S01.E17: Attic Girl

[shapeshifter]

On 4/15/2022 at 8:56 AM, basil said:

Hetty wasn't trapped. She aggressively possessed Jay.

46 minutes ago, mojito said:

I thought Jay was shocked and fell back onto Hetty.

I did rewatch the Possession episode, and, yes, Jay was electrically shocked and fell backwards onto Hetty, which initiated the possession of his body by Hetty.
However, Hetty did not want to get exorcised from Jay because she was able to taste food for the first time in over a hundred years. 
Then she decided to got to Paris in Jay's body against his and Sam's wishes, but which caused her to get thrown out of Jay's body when it crossed the property line. 
The End. (more or less)

Ooo. Interesting alternate ending: Jay dies when the car hits the tree and winds up living with Sam and the others in Ghost form.

 

[kwnyc]

23 hours ago, Driad said:

Did they really say that when she wakes up, she is only awake for one day? 

How "Brigadoon" of her! ;-)

[msani19]

You guys, "getting sucked off" will never NOT make me laugh. I have to admit the first time I heard it on the show I was like ummm, what! Makes it even funnier because they totally know what they are doing and lean into the joke but without overdoing it.

I didn't expect to like this show as much. The cast, the stories, the pacing, the humor, are so good. There is so much potential for ghosts and B&B guests. 

I found attic girl absolutely terrible, so I'm glad she won't be on regularly. 

[SmithW6079]

On 4/18/2022 at 8:16 PM, kathyk24 said:

I hope that Sam and Jay are able to make the B&B a success. It's a tired trope that blue collar people can never get ahead. It would be fun to see the ghosts interact with the guests.

Jay is a chef, and Sam is a writer. Those aren't blue collar professions.

I think Hetty's undying hatred of the Irish is hilarious. 

I'm not a fan of the whole "sucked off" bit. We get it. Trevor fooled a bunch of fellow ghosts with a phrase they didn't understand. I find its repeated use childish and immature. And I say that as someone who often enjoys childish and immature humor. Maybe because it's a sexual innuendo. 

[kathyk24]

34 minutes ago, SmithW6079 said:

Jay is a chef, and Sam is a writer. Those aren't blue collar professions.

I think Hetty's undying hatred of the Irish is hilarious. 

I'm not a fan of the whole "sucked off" bit. We get it. Trevor fooled a bunch of fellow ghosts with a phrase they didn't understand. I find its repeated use childish and immature. And I say that as someone who often enjoys childish and immature humor. Maybe because it's a sexual innuendo. 

Sam and Jay aren't rich I used blue collar to contrast them with wealthy characters who get away with everything like JR Ewing.

[The Crazed Spruce]

1 hour ago, SmithW6079 said:

I'm not a fan of the whole "sucked off" bit. We get it. Trevor fooled a bunch of fellow ghosts with a phrase they didn't understand. I find its repeated use childish and immature. And I say that as someone who often enjoys childish and immature humor. Maybe because it's a sexual innuendo. 

I'm pretty sure they came up with the term "sucked off" looooooooong before Trevor's heart exploded. He just found it absolutely hilarious, and never corrected them.

[chaifan]

3 hours ago, msani19 said:

You guys, "getting sucked off" will never NOT make me laugh. I have to admit the first time I heard it on the show I was like ummm, what!

I watched the British version first, and it was used on that show.  And I was all "oh, there's no way that's going to get through the US censors, they're going to have to use a different phrase."  And, nope, I was wrong.  I was really surprised they get away with it on the US show. 

[SmithW6079]

23 hours ago, kathyk24 said:

Sam and Jay aren't rich I used blue collar to contrast them with wealthy characters who get away with everything like JR Ewing.

"Blue collar" has specific connotations. Jay and Sam's contractor is a blue collar worker. Dan Conner from "The Conners" is a blue collar worker. Sam and Jay aren't wealthy, but they still have privileges and access to funds that a Dan Conner wouldn't.

[KarenX]

2 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

"Blue collar" has specific connotations. Jay and Sam's contractor is a blue collar worker. Dan Conner from "The Conners" is a blue collar worker. Sam and Jay aren't wealthy, but they still have privileges and access to funds that a Dan Conner wouldn't.

Starting with actual ownership of a mansion and its land. They aren’t selling and bathing in tubs of money right now because they think running a BnB will be fun. No part of this story ends up with them “losing” although I do think Sam would miss/grieve loss of her ghost family if they sold and moved away.

[CCTC]

On 4/15/2022 at 7:36 AM, kwnyc said:

I thought she looked closer to 30!

Yes - it took a bit off of  the Trevor not wanting to be with her because she was a teen when  she looked older than the original 90201 kids and far from being a minor.

I liked the episode in general, but never did warm-up to Stephanie.  I would not mind if she did not have another episode where she awakens.

Hetty also had the line delivery -- about what are the chances she would get sucked off at prom - that was perfect.

[Scarlett45]

On 4/15/2022 at 1:27 AM, Izzy85 said:

This was a great episode. I just love Jay so so much 🥰. He just goes with it, 🤷‍♀️. It's random, but my favorite moment was when he got excited when Sam told him Pete was there and then how bummed he got when she told him he had left, 😆 

I loved that too!

I am really enjoying this show and reading all your comments here, although I am months behind. 
 

I am debating if I am going to watch “live” in the fall or binge, given one weekday “live show” commitment ended last season. 

[Paloma]

On 4/20/2022 at 2:01 PM, SmithW6079 said:

I'm not a fan of the whole "sucked off" bit. We get it. Trevor fooled a bunch of fellow ghosts with a phrase they didn't understand. I find its repeated use childish and immature.

I'm with you. It was funny the first couple of times, but then it just started annoying me because, as you said, it is childish (or teenage-ish) and immature. I'd like to see the writers come up with a way for the ghosts to start using a new phrase, though I suspect we are stuck with this, 

[Stats Queen]

On 11/2/2022 at 10:34 PM, Paloma said:

I'm with you. It was funny the first couple of times, but then it just started annoying me because, as you said, it is childish (or teenage-ish) and immature. I'd like to see the writers come up with a way for the ghosts to start using a new phrase, though I suspect we are stuck with this, 

But it’s all Trevor has…

[Snow Apple]

I wonder if we'll see Attic Girl again now that prom season is only a few months away. She was mean but I still want to find out what happened to her boyfriend, the killer, and what her unfinished business is. I don't want the regulars to get sucked up (sorry, hehe) but it will be nice to have an episode to finish her story.

[kav]

I read somewhere that Attic ghost will appear this season.

[Katy M]

On 3/18/2023 at 1:27 PM, kav said:

I read somewhere that Attic ghost will appear this season.

Theoretically she should pop up once a year.  If not, some explanation needs to be made.  Maybe she gets sucked off in her sleep.

[Johannah]

Well, they don't need to make an explanation.  If someone asks later, they can just say she didn't do anything interesting, so why waste camera time.

I'm talking like these are real people and it's reality tv.

Anyway, looks like she'll be on the next episode or something...

[Mabinogia]

4 hours ago, Johann said:

Well, they don't need to make an explanation.  If someone asks later, they can just say she didn't do anything interesting, so why waste camera time.

Yeah, if they don't have a storyline for her, they can just handwave that she just stayed in her attic and since no one goes up to see her, we don't see her. I mean, other than Nancy we don't really see the rest of the basement ghosts, and we rarely see the other Brits now that Nigel has moved to the mansion, and when was the last time we saw the headless ghost, was it Crash? 

Personally, I'd be fine never seeing Attic Girl again. I wasn't a fan. But if they can come up with a good story for her, then fine. I didn't dislike the actress, just found the character annoying AF. 

[LexieLily]

I wondered if maybe there was another mean girl at Stephanie's high school that outranked her and that girl looked like Sam or reminded Stephanie of Sam, and that might explain why Stephanie went after Sam with no real provocation - Sam didn't even know there was an attic ghost until they met in the kitchen. But in the kitchen Hetty said in front of Stephanie that Trevor was in love with Sam and it made sense.

Stephanie has a crush on Trevor and Sam is her competition. That's why she didn't want either of the Livings at Ghost Prom.

(Trevor shutting down Steph with the quickness every time she came near him was both funny and awesome to see. He said it himself - they might have been born in the same year technically but he was an adult when he died and she was not and for all of Trevor's tendencies there are lines he won't cross.)

Stephanie's "prank" was designed for maximum impact and not lighthearted at all like Hetty gave consent for, and it was so good to see how all of our ghosts immediately went to have one of their ghost meetings when it was clear Sam got hurt by what they did. It amused me more than it should have that Pete spelled out the word h-e-c-k when he yelled at Stephanie, lol.

Loved Jay right there ready to give the ghosts (again, ghosts he can't see or hear :p) a piece of his mind for hurting his wife. 

"No one calls my descendant a jerkwad, which from context I take to be some sort of derision." Aw, Hetty XD. 

On 4/14/2022 at 9:50 PM, emma675 said:

I legit started crying when Sam was walking down the stairs at ghost prom. Jay did good, giving her that moment.

I was already getting choked up when Jay bought her that corsage (the best one he found at a supermarket on a Sunday XD) and went outside to ring the doorbell and pick her up properly for "prom," but then THE KISS ME MOMENT WHEN SAM WALKED DOWN THE STAIRS and Jay was waiting for her on the landing and the camera panned back and most all the other ghosts were watching her. Le sigh.

Hetty's blink-and-you-missed-it look of, dare I say pride, when Sam appeared at the top of the stairs in full makeup and her pretty dress, was so, SO good. I don't remember so far if we've learned if Hetty and Elias had a daughter in life, but Sam needs a mother figure and Hetty is there. The Hetty/Sam scene at the end of Sam's Mom is one of my favorites XD

The non-Stephanie plot of Alberta learning her new ghost power of being able to use an Alexa was awesome. Isaac using all his turns to hear it again and again how Hamilton died, Sasappis asking it to send frozen pizzas, and Hetty wanting to know if the Vanderbilts ended up poor were all completely on-brand and I wouldn't have expected less. But, hey, it gave Alberta a newfound respect for what she and the other ghosts put Sam through. YAY.

Sam is going to need to rig that Alexa so the ghosts can't buy things otherwise Sasappis is gonna order hundreds of frozen pizzas 😂

On 4/15/2022 at 11:06 AM, iMonrey said:

I loved how Stephanie was killed in the classic 1980s slasher movie trope. "That mental institution is a mile away!" "Yeah, what's he gonna do, kill two teenagers making out in a car? That's not a thing." Chainsaw murdered. LOL. 

They had all the urban legend tropes: escaped patient from a mental institution, two teenagers parked in a car making out, the breaking-news radio message that an escaped patient escaped, I'm a little bit disappointed they didn't go all the way with it and give the chainsaw murderer a hook hand. 😂

Jay wasn't wrong when he said Ghost Prom sounded like the title to a horror movie, lmao. If Hollywood ever makes a movie about a teenage girl that gets murdered on prom night by a chainsaw-wielding madman and wakes up as a ghost once a year on prom night/the night she died, that's what they should call it :p.

And speaking of prom...

"So do you think she'll get sucked off?"
"Sucked off at prom? I suppose anything's possible."

God, that line was funnier than it had any right to be, lol. Hetty would absolutely rather die (again) than dare ask Trevor what is so funny about being sucked off that he laughs every time one of them say it! 

P.S. = I love that Jay got to use "taking Elias Woodstone's watch off his rotting corpse in the creepy vault" as a way to get out of cleaning the gunk out of the kitchen sink :D

[Mabinogia]

5 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

(Trevor shutting down Steph with the quickness every time she came near him was both funny and awesome to see. He said it himself - they might have been born in the same year technically but he was an adult when he died and she was not and for all of Trevor's tendencies there are lines he won't cross.)

The whole ghost age thing is so interesting to me. Like, Sass has been on the Earth longer than anyone other than Thor, but he is, in many ways, such a young adult while also a literal old soul. Hetty is older than Alberta and Flower but has so much to learn from them because so much was kept from her when she was alive. And I do love and respect Trevor more for acknowledging that while Stephanie is kind of his age, she's also really still a teenager and I'm impressed that that is a line he is willing to draw (impressed because I'm guessing that most of his horrible living friends would have "hit that" as they say. He really was a sweetheart in douchebro clothing. 

[PaulE]

6 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

I do love and respect Trevor more for acknowledging that while Stephanie is kind of his age, she's also really still a teenager and I'm impressed that that is a line he is willing to draw (impressed because I'm guessing that most of his horrible living friends would have "hit that" as they say. He really was a sweetheart in douchebro clothing. 

I remember reading an article somewhere awhile ago that originally Trevor was supposed to be a complete douchebag, but the writers decided to modify his personality slightly based on the added layers Asher Grodman brought to the character.  Similarly, the Isaac/Nigel relationship wasn't necessarily a done deal when they first introduced the Brits, but the chemistry between the two actors was so good the writers wanted to explore it further.  I love the idea that the writers are flexible enough to allow the actors to help shape their characters.  Not all shows are like that.

[Mabinogia]

5 minutes ago, PaulE said:

I love the idea that the writers are flexible enough to allow the actors to help shape their characters.  Not all shows are like that.

Well, that helps to explain why this show is awesome! Any writer who is willing to allow their story to change organically rather that forcing their rigid storyline is a great storyteller. 

I do know that the character Trevor is based on from the UK show comes across, at least in season 1 (I haven't been able to see it further than that) had little to no nuance. I much prefer Trevor because he's more complex than just a jerk. The fact that he was a jerk in life due to peer pressure is a very real concept. I've known a guy like him who, when with his friends, was a total ass, but one on one was quite a nice guy. Eventually I stopped hanging out with him because he was getting more and more like his friends so maybe it's a good thing Trevor died when he did, before his total assimilation. 

[Annber03]

2 hours ago, LexieLily said:

It amused me more than it should have that Pete spelled out the word h-e-c-k when he yelled at Stephanie, lol.

I love that Pete spelling out that word works on two levels - one being that he's just naturally not the sort to swear, so of course he'll choose the word "heck" and still spell that one out, too, and the other being that Stephanie's a teenager so he's keeping the language clean for her benefit :D. 

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Loved Jay right there ready to give the ghosts (again, ghosts he can't see or hear :p) a piece of his mind for hurting his wife. 

"No one calls my descendant a jerkwad, which from context I take to be some sort of derision." Aw, Hetty XD. 

 

And it was Hetty who decided, on everyone's behalf, that if Stephanie was going to make them choose between the prom and Sam, they were choosing Sam. And nobody argued with her, they all immediately lined up on her side because a) she's the boss, and b) they love Sam as much as she does. This group...<3 :). 

I love Jay willing to call out the ghosts for hurting Sam, too. He's come to care about them, sure, but if they dare upset Sam, he's gonna push back. Between that and this bit:

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I was already getting choked up when Jay bought her that corsage (the best one he found at a supermarket on a Sunday XD) and went outside to ring the doorbell and pick her up properly for "prom," but then THE KISS ME MOMENT WHEN SAM WALKED DOWN THE STAIRS and Jay was waiting for her on the landing and the camera panned back and most all the other ghosts were watching her. Le sigh.

Jay really deserves some kind of "best husband ever" award :D. I don't care how many times I see that scene whenever I rewatch this episode, I swoon every time. 

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The non-Stephanie plot of Alberta learning her new ghost power of being able to use an Alexa was awesome. Isaac using all his turns to hear it again and again how Hamilton died, Sasappis asking it to send frozen pizzas, and Hetty wanting to know if the Vanderbilts ended up poor were all completely on-brand and I wouldn't have expected less. But, hey, it gave Alberta a newfound respect for what she and the other ghosts put Sam through. YAY.

"What's the capital of Idaho? Child, I don't give a damn!"

"It's Boise."

XD That bit always cracks me up. But yeah, I love Alberta sticking up for Sam like that. And Isaac's sheer delight in finding out what became of Hamilton will never not be funny, either :D.

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Jay wasn't wrong when he said Ghost Prom sounded like the title to a horror movie, lmao.

 

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"So do you think she'll get sucked off?"
"Sucked off at prom? I suppose anything's possible."

This show has some of the best one-liners and exchanges, I swear :D. 

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P.S. = I love that Jay got to use "taking Elias Woodstone's watch off his rotting corpse in the creepy vault" as a way to get out of cleaning the gunk out of the kitchen sink :D

To be fair, I'd do the same :p. 

I'm fascinated by the age distinction with these characters, too, how one minute they can act like the age they were when they died and the next they can act very much like the age of a ghost who's been around for decades or centuries. It really adds to the various dynamics among the group and makes their interactions all the more interesting as a result. 

Edited June 27, 2023 by Annber03

[shapeshifter]

13 hours ago, LexieLily said:

The non-Stephanie plot of Alberta learning her new ghost power of being able to use an Alexa was awesome.

Given that a lot of people (well, my daughter, for one) are creeped out by Alexa-type devices seemingly following their every move, having a ghost control an Alexa kind of writes itself. 
But, yes, kudos to the writers for implementing that plot point. 

And now I'm wondering if they sit around joking about being "ghost writers" or if that term is banned from the Writers Room/Zoom.

[PaulE]

16 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

I do know that the character Trevor is based on from the UK show comes across, at least in season 1 (I haven't been able to see it further than that) had little to no nuance. I much prefer Trevor because he's more complex than just a jerk.

And also, if a main character is one-dimensional and incapable of change or growth, they soon become uninteresting, no one cares about them, and they end up being disposable. And I think the actor becomes bored out of their mind playing them because there’s no challenge after awhile.

[LexieLily]

22 hours ago, Annber03 said:

I love that Pete spelling out that word works on two levels - one being that he's just naturally not the sort to swear, so of course he'll choose the word "heck" and still spell that one out, too, and the other being that Stephanie's a teenager so he's keeping the language clean for her benefit :D. 

Pete is also the only one of the modern/younger ghosts that had a child when he was alive, so he was probably used to spelling out words with Carol so Laura wouldn't know what they were discussing :p.

22 hours ago, Annber03 said:

And it was Hetty who decided, on everyone's behalf, that if Stephanie was going to make them choose between the prom and Sam, they were choosing Sam. And nobody argued with her, they all immediately lined up on her side because a) she's the boss, and b) they love Sam as much as she does. This group...<3 :). 

And yet when Sam was in the kitchen talking to the ghosts about Stephanie and how sad it was that she was only awake once a year and was going to spend her prom night alone, Hetty and all of the ghosts were all so very "Mom! Don't make us feel bad about being mean to her!" about it. It was hilarious :D

On 6/26/2023 at 5:25 PM, Mabinogia said:

The whole ghost age thing is so interesting to me. Like, Sass has been on the Earth longer than anyone other than Thor, but he is, in many ways, such a young adult while also a literal old soul. Hetty is older than Alberta and Flower but has so much to learn from them because so much was kept from her when she was alive. And I do love and respect Trevor more for acknowledging that while Stephanie is kind of his age, she's also really still a teenager and I'm impressed that that is a line he is willing to draw (impressed because I'm guessing that most of his horrible living friends would have "hit that" as they say. He really was a sweetheart in douchebro clothing. 

....can I just say that I absolutely love this show for allowing us to have completely serious conversations about ghosts getting sucked off (thanks for that, Trevor) and that we can differentiate between a ghost having ghost and/or Living friends? XD

Edited June 27, 2023 by LexieLily

[ZuluQueenOfDwarves]

My take on Trevor is not that he won’t cross the line with Stephanie, it’s that he doesn’t want to. He’s not resisting temptation by saying “no” to a much younger and clearly willing girl, he’s actively uninterested in being with her because he’s not attracted to her. We’ve only seen him be attracted to age-appropriate women, and I love that about his character. 

[Annber03]

5 hours ago, LexieLily said:

Pete is also the only one of the modern/younger ghosts that had a child when he was alive, so he was probably used to spelling out words with Carol so Laura wouldn't know what they were discussing :p.

Also a good point :D!

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....can I just say that I absolutely love this show for allowing us to have completely serious conversations about ghosts getting sucked off (thanks for that, Trevor)

On that note, I love how this show can take such a goofy, snicker-worthy phrase and also manage to make it a genuinely shocking/heartbreaking thing to consider. Just the mere idea of any of these ghosts getting sucked off is enough to make us all nervous!