Burning Questions We Need Answered In Season 2

Spoilers for the entire first season of “Widow’s Bay” are below — you’ve been warned!

Season 1 of “Widow’s Bay” may have come to an end, but there is still a whole bunch of island mysteries that have left us scratching our heads. 

Luckily, Katie Dippold’s Apple TV horror comedy has been renewed for Season 2, so for that, we’re loudly and proudly ringing our own bells in celebration. And we’ve got nothing but time to mull over where the freshman season left us — and what it might mean for the future of the totally-not-cursed Widow’s Bay. 

In Wednesday’s season finale (read our full recap here), we learned that Ruth (who was revealed as Richard Warren’s descendent in Episode 9) once had an affair with a married man and gave birth to a secret kid that she gave away. That secret child was a daughter who grew up, fell in love, and got married… to Tom! That means that Tom’s son Evan is a descendant of Richard Warren! But whether Ruth will survive the drug cocktail that the mayor fed to her and/or Bechir’s bullet remains to be seen. 

While it was indubitably a satisfying season closer, the episode left our wheels spinning about the mythology and mystery that Tom, Patricia, Wyck, and more must still contend with on that island they call home. So scroll down to read what plot points are still wracking our brains, then hit the comments section and tell us which burning questions are keeping you up at night. 

* When Shep Clark was found and subsequently brought to the hospital, why was the old man’s age listed as 37 years old? And why, when she was at Shep’s bedside, did Patricia say that her “biological age” was 28, even though Tom later says that she’s in her 40s? (That last part did seem to make her peeved…)

* When the first settlers arrived to the island, there was nothing there “except for the teeth,” according to Gerrie Doyle, one of the island’s most knowledgeable historians. What does that mean? And why is there a board game called “Teeth” inside the creepy Breakwater Inn?

* Is there some sort of “Lost”-style time-situation happening? When innkeeper Kurt steps inside the Captain’s Suite and closes the door, he makes it seem like more than 10 seconds had surpassed while he sat inside. Like he has endured something. Then, when prompted to stay in the room for 30 seconds, he asked for food. Why would he need food for 30 seconds? Is there a strange time-lapse happening inside the inn? Does the entire island keep people suspended in time? Or maybe it puts them on a slower timeline?

* Since those who were born on the island can’t leave it without dying, could distance from the island do the opposite and speed-up time for the inhabitants? Does their health begin to plummet the farther they get from Widow’s Bay? In the flashback at the beginning of Episode 9, as Sarah Warren is escaping with the children, a boy’s nose starts to bleed, while one of the daughters shouts, “I can’t see anything!” — which is the same thing Tom’s pregnant wife Lauren said when she was taking a ferry off-island. Lauren eventually had a stroke and later, an aneurysm. Did trying to go off-island cause those health issues?

* If we are to assume that black mold was not the cause of Tom’s creepy clown “hallucination” at the inn, then what explains that rendezvous with Pennywise the clown and also the sea hag from Episode 3? And if Richard Warren was indeed buried alive, why is Tom and Widow’s Bay all of a sudden experiencing these weird bumps in the night now? What changed or sparked it all? And if sacrifices need to be made to satisfy the island, who has been keeping up with that pact during the 300+ years that Richard was underground? And why exactly does the island need to be fed in this way?

* Is there a demon on the other end of Warren’s pact? Or is it the devil? Or are we personifying the island itself?

* Are there any other cursed spell books like “Your Turn: Out With the Old and in With the You” that could cause a raucous in Widow’s Bay? Where did that book come from, how did it get cursed, and how did Patricia come to own it? And why does the author’s name, Lucy Fours, sound like “Lucifer”?

* How much of the history of Widow’s Bay was written by a bunch of white dudes hopped up on magic mushrooms? And the cylinder that Richard wears around his neck (the one seen in the painting and also mentioned in Sarah’s diary page), is that just filled with truesight mushroom powder? What else could be in there? And now that Tom has sampled some of those freaky shrooms, will he now be the person who needs to uphold the sacrifices to satisfy the pact? According to Warren, himself, the pact spared the townspeople during their first winter. “It spoke to me through the mushrooms,” he said. “Fulfill the pact and the plague will stop. If you do not, the terrors will not cease.” Again, who’s been chowing down on drugs and keeping that operation up while Warren’s been MIA!?

* What’s with the well underneath the historical society, and also the electric chair? Are there more tunnels underneath the island that we haven’t seen yet? 

* And speaking of creepy basements, what’s Tom hiding in his? After he mistakenly thought Evan went down there, he went into full-on panic-mode. (“You went through the basement?!”) Explain yourself, Mr. Mayor!

* Custodian Kenny chased Evan and his friends away from the electric chair, but what happened to him after he got locked inside? Assuming he’s a goner, how long will his sacrifice keep the island demons satisfied before they need another feeding?

* We have a lot of questions about the town’s bells. It has been said that the bells were tied up and not usable, but we heard them at the end of Episode 3, and the bells caused Reverend Bryce to go a bit mad. Then, the video that Dale watched in Episode 9 said, “one soul for each bell toll.” Are the bells the island’s way of communicating its needs? Did they signify when Richard had to go on a murder spree? We heard eight bell tolls in the finale episode. Does that mean Tom must take eight souls in Season 2 in order to protect his son’s secret? (The video also said that the island “likes the taste” of its victims’ fear. Is that just creepy imagery, or are things about to get even grosser in the second season?)

* If the island is filled with supernatural oddities, is the boogeyman really dead, or will he return like Jason Voorhees in the “Friday the 13th” franchise? Does he/it have an elaborate backstory that we’ll learn about? How do the boogeyman and the sea hag fit into this whole “evil island” narrative?

* What’s the deal with mirrors in Widow’s Bay? When Patricia throws her cursed spell book soirée, truth can always be seen in the mirrors. Like when the party guest are all dancing, we see their zombified, actual selves reflected in the mirror. Later, in the kitchen, Patricia finally snaps out of it when she looks into a mirror and sees what’s really on her head. Then in Episode 5 when Tom is tripping out, “Shaman” Todd warns him that absolutely, under no circumstances, should he look in the mirror. Is that sound advice from one’s local drug dealer, or something more meaningful?

* It was almost a throwaway line, but Ruth mentioned an old boyfriend Alfred who “got bit by an animal and became that animal.” Are there werewolves in Widow’s Bay?

* Can we really trust Rosemary’s genealogy, or does Richard Warren have other descendants out there (besides Evan) that will need to be offed? 

* Did poor Ruth survive that poisoning and gunshot at the end? (She sure is spry!)

Hit the comments with thoughts, theories, and questions of your own! And if you need something like “Widow’s Bay” to hold you over until Season 2 hits, check out our 10 recommendations here.