Widow’s Bay: Season One

“I can't keep track of the amount of bullshit this island spawns.”

(This review covers the first season of Widow's Bay. It is mostly spoiler free, though minor plot points are covered.)

Horror comedies are the hardest genre to get right. To strike the right blend of dread and humour, a lot of shows tend to lean harder into slapstick comedy at the expense of any genuine scares. Then you have others that go too hard on the gore and shocks that the laughs just don't land. Widow's Bay achieves the near unachievable by walking the thin line between both genres, all while crafting a tone that feels completely unique.

I wouldn't say I fully got that uniqueness right away. There's an awkwardness to the first few episodes before things fall into place. The dialogue feels a bit off and on the surface there's no sense of camaraderie between characters. That's not to say those first couple of episodes are bad. Far from it, actually. I'd even argue that once you've finished the season as a whole the re-watch value would be through the roof. It's more of a testament to the off-beat humour this series tackles so well, and how beautifully the lead characters are developed as the story unfolds, chief among them the mayor of Widow's Bay, Tom Loftus.

As the story begins, Tom is primed to begin the tourist season on the right foot. The island has been suffering a lack of interest in recent years, and he's keen to get the naysayers on board and make it a go-to destination – the next Martha's Vineyard (and definitely not cursed). Unfortunately for him, a curse that's been placed on the island for hundreds of years begins to make itself known at just the wrong time.

Naturally, Tom's desperation lends itself super well to the hilarity of him trying to squash the impending doom of the island's past coming back to haunt everyone. As Tom tries, often in vain, to stop these disasters from impacting on the tourists' experience, he falls deeper and deeper into the seedy, creepy history of Widow's Bay. Matthew Rhys is insanely good in the role. Tom is often a difficult character to like given he's so short and sometimes disrespectful to other residents on the island, but he's played with such heart that you almost always side with him, even when he has to make some tough calls later on.

The best character by far is Tom's assistant, Patricia. Somewhat of an outcast amongst her peers on the island, Patricia is constantly looking to gain the respect she was never given as a teenager. In her attempts to win over those around her, she finds herself in some absurd situations, the most hilarious of which takes place in the best episode of the season, "Beach Reads." As she organises "sunset cocktails" at a local bar, a recently discovered self-help book wreaks a lot of havoc. Suffice to say, things don't go Patricia's way, and it's so much fun to watch.

One of my favourites, episode eight, takes direct inspiration from Halloween, as Patricia faces off against a long though buried villain that's haunted the island for decades. It's a blast of an episode, approaching the genuine horror of such an unstoppable villain with fun and levity. It's a great episode to showcase just how well this series is able to shift between such wildly different tones in a short space of time, and make it make sense.

This tone even transitions well into some fantastic flashbacks. Without spoiling too much, events that transpire hundreds of years in the past are explored mid-season, with the same goofy tone managing to feel just as natural and fun when juxtaposed against a colonial 1700's backdrop. The flashback episode in question features a stellar guest performance by Betty Gilpin, who plays an island outsider brought into a very unusual household. Despite this flashback shifting focus away from the main modern day plot, it doesn't feel redundant or unnecessary. Even better is when the past and present collide as the mystery really unfurls later in the season, but to say more would be too big of a spoiler.

As you watch the season through, you wouldn't be alone in wondering how the story that's set out early on could extend to multiple seasons, but the final episode leaves more than enough crumbs to keep you hooked for more. I'm honestly unsure if a second season will be able to fully capture the lighting in a bottle moment that is this insanely great debut run. I will be happy to find out either way, though.

9 out of 10 Warren brooches.

A final writer's note: the series just swept at the Emmys, including a very well deserved win for Kate O'Flynn. What more reason do you need to watch!