After a nine-month wait, we finally know which Woodstone ghost was “sucked off” at the end of Season 2. Sheila Carrasco’s Flower has moved on to the afterlife.
Now that the Ghosts Season 3 premiere episode, “The Owl,” has aired and one of the show’s biggest burning questions has been answered, showrunners Joe Port and Joe Wiseman took the time to discuss their experience crafting the first episode of the new seasons, and specifically why they came to the conclusion that Flower should be the first of the show’s main ghosts to move on.
As one might expect, we say “sucked off” a considerable amount of times in the video interview at the top of this article and Port used it as an opportunity to highlight that that’s a gem that came from the BBC original. “The ‘sucked off’ phrase came from the British show, and that was literally probably the only thing that they sent us that they were like, ‘You guys gotta use this. This is very good. You have our blessing.’”
Much to many fans’ delight, they indeed took it and ran with it, delivering loads of hilarious dialogue that address the idea. Yes, there are still many laughs to be had in “The Owl” as the ghosts process what it means to finally see one of their own “sucked off,” but there’s also a touching emotional undercurrent that’s heavily tied to what’s made Ghosts so special — the attachment the characters have to one another, and the attachment we, as an audience, have to them.
Why Flower Was the First Main Character to Get “Sucked Off” in ‘Ghosts’
Viking Thor and hippie Flower laugh together while sitting on a couch in ‘Ghosts’Image via CBS
As Port noted, they had more time than expected to settle on Flower as being the first of the main ghosts to get “sucked off” due to the five-month WGA strike in 2023. Here’s how the development of that plot point progressed:
“We went down a number of different roads, some were more prominent ghosts and some were, you know, slightly more peripheral, but we wanted it to be, in the end, someone very consequential that had big ramifications for the ghosts and Sam and Jay in the house. She was definitely going to be someone we missed. I think that’s what makes it hard and what makes it good.”
As tough as it is to see a favorite go, Port is right. If you’re going to take such a big narrative swing and essentially execute an idea that’s been teased since the very beginning of the series, it’s got to mean something. It’s got to mean something in the moment, and it also has to have a lasting impact on the other characters going forward.
The Rules for Why a Ghost Gets “Sucked Off” Are Not That Simple
A viking, hippie, scout master, Lenape spirit and 1920s jazz singer smirk while looking at something in Ghosts Season 2.Image via Paramount, CBS
As Wiseman explained, Flower “met a lot of qualifications” when figuring out if the time was right for her to go up.
“She met a lot of qualifications. You could say that for a few of the other ghosts as well, but she recently had some personal growth, you know, learning to want to be in a monogamous relationship with Thor. And then, as Joe hinted at, her absence created a lot of conflict. It creates, obviously, feelings for Thor. This was the person he loved most in the world and they’re gone.”
Flower choosing to fully embrace her relationship with Thor (Devan Chandler Long) is a significant step forward for the character, one some might assume is the singular thing that gave her passage up. However, Wiseman went on to note that there’s no clear and strict list of boxes to tick. Yes, we do know up is good, down is bad, and there must be some lesson learned to head on up, but even with those parameters, there are many shades of gray in the system. He continued:
“When a ghost goes up on our show, it’s a little complicated. Obviously Thor is upset, but some of the other ghosts are gonna be jealous and some of the other ghosts are gonna be curious about why. Every time a ghost goes up, we’ve sort of hinted that it might have something to do with personal growth and breakthroughs, but it’s also mysterious as to when it happens. A lot of times, ghosts have big breakthroughs and they don’t get sucked off. So we just thought Flower created a lot of good stories in the wake of her disappearing.”
