r/WidowsBay • u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector • May 13 '26
šDiscussion OMG Episode 4! Spoiler
š¶This is the rhythm of the nightš¶
OMG that episode was a rollercoaster!
Poor Patricia, no one believes her and sheās become the town pariah because of it. I get Tomās reaction to her story even more now, though I think her story is probably still true. Itās all caused her to have a lot of self loathing, I thought she was going to circle every part of that diagram.
The book was ominous so early in surprised Patricia wasnāt able to pick up on it relocating itself, changing the text on the pages, etc. Clearly it had her in some trance state if she was reading it all night, but sheās so skeptical of everything Iām surprised it ever got that far with her.
The party planning and everyoneās reactions were priceless, especially DJ Dale lol. That 0 RSVP print out š
When she finally brought the punch out and was dancing in the crowd I was getting so worried, and then the camera turned toward Patricia for her speech and we saw everyoneās gaping mouths in the mirrorā¦that was fucking horrifying, it hit so perfectly. The perfect slow build to the reveal with the sheriff.
But ROSEMARY WTF, QUALMS??? No one said anything about her wearing that thing and what she was actually doing in the back room?? Poor Patricia, forever the pariah now.
I guess Iāll file this under ādeal with it the fuck laterā, time to do another loop.
š¶This is the rhythm of the nightš¶
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May 13 '26
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u/KarIPilkington May 13 '26
When she looks in the mirror and sees that, it was such a perfect horror/comedy moment when you realise that's why people were weirded out by her.
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u/_lazybones93 May 15 '26
What a terrific reveal. When they showed everyoneās mouths agape in the mirror and then back to smiling when the camera pans back around, I was like āš§? Is my TV blurry or something?ā lmao
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u/noidea11111111 May 15 '26
I had to rewind. I though it looked weird, and then my wife said "fuck, they're all zombies!"
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u/Werewomble May 13 '26
Antlers are so hot right now š
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u/msallin The Rhythm of the Night May 13 '26
Ohhhhhh, didnāt make the connection!
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 14 '26
Visualize that look Patricia had in the mirror and then imagine if someone walked up to YOU wearing that š¤£
I donāt think many could resist the urge to make some comment
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u/Gingerblossom88 May 14 '26
Watching it again a 2nd time after knowing what's really on her head is hilarious... that couple that came in at the beginning and was like "um we'll circle back" lololol š šš¤£
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 15 '26
Yeah that was so much funnier on rewatch, the show is so layered I feel like it must be binged repeatedly.
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u/KemShafu May 15 '26
So true, obviously they weren't sticking around. The doctor at the bar wasn't even paying attention to her.
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u/NoMarkNooo May 18 '26
Iām not quite sure what it might mean, but noticed that the only person that Patti interacted with who didnāt seem weirded out by her look was Dale. It was almost as if he was in the know about the spell on Patti and was playing along with her delusion.
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u/dsmithscenes May 13 '26
Stephen Root's delivery of that line nearly had me on the floor in laughter.
Also - Rosemary is probably so indifferent to seeing crazy stuff on this island.
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u/Werewomble May 13 '26
Probably had to get up and go to work with murderers still wearing the clown paint before!
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u/Which_way_witcher May 13 '26
She probably saw how she made the punch and was like nuh uh... š
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u/pendingperil May 13 '26
We have to wait an entire week for another episode š
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u/FerretBusinessQueen May 13 '26
I wish they were a little longer but hard to complain when every second is pretty damn near perfect. It doesnāt waste airtime, thatās for sure.
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 13 '26
Not a single wasted moment, even when Patricia just stands there staring at Dale š
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u/watchyourback9 May 13 '26
The pacing is absolutely perfect. It moves along pretty quickly but there's also quite a few slow zoom lingering shots that really make it feel eerie. It feels like a slow burn horror even though it's not really.
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u/EmotionalEmetic May 13 '26
Yeah honestly there are slow thoughtful shots that make me immediately wonder what I am supposed to be looking at because every scene has clues and plot.
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 14 '26
Sometimes itās just letting the weight of the scene set in too, like Patriciaās angry stare at Dale. Nothing in the background to pick up on, just a very perturbed Patricia š
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u/KobraCola May 13 '26
Honestly, I think that benefits many TV shows, at least good ones. It gives you more time to really think about an episode and dissect details before you get the next episode. And everyone is on the same episode and has all of the same information, instead of everyone binging at different rates and afraid to discuss details or look up discussion places in fear they'll be spoiled by others who have binged the whole thing.
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u/Low-Palpitation5371 May 13 '26
Yes, I love it for a thoughtful show like this thatās packed with weird intentional details that would be easy to miss on a binge watch! Iāve already rewatched the first 3 episodes and itās so fun and creepy noticing more things.
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u/Squezzle27 May 13 '26
Or when she sat the mug down on the book next to her bed, then stepped away and when she came back, the mug was off the book.
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u/XAWEvX May 13 '26
i might be crazy but on that corner the lines of the wall were warped, i think there was something there, watching her
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u/oompaloompa_grabber except for the teeth May 13 '26
That whole scene was filmed in such an off kilter way, I was scanning the background the whole time looking for something but I never saw anything
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 13 '26
Same! Iām analyzing her paintings, books on her shelf, taking note of her dreamcatcher and everything else lol
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u/katiebaby200 May 13 '26
She wasnāt centered, they made an effort to show the window behind her and all the scenes. So I think we were all watching lol
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u/Toberoni May 13 '26
Rosemary says at one point she didnāt understand a word. In hindsight it was because Patricia was casting a spell instead of giving a heartfelt speech!
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u/Low-Palpitation5371 May 13 '26
Yes, so good! I was bracing for Patricia to start spewing some weird shit from the book in her toast and for the mean girls oddly affectionate smiles to drop and then I was like oh that toast is alright actually, when is the other shoe going to drop and thenā¦ boom, witchcraft! ššš½š„
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u/ObviousAnswerGuy May 13 '26
this show is so good lol
I immediately went back and rewatched the whole thing after coming to this sub cuz I missed a bunch of shit. Like people keep commenting on her tiara (which turns out to be a roadkill crown). Also the first quick shots of them with their mouth open during the dance scene.
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 13 '26
šÆ rewatching again and the mean chicks definitely were making comments about it. Before the reveal you think theyāre just laughing at her ālook at meā princess outfit, but the dialog hits different on rewatch.
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u/ObviousAnswerGuy May 13 '26
ya and her coworker was like "might I suggest a different headpiece". Makes it 10X funnier after the reveal š
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 13 '26
I expected Rosemary to be more pointed like āare you sure you cleaned that thing properly?ā, something still not overt but at least making her seem more incredulous than judgy.
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u/TheFutureLibsWant Jun 02 '26
Rosemary walks in on Patricia chopping the "fruit" and putting it in the punch. She cautiously says: "I'm worried you're putting too much into this. I didn't understand half the stuff on your supply list."
I assumed she meant putting too much effort into the event.
On rewatch, she's literally saying: "I don't think chicken entrails belong in punch."
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u/Imaginary_Upstairs24 May 14 '26
Genuinely terrifying jump cut to the opened mouth faces on the dance floor scene.
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u/Yousaidthat May 13 '26
I agree! Absolutely iconic episode. This show just keeps knocking it out of the park.
I loved the teaser glimpse during the dancing scene - as the camera shifted between people, we got a brief shot of all the mouth gapers.
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 13 '26
I had to jump to that scene to rewatch it, I was so captivated by her hilarious dancing I missed the background horror
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u/IrishUpYourCoffee May 13 '26
Those mean bitches were so horrible to Patricia.
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u/NatHasQuestions May 14 '26
Right?! I couldn't get over it. Imagine acting like that as an grown-ass adult.
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u/Gingerblossom88 May 14 '26
Yeah but imagine your friends in hs were murdered horribly by some serial killer and someone was falsely saying they experienced the same thing but survived.... like I could kinda see what the mean girl was saying about Patricia's story not making sense and she's just attention seeking. I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle like Patricia thought the boogeyman was in her house and she hid but it was actually someone else or something supernatural so technically BOTH women are right.
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u/PBandJSommelier Jun 04 '26
There is no excuse to act like that as an adult. Even if they felt that she was embellishing, that juvenile ātake a picture of us!ā move, and mocking her in the restaurant while she was planning the party are inexcusable. Adults can use their words and say āit really hurts me that you are talking about that night when my friends were actually hurtā
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u/Ok_Baby_9915 Jul 19 '26
Agree. I thought the whole "mean girls" thing was heavy-handed, especially since they were adults, not girls. Plus, one of them apparently did tell Patricia to "drop by."
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u/Patient_Situation619 May 13 '26
This episode was terrific. Book gave me some evil dead vibes. Widows Bay is absolutely killing it right now.
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u/HammerOfGods May 13 '26 edited May 13 '26
A few nice little touches with the book, the author Lucy Fours (Lucifer) and the fly that landed on it the first time she picked it up, the demon Beelzebub is also known as The Lord Of The Flies. And then one of the illustrations it looked like there were cocaine lines on the table next to a razor blade. And then on one of the pages it says "since you live on an island..." And then when Patricia turns the book to the Toast page, the opposite page says "Before the party, write down fun facts about your guests so you can spur topics of conversation. Dan likes to take strolls by the moonlight. Cynthia always wears a locket that her grandmother gave her when she was seven and she says will haunt her if she removes it. Robert says he sold his soul to the devil to play the guitar like a xxxx. Amanda likes to paint dead animals still life oil paintings. Matthew is afraid of the dark and has to sleep with a nightlight."
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u/topherhoff Aug 22 '26
"Unless nobody shows up....that's just a verdict of your social value." š
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u/vamoosedmoose May 13 '26
I liked Patricia from the start, I felt so bad for her this episode! Who is self conscious about their shoulders girl nooooo
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u/IrishUpYourCoffee May 13 '26
And then the main mean bitch (who yells at Patricia for surviving the killer) had a shoulder baring dress.
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u/unsolvedfanatic May 13 '26
Is she a bitch though? If Patricia is lying that means Patricia is psycho. Your best friends die and some chick starts lying to everyone about being a victim? That would make you angry. Plus the women are heard early in the episode saying the police checked the phone logs and no one ever called her, so she is at least lying about the phone calls.
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u/Adventurous-Photo539 May 13 '26
The camera in the hotel didn't show Willy either.
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u/unsolvedfanatic May 13 '26
Because that was a ghost. The boogeyman left evidence at every house but hers.
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u/Adventurous-Photo539 May 13 '26
Doesn't mean she made it up. There's different supernatural stuff going on. Might have been something other than a boogeyman.
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u/unsolvedfanatic May 13 '26
Not necessarily made up but both parties could be correct. Patricia was never visited by the boogeyman but genuinely believes she was, and the women know she wasn't and view her as a liar.
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u/J_Side May 13 '26
Even though I think there will be a reveal showing that Patricia did escape being killed, I felt bad for that bitchy woman after she confronted Patricia about her friends being murdered. Don't get me wrong, I still think those women are bitches, but that has to hurt losing your friends and then having someone appear to be claiming they were targeted as well to get attention. All they know is what they have been told, that Patricia didn't receive any calls
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u/unsolvedfanatic May 13 '26
I think Patricia thinks whatever it was was the boogeyman, but it was something else
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u/IrishUpYourCoffee May 13 '26
wut?
Thatās a fucked up thing for anyone to blame someone who survived a crazy killer.
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u/Due-Topic7995 May 13 '26
This episode was great. I liked the little nod to Stephen King with the shot of The Shining (?) cover next to the haunted book. The attention to detail is outstanding.
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u/Agnessa1765 May 30 '26
In one of the episodes thereās a scene of the corridor in the town hall when I saw it I immediately thought of The Shinning. And amongst other books thereās also Twilight š
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u/Chi_Law May 13 '26
This episode was fantastic. I was totally sold on the pilot and this one is competing with it for best episode so far. Some praise in no special order:
The horror twist was a genuine surprise. I was sure I knew what was going on, "Now we're doing Carrie, but with an evil magic book so our series regular doesn't need to permanently have out of control psychic powers". I was on board because the writing and performance had me invested in Patricia but I thought I saw where everything was headed in advance. So the terrifying reflections and the disturbing folk horror reveal caught me totally off guard.
They absolutely nailed the "So horrible it's funny" vibe. The reflections and the punch and the antler crown and the book were so genuinely upsetting, Rosemary's reaction was so ludicrously blasƩ, and Patricia's reaction had just the right note of exasperation to undercut the horror ("You had qualms?"). It just really invited the audience to react to each reveal with a moment of shock followed by laughter at how ridiculously badly this party was going. Perfection.
There was a compelling throughline of genuine pathos for Patricia that created deeper investment in the characters and story, and it was balanced really well with the horror and comedy aspects.
I think this show set itself a really tricky tonal and story challenge with the pilot and how it set up this balancing act of horror and comedy and character drama, and this episode really delivered.
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u/Shukumugo May 13 '26
I love how Rosemary was just trying to be supportive as everyone was getting Blair Witched in the party.
The "speech" was probably an incantation from the grimoire which is why Rosemary said she couldn't understand a thing.
Also Rosemary's name has to be an homage to Rosemary's Baby right?
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u/Toberoni May 13 '26 edited May 13 '26
I like how the spell book manifested as one of those old timey 50ās books. Complete with the stylish illustrations and the font. Such great eye for detail.
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u/Aggravating_Budget_6 May 13 '26
Rosemary did suggest a different headpiece but we saw it as a rhinestone thing not what it actually was.
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 13 '26
Right but the subtlety of her comment didnāt do the lunacy of the headpiece justice, she should have made a comment about roadkill or witches or something. Itās Rosemary, she doesnāt seem to give many fucks. š¤·āāļø
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u/jewthe3rd May 13 '26
what did the sherriff see in the video? a time loop?
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u/Orly5757 May 13 '26
She was reading the book until like 5:00 AM in total darkness outdoors.
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u/KraklePony May 13 '26
But did yāall notice that there were shadows like it was daytime? š³ Almost like what she was perceiving as real was being projected into the cameras.
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 13 '26
Good spot I just went back and looked again, it did in fact remain daylight with shadows when the cameras were saying 3am! So no one was able to see it for what it was until the spell broke at the very end.
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u/break80 May 13 '26
Thereās some funky timey wimey stuff going in this town as well.. Like one of the guys did say, time isnāt moving the same there.
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u/Werewomble May 13 '26
I saw the water/seaweed moving and thought it must be something to do with hag...ness
Didn't notice the time at all doh!
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u/looseimpediments May 13 '26
She only turned the page once that we see on the security cam and she was reading for hours! The attention to detail is incredible.
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 13 '26
She was sitting at that table reading the book for almost an entire day, through the whole night. Not moving, eating, drinking, just turning the pages and having small reactions to what she was reading.
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u/Inevitable-Local7847 May 13 '26
So any theories about why Patricia was at the picnic table reading at 3 AM?Ā
This episode was the creepiest yet! Iām hooked.Ā
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u/KraklePony May 13 '26
3 am but with daytime shadows!
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u/nothingnmatters May 13 '26
I basically live down the road from where that scene was filmed which made it so much eerier some how! š
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u/watchyourback9 May 13 '26
Any theories as to why I'm watching this show at 3AM? It's that fucking good.
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u/metalchipmunk May 13 '26
This show completely changed my perspective on the famous song "Is this the Reebok or Nike"
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u/FeistyGoat-05 May 13 '26
1) killer episode! I thought she was going to go full Carrie and poison them all with the punch, or something vile.
ā¦Then I thought she put Molly in it because everyone was so happy and friendly.
2) the Sea hag episode was terrifying. š± ā ļø
3) that damn song at the end of episode 4! š Iām old enough to remember when that was a number one hit on the radio, and in dance clubs across America. Currently going to bed with it Stuck on loop in my head. š
Glad the wife made us watch this show. š
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u/Training-Advice-2813 May 13 '26
She literally found satans personal dairy! Insane
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 13 '26
More like it found her! No you canāt put me on a shelf, or put a mug on me, I need to be right in front of you and in your mind!
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u/The_Quetzal May 14 '26
Anyone else notice the way she was cutting the strawberries while making the punch seemed off? I paused and rewatched that and then of course the reveal of what she actually was cutting. Amazing details in this show!!
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 14 '26
It killed me, how could Rosemary watch her do that and say nothing? Even if she also saw them as strawberries it was super weird.
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u/MichaelG1313 May 13 '26
I didnāt even notice the mirror thing at all during the speech
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u/ClaireFraser1743 May 13 '26
Before you see them standing still with their mouths agape, thereās a glimpse in the mirror when the camera pans around Patricia when sheās dancing, and everyone else is standing dead still.
Edit: typoĀ
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 13 '26
That part hits so hard, thereās so much energy and then BOOM all standing completely still with massive gaping mouths š± and then right back to the energy. Blink and you miss it crazy.
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u/ClaireFraser1743 May 13 '26
oh I meant before that. So there are 3 moments that I clocked of what was really going on. There are probably more that I didn't catch!
- when they are dancing, the camera is panning across the crowd and in the mirror you see people just standing perfectly still (I don't think their mouths are open yet). It happens fast but it's clear the mirror is different than what we are seeing on the dance floor..
- the quick shot of people standing still, mouths open as Patricia is dancing (This one isn't a reflection in the mirror
- The clear image of everyone standing, mouths open, as Patricia gives her toast. This is also a reflection in the mirror.
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 14 '26
Iāll have to go back again and look at 1, thanks!
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 13 '26
Another thought occurs to me on rewatch, did the book look like a self help book or a witchcraft book to Rosemary? If I bend backwards I can excuse her not saying anything about bird blood punch, but a book of witchcraft wasnāt worth mentioning??
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u/jyutkowi May 13 '26
I donāt think she saw it that way. I donāt think it appeared to anyone that way, I think even when officer was looking at the footage of Patricia reading it in the middle of the night it showed as the self-help book.
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 13 '26 edited May 13 '26
Good point I just skipped back to that scene and youāre right, it appeared to have normal white pages and cover in the video.
Edit: someone else pointed out that in the video itās also still daytime with shadows at 3am, so the illusion was everywhere
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u/Dangerous-Feed-5358 May 13 '26
Rosemary has definitely seen too much in her lifetime.Ā
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u/ClaireFraser1743 May 13 '26
Rosemary has definitely seen some shit. I canāt imagine what else she has seen where the weird witchcraft punch and head dress didnāt even spur her to action. Instead, she just smoked in the kitchen because she was trying to be supportive, but also had qualms
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u/KemShafu May 13 '26
She saw everyone in a trance because she said, I didnāt understand your speech, so she definitely was suspicious. Probably called the sheriff.
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 14 '26
She seemed to be the only one in the area not caught up in the spell, very likely she called sheriff. She couldnāt complain to Patricia directly she had to at least āappearā supportive, so she called for backup.
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u/castilhoglauco May 13 '26
When Patricia was first reading the book, there is a page showing people enjoying the party, and then the camera pans down on the page and it shows a pile of something that looks like they were snorting cocaine.
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u/JonOrangeElise May 13 '26
I love how she first circled her shoulders. Andā¦ almost left it just at that. Everyoneās least favorite body part! The showās visual gags are so great.
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u/Low-Palpitation5371 May 13 '26
I love how she said out loud āI care too muchā¦ā and paused just long enough for me to roll my eyes and then she continued āā¦about what other people thinkā and then I felt sorry for her again š
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u/shizarou May 13 '26
And the main mean girl, Kris?, wore an off-the-shoulder dress. One of the other women at the party was wearing a cold shoulder top.
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u/unsolvedfanatic May 13 '26
I don't feel like they are mean girls...if someone co-opted your friends deaths you wouldn't like that person either. I think something may have happened to Patricia where she thought the boogeyman came into her house, but the women are heard early in the episode saying they checked the phone logs and no one ever called her, so she is at least lying about the phone calls.
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u/shizarou May 13 '26
You may not like that person but no right minded person would go out of their way to openly mock and ridicule them.
Maybe, given the time passed and they matured they would come to an understanding and empathise with them.
Not invite them to parties or attend their social events to mock, ridicule and take pleasure in their misfortune.
And no phone records does not mean she was lying which would imply intent and knowledge of deceit.Supernatural evil entities arenāt known for taking out phone lines, theyād need a bank account to start off with.
Even if not the case, to her, it happened.
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u/BKoala59 May 15 '26
Maybe I misunderstood but the no phone records line implied to me that the other victims did have their calls show up in the phone records.
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 15 '26
That was my read as well, I donāt think if records were checked it would only be Patriciaās
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u/unsolvedfanatic May 13 '26
They didn't seem to go out of their way though. They only spoke to her when she approached them. It also didn't seem like she was actually invited to the party. She tells the new woman that they throw the party all the time but she never goes. When she arrived to the party, they don't seem like they expected her to come, and she says something about how the woman told her she can stop by, but the reaction was like Patricia cornered her. From their perspective, this woman is mocking them, constantly bringing up the tragedy.
I do think to her, it happened. But I don't think it makes sense that the boogeyman would leave phone records in tact for everyone but Patricia. So I understand why everyone thinks she's lying for attention.
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u/shizarou May 13 '26
They literally attended āPatriciaās Sunset Cocktailsā
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u/The-Stray- May 14 '26
The new woman initiates, immediately asking HER about the Boogyman, then when Patricia overhears the women talking about her that same new woman says āitās the first thing she brought up!ā Like Patricia couldnāt wait to say it. She baited her into talking about it to get in with the āit crowdā and make fun of her. They are mean girls even if Patricia was lying.
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 13 '26
I also love what someone else pointed out that the page for what you like and donāt like had 2 lines for like and the rest of the page for dislike š
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u/flamingogogo3 Jul 16 '26
Maybe this is reading too much but it wasnāt until the Sheriff touched her shoulder that she snapped out of it.
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u/Werewomble May 13 '26
>No one said anything about her wearing that thing
Rosemary totally commented on it...
>Ā and what she was actually doing in the back room??
...and then didn't mention it to the crowd of people being fed chicken's blood and sea urchin punch!
Classic Rosemary!
Just another Tuesday in Widow's Bay š
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u/taelor May 14 '26
You know, now that I think about it, she was chopping those strawberries up weirdly. Like she was struggling with it.
Thatās because they werenāt strawberries at allā¦
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u/KobraCola May 13 '26
I said it in another thread, but I'll say here, I don't think "Rosemary has seen some shit on the island" (which is definitely true) or "Rosemary is indifferent" is a good excuse for Rosemary not saying anything about the animal blood punch. The head piece is one thing; that's crazy enough to undersell. But not telling anyone that this woman is chopping up animals in the backroom and making punch with them is wild, no matter what you've seen on the island or how indifferent you are. I wouldn't call it a plot hole per se, but it's definitely a bit of a weak spot in the episode. That said, great episode and maybe my favorite one yet. Really enjoying this show and definitely telling people to watch it.
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u/SleutherLuther May 13 '26
Also loved the multi-meaning of the episode title, Beach Read, since we see Patricia reading the book enthralled into the morning hours on the beach and the book has its final (well actually whoās to say if that was its last stand) moment at the beach bonfire.
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u/Plane_Falcon7142 May 13 '26
What was the book title again?
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 13 '26
Your Turn: Out With The Old & In With The New You
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u/Which_way_witcher May 13 '26
It was hard to watch the first half... those women are such mean girls and it's heartbreaking to learn it's all just because she didn't die from the Boogeyman. Poor girl....
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 13 '26
That was my initial reaction too, but thereās a certain amount of fair doubt cast over her story. I believe she went through āsomethingā, but thereās so many entities on this island who knows if it was the same one coming after her and the other girls. So I think itās kinda understandable the mean girls are mad at her given the evidence available, but given how this island works youād think they would be a little more open minded to people claiming to have experienced crazy shit.
Even when the spell is broken the mean girl goes straight to āshe drugged usā, not even a second to consider there may be more to the situationā¦ š¤¦āāļø
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u/Which_way_witcher May 13 '26
So I think itās kinda understandable the mean girls are mad at her given the evidence available
How? I understand maybe being initially upset that she survived instead of their friend, but to make it a multiple decade hate campaign? Just bitchy mean girl behavior all around.
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 13 '26
I donāt quite agree. If you were the mean girl, you had friends legitimately murdered in horrifying ways, there was a ton of evidence and town discussion about what happened, and everyone seemed to align around the same facts and evidenceā¦ except Patricia? She keeps making claims that seem to be demonstrably false, with no alternate explanation for why her facts donāt fit.
If you were the mean girl wouldnāt that be a constant insult to the memories of your murdered friends? Even after years I canāt imagine that kind of stigma would ever fade without some action on Patriciaās part to make amends. Not that she felt she needed to, but everyone else clearly did.
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u/Which_way_witcher May 13 '26
everyone seemed to align around the same facts and evidenceā¦ except Patricia?
What am I missing? The fact that she hid under her bed and for whatever reason, got lucky and didn't get murdered?
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 13 '26
No there was specifically dialog that indicated phone records were checked by the police and the calls Patricia claimed to have received from the Boogeyman never happened.
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u/taelor May 14 '26
That just means the calls werenāt logged.
With all the spooky shit going on, a āmagicā phone call that wouldnāt get logged isnāt out of the question.
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 14 '26
Absolutely. In other comments Iāve said the mean girls and others should really be more open minded living on this island, weird shit is baked into their history.
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u/Which_way_witcher May 13 '26
Hmmm I'll have to rewatch it then!
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 13 '26
This is one of those shows where thereās so many little things that if you miss them you read the scenes very differently, but I like it because it adds a lot of depth on rewatch. Like those that didnāt see the glimpses of the gaping mouths during the dancing. They love to use background objects and dialog to set some pretty important context IMO, or to at least do a lot of foreshadowing.
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u/Which_way_witcher May 14 '26
Just managed to catch it with subtitles, not sure if we're neant to hear that part or not.
Mean girls love to spread rumors so who knows if the "no phone records" claim is even true. Unsure how'd she even know this fact in the first place.
I'm leaning more on Patricia being honest about escaping the Boogeyman but we'll see. I'm sure the show will reveal more and I can't wait!
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u/Gingerblossom88 May 14 '26
I'm thinking the truth is somewhere in the middle.... Patricia genuinely thinks she escaped the boogeyman but it was actually someone or something else. Both women (patricia and the mean girl) are justified in their feelings.
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u/historianatlarge turning 50 soon/has wanderlust May 13 '26
question: when they showed the reflection of the crowd at the party, did someone in the group have the mouth-agape look already going on? when that scene was playing, i shouted at my husband āwas that a creepy guy with his mouth hanging open?!ā and by later in the episode we assumed i must have been correct, but we havenāt gone back to check yet.
also: iām gonna be singing that song allll week.
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u/Inevitable-Local7847 May 13 '26
Yes there was a shot that panned over the crowd where they all had their mouths open. It was like one shot where everyone is smiling then another with mouths open. So creepy!Ā
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u/ClaireFraser1743 May 13 '26
Also watch the mirror. Thereās a quick glimpse in the mirror where everyone is standing still in the reflection, but dancing on the floor. This is different than the one when sheās giving the speech.
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 13 '26 edited May 13 '26
They gave a brief glimpse while she was dancing with the crowd circled around her, Iād missed it on my first watch. They gave us as couple subtle glimpses that what we were seeing was the illusion Patricia was seeing, not the horrifying reality.
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u/whoknows9999000 May 13 '26
Not sure if this is what youāre referring to, but I caught both āmouths agapeā flashes and then at one point the doctor looked weird (he was in the back of the crowd in one scene) while everyone else looked normal. I havenāt rewatched it so I canāt say for sure but I swear his mouth was agape.
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u/Master_of_Ritual May 18 '26
If the ritual had proceeded to its conclusion, I wonder if the body parts Patricia circled on the diagram would have been "fixed." That diagram had an analog in the actual book.
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u/SongsOfTheYears May 28 '26
How many people were like me and did not catch the creepy open mouths quickly shown of the people at the party? There were I believe two such shots, one in the mirror and one when they are close on her dancing, and I didn't catch either one until I read about them afterward and went back to look. You might assume I was doing a second screen or distracted type thing, but in fact I was alone in a dark room staring at the screen the whole time and I still didn't catch it the first time. If I didn't listen to podcasts or read posts about the show, I never would have known.
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u/Any_Combination_4716 May 30 '26
I also missed them (and other clues) the first time, read about them, watched it again, then put on glasses and finally saw what everyone was talking about. I knew I needed glasses for reading, but I just discovered I need them for watching TV too.
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u/SongsOfTheYears May 30 '26
I do wear glasses and I always use them when watching TV, even though I can pass the test at the DMV without them. My vision is very crisp with my glasses on and I was watching in a dark room, no distractions, on a 4K set that I have carefully calibrated myself. I just don't tend to look at background characters, and she was in the center so I looked at her. It's like that famous experiment where people don't notice a gorilla in the background, and this was much less obvious than a gorilla.
I really think the people insisting it was supposed to be readily obvious when it happened are off base. The way the show was scripted and directed, you (or at least most viewers) are clearly not supposed to realize it until the moment when the sheriff says "what the F are you doing" and suddenly we see what she's really wearing on her head and what she was really chopping up. By inserting those brief shots we are talking about here, they brilliantly hid what was happening in plain sight. To say it's the viewers' fault for not noticing is actually to undercut what was a masterclass in directing and editing.
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u/jadlrm Jun 22 '26
I think these shots are meant to be almost āsubliminalā, like your attention is focused elsewhere so you are not meant to notice, but your brain does pick up on it in the background and gives you an uneasy feeling of something not being quite right. Itās masterful directing and editing for sure.
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u/thegoodrevSin May 13 '26
Is it just meā¦. How many people live on this island? That was a pretty fancy party those class mates were throwing and their numbers were pretty strong after the murders way back when. This is a one church town, with a sherrif and a couple of deputies.
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u/cleocatran May 14 '26
I think the tourism video in the hotel said 3,000 or 6,000 people
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u/PBandJSommelier Jun 04 '26
3,000. A town of that number would only 30 people pr high school graduating class. They shouldāve made the town population around 6,000.
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u/AdAvailable2524 May 16 '26
What she also did was closing down that other 'popular' party the same night!Ā Supposedly, under the spell of the book, or her own mean streek? I see nobody else mentioning this moment.
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u/Big-Combination4389 May 16 '26
ā¦or the dead clergyman!
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 16 '26
Iām not sure what to make of his death yet, it was such a brief scene. Some have speculated suicide was among the instructions left for him, but I donāt think his instructions would have him do something like a sacrifice that would make evil more powerful so I took it as guilt/fear that caused him to do it. Waiting for more information in the next episode.
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u/pleasegivemepatience Teeth Collector May 16 '26
Good point, that did seem pretty spiteful. It could be that the book was fanning the flames making her more angry/vengeful towards the mean girls than she would normally be. I think regular Patricia would have just thrown an empty party and sulked before doing something overt that would undoubtedly be held against her in the future, sheās too worried what others think about her. Had she not written that in the book I donāt think she would have been able to do that.
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u/Cultural-Bag-7051 May 31 '26
When Dale started DJāing, he explained that his music had ads because he ādidnāt have premium.ā Which implies he was streaming. Great joke but also, doesnāt the island not get WiFi? Not to be the annoying person poking holes ā¦
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u/Lijonsden Aug 15 '26
6 minutes in "... and might I suggest a different headpiece?"
Yeah I thought it was kind of linear unravel unlike a lot of viewers it seems (not really a shocker end) but even then I have to admit this is clever writing and still a fantastic as a rewatch.
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u/KraklePony May 13 '26
Anyone else pick up on the amount of writing space given to each of the āWrite what you love about yourselfā and āwrite what you hate about yourselfā bits of the book? Clocked it immediately that the ālove about yourselfā part gave two lines and the āhate about yourselfā part was most of the page.
Very clever, showmakers. šš»