Make Time For One Iconic Stephen King Movie Before It: Welcome to Derry's Next Episode
HBO's Welcome to Derry is packed with connections to the author's vast collection of tales. Beyond the obvious ties to the original story, the show showcases an explicit connection to King's famous novel through the cameo of a young Dick Hallorann. Currently, as the narrative progresses, Welcome to Derry is integrating another beloved tale from King which merits another look.
The Haunting Story of The Shawshank Redemption
While Shawshank Redemption isn't typically classified as horror, especially compared to a lot of King's other writing, it remains a haunting story of a innocently imprisoned individual condemned to spend the rest of his life inside a infamous penitentiary. And it's this specific penitentiary that becomes central in this context, since Shawshank State Prison holds significant lore throughout King's stories — a tradition which persists within Welcome to Derry.
Among the stories that reference the prison are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these stories, we learn regarding the awful conditions inside Shawshank State Prison and several of the inmates there, including the partner of one of Pennywise's early victims, who had been convicted of armed robbery.
So far, though, the majority we've learned concerning Shawshank was through the eyes of the protagonist in Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. The character Andy ends up at the prison after being wrongly convicted, and experiences beaten and abused by fellow inmates, while taken advantage of by those in authority figures for his financial knowledge. He requires nearly three decades to tunnel his way out from Shawshank, before crawling "through a river of shit" to take back his liberty.
The Prison's Appearance in Welcome to Derry
Regarding the series, viewers first learned of Shawshank's inclusion from an early trailer for the series, in which a prison bus was seen bearing the title painted on the side. In episode 2, it is revealed who is probably destined for the prison.
Though it is known he did not commit the child deaths in the first episode, the character Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for the crimes. A teaser for the next episode, "Now You See It," reveals a guard telling a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what happens to child murderers at that prison?"
The Implications for Hank and His Daughter
Considering that the actual murderer in Derry is an ancient power from another world hunting and killing children, Hank's chances of clearing his name do not look good. And even if he ends up to Shawshank and viewers do not see him inside, knowing what is known regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his time there would be far from enjoyable.
More importantly, however, this development would endanger his daughter. Hank is her protector. Terrible events are happening around Derry 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 dad in the coming episodes, but if Shawshank plays a role, she may be out of luck.
One thing is apparent: Hank lacks three decades to dig his way out.
Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available on HBO Max. New episodes are released each week on Sundays.
