The news that Jay will gain a vital new ability in Ghosts season 4 should solve the biggest issue with his character in the sitcom. The ghosts of CBS’s Ghosts are the real heroes of the series, but their misadventures need a human accomplice. Without Sam’s ability to communicate with the undead denizens of the Woodstone B&B, the sitcom’s main characters wouldn’t be capable of affecting change in their surroundings. The ghosts provide the ideas and Sam executes them, often with disastrous results. However, this successful formula has left one character out of the story until now.
Utkarsh Ambudkar’s Jay is an ideal love interest for Sam. He is more methodical than his flightier partner, and his cautious side pairs well with Sam’s impulsiveness. However, Jay can’t see, hear, or communicate with the ghosts of the CBS sitcom, so he is often at something of a loose end. Outings like season 1, episode 13, “The Vault,” make use of this disparity by forcing the ghosts to communicate with Jay out of necessity, but these storylines are few and far between. Fortunately, Ghosts season 4 can fix this issue by granting Jay the ability he has always wanted.
Jay Naturally Gets Sidelined In Ghosts (& That’s A Problem)
According to a Comic-Con interview with Collider, Jay will gain the ability to see ghosts in Ghosts season 4. This change is perfectly timed, as his character has been sidelined for too long in the show’s first three outings. While Ghosts season 4’s new character may mean that Jay’s newfound abilities won’t arrive until later in the season, he has been pining for a chance to see ghosts since Sam first gained her powers. As early as season 2, episode 6, “The Baby Bjorn,” Jay bitterly complained that Sam’s abiltiies were wasted on her.
It will be fun for Ghosts season 4 to finally see Jay interact with much of the cast for the first time.
As his actor Utkarsh Ambudkar noted during that Comic-Con interview, it will be fun for Ghosts season 4 to finally see Jay interact with much of the cast for the first time. Jay doesn’t even know what Thor looks like, let alone how the ghosts interact with each other, and Sam’s limited explanations of their dynamics can’t compare to firsthand interactions. This means Jay will no longer be utilized mainly as a supporting character in B-stories and can instead become the sitcom’s co-lead, thus taking pressure off the show’s reliance on Sam in the process.
Ghosts Season 4’s Twist Fixes Jay’s Biggest Problem
Inevitably, Jay is often left out of Ghosts plots because he relies on Sam as a medium for all of their communication. Storylines like Isaac’s Ghosts character shift or the varied backstories of the house’s ghosts are too complex to be repeated verbatim to Jay. As such, Sam’s partner is instead often given broadly comedic side quests that have less direct connection to the show’s main heroes. The show’s original British incarnation, the BBC sitcom of the same name, struggled with this issue even more. Fortunately, CBS’s Ghosts can now fix the problem.
Kiell Smith-Bynoe’s Mike was frequently seen gallivanting through a wacky slapstick plot, while BBC’s Ghosts divulged another character’s surprisingly poignant backstory, and the ensuing tonal disparity often made his character’s subplots feel superfluous. In contrast, Jay gaining the ability to see ghosts in season 4 means he can have a bigger role to play in the dramatic storylines at the Woodstone B&B, which have always comprised the show’s main plots. This makes it tempting for Ghosts to make this twist a permanent change, but the sitcom should still steer clear of this.
