Ghosts - The Heir - Review

Way to leave us hanging for months, Ghosts! Let's start with that doosey of a cliffhanger ending with Sam and Jay sitting in their car outside the mansion as someone gets sucked off. But who?!

A part of me wants it to be an actual main character, as sadistic and terrible that would be from our perspective. A memorable cliffhanger is only as good as its follow-up, so I am very apprehensive about where the writers intend to take this next, but I can't say I wouldn't be disappointed if the ghost being sucked off is a basement ghost we'd never seen before or someone who isn't as integral to the core ensemble like Stephanie. Would I want it to be Nigel or Nancy or any other recurring character? Hell no, but can you imagine the implications then? Television gold.

While we may spend the next few months analyzing every moment of The Heir, desperately looking for clues where there might not be one, we can at least celebrate a major storyline that happened this week: Isaac and Nigel are getting married! I have praised Brandon Scott Jones before for his excellent performance as Isaac (and you should also be checking him out on The Other Two where he is just as fabulous and gay), but I would be remiss not to also give credit to John Hartman for bringing Nigel to life. Hartman has turned this character into so much more than just a love interest for Isaac, adding depth to Nigel's relationship with Hetty and quickly becoming a fan favorite. This is a couple that has been hard not to root for from the start, and I truly applaud the writers for how beautifully they have crafted this relationship. I can't wait to see their big, gay wedding, and I need it now!

The announcement of Isaac and Nigel's wedding brought with it the realization that the couple would be moving into Nigel's room. This gave Alberta the perfect opportunity to have Hetty move in with Flower, so that she could take over Hetty's spacious and luxurious room. It was the perfect resolution to their big fight from last week, and the journey to get there was certainly entertaining to watch. Alberta and Hetty's feud over Hetty's failure to tell her that her son had murdered her, a hundred years ago no less, was taken to Ghost Court. This was the perfect absurd kind of hijinks that Ghosts does so well, mixing preposterous fun with serious, heavy undertones. It was genius on the part of Sasappis, Pete, Flower, and Thor, as members of the Ghost Court board, to recommend that Hetty be banished to the woods for a year as punishment. I can only assume that they knew that Alberta's soft heart would not allow it. The resolution of the conflict between Alberta and Hetty was touching and beautiful, as this show often is. It was a reminder that even though our ghosts may be dead, they are still capable of love, forgiveness, and redemption.

Meanwhile, Jessie Ennis (who is stellar on Mythic Quest, another highly recommended show) shows up at the B&B as a woman named Kelsey, assuming heir to the mansion as the daughter of David Woodstone, Sam's second cousin. It wasn't the most entertaining aspect of the season finale, but it did add some much-needed momentum to the episode as everything else was getting wrapped up nicely. It also brought us out of the mansion for the first time in forever as Sam and Jay head over to the strip club where they correctly assume Woodstone died, and the result is a couple of awkward interactions but, more importantly, the revelation that he dipped his balls in a hot coffee pot in 1993 whereas Kelsey was born in 1997, making it impossible for her to be his heir and thus confirming her DNA test was fake (thanks a lot, Lawyer Dan). It's a fun subplot that allowed for a couple of cool guest appearances, but otherwise didn't feel quite as powerful for a season finale, despite the stakes.

What a fantastic sophomore season of Ghosts, closing it out on such a high note and leaving us wanting more, which is exactly what a season should do. Look out for more Ghosts articles here soon as I do a season wrap-up and try to uncover who might be getting sucked off in the next couple of months; in the meantime, sound off your thoughts in the comments below!

Scary Delights from the B&B:

- Nigel: I stand with Isaac. You can't just exploit his labor and take all the profits for yourself.
Hetty: Agreed. He's not a child in your iron foundry.

- Jay: We haven't been on a vacation in three years but now a ghost has $10,000.
Isaac: I can buy Rhode Island.

- Isaac: This money, it's complicating everything. I'd be better just washing my hands of it.
Sasappis: Ironic. If you'd washed your hands 250 years ago, you wouldn't have pooped yourself to death.

- Hetty: Just when we finally got a living who can serve us... see us, see us.

- Hetty: I ask that the court consider the following: the Hetty of a hundred years ago stayed silent for many reasons. But the Hetty that stands before you today did not. Thanks to women like Alberta and Flower and Samantha and a washing machine, I have changed.

- Isaac: Will you make me the happiest ghost on the entire property?
Nigel: No, I will make you the second happiest. Get up so I can look my fiance in the eye.
Isaac: Oh, my only regret is that I lack the ability to physically place a ring on this finger.
Nigel: You've already embedded a shiny metal object deep in my heart.
Isaac: You're referring to the bullet I killed you with.
Nigel: Or, as Samantha would say, our meet-cute.