Down by the bay…

Warning: Spoilers ahead! Do not proceed unless you’ve watched the “Widows Bay” Season 1 finale, “We Hope You Enjoyed Your Time!” 

In the Season 1 finale of Apple’s buzzy horror/ comedy, “Widow’s Bay,” the frazzled mayor, Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys) tried to kill Ruth (K Callan) – only to get thrown with a plot twist. She confessed that she was secretly his late wife’s mother, which meant that his son, Evan (Kingston Rumi Southwick) was her grandson. 

This was a big deal because it meant that Evan was the island founder Richard Warren’s (Hamish Linklater) last living descendant.

As set up in the previous episode, the whole reason why Tom tried to axe Ruth was that killing the last of Richard Warren’s bloodline would break the curse on the island, and save everyone. 

In the Season 1 finale, Tom went to Ruth’s house during a storm and tried to kill her twice – first by crushing pills and putting powder in her tea, then by nearly smothering her with a pillow when he thought she was napping on her couch. 

Tom was conflicted, and kept muttering to Ruth, “you’re a good person, you don’t deserve this.” 

A friendly Ruth seemed oblivious to his murder attempts. She was having a blast, giving him a tour of her house and yapping about her herb garden. 

She eventually confessed to Tom that she once had an affair with a married man, had a baby, and let the man and his wife raise the child. Her secret kid was Tom’s late wife, she revealed. An astounded Tom confirmed with Ruth that nobody else knew this information. 

Elsewhere in the episode, the town gathered in a shelter as a dangerous storm raged. Patricia (Kate O’Flynn) and Wyck (Stephen Root) were in charge. Things spiraled into chaos when everyone discovered that their stores of food were moldy. The crowd started panicking and fighting. 

Meanwhile, Sheriff Bechir (Kevin Carroll) was appalled to learn that he and his pregnant wife were trapped on the island, because of the storm – and, her due date came early. 

Bechir didn’t want his kid to be born into the curse on the island, so he showed up at Ruth’s house with a gun and shot her. 

“I won’t damn my child. Patricia said you’d be ending it,” he said to Tom, referring to ending the curse by killing Ruth. Bechir added that he came to Ruth’s house because he knew that Tom “wouldn’t” do it. 

Tom told Bechir that Ruth wasn’t the last living descendant, and Bechir held Tom at gunpoint, demanding to know who was. Before Tom could say anything, the storm then cleared up. 

So, seemingly, everything was okay. Ruth was wounded and bleeding, but appeared to be still alive. The episode ended with Tom driving off in his car with Evan. 

But, he noticed the sound of a bell  – signifying that not enough people got fed to the island, and more people will need to be offered as tribute. 

That’s where “Widows Bay” ended, going into Season 2. 

The Season 1 finale was more serious than the rest of the season, but the shift in tone worked. Tom spent most of the episode agonizing over his choice to try to kill a sweet old lady. 

Rhy’s performance was stellar as always, as Tom unravelled – if he doesn’t get nominated at the Emmys and Golden Globes, it will be a ridiculous snub. 

There were still plenty of laughs, like when Ruth was going through her photo album, and pointing out which men had “made  a pass at her.” She also told Tom that she loved one of her ex boyfriends, until, “He got bit by an animal, and became that animal.”  The show remains delightfully weird.

The Apple horror comedy has been the word-of mouth hit of the summer. 

“It’s become one of those shows everyone’s talking about, and we’re thrilled to see audiences continue to embrace it,” Matt Cherniss, head of programming, Apple TV, said in a statement announcing Season 2. 

Horror king Guillermo del Toro himself also publicly praised the show, posting on X that it, “may very well be the best streaming series in a long time” and called it, “mesmerizing.” 

“Season two is about how everything is great on the island and there’s nothing to worry about,” creator Katie Dippold joked in Apple’s statement announcing the renewal.

Season 2 doesn’t have a premiere date yet.