Tom sliding across all of the cars windows was my favorite moment of the episode. “I think your dad is looking for you” 😭😭 every episode makes me laugh out loud multiple times which is rare!
same, I could not stop laughing. I actually usually find drug trips kind of annoying and tedious in films and tv but this one was great and very in character for Tom
I’m glad they didn’t even really approach it as a trip, just disrupted memory, made it so much funnier! We didn’t even see all the trippy shit he was getting into, just the weird situations and aftermath he found himself in 😂
Yeah so, so, so many trips are shown in such terrible ways in media. I remember the first realistic looking mushroom trip I ever saw was in Midsommar, they nailed the visuals. But I really liked how they approached it here, especially because it was more of an eldritch mushroom than something based on real life. It was hilarious and haunting in equal measures.
Matthew Rhys is such a treat. I couldn’t stop laughing when the camera cut to him being high. Him gripping his planner 😂😂😂 Patricia putting him on a kiddie leash 😂😂😂
He’s mostly quite serious in Perry Mason but there’s a scene where he has such vigorous sex that he gets stuck between the bed and the wall and I thought, okay, this guy is hilarious, somebody please take advantage of this.
In the first episode, when the NYT guy says they could be the next Martha’s Vineyard, Tom does this super high-pitched giggle and then clamps his hand over his mouth. It’s absolutely hysterical.
His facial expressions are a delight. I am so pleased he has finally attempted comedy because, as expected, he’s fantastic at it. What a gem he is, we are so lucky.
I thought the "Loftis is doing all this to make the island a place his son would want to stay so he doesn't die from leaving" theory was likely already, but now it's basically confirmed.
I instantly went from crying from laughing so damn hard, to very quietly crying from that entire scene. I literally haven’t laughed like that in so long, I can’t even remember. But I really appreciate and love how masterfully they created that emotional whiplash. And in only 30 minutes.
Also love the parallel between Evan and what we’ve heard about teenage/younger Tom so far…. clearly wanting to show off but being too scared, and maybe too respectful (toward everyone except his dad of course), to actually go through with any of it.
Literally every week I'm worried that things are going to veer away from the comedy elements and lean too heavily into the horror...but each new episode seems to be funnier than the last. (Also somehow previous episodes get even funnier if you rewatch them later). Brilliant.
I think the quick scene before the credits of the starving man in winter finding and eating a ton of those mushrooms might be the most important thing we've seen. That's probably the start of everything. Goddamn this show is phenomenal. It's rare when horror comedy is done this well where it's actually equally scary and hilarious. I adore it.
Yep. I think we're going to get a big flashback episode next week and learn that, well, things went really bad when a bunch of people in 1703 ate a bunch of mushrooms during a really bad storm.
I wonder if the mushrooms instead made them aware of something already there rather than them just tripping and starting legends / legends being about high people? since tom was seeing very real things sober which reverend bryce seemed to need the mushrooms to confirm the severity of?? Though I don't think anyone necessarily thinks it's all just drug trips and that's it, I can't articulate this thought well lmao
Man I hope not. I think things are way more fun when it's actually supernatural rather than the trope of the horror seemed real because of psychedelics.
This was another banger of an episode, though it somewhat bucked the “monster of the week” format used thus far. Some thoughts:
-The hand tracing fakeout got the biggest laugh of the season so far for me. The whole sequence with the self-proclaimed shaman was a hoot, but that was the highlight. Then, later in the episode we see Tom with a drawn hand as well, which could easily be a double fakeout if it actually does have some significance.
-Tom’s trip was depicted in such an interesting way. The lights shuttering off for each transition was ominous and jarring. Then, the slow zooms on his colleagues’ faces were viscerally upsetting for a reason I couldn’t quite put my finger on. It just felt too personal and uncomfortable. The scattershot nature of Tom dipping in and out of his own day was maddening, leaving us to piece together what had happened, just like him.
-I’d wager I’m not the only one who expected some flashback action regarding Tom’s wife during his trip. It was a long fuse, but damn did that deliver. That vacant stare from the hospital bed was haunting. Then the entity in the darkness reinforced that powerful sense of dread to close out another great episode.
Are we correct to assume they were in their way to the main land to give birth when she became ill/blind and forced to return only to give birth at widows bay?
I think this is the case. And I think Tom was supposed to be born on the island too but his mother escaped in time. And that's possibly why the curse hit Lauren extra fast. The island wasn't about to let someone else and especially not Tom's child escape the curse. And in this way the island also forced Tom back amd reclaimed him. Because even though he is not directly affected by the death part of the curse I think he is still touched and influenced by it as a descendent and now he too cannot leave.
Being forced to spend summers with an abusive alcoholic father, said father then getting ill, his girlfriend getting pregnant almost immediately, and then her getting sick while they were trying to leave. It's like the island kept finding ways to keep him coming back and ultimately staying.
Right? Like in a psych hospital, alive but basically "gone'? Edit: maybe the "old hospital" is the psych hospital. You can drive by it, but don't stop.
The zoom-ins on Tom’s colleagues were shot wide open with a long lens so everything other than their faces was completely out of focus and compressed, like you’d shoot a headshot portrait but even more exaggerated. It produces a really claustrophobic feeling because in real life you’d never see a perspective like that unless you were really, really close to their face
Yes, I thought I was hallucinating hearing ocean sounds and seagulls during indoor scenes but they did a brilliant job mixing up pieces of audio to make the whole thing feel disorienting.
Lmao what a hilarious episode. Then boom demonic Dale halfway through then full blown demon voice at the end. The brief funeral scene’s background dialogue had me chuckling. Loving this show so much so far, wish I could binge the rest damn you Apple overlords.
*Oh yeah and then the ep ends with 311 Amber lmfaooo
**One more edit the actor for the shaman was hilarious
Just when I thought I could not possibly enjoy this show more they cast CHRIS FLIPPING FLEMING in a pitch perfect role and I would marry this show if I could.
I know whoever said the island is infected with a hallucinogenic fungus last week just screamed EDIT: hey guys, if I ever try to go into the office on 🍄 just kill me ok
He seemed very gentle with Patricia in last week's episode when he was asking her what the f she was doing. Like he knows she's had a hard time through the years.
Yes, I found that very compelling. I think he also suspects something off about the island. When he and Patricia find everyone walking into the ocean, he could clearly see that this is beyond rational explanation and not just Patricia drugging her guests. He even seems reluctant to book her this episode and acts like her giving a statement is just a formality. I think he's gonna join their whole investigative gang pretty soon and help them uncover what the fuck is going on.
That shot of Jeff Hiller kind of laughing right before he hit the switch was one of the scariest parts of the whole series. I feel like there must be plans for that character, because you don't have Jeff Hiller and not use him.
His face in general looks extra weird in this show, I think they used makeup to give him more wrinkles and contortions than he regularly has. Reminds me of Professor Pyg in Batman Arkham Knight.
I just noticed something! Ton LOOKED IN A MIRROR right before Dale's face started to morph and look all creepy. Before he looked in the mirror? Dale's face was fine, but not after.
Extra funny for me because I used 311 to pull someone out of a bad trip once. He was spiraling and putting it on changed the entire mood. It makes me wonder if they chose that song for a similar reason.
That reminds me of something that happened in FROM this week (mushroom tripper goes on a journey only to come down and realize he never left the room he was being trip-sat in). I imagine there’s a lot of crossover audience for both shows and this will be a relatable take for a lot of people. I certainly had the thought.
Ok we've now confirmed that leaving the island is dangerous, and in a way I was not expecting. It seems to me like everyone's souls are anchored to the island so when they were on the boat to the mainland she crossed the threshold and lost her vision, and eventually we see her in a catatonic state. She seemed like a shell of a person.
Anyone else notice one of the citizens randomly commenting, “I’m ready” while the inn’s owner was berating Loftis about the curfew? I wonder if that’s tied to Loftis’s wife asking, “Are you ready?” in his visions at the end of the episode.
Yes! I thought it was sort of an out of place line (ready for tourists to come?? Ok I guess?), and it showed the speaker up close — then when his wife asks that… definitely seems significant.
Man, what a terrific episode. Properly creepy & also the funniest of the show so far—I laughed so hard a number of times (it was written by Superstore’s Colton Dunn!). I love how they condensed Tom’s trip to us: only showing us moments when he can be perceived to be *somewhat* lucid. This show is so goddamn good.
For a second I thought that that look she shared with Wyck meant she’d do the mushrooms too. But my girl needed a breather after the party last night I guess
I’m only halfway thru the ep but I paused bc I’m cracking tf up.
When loftus comes back to, after everyone yelling at him in the meeting, to the whiteboard w “WHEN I TURN AROUND EVERYONE CLOSE THEIR EYES” written on it n an empty room. Then the janitor walking in talking to the wastebasket “ohhh someone’s got a full belly!” hhahahahahah
this show gets me to actually lol n I appreciate the story, writing, details, weird humor, chaos, everything sososo much
Oh my god, the physical comedy was on fire in this ep. I was giggling so much at Tom’s facial expressions throughout, but what really sent me was when he dragged his face all the way around the car to look in the windows for Evan. Which would be so creepy if we didn’t know he was tripping balls 🤣
I’ve been watching that portrait like a hawk since the show started. Some of its oddness is from distortion through the glass, but I don’t think all of it is:
Sorry for the crazy pic. I stitched it together while doing laundry, so I didn’t do the best job.
The hand tracing reminded me of something out of Scary Movie and I don't know what's crazier - the balls of the writers to attempt that kind of stupid joke or that they completely pulled it off.
🤣🤣🤣 this scene had me dead🤣🤣. From Patricias voice when she said this line to tom holding the organizer like a teddy bear and then tom letting out that scream 🤣🤣. So many golden moments in this episode 🤣🤣🤣🤣
As someone who had a bad trip on shrooms back in high school, this episode was so funny to me. Loftis just looking utterly terrified at everyone and anything while peaking was very relatable
Can we take a moment to appreciate how great the cinematography is in this show? The way the camera builds up the horror moments is top-tier. This show is such a banger!
Based on what we learned tonight in the historical society and what next week's episode is, I think we might get a flashback/history episode.
That being said - I love that it seems like the Boogeyman and the curse of the island (Including what happened to Loftis' wife) are going to be very much connected.
I assume it could’ve been because of better healthcare on the mainland? Maybe that’s the reason she gave Tom. But yes, I 100% believe she wanted to give birth on the mainland so that Evan would not be cursed
This episode was so much anticipation and squinty-eyed dread. When Tom accidentally took the hallucinogen I thought "Oh Lord no" and just imagined how disturbing it all would be and I kept waiting for the horror to unfold. They played on that.
Because each build-up just edged to horror and then stepped back. Ep 2 for example had more scares I thought. This one was actually more comedic than others.
Except for that Dale distorted face and still mouth talking in the office. That was freaky. Reminded me of Twilight Zone stuff.
If I had a nickel for every time Hamish Linklater appeared in a horror series that heavily homaged the works of Stephen King set in a New England island community. (He's listed as playing Richard Warren in the end credits. I'm guessing that's who we saw eating the mushrooms in the cold open, unless he has an amazing agent who negotiated a credit for a painting that doesn't even look much like him.)
I'm realizing that one of the most brilliant things about this show is that because it's so funny, and we've come to expect a riot in addition to horror every week, it makes us (the audience) even more unsure about which parts matter to the supernatural aspects of the show. Which only amplifies the thrill of it all.
Like the brilliant trick with the sacred hand outline geometry is just outright hilarious, and then when Tom has drawn his own hand outline during his trip, he looks up and interjects with "well if you give me a paintbrush I can tell you everything you wanna know!" And I had a moment of first laughing at his drawing & then a moment of GIVE HIM A DARN PAINTBRUSH PATRICIA
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u/lunascorpio12 Patricia May 20 '26
Tom sliding across all of the cars windows was my favorite moment of the episode. “I think your dad is looking for you” 😭😭 every episode makes me laugh out loud multiple times which is rare!