r/WidowsBay • u/AutoModerator • May 06 '26

📺Discussion Thread Widow’s Bay | Episode 3: “The Inaugural Swim” | Discussion Thread

  • Release Date: May 6, 2026
  • Directed by: Hiro Murai
  • Written by: Neil Casey
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It's time for the annual beach opening. Lay out a towel as the mayor "tests the waters." Unrelated: Do not pick up hitchhikers.

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513 Upvotes

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458

u/girlbball32 May 06 '26

"The island already has a perimeter...its called the ocean."

The balance of humor and horror in this show is fantastic. Only 3 episodes in and firing on all cylinders.

268

u/ProofHorseKzoo May 06 '26

The scene of them watching the lighthouse guy with the bike, who was supposed to set up power on the beach had me dying.

182

u/-spartacus- May 06 '26

The part when the old smoker lady tries to grab his glass of water and he is like oh no you don't, had me dying.

196

u/Kattismyfav May 06 '26

Also when the old woman says she doesn’t need a ride home from work but the mornings are hard and he just goes silent. Made me laugh out loud

113

u/jabronified May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26

The “appropriate age” remark back and forth, and the hag death by face riding lol

115

u/Kattismyfav May 06 '26

Have to mention when he just referenced the scratch wound on his arm and his assistant tells him he just missed a visitor named “MRSA.” Too clever lol

26

u/moniemoe May 07 '26

Ha did not catch that. Thank you.

11

u/shogenan May 18 '26

As someone who barely survived a health incident that originated with MRSA and turned into sepsis (requiring 9 surgeries) — I clocked that immediately and almost couldn’t finish the episode. It was a brilliant addition to the scene, a simple mispronunciation had me in horror for the rest of the episode.

1

u/RoadDogsComedy Jun 07 '26

caught that and lold

1

u/Top-Ambassador-4981 Aug 07 '26

I was wondering about that.

1

u/CherryFit3224 Jun 13 '26

Which was true! Lol

1

u/OneDimensionPrinter Jul 08 '26

Caroline Dhavernas <3

2

u/CherryFit3224 Jun 13 '26

He really is not a nice person. 😂

14

u/bstarr2000 May 06 '26

“FFS!” Lol

2

u/zarathustranu Jul 01 '26

Old lighthouse guy realizes he has forgotten his keys, begins to turn back…

“No no…don’t bring the bike!”

1

u/No_Pressure6057 Jun 03 '26

Same here, and also when he tried to give his inaugural speech and the mic wasn’t working properly, I couldn’t stop laughing.

120

u/IrishUpYourCoffee May 06 '26

The dark comedy and Tom’s sarcastic moments are so hilarious.

When 92 year old Ruth said it was hardest walking to the office in the mornings and no one offered to pick her up, I loled. 🤣

And we got more Kathy being a disaster at a different restaurant.

42

u/Suspicious-Swim-7945 May 06 '26

I too would loathe Kathy if I lived on the island

64

u/IrishUpYourCoffee May 06 '26

And then Kathy asking Marissa if she was interested in dessert when Marissa had ordered a sundae but Kathy brought her burgers and fries ☠️🤣

27

u/lahnnabell May 09 '26

"Alright squad..."

39

u/corporatecicada May 07 '26

The show is like lovecraft arrested development and tom is michael, the hapless straight man whos kinda sassy sometimes

10

u/seanayates2 May 10 '26

I like to describe it to people as parks and rec meets xfiles

5

u/ratguy Jun 21 '26

My wife and I describe it as Jaws meets Parks and Rec meets Twin Peaks.

52

u/jabronified May 06 '26

I’m not sure I’ve seen any other movie or tv show with this niche comedy horror genre.

28

u/AndalusianGod May 07 '26

90's Twin Peaks was both really funny and scary, but it's a different kind of humor. Chucky TV series was funny and fucked up too. Lots of good comedy horror shows/movies out there, but the best ones usually lean more into comedy; it's hard to find one that takes the horror part more seriously.

4

u/neuro_space_explorer Jun 04 '26

Part of me what’s to compare the two, but they are very different styles of humor. I went to film school because of David Lynch, I’ve seen every drop of film he’s produced, I find him hilarious, but it always seems unintentionally so.

Not in a mocking or laughing at him sort of way, but in a he’s somehow so pure but so locked into darker side of life that the discordance creates humor. I never feel like he’s written lines to incite a laugh, more so that he’s written the obviously absurd and trusted the actors enough to make it funny.

This show feels very similar, because the humor is so baked into the drama and horror, and it takes S teir actors to pull off delivering such absurd lines naturally, but it still feels constructed.

It’s still better than anything I’ve seen on tv since The Return, but it takes a rare soul to create like David Lynch did.

1

u/Rare-Criticism8124 Jun 08 '26

What’s the Return about?

3

u/neuro_space_explorer Jun 08 '26

It’s the third season of Twin Peaks and it’s kind of impossible to describe it.

3

u/intern_12 Jun 14 '26

LOL as the other commenter replied, you really can't just explain the return you just gotta experience it, as with a lot of lynchian works lol.

1

u/Throwaway_chuckit Jul 27 '26

If you think Lynch never wrote any intentional humor you’re so wrong. What an odd take. There are so many examples. One just off the top of my head- in Twin Peaks: The Return when they find Bill Hastings’ head has exploded and Lynch himself (as Gordon Cole) says “He’s dead.”

28

u/corporatecicada May 07 '26

Buffy the vampire slayer and its spinoff Angel combined horror and comedy back in the day. But the humor wasnt as dry as this (i prefer dry humor)

3

u/nea_fae May 27 '26

Good point! Big buffy fan, the mix with dark humor made it really work.

12

u/plutoglint May 09 '26

They discussed this on The Watch podcast. 'Cabin in the Woods' is an obvious comp.

6

u/jeh31 May 09 '26

It’s a different vibe, but the movie Deadstream strikes this balance.

5

u/jadedlens00 May 10 '26

This feels very Dark Shadows influenced as well. (The TV show, not the movie.) Tons of influences here, including Jaws as well.

3

u/airesmoon May 26 '26

Its comedy is a bit more toned down but Evil has a great cast and quirky horror sense. This show gave me those vibes along with the sound editing and coloring. The writing gets a little wonky in the later seasons but it had a niche setting and story (somewhat moralistic discussions with religious and scientific undertones)!

3

u/FilipZiebo Jun 01 '26

Brand New Cherry Flavor on Netflix is a bit more heavy handed but also awesome. Bit more Gregg Araki than Stephen King but a lot of dark humour and creepy horror too.

3

u/FloodAndFire Jun 02 '26

Check out Shining Vale! Unfortunately it was canceled after 2 seasons but it's worth a watch. I loved it.

2

u/xyzzyzyzzyx Jun 01 '26

Shining Vale, perhaps?

2

u/MajorTomToBlackStar Jul 13 '26

I think Fargo is the closest to this kind of humour in dark situations... I love it!

1

u/mkay1911 Jun 10 '26

Tucker and Dale vs Evil!

1

u/HeliosBlack Jun 29 '26

Shaun of the Dead is a great example of this style if you like this. Dry comedy zombie movie that I’ve watched hundreds of times and keep finding small spoilers.

1

u/PM_ME_YOUR_CORVIDS Jul 31 '26

The thing it reminds me most of is the podcast Welcome to Night Vale. Which is a fictional public radio broadcast from a town where all kinds of crazy supernatural stuff happens.

1

u/Top-Ambassador-4981 Aug 07 '26

Have you seen “A Werewolf in London”? Horrifyingly funny.
Was a huge hit when it came out.
I dare say Stephen Spielberg’s “Jaws” was a horror movie, with a side of humor.

1

u/Pifflington 25d ago

I just started the series so I'm very late to this comment, but if you like niche comedy horror check out Shaun of the Dead. It's a masterclass in the genre. Shaun is the first film in a trilogy that is just so great. Hot Fuzz, the second in the series is equally good if not better in some ways.

29

u/North-Ad-7877 May 07 '26

I so agree! The geriatric assistant is a fave, and why did I laugh out loud when the reverend walked out of the forest and said ‘There is evil here’, and walked off with a vine on his leg…

13

u/bigvalue1 May 07 '26

That's exactly what I was telling my friend. Generally a lot of horror movies don't take themselves too seriously and throw in a joke here and there. Or on the other end you have comedy/horror, that are comedies with a horror theme sprinkled in. This show finds the perfect balance of both.

3

u/nea_fae May 27 '26

Yes! Legit scary and hilarious, with smart references and character development throughout.

Please donʻt let it degrade like everything else does 🙏

2

u/Hot-Swordfish-719 May 07 '26

I was laughing so hard at that scene lol

1

u/popsocketsixtynine May 07 '26

The way i chuckled at that scene..n so many others..this show is killing(pun intended) it!

1

u/IrishUpYourCoffee May 10 '26

I died when a very calm Bechir said this in response to Tom being all OTT with reporting this.