In Ghosts season 1, episode 11, “Sam’s Mom,” Rachael Harris appeared as Sam’s mom. Sam decided to visit her mother’s death site, which was a seafood diner called Mojitown, where her mother died of her seafood allergy after inadvertently eating shrimp. When they reunited, she caused Sam to experience profound insecurities about her career, repeating a pattern from their lifetime together. While Sheryl ultimately apologized, and it was great for Sam to get the apology she deserved, it was unsatisfying for the storyline with Sam’s mother to resolve so quickly. It was a massive but fleeting development for Sam’s character.
Sheryl’s ghost power can produce vulgar-smelling shrimp indigestion.
In just one episode, Sheryl fixed her relationship with her daughter. At the same time, many of the ghosts at Woodstone have waited for seasons to move on despite experiencing profound personal growth. It could be that Sam was the element that allowed her mother to move on so quickly (and Sheryl may never have been able to move on without her daughter.) Still, the introduction of Sam’s dad could make Sam and Sheryl’s relationship an ongoing element in the Ghosts narrative, which it always should have been.
