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HBO's It: Welcome to Derry is filled with references to Stephen King's vast universe of narratives. Beyond the obvious ties to the original story, the series also features a direct link to King's famous novel via the cameo of the youthful future chef of the Overlook Hotel. Now, as the narrative unfolds, Welcome to Derry is weaving in another classic tale from King which merits a revisit.

The Powerful Story of The Shawshank Redemption

While Shawshank Redemption isn't typically considered a horror film, especially in contrast with a lot of King's other work, it remains a haunting tale of a wrongfully convicted individual condemned to spend his remaining years in a infamous prison. And it's that very institution which is central here, since Shawshank State Prison possesses considerable lore across King's fictional world — a tradition which persists in Welcome to Derry.

Among the tales that reference the prison include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Via these stories, we discover about the terrible conditions inside the state penitentiary and some of the inmates within, such as the boyfriend of a belonging to Pennywise's early targets, who was convicted of armed robbery.

So far, though, the most we've learned about the prison was through the perspective of the protagonist from Shawshank Redemption, played by the actor Tim Robbins in the 1994 movie. Andy winds up at the prison after his wrongful conviction, and experiences assaulted and raped by fellow inmates, while exploited by those in officials in power due to his expertise in finance. He requires him 28 years to dig his way out of the prison, prior to crawling "through a river of shit" to take back his freedom.

Shawshank's Role in It: Welcome to Derry

In relation to the series, audiences initially discovered of Shawshank's involvement from an initial preview for the show, where a prison bus was seen bearing the title displayed on its side. In episode 2, it is revealed which character is probably destined for the prison.

Though we know he was not commit the child deaths initially, the character Hank Grogan (played by Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), gets taken into custody for the crimes. A teaser for episode 3, "the upcoming installment," reveals an officer telling Hank in his cell, "Do you know what they do to kiddie killers in Shawshank?"

The Implications for Hank and His Daughter

Given that the actual killer in Derry is an ancient power from another world preying on and killing children, Hank's chances of clearing his name appear slim. Even should he ends up in the prison and the audience don't follow him there, knowing what is known about that prison makes it clear that his experience would be far from pleasant.

Crucially, though, this development could threaten Ronnie. Hank is her guardian. Terrible events are happening around Derry that nobody, child or adult, understands and Ronnie just has her recently formed circle of pals to depend on. She will require her father in the coming episodes, however should Shawshank plays a role, she could be out of luck.

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 streaming now via the streaming service. Additional installments are released each week each Sunday.