Ghosts Review: The Vault (Season 1 Episode 13)
Ghosts doesn’t keep its best work locked away. This sitcom throws the entire afterlife at us and then some because why lack transparency when the undead are this funny?
Indeed, Ghosts Season 1 Episode 13, “The Vault,” is the holy grail of sitcom episodes.
The episode blows this quaint comedy wide open with a secret vault, Matt Walsh’s mustache-twirling Elias, and some significant advancements in the show’s mythology. It is jam-packed with everything that makes this comedy top-tier.
Every good show needs a villain.
Yes, Ghosts has done a fabulous job conveying that the only barriers this dysfunctional family needs are themselves. However, the brief addition of Hetty’s Robber baron husband certainly ups the stakes.
Walsh personifies the perfect antagonist, putting the actions of these problematic ghosts into perspective. He’s rich, he’s horny, and he’s unapologetically evil right down to the villain mustache.
His meddling forces the mundane pacing to juggle more living characters and external conflict, taking this world to a new tier of storytelling.
The vault that enables his arrival is the perfect, plot-hole-less excuse for adding a volatile ghost to the mix this late in the game. It also allows this sitcom to explore the mythology it flippantly throws around in earnest.
Shocker, where there’s a heaven, there is also a hell.
Unsurprisingly, this comedy, which has handled its growing pains with ease, would face the daunting task of elaborating on its philosophy with the same sophisticated expertise.
Everything about the reveal that ghosts can go to hell is immaculate. There is the sinister music building, the loveable insanity of the cast reacting to the twist, and finally, the way Alberta so effortlessly delivers, “He just went down on us!”
I’m not sure who is more proud here — Trevor or us.
Ghosts has been so forthcoming about what kind of show it is, with the exception of its mythology. So, to see the comedy use that blind spot to transform this twist into something that will forever change the fabric of its world is inspiring.
It’s refreshing to see a series one step ahead of its natural progression, all while cracking jokes like “I love it when the mythology gets expanded” or “this is a big day in terms of ghost rules.”
But what we love more than any fourth-wall-breaking joke is a plot twist that brings a story full circle.
The ghosts have a purpose now. They are stuck in this limbo because they left an undecided impression on humanity when they died. We know these spirits must embrace growth or suffer the hellish consequences of their darker tendencies.
It’s very The Good Place in the sense that this series is forcing these semi-awful people to learn to be better in death.
However, Ghosts is doing its own wickedly profound thing by keeping the mythology and the goal of this good/bad system to a minimum. This informal approach allows Hetty’s growth to ground these flying one-liners in deeply emotional stakes.
The promise of more permanent death for these ghosts if they continue to host weekly roasts complicates this sitcom in the best ways.
Yet, beyond the twists and the villain monologues, “The Vault” has many small victories to celebrate.
Sas points out Ellias’ obsession with the maid, Thor suggests Sam and Jay kill themselves so they can be besties forever, and Jay implies country music belongs in hell. Every piece of dialogue is riddled with gut-clutching gems.
The structure of this episode is excellent because it works to evolve this formula by incorporating living guests into the mix. This allows the ghosts’ confined conflict to affect the living more and more as external conflict arises.
Ghosts suggests that whatever it has planned next, whether a bed and breakfast overrun by meddling spirits or a household living in constant fear of eternal damnation, will drive this story forward.
Much like the vault at the center of this glorious episode, Ghosts’ formula is impenetrable to weak storytelling.
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Ghosts airs Thursdays at 9/8c on NBC.
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Alicia Gilstorf
Alicia is a Rotten Tomatoes Certified Critic and a Critics Choice Association member. She credits her passion for TV to workplace sitcoms, paranormal dramedies, and coming-of-age stories. In her free time, Alicia loves to curl up with a good book and lose herself in a cozy game. Keep a lookout for her coverage of Ghosts. You can also find her work on Eulalie Magazine and Cool Girl Critiques. Follow Alicia on social media: @aliciagilstorf