🔗 Share this article Make Time For This Classic Stephen King Film Before It: Welcome to Derry's Next Episode HBO's It: Welcome to Derry is packed with connections to Stephen King's wide-ranging collection of tales. Apart from the obvious ties to It, the show includes an explicit connection to The Shining through the cameo of the youthful Dick Hallorann. Now, as the story unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in one more beloved tale from King that deserves a revisit. The Haunting Tale of The Shawshank Redemption While Shawshank Redemption may not be considered a horror film, especially compared to a lot of the author's additional writing, it is a gripping tale of a wrongfully convicted individual condemned to live his remaining years inside a notorious penitentiary. It is that very penitentiary that becomes central in this context, since Shawshank State Prison holds significant history throughout King's fictional world — a tradition which persists within It: Welcome to Derry. Some of the stories which mention the prison are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Through these stories, we discover regarding the terrible life inside the state penitentiary plus several of the inmates there, such as the partner of a of Pennywise's early victims, who was convicted of armed robbery. Thus far, though, the most we've learned concerning Shawshank was via the eyes of the protagonist from Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. Andy ends up at the prison after his wrongful conviction, then experiences assaulted and raped by other prisoners, while taken advantage of by those in authority figures due to his expertise in finance. He requires him 28 years to dig an escape route of the prison, prior to crawling "through sewage" to reclaim his freedom. Shawshank's Role in Welcome to Derry Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, audiences initially discovered about the prison's inclusion from an initial preview for the show, in which a correctional transport appeared bearing the title displayed on its side. In episode 2, it is revealed who is probably headed to the prison. Though it is known he was not responsible for the child deaths in the first episode, the character Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. The preview for the next episode, "Now You See It," shows a guard telling Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what they do to child murderers at that prison?" The Consequences for Hank and Ronnie Considering that the actual murderer in Derry is a primordial entity from another world preying on and killing kids, Hank's chances of proving his innocence do not look good. Even should he does go to Shawshank and viewers don't follow him inside, understanding what we do regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his time there would not be pleasant. Crucially, though, this development could threaten his daughter. He acts as her guardian. Horrible things are occurring around Derry which no one, young or old, comprehends and Ronnie just has her new group circle of pals to depend on. She's going to need her father in the coming episodes, but if the prison system plays a role, she may be out of luck. A single fact seems clear: Hank lacks 28 years to tunnel his way out. It: Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are currently available on HBO Max. Additional installments air weekly each Sunday.