Ghosts Bosses Talk Finale’s Wedding Twist, Isaac Cliffhanger and Pete’s Power Limitation — Plus, Grade It!
Warning: The following contains spoilers for Thursday’s Ghosts. Proceed at your own risk!
While one couple broke up, another took a big step forward in Ghosts’ Season 3 finale. And that doesn’t even cover Pete, who found a new lady love (played by Upload’s Allegra Edwards) in St. Lucia!
Pete’s romantic rendezvous with ’80s ghost Donna was cut short, though, when the Troop leader started to disappear. Literally! The longer Pete was away, the more he started to fade into oblivion. Thankfully, he made it back to Woodstone in time before he went bye-bye for good. As he spoke about the incredible connection he shared with Donna, Isaac realized that something was missing in his relationship with Nigel and broke things off right before they were about to exchange wedding vows.
But Isaac has bigger things to worry about than just a jilted ex: As the episode came to a close, Patience, the Puritan ghost Isaac abandoned, returned to pull him into the dirt.
Elsewhere, Thor confessed that he didn’t want to be in a throuple, and he and Flower said “I love you” to each other, while Carol declared that she and Baxter were getting married.
Below, co-showrunners Joe Wiseman and Joe Port break down the finale’s big moments and tease what’s ahead in Season 4.
TVLINE | Your finales always leave off on this very dramatic note, lots of shock and surprise. What was the approach with this particular cliffhanger this season?
JOE WISEMAN | When we came up with the story of Patience in Episode 308, we pretty much immediately knew we would need to see Patience in the future. We all got excited about seeing her soon, and we started talking like, “OK, what would she do?” and it seems like she would be very, very upset at Isaac. So we just sort of worked into this idea that she finds her way to the house and wants to enact revenge. We thought it was just, like, a great visual of Isaac being grabbed from behind, and being pulled into the dirt was a great way to leave the season with a cliffhanger.
JOE PORT | When Alberta is trying to make Isaac feel better about his romantic prospects going forward late in the episode, she tells him that, “Maybe death has some surprises for you yet,” which we thought was also good foreshadowing for what was about to happen.
TVLINE | You reference Patience in a previous episode and then she looms in the shadows in this finale. Will we actually get to see her and meet her next season?
PORT | Yes.
TVLINE | Is there anything you can share about what she’s like besides being this ominous figure and what her mission is here?
PORT | As described, she’s a Puritan woman and she’s pissed off, to start, because she has an axe to grind, obviously, with Isaac, who she’s taken hostage now. That’s going to be the first order of business to open [Season 4] is, first of all, everyone has to find out that he’s missing, which they soon will, and then they have to get Isaac back.
TVLINE | Flower went missing in this season. How is this situation going to be different? How are you shaking it up with Isaac?
PORT | Well, it’s a little bit different. This year, we know who’s missing. Last year, the cliffhanger was, like, who is missing? No one knew that Flower actually did not get sucked off and was missing. We’re going to quickly know that Isaac is missing and who took him [and], immediately, be able to put the wheels in motion to try to get him back right away.
WISEMAN | It’s not going to be a repeat of them looking for him for weeks and weeks.
TVLINE | How are the other ghosts going to react to what’s happened?
WISEMAN | I think it’s sort of scary that there’s a feral Pilgrim who’s been roaming the dirt for 100 plus years and is now lurking around. I think they’re going to be shocked.
PORT | And I think there’s going to be an effort to try to understand Patience and win her over.
TVLINE | On the relationship front, why did you decide to split up Isaac and Nigel? And what does that open up for you in terms of storylines for next season?
WISEMAN | They’ve been heading toward the altar now for three seasons. We had discussed it in the [writers’] room, and we just think it was a bit of a spur-of-the-moment decision on Isaac’s part to get married. Maybe it had been a long time, and he had never been in a relationship of this magnitude, and he wanted the things that everybody else got a chance to have, and maybe he rushed into it. Despite the fact that they’re not going to be together now doesn’t mean that there’s no future for them. Isaac just, as Sam puts it at the end of the episode, wasn’t ready and that’s OK, and it’s better to realize that now than go through with a second marriage that he doesn’t feel totally right about.
TVLINE | Usually, when you split up with somebody, you go your separate ways, but Nigel’s stuck on the Woodstone premises. So does that make things awkward between the two of them next season?
WISEMAN | Yeah, it is a funny situation. You’re right, usually you try to put as much distance as you can between [you and the other person], but in this situation, that’s not entirely possible, so…
PORT | It’s also not just that they’re stuck on the property together. Nigel moved into the house. So that’s something we’re delving into as we start the season: This lack of being with Isaac any longer, what does that mean for Nigel’s status as a member of the house?
TVLINE | You gave Pete a very cool power that allows him to leave Woodstone, but he also can’t leave for too long. Is there a specific amount of time that he can be gone? Have you settled on a number?
WISEMAN | Boy, that’s a good question. As far as a very specific number, in the episode, I think she says, “It’s been the best couple of days,” so it’s definitely no more than two days. It might be less. We really wanted to put a limiter on this power because, in a good way, it opens up the world, it opens up stories we can tell, but we also didn’t want it to be too premise-y breaking, where Pete could be gone for super long slots of time and could go anywhere. We just thought it was smart to make sure it couldn’t be abused.
TVLINE | And following this experience in the finale, is Pete going to be reluctant to ever leave again, or is he going to embrace the power and its limitations?
PORT | I don’t think he’s going to be reluctant to leave. I think he’s got a taste for travel now, and he’s also going to be a very useful tool for the other ghosts, who have a lot of people they wish they could connect with or ghosts they wish they could connect with that don’t reside on the property, and Pete can become a messenger of sorts.
TVLINE | What about this romance that he started with Donna? Is that going to carry over into next season? Are we going to see her again?
WISEMAN | We’re a week into the writers’ room. So that is definitely a possibility, but we haven’t really decided yet where Pete’s going next.
PORT | It is a lot of logistics to get to Donna, but he definitely did really have a connection with her.
TVLINE | Flower and Thor took a pretty big step in this finale, which is surprising considering they’re the two people you might least expect to be in a committed relationship. What’s next for them?
WISEMAN | I think they’re in a good place, and I think, in a good way, they’ll probably be stable for a little bit. But who knows what’s going to happen?
TVLINE | And just to clarify, did Carol and Baxter actually get married or not?
WISEMAN | Yes. I think in our minds they did.
TVLINE | How much of Carol are we going to be seeing next season? I didn’t expect her to stick around as much as she has this season, honestly. I thought she might get “sucked off” really fast.
PORT | Well, I think there’s some unfinished business, for sure. Now, two people in the same family have died on the same property. She left behind a husband and a daughter and a grandson, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we follow up on Carol [next season].
Ghosts fans, what did you think of the season ender? Grade it below, then hit the comments!
Can’t believe you didn’t ask about Chris! I’m wondering if we’ll see him again next season. Jay’s restaurant is going to need staff.
Ohhhhhhhhh, I LIKE that idea :D! I’d be totally good with this!
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I love that the show brought him back for this episode. The ghosts’ reactions to him throughout were hilarious, and Isaac’s reactions when each new detail showed just how perfect on paper Chris seemed for him was priceless.
Overall this has been the best season but the finale was too rushed. We didn’t see Pete even see his family. How did he get back so easily? And we have swapped Flower being missing for Issac being missing? If we never saw Carole again, I’d be fine with that.
Curious too. Also wouldn’t it take a day to get there and a day to get back, so 4 days? not 2? Which is dangerous if he has to find ways to get to an airport himself in the future.
A flight from New York to St. Lucia could be about five hours. It is plausible that he was at the bar same day he landed and left same day his hand disappeared. Although I did feel like he had been there at least a little while before he met Donna
Now that I think about it, she said a nice couple of days, but that’s how long she was with him. He could have been there with his family for longer. I think a week is a solid number. 2 days would freak me out and I wouldn’t go further than going to town with Jay & Sam. Be a miracle if Pete would go anywhere again.
I mean, it’s not like Isaac will be missing for long, so… They purposefully left Flower’s fate uncertain for a while to draw out the suspense (and of course, to accommodate the actresss’ maternity leave). I don’t think we’ll have to wait that long for Isaac to come back. Though I do hope they do let his disappearance play out for at least the span of an episode or two, simply because I’m really curious to see what Patience will do with him and how he’ll try to escape or how the others will try to get him back. And I’ll also be curious to see how Nigel reacts, too.
When they mentioned Patience in the previous it seemed obvious she was going to show up at the wedding. I did think though that she would be the one to object during the ceremony. I did think that when Carol announced how happy she was and that she was to get married, that she would then get sucked off. I am surprised she will be back next season. No mention that Pete’s manhood had apparently disappeared and come back when he looked down? Important story point. Love the show but it always goes by so quickly and needs to be longer. You don’t say that about many shows. Best mention was that the writers’ room for next season is already open. I guess they will be filming soon if Rose McIver has had her baby and maternity leave.
Left out a word. “When they mentioned Patience in the previous episode it seemed obvious she was going to show up at the wedding.”
Honestly I’m sick of Carol, annoying and not needed
She’s SUPPOSED to be annoying! That’s her whole schtick.
In my case I get she’s supposed to be annoying, but I think she needs to be more than that or it just gets one note and boring seeing as she was married to someone in the main cast.
Thankfully they seem to indicate they will explore some of what I hoped they would explore. (That she’s lost a husband, the living one, a daughter etc.) I’m kind of hoping she becomes a bit more of a rounded character because “annoying and promiscuous” isn’t enough for a character on this show IMO. (I’m kind of hoping her promiscuity turns out to be like a reaction to her trauma of dying.) She can still be annoying if more rounded. That teen girl ghost is kind of annoying, but they occasionally show her some sympathy.
There are others that aren’t really needed, such as Alberta, Stephanie, but maybe they ’round out’ the cast. They had a headless 50s guy that just disappeared with no explanation. There should be more ghosts down the road since we know more people died on the land.
I thought the Friends reference was pretty hilarious.
WE WERE ON A RESPITE!!
I just about lost it when he said that. I do hope they don’t go for a back and forth the way friends did.
Oh I laughed so hard, that was so great
We still run up against the central problem of the show: no one else can see the ghosts.
Tell Hollywood to extend the TV Shows into the summer months since we started late due to the hollywood strikes.
That makes no sense considering they will probably be getting ready to start filming soon for the new Fall season
It wasn’t just the writer’s strike that cut Ghosts short. Since they didn’t want to write in Rose McIver’s (Sam) pregnancy into the show, they had to end it early or else have Jay in a house of ghosts he can’t talk to unless Sas enters his dreams, while she suddenly has to take a trip somewhere.
I’m not surprised Isaac and Nigel’s wedding didn’t go through, I figured they’d postpone it for some reason or another and save it for a regular 20 plus episode season. Give them more time to build up to it and let Isaac and Nigel continue to work through their issues before they walk down the aisle, and also give them the ceremony and special day they deserve.
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Still, I won’t deny that Isaac saying “no” and walking away as he did made me sad all the same. I llike the Joes’ explanation, though, and I agree that Isaac’s reasons for doing this make a lot of sense And I especially like them noting that this doesn’t mean there’s no future for them. Yeah. I don’t think they’re done for good, not by a long shot. I’d be totally fine with getting to see them find their way back to each other and working through their issues, and then maybe in another season or two we’ll get to see their special day. If that’s how things play out for them going forward, then great.
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I’m also REALLY intrigued by that ending! I was on board with the speculation that Patience might show up in the finale, given the earlier mentions of her, and I’d even seen people wondering if she’d have it out for Isaac, which she did, but even then, that ending playing out like it did was still a gaspworthy moment all the same! I’m actually really excited to see where they go with that idea, getting to learn more about Patience and seeing how she and Isaac interact and how he tries to get away and whatnot. That could be a really fun and alaso genuinely tense storyline.
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As for Pete, I really like this limitation on his power. I think it’s a good way to ekep him aware and to ensure he’ll always be careful and responsible with his power. And there’s a creepiness about it that I like, too – something about the most innocent, generally nice ghost having the ability to lose parts of his body like that, I dunno, it’s an intriguing contrast.
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Also loved everything with Chris. I’m so glad they brought him back for a bit of fun :D.
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Yeah. That’s a hell of a way to end this season. I am very excited and curious to see where they’ll go with all of this stuff next season – this summer can’t go by fast enough!
It seems I’m in the minority. But I like Carol, and I think the actress does a great job. She is annoying, but that is her character. That being said, Ghost may be getting too crowded, and there isn’t enough time for the great 8, although don’t get rid of Nancy (LOVE her). Finally, I want to know how Sappi died. I remember when the show premiered, I thought “Don’t get too attached” if you do it will be cancelled. Best TV surprise in a few years.
She hasn’t mentioned her husband, daughter, or grandson since she died. I guess we will find d out what is up with that next season. She also attended
the Halloween party where she died alone. Where was her second husband?
The basement ghosts are definitely growing on me. I loved it when Patience took Isaac and one of the said “I thought she was just going to yell at him” LOL. Nancy’s been pretty funny too, the actress playing her is great. If they ever decide to do a basement ghosts spinoff, I might actually watch.
Eh. I felt like Carol had potential. I was surprised they added her and it seemed like a bold move that in some ways impressed me. I’ve seen the actress in other things and she can be pretty funny. I also thought there were things you could explore about her that might be interesting.
But for now, for me, she’s still mostly just potential. She’s annoying, she sleeps around…and that’s about it as far as I can tell. She was arguably more interesting to me when she was alive.
I was a bit like the basement ghosts, surprised when Isaac was yanked through the wall, but then I realized it made sense that Patience would want him to experience what she’s been through thanks to his letting go of her hand.
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I hope we get to see a bit more of Sasippis’ power next season. Maybe there’s something he need to discuss with Jay that he doesn’t want the other ghosts or Sam to know about yet. Also, I’m wondering if we will finally find out how he died, as he’s the only one of the main ghosts that we don’t know yet since Hettie’s was revealed.
I loved the season finale, but I thought it was just too crammed full of stories. The episode should have been expanded into an hour time slot.
Pete and Donna so fun,
They never mentioned anything about Jay’s new restaurant after the first episode with the owl. What up with that?
My first thought is that they were limited by Rose McIver’s pregnancy if they filmed out in the barn (no desk to sit behind) and didn’t want to the Jay-fails-trying-to-work-with-the-ghosts-because-he-can’t-see-them well too often. Some commenters complained in the previous Ghosts article that the jokes about Jay being the only main character who can’t see and communicate with the ghosts were getting tired.
Actually there was the episode with Isaac’s money, when they dedicated a table to him in the restaurant-to-be.
Great show. Keep the surprises coming
“TVLINE | You reference Patience in a previous episode and then she looms in the shadows in this finale. Will we actually get to see her and meet her next season?”
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I wonder if the actress playing Patience has even been cast yet
Someone on another thread mentioned they’d love to see Anna Camp on this show and now I can’t stop wishing it, too!
My wife and I really enjoy “our” Ghosts. Back in Season One, some plot elements seemed to just riff on the British version, but you quickly hit your stride as the episodes delved further into each character and embraced your Hudson Valley location as well. In our opinion, the Season 3 finale was the BEST YET!!
Hey TVLine, any word on whether they’ve cast Patience yet? Or have anyone particular in mind to play her?
I love the show concept, great characters, plots and dialog. I do wish that the writers would reveal how Sasappis died. It would have been wonderful if Alberta’s recent love interest Saul had been added to the cast and not just a one time deal. That was terrible. They could have made Pete’s wife Carol a poltergeist instead. I wish the writers would stop coupling the characters. There are so many stories they could tell instead of ghost romances. I find it boring plus they keep leaving Alberta alone.
We need Jay to communicate with the Ghosts or some of them.
I LOVE this show, but I wish they had gone ahead and let Isaac and Nigel get married. That ending was a bit lame, after all he has been in love with Nigel for hundreds of years. Too, I wish they had let Sam be pregnant in the show too. Jay as a father? Think of it! The baby would see the ghosts too. Please bring Sasappis a mate somehow.