Don't Miss This Classic Stephen King Cinematic Before the Series' Next Episode

The series Welcome to Derry is packed with connections to Stephen King's wide-ranging universe of narratives. Apart from the obvious ties to It, the show showcases a direct link to The Shining via the appearance of a young Dick Hallorann. Now, as the story progresses, It: Welcome to Derry is integrating one more beloved tale from King that deserves a revisit.

The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption

While Shawshank Redemption isn't typically classified as a horror film, particularly in contrast with a lot of the author's additional writing, it is a gripping story of a innocently imprisoned man sentenced to spend his remaining years in a notorious penitentiary. It is this specific penitentiary which is important here, as Shawshank State Prison holds considerable history throughout King's stories — a pattern that continues in Welcome to Derry.

Among the stories that reference Shawshank include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Via these narratives, we discover regarding the awful conditions at the state penitentiary and some of the inmates there, including the partner of one of Pennywise's initial targets, who was found guilty for robbery with a weapon.

Thus far, however, the most we've learned concerning Shawshank has been through the eyes of Andy Dufresne in Shawshank Redemption, played by the actor Tim Robbins in that 1994 film. Andy ends up at the prison following his wrongful conviction, and finds himself assaulted and raped by fellow inmates, and taken advantage of by the authority figures for his expertise in finance. He requires nearly three decades to tunnel an escape route from Shawshank, before crawling "through sewage" to take back his freedom.

The Prison's Role in It: Welcome to Derry

Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, viewers first learned of Shawshank's involvement via an early trailer for the show, where a correctional transport was seen bearing the title displayed on its side. In episode 2, we learn which character is likely headed to Shawshank.

Though we know he was not responsible for the murders of children initially, the character Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for those offenses. The preview for the next episode, "Now You See It," shows an officer informing Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what they do to kiddie killers in Shawshank?"

The Implications for the Character and Ronnie

Considering that the real killer in the town is a primordial entity originating elsewhere hunting and murdering kids, Hank's prospects of proving his innocence appear slim. And even if he does go to Shawshank and the audience don't follow him inside, knowing what is known regarding Shawshank indicates that his experience would be far from enjoyable.

More importantly, though, this development would endanger his daughter. He acts as her guardian. Horrible things are occurring around Derry that nobody, child or adult, understands and she just has her recently formed of friends to rely on. She will require her dad as the story progresses, however should the prison system has any say, she may be without help.

One thing is apparent: Hank doesn’t have three decades to dig to freedom.

Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available via the streaming service. New episodes are released each week on Sundays.