In the second episode of the hit show “Widow’s Bay,” protagonist Tom Loftis finds himself on his hands and knees in a dusty crawlspace, way down in the basement of his town’s local hotel, the Breakwater Inn.
He’s there by choice. In his hands is a camcorder, a tool to prove that he actually did what he said he would: stay the night at this supposedly cursed inn and visit all of its most haunted locations. As mayor of the small coastal town Widow’s Bay, he needs to prove to his constituents that there is nothing to be afraid of here—that the spooky legends they have heard about their hometown are nothing but stories. And yet he has a sinking feeling that there may be some truth to them after all.
It’s hard to explain the following series of events to someone who hasn’t seen the show. Tom is joined by a creepy man who might be a ghost, there’s a jump scare involving a clown and a jarring glimpse of a dead body. Tom seems to be in danger—but then he wakes up in his bed. Was it all just a dream?
The Apple TV series “Widow’s Bay,” written by Katie Dippold and directed and produced by Hiro Murai, is full of moments like this one. The first season of the show, released this past April, follows Tom as his efforts to boost the economy and reputation of his town are repeatedly thwarted by community members who believe the island is cursed. Creepy clowns, invulnerable serial killers, sorcery books and mysterious fog are only some of the supernatural forces that would seem to prove these constituents right.
“Widow’s Bay” has been showered in praise for its charm, humor and intriguing storytelling. This buzz has culminated in 19 Emmy Award nominations for the show, including an Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series nomination for Matthew Rhys, who plays Tom, as well as a number of supporting and guest acting nominations for the surrounding cast. The show was also nominated for several writing and directing awards, and even picked up an Outstanding Comedy Series nomination.
A show about an island populated with monsters, ghosts and witchcraft may not sound like a natural choice for a Comedy Series Emmy Award. But alongside the jump scares are quirky, small-town characters brought to life with absurdly hilarious writing. It’s a unique genre-blender of thriller and comedy: mysterious, unnerving and at times terrifying, but also bound to make you laugh when you least expect it.
Matthew Rhys shines in his role as the unpopular but determined mayor trying desperately to lead his flock of odd ducks. Kate O’Flynn plays Patricia, his quirky and lonely assistant, who longs to fit in on this small and isolated island. They eventually team up with Wyck, the hard-headed and superstitious former mayor, played by Stephen Root. Other notable characters include the grouchy town hall employee Rosemary (Dale Dickey), Tom’s rebellious son Evan (Kingston Rumi Southwick) and the weary town sheriff Bechir (Kevin Carroll).
There are dark themes in this series, to be sure: A particularly solemn moment includes the death of the local pastor, Reverend Bryce (Toby Huss), who takes his own life after being exposed to some of the island’s dark secrets. The show’s characters, all neighbors bound together through tragedy, are deeply impacted by this loss; it raises the urgency of their mission to find answers that will cure the island of the evil that seems to lurk within it. But serious moments like this one unfold alongside humorous episodes, like the fourth one, in which Patricia accidentally uses a sorcery book to cast a spell on an entire cocktail party, and the fifth, in which Tom trips on psychedelic mushrooms for hours on end.
Tom is a well-written example of a flawed leader. He’s an outsider among his own constituents—he wasn’t born in Widow’s Bay, so he’s not an islander. Many of the townspeople, Wyck especially, don’t think he has what it takes to lead. Tom is willing to do pretty much anything to earn their approval, including wedging himself into the crawlspace under a haunted inn.
Tom is tasked with a unique and absurd balance of responsibilities: bringing prosperity to the town and keeping everyone alive. At times, his judgement is clouded by his dreams for a lively and well-visited Widow’s Bay. He’s willing to risk putting hundreds of tourists in danger if it means turning the island into a vacation hotspot—the “next Martha’s Vineyard,” as he often claims it will be. His ambitions as mayor are heavily intertwined with his desires for his son, who has never been off the island due to superstitions about what happens to those born there if they try to leave.
But as the events in the town become stranger and more dangerous, Tom is forced to grapple with the difficult reality of being in charge during challenging times. Every decision he makes will have negative consequences; keeping people safe often means sacrificing local business, his own popularity and community harmony.
This tightrope culminates towards the end of the show, when Tom is faced with a choice that mimics the famous “trolley car problem” often used to explore philosophical and ethical reasoning. The problem imagines an out-of-control trolley car barreling towards diverging tracks. If the trolley maintains the route it’s currently on, it will hit several people. If someone pulls a lever, the trolley will change course, hitting only one. So the question is asked: Do you pull the lever? Sacrifice the one for the five? Interfere with fate to save more lives?
Tom names this thought experiment in the show, self-aware about the implications of the choice in front of him. He might have a real chance to save his town. But at what cost? The life of a neighbor? His own soul?
“Widow’s Bay” is not a show about people who win their fights. It’s about a town of people who lose again and again and again but keep pushing forward regardless. Their relationships are messy, their choices are often poor, they are sometimes selfish and often overcome by their desires and their fears. But these characters—Tom, Patricia and Wyck particularly—end the season by owning up to their flaws, acknowledging their insecurities, facing their mistakes and learning to care for each other in spite of all of it.
Tom is not a great mayor, and he’s not a perfect father. He’s not the smartest or the bravest or the strongest leading man you’ll find on TV. But in this inaugural season of “Widow’s Bay,” he is faced with a series of impossible decisions that he continues to navigate, through success and also through failure. That’s the most valuable aspect of the show: a raw, un-glorified exploration of what it means to keep going when things get bleak.
And “Widow’s Bay” argues that not only can even the most damaged of us survive hard times—we might even be able to laugh through them.
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