🔗 Share this article Don't Miss This Iconic Stephen King Movie Before It: Welcome to Derry's Upcoming Installment HBO's Welcome to Derry is filled with nods to Stephen King's vast library of stories. Beyond the obvious links to the original story, the series includes a direct connection to King's famous novel via the appearance of the youthful future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Now, as the story progresses, Welcome to Derry is weaving in another beloved tale from King that deserves a revisit. The Haunting Story of The Shawshank Redemption While The Shawshank Redemption may not be considered horror, especially in contrast with 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 infamous prison. And it's that very penitentiary which is important here, since the Shawshank facility holds significant history across King's stories — a tradition which persists in It: Welcome to Derry. Among the stories that reference Shawshank are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Via these stories, we learn regarding the terrible life at the state penitentiary and some of those imprisoned within, including the boyfriend of a belonging to Pennywise's early targets, who was convicted of armed robbery. Thus far, however, the most we've learned about the prison was through the eyes of Andy Dufresne from Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by the actor Tim Robbins in that 1994 film. The character Andy ends up at the prison after being wrongly convicted, then finds himself beaten and raped by other prisoners, and taken advantage of by the authority figures for his financial knowledge. He requires him 28 years to tunnel an escape route of the prison, before making his way "through sewage" to reclaim his liberty. Shawshank's Role in Welcome to Derry In relation to the series, viewers initially discovered about the prison's involvement via an initial preview for the show, in which a correctional transport was seen with the name painted on the side. During the second episode, we learn which character is likely headed to Shawshank. Although it is known he did not responsible for the murders of children initially, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for those offenses. A teaser for the next episode, "Now You See It," reveals an officer informing a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what they do to kiddie killers at that prison?" The Consequences for Hank and Ronnie Considering that the real murderer in Derry is a primordial entity originating elsewhere preying on and killing kids, Hank's chances of proving his innocence do not look good. And even if he does go in the prison and the audience do not see him there, understanding what we do about that prison makes it clear that his experience would not be pleasant. More importantly, though, this situation would endanger his daughter. He acts as her protector. Terrible events are happening around Derry that nobody, young or old, understands and she just has her new group circle of pals to rely on. She will require her father as the story progresses, but if Shawshank has any say, she could be out of luck. A single fact is apparent: Hank doesn’t have 28 years to tunnel to freedom. It: Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now on HBO Max. New episodes air weekly each Sunday.