Seeing all the Emmy Awards hype for Widow’s Bay, I decided to watch it over the weekend. I am not very familiar with shows on Apple TV as I don’t have a subscription. But hubby recently bought something from Apple (don’t even remember what it was, some extra cloud storage, I think), and we got a 3-month free subscription, which we largely squandered, except for this show.
Widow’s Bay is a comedy-horror series set on the fictional island of Widow’s Bay, east of Massachusetts. It’s a fairly small island, very closed in, and a small-town kind of place. The mayor (Matthew Rhys as Mayor Loftis) has big ambitions. He wants to make the scenic island a tourist hub, like another Martha’s Vineyard.
The plan goes well, the island gets some rave reviews in the New York Times, and the tourists pour in.
There is only one problem. The island is haunted, and its entities are waking up. Strange things are happening—storms, creatures not of this world, unearthly fog, and more. There’s also another pesky little problem slash (sub)urban legend: whoever is born on the island cannot leave. If they do, they might find themselves dead. It’s a bit of an issue.
Mayor Loftis, however, is unwilling to believe these old-timey tales of hauntings, and he continues with his plans to commercialize the island and bring in more tourists (reminiscent of Jaws?).
Every episode features a new manner of spook, zombie, or goblin. Revenants, witches, sea hags: You name it, Widow’s Bay has got it. And the joy of the show is watching Loftis come to accept that the townspeople have been right all along. Maybe his assistant, Patricia (Kate O’Flynn), really was almost killed by the Boogeyman. Maybe there is an evil presence haunting the town inn.
Each episode has a slightly different tone to it – hard to explain, but there are some shifts. The first episode (this is a 10-part series) is mostly scene setting, and slightly dull and weird. You get a sense there is something off about the island and it’s people, but it’s not very clear. The second episode was like a straight-up ghost story, with all the clichés that come with it.
The action really starts to ratchet up in episode four, Beach Reads, and then reaches it’s zenith in episode five, What to Expect on Your Trip. Then things shift dramatically in episode six, Our History, which goes back to show the town’s founding in Puritan times and reveals the dark secret at the heart of Widow’s Bay. Horror and history, my sweet spot! After this episode, it was a total binge-watch!
For all these horrifying elements, Widow’s Bay is as much a comedy as it is horror. There were so many laugh-out-loud moments, and even my daughter, who never watches a movie or a show, while also scrolling on the phone at the same time (such a horrible habit, I hate it!), put down the phone for the entirety of this show and paid attention. It was that good!
The series ends on a cliff-hanger, and I can’t wait to watch Season 2 (thank God, it’s renewed) when it comes out!
