progresses, however should the prison system plays a role, she may be without help.
A single fact seems clear: Hank doesn’t have three decades to tunnel to freedom.
Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now on HBO Max. New episodes air weekly each Sunday.
