5 Reasons Matthew Rhys Should Win an Emmy for Widow’s Bay

With each new episode, Widow’s Bay slowly emerged as the freshman comedy of the TV season. It solidified that status with a whopping nineteen Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy for Matthew Rhys, who plays Mayor Tom Loftis.

Rhys stands at the center of a whirlwind horror comedy and somehow pulls it off flawlessly. Tom acts as the audience vessel, the butt of the joke, and also the underdog to root for.

Even though Rhys is no stranger to Emmy Awards recognition, his performance in Widow’s Bay is particularly special.

Here are five reasons he should go home with a trophy on Emmy night:

1. His Mastery of Physical Comedy

Rhys possesses a mastery of physical comedy on the level of Charlie Chaplin.

He performs pratfalls with almost surgical precision, fumbles objects like he’s in the “before” part of an infomercial, and lingers in scenarios just a tad too long.

We’ve all seen the GIF of Tom falling on the boat, and there’s a reason it’s viral. It tickles a collective funny bone with audiences and non-viewers alike. His fall is so over-the-top and committed, but there’s an odd sense of grace to it as well.

Every choice Rhys makes with his movements, whether it’s his fall or trying to rip a painting off the wall, never feels obvious. The choices are unexpected but not jarringly out of character. They feel like perfect extensions of the perpetually anxious Tom who can’t quite seem to get his footing.

2. His Timing and Delivery

The town of Widow’s Bay is loaded with eccentric personalities that all come into conflict with Tom’s straightforward and no-nonsense demeanor. Rhys harnesses this frictional dynamic and channels it into his line delivery.

His clipped, dry responses to his absurd coworkers and constituents are perfect displays of sarcasm.

He barely allows them to finish their sentence in his desperation to redirect the conversation. You can feel how hard Tom fights to keep his cool against his frustration, and that fight infiltrates the delivery as well. 

When Tom does slip, he’s frazzled and explosive, almost startling everyone around him. When Rhys escalates Tom to those levels, the deliveries are all the funnier for it. They’re frazzled and unkempt, piercing through everyone in the room.

3. His Silent Reactions

The way Rhys stares at the various things he’s subjected to (Richard Warren’s corpse, Rosemary’s detailed genealogy lesson, etc.) elicits some of the biggest laughs.

He creates an impeccable mixture of incredulous, wide-eyed fright and sheer bewilderment that serves as the ultimate reaction to Tom’s circumstances. He is appropriately afraid but also understands the absolute absurdity he’s subjected to.

What’s so remarkable about Rhys’ silent stares is his ability to articulate the audience’s feelings as well. We’re with Tom on this ride, and his reactions feel in line with how any normal, non-character might respond to this ongoing chaos. It simultaneously pulls the audience deeper while permitting them to laugh at the circumstances.

4. His Emotional Sincerity

Rhys is a comedic tour de force as Tom, but that’s not all Tom is.

His vision may be clouded by the myriad mayoral duties on his plate, but at the end of the day he is a father first and foremost. Tom’s heart shines through beautifully when it comes to his relationship with his son, Evan (Kingston Rumi Southwick).

On Widow’s Bay Season 1 Episode 8, “Your Baggage,” Evan and Tom’s relationship comes to a head, and Rhys breaks Tom open. It’s a beautiful moment where Tom airs out his grief while pouring more love than ever into his son. Despite the series’ absurdity and ongoing horrors, this moment in their relationship feels real and true.

It’s a testament to Rhys as a performer that he is not only able to be raucous and goofy, but also emotionally available. We laugh with/at Tom, but we’re also invested in him because of the heart Rhys is so willing to share. 

5. His Groundedness

Tom’s character arc is so effective because Rhys grounds it in emotional truth. Tom is a man in denial, not just about the town’s unsettling lore, but about his own life and trauma. 

As the season progresses, Tom reaches a point where he cannot deny the truths he’s been avoiding. Rhys beautifully chips away at Tom’s skepticism and, little by little, he opens up to the truth for better or for worse. Because Rhys grounds Tom’s cynicism and denial, it becomes all the more relatable for audiences to latch onto.

Tom could have easily been a caricature of a small-town mayor that has plagued horror media for years. In Rhys’ hands, he becomes an independent person. The jokes land flawlessly, but there’s also a journey laden with evolution and growth, making it a performance for the ages.

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Widow’s Bay Season 1 is now streaming on Apple TV. The 78th annual Primetime Emmy® Awards air on September 14 on NBC.

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