HBO’s IT: Welcome to Derry is mostly telling a contained story that exists within the framework of Stephen King’s IT and the movie adaptations of that book from the past decade, but it also has ties to the author’s wider universe. The biggest of these so far is Dick Hallorann (from The Shining and Doctor Sleep), who is one of the key players in Derry, his abilities being used by the authorities to help investigate the power of the entity known as It, which they hope to utilize.
Beyond that, though, there are some other nods, one of which comes in IT: Welcome to Derry Season 1, Episode 3. With Hank Grogan having wrongly been arrested for the massacre that took place at the Capitol Theater (which was, of course, the work of It), the corrupt police chief, Clint Bowers (seemingly the grandfather of IT bully Henry) has plans for him. He’s going to send Hank to Shawshank State Prison, warning him “do you know what they do to kiddy killers in Shawshank?”
How Much Time Will IT: Welcome To Derry Spend At Shawshank?
The trailer for IT: Welcome to Derry had previously teased a Shawshank Redemption connection, with a shot of a bus that had the prison’s name on it. However, Episode 3 gives us much greater context for how it’s going to feature in the season, and it seems like it will be more than just an Easter egg. It’s very possible that we’ll actually get to see Hank at the jail, bringing the iconic Stephen King location back to the screen after previously being featured in Castle Rock and, of course, the movie The Shawshank Redemption.
The latter is still arguably the best Stephen King movie of all time – and remains the undisputed #1 movie on IMDb, a position it’s held for several years. That alone makes any connection to it a major point of interest, and it will be fascinating to see just how far it takes it.
In terms of timeline, there is actually overlap between the properties: Welcome to Derry is set in 1962, while Andy Dufresne’s (Tim Robbins) time in Shawshank spanned 1947-1966, and Red (Morgan Freeman) was paroled one year after Andy’s escape. That means Andy and Red should both be inmates at the prison when Hank arrives there, though actually seeing new actors in those roles might be a step too far in terms of distracting from the story at hand.
Still, Shawshank is a classic King locale, and a dark one at that. While Pennywise’s influence may not stretch that far, that doesn’t mean it’s all going to be plain sailing for Hank, especially if he goes in there with the reputation of having brutally murdered multiple children. He is innocent, and hopefully that will mean he survives and is freed by the end of IT: Welcome to Derry Season 1, but things don’t always work out so neatly in King stories.
New episodes of IT: Welcome to Derry release Sundays at 9pm ET on HBO and HBO Max.
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