You Should Watch This Iconic Stephen King Cinematic Before It: Welcome to Derry's Next Episode
The series It: Welcome to Derry is packed with nods to Stephen King's extensive universe of narratives. Beyond the obvious links to the original story, the series showcases a direct connection to The Shining through the cameo of a young Dick Hallorann. Now, as the narrative unfolds, Welcome to Derry is integrating one more classic King story which merits a revisit.
The Powerful Story of The Shawshank Redemption
Although The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically considered a horror film, especially in contrast with a lot of King's other work, it remains a haunting story about an wrongfully convicted individual sentenced to spend the rest of his life inside a notorious prison. It is that very institution that becomes central here, as Shawshank State Prison holds significant history across King's stories — a pattern which persists in It: Welcome to Derry.
Some of the stories which mention 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 some of those imprisoned within, such as the partner of a of Pennywise's initial victims, who was found guilty of armed robbery.
Thus far, however, the most we have discovered about the prison was through the perspective of Andy Dufresne from Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in the 1994 movie. Andy winds up in Shawshank after being wrongly convicted, and finds himself beaten and raped by fellow inmates, and exploited by the authority figures due to his expertise in finance. He requires nearly three decades to dig an escape route from Shawshank, before making his way "through sewage" to reclaim his freedom.
Shawshank's Role in It: Welcome to Derry
Regarding the series, viewers initially discovered about the prison's inclusion from an initial preview for the show, in which a prison bus appeared bearing the title displayed on its side. During the second episode, it is revealed which character is likely 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), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for the crimes. The preview for the next episode, "Now You See It," reveals a guard telling a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what they do to child murderers at that prison?"
The Implications for Hank and His Daughter
Given that the actual murderer in the town is a primordial entity originating elsewhere hunting and killing children, Hank's chances of clearing his name appear slim. Even should he does go to Shawshank and the audience do not see him there, understanding what we do about that prison makes it clear that his experience would be far from pleasant.
More importantly, however, this development would endanger his daughter. Hank is her guardian. Terrible events are happening around Derry that nobody, child or adult, understands and she just has her new group circle of pals to depend on. She's going to need her dad in the coming episodes, but if Shawshank has any say, she may be without help.
One thing is apparent: Hank lacks three decades to dig his way out.
It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are streaming now via the streaming service. New episodes are released each week on Sundays.
