You Should Watch This Iconic Stephen King Movie Prior to It: Welcome to Derry's Upcoming Installment
HBO's It: Welcome to Derry contains numerous nods to the author's vast collection of tales. Beyond the obvious ties to the original story, the show includes a direct link to The Shining via the cameo of a young Dick Hallorann. Now, as the narrative unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is integrating another classic tale from King which merits another look.
The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
Although The Shawshank Redemption may not be considered horror, particularly compared to a lot of King's other writing, it is a haunting story about an wrongfully convicted man condemned to spend his remaining years inside a infamous prison. And it's this specific institution which is important in this context, since the Shawshank facility possesses considerable history across King's fictional world — a tradition which persists within It: Welcome to Derry.
Some of the tales that reference Shawshank are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Via these narratives, we learn about the awful conditions inside the state penitentiary and some of those imprisoned there, such as the boyfriend of a of Pennywise's initial victims, who was convicted of armed robbery.
Thus far, though, the most we've learned about the prison was through the eyes of the protagonist from The Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. Andy ends up in Shawshank after being wrongly convicted, and finds himself beaten and raped by fellow inmates, and taken advantage of by the authority figures for his financial knowledge. He requires him 28 years to tunnel an escape route of the prison, prior to making his way "through a river of shit" to reclaim his liberty.
The Prison's Appearance in Welcome to Derry
Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, viewers initially discovered of Shawshank's inclusion from an initial preview for the show, where a prison bus appeared with the name painted on the side. In episode 2, it is revealed which character is probably destined for Shawshank.
Though it is known he was not commit the child deaths initially, the character Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for those offenses. The preview for the next episode, "the upcoming installment," shows an officer informing a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what happens to kiddie killers at that prison?"
The Consequences for the Character and His Daughter
Considering that the actual killer in the town is a primordial entity originating elsewhere hunting and murdering children, Hank's prospects of clearing his name do not look good. And even if he ends up in the prison and viewers do not see him inside, knowing what we do regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his experience would not be pleasant.
Crucially, though, this development would endanger his daughter. Hank is her guardian. Horrible things are happening around Derry which no one, young or old, comprehends and she only has her recently formed of friends to depend on. She will require her father as the story progresses, however should Shawshank plays a role, she could be out of luck.
One thing seems clear: Hank doesn’t have three decades to dig his way out.
It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available via the streaming service. New episodes are released each week on Sundays.