PaulE

I liked this episode, though in some ways it wasn't the strongest, because of its focus on Sass, which we haven't had too much of. I also liked Joan very much: good natured (didn't seem to take it personally when she found out Sass still carried the torch for Shiki), strong, kind, and spirited. And she also knows how to take care of herself--loved her put-downs of Trevor without missing a beat. Reminded me a bit of the characters Rosalind Russell played in '40s films. I think I'd rather see her as Sass's pal rather than girlfriend, though. There was something about the vibe between them that spoke more of friendship than romance, though I suppose you can't judge after just one appearance. I hope she's brought back occasionally. I think all the ghosts would find her fun to hang out with. I agree with those of you who think Shiki's interest in Sass seems a bit dicey based on what happened 500 years ago--I could see them eventually making the same mistake Isaac and Nigel did. (However, the deer started me thinking of a Lenape version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas": six wolverines, fiiive beaver pelts; four wampum belts, three dead deer, two arrowheads, and a big bowl of corn, beans, and squash.)

I suspect he'd react as he's always done: first he'll fly off the handle and then, after he's calmed down, he'll understand the lie for the kindness that it was meant to be. After their earlier conversation, Isaac understood how much Nigel's been suffering and he wanted to alleviate his pain, especially since Isaac's the one who caused it. And, in a way, Isaac is paying Nigel back for learning about dinosaurs for his sake. I think Nigel will get that, and he doesn't seem to be one to bear a grudge for long (other than the whole revolution thing). I did think it a bit unrealistic that Chris seemed to accept his death and new plane of existence so easily. If that were me I think I'd at least be a bit stunned for awhile. But, yeah, he's rather shallow and I couldn't see a relationship between him and Nigel--or Isaac, for that matter--lasting long or amounting to much. At first I thought that was strange, too. I expected that he'd be brought into the loop like Bella, especially since he's also part of Jay's family. But now I wonder if they felt that the fewer people who know the truth, the less likely it will leak and create all sorts of weird rumors that will eventually impact the place's reputation and maybe have an adverse affect on business--or maybe attract a bizarre clientele. It sure did. This is the first time someone's been interested in Hetty for herself, and as a ghost she'd probably given up hope that she'd ever experience that. Both that and Nigel's description of what it felt like to touch Chris's chest made me think about how starved the ghosts must be for the kind of interactions and experiences they had or could have had when alive. There's a lot of pathos in this show even though it's a comedy.

Even though Chris is clearly not good boyfriend material if he couldn't remember the name of the ghost he just kissed, I was actually a bit glad for Nigel that they hit it off at least briefly--he needed a bit of a lift, as he admitted himself. When he talked about how his hand didn't go through Chris's chest, I got the impression he must have tried that before with handsome livings he'd encountered in the mansion or on the grounds. As I thought, he's not as prim and proper as he pretends. No wonder he had a high body count when he was live. I was surprised that he referred to Isaac as "Higgintoot"--I guess he's trying to put distance between them, but I'm wondering if it's a case of protesting too much. I, too, thought, when Chris couldn't remember his name at first, that Nigel had made up the smooching story to make Isaac jealous. And it was terribly sweet for Isaac to shield him by lying about what happened to Chris, especially because it left Nigel with the idea that Chris actually preferred him to Isaac when in fact Chris couldn't have cared less about either of them. I agree that the old Isaac wouldn't have done that, and I was really touched. He's truly trying to be a better person. He knew Nigel would've become even more depressed if he'd learned the truth. Loved Hetty's remark that coffee goes right through her (I can relate!), and Nigel's definition of hope: "a wonderful man falling to his death." And I certainly loved Jay's being able to interact with Hetty for the day. It's not enough to ruin the comic premise of not being able to see or hear the ghosts, but it allows him to be more involved with them and gives him a greater intimacy with them somehow.

When I first had my idea about Nigel and Chris, it was about Nigel developing the hots for him, but I never thought of Chris reciprocating. We don't know that much about him yet but I suspect neither Nigel nor Isaac would be his cup of tea, though he might find them interesting enough to become friends with them--and I agree it would be nice to see Nigel interact more closely with some of the other mansion ghosts. Actually, I could see Chris eyeing Trevor, waste of time though that would be. At any rate, any story line like that would have to be a subplot given that both Chris and Nigel are only recurring characters--or at least I'm assuming Chris will be recurring. It'll be interesting to see what the writers do with him. In the only YouTube interview with John Hartman I ever came across (part of the Actors with Issues podcast), he says he has a bachelor's degree in music from the University of Michigan, majoring in in classical trumpet. So I guess he's got multiple musical skills. (He comes across as a really nice guy in the interview, by the way.) Great observations!! I didn't pay attention the exterior or strip map, and though I use the subway frequently, I certainly don't know anything about the car numbers. Anyway, it's nice to know they used an actual car.

Yep. In fact, I remember one time the new cars came specifically from Montreal, but I haven’t been there for many years so I don’t know if they use the same models as New York in their subway. If they do then maybe the show did use an actual car rather than CGI.

Now that you've mentioned him, I did have the thought at the end of what might happen if Nigel (he of the high body count) starts lusting after him, too. Plus Chris is Australian and Australia kept the king, so what's not to love?

Don't forget Hetty's "We're discussing his package" without having a clue as to what that really means. I was glad Alberta was able to use her power--I can't remember the last time she has. And it's always interesting when we get more back stories about one of the ghosts, which seems to be an overarching theme this season. I hope Sass has his turn soon. That New York subway car was spot on. I'm pretty sure they didn't film that scene on location or have the MTA ship a car up to Montreal, so I'm assuming it was CGI, but it was so accurate I could tell from the interior which lines it could have been (certain models tend to be used on specific lines so the interiors aren't all the same throughout the entire transit system). Definitely did not expect Chris to become a new ghost! Isaac will be thrilled, though if Chris is straight, as I'm assuming he is, Isaac's lust will go unfulfilled. I'll bet Deniz Akdeniz is glad his character didn't die at the end of his routine--if he had, he'd probably have been doomed to wear only a g-string or thong whenever he was in an episode!

Yeah, but Rutledge was not to be trifled with. He was the youngest member of the Continental Congress yet he basically was the leader and spokesman for the entire South. Whereas poor Isaac . . . But I agree Rutledge wore some pretty elaborate clothing, as did all the southerners. The conservative southerners were all dandies whereas the radical New Englanders wore very plain and drab outfits, and the mid-Atlantic men were somewhere in between. Fortunately, none of them wore anything as grotesque as Isaac's ruffle!

Very sorry to hear that--though sadly, in these days, not surprised.

Yeah, I loved that movie, and it was very popular at the time because the country was beginning to ramp up its preparations for the Bicentennial. As you say, you could enjoy it just for the music and performances but, for me, it was also educational because, thanks to John Cullum's song "Molasses to Rum to Slaves," I learned for the first time about the so-called triangular trade, whereby New England ships would carry rum to Africa in return for slaves, whom they would then sell in the West Indies to work on the sugar cane plantations. Then those same ships carried the sugar back to New England, which then made rum, and on and on it went. It might have been the first time I understood that the virtuous North wasn't so virtuous regarding the slave trade. I'm sure that's included the history curriculum in schools today, but it certainly wasn't mentioned in most history classes back then.

Yes, especially the way Trevor physically interposed himself between them just as Thor was about to take Elias's hand, with that hostile smile on his face that said, "Yeah, no. That's not going to happen on my watch."

I've always suspected that was the case. He was a little too flamboyant, even in those days when the standards for masculinity would probably have been less severe than they became. I think he'd have always had problems with other (straight) men, and unfortunately his personality made things worse. That's why, although I criticize him a lot, my heart sometimes bleeds for him.

I agree with you, but I was referring to that particular moment. I just think that if you've been included in a group of important leaders who are drafting the Declaration of Independence, you ought to focus on that rather than on the ruffle kerfuffle, especially in Isaac's case because he's so desperate to be taken seriously. When he was called out for his side conversation with Hamilton, I thought of a teacher reprimanding a student for whispering to their neighbor: "Isaac, do you have something you want to say to the class?" It certainly did, which for me added to the comedy. There's a Netflix series "The Norsemen," which is about Norwegian Vikings in 790 A.D. (are you listening, Thor?). Although the actors are Norwegian, it's filmed in English, and they all use modern idioms and refer to modern concepts. It wouldn't be half as funny as it is if it weren't so anachronistic. It's interesting that Hetty, who's so snobbish and insistent on propriety, wouldn't prefer to be called by her full name, which is more formal. Of course, upper-class people back then often did have nicknames that would be used only by family and close friends, so if Hetty thinks of the mansion inhabitants as her family now, it makes sense that she'd allow her nickname. In the opposite direction, I've noticed that while the formal and proper Nigel also uses her nickname, he always calls Pete "Peter," even though no one else does that. It will come back. Remember all the ruffles of the 80's for both men and women? Not just the 80's. When I attended my high school senior prom in the 70's, my tuxedo shirt sported a ruffled front and ruffled sleeves. No young person would have worn today's plain or pleated fronts. And I blush to admit that, at the time, I thought I looked damn fine. I think it was the first time since the eighteenth century that men's fashions were as diverse and colorful as women's--bizarre, but colorful. I don't think I want that fashion era ever to come back!

This episode was a bit of an emotional roller coaster for me. At first I felt quite sorry for Isaac--poor guy, he had no luck at all. Then I was annoyed at his fixation on the ruffle because, you know, that's far more important than contributing to a document that will help decide the fate of the thirteen colonies--once again, Isaac's narcissism wins out. But then he redeemed himself by realizing he'd fixated over something that, at the end of the day, wasn't important. I think that's another example of his attempt to improve himself. And it was nice that he was unselfishly trying to help Jay. Stealing Isaac's ruffle was a crappy thing to do and I doubt the real Hamilton would've concerned himself with something so petty, but from what I've read he did rub a lot of people the wrong way (Jefferson hated him, and then of course there was Aaron Burr . . .). So this week it was Thor's turn for a pep talk--seems to be an overarching theme this season, and I like it. More and more we're seeing the affection they all have for one another. But what a twist ending with Jay almost signing his soul away! If there's anyone on the show who doesn't deserve to go to hell, it's sweet, forgiving Jay.

I always wondered about that, too. Like you, I always thought cholera was an internal thing people used to get from drinking contaminated water, etc., but I never associated it with anything external like sores. However, I looked up cholera on a few medical Websites and learned that, although sores aren't a direct symptom of cholera itself, the illness can cause skin lesions or ulcers once sufferers' immune systems are weakened. Have to admit, even after four seasons I haven't gotten used to how disgusting the cholera ghosts look.