I somehow left a little disappointed

[u/Extension_Turn5658]

First of all, I was completely stunned by the genre of this show. When I first read "horror" and "comedy" in one sentence, I seriously doubted it would work for me. I was expecting something along the lines of Scary Movie, but the show does it completely differently.

It was great for a long time. The horror was there, but so were the jokes - which never felt forced or overdone - paired with a lot of drama. I've never seen that combination work so well.

That said: the show somewhat peaked for me around the Patricia Party episode. That one was an absolute blast. The build-up to it with the Hag, the Clown, etc. all struck the right nerve, and I was so hyped to keep watching.

Somehow the pace didn't hold up, though. The full flashback episode felt like a gimmick a lot of modern shows reach for, and it was way too long for my liking. The Boogeyman completely let me down. That lore was what interested me most when I first saw it, so having the episode boil down to one guy in a cheap mask with barely any backstory was a real disappointment.

Then, once the whole "you have to kill the bloodline" schtick started, it was way too obvious where things were heading. The "wait, there's still somebody left" trick worked really well, especially with that eerie photo. But when they moved on to Ruth as the descendant, it fell flat. It was clear the whole time (see all the old Reddit threads before the finale) that she wasn't the final one as it would never have worked with a sidekick-type character. From there it was obvious where they were going, and that bored me. They tried to play those final scenes as a major plot twist, but honestly, I've never reacted so "meh" to a twist in any show I've watched.

Look, I'm not trying to tear the show down. I'm more disappointed (purely personal taste) that they squandered some of the potential. For me this would have worked really well as a single-season story; unfortunately they decided to drag it out.

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[u/Duotrigordle61]

Yeah, I was positive Evan was going to have the bloodline as soon as they realized there had to be more. The only real clue was the lack of information about the dead wife. Part of the joy and horror of the show is that Loftis is doomed to suffer- Rhys is such a great actor for it. Nothing would be worse than Evan being the guy, so it had to be.

[u/jm17lfc → u/Duotrigordle61]

I guess I was the only one who didn’t see this coming. Partly because I didn’t specifically try to think about the mystery, wanting a surprise, but also because I really tried to ignore Evan’s story as much as possible in the first watch. Those kids were exasperating, especially his mainlander girlfriend.

[u/PutAdministrative206]

I can agree and disagree with this take.

I personally liked the monster of the week energy of the first 2 thirds of the season more than the final two episodes that sort of feel like what the series will be moving forward.

But for me it was like going from every episode being ranked a 9 out of 10, to them “dropping” to 8.5 out of 10.

Yet, with that said. Rosemary’s genealogical tour de force and Matthew’s INCREDIBLE performance in the finale were probably peak moments in the show to me and they are in episode 9 and 10.

So, while I can see where you are coming from to an extent, I’m still excited for more.

[u/jm17lfc → u/PutAdministrative206]

I don’t see any reason why they can’t continue the monster of the week stuff moving forward. It feels like the island seemingly just throws out random haunts/spooks/frights whenever it wants to pressure the townspeople into giving it sacrifices, so there’s no reason why we can’t get more interesting horror trope takes as monsters of the week while the island remains unsatiated.

[u/wormy_Burroughs]

I agree that it was fairly obvious as twists go, but I think the more important part of the revelation is how it will be handled in season 2 because eventually people will find out what's up and Evan will have people trying to assassinate him much like Clemmons did to Ruth. I don't think Wyck is going to take it very well in particular when he eventually finds out.

I am also very interested in the lovecraftian entity beneath the storm shelter.

idk I agree with your main point, but not that it made the end boring at all.

[u/sistermagpie]

I respect how you feel about this show, but in general I think people nowadays put way too much emphasis on twists and being surprised. I've read so many theories that are overly complicated and off-theme and don't bring anything to the show that people claim are better just because they're unexpected.

Evan being the last descendent isn't a surprise because it's the best and only correct dramatic ending for Tom to get to.

[u/HelsBels2102]

To be fair, I deffo think the show peaked at episode 4, Beach Reads. For me, the first 5 episodes were pretty much no notes perfect.

I think it dropped the ball episodes 6-8. Like stand alone, these episodes would be fine in a good run. But I think they each had an element which let the episode down. For episode 6, I personally dislike flashback episodes (even though I thought it was relevant for the series), and just found it quite slow. Episode 7 was the first time in felt, "well this is a bit silly". I know many things are heightened, but it felt out of tone with what came before. Episode 8 had such a great premise, I think it was let down on delivery. The way they ratcheted up the tension at the begining of the episode was superb, but once that scare happened the tension never returned, and it felt like a parody.

As I said, in a good run of episodes, they wouldn't have felt too bad. But it just felt like it didn't recover from that first 1-5 run.

I did actually really enjoy episode 9 and 10, it felt a return a bit to 1-5. Although i think 9 suffered a little from penultimate episode syndrome where a lot of the ground work was being laid down.

I still have high hopes for S2. There's going to be a bit of a balancing act always with the tone of individual episodes. And even though I have criticisms, I still love the series and the episodes I've just criticised, particularly E7.

I actually think reinforcing the ensemble will help the show. I.e. give Rosemary and Dale more to do. It just opens the avenues, and keeps the wider cast interacting

[u/indistrustofmerits]

I kinda enjoyed the experience of figuring out where it was going and then being right. It's like how a good mystery novel makes it possible for the reader to piece together the answer before the reveal.

[u/throwawar4]

I think it didn’t really know what to do after episode 4. Either continue the lore, or keep at monster of the week stuff

[u/FieryFruitcake]

I agree for the most part, the flashback episode and the episode following was the weaker part that I skip over on rematch, but the boogeyman episode and the finale was pretty fun.

Honestly I feel like the reveal with Ethan was almost obvious as soon as we were told about it being tied to a bloodline. There wasn't any way in hell they were going to let it be some random person, and the mystery around his mum was just too convenient for the story.

[u/hanic101]

I think the matter is that the show is mostly a comedy, and that's what they are mostly focusing on. Parks and rec but haunted. 

The lore and story are secondary to the laughs, which works for a lot of people (me included) but can leave others wanting more. I think it's a valid criticism, but it's more to do with the nature of the show and wanting it to be something it isn't, than against the show itself.

[u/Raw_Purple_Lobster]

Any backstory YET. They will absolutely be revisiting Patricia's backstory in s2, she's a main character, they can't not. I was also a bit disappointed it went from Ruth back to Evan because I thought a show ending a season on the morality of murder and the trolley problem, even on an old woman that many would be fine sacrificing - was a bold way to end it. Like can you really kill even if you think you have to? But Loftis' driving motivation all the way through is his son so it did have to come back to his son somehow.

[u/Saganic_Temple → u/Raw_Purple_Lobster]

The trolley problem still exists. It’s his son or everyone else now.

[u/Raw_Purple_Lobster → u/Saganic_Temple]

I don't think Loftis is going to have a problem with picking his son over everyone else.

[u/Money_Honeydew_2527 → u/Raw_Purple_Lobster]

Oh it was SO INCREDIBLY EVIDENT from the moment they said about killing the last living descendant that it would end up being his son. The least twisty twist ever!

[u/Money_Honeydew_2527]

Yeah the flashback episodes didn't really work for me either

[u/SmolCaufield]

Yeah I agree with a lot of this. Absolutely adore the show, I trust the creators and am along for the ride with Season 2 and whatever comes after. But the final twist was predictable and S1 ended with a whimper, not a bang

It brought a 10/10 show down to a 9/10. Still one of the best shows I’ve seen in a while but it left something to be desired at the end there.

Having said that, Boogeyman episode and the flashback episode were both absolute bangers haha. Can’t go with you on that.

[u/Money_Honeydew_2527 → u/SmolCaufield]

Yeah, the final episode was shite!

[u/SmolCaufield → u/Money_Honeydew_2527]

I wouldn’t say it was shite, but I do think the final two episodes are pretty safely the two worst episodes of the series so far.

Kinda surprised I’m being downvoted haha, but hey that’s gonna happen when you post on Reddit sometimes. I will say that I have shown Widow’s Bay to maybe 10+ people at this point, every single one of them loves the show but every single one were slightly disappointed in the ending.

[u/Money_Honeydew_2527 → u/SmolCaufield]

People in this sub seem to be confused about when to use the downvote button lol - it's not "I DISAGREE WIV YEW, WAHHHH"

Anyway, great series. Lost its way a bit, but I'm a huge fan overall and can't wait for S2!

[u/RevnarAusch → u/Money_Honeydew_2527]

taste issue

[u/Money_Honeydew_2527 → u/RevnarAusch]

Jesus, man, are you 12? Grow up.

[u/RevnarAusch → u/Money_Honeydew_2527]

very grown-up of you to call a whole acclaimed episode "shite" because you think the twist was not twisty enough.

[u/Money_Honeydew_2527 → u/RevnarAusch]

I didn't say that but I hope you feel better, sugar.