Widow’s Bay Recap: The Terrors Will Not Cease

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Last week’s Widow’s Bay episode opened with a mysterious man with long hair finding a unique type of mushroom, called truesight, which only grows on the island. It wasn’t clear then how this scene connected to the rest of the story or who the man was. However, this week’s episode, “Our History,” which took place in 1702 and showed Sarah Westcott Warren arriving in Widow’s Bay, revealed more. We now understand that the man from the opening scene of “What to Expect on Your Trip” was Richard Warren, played by Hamish Linklater, and that scene depicted his arrival and discovery of the mushrooms. (Though, despite their special properties, these mushrooms are definitely not something to enjoy!)

The latest episode confirms suspicions raised in the previous one: Richard Warren isn’t the upstanding man he appears to be. He’s revealed to be a murderer, having killed his first wife and now seemingly threatening Sarah. The episode includes a glimpse into Sarah’s diary, where she expresses her fears – though she cleverly disguises them as material for a comedy routine. She writes about her husband possibly committing violence, then immediately jokes that it’s just a bit for her stand-up, repeatedly adding ‘just kidding’ to downplay her serious concerns.

The backstory of Widow’s Bay feels strangely chaotic, almost as if it was created under the influence of drugs – much like the early days of Saturday Night Live. This story comes from Richard Warren, who, before being buried alive, warns the townspeople that breaking a deal he made with the island will bring disaster. (It’s been a busy week for on-screen burials, with this and Euphoria!) Richard strongly emphasizes that the agreement must be kept, explaining it saved them during their first harsh winter and was revealed to him through hallucinogenic mushrooms. He claims keeping the pact will end the plague, but if they fail to do so, the horrors will continue.

It’s reasonable to think the thing Richard heard is the same one Tom encountered while using truesight. However, just because the mushrooms convinced Richard the pact is real doesn’t actually make it real. It’s like if someone watched Dude, Where’s My Car? after taking an edible and suddenly decided it was the greatest comedy ever – that doesn’t mean it is, it just means they were high and reached a false conclusion. Richard Warren might have had a similar experience.

Viewers are still unsure what’s causing all the trouble on the island, but the latest episode of “Our History” does a great job of linking key events from the past to the present. While this episode isn’t as funny as previous ones, it’s still captivating and deeply disturbing – which is fitting, considering it was directed by Ti West, known for the X trilogy.

Flashback episodes can often disrupt a show’s momentum, but Widow’s Bay handles it seamlessly. The writing in this episode isn’t just good, it’s beautifully crafted. For example, Ezra Lowery’s description of a sick resident – “His eyes were yellow with spoiled moons” – is almost poetic. A special mention goes to Alberto Roldán, who wrote this episode, titled “Our History.” He’s also worked on Mrs. Davis and Gaslit, both of which starred Betty Gilpin.

A huge strength of this episode is Betty Gilpin. From the moment she appears as Sarah Westcott Warren, she’s captivating – I literally cheered when I saw her! Like much of her work, and especially in Mrs. Davis (seriously, check it out if you haven’t), Gilpin brilliantly portrays genuine emotion in every scene. Her panicked breaths and stifled screams feel incredibly real, yet she also subtly brings out the humor without losing that authenticity. For example, the way she spits out the poisoned drink Richard offers is both hilarious and genuinely frightening – a difficult balance that few actors can achieve. Betty Gilpin makes it look effortless.

Sarah travels to Widow’s Bay hoping to marry Richard Warren, a man she’s never met. As a woman approaching forty in the 1700s, she feels she has to accept whatever opportunity comes her way. At first, people seem to speak well of Richard. The carriage driver taking Sarah to town explains that before he arrived, the area was a desolate wasteland. Now, thanks to him, the trees are blossoming, everyone has enough to eat, and the winters are milder. (The driver conveniently leaves out the detail that the barren dirt also contained a lot of teeth.)

Honestly, everyone around here keeps joking about whether Richard can actually control the weather. It sounds crazy, but people genuinely believe he can – they think he has some kind of connection to the island itself. Ezra Lowery even told him, right before… well, before everything, that folks say Richard whispers to the island, that he’s the only reason we even survived those first few tough years. And Pastor Collins later admitted to me that the whole town is wary of him, convinced that something… unnatural has chosen Richard for some unknown purpose. It’s unsettling, to say the least.

There’s definitely something strange and unsettling happening. The clumps of hair found outside the homes of those who’ve been murdered feel eerily similar to something out of The Blair Witch Project. Even more concerning, Richard seems impossible to kill. When someone tries to assassinate him, the attacker dies from multiple stab wounds while Richard remains unharmed, despite being covered in blood. This can’t just be explained by drug use, though I strongly suspect Richard keeps hallucinogenic mushrooms in the necklace he wears – it’s not a religious symbol, it’s the mushrooms!

It’s reasonable to believe the island demands human sacrifices. Richard keeps repeating that stopping the plague requires fulfilling some kind of agreement, and he thinks killing people will appease the island and stop the disease. He’s convinced Sarah and his children will die for trying to escape, though they almost manage to get away in a boat – assuming they don’t become victims of the infected, Abigail. However, Tom remembered a painting of a boat from earlier, suggesting their escape won’t be successful. Richard, even from inside his coffin, desperately warns that the island won’t let them leave and pleads with them to stop, hinting at the inevitable fate given the place is called Widow’s Bay.

The next episode is now available, and it promises to reveal how accurate Richard’s predictions were. The episode ends with a scene of Wyck digging up Richard’s grave and opening the coffin. If Richard was truly the island’s first protector, he might still be alive inside.

Loose Teeth

The house belonging to the Warrens is actually the same building that now houses the Widow’s Bay Historical Society. It’s interesting that Sarah was first brought here, and Arthur, the writer from the New York Times, visits the same place when he arrives on the island. It’s a fitting location for a historical society, considering it’s built on a foundation of lies and secrets. There are unsettling tunnels beneath the building – Sarah discovered them way back in 1702 – and they lead to an old well. This is the same well that Reverend Bryce visited before he died, where he claimed to hear strange voices.

You know, the whole thing with Reverend Bryce being so rattled by those church bells really stuck with me. It’s like, the moment those bells ring, Richard suddenly remembers he’s got ‘work’ to do on his wedding night – and it’s always right after the bells! It hit me that those bells aren’t just random; they’re basically the island’s way of sending out reminders. A reminder to Richard, and potentially others, that their ‘job’ involves… well, killing people. And sometimes, a little self-harm thrown in for good measure – the hand-stabbing and the freaky eye thing. Honestly, he shouldn’t even be surprised. It was all part of the deal when he took the job!

Richard Warren reportedly survived being buried alive. This reminded me of something P.J. mentioned last week – the legend of the Boogeyman. It got me thinking: could the Boogeyman actually be Richard Warren? It’s just a thought!

The scene where Wyck exhumes Richard’s grave includes a subtle musical reference. The car radio plays “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl),” a popular song from 1972 now considered “yacht rock.” The song tells the story of a bartender who falls in love with a sailor, a relationship destined to fail – “Brandy, you’re a fine girl… but my lady is the sea.” This mirrors the tragic romance of Richard and Sarah Warren, presenting a potentially troubled relationship in a romanticized light.

This week’s funniest moment goes to Sarah’s dramatic outburst in front of Pastor Collins. As she panicked about being stuck on the island, she wailed, “I am but fourteen years old! Allow me to waste away in my father’s attic, as is my womanly destiny.” The line was hilarious because she clearly doesn’t believe that’s what she should do – she’s just desperate to escape her husband and will say anything to achieve it. Honestly, I sympathize! Faced with the choice between staying with a murderer or pretending to fade away, I’d choose fading away any day.

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2026-05-27 13:56