Ghosts Review: Alberta’s Fan (Season 1 Episode 9)

They tell you never to meet your heroes. However, Ghosts makes a case for why meeting your biggest fan can prove to be just as messy.

Ghosts Season 1 Episode 9, “Alberta’s Fan,” explores two eventful fan experiences as Alberta finds the fame and fortune she has always wanted in the form of a crazy white, middle-aged man with a museum in his mother’s house. Meanwhile, Hetty reconnects with a heroic figure from her childhood.

There is mystery, murder, back tattoos, and more than a few sinister plot lines that refuse to address themselves. But, as a fully formed apparition, this episode has its fans begging for more.

It’s Alberta’s time to shine, and not a moment too late, I might add.

Far too much of this show has hinted at the singer’s spotlight-stealing potential, and this episode lets her ego loose. Danielle Pinnock wastes no time filling each comedic beat with gloating self-praise and glee for modern-day stardom.

She layers on that self- flattery thick so it can dissolve into a chaotic confrontation that has Alberta screeching in horror and us howling with laughter. By the time the toenail appears, her episode arc has reached the height of its glory as the ghosts rally for a humiliating demise.

A thousand times yes to reintroducing the petty feud between Isaac and Alberta as a permanent fixture of this plot. The way it continues to be a group effort as the others look for ways to weaponize Alberta’s achievements against Isaac is quite lovely.

Those mean-spirited beats open the door for meaningful development as Isaac and Alberta learn to be there for each other when the joke goes too far. There’s a fine line between love and hate, and Ghosts walks it beautifully.

Our two fan-favorites are back and for a team-up, no less. Ghosts really said, “Oh, you miss Thorfinn and Hetty? Here you go!”

Thorfinn is the most accessible ghost for comedic material, he’s loud and to the point. So, to go against the grain and use his status as the oldest ghost to orchestrate such an emotional storyline is quite impressive — like Hetty doing hardcore drugs, impressive.

It is so clever of this sitcom to rewind the clock and attempt to touch on the perspective of those that have stayed frozen in this form for centuries as they watched their ghostly housemates grow up and pass away.

Thorfinn hints that he is a bigger fan of Hetty than she is of him. But, the reveal that the man Hetty turned to for comfort as a child, the man who sang her lullabies until she fell asleep was, in fact, Thorfinn watching over her is *sobs* too damn good!

I hope this isn’t the end of Thor and Hetty’s deeper connection because their wholesome history is worth exploring further.

Ghosts is quick on its feet, throwing gasoline on this dumpster fire like it’s another gazebo. So, is it necessary to introduce juicy stakes to a fan interaction already gone wrong? No, but this series isn’t one for the boring or the bare minimum.

Unfortunately for Sam, she lives in a world where ghosts exist, and if a crazy stalker dies on her property, they become her problem for eternity. So it not only makes sense that Sam would panic and try to move the body but comedically, the selfishness to put her needs before a dying man is ripe with potential.

The series is finally exploring the bed and breakfast concept, and with that comes a whole host of new problems unique to Sam’s predicament. The idea that any problematic guest could haunt the house is overflowing with chaotic potential.

Going public does threaten the quaint humor this tight ensemble has cultivated, but “Alberta’s Fan” promises when the time comes to open its doors, this series will welcome new storylines with capable, open arms.

This straightforward episode doesn’t quite inspire passion for a full-back tattoo, but it does keep the show’s spirit alive as we enter the next chapter of Sam and Jay’s stay.

The fleeting bits that fill the space between storylines continue to delight. From a child calling Isaac a pirate to Sam losing her last nerve with Pete’s travel agent debate, you don’t have to look to the larger episode arcs for a good laugh.

Ghosts is harmless in its humor, but this episode suggests that the Murder House curse is very much alive. It’s almost worse this comedy ignores the obvious. These deaths are becoming concerning in their eagerness to cling to the clueless couple trope as a permanent theme.

Scared silly by this selfish comedy, how could you not be a fan of Ghosts? It’s out here giving us all this ghostly goodness without an ounce of mid-season fatigue.

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Ghosts airs Thursdays at 9/8c on CBS.

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