🔗 Share this article

HBO's It: Welcome to Derry is filled with references to Stephen King's wide-ranging universe of narratives. Beyond the obvious links to It, the series includes a direct connection to The Shining via the cameo of a young future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Currently, as the story unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in another beloved King story that deserves a revisit.

The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption

Although The Shawshank Redemption may not be considered horror, particularly in contrast with much of King's other writing, it remains a haunting story of a wrongfully convicted individual condemned to live the rest of his life in a notorious penitentiary. And it's this specific institution which is central here, as the Shawshank facility holds considerable lore across King's stories — a tradition that continues in Welcome to Derry.

Among the stories that reference the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Through these narratives, we discover regarding the terrible life inside the state penitentiary and several of the inmates within, including the partner of one belonging to Pennywise's initial victims, who had been found guilty for robbery with a weapon.

So far, however, the majority we've learned concerning Shawshank has been via the perspective of Andy Dufresne from Shawshank Redemption, played by the actor Tim Robbins in that 1994 film. The character Andy ends up at the prison after being wrongly convicted, and finds himself assaulted and abused by other prisoners, while taken advantage of by those in authority figures due to his expertise in finance. It takes nearly three decades to dig an escape route of the prison, prior to crawling "through sewage" to take back his freedom.

Shawshank's Role in It: Welcome to Derry

Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, audiences first learned of Shawshank's involvement from an early trailer for the series, in which a prison bus appeared with the name painted on the side. During the second episode, it is revealed who is likely destined for Shawshank.

Although we know he was not commit the murders of children initially, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. The preview for episode 3, "the upcoming installment," shows a guard informing a jailed Hank, "Are you aware what happens to kiddie killers at that prison?"

The Consequences for the Character and His Daughter

Considering that the real murderer in the town is a primordial entity originating elsewhere hunting and murdering kids, Hank's chances of clearing his name do not look good. Even should he does go to Shawshank and the audience do not see him there, understanding what we do about that prison makes it clear that his time there would be far from pleasant.

Crucially, though, this development would endanger his daughter. Hank is her guardian. Terrible events are happening around Derry which no one, young or old, comprehends and Ronnie just has her new group of friends to depend on. She's going to need her dad in the coming episodes, but if Shawshank plays a role, she may be without help.

One thing seems clear: Hank doesn’t have three decades to dig to freedom.

---

It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are streaming now via the streaming service. New episodes air weekly on Sundays.