Don't Miss This Iconic Stephen King Cinematic Before It: Welcome to Derry's Upcoming Installment
The series Welcome to Derry is packed with nods to Stephen King's wide-ranging library of stories. Apart from the clear ties to It, the show also features a direct link to King's famous novel through the appearance of the youthful future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Currently, as the narrative unfolds, Welcome to Derry is integrating another beloved King story that deserves a revisit.
The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption
Although The Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as horror, especially in contrast with much of the author's additional writing, it remains a gripping tale about an innocently imprisoned man sentenced to live the rest of his life inside a notorious penitentiary. It is this specific penitentiary that becomes important here, since the Shawshank facility holds significant lore throughout King's fictional world — a pattern which persists within Welcome to Derry.
Among the stories that reference the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Via these stories, we learn about the awful life inside the state penitentiary plus several of the inmates within, including the boyfriend of a belonging to Pennywise's initial targets, who had been convicted of armed robbery.
Thus far, however, the majority we have discovered about the prison has been through the eyes of the protagonist in Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in that 1994 film. The character Andy ends up at the prison following being wrongly convicted, then experiences beaten and raped by fellow inmates, and taken advantage of by those in authority figures due to his financial knowledge. It takes nearly three decades to tunnel his way out from Shawshank, before crawling "through sewage" to reclaim his liberty.
Shawshank's Role in Welcome to Derry
Regarding the series, viewers first learned about the prison's inclusion from an initial preview for the series, where a prison bus appeared bearing the title displayed on its side. During the second episode, it is revealed who is likely destined for Shawshank.
Though we know he did not responsible for the child deaths initially, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for the crimes. A teaser for episode 3, "Now You See It," reveals a guard telling a jailed Hank, "Do you know what they do to kiddie killers at that prison?"
The Consequences for the Character and His Daughter
Given that the real killer in the town is a primordial entity originating elsewhere hunting and murdering kids, Hank's chances of clearing his name appear slim. Even should he does go in the prison and the audience do not see him there, understanding what we do regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his time there would be far from enjoyable.
Crucially, however, this development would endanger Ronnie. He acts as her guardian. Terrible events are occurring around Derry which no one, child or adult, understands and she only has her new group circle of pals to rely on. She's going to need her dad as the story progresses, however should the prison system has any say, she may be out of luck.
One thing is apparent: Hank doesn’t have 28 years to tunnel his way out.
Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available on HBO Max. New episodes are released each week on Sundays.