How I Know WIDOW’S BAY Series does Right by Horror Comedy Fans, based on the Pilot Episode’s Plot
The AppleTV+’s new drama series Widow’s Bay starts with a somewhat familiar setting and plot: we’re in a rural New England island town around forty miles off the mainland. It’s quaint and beautiful, but it’s a fishing and whaling community historically, and with that industry dwindling (and dangerous), Mayor Tom Lofits (Matthew Rhys) tries to revive the economy by pitching Widow’s Bay as a perfect tourist destination.
The locals are against it—but not for the reason you’d expect.
Trailer of WIDOW’S BAY Horror Comedy Series on Apple TV+
Old Mariners Believe in Protecting Strangers… and Themselves Plot
The old-timers and mariners aren’t against change. They’re not worried about their way of life being threatened. Really, it’s just the opposite. With all the terrible stuff that has happened on the island throughout its settlement and history, they’re used to rolling with the punches. Not to the point of becoming a cliché “All life is suffering” type of thing in which they do nothing about it, but they know a curse when they see it. They do what they can, but they accept what they see.
So, when the cold open shows Shep (XX) and his boat go missing overnight in fog, and his buddy Wyck (Stephen Root) hears it happening over the radio… he knows what’s up. It’s a supernatural fog, and first thing in the morning, he goes to tell the Mayor needs to sound the alarm. Literally, sound the 1940s siren and get people to hole up until the island isn’t angry anymore.
That order doesn’t go over well. Mayor Tom Loftis wants to be respected and beloved by his community, and save it. Today is the day that the travel writer from The New York Times is supposed to arrive, and with his article’s publication, it could change the tourist economy for the whole island.
To be fair: as a city-dweller and sometimes travel writer, I feel like I can attest: Tom Loftis is right about that. One NYT article could change their summer tourist season. So he assumes, like I did, that Wyck is making a bigger deal of the disappearance than it is, and that they should absolutely not have the writer who’s coming to save the day hole up in his hotel for the duration of his stay at Widow’s Bay.
So, Tom finds himself in a tight spot, but he’d rather be disrespected by his community (who all think he’s kind of soft) than blow the opportunity. It’s also hard for his town to trust him when he doesn’t give any credence to the curse.
That’s a trope that I thought would stand much longer than it does—the mayor who’s in denial about the thing that is very obviously actually happening.
Image provided by Apple TV+
Horror Tropes Provide the Comedy—and Get Out of the Way for More Interesting Plotlines
It’s no secret to the horror lover that seamen are full of superstition. I mean, if I had actual experience with hellbeasts from the deep, I would also be skittish at everything from weather omens and seabirds. (Look: Moby Dick and Jaws are both classics for good reason.)
This plotline could go creature-feature… but it doesn’t have to if it doesn’t want to. There’s plenty nautical superstition and maritime lore to keep me entertained for this show’s ten episodes. I think it would be kind of a cop-out to have one monster responsible for all of this, and that’s not the vibe of this show. It’s too smart. It trusts its audience too much to let us down like that.
But here’s their deal: the island’s historical families, the ones who came when it was initially settled 300+ years ago (and all the seamen who live there) are convinced that the island is cursed. Pretty much everyone who’s from there believes in this curse. (They’re even convinced, says the writer, that if anyone born on the island tries to leave, they’ll die.) Welcoming newcomers to the island means cursing them, and they don’t want to do that. It’s a surprising and refreshing take on the horror trope.
Speaking of horror tropes, for the most part, the tropes provide the comedy. When I say “trope,” I mean it in a bad way. I mean all the typical horror movie shit that takes you out of the moment. When the final girl runs upstairs and corners herself (Does she want to survive?). When the protagonist rationalizes with logic and perpetuates the plot. It was all a dream. Or, my favorite (read: HATE IT) trope, it’s all because you built on an Indian Graveyard. FOH.
Suffice it to say, without spoiling any plot points, these tropes provide the comedy.
You’re never laughing at the characters, not unless they’re trying to be funny—like, by delivering a dry line—you’re laughing with them. That’s hard to do, but this show is incredibly self-aware, and that’s how it avoids the camp… which most horror-comedies tend to lean on pretty heavily.
Image provided by Apple TV+
The Nautical Tropes Are Plenty of Premise for a Compelling Plot and a Super Tight Pilot Episode
To paraphrase Tina Fey, it’s impossible to write a good pilot episode, yet this one nails the objective: I understand the premise of the show, the characters are established, and I got plenty of exposition without the plot being inhibited.
Here’s a list of the pilot episode’s successes:
The travel writer is our entry point. I thought it was going to be Loftis, but no, and this works better because we (the viewers) learn about the town’s horrible history alongside the writer, and we’re just as fascinated. We also balk when he balks and react to Loftis’ overreaction similarly.
Loftis is a dynamic character because—although he doesn’t want to believe in the curse—when he sees the evidence with his own eyes, he converts. He doesn’t double-down on his own ignorance as so frequently happens in the horror genre.
Wyck isn’t some old bastard who warns you and then disappears. No, he’s a full, capable character who is completely devoted to helping the cause.
Characters are memorable and quirky—even the ones who seem irrelevant, you can tell there’s more to them than you’re seeing.
The camerawork is impeccable. Again, the deep focus shot ubiquitous in horror film works to its advantage. That’s no surprise, given the masterful direction of Hiro Murai, but it is still so good.
It never mentions Stephen King, but come on. This has all the trappings of a Stephen King novel… and none of the clichés. No shade to Mr. King. I am not a fan of his work, but I respect it and I understand that many of the aspects I now consider cliché were not cliché before he wrote them. They just became that popular, and then other copycats wore them out. Nonetheless, I appreciate that here, the nautical setting is allowed to do the work, and it is doing the work. It’s vibey, but we’re already experiencing the promise of the premise and not getting redirected onto vampires or binge-drinking manifesting as psychosis.
For all these reasons and more when you’re considering what show to watch on AppleTV+, I definitely recommend starting Widow’s Bay.
The first two episodes of AppleTV+’s new drama series (but really, horror comedy) Widow’s Bay streaming release date: April 29, 12am PDT.
They release weekly after that!
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—Just How Real Is THE MUMMY’s Curse?
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