Sarah Comes to Widow’s Bay Island
Widow’s Bay Season 1 Episode 6 goes back to September 1702 and shows us the dark past behind the island’s curse. The story centers on Sarah, a young woman who travels to Widow’s Bay Island to marry Richard Warren.
At first Sarah hopes her new husband will be nice and respectable. The townspeople speak well of Richard and the wedding goes off with little trouble. But it doesn’t take long for Sarah to realize that the island has an odd vibe, and she’s entered a dangerous world.
Strange Behavior (Richard Warren)
After the wedding, Richard introduces Sarah to his five children, but he is emotionally distant. He won’t talk much about himself and he won’t act like a normal husband.
Things get even more disturbing when Sarah wakes up one night to find Richard eating black mushrooms and looking as if he’s in a trance. At the same time, a deadly plague is spreading through the town, creating fear and suspicion among the people.
Sarah Learns the Truth –
Sarah becomes more afraid when she overhears Richard speak about the plague with a visitor. The conversation takes a sinister turn and later Sarah witnesses Richard kill the man. The next morning she discovers a hidden basement and evidence that confirms what she saw.
Sarah is desperate for answers and turns to Pastor Collins. Richard has made a deal with the devil and that many people believe he is responsible for the plague and the disappearances on the island, including the death of his former wife, he says.
The Foiled Assassination of Richard
Pastor Collins asks Sarah to help them kill Richard by leaving the house open. That night a man breaks in and stabs Richard in his sleep but Richard does not die. Sarah knows he’s not just an ordinary man.
Richard forbids her to ever leave the house again, and locks her up. But Sarah finds her way out through the basement, and returns to Pastor Collins. This time, they are planning for Sarah to poison Richard.
Sarah Attempts to Flee with the Children
During dinner Sarah slips some spiked brandy to Richard, but he soon realises something’s wrong. He attacks her but one of his sons saves her by hitting him with a log. The boy says that Richard killed his mother.
Sarah gathers the children and runs to the shore in hope of escaping the island. But unfortunately the ship leaves before they can get there. A woman, bloody and sick, appears and attacks Sarah, but Sarah fights her off. Then she and the children get onto a boat and leave the Widow’s Bay.
Richard Is Buried Alive
Meanwhile Pastor Collins and his group catch up with buried alive Richard. Richard warns them that the deal he made was to save them and that he can’t die. His pleas are ignored and he is put in the coffin.
The episode ends in the present day with Wyck and Patricia digging up Richard’s coffin.
Review of Episode
Widow’s Bay Season 1 Episode 6 is fully folk horror as it explores the roots of the island’s curse. The jump back to 1702 after Episode 5 is jarring, but the episode still works because Sarah’s story is tense, tragic and disturbing.
The episode gives some important answers regarding Richard Warren and the origin of the curse, but wisely keeps the darker force behind the pact a mystery. The unanswered question is what makes the story more interesting, leaving plenty of room for the show to explore whether Widow’s Bay can ever really be saved.