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The series It: Welcome to Derry is filled with connections to the author's vast collection of tales. Apart from the clear ties to It, the show also features an explicit connection to King's famous novel through the appearance of a young Dick Hallorann. Now, as the story progresses, Welcome to Derry is integrating another beloved King story which merits a revisit.

The Powerful Tale of The Shawshank Redemption

While The Shawshank Redemption isn't typically classified as a horror film, particularly compared to a lot of King's other work, it is a gripping tale about an innocently imprisoned man sentenced to live his remaining years in a infamous penitentiary. And it's that very institution that becomes important here, as the Shawshank facility possesses considerable history across King's stories — a tradition which persists within Welcome to Derry.

Among the tales that reference Shawshank are Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Through these stories, we discover regarding the terrible life at the state penitentiary plus several of those imprisoned there, such as the boyfriend of one belonging to Pennywise's early targets, who was found guilty of armed robbery.

So far, however, the majority we've learned concerning Shawshank has been through the perspective of the protagonist in Shawshank Redemption, played by the actor Tim Robbins in that 1994 movie. The character Andy ends up at the prison following his wrongful conviction, and experiences beaten and abused by fellow inmates, while exploited by those in officials in power for his expertise in finance. It takes nearly three decades to tunnel an escape route of the prison, prior to making his way "through sewage" to reclaim his liberty.

Shawshank's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry

In relation to It: Welcome to Derry, audiences first learned of Shawshank's involvement via an initial preview for the series, where a prison bus was seen bearing the title displayed on its side. In episode 2, we learn which character is probably destined for Shawshank.

Although we know he was 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. A teaser for the next episode, "the upcoming installment," reveals an officer informing Hank in his cell, "Are you aware what happens to kiddie killers in Shawshank?"

The Consequences for the Character and Ronnie

Considering that the actual murderer in the town is an ancient power from another world preying on and murdering kids, Hank's chances of proving his innocence appear slim. And even if he ends up in the prison and viewers do not see him inside, knowing what is known about that prison makes it clear that his experience would not be pleasant.

Crucially, though, this development could threaten his daughter. Hank is her protector. Horrible things are happening around Derry that nobody, young or old, comprehends and she just has her recently formed circle of pals to rely on. She's going to need her father in the coming episodes, however should the prison system has any say, she may be out of luck.

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

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It: Welcome to Derry the first two episodes are currently available via the streaming service. New episodes air weekly each Sunday.