🔗 Share this article Make Time For One Legendary Stephen King Cinematic Prior to the Series' Upcoming Installment HBO's Welcome to Derry is packed with nods to the author's vast collection of tales. Beyond the obvious ties to It, the series includes an explicit connection to The Shining through the appearance of a young Dick Hallorann. Now, as the story progresses, It: Welcome to Derry is integrating another classic King story which merits a revisit. The Haunting Tale of The Shawshank Redemption While The Shawshank Redemption may not be considered a horror film, particularly in contrast with much of King's other writing, it is a haunting story about an wrongfully convicted individual sentenced to live his remaining years inside a infamous penitentiary. And it's this specific penitentiary which is central in this context, as Shawshank State Prison holds significant lore throughout King's stories — a pattern that continues in Welcome to Derry. Some of the stories which mention the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Through these narratives, we learn about the awful conditions inside the state penitentiary and some of those imprisoned within, including the partner of one belonging to Pennywise's early targets, who had been found guilty for robbery with a weapon. Thus far, though, the most we have discovered about the prison was via the perspective of the protagonist from The Shawshank Redemption, played by the actor Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. Andy ends up at the prison following being wrongly convicted, then experiences assaulted and abused by other prisoners, and exploited by those in authority figures due to his expertise in finance. He requires him 28 years to tunnel an escape route of the prison, before making his way "through sewage" to reclaim his freedom. The Prison's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry In relation to the series, viewers initially discovered about the prison's inclusion via an initial preview for the series, where a prison bus appeared with the name displayed on its side. In episode 2, it is revealed who is likely headed to Shawshank. Though we know he was not commit 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 the crimes. The preview for the next episode, "the upcoming installment," reveals a guard informing Hank in his cell, "Do you know what happens to child murderers in Shawshank?" The Implications for Hank and His Daughter Given that the real murderer in the town is an ancient power from another world hunting and murdering kids, Hank's chances of proving his innocence appear slim. And even if he does go to Shawshank and the audience don't follow him inside, understanding what we do regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his experience would be far from enjoyable. More importantly, though, this situation could threaten Ronnie. He acts as her protector. Horrible things are happening around Derry which no one, young or old, understands and she only has her new group circle of pals to depend on. She's going to need her dad in the coming episodes, however should the prison system has any say, she could be out of luck. One thing seems clear: Hank lacks 28 years to dig to freedom. Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now via the streaming service. Additional installments are released each week on Sundays.