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The series It: Welcome to Derry contains numerous connections to Stephen King's extensive universe of narratives. Apart from the obvious links to It, the series also features an explicit connection to King's famous novel through the cameo of a young Dick Hallorann. Now, as the narrative progresses, Welcome to Derry is integrating another classic tale from King that deserves a revisit.

The Haunting Story of The Shawshank Redemption

While The Shawshank Redemption may not be considered horror, particularly in contrast with much of King's other work, it is a gripping tale about an innocently imprisoned individual sentenced to live the rest of his life in a notorious prison. And it's that very penitentiary which is central in this context, as the Shawshank facility possesses significant lore across King's stories — a pattern which persists in It: Welcome to Derry.

Among the tales which mention the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Via these narratives, we learn regarding the terrible life inside Shawshank State Prison and some of those imprisoned there, such as the boyfriend of one belonging to Pennywise's initial victims, who had been found guilty of armed robbery.

Thus far, though, the majority we've learned about the prison was through the eyes of Andy Dufresne from The Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by Tim Robbins in the 1994 film. The character Andy winds up in Shawshank after his wrongful conviction, and experiences assaulted and raped by other prisoners, and exploited by those in authority figures due to his expertise in finance. He requires nearly three decades to tunnel an escape route of the prison, prior to crawling "through sewage" to take back his freedom.

The Prison's Role in Welcome to Derry

Regarding the series, audiences initially discovered of Shawshank's involvement from an early trailer for the series, where a correctional transport appeared bearing the title displayed on its side. In episode 2, it is revealed which character is likely headed to the prison.

Although it is known he did not commit the murders of children initially, the character Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for the crimes. The preview for the next episode, "Now You See It," reveals a guard telling Hank in his cell, "Do you know what they do to kiddie killers at that prison?"

The Implications for Hank and His Daughter

Considering that the actual killer in the town is an ancient power originating elsewhere preying on and killing children, Hank's chances of proving his innocence do not look good. And even if he ends up to Shawshank and viewers don't follow him inside, understanding what we do regarding Shawshank indicates that his time there would be far from pleasant.

More importantly, though, this situation could threaten Ronnie. He acts as her protector. Terrible events are happening around Derry which no one, young or old, understands and Ronnie only has her new group of friends to depend on. She will require her dad as the story progresses, however should the prison system has any say, she could be out of luck.

One thing seems clear: Hank doesn’t have 28 years to dig his way out.

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Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available via the streaming service. New episodes are released each week each Sunday.