Widow’s Bay: Don’t Forget to Check on Your Baggage!

Rich Gerlach discusses Apple TV’s smash horror comedy hit WIDOW’S BAY and its inaugural season, and answers the question: Is it worth a binge?

WIDOW’S BAY

A skeptical mayor leads the superstitious residents of a cursed New England island.

Creator: Katie Dippold

Stars: Matthew Rhys, Kate O’Flynn, Kevin Carroll

Widow’s Bay is a comedy/horror mystery show created by Parks and Recreation writer Kate Dippold. The show itself focuses on a small Massachusetts island town called Widow’s Bay, where the cell phone service is spotty at best, and the locals are strange and superstitious. The show focuses on Tom Loftis played by Matthew Rhys, really highlighting his comedy chops as the bumbling town mayor. We follow him as he works with his assistant, Patricia, played by Kate O’Flynn. We also follow Loftis as he gets pulled into the mystery of the island by the old mayor Wyck Crawford played by Stephen Root.  The three of these characters come together to try to break a curse that keeps all locals connected to the island, while Tom Loftis is trying to bring a bunch of tourists in to rebrand the island as a summer vacation getaway.

The show is a comedy first and foremost, but it keeps its cards close to the chest as it slowly brings in more and more horror elements. With these elements, the show tackled familiar horror tropes in fun and interesting ways. From the curse of the sea hag and the mayor’s first swim, to a slasher urban legend who walks menacingly at his victims. We follow our core cast of characters while they try to break the curse of the island, and keep the tourists visiting safe. All the while the island itself demands sacrifices to keep the lingering storms at bay.

The comedy of Widow’s Bay is quite dry, and uses a lot of physical gags and some slapstick. Which makes some great off sets to the scares. This show also demands a little of your time and attention before it really gets going. It’s not until episode 4 the show really becomes something special and sinks its hooks fully in. Once the show grabs you it won’t let you know. The two episodes that are stand outs are the two that follow Patricia, the town outcast. There’s one episode in particular that will have you wishing they would let her have a little black magic as a treat.

The core of the story is Tom Loftis, the town’s bumbling mayor and the mystery he finds himself in. He starts off the show as someone who doesn’t believe in the island’s curse; including one that says those who are born on the island can never leave. Despite not believing in the curse, he has yet to take his island born son to the mainland, despite him being born in the mainland. The show then continues to explore Loftis, and his strained relationship to his son, what happened to his wife and how he ended up a widow, and how all this ties into the dark curse that has a grip on the island itself. It’s such a wonderful premise for a character and a show that by the end, will have you glued to your seat wanting to know what happens next and thankfully we’ll find out in a second season.

The acting of this show is absolutely fantastic. Matthew Rhys really flexes his comedy skills here, especially physical comedy. Kate O’Flynn steals the show as Patricia. She will have you rooting for her from the beginning, and she continues to stay the moral center of the story while she also is struggling with being an outcast after she survived an attack by a serial killer people think she lied about. We also have Stephen Root as the old mayor, who begins the show portrayed like a kooky old townie, but by the end gives such a hardened and nuanced performance. However, Matthew Rhys gives one of his best performances in the finale, especially with just his face and reactions. The last time I was this glued to a monologue was Midnight Mass (which this show shares a surprise cast member with I won’t spoil here). But Rhys really bookends the show from a comedic performance that gradually grows more dramatic.

At the core of Widow’s Bay is one of the best examinations of the trolley problem ever put on television. Maybe even going back to Matheson’s Button, Button. What sacrifices would you make for the greater good at the expense of someone else? Going into anything more will give too much away, but just know that how the show examines and looks at this idea is truly captivating.

Lastly, the show and writers love horror and seem to know their stuff. They cleverly play with horror tropes in a way that builds on some clever creeps, scares, and tension. While they uphold the comedy of looking at the same tropes. The show has moments where you will simultaneously be on the edge of your seat, while you’re also laughing your ass off. The writing and directing are all top notch and the show will keep you wanting more.

All in all, pack your bags and enjoy a summer at Widow’s Bay, what’s the worst that can happen?

Richard Gerlach is a teacher, cinephile, bibliophile and all-around nerd. When he isn’t teaching ELA, he’s consuming massive amounts of media to give endless recommendations from books, to movies, to tv shows. He specializes in the weird and the dark. He hopes to see you there.

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