- Hamish Linklater has opened up on his small but significant role in Widow's Bay
- His character, Richard Warren, is integral to the overarching story
- Linklater doesn't know whether he'll return if Apple renews its latest TV hit
Widow's Bay star Hamish Linklater has revealed that he's just as confused as the rest of us about what's going on in the new buzzworthy Apple TV show.
Speaking exclusively to TechRadar after the comedy horror's recent double bill, Linklater opened up on how much he knows about the series' overarching mystery. He also discussed the fate of his character Richard Warren, and whether he could reprise his latest TV role if the Matthew Rhys-fronted show is renewed for another season.
Full spoilers immediately follow for episodes 6 and 7 of Widow's Bay. Turn back now if you're not caught up.
If you've seen the Apple TV Original's latest entries — 'Our History' and 'Seasickness' — you'll already know that Warren doesn't make it to episode 7's end-credits crawl.
After living for over 300 years — albeit buried alive following events depicted in episode 6 — by way of the blood pact he made with the demonic entity that dwells within the island, Warren meets his maker in episode 7's final act.
Indeed, his long-overdue death comes about after the island's mayor, Tom Loftis, and one of its most superstitious residents, Wyck, take the zombified Warren beyond the boundary of the island and, subsequently, the supernatural entity's reach. Long story short — and in Linklater's own words — Warren finally becomes "just a big bunch of dust in a [coffin-shaped] box."
Despite Warren's demise, though, Linklater isn't fully convinced that this is the last we'll see of Widow's Bay's first so-called Lord Island Protector. Of course, a potential return will largely depend on whether Apple greenlights another season — something Linklater has spoken to series creator Katie Dippold about.
"I've spoken to her about what the future might be," Linklater said before dryly adding: "[But] she hasn't spoken back to me about what the future of the show will be.
"My guess is that's the end of his his [Warren's] story. But, you know, I did [FX TV show] Legion and its creators appeared to kill me off in the first episode, and clearly they ran out of story ideas, so they brought me back to life. Maybe Katie will run out of story ideas, too, and have to bring me back!"
As for the series' overarching mystery, Linklater is just like every other fan of Widow's Bay in that he has little to no idea about where things will go in this season's final three episodes, and what Dippold's grand plan is if Apple renews it for one or more seasons. That's in spite of his obvious involvement in the series, and the small but hugely significant role that Warren plays in the titular island's history.
"I don't understand what's going on," he wryly added. "Katie told me what I needed to know for my part, but I still barely understood any of it. But, she's an incredible storyteller, and Matthew Rhys is brilliantly bonkers in it, so maybe I don't need to fully grasp what's going on to enjoy it."
Widow's Bay episodes 1 to 7 are out now on Apple TV, aka one of the world's best streaming services. New chapters air weekly until the season 1 finale on June 17.
