🔗 Share this article You Should Watch One Legendary Stephen King Cinematic Before It: Welcome to Derry's Next Episode The series It: Welcome to Derry is filled with nods to the author's vast collection of tales. Beyond the clear links to the original story, the series also features an explicit connection to King's famous novel through the appearance of a young future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Now, as the narrative progresses, It: Welcome to Derry is integrating another beloved 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 compared to much of the author's additional work, it remains a haunting tale of a innocently imprisoned man sentenced to spend the rest of his life inside a infamous prison. It is that very penitentiary which is important in this context, as the Shawshank facility possesses considerable lore throughout King's stories — a pattern which persists in It: Welcome to Derry. Among the stories that reference the prison are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Through these stories, we learn regarding the awful conditions inside the state penitentiary plus some of those imprisoned within, such as the boyfriend of a of Pennywise's early victims, who had been found guilty for robbery with a weapon. So far, however, the most we've learned about the prison was via the eyes of Andy Dufresne from Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. Andy ends up in Shawshank following being wrongly convicted, then finds himself beaten and raped by other prisoners, and exploited by the authority figures due to his expertise in finance. It takes him 28 years to dig an escape route from Shawshank, prior to making his way "through a river of shit" to reclaim his liberty. The Prison's Role in It: Welcome to Derry Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, viewers first learned about the prison's inclusion via an initial preview for the show, where a prison bus appeared bearing the title displayed on its side. In episode 2, it is revealed which character is likely destined for Shawshank. Though it is known he did not responsible for the murders of children in the first episode, Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for the crimes. The preview for the next episode, "the upcoming installment," reveals an officer telling Hank in his cell, "Do you know what they do to child murderers in Shawshank?" The Implications for Hank and His Daughter Given that the real killer in the town is a primordial entity originating elsewhere hunting and killing children, Hank's chances of clearing his name do not look good. Even should he ends up to Shawshank and the audience don't follow him there, understanding what we do regarding Shawshank indicates that his time there would be far from pleasant. More importantly, however, this development would endanger Ronnie. Hank is her guardian. Horrible things are occurring around Derry which no one, young or old, comprehends and she just has her new group of friends to depend on. She's going to need her father as the story progresses, however should the prison system has any say, she may be out of luck. One thing is apparent: Hank lacks 28 years to tunnel to freedom. Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are streaming now on HBO Max. New episodes air weekly each Sunday.