You Should Watch One Classic Stephen King Film Before It: Welcome to Derry's Next Episode
The series Welcome to Derry is packed with references to Stephen King's wide-ranging collection of tales. Apart from the obvious links to It, the series includes a direct link to The Shining via the appearance of a young future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Currently, as the story progresses, Welcome to Derry is weaving in another classic King story which merits a revisit.
The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
Although The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically classified as horror, especially in contrast with much of the author's additional writing, it remains a haunting tale of a wrongfully convicted individual condemned to live the rest of his life inside a infamous penitentiary. It is that very penitentiary which is important here, as Shawshank State Prison holds significant lore across King's fictional world — a pattern that continues in Welcome to Derry.
Among the stories which mention the prison are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these narratives, we learn about the awful conditions inside the state penitentiary and some of those imprisoned within, such as the boyfriend of one of Pennywise's initial targets, who was found guilty of armed robbery.
Thus far, though, the majority we've learned about the prison was through the eyes of the protagonist from Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. The character Andy ends up in Shawshank after being wrongly convicted, and experiences beaten and abused by other prisoners, while taken advantage of by those in officials in power for his financial knowledge. It takes him 28 years to dig his way out of the prison, prior to crawling "through sewage" to take back his freedom.
The Prison's Role in It: Welcome to Derry
In relation to the series, audiences first learned about the prison's involvement from an early trailer for the show, in which a correctional transport appeared with the name displayed on its side. In episode 2, we learn who is probably destined for the prison.
Although we know he did not responsible for the child deaths in the first episode, the character Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. The preview for the next episode, "Now You See It," reveals a guard telling Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what they do to kiddie killers at that prison?"
The Consequences for the Character and Ronnie
Considering that the real killer in the town is an ancient power originating elsewhere preying on and murdering children, Hank's prospects of proving his innocence do not look good. Even should he ends up to Shawshank and viewers do not see him inside, understanding what we do regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his experience would be far from enjoyable.
More importantly, though, this development could threaten his daughter. He acts as her protector. Terrible events are occurring around Derry which no one, young or old, comprehends and Ronnie just has her new group of friends to depend on. She will require her father in the coming episodes, however should Shawshank plays a role, she could be out of luck.
A single fact is apparent: Hank doesn’t have three decades to tunnel to freedom.
It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available via the streaming service. New episodes air weekly each Sunday.
