S04.E11: Thorapy 2: Abandonment Issues

[Neptune]

“Thorapy 2: Abandonment Issues” – Thor returns to therapy to work through his angst over being abandoned by his Viking shipmates. Also, Jay’s sister, Bela (Punam Patel), attempts to help him with the restaurant. Feb 6

WRITTEN BY: Akilah Green

DIRECTED BY: Rebecca Asher
 

[Neptune]

 

[Neptune]

https://bleedingcool.com/tv/ghosts-season-4-episode-11-sneak-peeks-thor-has-abandonment-issues/

[ams1001]

Hetty: "What's a cat cafe?"
Sass: "Do cats even drink coffee? What the hell's goin' on out there?"

Sass, meet Stars.

(Don't worry, she was just licking the bottom; my mom drank the coffee.)

 

"Isn't Little Pete what everyone calls your grandson?"
"I will work on a new nickname."
😄

Poor Thor. But at least he's very evolved from his two sessions of therapy in four years.

Where did Sam find a therapist who does house calls?

[Annber03]

Ahahahaha, the group therapy session at the end. That poor therapist...XD. 

So we finally got the backstory on why Thor was left behind, and it's actually far more simple than imagined. Poor guy, just being forgotten so easily like that. I suppose it is good to know they didn't intentionally abandon him, but still, yeah, I don't blame him for being hurt all the same about them not coming back upon realizing he wasn't there. 

I did absolutely love how he sorted out his feelings about all of that, though, with his sweet comments about Pete. And I like that Pete was willing to go all the way to Norway, knowing the risk to his own body, to help finally resolve things for Thor. 

(Also, LOL at Pete's "You didn't notice the arm dragging the severed torso up the driveway?" line. And speaking of travel, man, Isaac's been sharing some interesting stories about trips he's taken lately...:p.)

Also liked Bela doing her part to help out with the restaurant, even with all the chaos involved. I like her being involved like this, I look forward to seeing what else she can do to be part of the fun. Loved her shirts this episode, too, she had some really cute ones. 

Hetty wanting to know about Pete's hammer XD. 

[phalange]

I see you Sam, my fellow Millennial. I also had a Lisa Frank trapper keeper in elementary school. 

Poor Thor. His fellow Vikings realizing he was gone and not caring enough to turn back has to hurt. But good for Thor for being enlightened after his two therapy sessions and deciding to focus the present and the friends he has now. And Pete is a good friend for going all the way to Norway to find out. Pete has been a bit braggy lately about his ghost power, but he’s ultimately a good guy.

[Katy M]

I didn't quite get why they only had a minute to order shrimp.  

Sam needs to stop indulging the ghosts quite so much.  Her therapy sessions make no sense.  A married virgin (yes, possible, but unlikely). Categorically stating that she didn't have time to fly to Norway and then the next week, she almost died on her way back from Norway.  Falling in a well.  The doctor should work on getting her committed.

 

[Jodithgrace]

They had to order the shrimp by 5 pm to get one day delivery. But why did Jay want to order 100 lbs of shrimp in the first place? The restaurant isn’t open yet. That made no sense to me. So now he has 200 lbs of shrimp and they never mentioned what he was going to do with them. 

[Snow Apple]

It's cute that Bela and Trevor are still interested in each other. And Jay admits Trevor is beautiful LOL 

I'm glad Jay is able to communicate with Sass in his dreams so he's not completely left out all the time.

[shura]

15 minutes ago, phalange said:

Poor Thor. His fellow Vikings realizing he was gone and not caring enough to turn back has to hurt.

Whoa, whoa.  This is a gross mischaracterization of what happened.  They were already halfway across the Atlantic AND they had taken the long route to avoid the Great Monster.  It was just not feasible to go back, unfortunately, but they cared (probably).

I liked the explanation of how they miscounted the shipmates.  First Ivar had his helmet on, but then he took it off…  Wait a minute.  Are Ivar and Other Ivar the same person, just with and sans the helmet?

[HurricaneVal]

OMG.  Flower clutching and squeezing the knob on Thorfin's shield during the (not)throuple hug at the end nearly made me spit out my wine.

[PaulE]

1 hour ago, shura said:

2 hours ago, phalange said:

Poor Thor. His fellow Vikings realizing he was gone and not caring enough to turn back has to hurt.

Whoa, whoa.  This is a gross mischaracterization of what happened.  They were already halfway across the Atlantic AND they had taken the long route to avoid the Great Monster.  It was just not feasible to go back, unfortunately, but they cared (probably).

I liked the explanation of how they miscounted the shipmates.  First Ivar had his helmet on, but then he took it off…  Wait a minute.  Are Ivar and Other Ivar the same person, just with and sans the helmet?

We've all been wondering so long why Thor was abandoned that, in a way, it was almost an anticlimax to discover that the reason was something as simple as it was.

I agree that, at the time, the Vikings probably did the only thing they could by just continuing on home.  Think of how long it would have taken them just to get halfway across the ocean in the first place--probably a good month or so depending on the wind.  It would have taken that long again to return and, for all they knew, Thor might have died or disappeared in the meantime--in fact, given that he was alone and without resources all that time, they probably assumed he had.  And of course, all the sailing back and forth would have put all their own lives at greater risk.  Given the circumstances, I suspect they made the sensible choice, hard-hearted though it seems to us today. 

But I also think they were a bunch of ass-hats if they miscounted simply because of someone's headgear and then didn't notice Thor was gone until they were halfway home.  I mean, we're talking a Viking longship here, not the QE2, so they'd have been in pretty close quarters. You'd think someone fairly early on would've said, "Wait, where's Thor?"

Gotta love the fact that the Viking ghosts in Norway spoke English almost better than Thor.  I realize most Norwegians these days speak English with a high degree of fluency, but I think that's only been the case since the 20th century, so those guys would have had to pick it up pretty quickly.  Plus they'd also have had to learn Norwegian along the way, since Old Norse isn't the same language.  So much for Duolingo and Rosetta Stone!

[kathyk2]

This was a really sweet episode. Thorfinn realized that his current group of ghost friends really mattered to him. The plot with Jay and Bela was well done. I was so glad we got to see Sass's dream power being used. I hated the plot about Sam being left at Target. I remember the story of Adam Walsh who was kidnapped from a department store and murdered. His father John created America's Most Wanted.

Spoiler

I think the next episodes are being aired out of order. I think Flower's episode is airing next week.

 

[Bastet]

My favorite part of this episode was unequivocally Jay and Sass, in Jay's dream, doing the Thelma & Louise hand clasp, but I enjoyed the whole thing.

"They would be the power couple if they had any living friends" is a great description of Sam and Jay.

Pete helping Thor, despite the risk to himself, and Thor no longer caring about his quest for information in light of the fear of Pete never returning were the obvious emotional beats of the episode, and they were great, but I also loved a little one -- Trevor, comparing him with Bela, sympathizing with his brother being underestimated.  Bela and Jeremy both have things with which their respective parents can take issue, but it's nice when the golden child sees the parents' disproportionate reaction to those things, and how it perpetuates the cycle.  (I'm an only child, so I have no personal experience, but I see it.)

Hetty asking "Is it bad that I sort of want to find out?" about what would happen if Pete completely disappeared was great, but my greatest laugh in that storyline was Pete incredulously asking Sam, "You didn't see the arm dragging a torso up your driveway?!"

4 hours ago, ams1001 said:

Where did Sam find a therapist who does house calls?

I guess they couldn't/wouldn't get the original actor back, which would have been a nice bit of continuity, but presumably they just continued the original lie -- that Sam is (among her myriad other problems with which she needs the therapist's help) agoraphobic.

(That an insurance company in the fucked-up US healthcare system would say, okay, no problem, we'll cover sending one to you - especially since Sam and Jay have to pay for their own insurance [unless they qualify for a subsidized policy, but that, too, would have limitations likely excluding a home visit] rather than getting it through an employer - is a real-world issue that is ignored by the show.)

[Annber03]

5 minutes ago, Bastet said:

but I also loved a little one -- Trevor, comparing him with Bela, sympathizing with his brother being underestimated.  Bela and Jeremy both have things with which their respective parents can take issue, but it's nice when the golden child sees the parents' disproportionate reaction to those things, and how it perpetuates the cycle.  (I'm an only child, so I have no personal experience, but I see it.)

I do have a sister, and yet we don't have the whole "golden child" thing in our family, thankfully. But yeah, I too loved this aspect - it was nice to see Trevor so protective of Bela as he was, and wanting to do his part to help her out. Even if it did cause a new round of issues for everyone :p. 

[Driad]

They could have had Sam and the therapist meet by video (e.g. Zoom) which would look almost the same on TV.

[sweetandsour]

The ghosts have seen The Cutting Edge dozens of times, but Thor has not watched Home Alone yet?  Get on that, stat!

The simple, "easy" miscounting error at the airport shuttles by the beautiful and most responsible cousin may make him feel a little better.  Add in the comedy (you cannot tell me he wouldn't love the physical attacks on Harry and Marv) and the fact that he has already changed his views on something he once hated (Christmas) in a positive way, so just keep on going.

Howwwww did Sam figure out a road sign was on Pete's path and contact the proper authorities to change the message in time?  And how much did that cost??  Though that is in keeping with Sam and Jay being bad with money.  Jay not exempt from that this episode, either, with his 100/200 lbs of shrimp needed urgently for no customers yet.

[Snow Apple]

What kind of restaurants is it? How do you use up 100 pounds of shrimp? Googling says the average for 1 pound is 15 shrimps, so 100lb is around 1500. Yikes. Although I guess they can freeze. Maybe their specially is seafood gumbo. The smell will make the ghosts happy.

Now I'm craving shrimp toast. 

[Jodithgrace]

But the restaurant isn’t open yet, right? 

[Browncoat]

Thor could watch "Open Water" and be glad he was left behind on land.

[NoReally]

2 hours ago, sweetandsour said:

Howwwww did Sam figure out a road sign was on Pete's path and contact the proper authorities to change the message in time?  And how much did that cost?? 

I assumed Trevor and Sam hacked into the highway department website. But ... maybe not.

[iMonrey]

I like that Jay and Sass have found a way to sort of become friends. But it suggests that all of Jay's dreams . . . or at least those which are invaded by Sass . . . are lucid dreams. If he's able to tell Sass to spy on Bela and report back to him the next night in his dream it means he knows he's dreaming. Which means he should be able to control his dream. I've only had a handful of lucid dreams in my lifetime. As soon as I realize I'm dreaming I always start flying.

[kathyk2]

14 hours ago, Bastet said:

My favorite part of this episode was unequivocally Jay and Sass, in Jay's dream, doing the Thelma & Louise hand clasp, but I enjoyed the whole thing.

"They would be the power couple if they had any living friends" is a great description of Sam and Jay.

Pete helping Thor, despite the risk to himself, and Thor no longer caring about his quest for information in light of the fear of Pete never returning were the obvious emotional beats of the episode, and they were great, but I also loved a little one -- Trevor, comparing him with Bela, sympathizing with his brother being underestimated.  Bela and Jeremy both have things with which their respective parents can take issue, but it's nice when the golden child sees the parents' disproportionate reaction to those things, and how it perpetuates the cycle.  (I'm an only child, so I have no personal experience, but I see it.)

Hetty asking "Is it bad that I sort of want to find out?" about what would happen if Pete completely disappeared was great, but my greatest laugh in that storyline was Pete incredulously asking Sam, "You didn't see the arm dragging a torso up your driveway?!"

I guess they couldn't/wouldn't get the original actor back, which would have been a nice bit of continuity, but presumably they just continued the original lie -- that Sam is (among her myriad other problems with which she needs the therapist's help) agoraphobic.

(That an insurance company in the fucked-up US healthcare system would say, okay, no problem, we'll cover sending one to you - especially since Sam and Jay have to pay for their own insurance [unless they qualify for a subsidized policy, but that, too, would have limitations likely excluding a home visit] rather than getting it through an employer - is a real-world issue that is ignored by the show.)

Sam could benefit from therapy to help her cope with her mother's death and her relationship with her father. I'm glad Pete isn't obnoxious like he was earlier this season.

[Lugal]

16 hours ago, PaulE said:

Gotta love the fact that the Viking ghosts in Norway spoke English almost better than Thor.  I realize most Norwegians these days speak English with a high degree of fluency, but I think that's only been the case since the 20th century, so those guys would have had to pick it up pretty quickly.  Plus they'd also have had to learn Norwegian along the way, since Old Norse isn't the same language.  So much for Duolingo and Rosetta Stone!

Norwegian evolved out of Old Norse, so they would have learned as it did and witnessed language change in real time.

[PaulE]

15 hours ago, Bastet said:

My favorite part of this episode was unequivocally Jay and Sass, in Jay's dream, doing the Thelma & Louise hand clasp, but I enjoyed the whole thing.

"They would be the power couple if they had any living friends" is a great description of Sam and Jay.

I was glad to see that Sass has been living up to his end of the bargain not to use Jay's dreams to manipulate him.  In this one they really seemed to have become friends, and I'd guess that means as much to Sass as to Jay.  I wonder if, though Sam, they set up dream dates or whether Sass just drops in unannounced.  I still think it would be great if, somehow, Sass could bring other ghosts into Jay's dreams.  That would be a great way for Jay to meet Pete, who ironically was the only one he couldn't see when he was out of his body.  If they ever do meet and get to hug, my eyes will be damp.

I think it's a bid odd that we never see Jay and Sam with any friends (even allowing for the fact that the writers can't possibly be introducing new characters all the time).  Probably the premise is that most of them are back in New York, but given that the two of them are generally nice people to be around, especially Jay (who wouldn't want a friend like Jay?), you'd think by now they'd have made friends with some local couples.  It would be cool to have a few characters visiting socially now and then, especially if there were ghosts shenanigans that Sam and Jay would have to find explanations for or try to hide.

19 hours ago, Annber03 said:

I did absolutely love how he sorted out his feelings about all of that, though, with his sweet comments about Pete. And I like that Pete was willing to go all the way to Norway, knowing the risk to his own body, to help finally resolve things for Thor. 

I've always liked the way this show inserts those little human-interest moments and life lessons without sacrificing the comedy and without being preachy or moralizing.  The same with Trevor's remarks about his brother, and Jay's interaction with Bela (all in all, he was probably a pretty decent brother when they were growing up). I hope she'll be a more frequently recurring character than she has been.  The fact that she, too, knows about the ghosts but can't see them is another bond between the siblings.

[shura]

17 hours ago, PaulE said:

Gotta love the fact that the Viking ghosts in Norway spoke English almost better than Thor.  I realize most Norwegians these days speak English with a high degree of fluency, but I think that's only been the case since the 20th century, so those guys would have had to pick it up pretty quickly.

Actually, any Viking ghost learning English has had more time to master it than any native Norwegian who learned it in school so successfully.  No need to learn quickly, just watch the school kids for a hundred years.

1 hour ago, Lugal said:

Norwegian evolved out of Old Norse, so they would have learned as it did and witnessed language change in real time.

Makes me wonder how that would work for a ghost.  Can they still speak Old Norse or would it just die out in them just like it did in everyone around?  Or do they remember and can speak every version of Norwegian that existed over the centuries?  Oooh, here’s a shocking thought - they probably know that the major version of modern Norwegian is kinda based on Danish…

[PaulE]

21 minutes ago, shura said:

Oooh, here’s a shocking thought - they probably know that the major version of modern Norwegian is kinda based on Danish…

You brought up a potential bombshell for Thor if he ever finds out: Norway was part of Denmark for about 500 years.  Then it was under Sweden for another century before becoming independent.  And, since the ancient royal family was extinct, they chose a (wait for it) Danish prince to become the first king of modern Norway and he was married to a half-Danish princess, so their son and successor was three-quarters Danish.  Even now, the current king has no Norwegian blood, though he married a Norwegian so at least his successors do.  If Thor ever finds this out we will see Thorapy part 3, 4, and 5.  But think about what those poor Vikings in Norway must have gone though all those years seeing their country ruled by Danes!!  At least Thor never knew what was going on over there.

A Norwegian friend once explained that, as you said, Norwegian vocabulary is influenced by Danish, but the pronunciation is more influenced by Swedish.  So there's a joke among linguists: Norwegian is Danish spoken in Swedish.

[kathyk2]

19 hours ago, Bastet said:

My favorite part of this episode was unequivocally Jay and Sass, in Jay's dream, doing the Thelma & Louise hand clasp, but I enjoyed the whole thing.

"They would be the power couple if they had any living friends" is a great description of Sam and Jay.

Pete helping Thor, despite the risk to himself, and Thor no longer caring about his quest for information in light of the fear of Pete never returning were the obvious emotional beats of the episode, and they were great, but I also loved a little one -- Trevor, comparing him with Bela, sympathizing with his brother being underestimated.  Bela and Jeremy both have things with which their respective parents can take issue, but it's nice when the golden child sees the parents' disproportionate reaction to those things, and how it perpetuates the cycle.  (I'm an only child, so I have no personal experience, but I see it.)

Hetty asking "Is it bad that I sort of want to find out?" about what would happen if Pete completely disappeared was great, but my greatest laugh in that storyline was Pete incredulously asking Sam, "You didn't see the arm dragging a torso up your driveway?!"

I guess they couldn't/wouldn't get the original actor back, which would have been a nice bit of continuity, but presumably they just continued the original lie -- that Sam is (among her myriad other problems with which she needs the therapist's help) agoraphobic.

(That an insurance company in the fucked-up US healthcare system would say, okay, no problem, we'll cover sending one to you - especially since Sam and Jay have to pay for their own insurance [unless they qualify for a subsidized policy, but that, too, would have limitations likely excluding a home visit] rather than getting it through an employer - is a real-world issue that is ignored by the show.)

I don't know why both siblings couldn't be successful. Jeremy tried to scam Sam and Jay when he visited Woodstone. Sam should try to befriend someone slse who can see ghosts.

[appositival]

Sam spent all day at the airport when she was so busy? How far did Peat crawl?

[shapeshifter]

24 minutes ago, appositival said:

How far did Peat crawl?

I guess Pete won't be bragging about his ability anymore.

[possibilities]

If Bela is going to manage the restaurant, I'm thinking that means we will see more of her, and maybe she's becoming a regular memebr of the cast? Has anyone seen media to confirm this?

The B&B customers are not nearly as big a part of the show as I originally expected them to be, so I don't know if the resturant will show us a lot of customer stuff, either. But you'd think they'd have to have a steady business for it to be at all viable.

[shapeshifter]

5 hours ago, possibilities said:

If Bela is going to manage the restaurant, I'm thinking that means we will see more of her, and maybe she's becoming a regular memebr of the cast? Has anyone seen media to confirm this?

No, but I don’t read much show news mid-season because of spoiling spoilers.

I was intrigued by Bella still being interested in Trevor. Sounds like a potential story arc.
It would be interesting if a character we knew more about than Pete’s ex were to die on the premises and become a ghost and hook up with one of the regular ghosts. But it also seems too sad and traumatic for our generally happy little comedy.
But these writers seem up to the challenge, should they decide to go there.
Maybe Bella can “almost” die like Sam?

Edited Saturday at 11:21 AM by shapeshifter

[iMonrey]

14 hours ago, kathyk2 said:

Sam should try to befriend someone else who can see ghosts.

How on earth is she supposed to find such a person? Craigslist?

18 hours ago, PaulE said:

I think it's a bit odd that we never see Jay and Sam with any friends (even allowing for the fact that the writers can't possibly be introducing new characters all the time).  Probably the premise is that most of them are back in New York, but given that the two of them are generally nice people to be around, especially Jay (who wouldn't want a friend like Jay?), you'd think by now they'd have made friends with some local couples. 

The show hasn't been real specific about the surrounding area so I don't know that there are a lot of other couples nearby that are in the same age range as Jay and Sam. The only other locals we've seen were the swingers at the Farnsbys and they were older couples (and ones Jay and Sam want nothing to do with). We did see some of Jay and Sam's old friends at their Halloween party but yeah, they all live in the city.

It also makes me wonder how viable the restaurant and B&B are long-term as businesses. Everything we've been shown suggests that Woodstone is in a rather remote location.

[possibilities]

I live in a rural and small town area and we have B&Bs all over the place. I don't really understand their business models, but they definitely exist, and some of them have been going for a good number of years.

I suspect the Woodstone B&B is not realistic, like a lot of TV things, though, because it's SO HUGE and Sam and Jay don't really have any other source of income. Just heating that place in the winter, even if you only heat a few rooms, would be incredibly expensive. And it's upstate NY, where it will be very cold. They never show us any snow, do they? It's not at all realistic in that regard. So if we handwave the climate, I think we have to handwave the finances.

For the restaurant, it seems they are trying to make it a "destination" in itself, where wealthy foodies will travel just for the restaurant, and that will also drive business to the B&B.

They also did some things to try to attract business, like the wine tasting, and some of the storytelling-- like Alberta's murder-- plus there was the renting of the place for a movie location. They've also tried to have weddings there, and to sell antique discoveries, like the watch.

I think the show is definitely handwaving practicalities, but they do kind of try to hint that they are not completely without any business plan.

Having the restaurant actually kind of seems to me like it would help rather than hurt the bottom line, but only if they actually OPEN IT and HAVE CUSTOMERS. I feel like they've been renovating it and planning it for a long time, but I'm not actually sure how long it's been in show time vs non-show time. And putting the sign on it with the name, and ordering perishable food items, to me seems like they are actually going to open any second now.

[Orcinus orca]

I bet Roman loves the dream sequences.  He's the only ghost that gets to change costumes.

[Skooma]

3 hours ago, possibilities said:

I live in a rural and small town area and we have B&Bs all over the place.

And it's upstate NY, where it will be very cold. They never show us any snow, do they? It's not at all realistic in that regard. So if we handwave the climate, I think we have to handwave the finances.

About the location of the fictional Woodstone Manor:

The Hudson River Valley is way way long so how upstate it is from NYC is questionable.  Jay said they were a 2 hours drive away from Fort Ticonderoga so maybe somebody can do the math.

And yes, they have shown us more than a few establishing shots of the exterior with snow on the ground.  Not feet but definitely snow covering the ground for sure.

And yeah I live in a similar region with tons of B&B's around.  I just think of B&B's as being in rural locations as a result.  The Hudson River Valley connects closely into NY's huge lakes district and the Adirondacks range both of which are major MAJOR vacation areas. 

Boating, fishing, hiking and more in the summer with nearby skiing in the winter.  Not all skiers stay at the higher priced lodges at ski resorts after all.

What we have seen of Woodstone Manor is that it has many many acres to it.  Maybe 40 or more given how big the wooded area with it's walking trails in back is.  A lot of old manor houses were built on lots of land since growing your own food was almost a necessity to live anywhere outside a town back then.

The manor is on a rural road with only the Farnsby's place within sight (barely) and shouting distance (barely) with apparently a small empty lot of land in between.   But the town seems very close by, a short drive away with a bus stop Pete has used that connects it mass transit wise to more urban areas.

So I'd say Woodstone Manor (and restaurant coming soon) is in a near perfect area for vacationing tourists.

Edited Saturday at 10:07 PM by Skooma

[kathyk2]

5 hours ago, iMonrey said:

How on earth is she supposed to find such a person? Craigslist?

The show hasn't been real specific about the surrounding area so I don't know that there are a lot of other couples nearby that are in the same age range as Jay and Sam. The only other locals we've seen were the swingers at the Farnsbys and they were older couples (and ones Jay and Sam want nothing to do with). We did see some of Jay and Sam's old friends at their Halloween party but yeah, they all live in the city.

It also makes me wonder how viable the restaurant and B&B are long-term as businesses. Everything we've been shown suggests that Woodstone is in a rather remote location.

Sam could join an internet group for people who believe in ghosts. She could observe someone talking to a ghost like she does and introduce herself.

[shapeshifter]

36 minutes ago, kathyk2 said:

Sam could join an internet group for people who believe in ghosts. She could observe someone talking to a ghost like she does and introduce herself.

I like this idea!
Maybe Trevor enters a ghost-themed chat group and learns of one or more other "living" who can see ghosts?

[shura]

1 hour ago, Skooma said:

About the location of the fictional Woodstone Manor:

The Hudson River Valley is way way long so how upstate it is from NYC is questionable.  Jay said they were a 2 hours drive away from Fort Ticonderoga so maybe somebody can do the math.

Google Maps says - two hours away from Ticonderoga and still in the Hudson Valley is somewhere between Albany and Catskill.  Anything upstream/north of Albany seems to be around an hour drive away.  And Albany is about two and a half hours north of Manhattan.  Makes sense, a rich socialite’s mansion would probably be close enough to the city and not completely unreachable in the boondocks.  So yes, close enough to NYC, minutes away from Albany and smack in the middle of a touristy area.

Edited Saturday at 11:28 PM by shura

[PaulE]

4 hours ago, Skooma said:

7 hours ago, possibilities said:

And it's upstate NY, where it will be very cold. They never show us any snow, do they? It's not at all realistic in that regard. So if we handwave the climate, I think we have to handwave the finances.

About the location of the fictional Woodstone Manor:

The Hudson River Valley is way way long so how upstate it is from NYC is questionable.  Jay said they were a 2 hours drive away from Fort Ticonderoga so maybe somebody can do the math.

I believe the show is set in Ulster County, which is about a 2.5-hour drive north of New York and technically considered part of the New York Metropolitan Area, so it's not unlikely that they'd get a lot of weekenders and vacationers from the city for much of the year (there are even commuter train and bus lines that go up that way, since there are some residents who work in Manhattan--though that's a pretty deadly commute twice a day).  The climate during winter isn't quite as extreme as it is further north, and it's a very scenic area as well as historical (Dutch and British colonial), so there'd be tourists from other areas as well.  Once the place gets going and develops a reputation, they might even be able to serve as a venue for small weddings or other family events, given how picturesque it is, so I think they could do pretty well even if there are down periods.

If memory serves, I think we've seen the property coated with snow once or twice, specifically the first Christmas episode (the one where Isaac wouldn't kiss Nigel under the mistletoe).  But, no, we've never seen the place in deep snow.  These days, though, that's not so inaccurate; an increasing number of winters are proving less snowy than they used to be, even upstate.

Edited Sunday at 02:08 AM by PaulE

[Skooma]

1 hour ago, PaulE said:

I believe the show is set in Ulster County, which is about a 2.5-mile drive north of New York ...

I hope you left out "hour" as in 2 1/2 HOUR drive north of NYC.

[kathyk2]

2 hours ago, Skooma said:

About the location of the fictional Woodstone Manor:

The Hudson River Valley is way way long so how upstate it is from NYC is questionable.  Jay said they were a 2 hours drive away from Fort Ticonderoga so maybe somebody can do the math.

And yes, they have shown us more than a few establishing shots of the exterior with snow on the ground.  Not feet but definitely snow covering the ground for sure.

And yeah I live in a similar region with tons of B&B's around.  I just think of B&B's as being in rural locations as a result.  The Hudson River Valley connects closely into NY's huge lakes district and the Adirondacks range both of which are major MAJOR vacation areas. 

Boating, fishing, hiking and more in the summer with nearby skiing in the winter.  Not all skiers stay at the higher priced lodges at ski resorts after all.

What we have seen of Woodstone Manor is that it has many many acres to it.  Maybe 40 or more given how big the wooded area with it's walking trails in back is.  A lot of old manor houses were built on lots of land since growing your own food was almost a necessity to live anywhere outside a town back then.

The manor is on a rural road with only the Farnsby's place within sight (barely) and shouting distance (barely) with apparently a small empty lot of land in between.   But the town seems very close by, a short drive away with a bus stop Pete has used that connects it mass transit wise to more urban areas.

So I'd say Woodstone Manor (and restaurant coming soon) is in a near perfect area for vacationing tourists.

The restaurant will be successful if Jay can cook meals that can't be found anywhere else. Woodstone Manor is a very pretty location so it could be a special occasion place.

[PaulE]

1 hour ago, Skooma said:

I hope you left out "hour" as in 2 1/2 HOUR drive north of NYC.

Whoops!  Thanks; it's definitely hours!

[txhorns79]

I thought Pete just had to return to the property to have any lost appendages reappear, not actually have to physically be in the house for it to happen. 

[SoMuchTV]

9 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

I thought Pete just had to return to the property to have any lost appendages reappear, not actually have to physically be in the house for it to happen. 

Yeah, yeah, they were probably in the process of growing back once he got on the property, hand wave, hand wave. 

[eel2178]

On 2/6/2025 at 7:07 PM, ams1001 said:

Hetty: "What's a cat cafe?"
Sass: "Do cats even drink coffee? What the hell's goin' on out there?"

Sass, meet Stars.

(Don't worry, she was just licking the bottom; my mom drank the coffee.)

The cat I grew up with liked to drink Carnation Instant Breakfast.

Edited Sunday at 05:19 AM by eel2178

[eel2178]

On 2/7/2025 at 7:00 PM, kathyk2 said:

 Sam should try to befriend someone slse who can see ghosts.

12 hours ago, iMonrey said:

How on earth is she supposed to find such a person? Craigslist?

I would think that some of the ghosts Sam runs in to would be able to tell her what other Livings had been able to see them.

[Neptune]

16 hours ago, iMonrey said:

How on earth is she supposed to find such a person? Craigslist?

The show hasn't been real specific about the surrounding area so I don't know that there are a lot of other couples nearby that are in the same age range as Jay and Sam. The only other locals we've seen were the swingers at the Farnsbys and they were older couples (and ones Jay and Sam want nothing to do with). We did see some of Jay and Sam's old friends at their Halloween party but yeah, they all live in the city.

It also makes me wonder how viable the restaurant and B&B are long-term as businesses. Everything we've been shown suggests that Woodstone is in a rather remote location.

ally and June are their next door neighbors

[AConspiracy]

Wow Pete took a big chance that at least some of Thor's shipmates hadn't been sucked off yet. And that they died in their home village and not on some trip....

[ams1001]

1 hour ago, AConspiracy said:

Wow Pete took a big chance that at least some of Thor's shipmates hadn't been sucked off yet. And that they died in their home village and not on some trip....

Now I'm wondering what happens if you become a ghost after dying in the middle of the ocean...if any of them died on the ship I guess they'd stay with it, but eventually that ship would most likely be gone. Are there ghosts on shipwrecks underwater..? (I had the same question about the car ghost. What happens when that car someday gets sold for scrap and dismantled?)