Ghosts – Jay’s Friends – Review: F.R.I.E.N.D.S in a Cult

It’s a plotline that the show hasn’t touched on as much lately, presumably because this is an ensemble show with so many characters, but it makes a lovely and much appreciated return this week when Jay makes a few new friends, including The Other Two‘s Drew Tarver as Micah. Within the first few minutes of this character’s introduction, as well as his wacky friends, it’s abundantly clear that this is a cult, but the writers do a good job at making it believable that Jay, who left all his friends in the city last year and now just watches his wife talk to cool, invisible friends, is isolated enough to fall for the cult. The result is a mix of hilarious hijinks and ridiculous contracts.

Tarver is excellent as the cult leader, desperately trying to “patch” people up despite being appointed a wig almost as bad as Matt Smith’s early House of the Dragon wigs. Luckily, Micah isn’t the only memorable character this week; Norm and Alana are just as notable with their self-esteem negativity and idiotic tendencies, respectively. This also gives Trevor the opportunity to lust after yet another living girl, even if she was a cult member who wants to live forever.

It wouldn’t be Ghosts if we didn’t also get some more backstory on one of the characters; this week, the focus was on Flower, of all people. Up to this point, she has been of the least developed characters on this show, often relegated to the butt of a pot joke or a few lines of dialogue, at most. Color me impressed and pleasantly surprised when her subplot ends up being one of the most tearjerking moments this show has produced so far.

Of course Flower would know a thing or two about cults, including but not limited to the fact that “nothing breaks up a cult faster than an outsider sleeping with the leader”. This gives her the opportunity to open up about her brother, Rob, who had come to save her from the cult she was in when she was still alive, but she had turned him away, and he eventually enlisted and went to Vietnam before going MIA. This reveal comes out of nowhere, but that’s why it’s all the more impactful when Sam, of course, tracks Rob down and gets to give Flower some much-needed closure. Flower reading her brother’s response at the end got me more teary-eyed than I ever expected to care about this character, and that’s why this show is so stellar at juggling its comedic moments with heavy-hearted, sad ones. More of this, please.

Finally, this episode also gives us a glimpse of Dark Pete when Sas tells Pete that his relentless cheerfulness is annoying. This, of course, doesn’t last for long, but it does give the characters the chance to talk about something the show usually glances over: the mental toll being stuck here forever has on the ghosts. It’s a cute little subplot that feels slightly underbaked in an already overstuffed episode, but is nevertheless an important reminder about the cons of wanting to live forever, which brilliantly connects all three plotlines this week.

Scary Delights form the B&B:

– “Plus, lots of people live together. Your favorite show, Friends. That’s about a bunch of people who live together.”
– “They actually live in three different apartments.”
– “It was four. Ross have own place with Marcel, the monkey.”

– “From now on, I’m a mean old sourpuss, just like you wanted. No more smiles, no more compliments, no more scalp massages while you sleep to stimulate your dreams.”
– “Wait, you massage me while I sleep?”
– “No. I used to.”

– “That Micah reminds me of a stable boy who worked here once. Some found his live body desirable. Not me, of course, because I am a lady… Ooh, yeah, touch those toes.”

– “Nobody ever talks about a cult being in the wrong.”
– “I feel like people do.”

– “Sometimes men very stubborn, like when Ross claim to read Rachel’s letter instead of just admit he fall asleep.”

– “Now I’m starting to question this whole immortality thing. Like, do we even get our own planets?”

– “Dear Moon Cow. Thank you so much for reaching out. All these years, I thought my little sister died hating me. To learn that she didn’t fills me with a great peace. She was the kindest person I’ve ever met, and I loved her so much. I wish I had told her more often in this world, but maybe I’ll get a chance to in the next. Forever grateful, Rob.”
– “And that, my friend, is why I still look at sunsets.”