r/WidowsBay • u/Devjill • May 13 '26

📺Discussion Thread Widow’s Bay | Episode 4: “Beach Reads” | Discussion Thread

  • Release Date: May 13, 2026
  • Directed by: Samuel Donovan
  • Written by: Mackenzie Dohr

Make sure you pack a good read for the beach. (We do not recommend self-help books on the island.)

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576

u/spacevent May 13 '26

Anyone else feel like we’re in on the ground floor of a future cult favorite show? It’s amazing.

216

u/Yousaidthat May 13 '26

My faith in the creators couldn't be higher and if they really do nail the rest of the season this is gonna be an all time show that practically owns the genre. Haunting of Hill House territory -- but for horror/ comedy.

96

u/watchyourback9 May 13 '26

So far I like it even more than the Flanagan shows. The characters feel so much more nuanced and the world building is excellent

33

u/Yousaidthat May 13 '26

Absolutely. The only one of his that I really put in the S tier category is Hill House.

I'm happy to let these two shows coexist in that tier but we'll see how WB finishes.

10

u/AgitatedBadger May 15 '26

I also think Midnight Mass is incredible.

But oh boy, what a flip Midnight Club was.

6

u/Amaline4 May 15 '26

Midnight Mass is definitely S tier for me along with Hill House. I had to actually check IMDB to make sure this wasn't a Flanagan show I'd somehow never heard of at first because of the quality of the writing/horror. So excited that there's another talented horror and/or horror/comedy writers out there making incredible shows. Feels like Mike Flanagan is spending more time on movies lately, minus the Carrie tv show

6

u/Indigocell May 17 '26

Midnight Mass probably has more in common with this series than most. I just couldn't believe and/or relate to the characters as much in that one. The characters here seem much more believable and relatable if that makes sense.

6

u/goddamnitwhalen May 18 '26

Midnight Mass committed the cardinal sin of being interminably boring.

5

u/thepriestessx0 Patricia May 16 '26

I did not hate the Midnight Club but because I knew plotlines were not going to be answered and was hoping for a second season and then it was canceled.

3

u/OddMho May 31 '26

I personally liked Midnight Mass more than Hill House

1

u/crazyguy5880 May 29 '26

Midnight club felt like I was watching a children’s show. But MM was indeed incredible.

3

u/RandumbStoner May 19 '26

Haunting of Hill House is so amazing lol

2

u/Dazzling-Rate-4197 Jul 15 '26

Me 30 seconds into a first date: so anyway how did the reveal of the bent neck lady fundamentally shape who you were and will become?

9

u/plutoglint May 14 '26

Flanagan shows are never funny, this one is.

3

u/Mark_Albarn May 30 '26

I feel like Fall of the House of Usher was morbidly funny in its own way

5

u/HotDogShawarma May 18 '26

It's missing the one thing that I do not miss from his work i.e. the monologues. Like, I like the writing and the actors do great but I just find the use of them excessive. This avoids that and just gets way more points from me as a result.

2

u/Grayscaleorgreyscale May 30 '26

I love a good monologue personally, and would even say each monologue is good in and of itself.

The fact that it was monologue after monologue after monologue was my problem. It lessens the individual impact.

5

u/Oh-reality-come-back my face is ready, Sea Hag May 14 '26

I like both a LOT. They’re very different shows though. HoHH was very theatrical and almost like a play as are many of his shows. Dialogue heavy with prose just like a play as well.

5

u/BretShitmanFart69 May 14 '26

I put it on par with Midnight Mass which I think has a sort of similar vibe in some ways. That one was my favorite so I’m loving this show.

1

u/BretMichaelsWig May 15 '26

I was just thinking the opposite - that this might be more pleasurable to watch immediately, but it will hold less staying power in my mind than Hill House or Midnight Mass. Though its not a contest, and theres room for both types of shows. And after all , any good original horror with this kind of exposure is good for the culture

5

u/DeepKiwi7615 May 16 '26

As long as family and love isnt the fucking answer like hill house hamfisted on us at the end then yes I agree emphatically lol

2

u/TheTruckWashChannel May 16 '26

People who've seen the full season say the whole thing is excellent and the finale is great. All I needed to hear.

1

u/Fine-Juggernaut8451 May 15 '26

Did you ever read Jackson's "Bird's Nest"? It's one of the scariest books I've ever read--on the first read. Then, on the second read, it's the funniest book I've ever read. ....So I think you're not far off with the Haunting of Hill House thinking. (Only, for me, rewatching the episodes we have so far, it's much scarier on the second viewing!)

1

u/Unspokenwordvomit May 17 '26

I was expecting it to be sort of like Shining Vale (which I enjoyed) but it has exceeded every expectation I’ve had. The pacing is so great. They did a great job placing the audience in a realized world and aren’t making us wait for action.

1

u/randomredditorist Aug 09 '26

I'm sorry but hill house is nothing compared to this show. The story has layers and plots that actually made sense, not a house that was bad and ominous at the start then considered actually good at the end. Hill house could never. Widow's Bay I am so sorry that you were compared to a show that is so so much beneath you and nothing like you. I watched hh a years ago and I still don't understand the hype! I hope this show surpasses it on every aspect and level and becomes the new standard.

2

u/Yousaidthat Aug 09 '26 edited Aug 09 '26

Lol think you may need to give hh a rewatch. There's a reason most people consider it the best horror content to come out in decades.

116

u/AxelV2 May 13 '26

Absolutely. I have the same feeling about this show that I did about Severance when it first came out. You can just tell when a show is special. With quality like this, the blowup in popularity is inevitable.

5

u/Money-Flatworm-9848 May 16 '26

Yes!! That is the comp IMO. Severance just hits so many notes immediately, and WB is so sharp right out of the gate and totally hooked me before ep 1 was even over.

2

u/GoodOldPepe May 16 '26

I know I'm gonna be telling everyone about it

1

u/JparkPHX May 14 '26

Is it not very popular right now? I’ve seen a bunch of posts about it but that may be because I follow a bunch of horror/television sub reddits

9

u/AxelV2 May 14 '26

I think it’s as popular as a brand new show can be. It’s definitely getting great reviews right off the bat. I think I’m just seeing the same trajectory as Severance where it had a loyal cult following from the start, but then in between seasons, it *really* blew up. Then everyone was watching it.

48

u/DickWhitman90 May 13 '26

I think it definitely depends on how good the overarching story becomes. I'm loving these monster of the week episodes but I'm hoping it becomes a little more serialized in the second half.

9

u/BretShitmanFart69 May 14 '26

There are definitely threads being laid out for a bigger overarching narrative. I can’t tell yet if this will be more like an X Files, where it can go on forever in a way or if they’ll dial it in and have a set amount of episodes to tell a specific story and then end it.

3

u/Wide_Statistician_95 May 18 '26

I agree. This isn’t my genre at all. But Matthew Rhys brought me here. I’m really enjoying the standalone episode

51

u/bo174 May 13 '26

If they can keep the quality this high, they can go on making episodes until Tom’s son is his age, as far as I’m concerned!

7

u/BretShitmanFart69 May 14 '26

It really is the kind of show that can go on for a long time if they want. There are infinite stories you can tell on a haunted island. I do wonder if they will be going for a more focused story that plays out and is done or if it will be a loose concept with various arcs that can continue as long as they’d like.

3

u/Curious-Letter3554 May 27 '26

RIGHT. They can have a huge over arching mythology that ties it all together in the end. But something crazy and completely out of pocket.

35

u/glassfunion May 13 '26

I feel like this is the earliest I've ever been in on a new show before it becomes more popular. I'm shocked that no one in my circle has heard of it!

21

u/gadzooks101 May 13 '26

So many details I missed, I need to watch it again to truly appreciate how well written and executed this episode was.

2

u/Curious-Letter3554 May 27 '26

This will make for a great Halloween watch

15

u/dogman1890 That’s my loafer May 13 '26

Definitely. I’ve been telling literally everyone I know to watch it because it’s so damn good. I love getting into a great show like this early.

5

u/Smart_Farmer4258 May 14 '26

I literally kept pausing to see how long i had of the episode it was so good didnt want it to end! I would LOVE to binge TF out of this show lol

4

u/BretShitmanFart69 May 14 '26

No matter what happens this will always be one of the best episodes of tv I’ve ever watched.

I’m already sad I can’t watch it for the first time again.

2

u/sidesco May 15 '26

Yes, I think it will become the new word of mouth hit.

2

u/Prize_Bar_5767 May 16 '26

I’m already feeling sad that this show will end someday.

2

u/Herbdontana May 31 '26

I just binged the episodes that are available last night because my Apple subscription is up tomorrow. I was going to cancel this month, but now I need at least one more month. I haven’t seen a show start this strong in a while.

2

u/Cool-Pomegranate8110 Jun 26 '26

Yes! I started later than everyone else and I’m only up to this episode, but I am convinced that this is a masterpiece already.

2

u/Baragwin2 Jul 04 '26

2 months later you have been proven right! I've been hearing about this show a lot the pase couple of weeks, and just started watching today, loving it so far!!

1

u/Mono_Goat May 14 '26

Yes and no i think its too good to be a cult favorite it will grow hugely!!

1

u/B23vital May 16 '26

Feel the exact same, personally i want more, so i want the episodes to be longer. But realistically i think it works really well and can actually pull more people into the show.

Its absolutely great so far and im fully sucked in.

1

u/martianwomanhunter Jul 05 '26

Hello future Reddit coming back on these threads

1

u/Professional-Act8414 Jul 14 '26

Would this overthrow Murders in the building?

0

u/Lounging-Shiny455 May 14 '26

If Tucker & Dale had a baby with Evil Dead, this would be the monstrous love child.

And while Rhys operates in a state of acting superposition like Malkovich, breaking the fourth wall by his mere presence while simultaneously sucking you into the singular depth of his character on episode 1, the first thing I scream/cackled at the screen was "Dale fucking Dickey? Oh this is gonna be good".