S03.E04: Halloween 3: The Guest Who Wouldn’t Leave

[Neptune]

“Halloween 3: The Guest Who Wouldn’t Leave” – Pete’s ex-wife, Carol (Caroline Aaron), shows up at Woodstone Mansion during Sam and Jay’s Halloween party, where they’re trying to impress some cool friends (John Reynolds and Christine Ko). Also, the ghosts hope to bring Flower back with a seance.

WRITTEN BY: Josh Malmuth

DIRECTED BY: Pete Chatmon

 

[Neptune]

Will the writers explain the costume change? Step Brothers was a tradition.  

[Paloma]

I'm confused--why are they doing a Halloween episode at the end of February?

[sharmar]

22 minutes ago, Paloma said:

I'm confused--why are they doing a Halloween episode at the end of February?

I'm guessing because of the writer/actor strikes, they couldn't do it in October.

[kathyk2]

8 hours ago, Neptune said:

Will the writers explain the costume change? Step Brothers was a tradition.  

They won't say anything but it is a clever way to hide her pregnancy. I wonder if the filming of next season will be delayed due to Rose recovering from giving birth.

[AnimeMania]

Good costume to hide Sam's pregnancy.

[ZuluQueenOfDwarves]

On 2/27/2024 at 12:50 AM, kathyk2 said:

They won't say anything but it is a clever way to hide her pregnancy. I wonder if the filming of next season will be delayed due to Rose recovering from giving birth.

They won’t stall production for that. Most likely just write in a convenient opportunity for Sam to be gone for an episode or two. But if she’s already pregnant enough to show, there’s an excellent chance that she’ll be back from maternity leave by the time they start filming season four. She’s likely to be in her second trimester if she’s made it public, so she should have the summer to recover before filming begins. 

[DanaK]

On 2/26/2024 at 5:52 PM, Paloma said:

I'm confused--why are they doing a Halloween episode at the end of February?

 

On 2/26/2024 at 6:15 PM, sharmar said:

I'm guessing because of the writer/actor strikes, they couldn't do it in October.

Probably at least that and I think the producer said that they love Halloween, plus a good way to bring Flower back.

Edited February 29 by DanaK

[freddy320th]

the writer strike did effect so many shows coming back to television, though if they try to bring flower back in that would be nice but I'm wondering about Crash the guy who lost his head for a while if they would have more instore for him than just a couple line here and there with few appearances in the show so far, maybe I'm wrong but I thought he was supposed to be a part of the main cast.

[Annber03]

22 minutes ago, freddy320th said:

the writer strike did effect so many shows coming back to television, though if they try to bring flower back in that would be nice but I'm wondering about Crash the guy who lost his head for a while if they would have more instore for him than just a couple line here and there with few appearances in the show so far, maybe I'm wrong but I thought he was supposed to be a part of the main cast.

No, he's not. I think they might've originally planned it that way at the very beginning of the show, but for whatever reason they decided to just have him be a ghost who occasionally pops up instead. 

[Neptune]

 

[Neptune]

https://www.tvinsider.com/gallery/ghosts-season-3-halloween-episode-seance-flower-return-guest-stars/#2

[Neptune]

 

[Neptune]

Death by donut hole 😃

[DanaK]

I'm definitely looking forward to this one

[PaulE]

Sam in that costume makes me think of Katie Holmes as the Slutty Pumpkin in "How I Met Your Mother."

[Paloma]

Is this episode on tonight, Thursday March 7? The State of the Union address is at 9 pm, so I'm wondering if they will replace Ghosts with pre-address commentary.

 

[chitowngirl]

13 minutes ago, Paloma said:

Is this episode on tonight, Thursday March 7? The State of the Union address is at 9 pm, so I'm wondering if they will replace Ghosts with pre-address commentary.

 

The schedule at CBS says Ghosts is on 😊

[SoMuchTV]

Watching currently, Eastern time. Sotu is scheduled for 9. 

[ams1001]

Hmm...can a ghost give ghost syphilis to another ghost? 

I love Hetty's glee at the misunderstanding and sticking it to Sam a little (I mean, she kinda deserves it...).

I guess when you've been dead for a couple hundred years other people dying in your presence doesn't affect you the same way...

If Sam and Jay had figured it out a little earlier they could have played the whole thing off as a Halloween prank...(well, except the dead body, I guess....)

Speaking of which, um...did they ever call the police for Carol's body?

Someone speculated Flower would turn out to be stuck in the water heater or something...I guess they were on the right track... (where's Lassie when you need her?)

[seasons]

Unpopular opinion here, but I didn’t like anything about this episode, and I didn’t laugh once.
 

That Sasha and Nico storyline was just lousy , not into it. It was zany kind of humor to me -  yuk.  

And Sam was behaving like such a jerk, it was really surprising to me. And So was Jay, constantly greeting Flower at the seance. Just obnoxious.

So now Carol is dead? That will be sad for Pete’s family especially his grandson.
And Carol being annoying isn’t funny to me at all. It’s just annoying.

Not even sure what to make of Flower falling down the well. Will have to see what you guys think about that.

[Annber03]

Holy shit, that episode was bonkers in the best way possible! That ending. I knew it :D. 

I LOVED the whole thing of the guests thinking Jay and Sam had murdered Carol When Jay came into the kitchen with the shovel, I just lost it XD. And Sam, thinking she was talking to Carol like normal for much of the episode... That poor couple. But honestly, given how many people have died on that property and how many times Jay and Sam have had to call the coroner anytime they found someone's remains or whatever, I mean, really, it was only a matter of time before they were seen as the creepy murder couple :p. 

But god, poor Carol. What a way to go. And poor Laura, too - BOTH her parents have died on that property now! I'm definitely thinking her appearance will have something to do with Flower's eventual return, though, so...will be very, very interested to see how that works out. 

Lots of hilarious one-liners tonight, too. Isaac and Sasappis just casually throwing out super dark commentary (Sasappis describing the goriness of Flower's death), and the "dog food commercial" line, and Hetty and Alberta taking GREAT glee in watching Sam flaili around as she did thinking she was taliking to an alive Carol...so much in this episode had me cracking up, I'm definitely going to need to rewatch, 'cause I know I probably missed a few things :p.

This was FUN.  I love their Halloween episodes, I'm glad they still managed to work one into this season. 

 

 

[incandescent]

[Starchild]

How did Flower get so far away from the house, that looked farther than the property line, I guess there's more land than we thought.

So, it wasn't Flower who got sucked off. Attic girl Stephanie was spotted sleeping after it happened, so unless he went back down to the basement, maybe it was her boyfriend. We haven't heard from Nancy if no one's seem him for a while, but maybe they thought he moved in with Stephanie.

[Skooma]

On 2/26/2024 at 5:52 PM, Paloma said:

I'm confused--why are they doing a Halloween episode at the end of February?

Because of the writer's strike.  There are only 6 episodes left this year because of same.

On 2/28/2024 at 6:03 PM, ZuluQueenOfDwarves said:

She’s likely to be in her second trimester if she’s made it public, so she should have the summer to recover before filming begins. 

Except they film in the summer to prepare for the normal fall premiere.

On 2/29/2024 at 6:53 PM, freddy320th said:

Crash  ... maybe I'm wrong but I thought he was supposed to be a part of the main cast.

It was because they were using the same template of the original British show who featured a headless ghost who was actually interesting.  Crash never worked on this show from the beginning.  Wrong choice for a headless guy I guess

About informing the authorities... yes they said the coroner was on the way.

Changing Pete's wife from a sweet, seeking forgiveness person in Season 1 into this character?  Now I know why Pete made what I thought were so out of character, negative comments about her earlier this season.  A set-up to change her persona on the show.  Okay, I'll take it if it is for laughs.  🤷‍♂️

Speaking of which this was one of the funniest episodes ever.  I was laughing so much, hard to pick my favorite bit.  Maybe when Jay entered the kitchen with the shovel telling the snotty couple he had a garden emergency.  But oh so many more.  Top rated episode!

37 minutes ago, Starchild said:

How did Flower get so far away from the house, that looked farther than the property line, I guess there's more land than we thought.

The property is what, close to a hundred acres complete with trails through the property's wood we've seen a number of times etc.  It's only the front where the front gates are close to the house where there isn't much room to roam.

Edited March 8 by Skooma

[Neptune]

https://collider.com/ghosts-season-3-flower-well/

[phalange]

Halloween episodes never disappoint! 

Poor Thor just wanted Flower back and to be able to tell her he loves her, aww. I laughed at Jay greeting Flower each time they did a seance. To be fair, he had a 50/50 chance of being right.

I understand both Sam being angry that the ghosts made her look foolish by not telling her Carol’s a ghost, and that Hetty and Alberta were hurt by Sam yelling at them. Hetty unintentionally quoting a dog food commercial was hilarious. 

Carol being a ghost in the same house is going to be a really bad time for Pete. Everyone screaming when they realized was perfect. 

Jay has had to remove jewelry from a dead body twice now. At this point he’s just used to it.

Flower! I love that she could hear Thor shouting for her. Even for Flower, who is stoned half the time, being stuck in a well for a month must really suck. Since the séance should have worked with her ring, Sam and the ghosts will figure it out but how are they getting her out of the well? 

And if Flower didn’t get sucked off, who did? My money is on Stephanie, her boyfriend, or both. 

 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

26 minutes ago, seasons said:

Not even sure what to make of Flower falling down the well.

Has a ghost ever fallen into a hole or ditch before?  Do they walk on water? 

[DanaK]

I feel a little taken that Flower was simply stuck in a well and not sucked off, but people were calling that Flower being sucked off was a feint. Otherwise it was a fun episode. I just wish they hadn’t shown some things in the promos, like Carol died

[ams1001]

So do we think Carol will stick around?

[Chit Chat]

1 hour ago, ams1001 said:

Speaking of which, um...did they ever call the police for Carol's body?

One of them commented that the party died when the Coroner showed up.  

2 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

So do we think Carol will stick around?

I'm hoping that she'll find closure with Pete and be on her way.  A little of her character goes a long way!!  

[howiveaddict]

6 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

So do we think Carol will stick around?

Hopefully she gets sucked off soon. I don't like Pete upset like that.

[Skooma]

8 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

So do we think Carol will stick around?

Just totally a guess on my part but I personally think she will stick around enough to add another female ghost to the overly-male group of ghosts until Flower returns.  Once Flower is back then she (Carol) and Pete reconcile and off to the Great Suck Off in the Sky for her is my speculation.

Edited March 8 by Skooma

[Chit Chat]

Just now, howiveaddict said:

I don't like Pete upset like that.

If she stays too long, she's going to drive him insane with her theory about how donut holes are made!!  As Pete said, the irony of it all!

[Annber03]

17 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

So do we think Carol will stick around?

Not for long, no. I think there'll be something where Caro works out whatever she needs to work out during her brief time here, and then she leaves in exchange for Flower returning. 

[shura]

1 hour ago, phalange said:

Since the séance should have worked with her ring, Sam and the ghosts will figure it out but how are they getting her out of the well?

They can have Jay use that shovel and fill the well up little by little, this should bring Flower up to the surface.

Are the seances in this show supposed to work every time they are conducted?  I thought they were a might or might not work kind of thing.  So not being able to summon Flower may not clue them all in to the fact that she is still around.

And yes, what was up with Jay fake-greeting Flower? That was just weird.

[BellaR]

28 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

So do we think Carol will stick around?

I think that it is very important that he foot is hurting.. She may still be alive, even though going this long without medical help would be a serious problem.

[DanaK]

So what is that well encased with that Flower can’t exit it?

[AnimeMania]

Caroline Aaron as Carol, Pete’s Ex-Wife
John Reynolds as Nico, Sam and Jay’s Cool Friend 
Christine Ko as Sasha, Sam and Jay’s Cool Friend

[possibilities]

38 minutes ago, DanaK said:

So what is that well encased with that Flower can’t exit it?

I sure hope it's not lead!

Plot armor, I guess!

Maybe they can go horizontally through things, but not vertically-- that would explain why they don't fall through the floors, as well.

[iMonrey]

1 hour ago, AnimeMania said:

John Reynolds as Nico, Sam and Jay’s Cool Friend 

Drew from Search Party! I loved that show.

OK, I've said from the beginning of the season that if turned out Flower wasn't really sucked off I'd be pretty pissed off, and I kind of am. After all the show runners said she was really gone and I took their word for it. I don't like the idea that they would just outright lie about what's going on like the people who made Lost. That said, I'm glad she wasn't mistaken for Stephanie, and they had better have a good explanation for who was really sucked off since Nancy said all the basement ghosts were accounted for. Maybe Baxter, the piper we haven't seen since Nigel's first appearance? Don't know what he would have been doing in the house though or why Nigel hasn't noticed he's missing.

I did enjoy the hijinks with the "cool" couple thinking Jay had murdered Carol and was coming for them next. I guess neighbors Ally and June were either not invited to the party or declined the invitation. Another party at Liam Neeson's house?

Carol being a new ghost could be fun . . . for awhile. After all we've never seen a newly created ghost before (except for Eric, briefly). Poor Pete - should have gotten a permit for that deck! I doubt she'll be around permanently if Flower is coming back.

32 minutes ago, possibilities said:

Maybe they can go horizontally through things, but not vertically-- that would explain why they don't fall through the floors, as well.

This is a real conundrum. Ghosts walk through walls and doors, so if they're 25 feet under ground can they walk through the earth? Not that that would get her anywhere. I like your theory that they don't move through things vertically.

Edited March 8 by iMonrey

[PaulE]

I hope Carol doesn't stay around too long--she's ghastly.  Poor Pete--he doesn't deserve this!  But I did find it funny when Nico and Sasha thought Sam and Jay were going to murder them.  It's an old comedic trope but it worked for me.

Once again, though, poor Jay was the punching bag--this time literally--plus he was the one who had to go grave-robbing in the dark to dig up God-knows-what, meanwhile missing his own party.  He needs to get pampered at a spa or something.

I was confused by one thing, though.  I always thought Sam could tell the difference between livings and ghosts, but it seems she can't.  At least, shouldn't the ghosts have known immediately that Carol was a ghost?  I'd imagine that, on that spiritual plane, somehow you'd just know.

 

[Cotypubby]

I knew Flower didn’t really get sucked off! It’s the same as every show, unless you see the death/body of a main character, it’s never real.

That well in the creepy woods looked straight out of The Ring.

This was one of the funniest episodes, I was laughing so much! I doubt Carol will stick around that long, a little of that character goes a long way, but it’s fun to have some new blood in the cast for a bit.

[Annber03]

10 minutes ago, Cotypubby said:

I knew Flower didn’t really get sucked off! It’s the same as every show, unless you see the death/body of a main character, it’s never real.

This. Between that, the fact she was on maternity leave, and the way every single interview pretty much danced around whether or not she was gone for good and there were none of the usual things you typically see when an actor leaves a show for good, yeah, it wasn't much of a secret that she'd be back somehow eventually. 

Quote

That well in the creepy woods looked straight out of The Ring.

I said the same thing! I said in a discussion elsewhere that I will laugh if she crawls out of the well Samara-style :p. 

[iMonrey]

1 hour ago, PaulE said:

I hope Carol doesn't stay around too long--she's ghastly.

Hetty and Thor are pretty ghastly too when you think about it. The former treated those she considered beneath her like dirt and the latter is literally a mass murderer. We've just gotten used to them is all. It's possible we'll find a softer side of Carol too eventually.

55 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

I said the same thing! I said in a discussion elsewhere that I will laugh if she crawls out of the well Samara-style :p. 

{shudder}

Quote

I was confused by one thing, though.  I always thought Sam could tell the difference between livings and ghosts, but it seems she can't.  At least, shouldn't the ghosts have known immediately that Carol was a ghost?  I'd imagine that, on that spiritual plane, somehow you'd just know.

Sam didn't know Trevor was a ghost the first time she saw him. She didn't know the doctor at the hospital was a ghost either. And she thought the cable guy was a ghost. So no, they just look like regular (more or less) people to her.

The ghosts didn't know the car ghost was a ghost until she stepped out of the car. There doesn't seem to be anything obvious about it.

Edited March 8 by iMonrey

[PurpleTentacle]

So if Flower is in a well, who got sucked off?

[possibilities]

I think it has to be Stephanie's boyfriend. Crash said he saw Stephanie. But did he say he saw the boyfriend? And he's the only one nobody else would miss, right? The basement ghosts think he's upstairs with Stephanie, and Stephanie is asleep so hasn't noticed he's missing.

I don't think we've seen the ghosts float or levitate at all, so Flower being stuck in the well once she fell in doesn't actually strike me as any kind of rulebreaking. They pretty much seem to operate normally except for being able to go through solid surfaces and that they can't eat or move things. If she was in a cistern that was above ground she could probably walk out of it, but if she's in the bottom of a well, she's deep under ground and would be totally lost trying to tunnel through the earth endlessly. I think that would be more like moving things than passing through them, plus the lack of sense of direction would be disorienting, and she's already pretty spacey.

I wonder how they'll find her. Maybe walking in the woods someone will find her randomly.

Jay got very lucky finding a ring (is that what he found?-- after this many years, even if her body was buried there (which I assume it wasn't), it would have decomposed already. I can't imagine she would have been embalmed before being buried in an unmarked grave. And more likely she was found and the body moved off site. Actually, we really wouldn't know if that was her ring in the first place.

I liked Jay's sweater.

[Annber03]

10 minutes ago, possibilities said:

Jay got very lucky finding a ring (is that what he found?-- after this many years, even if her body was buried there (which I assume it wasn't), it would have decomposed already. I can't imagine she would have been embalmed before being buried in an unmarked grave. And more likely she was found and the body moved off site. Actually, we really wouldn't know if that was her ring in the first place.

I liked Jay's sweater.

I loved Sam's red jacket she had on early in the episode :D.

Regarding Jay, I continue to love the way he just rolls with all this wild nonsense. I love how he was basically just all, "Yeah, sure, I guess I'll go dig up the remains of anothero one of my eight idiot ghost kids, 'cause this is my life now, apparenty." :p. 

[Skooma]

12 hours ago, DanaK said:

So what is that well encased with that Flower can’t exit it?

It's a well.  She fell in since we know ghosts can fall as in Thor jumping off the roof for fun.  (Fanny in Brit series fell out a window endlessly too).  But ghosts can't levitate so she can't get out.  No need for encasing anything.

11 hours ago, PaulE said:

I was confused by one thing, though.  I always thought Sam could tell the difference between livings and ghosts, but it seems she can't.  At least, shouldn't the ghosts have known immediately that Carol was a ghost?  I'd imagine that, on that spiritual plane, somehow you'd just know.

She never has.  As for the ghosts, why would they either until they notice that she sees them?  They didn't see her body first.

7 hours ago, possibilities said:

I think it has to be Stephanie's boyfriend. Crash said he saw Stephanie. But did he say he saw the boyfriend? And he's the only one nobody else would miss, right? The basement ghosts think he's upstairs with Stephanie, and Stephanie is asleep so hasn't noticed he's missing.

...

Jay got very lucky finding a ring (is that what he found?-- after this many years, even if her body was buried there (which I assume it wasn't), it would have decomposed already. I can't imagine she would have been embalmed before being buried in an unmarked grave. And more likely she was found and the body moved off site. Actually, we really wouldn't know if that was her ring in the first place.

I can't see that she was buried off site.  Jay didn't run around to another state and back in a half hour or something.  It seemed implied he went to where she was buried on the property.

I agree that logically it should be Stephanie's boyfriend who was the one and only ghost not officially accounted for during the ghost head count.  Not reported by Crash checking the attic and not thought of as being in the cellar anymore by Nancy. 

And Nigel reported his two soldiers were in the shed and of course all the regulars were there except Flower.  So now that Flower has been accounted for (by the audience) then logically the finger points to Attic Girl's boyfriend.  Of course the writers don't have to follow logic on a sitcom about ghosts.

Edited March 8 by Skooma

[Snow Apple]

I'm a bit disappointed Flower didn't get sucked off. I knew she'll be back somehow from the great beyond, but the way the head honchos went on about how it needs be be someone the audience cared about and how it needed to be meaningful. This fake-out cheapens this story arc for me. It may even be better if the summoning worked but Flower came back into the well instead of the house because.....she's Flower. Then when they eventually find her, she's stuck on earth again because it's over 24 hours. But she said she fell in the well a month ago so that explanation is out.