S01.E09: Alberta's Fan

[emma675]

12 hours ago, possibilities said:

Also... for the pantsless guy... what was he doing there? We know about the others, including Flower. But if the house was a private residence for Sam's aunt in recent years, it's really quite surprising to think he would be there. 

Trevor said in an earlier episode that he died while at a party on the property. Maybe Sam's relative rented out the house or parts of the property for events over the years to make money? 

I must have been the only one not worried about Alberta getting sucked off (oh, Trevor, hehe) when she started to become famous towards the end. I feel like she needs to figure out who killed her and why to complete her journey. 

Also, I can imagine Sam has described the ghosts and their appearances to Jay over time. So he has a good idea of what they look like. He referred to Pete as "arrow guy" over the first few episodes and he knew Trevor was pantsless, so Sam described that to him.

[Kiddvideo]

I can’t see them getting rid of any ghosts yet. We’re only halfway through the first season, the show is popular, and the ghosts all have roles that contribute to different times in history or different functions (like Trevor and Pete; they’re roughly contemporaries, but Pete is the old-fashioned family guy and Trevor the hedonist single.) I think the writers have some luxury and can save the dramatic events for later when needed.

(Except Crash, but I get the feeling he’s been Judy Winslow’d.)

[kwnyc]

If Crash ever finds his head, he's gonna have a THING OR TWO to say to the others!

[Katy M]

10 minutes ago, Kiddvideo said:

I can’t see them getting rid of any ghosts yet. We’re only halfway through the first season, the show is popular, and the ghosts all have roles that contribute to different times in history or different functions (like Trevor and Pete; they’re roughly contemporaries, but Pete is the old-fashioned family guy and Trevor the hedonist single.) I think the writers have some luxury and can save the dramatic events for later when needed.

(Except Crash, but I get the feeling he’s been Judy Winslow’d.)

And it's not like they can bring on new ghosts to replace the old ones.  So, yeah, I don't see anyone getting "sucked off" in the near future.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 12/3/2021 at 1:11 PM, Blakeston said:

They should have just said that the chicken was past the expiration date, but not wildly so.

Exactly.

[Bruinsfan]

15 hours ago, possibilities said:

Also... for the pantsless guy... what was he doing there? We know about the others, including Flower. But if the house was a private residence for Sam's aunt in recent years, it's really quite surprising to think he would be there.

It would have been what, 25 to 30 years ago? I hope Trevor was the visiting younger boytoy of Sam's relative that we saw passing away at the start of the series.

 

5 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I also like the idea of having a B&B theme based on the ghosts. Better yet, they could advertise the place as haunted. People love that sort of thing, they'd have ghost hunters flocking to their house right and left. And some of the ghosts can actually make their presence known.

The Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs has ghost tours, historical plays, special events, and stuff all over its marketing materials. And after Ghost Hunters did an episode there its rates nearly doubled.

[Browncoat]

I loved this episode.  So much goodness!  Thorfinn and Hetty were great, and Isaac's snark is spot on.

If they still have the flask that had the strychnine/moonshine in it, they could have it tested to be sure that it was poisoned.

Re: the chicken dinner -- I've stayed at a lot of B&Bs and have never been served dinner, nor have I expected to be served dinner.  Or lunch, either, for that matter.  One fancy one had a cocktail hour with light hors d'oeuvres, but it was more like a charcuterie than an actual meal.  And did they only cook enough for the crazy guy?  What did Sam and Jay eat?  Plus, as most of you have said, if that chicken had been cooked properly, it would have been perfectly fine to eat.  

 

[peace355]

On 12/4/2021 at 8:04 AM, possibilities said:

I think this is the first thing I've seen where the ghosts don't actually know how they died. Alberta thought she was murdered, but she wasn't sure, and she still doesn't know who or why exactly. And apparently none of the other ghosts were witnesses.

 

 

 

Well Alberta said she had to drag suitcase from hotel, as she wasn't allowed to stay in house, so it's possible someone slipped the poison in the bottle at her hotel so the other ghosts didn't see what happened and assumed heart attack.

[Daff]

On 12/3/2021 at 11:10 AM, iMonrey said:

Yeah, that bugged me too. It was only "sell by" on that day so what's the problem?

Actually, that’s most often found on dairy. For meat, it actually says “use or freeze by”. Even if the date was yesterday, you’d still be ok if you cook it to temperature. These days, there should be no undercooked meat problems because instant-read, digital thermometers are so cheap!

[iMonrey]

Quote

Considering Alberta was probably poisoned with sketchy booze while she was a singer in the roaring 20s, the house might have been a Speakeasy at the time where she was performing. I bet Hetty would have loved that...

Yes, on re-watch, Alberta said she was performing at the house. I don't think the house had turned into a Speakeasy, necessarily. I think the owner might have just been giving a party where Alberta was invited to sing. She also said she had to stay at a nearby motel because "racism," i.e. she wasn't invited to stay at the house. 

[quirkygal]

On 12/4/2021 at 12:57 PM, iMonrey said:

Except in an earlier episode, when Sam got out her laptop, he wanted her to look at his stocks, which were in Blockbuster and some other defunct company.

Blockbuster, Enron, and Radio Shack.  

I remember because the banks or law firms where I was working were involved in the bankruptcies...

[emma675]

1 hour ago, quirkygal said:

Blockbuster, Enron, and Radio Shack.  

I thought it was Circuit City, not Radio Shack?

[quirkygal]

58 minutes ago, emma675 said:

I thought it was Circuit City, not Radio Shack?

Possibly. Excellent memory.

[CattyK]

I like the show so much, I’m already rewatching from the beginning.  The stocks were circuit city, Enron , and blockbuster.  (I was positive it was radio shack before I rewatched ep 3).   
also in ep 3 Alberta asks about “this Spotify thing” and wonders if she is on it because “I’d love to listen to some of my old recordings.”  In ep 2 she said she’d made an album, the title was “Bonsoir”.  
 

I had also forgotten that Sam went for a doctor visit, and talked to a ghost doctor who told her he’d seen someone else with her condition 85 years ago.  That was pretty funny.  

[Scarlett45]

I loved how excited Alberta got when she realized so many people were listening to her music. It was sweet and heartwarming. 

[kathyk24]

i loved this episode and can't wait to learn who murdered Alberta. Isaac was really jealous of her it was not a good look for him. I liked Sam's rant about food expiration dates. I've heard people say that in real life.                                                      

[shapeshifter]

I'm doing a rewatch of Season 1.
This episode made me want Sam & Jay to have a child who can see ghosts, although they said it was a small percentage of children who could.
Maybe Sam & Jay could expand their B&B idea to include a daycare center?
Or just maybe a B&B child visitor will see the ghosts and hilarity will ensue.
Of course, there could also be an adult visitor who sees ghosts, who Sam can bond with. 
Maybe someone who is using the B&B as a sort of hospice for a death-with-dignity situation, since the show doesn't shy away from tragedy in the midst of the comedy?

[redpencil]

10 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Of course, there could also be an adult visitor who sees ghosts, who Sam can bond with. 

I love this. Like a guest who sees ghosts (and has been able to for awhile) and tries to keep it on the down low because they are used to it, and hilarity ensues as they each try to hide it from each other.

[Neptune]

35 minutes ago, redpencil said:

I love this. Like a guest who sees ghosts (and has been able to for awhile) and tries to keep it on the down low because they are used to it, and hilarity ensues as they each try to hide it from each other.

Melinda Gordon?

[The Crazed Spruce]

On 9/12/2022 at 11:37 PM, redpencil said:

I love this. Like a guest who sees ghosts (and has been able to for awhile) and tries to keep it on the down low because they are used to it, and hilarity ensues as they each try to hide it from each other.

I'm holding out hope that Allison and Mike from the UK version show up for a crossover.

[ajsnaves]

2 hours ago, The Crazed Spruce said:

I'm holding out hope that Allison and Mike from the UK version show up for a crossover.

And then have them realize they both have an “arrow guy”? I mean, think of the odds. Now I have to see this. 

[Sandy42159]

Alberta can belt it out. She reminds me of Shirly Bassey.

 

 

 

 

[LexieLily]

"He is historian who's not here to study Isaac." Snerk XD.

Petty and frustrated-that-he's-a-literal-footnote-in-history-Isaac is my favorite Isaac. His amusement as Todd became more creepy and unhinged over the course of the episode was hilarious, almost as much as Trevor being annoyed at Todd staying the night in his room (they have a rotating system! How do the ghosts sleep?) and Alberta's abject horror at Todd's back tattoo of her face. 

Todd did come through at the end in his own way - I loved how happy Alberta was at her vindication that she was murdered and her absolute and utter glee as the YouTube views went up and up and up was so, so good to see. She did end up making her father's struggles worth it after all <3

Would strychnine be evident in a bottle of moonshine from the 1920s, to show up in a blood test more than a hundred years later? The little of strychnine I know from Forensic Files and true-crime shows, it doesn't present as a heart attack.

On 12/3/2021 at 12:16 AM, CattyK said:

I love this show so much.  Thorfinn’s lullabies actually made me tear up.  And Hetty saying he was there for her when no one else was.  

This show is so good that it makes Thor singing a good-night lullaby about pillaging villages and stabbing Danish men heartwarming, violent, and funny all at the same time. I never stopped to think of it before, that of all the ghosts Hetty was the one to grow up in Woodstone Estate, get married and live her married life in Woodstone Estate, and die in that house or close to the house, and if Thor was there watching over her all of that time, Sasappis and Isaac were there too. That puts an entirely new angle on the backstory of the four oldest ghosts :/ I loved the look on Hetty's face as she remembered, and her talk with Thor afterwards was so sweet, with her admission that Thor/Gordon was there for her when no one else was. Poor Thor, Isaac and Sass had to be around to watch Hetty's marriage to her philandering husband, too :(

LOL at Thor trying to sing the lullaby to her again in this afterlife and both of them almost immediately agreeing it was weird XD 

You know what, though? This show can be a good history lesson if you think about it: thanks to Hetty and her walk with Alberta and Sam and the other ghosts I had something to do at the end of the episode: look up what laudanum was.
 

On 12/2/2021 at 11:49 PM, CrazyDog said:

The guy at the end helping them carry the creepo out...lol. Jay and Sam's oddness must be generating some fun gossip in the town.

Honestly, this sort of thing where another Living walks into the room when Sam is mid-conversation with the ghosts has happened enough by now that Sam really, really should invest in some earpods or headphones so she can pretend to work or be talking to her editor when Mark the contractor or other non-Jay people are around. Eventually their B&B will have guests that are less creepy than Todd :p.

[Annber03]

15 hours ago, LexieLily said:

"He is historian who's not here to study Isaac." Snerk XD.

Petty and frustrated-that-he's-a-literal-footnote-in-history-Isaac is my favorite Isaac. His amusement as Todd became more creepy and unhinged over the course of the episode was hilarious, almost as much as Trevor being annoyed at Todd staying the night in his room (they have a rotating system! How do the ghosts sleep?) and Alberta's abject horror at Todd's back tattoo of her face. 

"Thank you, Thor!" XD. So helpful and supportive, these ghosts, LOL. 

But yeah, I will forever love him snarking the hell out of Todd when he's going through Alberta's things :D. I do like the hint of genuine concern in him pointing out how "off" Todd was, though - yeah, he's having fun at Alberta's expense, and as I said before in this thread, I appreciate him making a point of apologizing to her about that later, but I do like that his antenna is up about this guy right away and he's trying to give her a heads up about him, too. 

I also like the way Trevor clutches Alberta's arm during the whole thing with the toenail, like he's trying to keep her steady. Yeah, these people don't want Todd there just 'cause he's weird in general, but I do like the subtle hint that they're trying to protect Alberta from his weirdness, too. 

Quote

Would strychnine be evident in a bottle of moonshine from the 1920s, to show up in a blood test more than a hundred years later? The little of strychnine I know from Forensic Files and true-crime shows, it doesn't present as a heart attack.

I've wondered about that, too :p! 

Quote

 I loved the look on Hetty's face as she remembered, and her talk with Thor afterwards was so sweet, with her admission that Thor/Gordon was there for her when no one else was. 

I just love how this storyline didn't go where you expected it to. Thor's awkwardness around her early on, it'd be natural to assume they had a romantic history, but no, they went this route instead, and it made the story that much more poignant and sweet :'). 

But yeah, it is fascinating to get these glimpses into how the older ghosts connect versus how the younger ones do - so many different ways in which these ghosts can bond with each other, that's part of what makes the interaction between them so fun and interesting :). 

I like your earbuds/headphones idea for Sam XD. 

Edited June 6, 2023 by Annber03

[possibilities]

There's another current show (Not Dead Yet) where the main character talks to ghosts and she uses the headphones trick. She still comes off a bit odd at times to bystanders, though anyway. It does help, though!

I really wish the show would do more episodes where they show us the early days (before Sam and Jay), not just tell us about it. I guess they don't want to sidline the characters who weren't around during past events, but the tidbits they drop are so interesting, and I'd really like to see more of them.

[Annber03]

27 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I really wish the show would do more episodes where they show us the early days (before Sam and Jay), not just tell us about it. I guess they don't want to sidline the characters who weren't around during past events, but the tidbits they drop are so interesting, and I'd really like to see more of them.

Maybe they're saving up to explore some of that backstory further next season and beyond, depending on how long the show runs? I hope so, 'cause yeah, I'd love to see more glimpses into that stuff, too. 

[Mabinogia]

17 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Maybe they're saving up to explore some of that backstory further next season and beyond, depending on how long the show runs? I hope so, 'cause yeah, I'd love to see more glimpses into that stuff, too. 

I'd love to see more of what it was like for Hetty growing up, like, when she was very little did she see Isaac, Thor and Sass? I would love it if she did, and then as she got older she forgot. I'd love to see how they interacted with her and how they reacted when she stopped seeing them/believing in them. I think having a ghost who grew up in the house and could potentially have known the ghosts when she was a human child opens up a lot of story options. 

I also want to see when each of them became ghosts, their reactions, and how the existing ghosts brought them into the fold. Is there some kind of ritual? What if they clashed in the beginning. Sure they are a family now, but when you're trapped somewhere for eternity and someone shows up that you don't gel with right away...DRAMA!!!!

Really, the concept of the show, and the chemistry between all the actors offer so much possibility. I love when they pair up ghosts that aren't usually together.