Victim Or Monster?: ‘Widow’s Bay’ Explores the Horror of Post-Christian Paganization
(REVIEW) It’s rare to see a show so universally beloved as “Widow’s Bay.” Everyone I know, from every walk of life, loves the Apple TV series. It has a 98% critics score and 92% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. And with 19 Emmy nominations, its positive word of mouth is likely to grow for its second season.
“Widow's Bay” is an American comedy horror TV series created by Katie Dippold and starring Matthew Rhys, Kate O’Flynn, Kevin Carroll, Dale Dickey, Kingston Rumi Southwick and Stephen Root. The series is set in the fictional New England island town of Widow’s Bay, which is afflicted by a centuries-old curse that brings various supernatural evils upon the island. The town’s mayor, Tom Lotfis (played by Rhys), is trying to boost tourism to the island despite the superstitions of the local population that the town is haunted.
It is an inspired examination of Western society’s post-Christian repaganization: “Widow’s Bay” presents a world in which both modern Western rationalism and Christianity are helpless to defeat the haunted island’s monsters. Characters have to choose between siding with the demons that rule their world or becoming those monsters' victims.
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The premise is perfect. A flawed hero tries to establish normalcy in a town haunted by a curse with a baked-in cast of eccentric characters and an unending supply of monsters to fight. The mix of comedy and horror is a deftly balanced act, in which neither undermines the other.
Christian faith plays a not-insignificant role in the show. Pastor Bryce is one of the chief links to Widow’s Bay’s horrific past. The church bell ringing nine times (despite being chained up) prompts him to read a journal from the previous rector, giving instructions to any priest who now has the unfortunate task of dealing with it handed down to him. This prompts Bryce to take a mushroom for answers and, immediately after, kill himself.
Pastors have been pillars of the community on the Island since the days of pilgrims. In a flashback to those early days, we see that Pastor Collins is the leader of a conspiracy to kill Widow’s Bay’s founder, Richard Warren. The conspirators (turns out, correctly) believe Warren has been communicating with an evil spirit and is responsible for the disappearances (deaths) of several island residents.
Christianity is portrayed positively in many circumstances. Multiple characters turn to the Christian God explicitly in their lives. Sarah Wescott Warren (the reluctant wife of Richard Warren) sincerely turns to Christ to help her endure her troubles on the island. Priests are not portrayed as bad people or part of a conspiracy to oppress. People who turn to God in faith are not portrayed as hypocrites. In fact, those who represent God and turn to Him are portrayed explicitly as against the demonic forces of the island.
In the movie, modern-day priests link the island to its spiritual past. We see that atheism can’t deal with the spiritual forces at play because it denies they exist.
While Christianity is portrayed positively, God and his people are portrayed as powerless. Warren and the Widow’s Bay colonists prayed to God, and no one answered until Warren made a pact with the Island’s demon. Pastor Collins succeeds in burying Warren alive, but is incapable of beating the Island’s curse.
This is necessary to set up the show’s central conflict: Do you choose to be a victim or a monster? The choices are: accept the joys and miseries of life without trying for better, or become a monster yourself. This conflict only works in a world where the Christian God isn’t real. It only works if there isn’t a God who answers prayers or is all-knowing and trustworthy.
A growing number of Hollywood films also explore this post-Christian conflict between enlightened atheism and paganism: “3 Body Problem,” “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,” “The Monkey,” and others all tackle it from various angles. Most of them admit that even if they believe ethical atheism that respects others’ human rights is true, most people won’t follow it. Because when faced with the choice of being the bad guy and being the dead guy (or your loved ones being the dead guy), most people will choose to be the bad guy.
Having established its pagan universe, the series’ first season ends, setting up a second where Mayor Loftis will be faced with an impossible three-way problem:
1. Kill one person he cares about
2. Sacrifice eight people he doesn’t care about to the monster
3. Accept eternal death or curse for the whole island.
Where will the second season take us? Will it double down on a world where the Christian god isn’t real? Or will the characters find their way back to some version of the Christian God, despite the bleak outlook of their life?
If it’s the latter, it might end up being one of the most important faith-based projects of the modern age. Regardless, I, and it seems everyone else, will be watching.
“Widow’s Bay” is available to stream now on Apple TV+.
Joseph Holmes is an award-nominated filmmaker and culture critic living in New York. He is co-host of the podcast “The Overthinkers” and its companion website theoverthinkersjournal.world, where he discusses art, culture and faith with his fellow overthinkers. His other work and contact info can be found at josephholmesstudios.com.