Idyllic settings often hide sinister secrets. Predators are likely to pop up out of the tranquil ocean waters surrounding Widow’s Bay, threatening unsuspecting visitors. Those who live on Widow’s Bay, more specifically, those who were born on the island, can never leave. Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys), is a longtime island resident and ran for mayor – unopposed – with the goal of turning around the island’s fortunes by repositioning it as an undiscovered New England vacation spot.
A New York Times reporter responds to Tom’s invitation to visit and writes a glowing travel piece. When his review dubs Widow’s Bay “the next Martha’s Vineyard,” tourists begin to come in droves. Not everyone is happy about this influx. Wyck (a terrific Stephen Root) warns Tom a thick fog that is enveloping the island is a warning that the evil spirits are “waking up.” A church bell rings nine times in the middle of the night, despite being chained up, causing Reverend Bryce (Toby Huss) to also warn Tom.
Matthew Rhys as Mayor Tom Loftis and Stephen Root as Wyck
Despite the warnings, Tom remains steadfast that the island is safe for visitors, even those who will be staying in the supposedly haunted Breakwater Inn. Locals dare Tom to spend one night there in the “Captain’s Suite” and film the visit. Although the inn has not yet checked in any of the tourists, Tom finds one man staying there. They share drinks and play a board game, ironically named “Daddy’s Home.” However, the next day, video shows Tom playing by himself, no sign of the other man.
The tide begins to turn for Tom, quite literally, when he opens the the ocean with the publicized Inaugural Swim and sees something with stringy gray hair bobbing in the water. That night he has another sighting that could be the same creature, identified as the Sea Hag, who scratches him on the arm. The wound won’t stop bleeding. Tom is told by Wyck that the Sea Hag has marked him as prey and will continue to track him to kill him. When Wyck comes to his rescue, Tom begins to believe that the island has become dangerous.
Kate O’Flynn as Patricia
In the office, Tom is surrounded by a dedicated yet quirky staff. His assistant, Patricia (Kate O’Flynn), has her own wretched past. In school she was shunned by the other girls who didn’t believe she escaped being killed by the Boogeyman when she hid under the bed. Those girls, now women, continue to make her life miserable. Legend has it that the Boogeyman lives in a house on the island that is now boarded up. Tom’s son, Evan, is about to enter the house on a dare, when the local sheriff shows up and threatens to arrest him for breaking and entering.
Evan’s mother died after giving birth to him on the island. Now that he’s a teenager, Evan wants to leave the island, even for a quick trip with his friends to Boston. Tom can’t explain to his son why he can’t leave Widow’s Bay. Constantly worried that Evan will defy him, Tom spends a great deal of time tracking his son. Since there’s no cell service on the island, Tom has to depend on landlines to reach his son.
Betty Gilpin as Sarah Wescott
Episode six in the series, “Our History,” goes back to 1702, when Sarah Wescott (Betty Gilpin) arrives on the island to marry Widow Bay’s founder, Richard Warren, and care for his five children. It doesn’t take long for Sarah to understand that her husband is responsible for strange illnesses, deaths, and disappearances that have been plaguing the island. The locals believe Richard made a deal with the devil and recruit her to help kill him. She’s shocked, but agrees. When the plot falls apart, she flees with the children in a small boat. What happens next is the key to the evil that has since enveloped Widow’s Bay.
Widow’s Bay, which can be streamed on Apple TV, caught many off guard for amassing 19 Emmy nominations. Only The Pitt with 25 and Hacks with 24 had more nominations. Rhys is nominated for an Emmy in the Lead Actor category, a tout de force that manages to hold the entire plot together. The supporting cast has standout performances, including O’Flynn, Gilpin, and Dale Dickey as the sarcastic office worker, Rosemary. O’Flynn and Dickey are nominated in the supporting actress category, while Gilpin is nominated in the guest actress category. Wyck is nominated in the supporting actor category, while Hamish Linklater, earned a nod as a guest actor for his stellar performance as Richard Warren. The show also scored nominations for production design, casting, directing, cinematography, picture editing, music composition, music supervision, sound editing, sound mixing and writing.
The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony will take place on Monday, September 14, and can be seen on NBC and Peacock.
Photo Credit: Apple TV
