Ghosts Review: Halloween (Season 1 Episode 5)

Ghosts that hate Halloween? That does feel off-brand. Thankfully, there is nothing off-brand about the festive treat that is Ghosts Season 1 Episode 5, “Halloween.”

The spirits of this haunting sitcom might not be a fan of the spooky traditions and hooligans in insulting costumes, but it’s not difficult to be a fan of this episode.

It provides a stream of strong banter and mundane shenanigans that is quickly being established as a standard for the show, wrapped up in the joys of fake cobwebs and glowing jack-o-lanterns.

Like the flaming gazebo set alight by an over-excited Viking, this episode shines incredibly bright.

It’s not just the creepy American Horror Story gazebo that is burning. Ghosts is on fire and scorching earth with refreshingly funny commentary during every new episode.

This excuse to celebrate the spookiest day of the year is no different as the show leans into the darker tropes of the undead and brings out the evil side of these ghosty roommates.

The episode still sticks to the harmless route of the supernatural but livens things up with a reminder that with ghosts come scary judgment calls.

Allowing these spirits to reassess their actions before they become murderous entities on a different show is a fun reimagining of the horror genre. It all concludes around a ridiculous speech from Trevor preaching “ghosts don’t have to be evil, and they don’t have to be busted” that is as comical as it is surprisingly ethical.

There’s nothing stopping this show from consuming our lives as only the best TV shows can. It’s a fact I’m fine with considering these friendly sitcom ghosts have yet to burn us once in their five-episode run.

Ghosts could have phoned this one in, given the premise already exudes a Halloween-all-year-round aesthetic. That said, holiday episodes are fundamentally better than any other sitcom episode, and this show doesn’t miss an opportunity to capitalize on the spookiest time of the year.

And like everything this sitcom tackles, the material is unique to its bubbly off-beat rhythm. Sam and Jay dress up as the Step Brothers and make out a lot. It’s the perfect pop culture reference and one that consequently opens doors for tons of incest jokes.

There is plenty of cute commentary on Ghostbusters being a horror movie for the dead occupants of the house; a harmless but hilarious concept to see play out as Trevor becomes determined to be a ghost Bill Murray wouldn’t bust.

It’s Sasappis’ joke about being an accountant that died on Halloween in a Native American costume that takes the cake, mostly because he says he’s joking and I don’t entirely believe him. Don’t get me started on Thorfinn confirming Sasappis’ body count in the bedroom — these ghosts are sweet as treats, but they nasty in the sheets!

It’s a winning combination of dirty, sweet, earth-scorching comedy that suggests Ghosts is that house handing out full chocolate bars when it could be getting away with bags of chips.

It’s enjoyable to see Ghosts continue to base its upbeat, fluffy persona around characters that are anything but. To have the conflict of the episode revolve around the ghosts setting the gazebo on fire and then lying about it is *chef kiss* perfection.

It’s not the obvious direction for “Halloween” to take but it feels entirely right for these petty spirits. I almost wish we could have seen more chaos from this crew, given how much havoc they have wreaked in their short time on-air.

That seems to be the only issue with this festive installment. It does such a good job of delivering on the staple Halloween episode that there’s an expectation for more — more spooky decorations, more costumes, more of the haunting aesthetic this show absorbs so well.

If (and when) Ghosts is given a second season, I would like to see the series go bigger and bolder with this new tradition because burning gazebos is a good start but there’s room for more chaos here and way more Halloween.

Ghosts will continue to be a delightful treat long after Halloween has passed.

This episode piles on to the same loveable antics without treading the same ground. The lovely thing about owning a ginormous mansion is there are always new settings to explore.

For this show, that means there’s some obscure aspect of these spirits to be explored as well, and if something has the opportunity to be burned or broken in the process, why the hell not. It’s a formula that will treat this show well going forward.

As Jay puts it, “our gazebo got burned down by ghosts on Halloween in front of our haunted house.” There’s no better way to celebrate the holiday than with a gaggle of chaotic ghosts and accidental arson.

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Ghosts airs Thursdays at 9/8c on CBS.

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