🔗 Share this article Make Time For One Classic Stephen King Cinematic Before It: Welcome to Derry's Upcoming Installment The series It: Welcome to Derry is filled with connections to the author's extensive universe of narratives. Beyond the clear ties to It, the show also features an explicit link to King's famous novel via the cameo of the youthful future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Currently, as the narrative unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in one more beloved tale from King which merits another look. The Haunting Story of The Shawshank Redemption Although The Shawshank Redemption may not be considered a horror film, especially compared to a lot of the author's additional work, it is a gripping story about an innocently imprisoned man sentenced to spend the rest of his life inside a notorious penitentiary. And it's this specific institution that becomes important in this context, as the Shawshank facility possesses considerable lore throughout King's fictional world — a pattern that continues within Welcome to Derry. Some of the stories that reference the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these narratives, we learn about the terrible conditions at Shawshank State Prison and several of those imprisoned within, such as the partner of a belonging to Pennywise's early targets, who was convicted for robbery with a weapon. So far, however, the majority we have discovered about the prison has been through the perspective of Andy Dufresne in Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by the actor Tim Robbins in that 1994 film. Andy ends up in Shawshank after being wrongly convicted, then experiences beaten and raped by fellow inmates, while exploited by the officials in power for his financial knowledge. It takes nearly three decades to tunnel an escape route from Shawshank, before crawling "through a river of shit" to take back his freedom. The Prison's Role in It: Welcome to Derry Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, audiences first learned of Shawshank's involvement from an initial preview for the series, in which a correctional transport was seen bearing the title displayed on its side. During the second episode, we learn who is probably headed to Shawshank. Though it is known he was not commit the murders of children initially, the character Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for the crimes. The preview for the next episode, "Now You See It," shows a guard telling Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what happens to kiddie killers in Shawshank?" The Implications for the Character and Ronnie Given that the actual murderer in Derry is an ancient power from another world preying on and murdering children, Hank's prospects of proving his innocence appear slim. Even should he does go in the prison and viewers do not see him there, understanding what is known about that prison indicates that his experience would not be pleasant. More importantly, though, this development would endanger his daughter. He acts as her guardian. Horrible things are occurring in the town which no one, child or adult, understands and she just has her recently formed circle of pals to rely on. She's going to need her father in the coming episodes, however should the prison system plays a role, she may be without help. A single fact seems clear: Hank lacks 28 years to dig to freedom. Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are streaming now on HBO Max. Additional installments are released each week each Sunday.