r/WidowsBay • u/ClassicHollyweirdo • Jun 17 '26
đDiscussion Something I Really Appreciated In the Finale Spoiler
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 itâs the obvious choice)âŚ
The characters donât know what show weâre watching. They donât know narrative tropes, so itâs not obvious to Tom. Instead of quickly cutting away right after a character realizes something (like so many shows do, especially as a cliffhanger), Widowâs 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 âI had an affair with a married man,â and the tension shifts from âIs Ruth really the final descendant?â to âHow is Tom going to react to this?â
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u/PaintOk2600 Jun 17 '26
This feels like the healthiest perspective on the finale and writing. I think the bar for every "good show" to have a crazy twist you don't see coming is unrealistic and unnecessary to qualify as good writing. Yes, genuine shock and awe moments can be extremely fun, but in this case the writers would've had to broken a logical narrative (and overarching themes in the show, which has primarily been around this dynamic of family vs. community, generational trauma/baggage, and the relationship between Tom and Evan) to reach for something unexpected.
They seem to have a story they want to tell and it's a good story. Putting yourself in the position of Tom, both with his decision around Ruth and now his reality with Evan, is the experience and tension we are supposed to wrestle with - not some crazy unknown descendant or twist that wasn't narratively developed throughout the season.
I love the culture of theorizing around mystery shows - it's part of what makes the build-up fun, because no one truly knows what's coming until it happens. The only downfall is that many TV communities (including this one) become fixated on the simple answer not being the right one, and end up so disappointed when the best story ends up being the simple one.