What’s the only thing better than a new episode of Widow’s Bay? That’s easy: two new episodes of Widow’s Bay. The Apple TV schedule quirk this week makes perfect sense once you watch “Our History” and “Seasickness.” There’s a certain character whose arc takes them rather memorably through both episodes—while bringing fresh context to the island’s escalating peril. Last week’s “What to Expect on Your Trip” followed Mayor Tom on a mushroom-enhanced journey through space, time, reality, and property damage. It ended with Tom’s desperate plea to God to protect his son, Evan. To his utter horror, he received a response that seemed the opposite of divine. Was that gutteral grumble merely a drug-related auditory hallucination? Or did Tom hear that sound because the shrooms opened a new channel of communication?
“Our History” digs into that dilemma while also offering some clarity on the opening scene of “What to Expect on Your Trip.” Remember that silhouetted figure seen gobbling from a patch of black mushrooms? We get to know him very well in both “Our History” and “Seasickness.”
It’s Richard Warren—previously mentioned at the historical society as the founder of Widow’s Bay. His formal titles are Reeve Prime of the Colony and the Lord Island Protector. The first mayor, basically. He led the first settlers to the island in 1681. And he’s also the reason Widow’s Bay carries such a peculiar curse. © Apple TV In “Our History,” we meet Sarah Westcott Warren (Betty Gilpin), Richard’s second wife, who arrives from the mainland in 1702 to marry a man she’s never met, figuring it’s a step up from spinsterhood. She records her nervous excitement in the diary we’ve glimpsed in the museum. She’s ready to start a new life!
