We have to talk about Widow’s Bay, the comedy/horror series on Apple TV, and why you need to watch it! I swear, not even Stephen King could write anything better. Apple TV continues to put out great shows, especially for us nerds. You’ve heard me rave about all the sci-fi stuff. And don’t worry, I’ll get to Silo season 3 here in a few weeks, but even the quirkiest comedies continue to entertain and make this streaming service one of the better values. I’ll even go as far as to say that it’s a better value than Netflix right now! Now I didn’t get into the show until a few days ago. Sorry, I’ve been late to the party with other things that I’ve had to watch and with you, but I love this series. It’s like the creator, Katie Dippold, takes something from a Stephen King novel and throws in a little comedy along with some heartwarming drama to build through each episode this great mystery about a small Maine coastal town, or I guess island in this case. Things get weird, and it has all of these kooky characters that you can’t help but instantly be connected to. It’s hard not to spoil the show, so this review is really about why it’s worth watching over 10 episodes. And no, this is one of those rare instances where a two or three-hour movie wouldn’t do the story justice. The mystery is a slow burn that, even though everything is not completely revealed by the end, leaving room for a lot more, it just makes you want to know more about what’s going on and why this town is cursed. I don’t feel like that’s spoiling anything because we pretty much know from the trailers that there’s a first surrounding Widow’s Bay.
Starring Matthew Rhys and Stephen Root, the Story centers on a small town that has its fair share of folklore and hauntings. The mayor wants to turn the town into a tourist attraction and it next Martha Vineyards, but is being thwarted by one of the locals who sheds more light on the cursed history of Widow’s Bay. The performances are great. This is Matthew Rhys’s best role since The Americans. Stephen Root is great in everything he does, and they couldn’t have found a better choice to play the town kook, but I also have to mention Kate O’Flynn and the way she portrayed this quirky character that is sympathetic and annoying all at the same time, but you end up rooting for her anyway. And I’ve always been a big fan of Dale Dickey. She has always been a pleasure to talk to at Film Festivals, and gives a stand-up performance as well. There’s so much going on with the mystery of this town that I don’t think I’ve been this engrossed in an overall mystery on an island since Lost. There are plenty of moments where you’re going to laugh, but again, I compared this to some of Stephen King’s best stories when it comes to hauntings and curses. Each episode does a great job of slowly drawing you into the overall mystery, and probably the best episode is when they do the prequel that shows you how the overall curses got started. I feel like we’re only scratching the surface of the mystery box within the story, and I’m happy to hear that we are getting a season 2. That was announced before I even finished this review.
I really don’t have much criticism regarding the show except there are some awkward moments that are almost cringe-worthy that are not related to the horror elements of the story, especially when the character of Patricia is dealing with old high school friends that shun her. I love her character, but there are moments you just want to fast forward, and it doesn’t take away from the overall story. There are certain moments that aren’t necessary to the overall story, but help explain the characters. Sometimes it feels like a little unnecessary exposition, but the season flows very well. I binged-watched it in two days and couldn’t get enough. I’m only disappointed that the season has ended and we’re going to have to wait a year or two for another season. Like most things that are great, the criticisms are minor and can’t take away from how good the story is.
Overall, this is one of the best shows on streaming services. If you’re a fan of horror, then this is right up your alley. It’s not too grotesque. The story is more a creeping mystery that slowly tugs at your attention. There’s plenty of funny moments that keep you laughing. You get great performances, and I assure you you’re going to want to know more about this fictional town of Widow’s Bay, especially after going through its history in that one episode. There’s a lot of great horror shows on streaming services like Welcome to Derry on HBO, but this one is right up there. And one of the best parts, you don’t know what’s real and what’s not. I found myself questioning what was actually real. Great shows leave you a lot of unanswered questions that you just have to know the answer to so you keep coming back, and that’s certainly Widow’s Bay. Let’s just say there’s a lot more going on in this town than what was explained in season 1, and I guarantee you’ll be hooked. So the top three reasons you should check out the…a creepy mystery that easily gets its hooks into the audience, well-placed comedy to help lighten the mood, and fantastic performances to the point where you want to know more about each character. It has everything you can want in a good mystery. Apple TV does it again and hits a home run with this show. It’s a 8/10!
