Sarah travels to Widow’s Bay in 1702 after being granted a reprieve from spinsterhood because Richard Warren needs a new wife for his five children. A pleasant wagon driver greets her and credits Warren with making trees bloom and winters milder, then responds to her joke by quoting Warren’s idea that cold breezes cut less when people have warm homes and strong coats. The driver drives past a cabin where a man lies sick in bed, and a woman closes the door marked with a scarlet X. The series maintains attention through slapstick, precise in-universe props, and culturally tuned dialogue, while escalating fear through repeated cabin markings and ominous events.
"The man's excessive positivity immediately gives you the creeps, especially when he proceeds to drive the cart right past a villager's cabin where a man is sitting up in bed, looking sick unto death. A woman in the cabin sees Sarah staring and closes the door; it's marked with a scarlet "X.""
"You cannot second-screen with phone or laptop while watching Widow's Bay. You'd miss slapstick set pieces, on-point cultural references that work without being annoying (harder than it sounds!), props that each nail a single perfect in-universe joke, and dialogue showcasing the cast's excellent comic timing."
"All of this fun stuff is highly necessary, because without it, you'd be scared out of your wits. Bad things are afoot in Widow's Bay-at every turn, there's a cabin with an "X.""
Read at Slate Magazine
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