This year’s San Diego Comic-Con has already dropped a major reveal about the upcoming Season 4 of CBS comedy Ghosts. So far, it’s just been Sam (Rose McIver) who has been able to see and communicate with the spirits of Woodstone Manor. Her husband, Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar), has been left in the dark, only able to talk with the ghosts using Sam as an intermediary. The comedy’s previous setup involves Jay serving as a straight man to the other comedic hijinks happening with the ghosts. But in the latest season, set to premiere October 17, it was divulged that Jay will actually be able to see and talk to the ghosts for himself. This is a fascinating teaser, but should the Ghosts team have kept this plot twist to themselves? Or is this change for Jay setting up for an even bigger twist, one that the writers are keeping more closely under wraps and won’t be revealed until later in the season?
‘Ghosts’ Should’ve Revealed Jay’s Big Twist on the Show
It hasn’t been made public exactly why the team behind Ghosts decided to spill the beans about Jay’s new powers. Perhaps they thought more viewers would tune in to check out the show if they knew that the entire premise was being upended. No longer will fans be able to expect the same-old interactions between the two living people (Sam and Jay) and all the dead inhabitants at Woodstone, and this could be a reason to get people to watch. Since the comedy has already consisted of several seasons, maybe the team thought that audiences needed to get excited about where the show is heading in the future (instead of always knowing what to expect from these characters). Some of the aspects of the show have felt a tad repetitive, so there could have been the idea that completely switching up the plot could inject the show with some fresh energy, and audiences would want to know about this twist ahead of time.
No matter the reason, the bell can’t be unrung, and fans now know that Jay will communicate with the ghosts in future episodes. However, it would have been incredibly fun to see this action unfold as a surprise on the show itself. Viewers would have been just as shocked as Sam (and Jay himself) to discover that he could see the ghosts. Now that it won’t be a surprise, the excitement and shock that could have been present likely won’t happen at all because the information has already been out there for several months. Will the series still have the same spark if viewers already know what’s going to happen before the characters do? If Ghosts had decided to reveal Jay’s new power within the show, more unexpected plot points could have unfolded with plenty of suspense and intrigue.
Could There Be an Even Bigger Twist in Store on ‘Ghosts’ Season 4?
Even though this information about Jay’s character has already been revealed, there’s still the possibility that the Ghosts team knew exactly what they were doing when they shared this detail with fans. Maybe they divulged this plot point ahead of time for a specific reason, and there’s actually a much bigger twist coming up in the series. One of the biggest questions revolves around how Jay would actually get this supernatural power in the first place. Does he have a near-fatal accident like Sam? Or could the Ghostswriters actually kill Jay? That would be the most obvious answer: Jay can see the ghosts because he is one! But it’s hard to believe that Ghosts would insert that much tragedy into their sitcom, so it’s more likely that Jay sees the ghosts while still being alive and well.
What if Sam loses her power, and Jay is now the only one who can see the Woodstone residents? The shoe would definitely be on the other foot, since Sam is so used to being the only one with this ability. How would she cope if she couldn’t communicate with her spirit friends or if she suddenly didn’t have the thing that makes her special? Could it change their current marital bliss? Or there could be an even more shocking twist, like an event that causes everyone who visits the bed and breakfast to be able to see the spirits. How kooky would it be if any bed and breakfast guest could also chat with Hetty (Rebecca Wisocky) or Alberta (Danielle Pinnock)? Any of these possibilities would open up tons of storylines for each of the characters (including all the ghosts who would need to adjust to the changing circumstances). It is also possible that Jay only has his powers for just a few episodes and then somehow loses them again, so that the series reverts to its original premise.
One thing that the Ghosts writers are pros at is coming up with brand-new ghost lore that hasn’t been previously introduced in the series. For example, Pete (Richie Moriarty) recently got a new ghost power that consists of his ability to leave Woodstone and travel wherever he wants. Up until Season 3, it was believed that the ghosts couldn’t leave the estate since that’s where they died. By instituting this ability, Ghosts was able to create several new storylines that drove the plot forward and created interesting challenges for its characters. Even if we don’t know how the twist with Jay will come about exactly, there will be so many opportunities for intriguing adventures and hilarious moments with the entire cast in future episodes. Although it might have been more exciting to have revealed the twist within the actual series (and not at Comic-Con), maybe a bigger twist in the future will justify revealing this plot point toahead of time. At the end of the day, the series is likely to still be its charming, hysterical self for many seasons to come (regardless of which characters can see the ghosts or not).
Seasons 1-3 of Ghosts are available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S. Season 4 will premiere on October 17 on CBS.
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