Widow's Bay Episode 6 recap: Richard’s devil deal may just have explained the island curse

Widow's Bay is no longer interested in merely "teasing" the town’s dark history, because Episode 6 just straight up reveals where the horror actually began.

The episode takes a jump back to 1702, and it follows Sarah Westcott’s arrival on the island. However, the real shocker comes into play when Richard Warren’s secret starts coming into light slowly, and piece by piece.

By the end of Widow's Bay Episode 6, it becomes painfully clear that the island has survived for centuries because somebody living on it has kept feeding it something evil.

Yes, the episode does answer an important question, but then again, it also creates ten more. Why can nobody truly leave the island? Why does the town keep demanding sacrifices? What exactly did Richard Warren promise to whatever lives in the fog?

Widow’s Bay Episode 6 takes a deep dive into all of it through Sarah’s terrifying first days in the town, and honestly, this is THE episode where the Apple TV series finally decides to come together.

Spoiler Alert for: Widow's Bay Episode 6.

Widow's Bay Episode 6 recap: Richard’s devil deal may just have explained the island curse

Sarah realizes Widow’s Bay is hiding something rotten

Widow's Bay Episode 6 starts off with Sarah Westcott in Sept. 16, 1702, coming into the island by a ship to marry Richard Warren, the founder of Widow’s Bay.

A still from Widow's Bay Episode 6 (Image Via: Apple TV)

Right away, Sarah senses that something about the island feels a bit too off and too wrong.

Nobody really explains what is happening on the island, but Sarah starts to notice there's fear everywhere. Sick townspeople are being taken away, there's whispers that spread on the streets, and people avoid talking about Richard openly.

Her first meeting with Richard during the wedding is awkward enough on its own, but things begin to get worse once she starts living with him in his house.

At one point in Widow’s Bay Episode 6, the church bell suddenly rings in the middle of the night, and Richard ends up running away from the bedroom, leaving Sarah alone and confused.

Later that night, she also hears a few noises inside the house. After wandering around, she finds Richard to be unconscious with blood pouring from his hand because of the chain around his neck.

The next day only adds more fear to her panic. Sarah watches another dead body being taken away, and she learns that there is some kind of violent sickness spreading through Widow’s Bay.

Then, Sarah overhears Ezra accusing Richard of dark dealings related to the island’s survival during the very first winter.

During that conversation, Richard snaps and literally beats Ezra to death with a cane while Sarah secretly watches in horror. From that moment, she realizes the stories and the whispers about her husband might actually be true.

Richard Warren’s secret starts spilling out in Widow's Bay Episode 6

Later on in Widow's Bay Episode 6, Sarah convinces herself (or, at least, she tries to convince herself) that she may have only imagined Ezra’s murder. She convinces herself until she finds the bloody cane hidden under the house.

Completely terrified, she meets the local pastor for some help.

The pastor tells Sarah that the town believes Richard serves something evil. He also tells her that the people around the town suspect that Richard has murdered his first wife, and many think Widow’s Bay is only surviving because Richard has made some kind of deal with the devil.

Later, in Widow’s Bay Episode 6, the pastor, along with Sarah, comes up with a plan to stop Richard.

Back at home, Richard acts like he's the only man carrying the entire town on his back. During dinner, he talks about leadership and sacrifice while Sarah carefully pushes him to talk about the disappearances that have been happening all around town.

The second she mentions it; his calm mask disappears.

That night, somebody sneaks into the house planning to murder Richard. Instead, the attacker nearly kills Sarah by accident before repeatedly stabbing Richard. The wild part is that Richard refuses to die. Even after being stabbed over and over, he still manages to kill the attacker himself.

The next morning, in Episode 6 of Widow’s Bay, Sarah ends up being trapped inside the house while Richard leaves town. She uses this chance to look through the hidden areas underneath their home and finds tunnels, blood stains, hair stuck to the walls, and a terrifying underground room related to the chair that was seen earlier in the series.

Everything underneath the house? It genuinely feels like a ritual site.

Sarah’s escape plan falls apart as Richard catches up to her

Once Sarah escapes through a hidden passage, she meets with the pastor and the other townspeople who are also plotting against Richard. They hand her a liquid that's meant to knock Richard unconscious, and they also promise safety for herself and the children if she helps them take the man out.

According to the plan, all Sarah needs to do is Poison Richard, get herself to the docks, and leave Widow’s Bay.

However, is leaving Widow’s Bay ever that easy? We think not!

Before Sarah starts to execute the plan, she writes the same diary entry that was found by Wyck in the present time. Richard sees her writing in the diary and senses that something is surely off.

Later that night, Sarah tries to slip the drug into his brandy, but Richard sees her doing this. He forces her to drink the brandy herself, and that's when he's sure that she's betrayed him.

In Episode 6 of Widow's Bay, Richard then attacks Sarah and starts to strangle her until one of his own sons knocks him unconscious.

Sarah rushes the children toward the docks, hoping they can still catch the ship. However, right before they can escape, Abigail attacks Sarah while being covered in blood.

Sarah barely survives the fight, but she knocks Abigail out with an oar before escaping in a small boat.

Meanwhile, back in Widow’s Bay, the villagers prepare to bury Richard alive.

Richard finally explains the Widow’s Bay curse to the townspeople

In the final stretch of Episode 6 of Widow’s Bay, as the townspeople prepare to kill Richard, he desperately warns them that they do not understand what they are doing.

He repeatedly screams that “the pact must be honored,” and he reveals that the pact has protected Widow’s Bay during the colony’s brutal first winter.

Richard explains that he first encountered the mysterious voice through the black mushrooms that had been growing underneath the frozen ground. According to him, whatever spoke to him promised survival in exchange for sacrifices.

If those sacrifices stop, the horrors around Widow’s Bay will return even worse than they were before.

The scariest part is how convinced Richard sounds, because he genuinely believes he's spent years carrying this burden alone to protect everyone else on the island.

When he learns the children have escaped the island, Richard loses control. He warns the townspeople that Widow’s Bay will not allow anyone to leave and screams that they have doomed the children by sending them away.

Widow’s Bay Episode 6 then jumps back to the present timeline. Wyck digs up Richard Warren’s grave in the cemetery while Tom and Patricia stand nearby watching. The episode cuts off before revealing what is inside, but by now, the mystery surrounding Widow’s Bay is a lot bigger than just simple hauntings or possession.