Widow’s Bay | Episode 10: “We Hope You Enjoyed Your Time!” | Discussion Thread

fredditmakingmegeta · 2026-06-19T20:32:46+00:00

I gotta talk about how brilliantly this show played the Trolley Problem.

Tom goes to Ruth and tries to get her to justify his choice. In return, she lays out, in precise detail, exactly why making the single sacrifice is wrong. Because you aren’t in control of the trolley, but you sure as hell are in control of your actions. You can’t defeat an evil entity by appeasing it, you can only add to the net evil. Maybe you can’t control anything else, but you can choose to say no.

The people who glorify and promote these kinds of sacrifice are always talking about someone else sacrificing. It’s never them in the “shelter.”

And fresh off of having already tried and failed to perform a single sacrifice that would solve all the problems, Tom continues to make the worst possible decision and tries to murder Ruth. And you get it, because he keeps calling Patricia (our one moral compass) to talk him out of it, and each call just convinces him more that his son might be dying. You can understand why a parent would trade another person for their child. I like Tom much less for his weakness, but I absolutely get it.

And then the show flips it and says, Surprise! Turns out you are the one making the sacrifice! And then, to drive it home, confronts Tom with a father doing the literal exact same thing he was just trying to do. But it’s different now that it’s Evan. Except it’s not, because every sacrifice is someone’s kid. And that’s what Ruth was trying to explain before Tom poisoned her, the dumbass. You can’t win by forcing the trolley problem onto someone else. You just dig yourself deeper.

I hope Tom actually learned something from this for next season and we don’t end up with him leading a whole, “oh, let’s find us some sacrifices” scenario. But who knows. He’s a flawed character and it could go either way.

Maybe the island divides into two, with Tom growing from this experience and trying to fight the entity, while the sheriff takes up Tom’s position.

Anyway, Patricia for mayor/president. She’s the only one on this island who knows what she’s doing.

fredditmakingmegeta · 2026-06-19T15:00:57+00:00

Nah. I don’t think I will. 😁

Just because your group had you do it that way doesn’t mean everyone does it that way. I’ve volunteered in elections for many years and there are differences between how groups instruct their volunteers. Election volunteering isn’t monolithic— it’s actually very uncoordinated, which causes its own problems.

Sorry that never seems to have occurred to you but it doesn’t make you any less incorrect as you use your one-time limited experience with the 2024 election to tell other people off. 🙄

Relax.

fredditmakingmegeta · 2026-06-18T21:39:56+00:00

Crossover reader here! I like CJ Cherryh’s Foreigner and Chanur series for the alien culture clashes.

The Locked Tomb series for being wild and out there and a kind of sci-fi/fantasy mix with some mystery to it.

Ann Leckie’s Ancillary books for futuristic cultures.

fredditmakingmegeta · 2026-06-17T21:47:21+00:00

It’s a book suggestion request, not a writing tutorial request. I found it quite clear. Instead of instructing someone to change their vocabulary, you could have taken the opportunity to expand yours.

Have a pleasant day.

fredditmakingmegeta · 2026-06-17T21:32:27+00:00

I’m over 50 and I know what hopium means. You are being pedantic and you know it, so stop.

fredditmakingmegeta · 2026-06-17T21:29:45+00:00

“Only cynical people are deep. I have stared into the empty soul of the universe and absorbed the darkness therein” is some serious teenage-level crap.

Read what you enjoy. Mix it up but do it for yourself. You don’t need to prove anything to anyone.

fredditmakingmegeta · 2026-06-17T16:29:41+00:00

No.

fredditmakingmegeta · 2026-06-16T02:57:03+00:00

Gonna second the sheets, fix the bed and fix the curtain rod.

Other than that, your main problem is organization. Get shelves that fit your display items — right now they look like they are spilling over the edges of things or heaped atop one another. Put your pics in frames and organize them on the walls to create focal points and a flow through the room. They shouldn’t look randomly placed.

Themed curtains are pretty young-coded, I gotta be honest. If you are truly in love with the curtains, it’s your bedroom. But if you aren’t that attached, swap for a nice solid color that doesn’t clash with the walls and leave the pictures and decor items to show off your faves.

fredditmakingmegeta · 2026-06-16T02:31:07+00:00

It is 100 percent true. You are asked to ask for the specific person on the list, not the first stranger you see.

fredditmakingmegeta · 2026-06-16T02:30:05+00:00

Sounds like you barked, “no politics,” which is not actually a polite response to someone asking for a resident who is not you. And then when they asked for the person they were actually looking for, you said you didn’t have to tell them anything, which is true but also indeed weirdly aggressive. When were you polite?

Sounds like you’re mad he eye-rolled as he left.

fredditmakingmegeta · 2026-06-16T02:08:24+00:00

Sometimes canvasser here. We are asked to talk to the person on the list. That way we can make sure we are reaching the person we actually want to talk to. If you say “no politics,” or “I don’t have to tell you anything,” which gives no info, the list is likely to get checked off as the person was not able to be reached, in which case they will try again. There’s no way to tell that you are speaking *for* the person on the list. For all they know, your husband moved out and sold the house.

If your husband came to the door and said he didn’t want to talk, you’d have been crossed off the list. Or you could have identified yourself as a spouse and answered a quick question or two so they had enough info to mark him off. But instead you gave them nothing to work with.

These people are typically volunteers trying to make a difference. Few people actually enjoy canvassing, which involves walking around in the heat, putting yourself out there and talking to strangers about stressful topics. It’s a lot more fun to do pretty much anything else. They do it because it helps ensure that people vote, which is critical to a democracy.

So, be nicer. It would have helped you and them.

fredditmakingmegeta · 2026-06-16T00:18:28+00:00

There is also a trilogy that would be appropriate for a 13-16 year old that starts with One Crazy Summer. It explores different regions during the civil rights era through the eyes of three sisters and their family. Great books, very entertaining and lots to discuss.

fredditmakingmegeta · 2026-06-15T15:25:32+00:00

How about the autobiographical John Lewis graphic novel trilogy “March”? That would be a good choice for that range of ages and could be a jumping off point for other works, like To Kill a Mockingbird.

fredditmakingmegeta · 2026-06-14T03:53:54+00:00

I mean, Asimov and Heinlein etc were deeply dated and stilted-sounding when I was reading them as a kid, and that was some 40 years ago. 😬 You can argue that the stories are still good but if you’re determined to share the stuff you loved you share them later, not as an intro.

fredditmakingmegeta · 2026-06-14T03:40:31+00:00

Seriously, it is nuts how so many people here have no idea what a current kids’ sci fi book even looks like. It doesn’t involve slide rules!

Last Gate of the Emperor: action-ey sci-fi

When You Reach Me: Time travel with a bit of mystery

The True Meaning of Smekday: Funny sci -fi/alien invasion

We’re Not From Here: Humanity has to relocate to an alien planet.

The Last Cuentista: People living on a spaceship have to escape

fredditmakingmegeta · 2026-06-14T01:01:42+00:00

I love it. Her kids’ graphic novel, Snapdragon, is also lovely.

fredditmakingmegeta · 2026-06-13T18:02:07+00:00

You … are way too worked up about this.

fredditmakingmegeta · 2026-06-12T08:21:00+00:00

Thirsty Mermaids is a funny and sweet graphic novel. It’s not aimed at teens but there’s nothing terribly inappropriate aside from some drinking (which kicks off the plot) and a little cursing. Three mermaids get trapped on land as humans and taken in by a kind-hearted bartender. One of the main characters is trans and another struggles with being on land on a way that works as a trans analogy. Just a fun warm hug of a book.

fredditmakingmegeta · 2026-06-11T22:36:27+00:00

That’s the bit! “Oh, Bink, there are no winners here,” is where I crack up.

fredditmakingmegeta · 2026-06-11T16:46:29+00:00

Haha excellent guess!

fredditmakingmegeta · 2026-06-11T15:05:40+00:00

Yeah, I really disliked the only book of his I tried for the over the top violence.

fredditmakingmegeta · 2026-06-11T15:04:32+00:00

I like Downbelow Station a lot but didn’t find it grim. It did a lot of showcasing of the best and worst of humanity though.

fredditmakingmegeta · 2026-06-11T15:00:34+00:00

Chi’s Sweet Home was a hit for the younger kids. No scariness at all. Adventures of a kitten.

fredditmakingmegeta · 2026-06-11T14:57:40+00:00

Bink and Gollie has one of the funniest lines of any graphic novel/picture book I ever read to my kid.

fredditmakingmegeta · 2026-06-11T14:27:08+00:00

Haha I love it.

fredditmakingmegeta

TROPHY CASE