🔗 Share this article You Should Watch One Classic Stephen King Cinematic Prior to It: Welcome to Derry's Next Episode HBO's It: Welcome to Derry is filled with nods to Stephen King's extensive collection of tales. Beyond the clear ties to It, the series showcases a direct connection to King's famous novel via the cameo of a young Dick Hallorann. Currently, as the narrative progresses, Welcome to Derry is integrating another classic King story which merits a revisit. The Powerful Story of The Shawshank Redemption Although Shawshank Redemption isn't typically classified as horror, especially in contrast with a lot of the author's additional writing, it remains a haunting tale of a innocently imprisoned man sentenced to spend his remaining years in a infamous penitentiary. It is this specific institution that becomes central in this context, since the Shawshank facility holds considerable lore throughout King's fictional world — a pattern that continues in It: Welcome to Derry. Some of the stories that reference Shawshank are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Through these stories, we discover about the awful life inside the state penitentiary plus several of those imprisoned there, such as the boyfriend of a belonging to Pennywise's initial targets, who was convicted of armed robbery. Thus far, however, the majority we have discovered concerning Shawshank was via the eyes of Andy Dufresne in Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. The character Andy ends up at the prison after his wrongful conviction, then finds himself beaten and raped by other prisoners, and taken advantage of by the authority figures due to his financial knowledge. It takes nearly three decades to dig his way out from Shawshank, before making his way "through sewage" to take back his liberty. The Prison's Appearance in Welcome to Derry In relation to It: Welcome to Derry, viewers initially discovered about the prison's involvement from an early trailer for the series, where a prison bus was seen bearing the title displayed on its side. In episode 2, we learn who is likely destined for Shawshank. Though we know he was not responsible for the murders of children initially, the character Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. The preview for episode 3, "Now You See It," reveals a guard informing a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what happens to kiddie killers at that prison?" The Implications for Hank and His Daughter Given that the actual killer in the town is an ancient power originating elsewhere hunting and killing kids, Hank's chances of proving his innocence do not look good. Even should he does go in the prison and the audience do not see him there, knowing what is known about that prison indicates that his experience would not be pleasant. More importantly, however, this situation would endanger his daughter. He acts as her protector. Horrible things are occurring in the town that nobody, child or adult, comprehends and she just has her recently formed of friends to rely on. She's going to need her father in the coming episodes, however should the prison system has any say, she may be without help. One thing seems clear: Hank lacks 28 years to dig his way out. It: Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are currently available via the streaming service. New episodes air weekly on Sundays.