Make Time For One Iconic Stephen King Movie Prior to It: Welcome to Derry's Next Episode
The series Welcome to Derry is filled with connections to Stephen King's wide-ranging library of stories. Beyond the clear ties to It, the series includes a direct link to King's famous novel through the cameo of a young future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Currently, as the story unfolds, Welcome to Derry is weaving in another classic tale from King that deserves a revisit.
The Powerful Story of The Shawshank Redemption
Although The Shawshank Redemption may not be considered horror, especially in contrast with a lot of the author's additional work, it is a haunting story about an wrongfully convicted individual condemned to spend the rest of his life in a infamous prison. It is this specific institution that becomes important in this context, since Shawshank State Prison holds significant lore throughout King's fictional world — a pattern which persists in Welcome to Derry.
Among the stories which mention the prison are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Through these narratives, we learn about the terrible conditions inside the state penitentiary plus some of the inmates within, such as the boyfriend of one of Pennywise's early victims, who had been convicted of armed robbery.
So far, however, the majority we've learned concerning Shawshank was via the eyes of the protagonist from Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. The character Andy winds up at the prison following being wrongly convicted, then finds himself beaten and abused by fellow inmates, and exploited by those in authority figures due to his expertise in finance. He requires nearly three decades to tunnel an escape route from Shawshank, prior to making his way "through a river of shit" to take back his freedom.
The Prison's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry
Regarding the series, audiences first learned about the prison's involvement from an early trailer for the series, where a prison bus appeared bearing the title painted on the side. During the second episode, it is revealed which character is likely destined for Shawshank.
Although we know he was not responsible for the child deaths initially, the character Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. The preview for episode 3, "the upcoming installment," reveals an officer telling Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what happens to child murderers at that prison?"
The Consequences for the Character and His Daughter
Given that the actual murderer in the town is an ancient power originating elsewhere hunting and murdering children, Hank's prospects of proving his innocence appear slim. Even should he ends up in the prison and viewers don't follow him inside, knowing what is known regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his experience would be far from pleasant.
More importantly, however, this situation would endanger Ronnie. Hank is her guardian. Horrible things are occurring in the town that nobody, child or adult, comprehends and she only has her new group circle of pals to depend on. She will require her dad as the story progresses, however should the prison system has any say, she could be out of luck.
A single fact is apparent: Hank doesn’t have 28 years to dig his way out.
Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available via the streaming service. New episodes air weekly each Sunday.
