You Should Watch One Legendary Stephen King Movie Prior to the Series' Next Episode
The series Welcome to Derry contains numerous connections to Stephen King's extensive collection of tales. Beyond the obvious ties to It, the series showcases a direct connection to The Shining via the cameo of the youthful future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Currently, as the story unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in one more classic tale from King that deserves a revisit.
The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
Although The Shawshank Redemption may not be considered a horror film, particularly in contrast with a lot of the author's additional writing, it remains a haunting tale about an wrongfully convicted individual sentenced to live the rest of his life in a notorious penitentiary. It is this specific institution which is central here, as the Shawshank facility holds considerable lore throughout King's stories — a pattern that continues in Welcome to Derry.
Among the tales which mention Shawshank include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Via these narratives, we discover about the terrible conditions at Shawshank State Prison and several of those imprisoned there, such as the boyfriend of one belonging to Pennywise's early targets, who had been convicted of armed robbery.
So far, though, the majority we've learned concerning Shawshank was through the eyes of the protagonist from The Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. The character Andy ends up at the prison after his wrongful conviction, and experiences assaulted and raped by other prisoners, and exploited by the authority figures due to his financial knowledge. He requires nearly three decades to dig an escape route of the prison, prior to making his way "through a river of shit" to reclaim his freedom.
The Prison's Role in Welcome to Derry
In relation to the series, viewers initially discovered of Shawshank's involvement via an initial preview for the show, in which a prison bus was seen with the name displayed on its side. During the second episode, we learn who is likely destined for the prison.
Although it is known he did not responsible for the murders of children in the first episode, the character Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. The preview for the next episode, "Now You See It," shows an officer telling a jailed Hank, "Do you know what happens to kiddie killers at that prison?"
The Implications for the Character and His Daughter
Considering that the real killer in the town is an ancient power 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 don't follow him inside, understanding what is known about that prison indicates that his time there would not be enjoyable.
More importantly, though, this situation would endanger his daughter. Hank is her guardian. Horrible things are happening in the town which no one, young or old, comprehends and Ronnie only has her recently formed of friends to depend on. She's going to need her father in the coming episodes, but if the prison system has any say, she may be out of luck.
A single fact seems clear: Hank doesn’t have 28 years to dig to freedom.
It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available via the streaming service. New episodes air weekly each Sunday.
