Ghosts is the gift that keeps on giving. This holiday season, it gave fans two gifts—back-to-back episodes that were better than any Christmas movie out there.
Ghosts Season 2 Episode 9 and Ghosts Season 2 Episode 10 somehow managed to grasp the Christmas spirit all while staying true to the nature of the series. Not only was it a sweet episode that embraced the familial bond between the ghosts and Sam, and indirectly, Jay, but there were plenty of shenanigans to go around, including another possession.
The first half kicked off with Jay and Sam hosting Christmas at the mansion and welcoming Bela and her good friend Eric. Ghosts fans will remember that Bela made an appearance in the first season of the series and developed quite a connection with Trevor. And she was looking to capitalize on that connection, especially when Trevor mustered up all the power that he had to text her about his epic plan that would involve possessing Eric’s body so that they could finally spend some time together.
Truthfully, I was as surprised as I was impressed that the plan actually came from Sass, but it tracks considering he’s the smartest and best character in the series. Flower and Alberta were accomplices, and it’s clear that the ghosts are so bored that they’ll do anything to shake things up.
While Bela agreed to the plan, it was two-fold and required Eric’s permission. I love that this storyline underscored the importance of consent. It would have been so much easier to pull off if she just asked Eric to screw in the light for her, but that wouldn’t be fair to Eric. Instead, she laid it all out for him, and while she definitely sounded slightly unhinged telling him about her romance with a ghost, Eric loved her so much, he decided to go through with the plan for her.
That is until it was thwarted by Sam, who came downstairs to leave some milk and cookies for Santa. Her love for Christmas is admirable, though, I could do without the crazy eyes when she concocted a Hallmark-esque plan to make Bela and Eric fall in love. She really needs to stop meddling in other people’s lives.
Bela, Eric and the ghosts were caught red-handed, and while I think Sam would’ve probably looked the other way, Jay shamed Bela and put an end to it. The next morning, Eric skipped town leaving Bela pretty devastated.
Jay questioned if he was a little too harsh on his sister, and Sam offered a resounding, “yes,” however, it wasn’t Sam at all. For some reason, Sam thought it would be a good idea to screw in the light that Bela and Eric left, which electrocuted her and threw her right into Thor.
And honestly, there’s no better Christmas gift than seeing Sam possessed by Thor—she absolutely nailed his mannerisms and her impression of him. It was almost eerie watching her embody him, and I found myself wondering how they all keep a straight face while filming. There’s no way Sam didn’t burst out laughing while delivering Thor-like lines to Hetty and Sass. And there’s absolutely no way that Jay didn’t break into laughter as he was putting up the Christmas tree while Thor berated him and screamed about the small man desecrating his culture into his ear.
Anyway, Sam and Thor battled it out for her body, with the latter eventually taking dominance with some advice from Hetty, who learned a thing or two when she possessed Jay. And Thor, who despised the Christmas holiday, ended up having the best Christmas of all as he indulged in sticks of butter and way too much fish.
Eventually, his cover was blown when he had to jump in and resuscitate Eric, who came back to the mansion after a little heart-to-heart from Jay, who apologized in what looked like a scene straight from a holiday rom-com.
Eric then agreed to give Bela the gift of Trevor, braving the electrocution, which unfortunately resulted in his death. Eric crossed over to the other side, and I was certain that it was going to stick. And it would have if not for Thor.
Honestly, why did anyone think it was a good idea to tempt fate?
The best part is that Eric had tangible proof that Bela wasn’t crazy and that Trevor existed—it was a little hard to believe that a dude would just accept what she was saying at face value, but since he saw them with his own eyes and almost joined their little clique, it was hard to deny it. I’m just surprised that once Eric was brought back to life, he couldn’t see them again. Sam “nearly died” and can see ghosts, so Eric should’ve inherited those same powers considering he did die on the premises. And honestly, I think that would’ve been a fun route to explore as then Bela would be able to connect with Trevor through someone other than Sam.
“The Christmas Spirit: Part Two” – In part two of a special one-hour #Ghostsmas episode, Sam and Thorfinn get caught in the crossfire as the scheme Jay’s sister, Bela (Punam Patel), and the ghosts have conjured up goes awry. Also, Isaac’s marriage to Beatrice sheds light on how apprehensive he has been in communicating his feelings to Nigel, on the CBS Original series GHOSTS, Thursday, Dec. 15 (8:30-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+. Pictured (L-R): Utkarsh Ambudkar as Jay and Rose McIver as Samantha. Photo: Bertrand Calmeau/CBS ©2022 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Regardless, there’s no future for Trevor and Bela, who is finally seeing Eric in a new light. It’s what he deserves—the man risked it all for her.
Though I do feel bad for Trevor… all he wanted was some lovin’ on Hanukkah!
Meanwhile, Jay caught onto the fact that Sam was actually Thor, and when she was able to break through again, she convinced Jay to drive her through the ghost barrier so that she could inhabit her own body again. Thor may have loved the body swap, but Sam likely never wants to do that again. And I don’t think anyone blames her.
Despite everything, it ended up being the best Christmas ever as the ghosts surprised her the following day with a perfectly harmonized rendition of “White Christmas.” Thor was even in on it as he finally got to experience the true meaning of Christmas—being with his family.
It continues to be a bummer that Jay can’t have any interaction with the ghosts. Sam was sweet enough to get them all gifts because they mean so much to her, and while she always includes him, he’s unable to experience all the joys for himself. It would be nice if he could considering they’ve all built up such a genuine camaraderie. Though I’m just glad that everyone that attended Christmas at Woodstone Manor was aware that the ghosts exist so that they could be a part of the celebration.
I also thoroughly enjoyed that the ghost storylines diverged from each other—they were all doing their own thing, which almost made it feel like there were more characters.
Thor’s whole Freaky Friday storyline with Sam was as enjoyable as Trevor, Sass, Alberta, and Flower’s scheming. Meanwhile, Hetty spent most of the hour watching TikTok, which may be the most believable storyline, to begin with, whereas Isaac was making strides in his relationship with Nigel.
Despite dating for several months, the duo has yet to share a kiss, and when Isaac tried to go for it, he ended up face-palming his lover. I bet he won’t be throwing Pete’s face-palm incident with Alberta in his face anytime soon.
He was frustrated by his inability to move the relationship forward, but it turns out, all he needed was a little closure to help him let go of the guilt of being a “bad husband.” Isaac thought he let his wife, Beatrice, down because he wasn’t totally honest with her, but Sass recalled that she was the one who brought him a change of clothes and was there with him in his final moments, which meant that she knew the truth and forgave him. With peace of mind, Isaac was able to go and be with the man he loved on his 280th Christmas… and his best one yet.
The writers have put forth so much care into crafting Isaac and Nigel’s relationship, and I love exploring Isaac’s past to see how it informs his present day. It’s also proof that even though they are ghosts with eternity ahead of them, their worries, anxieties and concerns still matter. They may not have bodies, but it makes them as human as anyone else.
Ghosts will return on Thursday, Jan. 5, and the promo teases a new ghost visiting the Manor who died in a car and now goes everywhere it goes. It puts a new perspective on the idea of ghosts—the ones we know are stuck in the house, and while this ghost can travel near and far, she’s stuck in a cramped car for the rest of eternity likely with whoever purchases the vehicle. It’s also a fun way to incorporate new ghosts outside of their ghost-group.
What did you think of the holiday special double episode?