Make Time For This Legendary Stephen King Film Prior to the Series' Next Episode
The series Welcome to Derry contains numerous nods to Stephen King's wide-ranging universe of narratives. Beyond the obvious ties to the original story, the series also features a direct link to King's famous novel through the cameo of the youthful Dick Hallorann. Currently, as the story unfolds, Welcome to Derry is integrating another beloved tale from King which merits a revisit.
The Haunting 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 remains a haunting tale about an innocently imprisoned man condemned to spend his remaining years inside a notorious penitentiary. And it's that very penitentiary that becomes central here, since the Shawshank facility holds considerable history across King's fictional world — a tradition which persists within 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 regarding the awful life inside Shawshank State Prison and several of the inmates there, such as the boyfriend of one belonging to Pennywise's initial targets, who was found guilty of armed robbery.
Thus far, however, the most we've learned concerning Shawshank was through the perspective of Andy Dufresne from Shawshank Redemption, played by the actor Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. The character Andy ends up at the prison after being wrongly convicted, then experiences assaulted and raped by other prisoners, and exploited by those in authority figures due to his financial knowledge. He requires nearly three decades to dig an escape route of the prison, before making his way "through a river of shit" to take back his liberty.
Shawshank's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry
In relation to the series, audiences first learned about the prison's inclusion 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 probably destined for the prison.
Although we know he did not responsible for the child deaths in the first episode, 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 informing a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what happens to kiddie killers in Shawshank?"
The Implications for the Character and His Daughter
Given that the actual murderer in Derry is an ancient power originating elsewhere preying on and killing children, Hank's chances of proving his innocence do not look good. And even if he ends up to Shawshank and viewers don't follow him there, knowing what we do about that prison makes it clear that his experience would be far from enjoyable.
More importantly, however, this situation could threaten his daughter. Hank is her protector. Horrible things are happening around Derry that nobody, young or old, comprehends and Ronnie just has her recently formed circle of pals to rely on. She will require her father as the story progresses, however should the prison system plays a role, she could be without help.
A single fact seems clear: Hank lacks three decades to dig to freedom.
It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available via the streaming service. Additional installments are released each week each Sunday.
