Looking back on Ghosts season 4 so far, I’m starting to see that the CBS sitcom has a favorite protagonist and I can understand why. If you had asked me who the main character of Ghosts season 4 was after the first few episodes aired, I would have put my money on Brandon Scott James’s Isaac. The Revolutionary War general was central to the story of season 3 and, thanks to Ghosts season 4’s new character Patience, he played a central role in the first three episodes of season 4 too.
However, although episode 6, “The Primary Source,” and episode 10, “The Not-So-Silent Partner,” both focused on Isaac, I’m not so certain that he is the sitcom’s favorite ghost anymore. All the ghosts in Ghosts have compelling backstories, powers, and parts to play in the sitcom’s ensemble, but Richie Moriarty’s Pete has started to emerge as even more of a scene stealer than Isaac. There are multiple reasons behind this shift, but I can’t say that I disagree with the choice to push Pete into the spotlight more often.
Ghosts Season 4 Has Featured Several Important Pete Storylines
Episode 13 and The Two-Part Christmas Special Centered On Him
In season 4, episode 13, “Ghostfellas,” Pete accidentally sets a disastrous story in motion when he shares his wife Carol’s tomato sauce recipe with Jay. Jay adds it to the menu of his restaurant, and it is an instant hit, but the recipe soon attracts the attention of Carol’s mobster nephew, Anthony. While Jay and Sam are happy to take the sauce off the menu when Anthony accuses them of plagiarism, it is too late for the restaurant. Soon, Anthony and his mobster buddies start taking over Jay’s restaurant, scaring away customers and running up a ludicrous tab.
| Ghosts Actor | Character Name |
|---|---|
| Brandon Scott Jones | Isaac Higgintoot |
| Roman Zaragoza | Sass |
| Danielle Pinnock | Alberta |
| Rebecca Wisocky | Hetty |
| Richie Moriarty | Pete |
| Asher Grodman | Trevor |
| Devon Chandler Long | Thor |
It looks like Jay’s restaurant will be owned by the mob before it has even been open a few weeks, but Pete comes to the rescue when he confronts Carol about lying to him throughout their marriage and shames her into saving the restaurant. While Ghosts season 4 episode 12 centered Flower after she spent weeks on the periphery of the sitcom’s action, “Ghostfellas” brought Pete back to center stage. Pete discovered that the travel agency he worked for throughout his life was a front for money laundering, although he later found out his satisfied customers were entirely real.
Why Ghosts Season 4 Has Been Using Pete More
Pete’s Unique Ghost Power Makes Him Central To The Sitcom
This is not the first time that Pete has been the sitcom’s main focus recently, and I can’t say I’m surprised that Ghosts season 4 is relying on Pete so heavily. His attempts to say goodbye to his daughter before she moved to Australia defined the story of episodes 8 and 9, “A Very Arondekar Christmas Parts 1 and 2,” while he also ended up playing a pivotal role in episode 11, “Therapy 2: Abandonment Issues.” There are a few factors that make Pete a uniquely strong protagonist for the series.
Ghosts season 4 has started prioritizing Pete because his storylines benefit from the unique advantage of his ghost power, which allows him to leave the mansion’s grounds. This means he can contribute to the stories of other characters, traveling to Norway to learn Thor’s Ghosts backstory or going around the world to find Sass a love interest. Not only is this a useful power, but his ex-wife Carol also died at the Woodstone mansion. This means she can factor into Pete’s storylines and, by extension, their extended families can play roles too.
Unlike a lot of the show’s ghosts who died much earlier in history, Pete still has living relatives that can be part of his plots. Characters like nephew-in-law Anthony or his daughter can actually appear in the show, whereas characters like Isaac, Hetty, Thor, Alberta, and Sass are from completely different historical eras. As such, their descendants are much more distantly related and geographically scattered. I can see why the sitcom chooses to utilize Pete as a main character thanks to these qualities, but the show should still exercise caution.
Ghosts Needs To Utilize Pete To Benefit Other Spirits
Pete’s Stories Are Strongest When They Cross Over With Other Characters
Ghosts season 4’s Pete stories work well because his living relatives make storylines more impactful, and his ability to help out the rest of the ghosts makes him a great support. However, as Ghosts season 4 establishes Bela as a bigger character and starts to explore Hetty and Trevor’s dynamic again, I’m certain Pete’s best future stories will come from his interactions with the rest of the ghosts.
The remainder of season 4 can’t just be all about Pete’s story.
Pete is a great character in his own right, but the ensemble sitcom is always at its best when the ghosts are working together or feuding. As such, the remainder of season 4 can’t just be all about Pete’s story. As happened when Pete traveled to find out why Thor was abandoned, Ghosts season 4’s upcoming episodes need to use his powers to expand the existing storylines of the rest of the mansion’s inhabitants.
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