Don't Miss One Iconic Stephen King Cinematic Prior to It: Welcome to Derry's Next Episode
The series Welcome to Derry is packed with connections to the author's extensive collection of tales. Apart from the obvious ties to It, the show showcases an explicit link to The Shining through the cameo of the youthful Dick Hallorann. Now, as the narrative unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is integrating another classic tale from King that deserves another look.
The Haunting Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
While The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically considered horror, particularly in contrast with a lot of King's other writing, it remains a haunting tale of a wrongfully convicted man sentenced to live the rest of his life in a notorious penitentiary. It is that very penitentiary which is important in this context, since Shawshank State Prison possesses considerable lore across King's fictional world — a tradition which persists within Welcome to Derry.
Some of the stories which mention the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Through these narratives, we discover about the terrible conditions inside Shawshank State Prison plus several of the inmates within, such as the partner of a belonging to Pennywise's initial targets, who was convicted for robbery with a weapon.
Thus far, though, the most we have discovered about the prison has been through the perspective of Andy Dufresne from Shawshank Redemption, played by the actor Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. Andy ends up at the prison following his wrongful conviction, and experiences assaulted and abused by other prisoners, and taken advantage of by the authority figures for his financial knowledge. It takes nearly three decades to dig an escape route from Shawshank, before crawling "through a river of shit" to reclaim his liberty.
Shawshank's Role in Welcome to Derry
In relation to the series, viewers first learned about the prison's inclusion from an early trailer for the series, in which a prison bus appeared bearing the title displayed on its side. In episode 2, we learn which character is likely headed to the prison.
Though we know he was not responsible for the child deaths in the first episode, 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 Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what they do to kiddie killers at that prison?"
The Implications for the Character and Ronnie
Considering that the real murderer in the town is an ancient power originating elsewhere hunting and murdering kids, Hank's chances of clearing his name appear slim. Even should he ends up to Shawshank and the audience do not see him there, understanding what we do regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his time there would not be enjoyable.
More importantly, though, this development could threaten Ronnie. Hank is her guardian. Terrible events are happening in the town that nobody, child or adult, comprehends and Ronnie just has her new group of friends to depend on. She will require her dad in the coming episodes, however should the prison system plays a role, she may be without help.
A single fact is apparent: Hank lacks three decades to dig his way out.
Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now via the streaming service. New episodes are released each week each Sunday.
