S03.E06: Hello, Brother

[Neptune]

“Hello, Brother” – Trevor’s brother, Jeremy (Jon Glaser), checks into Woodstone after discovering a loophole in the Woodstone Rewards Points program. April 4

WRITTEN BY: Guy Endore-Kaiser

DIRECTED BY: Trent O’Donnell
 

[Neptune]

[Neptune]

 

[Bastet]

"My baby bro."
"He's older than my father was when he died of old age."

I always love the little reminders of how much things have changed in the many years the older ghosts have been there.  They saw only such a tiny sliver of that, via the Woodstone descendants, so it's only now that Sam can talk to them - and give them wide access to modern life as shown on TV, movies, and the internet - that they're getting broader exposure, so things still take them by surprise.

[kathyk2]

10 hours ago, Bastet said:

"My baby bro."
"He's older than my father was when he died of old age."

I always love the little reminders of how much things have changed in the many years the older ghosts have been there.  They saw only such a tiny sliver of that, via the Woodstone descendants, so it's only now that Sam can talk to them - and give them wide access to modern life as shown on TV, movies, and the internet - that they're getting broader exposure, so things still take them by surprise.

It's also a reminder that ghosts don't age. Jeremy looks much older than Trevor and Carol is elderly compared to Pete. I wonder if we'll learn how old Hetty was when she died? 

[Giddyup]

I’m looking forward to this!!

[iMonrey]

On 3/31/2024 at 2:27 AM, kathyk2 said:

I wonder if we'll learn how old Hetty was when she died? 

I'm guessing around 50 based on Rebecca's real age. I'm hoping we find out how she died. We still don't know that. 

And the crack about her father dying of "old age" when he was younger than this guy is an easy throw-away joke but a common misconception that drives me nuts. At no time in history would 50 have been considered old age. People lived into their 90s even in biblical times. The average life expectancy being shorter back then is the cause of the misconception. When 50% of infants die in the first year the "average" goes way down. Doesn't mean people thought 30, 40 or even 50 was that old.

[astrohip]

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I'm guessing around 50 based on Rebecca's real age. I'm hoping we find out how she died. We still don't know that. 

I thought she was pushed out the window by her husband.

[Bastet]

5 minutes ago, astrohip said:

I thought she was pushed out the window by her husband.

Wrong show; that's what happened to

Spoiler

Fanny in the UK Ghosts

 

[kathyk2]

1 minute ago, astrohip said:

I thought she was pushed out the window by her husband.

That happened on the British version of Ghosts. Hetty outlived Elias thank goodness.

[Neptune]

 

[phalange]

Isaac learning about dinosaurs and becoming obsessed with them was great. And of course Sass convinced him that unicorns also exist lol. Love Sam having to make the dinosaur move in the children’s book. Issac yelling “Pachycephalosaurus charge!” and then falling two stories through the wall cracked me up.

Sass and Thor’s plan backfired, but it did succeed in getting Pete to realize Carol’s no good for him, so I suppose it all worked out. And Thor has newfound respect for Pete because he used violence to solve a problem. Oh Thor, never change. 

[kathyk2]

I was so glad Trevor got rid of Jeremy he was a freeloader. Trevor isn't perfect but he tried to make something of his life. 

[Annber03]

Everything with Isaac and the dinosaur fascination this episode killed me XD. I don't know what I loved more, him charging at Trevor full force only to wind up going through a wall and falling TWO STORIES, or his fascination with the pop up book and wanting Sam to move things in said book :p. 

Fun to get to see Trevor's brother, and I'm not surprised that he seems to fit the family mold of trying to take advantage of a situation where possible. I liked Trevor wanting him to stay around, more because he missed him than anything else, but I am glad that they were able to work it out for him to move back and take over his family's business. 

I also liked the flashback to young Trevor and Jeremy, that was cute. I want to see flashbacks of all the characters as kids at some point :D. 

Also glad that Carol's attempts to hit on Pete didn't wind up panning out. I'm surprised and yet also NOT surprised that Thor and Carol hooked up - that punch from Pete had me going, "Whoa." But if this does help Pete work through some of his issues with Carol, then whatever works, I guess. Fitting that Sasappis came up with the idea of Thor and Carol, too, given his love of drama :D. 

I am glad Thor and Pete managed to make up in the end, though. Leave it to Thor to be impressed by Pete's fighting ability :p. 

[iMonrey]

This was a really good episode! Some of this season has been rather lackluster, I have to admit, and I was getting worried they were losing it. But this one had a lot of great laughs, especially Isaac learning about dinosaurs, and Hetty recounting the time she crushed a footman to death with her steamer trunk. "You really have to scrape the footman off right away." 

This one deserves a re-watch for sure, there were too many great lines to remember. 

[DanaK]

What was most hilarious was Thor revealing he actually had sex with Carol, much to the horror of Sass and Alberta, who thought he just pretended to come on to her

[Bastet]

LOL, of course Jeremy went to Fyre Fest.

Hetty knowing Isaac wants Sam to make the dinosaurs in the picture book move was funny, too.  As was Thor needing to be told "hitting on" doesn't involve any actual hitting.

Trevor not caring that his grifter brother (didn't he already know he was a lazy loser from his parents' visit? I thought they said something) was going to screw Sam and Jay over for at least a year went on too long, since Trevor has had some moments of growth; I would have liked to see him at some point acknowledge that getting to have his little brother around came at such expense to them, but he just can't not be happy about it - and admire the loopholing.

I still greatly prefer the Carol of her first episode rather than this cartoon jackass they've decided to go with in the afterlife, but Thor and Pete's interaction was entertaining.  I love Pete's squeak of fear when Thor came up behind him just as Pete was tough-guy declaring there's more where that came from.

[sweetandsour]

Sam and Jay, you just got Jammed!

Congratulations, Jay, those were some real Leslie Knope moves you pulled to get rid of Jon Glaser.

Carol's adjustment period seems to be focused only on being dead, being a ghost, and dwelling in the B&B now.  I don't think I've heard her say anything about her life - Jerry, Laura, little Pete, missing donut holes, nothing.  So how is she going to get her outstanding closure so she gets sucked off?  No way she is a permanent ghost.  I don't think they'll bring this storyline back, but I wouldn't mind if Elias can come back from hell and took her with him this time.  Maybe they'll write her need for closure on something that finally humanizes her and then we can bid adieu.

[possibilities]

Maybe they'll throw Carol in the well after they rescue Flower.

Edited April 5 by possibilities

[Katy M]

5 hours ago, Bastet said:

didn't he already know he was a lazy loser from his parents' visit? I thought they said something)

If his parents (father) think he's such a lazy loser why does he want him to take over the company?

[appositival]

Jeremy in shorts when everyone else was in coats cracked me up. He may be a quitter, but he's not a quitter!

Carol speculation below, just in case I'm right.

Spoiler

I'm wondering if Carol's widower will show up with a new girlfriend and admit that he was cheating on Carol, so that she will finally understand what it's like. That might lead to true repentance and getting "sucked off".

 

[tennisgurl]

Of course Trevor's brother found a loophole in the B&B's awards program so that he could stay there for free for a whole year, he really does take after his brother! I thought it was really sweet how happy Trevor was to see his brother and, in a weird big brother way, giving him a wet willy to give him that push out the door. 

Jeremy wasn't just at Fyre Fest, he was the last one to leave the island! Because he was having that much fun!

Lots of hilarious lines all throughout, but the running jokes about Isaac freaking out about the existence of dinosaurs was amazing. I cant blame him, if I hadn't grown up knowing about dinosaurs I would be pretty shook too. "Much like the dinosaurs, he is gone."

Looks like Carol is up to her old tricks again, she just cant stop treating Pete like garbage. At least he didn't get sucked into a relationship with her again AND he gained Thor's respect by solving a problem through violence! Never change, Thor. My guess is that Carol will get sucked off when she finally realizes that cheating on Pete was wrong, feel remorse, and actually apologizes. 

[iMonrey]

The kid playing Young Trevor in the flashback was perfect casting. I love that Trevor was already doing "T-Money" when he was a kid. 

I was shocked when Pete actually punched Thor. Did you see Alberta's reaction? I think this is the second time Pete turned her on a little bit.

Edited April 5 by iMonrey

[Skooma]

I liked the whole episode but for me the "Isaac and the Dinosaurs" story line was the real highlight.  Perfection.

[HurricaneVal]

I love Hettie.  She was killing me last night.  So was Sass.  And Isaac, and Thor, and Pete.  Oh heck.  That was a great episode.

The part I loved best was how Trevor absolutely couldn't help himself and gave his little brother the wet willie that caused Jeremy to lose the game, and thus evict him from the B&B, even though Trevor was so happy to see him.

[Maelstrom]

11 hours ago, sweetandsour said:

Carol's adjustment period seems to be focused only on being dead, being a ghost, and dwelling in the B&B now.  I don't think I've heard her say anything about her life - Jerry, Laura, little Pete, missing donut holes, nothing.

Thank you, this has been bothering me too. And it's not just Carol, I don't even recall Pete saying anything about what Laura must be going through, how sad little Pete will grow up without grandparents, etc etc. The show is taking a very shallow approach to Carol's death, one that's purely for the gags, and it's rather disappointing. I much prefer the early seasons Carol who, while far from perfect, at least came across as a loving mother and a more or less decent person.

Other than that, this was one of the better eps of the season. "What about unicorns?" "Oh, they're totally real."

[Bastet]

4 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

My guess is that Carol will get sucked off when she finally realizes that cheating on Pete was wrong, feel remorse, and actually apologizes. 

She already did all that in her first episode.  And Pete forgave her.

They've decided to ignore all that after her death.  And I have no issue with Pete believing in that moment, when he'd never see her again, that he did forgive her, and the Pete who now has to live with her ghost having his feelings of resentment and hurt take over, even in the few minutes before she started acting like an asshole.  I do, however, have an issue with writing Carol in a way that bears no resemblance to the natural, normal, multi-dimensional person they impressively created in that first episode.  Pete is the last character who needs to be propped up in order for the audience to be sympathetic to him! 

1 hour ago, Maelstrom said:

Thank you, this has been bothering me too. And it's not just Carol, I don't even recall Pete saying anything about what Laura must be going through, how sad little Pete will grow up without grandparents, etc etc. The show is taking a very shallow approach to Carol's death, one that's purely for the gags, and it's rather disappointing. I much prefer the early seasons Carol who, while far from perfect, at least came across as a loving mother and a more or less decent person.

That's an ongoing problem for me, too, and I hope they redeem themselves in her final episode.

[iMonrey]

4 hours ago, Maelstrom said:

The show is taking a very shallow approach to Carol's death, one that's purely for the gags, and it's rather disappointing.

Well, it is a sitcom after all. But I have faith that the writers have something more in mind for Carol, she's not just going to hit the same beat over and over again, because I don't think she's around for the long haul. And we haven't really seen enough of her (in life) to judge what kind of person she is, she only appeared in two episodes before she died. We also know from Pete's flashbacks she was sort of a harridan, and was definitely a bride-zilla during her daughter's wedding planning. So I think it's a stretch to say they've "re-written" her to be a different kind of character. 

[Badsamaritan]

I didn't really enjoy the freeloader storyline tonight. I'm a little tired of the 'Sam and Jay get screwed over by terrible guests' plots. I get that they're supposed to be new in the B&B world but they're both intelligent adults, and the incompetence the writers choose to inject are getting a little tiresome. The last conversation with Jeremy before he left, he talked about being the only guest there the whole time. If this is supposed to be a consequence from Carol dying there and them losing business, I kinda wish they played those beats as well. 

I did enjoy the side stories. But, am I the only one who never believed Carole's apology back then? I felt like she was putting on an act because it was expected but she was actually an asshole. So I wasn't surprised by this behavior like others were because this feels like the real Carole to me. And she's just a terrible person. So she can get sucked down and join Elias. She could be his new Hell, constantly hitting on him. She is so not his type. 

[Bastet]

22 minutes ago, Badsamaritan said:

But, am I the only one who never believed Carole's apology back then? I felt like she was putting on an act

An act for whom, though?  She was standing off by herself talking to the air.

[Annber03]

5 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

I love Hettie.  She was killing me last night. 

The story about the footman who was crushed to death by her steamer trunk...

[ams1001]

41 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

The story about the footman who was crushed to death by her steamer trunk...

You gotta wash it off right away...

[realitytvfan1017]

On 4/3/2024 at 3:26 PM, kathyk2 said:

That happened on the British version of Ghosts. Hetty outlived Elias thank goodness.

They didn't reveal that I think what happened to Hetty.

22 hours ago, phalange said:

Isaac learning about dinosaurs and becoming obsessed with them was great. And of course Sass convinced him that unicorns also exist lol. Love Sam having to make the dinosaur move in the children’s book. Issac yelling “Pachycephalosaurus charge!” and then falling two stories through the wall cracked me up.

Sass and Thor’s plan backfired, but it did succeed in getting Pete to realize Carol’s no good for him, so I suppose it all worked out. And Thor has newfound respect for Pete because he used violence to solve a problem. Oh Thor, never change. 

Loved Isaac's reaction to the dinosaurs.

[Mabinogia]

2 hours ago, Badsamaritan said:

But, am I the only one who never believed Carole's apology back then? I felt like she was putting on an act because it was expected but she was actually an asshole. So I wasn't surprised by this behavior like others were because this feels like the real Carole to me.

I feel the same way. The Carole we saw before was the "rewrite" this is the real Carole based on things Pete has said about her and her behaviour in all but the apology moment. 

I'm not at all bothered by them not showing her lamenting about the family she left behind or really showing anything about her other than what we are getting. I'm not a fan of her and don't really care about her other than as a prop for Pete's storyline and some good laughs like the ones we got here, most of which didn't so much involve her as she was just a catalyst for them, like Thor thinking he was going to get to hit her and then instead sleeping with her (just the reactions alone were priceless) and Pete punching Thor. I'm not a violent person at all, but that was a highlight, because I think Pete really, really needed it, and Thor can really take it. 

But Hetty was my MVP this ep. I know that in life she was a terrible person, and that her stories are horrific, but there is just something in the way Rebecca delivers her lines, like the scraping footman off your trunk right away, in such a matter of fact manner that delights me. And Isaac and his dino obsession was hilarious too. 

This was a good ep, even if I didn't actually like the main storyline much. I agree with those who said that watching Jay and Sam getting shit on gets exhausting. This reminded me of my least favorite ep of the entire show, the one with the cult. While there were some good moments in that one too, I loathed the storyline. I didn't hate this one quite as much, but it's up there. Fortunately, the secondary storylines this ep were brilliantly funny. 

[kathyk2]

Hetty's stories are hilarious because nobody calls her out on them. Sass didn't react when she was describing the footman's death.  I'm surprised Isaac didn't know about dinosaurs he never watched a TV program about them or read an article over someone's shoulder. Some kids are obsessed with them.

[PaulE]

2 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

But Hetty was my MVP this ep. I know that in life she was a terrible person, and that her stories are horrific, but there is just something in the way Rebecca delivers her lines, like the scraping footman off your trunk right away, in such a matter of fact manner that delights me.

And that wasn't all of it.  When Isaac asked how they dealt with the problem of a building full of rats and she responded that, since it was a sausage factory, the problem took care of itself . . . oh my.  It took me a moment to realize the implications of that.  Hetty, you and your family were so, so awful.

[PaulE]

Carole comes across as a sex addict, willing to get it on with any guy who crosses her path.  Even Thor's wolf-urine cologne evidently didn't phase her.  As a ghost she's thoroughly unpleasant and I hope she's not around too much or for too long.

Did not like Jeremy at all.  I know I've called Trevor a prick, but I do recognize that he does have a more caring and sensitive side that he occasionally shows.  Whereas his brother was completely charmless without a single redeeming quality.  Some freeloaders can be sort of endearing, but not this guy.

His comment about being the only guest was on point, though.  I've always wondered how Sam and Jay survive with as few guests as they seem to have.  I know the show isn't supposed to focus on those but you'd think we'd see a few people strolling about now and again to demonstrate that there's a regular stream of customers and that the bed & breakfast is a viable business.

 

 

[Annber03]

Someone on another site made an interesting point - it was mentioned a few episodes ago that Thor seems to have bad luck in the romance department, in that every woman he' hooks up with winds up getting sucked off*. Since he's now slept with Carol, might that be foreshadowing for her own exit soon? 

*Flower being the exception thus far, of course, not that Thor knows that at this time. 

[kathyk2]

1 hour ago, PaulE said:

And that wasn't all of it.  When Isaac asked how they dealt with the problem of a building full of rats and she responded that, since it was a sausage factory, the problem took care of itself . . . oh my.  It took me a moment to realize the implications of that.  Hetty, you and your family were so, so awful.

During Hetty's time period there was no oversight of factories so factory owners could do whatever they wanted. There were also no child labor laws well. Carol is the stereotype of a dirty old lady she can leave any time.

[enduringforce]

1 hour ago, kathyk2 said:

Carol is the stereotype of a dirty old lady she can leave any time.

Yes, I’m not liking her at all, but it did move Pete’s character along. Maybe Carol will be another ghost that goes down on them.

[appositival]

6 hours ago, enduringforce said:

Maybe Carol will be another ghost that goes down on them.

I was thinking Carol was nowhere near as evil as Elias. Which made me wonder if some of these characters are stuck on the cusp of good and evil.

• Isaac - killed Nigel
• Trevor - profit is the only goal
• Hetty - many worker deaths
• Thorfinn - pushed old people off of cliffs
• Flower - bank robber, fed the bears

I can't think of anything for the others.

[Mabinogia]

1 hour ago, appositival said:

Which made me wonder if some of these characters are stuck on the cusp of good and evil.

I think that might be what the show goes with. While the Ghosts themselves think it is unfinished business, it doesn't seem so as Alberta should have been sucked off when her murder was solved. 

As for the others:

• Alberta - was involved with a bootlegger (if I'm remembering correctly) at the least, she was around gangsters and criminals so could be she made some questionable choices
• Pete - it is hard to imagine him doing anything bad, though he did give a small child a deadly weapon so maybe his too trusting nature caused chaos in his well meaning wake
• Sass - he's a little shit stirrer in death, not hard to imagine he was a little shit stirrer in life
• Stephanie - she's a teenager, that's enough in my book! (omg, I really am old and crotchety now)
• Don't really know enough about the others. 

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, appositival said:

I was thinking Carol was nowhere near as evil as Elias. Which made me wonder if some of these characters are stuck on the cusp of good and evil.

• Isaac - killed Nigel
• Trevor - profit is the only goal
• Hetty - many worker deaths
• Thorfinn - pushed old people off of cliffs
• Flower - bank robber, fed the bears

I can't think of anything for the others.

I think you're onto something.

However, I thought Thorfinn's "push old people off cliff" would have been a type of Assisted Dying for those for whom the quality of life was no longer tolerable.
I think Thor has talked about a lot of other acts of killing that he enjoyed for reasons that had no redeeming value. I just can't think of anything specific at the moment.

As for Flower, didn't she sort of resolve the issue with how the stolen money wasn't used for noble purposes? I can't recall. 
Regardless, maybe at the end of the series Flower will learn of a descendant of someone who lost everything when the bank was robbed, and Flower can somehow help the descendant fulfill their ancestor's dream for them or something?

20 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

I think that might be what the show goes with.…

• Stephanie - she's a teenager, that's enough in my book! (omg, I really am old and crotchety now)

😆
I am. older and more crotchety, and so have gotten past the issues on my lawn, but Stephanie clearly demonstrated in her dealings with Sam's prom that she (Stephanie) is a Mean Girl.

Back to Carol:
She reminds me of family members of all generations who never admit they were wrong.

[bad things are bad]

11 hours ago, kathyk2 said:

During Hetty's time period there was no oversight of factories so factory owners could do whatever they wanted. There were also no child labor laws well. 

And now we see people wanting to take us back to those "good" old days😟

[iMonrey]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I think Thor has talked about a lot of other acts of killing that he enjoyed for reasons that had no redeeming value. I just can't think of anything specific at the moment.

Cutting off the head of a Dane, filling the skull with something I can't remember and sending it to the Dane's wife. "Very funny." Yes - Thor was a stone-cold murderer. He talks about killing all the time and it's mostly played for laughs. Meanwhile, the worst thing Pete ever did was build a deck without a proper permit. So I don't think their actions in life determine whether they become "stuck" as ghosts or not. In fact it seems more like it might have something to do with the property, like maybe it's cursed or something. The only person to die there who didn't become a ghost was Great Aunt Sophie who died in the pilot. It might be that if you die there from anything other than old age, you're stuck. All of the ghosts died of unnatural causes, so far as we know.

The scene where Pete was sucking on the candy in Carol's finger was just . . . so wrong. 

Was Pedestrianism an actual sport at one time? This is the second time Hetty has brought it up.

When Thor started to get specific about sex with Carol he said "First we start off with backwards ram . . . " I don't even want to know. 

Sam (to Jeremy): The credit card you gave us was denied. Alberta: Break his thumbs Sam!

 

[ams1001]

47 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Was Pedestrianism an actual sport at one time? This is the second time Hetty has brought it up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedestrianism

• Pedestrianism was a 19th-century form of competitive walking, often professional and funded by wagering, from which the modern sport of racewalking developed

[mammaM]

Just here to say I love Hetty. And doesn't anyone care how hard it is to get footman out of good leather?😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[Artsda]

Isaac learning about dinosaurs was hilarious and his obsession with it through the  episode.

Carol needs to go, hopefully Pete sees the cheating mean real her still there. He forgave Thor fast. 

Thor really took it passed the plan lol. Everyone horror was funny..

[SmithW6079]

I don't think Jeremy was a slacker. He admitted he loved working at the lamp company; he just didn't feel qualified taking it over. Maybe he's a great salesman but not a good manager and he's afraid of the Peter Principle. 

Quote

The Peter Principle is an observation that the tendency in most organizational hierarchies, such as that of a corporation, is for every employee to rise in the hierarchy through promotion until they reach a level of respective incompetence.

As for scamming Sam and Jay, that is something Trevor would have done during his lifetime when he was a d-bag financier.

I love Hetty's robber baron stories. It's fun to exploit the poor.

I noticed Jay was in a bulky sweater too. Is he working out or just gaining sympathy weight for Sam? 😄

 

Regarding their lack of guests for the B&B: I think I'm invested in their business as I was in Bob's Burgers lack of business for his restaurant. 

 

 

Edited April 6 by SmithW6079

[Annber03]

4 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

.As for Flower, didn't she sort of resolve the issue with how the stolen money wasn't used for noble purposes? I can't recall. 

Flower was also in a cult and made a comment in one episode once about "tracking down runners", so....

But yeah, I think there's no one lone reason they're all still here, I think it's a combination of things. The unfinished business from when they were alive, the fact their own actions all played a role in their untimely deaths and their struggle to take responsibility for that, the not-so-great things they did/believed/said when alive that they've yet to fully atone for and acknowledge, the effet their actions have had on the other ghosts both in life and in death (Alberta may have figured out who killed her, for instance, but in the process it also revealed a whole new level of tension between her and Hetty that they had to work through)...

...and also, for all their talk about wanting to be sucked off, I think they're slowly starting to wonder if that's what they really want. They've all made a little family of sorts here, they've got Sam and Jay to help keep them connected to the outside world and feel alive again, so to speak, they've found new levels of happiness in their afterlives in some of the relationships that have developed among the ghosts so...yeah. I think a big part of the reason they're still here is because for all intents and purposes, this is their home, and they're not ready to leave it, or each other.