Make Time For This Legendary Stephen King Cinematic Prior to It: Welcome to Derry's Upcoming Installment
HBO's Welcome to Derry is filled with nods to Stephen King's vast universe of narratives. Beyond the clear links to the original story, the show showcases a direct connection to King's famous novel via the appearance of a young Dick Hallorann. Currently, as the narrative unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in another beloved King story which merits another look.
The Powerful Story of The Shawshank Redemption
Although The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically classified as a horror film, particularly compared to a lot of the author's additional writing, it is a gripping tale of a innocently imprisoned man condemned to live the rest of his life inside a infamous prison. And it's that very institution that becomes central here, since the Shawshank facility holds significant lore across King's fictional world — a tradition which persists in Welcome to Derry.
Some of the tales which mention the prison are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Through these stories, we discover regarding the awful conditions inside Shawshank State Prison plus several of the inmates there, including the boyfriend of one of Pennywise's initial victims, who had been found guilty for robbery with a weapon.
So far, however, the majority we've learned about the prison was through the perspective of the protagonist from Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. Andy ends up at the prison after being wrongly convicted, and finds himself assaulted and abused by fellow inmates, while taken advantage of by the officials in power due to his financial knowledge. It takes nearly three decades to dig an escape route from Shawshank, prior to making his way "through sewage" to reclaim his liberty.
The Prison's Role in Welcome to Derry
Regarding the series, audiences first learned about the prison's inclusion from an early trailer for the series, in which a prison bus appeared bearing the title displayed on its side. In episode 2, it is revealed who is likely destined for Shawshank.
Although it is known he was not responsible for the murders of children in the first episode, the character Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. The preview for episode 3, "the upcoming installment," reveals an officer informing a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what happens to child murderers at that prison?"
The Consequences for the Character and Ronnie
Considering that the real killer in the town is an ancient power from another world hunting and killing kids, Hank's chances of clearing his name do not look good. And even if he does go to Shawshank and viewers do not see him inside, knowing what is known about that prison indicates that his time there would be far from pleasant.
Crucially, however, this situation would endanger Ronnie. Hank is her protector. Terrible events are occurring around Derry that nobody, young or old, comprehends and Ronnie just has her recently formed of friends to rely on. She will require her dad as the story progresses, but if the prison system has any say, she may be out of luck.
A single fact is apparent: Hank lacks three decades to tunnel to freedom.
It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available on HBO Max. New episodes are released each week each Sunday.
