You Should Watch This Iconic Stephen King Cinematic Prior to the Series' Upcoming Installment
The series Welcome to Derry is filled with connections to Stephen King's vast collection of tales. Beyond the obvious links to It, the show also features 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, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in one more classic King story that deserves another look.
The Haunting Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
While Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as a horror film, particularly in contrast with much of King's other work, it remains a haunting tale of a innocently imprisoned man sentenced to live the rest of his life in a infamous prison. It is that very institution that becomes important in this context, as Shawshank State Prison holds considerable lore across King's stories — a pattern which persists in Welcome to Derry.
Among the tales that reference the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Through these stories, we discover about the awful conditions at the state penitentiary and several of the inmates within, such as the partner of a of Pennywise's early targets, who was convicted of armed robbery.
Thus far, however, the most we have discovered about the prison was through the eyes of Andy Dufresne in Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by the actor Tim Robbins in the 1994 movie. Andy ends up in Shawshank following his wrongful conviction, and finds himself assaulted and abused by other prisoners, and exploited by those in officials in power due to his financial knowledge. He requires him 28 years to tunnel his way out of the prison, before making his way "through sewage" to take back his freedom.
The Prison's Role in Welcome to Derry
Regarding the series, viewers first learned about the prison's involvement from an early trailer for the show, where a prison bus was seen bearing the title displayed on its side. In episode 2, it is revealed which character is probably destined for the prison.
Though it is known he did not responsible for the child deaths initially, Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. A teaser for episode 3, "the upcoming installment," shows an officer informing a jailed Hank, "Do you know what happens to kiddie killers at that prison?"
The Consequences for the Character and Ronnie
Given that the actual murderer in Derry is an ancient power originating elsewhere hunting and murdering children, Hank's prospects of proving his innocence appear slim. Even should he ends up to Shawshank and the audience do not see him there, knowing what we do regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his time there would not be enjoyable.
More importantly, however, this situation could threaten Ronnie. Hank is her protector. Horrible things are happening around Derry which no one, child or adult, comprehends and she only has her recently formed of friends to depend on. She's going to need her father in the coming episodes, however should the prison system plays a role, she may be without help.
A single fact seems clear: Hank lacks 28 years to dig to freedom.
Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are currently available via the streaming service. Additional installments are released each week on Sundays.
