You Should Watch This Legendary Stephen King Movie Before It: Welcome to Derry's Next Episode
The series Welcome to Derry is packed with references to the author's vast collection of tales. Apart from the clear links to the original story, the show includes an explicit connection to King's famous novel via the appearance of a young Dick Hallorann. Now, as the story unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in one more beloved King story which merits a revisit.
The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
While Shawshank Redemption isn't typically considered a horror film, particularly compared to a lot of the author's additional writing, it remains a haunting story of a wrongfully convicted man sentenced to live the rest of his life in a notorious penitentiary. And it's this specific penitentiary that becomes central in this context, since Shawshank State Prison possesses considerable lore throughout King's stories — a pattern that continues within Welcome to Derry.
Among the stories that reference the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Via these narratives, we learn regarding the awful conditions inside Shawshank State Prison plus some of those imprisoned within, such as the boyfriend of a belonging to Pennywise's early victims, who had been convicted of armed robbery.
So far, though, the most we've learned about the prison has been through the perspective of the protagonist from Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in that 1994 film. The character Andy winds up in Shawshank after his wrongful conviction, and experiences beaten and raped by other prisoners, while exploited by those in authority figures for his expertise in finance. It takes him 28 years to tunnel his way out from Shawshank, before making his way "through sewage" to reclaim his freedom.
The Prison's Appearance in Welcome to Derry
Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, viewers first learned about the prison's inclusion from an initial preview for the show, in which a correctional transport appeared bearing the title displayed on its side. During the second episode, it is revealed which character is probably destined for Shawshank.
Although it is known he was not responsible for the murders of children initially, the character Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for the crimes. The preview for episode 3, "the upcoming installment," reveals a guard informing a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what happens to child murderers in Shawshank?"
The Consequences for the Character and Ronnie
Given that the real killer in the town is a primordial entity from another world preying on and murdering kids, Hank's prospects of clearing his name do not look good. Even should he does go in the prison and the audience do not see him inside, understanding what we do about that prison indicates that his experience would be far from pleasant.
More importantly, though, this situation would endanger his daughter. He acts as her guardian. Horrible things are occurring in the town which no one, young or old, comprehends and Ronnie just has her recently formed circle of pals to rely on. She will require her dad in the coming episodes, however should Shawshank plays a role, she may be without help.
One thing seems clear: Hank lacks 28 years to dig his way out.
Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now on HBO Max. Additional installments air weekly on Sundays.
