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

HBO's Welcome to Derry contains numerous nods to the author's vast collection of tales. Apart from the obvious links to It, the series includes an explicit link to King's famous novel through the appearance of a young Dick Hallorann. Currently, as the narrative unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is integrating one more classic King story that deserves a revisit.

The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption

Although Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as horror, particularly compared to much of the author's additional writing, it is a gripping tale about an innocently imprisoned man sentenced to live his remaining years in a infamous prison. And it's this specific institution that becomes important here, since the Shawshank facility possesses considerable history throughout King's fictional world — a tradition that continues within It: Welcome to Derry.

Among the tales which mention Shawshank are 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 plus some of those imprisoned there, such as the boyfriend of one of Pennywise's initial targets, who had been convicted of armed robbery.

Thus far, though, the majority we've learned concerning Shawshank has been through the perspective of the protagonist in The Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by Tim Robbins in the 1994 movie. Andy ends up at the prison after his wrongful conviction, and finds himself beaten and abused by other prisoners, while exploited by those in authority figures due to his expertise in finance. It takes nearly three decades to dig an escape route of the prison, before crawling "through sewage" to take back his freedom.

Shawshank's Role in It: Welcome to Derry

Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, audiences first learned about the prison's inclusion via an early trailer for the series, in which a prison bus was seen with the name painted on the side. In episode 2, it is revealed which character is probably destined for the prison.

Though we know he did not responsible for the child deaths in the first episode, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for the crimes. The preview for the next episode, "the upcoming installment," shows an officer telling Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what happens to kiddie killers at that prison?"

The Consequences for the Character and Ronnie

Given that the real killer in Derry is a primordial entity originating elsewhere hunting and killing children, Hank's prospects of proving his innocence appear slim. Even should he ends up in the prison and the audience do not see him there, knowing what we do about that prison indicates that his time there would not be pleasant.

More importantly, though, this development could threaten Ronnie. Hank is her guardian. Terrible events are occurring around Derry which no one, young or old, understands and she just has her new group circle of pals to rely on. She will require her father in the coming episodes, but if the prison system plays a role, she may be out of luck.

A single fact is apparent: Hank lacks 28 years to dig to freedom.

Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are currently available via the streaming service. New episodes are released each week on Sundays.