The Honest Eccentricities of an Island Town

Widow’s Bay is a three-hour ferry from the mainland. Most things on the island haven’t been updated in years, but they’re also not preserved, and maybe not particularly well maintained. But they are kept alive through the continuous use. Barely, but barely is everything in Widow’s Bay. The mayor has a plan to turn the place into a Martha’s Vineyard-style tourist destination. But the town has already decided what it is.

That character is discovered gradually, over ten episodes, as the island’s history is excavated. As deeply ingrained as it is, the show wears it lightly. Just like the fog, the mystery, and the eclectic cast of locals, tourists, and spirits. Everything feels natural, which means it can feel breezy at times, but also like a force of nature at others. Director Hiro Murai has said the visual language should feel “matter-of-fact and grounded.”

That approach extends to what’s driven on the island.

The mayor drives a Jeep Cherokee XJ. Sure, Jeeps have enthusiast followings, but this particular one isn’t kitted out with off-road accessories, Jeep-guy decals, or anything else that would suggest such allegiances.

The sheriff drives a first-generation Explorer. This is the model that was used as the iconic Jurassic Park tour vehicle, but this one has a much more subdued livery, and isn’t made the hero of any monster chases or set-pieces.

Patricia, the mayor’s assistant, has a Plymouth Champ. It’s a bit of an oddball with a secret identity: a Mitsubishi sold under an American name. Despite how unique and charming it is, it’s never the focal point of any shot throughout the series.

Rosemary, another town hall employee, drives a Toyota Camry with a beaded seat cover. You can smell her cigarette smoke and air fresheners through the screen.

Teens get high in a Volvo 240 wagon, and another Volvo wagon serves as the island’s taxi.

Wyck has a Dodge with perhaps more rust than paint, one among the handful of pickups that can be seen in the background, and definitely the most recognizable.

None of these vehicles are showpieces. They were chosen because they belong on an island that hasn’t updated, in a town that isn’t performing for anyone. Like the board games in the inn, they’re not vintage, they’re just what they have, and they seem to have become part of the island itself.

Creator Katie Dippold has described the show’s touchstone as a diner in Marblehead, Massachusetts: “very lived in, very cozy, not perfect.” The vehicles on the island operate on the same principle.

Murai said they wanted to reverse engineer the feeling of classic horror rather than copy its aesthetic hallmarks. That discipline shows in every department, including the ones you might not think of as creative. The selection of cars contributes to the texture of Widow’s Bay. Each fits Widow’s Bay naturally, the way the characters do. Their eccentricities are honest, born from a life spent on the island.