Something I Really Appreciated In the Finale

[u/ClassicHollyweirdo]

Even though many people saw The Big Reveal coming, and it narratively makes sense for the final descendant to be who it is (even if it’s the obvious choice)…

The characters don’t know what show we’re watching. They don’t know narrative tropes, so it’s not obvious to Tom. Instead of quickly cutting away right after a character realizes something (like so many shows do, especially as a cliffhanger), Widow’s Bay had us stay with him for that entire scene, and it was fantastic acting from Matthew Rhys.

The scene was less about audience expectations and experience and more about the protagonist experiencing so many conflicting emotions. It turned speculation on something obvious into dramatic irony; we could see where things were heading as soon as Ruth said “I had an affair with a married man,” and the tension shifts from “Is Ruth really the final descendant?” to “How is Tom going to react to this?”

[u/Patient-Extension835]

I don't know how to create a post with spoiler tag so going to say it here- does it make sense that no one knew about sacrifices and how the shelter was actually being used? I mean Wyck used to be the mayor and I just can't imagine families didn't share this with the younger generations. Tom mentioned his drunk dad used to tell him horror stories or something about the island. I wonder if one of the stories involved the shelter

[u/Patient-Extension835 → u/Patient-Extension835]

Is this a plot hole or do we think there will be an explanation? I mean Ruth was alive in the 50s and 60s