S01.E06: Pete’s Wife

[Whimsy]

Quote

Pete convinces Sam to invite his living wife to the mansion, only to discover she’s been keeping a dark secret from him for many years. Also, Sassapis gets angry with Thorfinn for binge-cheating their favorite show without him, and Trevor learns he may have a daughter

Original air date 11/4/21

[Kimmmmmm]

This actually made me cry...

[Annber03]

Grandpa Pete. Oh. I may or may not have shed a few tears at that, and at Pete seeing his daughter arrive for the ceremony as well :'). 

Good story with Pete and his wife Carol (and hey, the actress playing her - I've seen her on "Wings" and "Frasier"! Neat!). Very emotional and touching. I liked how Sam handled that, with reading from that book at the end. And we even got a glimpse at how Pete's death went down at the beginning of the episode as well, which was interesting. 

Also loved the ghosts bonding over that reality show, which I would not be surprised to see become an actual series someday :p. Even ghosts don't like being behind on their shows, apparently :D!

Also liked the idea of Trevor perhaps having a child of his own out there somewhere - would've been interesting if that had actually been the case. But if he's got someone out there mourning him, too, hopefully someday we'll get to learn more about them, and his past as well. 

[Snow Apple]

This show is getting better and better. This is my favorite episode so far. I teared up when Pete's wife apologized and then his daughter and grandson showed up. Little Pete in his little uniform just like grandpa.

Edited November 5, 2021 by Snow Apple

[meatball77]

I'm fascinated by the way the writers have (on occasional episodes) taken the framework of a UK ghosts episode and transformed it into something different.  This episode had the bones of the UK episode (Pete's wife visits, is a cheater that Pete didn't see and a grandkid comes out at the end) and wrote it in a way that was it's own story.  It's a very careful and interesting writing method the writers are using that brings its own voice into a plot that was already there.  

I want to watch It's Getting Hot in Here now.  I love the two old friends and their plot was fun as was the end where Thorafin decided he could just insult people and then apologize.  

Trevor is growing on me.
 

I loved the Jurassic park comparisons.  Do you want to be Ellie Cooper or the guy who gets eaten on the toilet after leaving the kids. 

Edited November 5, 2021 by meatball77

[iMonrey]

Quote

I'm fascinated by the way the writers have (on occasional episodes) taken the framework of a UK ghosts episode and transformed it into something different.  This episode had the bones of the UK episode (Pete's wife visits, is a cheater that Pete didn't see and a grandkid comes out at the end) and wrote it in a way that was it's own story.  It's a very careful and interesting writing method the writers are using that brings its own voice into a plot that was already there.

Agreed. I actually thought this was an improvement over the British version of this same story. When little Pete jumped out of the car at the end in his scout uniform I think I actually teared up a little. SHUT UP. It was surprisingly poignant, something I don't really expect from a show like this.

There is an underlying sadness to this show even though it's meant to be a comedy. Sam could potentially find a lot of their descendants online the way she did with Pete if they went down that rabbit hole. But I don't necessarily understand why some of them are trapped there while others get "sucked off" (heh). Presumably this would have been something that would have given Pete closure if that's what's required. 

When Sasappis said he and Thor had known each other for 500 years I found myself doing the math in my head, because Thor has most assuredly been dead longer than that. But of course, a Native American would have been around in the 1500s so the math works out on that. And it's kind of a dark reference to how he might have died there. I hope the show lasts long enough to explore that.

Strange that Hetty was missing from this one. It's a rather large ensemble cast, I guess they don't need to include all of them every week.

 

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

When Sasappis said he and Thor had known each other for 500 years I found myself doing the math in my head, because Thor has most assuredly been dead longer than that. But of course, a Native American would have been around in the 1500s so the math works out on that

Now I’m wondering if we will get an explanation of when and how they started speaking English.

[redpencil]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Strange that Hetty was missing from this one. It's a rather large ensemble cast, I guess they don't need to include all of them every week.

Toward the end of the end of the episode when they were doing the ceremony for Pete I realized someone was missing and it took me minute to figure out who it was. I know there has been someone missing each episode with no explanation, but this one feels a bit more inconspicuous. Hetty certainly would have been there. I think I would rather they jettison someone (I vote for the hippie whose name I can't remember right now) and include everyone every week, even if not a focus.

I also teared up at the end. That was a nice moment.

[Annber03]

Just came across a really nice interview with Richie Moriarty, who plays Pete, about this episode:

https://www.tvinsider.com/1020643/ghosts-season-1-episode-6-pete-richie-moriarty-death-wife-grandson/

[iMonrey]

Quote

(I vote for the hippie whose name I can't remember right now)

It's Flower, appropriately enough. 🙂

[shapeshifter]

18 hours ago, redpencil said:

I know there has been someone missing each episode with no explanation, but this one feels a bit more inconspicuous. Hetty certainly would have been there. I think I would rather they jettison someone (I vote for the hippie whose name I can't remember right now) and include everyone every week, even if not a focus.

3 hours ago, CrazyDog said:

I could do with less Flower. 

Why do I feel like I’ve been voted off the island?

 

I am enjoying this show. It’s everything I liked about Rose McIver’s last show, only better for me, with less undead gore.

Thorfinn made me LOL more than a few times.

 

 

Edited November 6, 2021 by shapeshifter

[kwnyc]

Quote

Presumably this would have been something that would have given Pete closure if that's what's required. 

It makes narrative sense for Pete to be "sucked off," having achieved some kind of closure, but since it's an ensemble comedy, we won't see that for some time. And yes, I welled up, too.

 

[Quickbeam]

I was crying until Ragnarök. Then laughing. What a harsh mistress, this show! 

[tennisgurl]

I was really not expecting to tear up watching this show, but here I am. I was already feeling a bit of a prickling during the ceremony, but as soon as little Pete ran out of the car in his scout uniform, the tears really started. That was a great ending, it took the bittersweet aspect of the show that is always in the background and really brought it to the forefront. This show just keeps getting better.

 Sasappis and Thor binging a terrible dating show was hilarious, and I liked them touching on them being the ghosts who have been together the longest. Then Thor freaking out about Ragnarok after Jay mentioned the movie, as I was still tearing up. 

I loved Jay's preoccupation with sleeping with moms via time travel, his Jurassic Park metaphor, and that the only characters name he remembered was Dr. Ellie Sattler. "Clever girl." 

[Daff]

I really liked this episode and my first thought during the opening scene was that we’d be seeing each ghost’s demise over the duration of the season/show through flash-back (we’ve seen Thorfin’s and Pete’s now). Mama Maisel! Loved her role and her portrayal. I thought the casting and story was perfect, as well as “small-man’s” new willingness to talk/shout out to the ghosts, even though he knows he can’t perceive their response (I’d be doing the same with the knowledge they’re there). I’ll be interested to see if the prediction someone (here)  posited comes true-that eventually, he’ll figure out a way to perceive the ghosts’ responses. This is funny, heartwarming, and engaging (and I’m not a sitcom watcher). I could easily watch hour-long episodes, as they seem to end so quickly!

[CrazyDog]

I wondered if I was the only one to tear up at this episode - it was surprisingly moving! The little grandson with his Pine Cone(?) outfit...awww.

This show continues to grow on me. I love the entire cast, though I could do with less Flower. 

I also don't understand why one or two ghosts seem to disappear each episode. It seems deliberate, so I hope there is an explanation at some point. But this and the Halloween episode may be my favorites so far.

Pete, Sasappis, and Thor are the best. I'd like to see more of Alberta though. Trevor and Isaac are amusing too.

I agree that Pete could move on now, but he seems to be the ghost "lead" in a sense, so I hope he'll stick around. He could see a purpose in being able to communicate with the other ghosts and Samantha.

[Quickbeam]

1 hour ago, CrazyDog said:

 I love the entire cast, though I could do with less Flower. 

Me too! I am the exact age of Flower’s character and they always get it wrong. It’s easy to make fun of but hard to nail it correctly. I don’t know if it is the actor or the script that’s the problem.

[sweetandsour]

I totally cried, too.  Pete is not one of my favorites, though I certainly don't mind him.  But now that I know more about him, I like him a lot more.

Most of the main characters are ghosts, but I don't think about mortality at all watching the show.  That said, I was totally moved by what this episode showed about death.  Usually, I think there's a lot of pain about who and what we left behind, but I really liked seeing Pete so happy about the people he left behind.  He can't see them when they leave Sam and Jay's property, and he can't talk to them, but all he really felt was joy, and that was great.

I also really loved that Grandson Pete was a Pinecone Trooper.  His family clearly knew that Pete died during his Pinecone duties, during a Pinecone activity, at the accidental hands of a Pinecone kid.  For some people, that would just be hard memories and triggers.  But his family knew how much Pete loved being a Pinecone and they let Grandson Pete follow in his footsteps.

Thor made me laugh a lot.  He never knew he had so much he could learn from Ashleys of all last name initials.

[Kiddvideo]

Awww, great episode! The disconnect of the husband not being able to see them and the wife having to pretend she’s talking to someone else or explaining why she’s yelling at someone is getting old, though. “WILL YOU JUST STOP…uhhh…standing there and come into the kitchen for some tea?” 

[Annber03]

1 hour ago, sweetandsour said:

Most of the main characters are ghosts, but I don't think about mortality at all watching the show.  That said, I was totally moved by what this episode showed about death.  Usually, I think there's a lot of pain about who and what we left behind, but I really liked seeing Pete so happy about the people he left behind.  He can't see them when they leave Sam and Jay's property, and he can't talk to them, but all he really felt was joy, and that was great.

Agreed. I liked the concept of the ghosts remembering their "death day", and the emotions, good or bad, that come with that. Kind of like how many people feel about birthdays. That would be a weird experience, for sure. 

[redpencil]

4 hours ago, Daff said:

I’ll be interested to see if the prediction someone (here)  posited comes true-that eventually, he’ll figure out a way to perceive the ghosts’ responses.

I haven't seen the UK version, so no idea if anything like this happens (no spoilers, please!). But if I was a writer, I would have it be that Sam is in trouble in some way and the ghosts have to find a way to communicate with Jay in order to help her.

Edited November 6, 2021 by redpencil

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, redpencil said:

I haven't seen the UK version, so no idea if anything like this happens (no spoilers, please!). But if I was a writer, I would have it be that Sam is in trouble in some way and the ghosts have to find a way to communicate with Jay in order to help her.

They already have the set up of Sam's temporary death experience making her ghost-aware. Maybe by the fourth season Jay will also have a temporary death experience.

Or...
Maybe shake it up a bit with Jay having a very-near-death experience that allows him to occasionally catch transparent views of the ghosts.
Maybe Jay can't hear the ghosts so they have to learn ASL. Thorfinn at first is un-PC about deafness, but then feels bad about how he made fun of old No Ears (or whatever terribly un-PC moniker). There could be some hilarity with signing the wrong words.
Or maybe Jay can only hear and not see them. That would be simpler and not shake up the premise too much of Jay not seeing them.

Edited November 6, 2021 by shapeshifter

[emma675]

I had already had a rough week but I cried when Pete forgave his wife and then saw his grandson and daughter. Then I cracked up over Thorafin freaking out over Ragnarok. This show, it's a delight. 

Jay has really won me over with his random thoughts and just going with the flow of his weird life now. Rambling on about Jurassic Park was classic and I really hope he's able to see the ghosts one day.

Sassapis and Thor bonding over a terrible dating reality show was hilarious and I'm kind of bummed Trevor doesn't really have a daughter because that gave him some depth.

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, emma675 said:

I'm kind of bummed Trevor doesn't really have a daughter because that gave him some depth.

I think it's fine that we aren't saddled with an ongoing saga of his daughter, and Trevor now says he's "a work in progress," so, Trevor Plot Mission accomplished.

[Sakura12]

Interesting that they threw Trevor's story in with Pete's. I wonder what they will do with now since they didn't make him a father. I'm also thinking Pete's unfinished business is not seeing his wife and daughter, but maybe dealing with the person that killed him. It was an accident, but he died and has a right to  be bitter about it. 

I also like that Sassapis and Thorfin had a whole thing over a reality TV show. 

I'm glad this show has similar themes but is different enough than the UK one. They've even improved some of the stories. 

 

[Johannah]

Great episode.  Even the show within the show (the dating show) was hysterical.  

I felt sorry for Pete, but then, his grandson...  so sweet.  

Jurassic Park references were great.  I don't think any of the ghosts were around, so they didn't have to explain about a dinosaur park - might have been funny but maybe there was enough stuff going on.

[shapeshifter]

13 minutes ago, Johann said:

Jurassic Park references were great.  I don't think any of the ghosts were around, so they didn't have to explain about a dinosaur park - might have been funny but maybe there was enough stuff going on.

Maybe another time. 🙃

[SmithW6079]

This is the first episode I didn't think sucked. It was actually kind of touching, although I couldn't help but wonder about the little girl who killed him and the guilt she's had to live with for almost 40 years. Given what they've shown of Pete, You'd think he might be more concerned about her.

It didn't make sense that Pete was the leader of a Girl Scout-esque group. Even in the 1980s, I don't think they would have had a single man on a trip with young girls alone. Why not just have it be a Boy Scout rip-off?

The quick cuts still give me a headache. 

I wouldn't be surprised if some version of "It's Getting Hot in Here" doesn't end up as an actual reality show.

 

[AnimeMania]

19 minutes ago, SmithW6079 said:

It didn't make sense that Pete was the leader of a Girl Scout-esque group. Even in the 1980s, I don't think they would have had a single man on a trip with young girls alone. Why not just have it be a Boy Scout rip-off?

Yeah, I was kind of wondering if his daughter was somewhere in the group, or maybe even the one that shot him.

[Johannah]

17 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

Yeah, I was kind of wondering if his daughter was somewhere in the group, or maybe even the one that shot him.

I always thought she was, but now that I think about it, I'm not sure if that was said in the show or I just assumed it, because, as nice as Pete is and as much as I can see him wanting to work with kids, I don't see a logical path to being involved to the point that he had a uniform, if his daughter wasn't in the troop.  Without the uniform, I can see different groups asking him to help with something like archery if that's his thing, but with the uniform, this wasn't a one-time outing with this group.

[JH Lipton]

On 11/5/2021 at 3:11 PM, Quickbeam said:

Me too! I am the exact age of Flower’s character and they always get it wrong. It’s easy to make fun of but hard to nail it correctly. I don’t know if it is the actor or the script that’s the problem.

I'm leaning toward the script, considering how badly they handled the "hippie chicks don't shave their underarms".  I dated a few hippie chicks and none had a forest growing in their pits. 

On 11/6/2021 at 3:19 PM, Sakura12 said:

Interesting that they threw Trevor's story in with Pete's. I wonder what they will do with now since they didn't make him a father. I'm also thinking Pete's unfinished business is not seeing his wife and daughter, but maybe dealing with the person that killed him. It was an accident, but he died and has a right to  be bitter about it. 

On 11/8/2021 at 4:07 PM, SmithW6079 said:

This is the first episode I didn't think sucked. It was actually kind of touching, although I couldn't help but wonder about the little girl who killed him and the guilt she's had to live with for almost 40 years. Given what they've shown of Pete, You'd think he might be more concerned about her.

I think an episode with him dealing with the "I just told you about safety!" and the girl's guilt could be fun, because this show can make stuff like that funny.

[possibilities]

2 hours ago, JH Lipton said:

I'm leaning toward the script, considering how badly they handled the "hippie chicks don't shave their underarms".  I dated a few hippie chicks and none had a forest growing in their pits. 

I've known lots of hippie chicks who don't shave, so I think this must be a thing that varies with what subculture of the subculture one encounters.

[Daff]

On 11/8/2021 at 7:07 PM, SmithW6079 said:

Given what they've shown of Pete, You'd think he might be more concerned about her.

I understand how you might think this; however, he WAS giving the intro lesson and in the middle of stating that the archer should never load the arrow into the bow while there are others in the line of fire. He probably feels somewhat responsible, as at that point, the girls might have had their hands on the bows, but never should have had access to the arrows!

[ctlady]

I'm curious as to why, seeing that Pete died in 1985-ish, that everyone who had owned the mansion after that never took down the decrepit archery range

[joanne3482]

5 hours ago, Daff said:

I understand how you might think this; however, he WAS giving the intro lesson and in the middle of stating that the archer should never load the arrow into the bow while there are others in the line of fire. He probably feels somewhat responsible, as at that point, the girls might have had their hands on the bows, but never should have had access to the arrows!

At every Girl Scout camp I've worked at and the YMCA day camp I attended with my kid, the kids had the bows and the arrows were in a stand next to them. An introduction to archery at that level is basically here's how you hold a bow and draw the string back. Here's how you nock an arrow. Here's how you aim and release. There's not a lot to it and honestly I'm a bit surprised that an arrow at a camp like that was powerful enough to go through his neck. Yes the arrows we worked with had steel tips and went into paper targets over hay bales, but the points themselves were fairly blunt and dull (hence the hay) and the bows were fairly weak. Very different than the compound bow and real arrows I've also shot. 

[Daff]

36 minutes ago, joanne3482 said:

At every Girl Scout camp I've worked at and the YMCA day camp

In that case, foolish Pete, for not choosing to position himself behind the girls, away from the targets!

[Whimsy]

2 hours ago, ctlady said:

I'm curious as to why, seeing that Pete died in 1985-ish, that everyone who had owned the mansion after that never took down the decrepit archery range

I believe the old aunt (or whatever) had owned the house since at least then. Idk why they didn’t take it down. I did wonder that too, but I don’t think there were different owners between then and the old lady dying in episode 1. 

[Johannah]

1 hour ago, Whimsy said:

I believe the old aunt (or whatever) had owned the house since at least then. Idk why they didn’t take it down. I did wonder that too, but I don’t think there were different owners between then and the old lady dying in episode 1. 

Didn't Pete tell the girls to ask the nice lady in the house to use her phone?  Something like that.  I thought he meant the lady we saw die in the first episode, since he said "the lady" not the family or whatever.  Could have been a different lady, but I think the writers worded it that way to imply it was the woman we saw.  Also, wasn't it a family home for generations?  Not hard to believe she has been there most of her life, if not all.  Doesn't seem like a large family since only one person inherited it this time with no other claims.  So far.

I'm also not surprised she didn't get rid of the targets.  They weren't close to the house, I didn't get the impression that she frequented the grounds and, since the house is in disrepair, even paying someone a few hundred dollars to clean up the area might not be worth it or in the budget.

Edited November 10, 2021 by Johann

[Kiddvideo]

I was rewatching and noticed the girl who shot Pete is named Becky (the girl he sent in the house to use the nice lady’s phone) while his daughter is Laura.

[shapeshifter]

28 minutes ago, Kiddvideo said:

I was rewatching and noticed the girl who shot Pete is named Becky (the girl he sent in the house to use the nice lady’s phone) while his daughter is Laura.

And now I have a really terrible idea that in a later season Sam will offer seances at their BNB, in which she shares ghosts' forgiveness with people like Becky after finagling Becky winning a weekend at their BNB.

[Sakura12]

Pete's character and story most closely resembles the UK version, his name is Pat. They handled that situation so I'm curious how and if they will handle it with Pete. 

[Grundoon59]

This episode made me laugh and made me cry.  Hard to ask for anything better from a show. 

Watching Pete get the arrow while trying to continue to lead his troop started me giggling and I continued through Thor and Sasappis watching television together and separately plus Pete's initial reactions to his wife's revelations.  But tears starting welling up as he forgave her and then flowed with the daughter and grandson emerging from the car. 

Now this show has really got its hooks (or arrow) into me and I will not only watch it but will start telling other people about it.  And I will send up prayers to the television gods that it avoids the usual fate of shows I get invested in so that it gets to run for quite a while.  It sure seems like there are possible stories aplenty.

[Scarlett45]

On 11/10/2021 at 10:56 AM, joanne3482 said:

At every Girl Scout camp I've worked at and the YMCA day camp I attended with my kid, the kids had the bows and the arrows were in a stand next to them. An introduction to archery at that level is basically here's how you hold a bow and draw the string back. Here's how you nock an arrow. Here's how you aim and release. There's not a lot to it and honestly I'm a bit surprised that an arrow at a camp like that was powerful enough to go through his neck. Yes the arrows we worked with had steel tips and went into paper targets over hay bales, but the points themselves were fairly blunt and dull (hence the hay) and the bows were fairly weak. Very different than the compound bow and real arrows I've also shot. 

I thought this as well. 
 

This episode was cute too! This is a fun show. I am glad Pete got to see his grandson. 
 

I understand why they have one or two ghosts missing from every episode- it’s an ensemble show and it gives the characters a chance to breathe. No point in having the actors be on set if they aren’t going to have any lines in a show like this. We know they are ghosts and are tied to the house. 

[Paloma]

On 11/5/2021 at 3:41 PM, tennisgurl said:

Sasappis and Thor binging a terrible dating show was hilarious, and I liked them touching on them being the ghosts who have been together the longest.

In addition to the binging of a terrible dating show being hilarious, my husband and I thought the argument about one watching episodes without the other was really funny because it is true. It's so frustrating when you start watching an addictive streaming show (of any genre) and then one of you is not available for a few days to continue watching. We have had arguments with pretty much the same wording as Sasappis and Thor when one of us got ahead of the other; usually we settle it by rewatching together the episodes one of us already watched.

I didn't like Thor at first, but he is growing on me. I do like Sasappis, but it really doesn't make sense that he speaks such modern, colloquial, non-accented English while Thor is still speaking kind of primitive and heavily accented English. 

[ZuluQueenOfDwarves]

1 hour ago, Paloma said:

I didn't like Thor at first, but he is growing on me. I do like Sasappis, but it really doesn't make sense that he speaks such modern, colloquial, non-accented English while Thor is still speaking kind of primitive and heavily accented English. 

According to Román Zaragoza, that’s a deliberate choice because he doesn’t want to project a stereotypical image of Native people, because it impacts real life Native people in a negative way, and he doesn’t want to be pigeonholed into playing that type of character. That concern doesn’t really exist with Thor, so I can handwave it because I get the motivation behind it. 

[Paloma]

1 minute ago, ZuluQueenOfDwarves said:

According to Román Zaragoza, that’s a deliberate choice because he doesn’t want to project a stereotypical image of Native people, because it impacts real life Native people in a negative way, and he doesn’t want to be pigeonholed into playing that type of character.

I figured that it was a deliberate choice because of wanting to avoid negative stereotypes, but I think there could have been a compromise between a negative stereotype and modern, casual English. Maybe a somewhat more formal style of speaking English--correct but not colloquial. 

Obviously the whole premise of the show is unrealistic, but the way he speaks takes me out of the story more than the other ghosts do. 

[Mabinogia]

4 hours ago, Paloma said:

I figured that it was a deliberate choice because of wanting to avoid negative stereotypes, but I think there could have been a compromise between a negative stereotype and modern, casual English. Maybe a somewhat more formal style of speaking English--correct but not colloquial. 

I just pass it off as Sass is a wordsmith, he's a storyteller, speech and words are important to him so I could see him studying and mimicking the Livings he's been exposed to through the centuries. Thor is less of a communicator so he wouldn't really pick up on the way people around him are speaking. 

I'm more of a Sass. I lived in the south for a while and picked up a lot of phrasing, wording and a slight accent that wasn't from my world. I do the same when I watch too much British television. I tend to mimic what I am exposed to, so I can imagine Sass being the same way, since he's a communicator and very observant. 

I am also perfectly happy to overlook it because of the reason behind it, which I fully support. But I really don't think it's that out of character. Sass might be from a bigone era but he's been living in the present around people who speak in a modern way and he pays attention. 

[possibilities]

I'm irritated and distracted by how Thor speaks. 

[appositival]

Did they explain what Sassapis was doing while Thorfinn watched hot enough? Does he have a day job? Does he wander the forest and learn the languages of the birds and other animals?

Honestly, I don't know why things like this bug me.

[Ailianna]

Probably whatever he's done everyday for the last several hundred years.