S01.E08: D&D

[Whimsy]

Quote

After Jay is kicked out of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign with his city friends, Sam agrees to facilitate a new one between him and the ghosts. Also, Isaac confronts his feelings for Nigel, a British soldier ghost from whom he’s been keeping a gigantic secret.

Original airdate 11/18/21

[Snow Apple]

I'm glad each ghost is getting their own episode with their back story. This is how I'm slowly learning all their names.

Isaac and Nigel were cute. 

Jay bonding with the ghosts through D&D, and the ghosts loving the game. Glad the ghosts managed to communicate that Sam lied and that they want to play with him.

[Annber03]

First things first...hey, thanks, show, for those scenes of Jay shirtless and walking around in a towel :D!

Okay. Now that I've gotten that shallow element out of the way, I do like the idea of the ghosts trying to communicate with Jay in that kind of manner. Might want to find a different means of sending messages, though, yes, 'cause I don't blame Jay for being rather creeped out by this particular method. I like that Sam immediately knew who was responsible for writing the messages on the mirror, too :p.

But yeah, hopefully they'll find a communication method that works for both Jay and the ghosts going forward. I'm also with Jay in wanting all issues with and between the ghosts to be settled by D&D games - I like that that was something he and some of the ghosts could bond over and have some fun with. 

As for Isaac's story, awwwww, that ending with him and Nigel :). And the way he slipped and nearly revealed that he loved him! Alberta and Sasappis' reactions to that were mine :D. I'd love to see more of Isaac and Nigel together, and see how things continue to develop between them, as friends and, hopefully, as something more over time, too. 

[meatball77]

I like that we're getting more ghosts that we will see on and off.  Gives us a bit of difference from the UK show.  The pipe player amused me.

Loved this episode.  Jay and the Ghosts bonding over D&D was great and Awwww with the British and American solders falling in love..  The ending scene where they tell him to make pizza because Sasppis wants to smell pepperoni was funny.

[Sakura12]

I like that Alberta and Sassapis also enjoyed playing D&D. I'm thinking Thorfin would've been fun with since he probably wouldn't understand that its not a real raid. So I don't know where he was. 

I do like that the ghosts are trying to include Jay, but yeah communicating with every time he takes a shower is not the right way. Lol

Issac and Nigel are cute I'm glad they finally moved slightly forward after 250 years. 

I also wonder how many other places have more ghosts on that property. We have the British shed ghosts and the basement ghosts. Are their ghosts in the attic, the garage? 

[AnimeMania]

If you need Isaac he will be in the closet.

[Kiddvideo]

This is easily my favorite new network show in years.

I’m so happy Jay has accepted the ghosts, and there are at least 3 who could communicate directly with him: Trevor with writing/movement of objects; Thorfinn with flickering the lights; and Alberta by humming. Thorfinn and Alberta would be a yes/no response model, but it’d still work.

The romance with Isaac and Nigel is sweet and promising. The ghosts must be amazed by their current situation. Hundreds and hundreds of years some of them have been waiting, and now their ability to talk with Sam has changed the course of their afterlives. I really like that the premise allows the writers to explore any moment in the ghosts’ past lives as well not just their Death Dates.

Edited November 19, 2021 by Kiddvideo

[Twilight Man]

1 hour ago, Sakura12 said:

I like that Alberta and Sassapis also enjoyed playing D&D. I'm thinking Thorfin would've been fun with since he probably wouldn't understand that its not a real raid. So I don't know where he was. 

Where is Thorfin???   We need him to help fight these British soldiers!!!

THORFIN BINGE-WATCHING THIRD SEASON OF BACHELOR!!!!!!    LEAVE THORFIN ALONE!!!!!!!!

[shapeshifter]

38 minutes ago, Twilight Man said:

Where is Thorfin???   We need him to help fight these British soldiers!!!

THORFIN BINGE-WATCHING THIRD SEASON OF BACHELOR!!!!!!    LEAVE THORFIN ALONE!!!!!!!!

THORFIN NOT CRYING!!! YOU CRYING!!!!!!!!

[redpencil]

I'm still snickering over the tag at the end. "This is not the new system!"

[CrazyDog]

Isaac and Nigel were so adorable.

"The ghost without pants is watching me shower, that's great", lol.

And I love Jay's now casual acceptance of the ghosts. But sorry, Sam's busy with the new ghosts from the revolutionary war. Jay: "ok".

But I was a little sad for Jay...so much life (oops) in the house, during the game, and he's essentially just sitting there with Sam narrating. But I love that they are finding ways to communicate with him too. 

2 hours ago, Kiddvideo said:

This is easily my favorite new network show in years.

Mine too! I look forward to it every week. I'm thrilled it got a full season.

How is this cast just so amazing? 

Edited November 19, 2021 by CrazyDog

[Chatty Cake]

Where’s Hetty? And Throfinn? I’m still enjoying the show but miss those two. 

[shapeshifter]

9 hours ago, Kiddvideo said:

This is easily my favorite new network show in years.

44 minutes ago, Chatty Cake said:

Where’s Hetty? And Throfinn? I’m still enjoying the show but miss those two. 

If TPTB were nimble enough, I bet they could easily multiply their viewer eyeballs by a power of some huge number if they spun off another show to follow this one like CBS does with all it's crime shows. Rose McIver adds a lot to the series, and I know they can't clone her, but I see her presence as part of their smart casting rather than that she's carrying the whole show 
--although I hate zombies and did love iZombie mostly because of McIver (until I went on chemo halfway through the 2nd season and couldn't stomach the zombies eating brains).
But these days with pandemic protocols and supply shortages, I don't think they could rustle up a second show very quickly. 
Would they call it "More Ghosts"?

 

[DanaK]

Lots of fun in this episode

[Bruinsfan]

I too loved that the ghosts and Jay are forming their own friendships; it makes him feel more a part of the show rather than an uninvolved observer.

It was also sweet that everyone was supportive of Isaac and Nigel getting closer. Though I suppose we didn't get the takes of the ghosts most likely to disapprove of a romance—Hetty and Trevor.

[Blakeston]

I think Trevor's reaction would be, "Get it where you can, bro!"

I thought it was awful of Sam to lie like that. She knew Jay was going through a hard time, and she knew how desperate the ghosts are for  entertainment. 

She should have just said, "I'm only willing to do this one night a week, for X amount of time."

[iMonrey]

Quote

Where’s Hetty? And Throfinn? I’m still enjoying the show but miss those two. 

Those are easily two of my favorite ghost characters, I wish I knew why they have been absent of late. There are other ghosts who have been in every episode, including Flower, who I don't think really adds much to the show. 

It strikes me as rather "woke" that Sasappis speaks perfectly normal, contemporary English. I understand the show does not want to get a lot of complaints about the portrayal of a Native American by having him speak old-school, 1940s western-style Indian dialogue like Tonto. But a lot of the humor of the U.K. show is that the characters still speak in the dialect of their time period, and Thorfinn still speaks (more or less) like a Viking from the 10th century. So I guess they're not too worried about offending any Vikings out there.

As for Isaac, I liked the backstory, but we never did learn how he died. His story was more or less cribbed from his counterpart in the U.K. series, which is a WWI officer, whose closeted nature is implied in a much more subtle way. And what did Isaac's last name turn out to be? I can't even remember but it was hilarious. So was the fact that Nigel had to be "piped" in and out of everywhere.

The writing on the mirror trick was also employed in the U.K. version but I got a bigger kick out of it here. 

[Kiddvideo]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

As for Isaac, I liked the backstory, but we never did learn how he died.

I thought he died of dysentery? They had the joke in the first episode that any time someone walked through him they could smell the stench. This was prior to Sam’s fall, and she/Jay each accused the other of having “dealt it.” (Quotes mine.)

[Daff]

I didn’t read above yet, as I just started the episode. I had to pause to comment on the “young British officer” in Isaac’s newly invented gun sight. Isaac didn’t have to pull the trigger; the way the kid was wiggling that straight razor, he was going to decapitate himself!!!! 

[AnimeMania]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

As for Isaac, I liked the backstory, but we never did learn how he died.

Isaac died of dysentery and in this episode he told everybody to stop washing their hands. He should have told everybody, but the cook, to stop washing their hands.

[tennisgurl]

Aww Isaac and Nigel are really cute, they finally made a teeny tiny step after a few hundred years. I really like how they are exploring each ghost every episode, and while they play a lot of things for laughs there is still still a lot of sincerity there as well. I really like how much having Sam and Jay around has changed things for them, it must be amazing to have such a static existence for so long only to now have all of these new experiences to explore. 

I love that Jay and the ghosts are bonding and how much fun they all had playing DnD, I really appreciate how much Jay has just accepted the ghosts now and how much they try to include him in things even if he cant actually see or hear them. I hope that Throfinn comes back soon, I would think he'd love to fight some front giants. The ghosts really do need to come up with a different way to communicate with them though. "That was actually chilling." 

I laughed every time Nigel insisted on the piper playing them off every time they left a room. 

[Gimmick Genius]

5 hours ago, iMonrey said:

it was hilarious. So was the fact that Nigel had to be "piped" in and out of everywhere.

Mrs Genius noticed that the piper had a sabre blade sticking out of his gut.

I noted an error late in the show and I suspect it was an actor's error. When Isaac first describes his new "Eye-saac" invention to his men, he explains that he took a musket and attached a spyglass (what we'd call a telescope) to it. But late in the show he told Nigel it was  musket and a looking glass. Looking glass is old-timey speak for a mirror, not a telescope. Since the writers had it right the first time, I think it was Brandon Scott Jones's mistake.

[possibilities]

11 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

But these days with pandemic protocols and supply shortages, I don't think they could rustle up a second show very quickly. 
Would they call it "More Ghosts"?

It could be like CSI:Miami . Ghosts: Farm In Nebraska. Ghosts: Mansion in Maine. Ghosts: Brownstone in Brooklyn. Ghosts: Dormitory at Harvard.

[Zanne]

17 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

But these days with pandemic protocols and supply shortages, I don't think they could rustle up a second show very quickly. 
Would they call it "More Ghosts"?

 

5 hours ago, possibilities said:

It could be like CSI:Miami . Ghosts: Farm In Nebraska. Ghosts: Mansion in Maine. Ghosts: Brownstone in Brooklyn. Ghosts: Dormitory at Harvard.

Jay and Sam could go on short vacations for a small string of webisodes over the summer and/or hiatus.

[peachmangosteen]

22 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Those are easily two of my favorite ghost characters, I wish I knew why they have been absent of late. There are other ghosts who have been in every episode, including Flower, who I don't think really adds much to the show. 

I don't think Flower has been in every ep. I feel like Isaac, Alberta, Pete, and Trevor are the ghosts that have been in every ep. Although maybe Flower has. She's normally such a minimal appearance that maybe I'm just forgetting a short shot of her from an ep or 2.

I haven't been as enamored with this show as most. I want to like it more than I actually do. But this episode was really fun and probably my fave so far.

[Daff]

Ok, so Isaac ended up shooting Nigel anyway-just not on purpose! This was another very funny episode, with heart. I loved how Sam quickly disarmed Nigel by completely capitulating (she REALLY didn’t want them in the house). Kind of “old school” comedy, Isaac building us up with his laments of “how can I possibly tell him” and worry over how Nigel would take the news, but it didn’t come across as corny here. It would be really interesting to get Thorfin’s take on D&D. He surely would understand that it’s a fantasy game at the table, but would he think the monsters and hazards really exist out in the world, beyond the house?

[Blakeston]

17 hours ago, possibilities said:

It could be like CSI:Miami . Ghosts: Farm In Nebraska. Ghosts: Mansion in Maine. Ghosts: Brownstone in Brooklyn. Ghosts: Dormitory at Harvard.

The Maine series should be set in Cabot Cove. With all of the dead bodies there, it could have the biggest cast of any sitcom in American history!

[Daff]

33 minutes ago, Blakeston said:

The Maine series should be set in Cabot Cove. With all of the dead bodies there, it could have the biggest cast of any sitcom in American history!

Or, spookier, a Stephen King location….

[emma675]

This show gets more fun every episode, I really, really hope it gets picked up again. 

I did miss Thorafin and Hetty (or is it Hattie?), though, I hope they're back soon.

Sassapis and Alberta were so fun this time, especially their reactions in the background. I love that they were both into D&D and it wasn't just Pete. Jay getting to connect with everyone was fun, but I really hope he can actually see them all at some point.

Oh, Issac. I'm happy he and Nigel made some progress after so many years and I love how supportive everyone is. Nigel and his fife playing buddy were great.

Edited November 20, 2021 by emma675d

[possibilities]

6 hours ago, Daff said:

Or, spookier, a Stephen King location….

Perhaps his very own house. Him seeing ghosts would explain a lot.

[Snow Apple]

Ohhhh. Maybe Stephen King can make a guest appearance. Sam is interviewing him for an article or something. He can casually toss out a "Hi guys" to the ghosts, or wave to them as he's leaving.

[Annber03]

2 minutes ago, Snow Apple said:

Ohhhh. Maybe Stephen King can make a guest appearance. Sam is interviewing him for an article or something. He can casually toss out a "Hi guys" to the ghosts, or wave to them as he's leaving.

Okay, I really want this to happen now :D. 

[Zanne]

There is the belief that ghostly energy can be connected to objects rather than locations. It would be interesting to see Jay and Sam go antiquing and bring in new ghosts should this show get more seasons - some of the original ghosts might get, y'know, sucked off when they resolve their personal issues so new blood might be needed.

[SmithW6079]

16 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I haven't been as enamored with this show as most. I want to like it more than I actually do. But this episode was really fun and probably my fave so far.

Me either. I really don't think it's all that good, but it's not a disagreeable way to spend 30 minutes. I realized that it's actually Sam I find annoying. Maybe it's the way the actress plays her. I like Jay and most of the ghosts. They really need him to have a near-death experience so he can interact with the ghosts without her. It would also be an interesting storyline when she discovers the ghosts like him better.

 

1 hour ago, Zanne said:

There is the belief that ghostly energy can be connected to objects rather than locations. It would be interesting to see Jay and Sam go antiquing and bring in new ghosts should this show get more seasons - some of the original ghosts might get, y'know, sucked off when they resolve their personal issues so new blood might be needed.

The last thing this show needs is additions to its bloated cast. None of the core ghosts are ever going to be "sucked off." They already had a chance with Thorfin and Flower. Fiinding his bones and her finding out that the money she stole went to a good cause, respectively, seemed like they would have been closure events, but they chose not to have them leave.

[shapeshifter]

7 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

None of the core ghosts are ever going to be "sucked off." They already had a chance with Thorfin and Flower. Fiinding his bones and her finding out that the money she stole went to a good cause, respectively, seemed like they would have been closure events, but they chose not to have them leave.

If some of the core ghosts’ actors do not renew their contracts for another season, they can easily be explained away at the start of the new season by a bit of dialogue explaining that ghosts often need extra time for closure. For instance, Flower’s choices about the stolen money really did wind up doing the greatest good, but it could take awhile for her to believe that, especially since Flower is a ghost of 50+ years who has likely seen seemingly good outcomes turns bad.

Or, if TPTB actually do spin off Ghosts Take Manhattan  including some of the current cast members, there could be some explanation such as, for instance, Thorfin’s bones having been fished out of the lake and moved to a museum in Manhattan, so Thorfin haunts there now.

They could have crossovers in which Sam visits the museum. The possibilities are endless——but I’ll stop for now.👻

Edited November 21, 2021 by shapeshifter

[Bruinsfan]

Pete forgiving his wife (while probably not missing her so much now that he knows she cheated with his best friend) and seeing his daughter and namesake was also a prime situation for passing on to the great beyond. If the actor ever leaves I don't know what they could come up with as a better explanation for him resolving his issues.

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, Bruinsfan said:

Pete forgiving his wife (while probably not missing her so much now that he knows she cheated with his best friend) and seeing his daughter and namesake was also a prime situation for passing on to the great beyond. If the actor ever leaves I don't know what they could come up with as a better explanation for him resolving his issues.

Right. So if Pete (Richie Moriarty) left the show at a later date, they could give a throwaway line about how he couldn't be free to be "sucked off"😜 until he had completely forgiven his wife and that it took awhile, but he finally had completely forgiven her.

[Sakura12]

Pete didn't know about his wife's affair until recently. So that couldn't be the reason he's still here. I think it would be forgiving the girl that accidently shot him. He died and missed out on his life. 

[possibilities]

12 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

I really don't think it's all that good, but it's not a disagreeable way to spend 30 minutes. I realized that it's actually Sam I find annoying. Maybe it's the way the actress plays her.

I also don't love it. It's okay, but I'm kind of blah on it. I don't blame Rose McIver, though. I've seen her in other roles and she's always been good, nothing like she is here, and so I think I'm going to blame the director for whatever she's doing as Sam on this show.

[SmithW6079]

15 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

If some of the core ghosts’ actors do not renew their contracts for another season, they can easily be explained away at the start of the new season by a bit of dialogue explaining that ghosts often need extra time for closure. 

An actor leaving is an external factor. I'm talking organically within the show's universe that it's unlikely any of the regular character ghosts will get "sucked off" and move on.

[chaifan]

On 11/19/2021 at 11:18 AM, iMonrey said:

It strikes me as rather "woke" that Sasappis speaks perfectly normal, contemporary English. I understand the show does not want to get a lot of complaints about the portrayal of a Native American by having him speak old-school, 1940s western-style Indian dialogue like Tonto.

This never even occurred to me as to the reason for Sasappis' modern speech, but I think you're right.  It would have been incredibly difficult to have him speaking appropriate to his era and it not coming off as offensive.  They did the same thing with the female Native American in the last episode - she was also speaking completely modern English.  But I don't really think it's "woke", it's just a creative solution to avoid a potential problem.  Whatever the reason, it allowed for the fabulous fake-out at the beginning of the Halloween episode.  That was great!

Communicating with Jay...  we've already seen Trevor using the computer, so that would be the most obvious solution.  Have a laptop open to a Word document at all times.  Or, they could use an old typewriter.  Or a zen sand garden.  Or a hotel desk bell that Trevor hits to announce their presence or answer yes/no questions.  Lots of options. 

[Snow Apple]

It seems to take a lot out of Trever to move objects but hopefully it'll get easier with practice. I bet he'd love texting. Can you imagine his conversations with Jay?

[Daff]

On 11/21/2021 at 3:00 AM, SmithW6079 said:

I realized that it's actually Sam I find annoying.

Can you explain her mannerisms/actions that you find irritating? I kind of like her, and after the first episode, I realized she reminds me of Amy Adams. 

[Bruinsfan]

I've always liked Rose McIver, but she's really turned the charm up in this series.

Though really I find myself liking all the characters except Flower, and enjoying time spent on them.

[Annber03]

3 minutes ago, Bruinsfan said:

Though really I find myself liking all the characters except Flower, and enjoying time spent on them.

I did like Flower's reaction to the "war" between the ghosts this episode: "I'm a pacifist, but even I would like to see a little more action." :D. 

I don't mind her, myself, but I can see where she'd be a bit much for some. 

[madmax]

On 11/18/2021 at 9:53 PM, Sakura12 said:

I like that Alberta and Sassapis also enjoyed playing D&D. I'm thinking Thorfin would've been fun with since he probably wouldn't understand that its not a real raid. So I don't know where he was. 

Thorfin would have been perfect for D&D.  They should have done this episode when he was available.

On 11/19/2021 at 9:56 AM, Blakeston said:

She should have just said, "I'm only willing to do this one night a week, for X amount of time."

Exactly.  Even after she agreed to do it, she should have set up some compromise.  Who the hell wants to sit there for hours translating?

On 11/19/2021 at 11:18 AM, iMonrey said:

It strikes me as rather "woke" that Sasappis speaks perfectly normal, contemporary English. I understand the show does not want to get a lot of complaints about the portrayal of a Native American by having him speak old-school, 1940s western-style Indian dialogue like Tonto. But a lot of the humor of the U.K. show is that the characters still speak in the dialect of their time period, and Thorfinn still speaks (more or less) like a Viking from the 10th century. So I guess they're not too worried about offending any Vikings out there.

My original fanwank was that Sasappis picked up everyone else's language, but that doesn't explain Thorfin.  So yeah, they just must not want to offend Native Americans.  

This show is really growing on me.  At first it was amusing, but there were some really funny moments in this one.

[kwnyc]

Quote

Where’s Hetty? And Throfinn? I’m still enjoying the show but miss those two. 

I wonder if some actors were signed to "recurring" rather than "regular" contracts, in order to be able to produce a big-cast show. 

[North of Eden]

On 11/18/2021 at 10:13 PM, Kiddvideo said:

This is easily my favorite new network show in years.

 Me too!

This might have been the best episode yet. This show just has such a unique charm to it. Glad to see the ratings held steady this week.

I appreciate the husband was trying to be a part of things instead of running away from it. If we can be honest Tony Nelson of I DREAM OF JEANNIE and especially Darren Stevens of BEWITCHED could be a couple of anal stick in the mud jackasses when it came to the magic and supernatural.

The husband’s attitude this episode was a refreshing change from the trope above.

Three episodes now without Hettie and two without the Viking and yet the singer and stock broker have yet to miss an episode…they must work cheap LOL.

[tennisgurl]

On 11/19/2021 at 10:18 AM, iMonrey said:

It strikes me as rather "woke" that Sasappis speaks perfectly normal, contemporary English. I understand the show does not want to get a lot of complaints about the portrayal of a Native American by having him speak old-school, 1940s western-style Indian dialogue like Tonto. But

Its because Sasappis is actually an account from the 90s who died at a Halloween party...

[possibilities]

I'm actually annoyed by how they have Thorfin speak. It doesn't make him "authentic". It makes him absurd, and not in a fun way.