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The series It: Welcome to Derry is packed with nods to the author's vast collection of tales. Beyond the obvious ties to the original story, the series includes a direct connection to The Shining via the cameo of a young future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Currently, as the narrative progresses, It: Welcome to Derry is weaving in another beloved tale from King that deserves a revisit.

The Haunting Story of The Shawshank Redemption

While Shawshank Redemption isn't typically classified as a horror film, especially compared to a lot of King's other work, it is a haunting tale about an innocently imprisoned individual sentenced to live the rest of his life in a infamous penitentiary. And it's this specific institution which is important here, as Shawshank State Prison holds considerable history throughout King's fictional world — a tradition that continues in Welcome to Derry.

Among the tales which mention the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, and It. Via these narratives, we discover regarding the terrible conditions at Shawshank State Prison and some of those imprisoned there, including the boyfriend of a of Pennywise's early targets, who had been found guilty of armed robbery.

So far, though, the majority we've learned concerning Shawshank was via the eyes of Andy Dufresne from Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by the actor Tim Robbins in the 1994 movie. The character Andy ends up at the prison after being wrongly convicted, and experiences assaulted and abused by fellow inmates, while taken advantage of by the officials in power due to his expertise in finance. It takes nearly three decades to dig his way out of the prison, before making his way "through sewage" to reclaim his freedom.

Shawshank's Appearance in Welcome to Derry

In relation to the series, viewers initially discovered of Shawshank's inclusion via an initial preview for the show, where a correctional transport was seen with the name displayed on its side. During the second episode, it is revealed which character is probably headed to Shawshank.

Though we know he was not responsible for the child deaths in the first episode, Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), father of Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for those offenses. The preview for the next episode, "Now You See It," reveals a guard telling a jailed Hank, "Do you know what happens to child murderers in Shawshank?"

The Implications for the Character and His Daughter

Considering that the real killer in Derry is a primordial entity originating elsewhere preying on and murdering kids, Hank's prospects of clearing his name do not look good. And even if he does go to Shawshank and viewers do not see him there, understanding what we do regarding Shawshank makes it clear that his time there would be far from pleasant.

Crucially, though, this situation could threaten his daughter. He acts as her guardian. Horrible things are occurring in the town that nobody, child or adult, understands and she only has her recently formed of friends to depend on. She's going to need her father as the story progresses, however should the prison system plays a role, she could be out of luck.

A single fact seems clear: Hank doesn’t have three decades to dig to freedom.

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It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are streaming now on HBO Max. New episodes are released each week each Sunday.