Sorry, what is Tom hiding in his basement? This forgotten Widow’s Bay scene may have the answer

*Warning: Spoilers ahead for Widow’s Bay episode eight*

Richard Warren (Hamish Linklater) might be dead, but Widow’s Bay episode eight proves the horrors are far from over. But is one of them related to what’s in Tom Loftis’ (Matthew Rhys) basement?

Patricia (Kate O’Flynn) steals the show in the latest episode of Apple TV’s hit comedy horror, as she’s chased down by the masked killer known locally as ‘The Boogeyman’.

Tom’s none the wiser. After helping to kill Warren, he believes it’s now safe to leave the island, and so he buys Red Sox tickets for his son Evan (Kingston Rumi Southwick). But when he brings them home, Evan’s not exactly in a celebratory mood. 

If you remember, in Widow’s Bay episode seven, Evan discovers a memory box filled with letters and photos that prove his mum Lauren (Meredith Casey) didn’t die at childbirth like Tom said she did. 

What’s interesting is that when he arrives home to find Evan sitting on the sofa with the box in his lap, Tom asks, “You went through the basement?” But Evan replies, “No, I went through your trunk. What the hell is in the basement?”

The look on Tom’s face goes from being terrified to miserable, perhaps with a hint of relief. He later explains to Evan that Lauren went mad and he had to get her institutionalised. But that still doesn’t answer the question…

What the hell is in Tom’s basement?

While there are a few theories floating around, one scene that may give us a clue is the cut to the basement of the Salty Whale, showing an old school electric chair. 

It’s one of many unsolved mysteries of Widow’s Bay, and while some fans have theorised what it could mean, it’s largely been forgotten as chat about other details have ramped up. 

“Why has no one mentioned anything about the chair?” said one Redditor. “Like WTF is ‘ol’ Sparky’ doing five levels down in a basement? Why the hell does Widow’s Bay have a bloody electric chair in pristine condition facing two huge metal doors?”

Given there’s well-lit tunnels leading to it, they may be connected to Tom’s basement – and perhaps he knows more than he’s letting on.

If that’s the case, it raises an even bigger question: Is Tom simply hiding something in his basement, or is he actively connected to whatever has been happening on the island all along?

After all, Tom has repeatedly claimed to be an outsider who wants nothing more than to leave Widow’s Bay behind. But if the tunnels really do connect to his property, it would suggest he has access to parts of the island that most residents never see.

YouTuber Brandi’s Reel Reviews speculated this before episode eight dropped, floating the theory that Tom may know far more about Widow’s Bay than we’ve seen. 

One of her biggest observations concerns Lauren and Evan, with Brandi noting that Tom’s story about Lauren’s death appears to be falling apart, while several clues suggest Evan could be tied to the island in ways he doesn’t yet understand.

“Tom doesn’t just stay on the island, he becomes the mayor,” she pointed out. “He wins the race uncontested. No real opposition, no competition whatsoever. Almost like the town – or maybe even the island itself – wanted Tom in that position.”

Brandi also questioned whether Tom’s efforts to modernise Widow’s Bay are really about improving life for residents, or whether they’re connected to keeping Evan on the island.

“What if Tom’s real mission is much more personal?” she asked. “What if he’s desperately trying to build a version of Widow’s Bay that Evan would never want to leave? Because deep down, Tom may know the island will never truly let Evan go.”

This theory gets even more interesting when it comes to the chair. Brandi noted that the electric chair beneath the Salty Whale appears almost identical to the blood-stained chair Sarah Westcott Warren (Betty Gilpin) found in the flashback episode. 

“At first, the chair just feels unsettling. But once you connect it to Richard’s blood rituals and the idea that the island may require sacrifice… the chair suddenly feels much more important,” she added.  

“Because if Richard has supposedly been buried for over 300 years, then who’s been feeding the island in his absence? Again, it must be somebody right on screen that we’re watching.”

Brandi stopped short of accusing Tom directly, but she did raise the possibility that he could be involved. 

There’s also the theory that Lauren is alive…

As detailed and believable as this theory is, there are some other ideas floating around, including speculation that Lauren could still be alive and being kept in Tom’s basement. 

Following the release of Widow’s Bay episode eight, one fan wrote, “At this point I don’t discard the possibility of his wife being bedridden there in a 100% catatonic state. 

“Like he asked about the basement in such FEAR that it must be something much worse than what was in his truck. And what’s worse than the pictures of a catatonic woman and her chilling letters?”

In response to the basement question in a separate thread, one person simply replied, “Wife?” 

Another commented, “I honestly thought this, ‘cause we earlier established that the wife might be of Warren’s bloodline, so maybe whatever happened to her is also a demonic thing which has kept the wife alive, but yeah not possible…”

Well, Richard Warren was alive in a box for three centuries, so it’s safe to say anything is possible. 

Or, the answer is far simpler: Tom’s basement is just filled with more momentos. With two episodes left to go, we’ll no doubt find out if Tom’s hiding more than he’s letting on very soon. 

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Featured images credit: Apple TV