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HBO's Welcome to Derry contains numerous references to the author's wide-ranging collection of tales. Beyond the clear links to It, the series includes an explicit link to King's famous novel via the cameo of a young future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Now, as the story progresses, Welcome to Derry is weaving in another classic tale from King that deserves a revisit.

The Haunting Tale of The Shawshank Redemption

While Shawshank Redemption may not be considered a horror film, particularly in contrast with much of King's other work, it remains a haunting tale of a innocently imprisoned man sentenced to spend the rest of his life in a notorious penitentiary. It is this specific penitentiary that becomes central here, since the Shawshank facility holds considerable lore throughout King's fictional world — a tradition which persists within Welcome to Derry.

Among the tales which mention the prison are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these stories, we learn about the awful conditions at the state penitentiary plus several of the inmates within, such as the boyfriend of a belonging to Pennywise's initial victims, who was convicted of armed robbery.

So far, however, the majority we've learned about the prison was through the perspective of the protagonist from The Shawshank Redemption, played by Tim Robbins in that 1994 film. The character Andy ends up in Shawshank following being wrongly convicted, then experiences beaten and abused by fellow inmates, while taken advantage of by those in officials in power due to his financial knowledge. It takes him 28 years to dig his way out of the prison, before crawling "through sewage" to take back his freedom.

The Prison's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry

Regarding It: Welcome to Derry, audiences first learned of Shawshank's involvement via an initial preview for the series, in which a prison bus was seen bearing the title displayed on its side. During the second episode, it is revealed which character is likely headed to Shawshank.

Though it is known he was not responsible for the murders of children in the first episode, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. A teaser for episode 3, "the upcoming installment," shows an officer informing Hank in his cell, "Do you know what they do to child murderers in Shawshank?"

The Implications for the Character and His Daughter

Given that the actual murderer in the town is a primordial entity from another world preying on and killing kids, Hank's chances of proving his innocence do not look good. And even if he does go to Shawshank and the audience don't follow him there, understanding what is known about that prison indicates that his time there would not be enjoyable.

More importantly, though, this development would endanger his daughter. He acts as her guardian. Terrible events are occurring in the town which no one, young or old, comprehends and she only has her new group of friends to rely on. She will require her father in the coming episodes, but if the prison system has any say, she may be without help.

A single fact seems clear: Hank lacks three decades to dig his way out.

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It: Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are currently available via the streaming service. New episodes air weekly on Sundays.