Well, due to the various strikes that kicked off around this time last year, that means we were treated to a criminally short third season of the sitcom, Ghosts. Luckily for us all though, they have been renewed for a fourth season and begin filming soon! So anyway, here’s how they made due with a season essentially cut in half.
At the end of the last season, we saw a beam of light, indicating a ghost had been “sucked off” into the afterlife, so Sam spends those first frantic minutes trying to determine who it was. Turns out to be Flower, which times up nicely with that actress’ real-life pregnancy, and the house is reeling with this revelation. Thor in particular, who had only just recently successfully admitted his feelings for Flower and learning she felt the same way. By the end of the season we do learn that Flower did not actually get sucked off, but instead got trapped in a well. This is where we learn some conveniently intricate ghost rules, but those kinds of lines always make me laugh.
Most of the season is spent learning about a lot of the ghosts’ special powers. For instance, Sasappis can infiltrate and influence people’s dreams. He uses this to his advantage on Jay a lot, but learns the errors of his ways eventually. Pete learns that he can actually leave the bounds of the mansion! That’s all well and good while he joins his daughter and her family on vacation, but then his limbs start vanishing. He gets back to the mansion in time to have them all restored. At least he knows he can escape for a short bit unharmed.
There were also some interesting visitors this season. First, Jay’s sister brings her new boyfriend, claiming he can also see the ghosts. A lie. But he’s endearing enough that she decides to give him a second chance. Trevor’s brother visits, and after duping Sam and Jay out of a lot of free stays and meals (always read the fine print), he gets the encouragement he needs to take over the family business. In the biggest twist, Pete’s ex-wife, Carol, attends Sam and Jay’s annual Halloween party only to choke on a donut hole and die in the mansion! Her ghost remains, and it takes some big wake-up calls for Pete not to get sucked back in to Carol’s kind of devious ways.
Of course, with any sitcom like this there is always romance. Alberta thinks she finds it with a baseball player from her time, who is tethered to a recent guest only to learn he is way too clingy. She does briefly see Pete in a different light, but it seems like they’ll keep putting off that romance for as long as they can. Hettie and Trevor, too, have seemed to fully stop the brakes on whatever they had going on and I’m totally fine with that. Finally, there is the marriage of Isaac and Nigel. These two are literally so precious, and Nigel’s one-line quips always had me cackling. All of that certainty is thrown to the flames when Isaac falls hard for the living stripper at his forced-upon bachelor party. It just makes Isaac realize it might take him some time to realize who’s really the right fit for the rest of his afterlife.
There are some other, surprisingly sensitive, reveals over the course of the season that I won’t spoil here, but I applaud the show for going there. Even though this version of the show still pales a bit compared to the UK’s original, I am still always happy to watch this show. Check it out if you haven’t!