Make Time For One Legendary Stephen King Cinematic Prior to the Series' Next Episode
HBO's It: Welcome to Derry contains numerous references to the author's extensive collection of tales. Apart from the clear links to It, the series includes an explicit connection to King's famous novel through the appearance of the youthful Dick Hallorann. Currently, as the story unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in another classic King story that deserves another look.
The Haunting Story of The Shawshank Redemption
While The Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as horror, especially in contrast with much of the author's additional writing, it remains a gripping tale about an innocently imprisoned individual sentenced to spend the rest of his life inside a infamous penitentiary. It is that very penitentiary that becomes central in this context, since Shawshank State Prison holds significant history throughout King's fictional world — a pattern which persists in It: Welcome to Derry.
Some of the tales which mention Shawshank are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Through these narratives, we learn about the awful life at Shawshank State Prison plus several of those imprisoned within, including the boyfriend of a of Pennywise's initial victims, who was convicted of armed robbery.
Thus far, though, the majority we've learned concerning Shawshank has been via the perspective of Andy Dufresne from The Shawshank Redemption, played by the actor Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. Andy winds up at the prison after his wrongful conviction, then experiences assaulted and abused by fellow inmates, and exploited by the authority figures for his expertise in finance. He requires him 28 years to tunnel his way out from Shawshank, prior to crawling "through a river of shit" to take back his liberty.
Shawshank's Role in It: Welcome to Derry
In relation to the series, audiences initially discovered about the prison's inclusion from an early trailer for the series, in which a prison bus appeared with the name painted on the side. During the second episode, it is revealed which character is probably headed to the prison.
Although we know he was not commit the murders of children initially, the character Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for the crimes. A teaser for episode 3, "the upcoming installment," reveals an officer telling Hank in his cell, "Do you know what happens to kiddie killers at that prison?"
The Consequences for Hank and Ronnie
Given that the real murderer in Derry is a primordial entity originating elsewhere hunting and murdering children, Hank's chances of proving his innocence appear slim. And even if he does go 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 pleasant.
More importantly, however, this situation would endanger Ronnie. Hank is her guardian. Terrible events are occurring in the town that nobody, child or adult, understands and Ronnie only has her recently formed circle of pals to rely on. She's going to need her father as the story progresses, however should the prison system has any say, she may be out of luck.
One thing is apparent: Hank lacks 28 years to dig to freedom.
It: Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are currently available on HBO Max. New episodes are released each week on Sundays.
