Widow’s Bay came out of nowhere to scare viewers into a hilarious good time. The Apple TV series takes the classic Stephen King trope of a tight-knit community in a small town plagued by horrors and gives it a refreshing spin. Matthew Rhys stars as Mayor Tom Loftis, a relative outsider who comes to understand that the macabre legends of Widow’s Bay are closer to reality than he is comfortable with.
The hidden gem of the series, however, is Kate O’Flynn, who plays Tom’s employee, Patricia. The underappreciated municipal worker finds purpose when Tom gets in over his head. In a series that has its niche in horror-comedy, O’Flynn still stands apart in a cast full of idiosyncratic characters. Patricia is at the center of one of the best episodes when her sunset cocktail party goes awry. Widow’s Bay has officially concluded for the season, but that doesn’t mean that O’Flynn’s performances are out of reach. Viewers can delve into her filmography even further in an underseen comedy from England.
For those intrigued by Kate O’Flynn’s special brand of humor, the Channel 4 sitcom, Everyone Else Burns, is the natural follow-up. The title alone conveys exactly what sort of tone the satirical series takes about a Manchester family devoted to a puritanical form of Christianity. O’Flynn plays the Lewis family’s matriarch, Fiona, whose deadpan delivery and comedic timing are a trademark of the actor.
Her comedy comes about between a rock and a hard place, which Fiona usually finds herself in. Married to a staunch devotee who entirely believes that the rapture is coming, Fiona follows in David’s footsteps at first. She is also devout, but is not as ridiculous as her husband. David (Simon Bird) is the Michael Scott of this sitcom, a leader who probably shouldn’t be one. His offensive bowl haircut and blind belief that he is God’s instrument are part of the humor.
Fiona isn’t as serious and likes modern conveniences such as television, but still believes that the apocalypse is imminent. This is a careful tightrope walk, which makes her the best character in the series. She progresses as a person throughout the series, eventually acknowledging the hypocrisy and misogyny of organized religion. David isn’t particularly likable as he represents this hypocrisy. He isn’t a good person either, but he believes that his religion makes him a saint. He fully buys into the idea that he should be promoted to a church elder, even though he is obviously ill-suited to the position.
His wife, in contrast, is the hilarious salve to this issue. Fiona is reasonable, but still hammers home the central concept of the show. Everyone Else Burns is almost the antithesis of Widow’s Bay, but it still harnesses similar humor. While the straight sitcom leans towards the purity of religion, the Apple TV series is more satanic. Patricia would be disavowed by this family, especially after committing a demonic ritual, which almost kills everyone on the island. Kate O’Flynn is the secret weapon of both shows, no matter what side of the demonic line she's on.
