Ghosts - It's a Wonderful Christmas Carol Parts 1 and 2 - Review

Holidays are special for a multitude of reasons (family, friends, and general merriment being chief among them), but one of the most important things about holidays is that we all know exactly what to expect. The Fourth of July gives us fireworks, Thanksgiving brings us turkey, and International Talk Like a Pirate Day means hearing “aye, matey” quite a bit. Christmas, of course, has its own familiar traditions, and ever since 2021, those traditions have included an episode of "Ghosts" built around possession! This year's possession comes courtesy of Thor (Devan Chandler Long), who, in his search for a meaningful present for Flower (Sheila Carrasco), takes it upon himself to rob Sam (Rose McIver) of her bodily autonomy for a few hours. Of course, in classic "Ghosts" fashion, this particular surprise possession comes only a short time before Sam is scheduled to give a live television interview! As with previous possessions, McIver absolutely knocks it out of the park with her impression of Flower. She actually manages to sound like Sheila Carrasco and somehow immediately captures Flower's innocent yet manic personality. If we're entirely honest with ourselves, the yearly possession is a tradition that could get old fast if not done correctly, but McIver's remarkable ability to inhabit such different characters within Sam simply makes it a joy to watch. As one might expect, Sam's interview with Walter Storm (Larry Wilmore) does not go well with Flower flinging her body around. After answering a softball question with "17" (no unit provided), Flower destroys the Woodstone gingerbread house that was so carefully constructed by Mark (Tristan D. Lalla) and his son. While most humor on "Ghosts" relies on clever writing, this also serves as an excellent opportunity for McIver to show off her always amusing physical comedy chops. The twisting and contorting that happens during possession switches is quite humorous, but there's just something special about Sam clinging to a piece of broken gingerbread as if it's the most important object in her life. Importantly, Sam isn't the only one at Woodstone acting somewhat out of character around the holidays. Though he's not suffering the consequences of an unwelcome possession, Trevor (Asher Grodman) is spending a surprising amount of time with Woodstone's most pro-Christian, anti-Christmas inhabitant, Patience (Mary Holland). In a move that genuinely surprises me, Patience espouses nothing but hatred for the greatest time of year and commiserates with Trevor over their shared lack of Christmas cheer. At first, this commiseration is simple conversation, but before long, conversation turns to… ahem, butter churning. Needless to say, this probably isn't a romantic pairing any of us saw coming. He loves life; she seems to hate it. He's the life of the party; she's Debbie Downer in a bonnet. More on this in Part 2! Upon regaining control of her body, Sam castigates the ghosts for their ruining of her primetime interview. She is unwilling to listen to entreaties from any of them and surprisingly willing to renounce her signature gift to see ghosts (though I can't say I would blame her given these circumstances). Of course, anyone who reads the episode name can probably see where this is going. By the end of the first half-hour, Sam finds herself watching her life as it would exist if she'd never tripped on that vase in the pilot episode. — Of course, it wouldn't be a proper tribute to "It's a Wonderful Life" or "A Christmas Carol" without someone special to guide Sam around the alternative life she never lived. Although it's only been eight episodes since Carol Martino (Caroline Aaron) ascended to the heavens, she's back (Reddit will be happy, I'm sure) and ready to show Sam around her new life! With Carol helping to explain the details, Sam learns all about her life in a world where she gets her wish to never know about the ghosts. Without them bothering her at every turn, things are quite different. For starters, she has a reasonably solid career and functioning social life. Although Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar) never opens Mahesh in this alternative world, the Woodstone B&B is thriving. Without Sam to entertain them, the ghosts meander around the house having conversations that seem pretty boring, but Sam also notes that this is fairly standard. Overall, things seem better in some ways and the same in others… However, that initial impression changes quickly when Sam looks a little closer. Without the ghosts in her life, she and Jay are more prone to fights and actually don't really seem to enjoy each other's company at all. Perhaps even more importantly, there are a variety of dour changes for the ghosts as well. To name only a few things, Hetty (Rebecca Wisocky) and Isaac (Brandon Scott Jones) are getting married (yes, Isaac is still gay, of course, but he's not willing to say it), Pete (Richie Moriarty) never leaves the property (he's not willing to try it), Flower is stuck in the dirt (something she keeps forgetting and remembering every few minutes), and Sam is about five minutes away from sexting with Trevor (you all know he's already thinking it). To the surprise of absolutely no one, just as soon as Carol snaps her fingers and gives Sam the life she specifically requested, Sam is begging to put things back as they were. Like the movies that inspired this episode, "It's a Wonderful Christmas Carol Part 2" is a great illustration of why it's important to be thankful for the people we have in our lives, especially the ones that occasionally annoy us. It might be easy to think that our lives would be simpler without those complications, but the truth is, it would probably just be less interesting. This episode’s only real weakness is that Sam’s alternate-life scenario feels insulated from consequence, limiting the sense of stakes that make the first episode work so well. We all know from the beginning that Sam will be exiting this world quite content to know about the ghosts, so the effectiveness of the alternate world pity party only goes so far. Luckily, once Sam is back in the real world, Carol kindly deposits her back in time a few hours, with the ability to fix the interview that Flower previously ruined. Although it takes the combined powers of Alberta (Danielle Pinnock), Thor, and Trevor to delay the news crew's production start, Sam is eventually given enough time to evict Flower from her body and give a great on-screen interview. By the time the interview is over, it's become a whole team effort that has to warm your heart. Their efforts resolve the episode’s immediate chaos, but of course, Sam's wish isn’t the only emotional loose end in this two-parter. Although Patience and Trevor's brief tryst in Part 1 is unknown to most (except for Sasappis (Román Zaragoza), who proudly announces his plan to quickly tell everyone else in the house), it's very clear that the relationship has already developed (at least in Patience's mind) from potential mistake to destiny. In the final scene, Patience declares Trevor the "holder of my heart" and proceeds to introduce Trevor and Sasappis to "her people." Though it's unclear if "The Others" simply means more Puritans or just other sticks in the mud like Patience, whoever they are, Trevor and Sasappis both react with total shock before the episode ends. It's a great cliffhanger and something I'm sure will be worth the wait when "Ghosts" returns next February! Rating: 9.4/10 - The connective tissue of two-part episodes really gives this series the opportunity to flex its creative muscles. Overall, I enjoyed this tribute to "A Christmas Carol" and "It's a Wonderful Life" much more than I did the show's earlier tribute to "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles." There's a predictability level in the second episode that makes it not work quite as well as the possession shenanigans in the first half-hour, but the laughs and the heart are still there nonetheless. Other Notes: - How would you all rank Rose McIver's impression of Flower among the other "Ghosts" possession episodes? Sam has previously been possessed by Thor and Nancy while Jay has also been possessed by Hetty and Pete. This is a great performance, but I have to say I'm still partial to her impression of Nancy (Betsy Sodaro). - It's hilarious that Flower forgets 99% of the things she learns, but somehow she immediately remembers a) Gabe has drugs and b) Sasappis was a virgin for 537 years. - How amazing does that gingerbread version of Woodstone Mansion look? - It's great to see Freddie (Mike Lane) again! He last appeared in Season 2, Episode 13, so following last week's return of Creepy Todd Pearlman (Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll), it really seems like "Ghosts" writers are eager to remind us of the best guest stars of Christmas Past! - Do you think Sam will ever tell Trevor about his role in her alternative life? Something tells me if she does, he's going to be kicking himself for placing that vase in Sam's path in the pilot episode. - Who do you think is standing in the doorway in the final scene? - Who do you want to see possess Sam next? I'd personally love to see Patience get a ride in the Sam-mobile. I'm sure Rose McIver would absolutely destroy that role! Best Quotes: Flower: "I've had the munchies for like half a century. I'm a pacifist, but I'd murder somebody for a Pringle." Hetty: "I married the man that signed the checks that paid for the gruel that fueled those young child workers." Alberta: "What did you get her last year?" Thor: "Coupon for intercourse… and candles, so yeah, bar set pretty high." Flower (via Sam): "Hey! Who shaved my pits, man?" Nancy: "When you possessed that workman back in the 1800s, you were in that dude for days." Isaac: "What I do inside of a dude is none of your business." Patience (to Santa): "You disgust me, fat man." Trevor (to Patience): "I prefer to let you corner the wet blanket market." Flower (via Sam): "Sorry, I was just talking to my friend who used to be a virgin, but he's invisible to you." Flower (via Sam): "I hugged a bear after Woodstock and lived to talk about it." Pete: "No, no you didn't." Flower (via Sam to Jay): "Wow, your beard is so soft." Flower (via Sam to Jay): "Hey! Get your own cookie house man!" Thor: "Thor very sorry, but maybe somehow this help book sales… Maybe Sam now sort of Hawk Tuah Girl of books?" Thor: "Did Flower at least like Christmas gift?" Flower: "Awww… What'd you get me?" Carol (to Sam): "In this world, you never invited me here to dedicate that weird bench." Carol (to Sam): "Could you just watch? You'd be a very annoying person to go see a movie with." Thor: "Classic Sam and Jay fight. It's like tiffs between Whoopi and Meghan, but they can't cut to commercial." (This reference seems just a tad out of date, even for Thor!) Trevor: "Was I there?" Sam (in an obvious, awkward lie): "I don't really remember." Flower (as Sam): "I was on TV once. I flashed the second baseman at a San Francisco Giants game." Isaac (to Sam): "Run! Like there's a sale at Old Navy!" Thor: "Not to relitigate, but you did sort of say to surprise you." Sam: *frowns* Thor: "We leave at that."