Ghosts Season 2 Episode 7 Review: Dumb Deaths

As the great Benoit Blanc of Knives Out fame once said, “It is not a doughnut hole at all, but a smaller doughnut with its own hole and our doughnut is not whole at all.”

The absurdity of that nonsensical sentiment best encompasses Ghosts Season 2 Episode 7, “Dumb Deaths,” a bizarre melding pot of American absurdity and British dry humor at the center of a donut bursting with profoundly painful human existences.

Pete’s “dumb” demise is once again an excellent catalyst to explore how society processes trauma in extra messy, chaotic ways. 

What you have to love most about Pete’s big revelation with his death is how painfully mundane and dumb it truly is.

No surprise twist saves Pete from the humiliation of causing his death; there are no pills or vises to work with here. Pete was human, and he made a dumb mistake after a dumb fight over donut holes (an excellent callback to the pilot, by the way).

That is the footnote of his tragedy — donut holes and negligence.

But as Ghosts Season 1 Episode 6, “Pete’s Wife,” showcased the problematic ways we cope with death, “Dumb Deaths” cleverly explores the cheap Hollywood exploitation of death. As a result, this episode feels designed to anger us as much as humor us, mocking Pete for what makes him so painfully human.

It’s a meaningful commentary on death through the lens of entertainment. Sure, a man wets his pants twice, but there are layers of ethical storytelling woven brilliantly through these shenanigans.

This ambitious episode marks a massive step outside Ghosts‘ comfort zone.

This show enjoys catering exclusively to its leading ensemble and can be very frugal with how it reveals character lore. So to have “Dumb Deaths” welcome a truckload of outsiders to Woodstone after showing Flower’s death scene is exhilarating.

It can be too much at times. There’s a cheapness to the documentary-type flashbacks that don’t entirely speak to the comedy’s refined lens, and Pete’s donut-hole reenactment feels out of place.

Regardless, it is invigorating to see this comedy take those big, satirical swings, irrespective of where they may land. One of the main selling features of Woodstone in Season 1 was its refusal to settle into the foundation.

That desire is what keeps the comedic adrenaline of this premise pumping.

And who doesn’t love a good crossover? The momentous Mathew Baynton cameo does not disappoint.

The BBC Ghosts co-creator and actor brings a dry sense of humor reminiscent of the show that started it all. And yet Actor Pete is a brand of ridiculous that fits in beautifully with this chaotic, candy-coated American version.

Baynton’s ability to bring the scout leader’s legacy into question with increasingly outlandish claims is the perfect foil to Pete’s optimism. The performance draws unexpected anger from the audience as things escalate.

And then there’s that pang of emotion that strikes at the most unexpected moment. When Jennifer springs into action to save Jay and Pete realizes he left a lasting impression on his troop, you can feel those chills running down your arm.

It brings this episode’s revelation full circle with the realization that Pete’s “dumb” death is no reflection of the lives he touched.

This bizarro episode of Ghosts is jammed packed with high-energy storylines, all of which have unique and hilarious payoffs.

The Isaac and Nigel squabbles continue to impress. Not only because they mock other networks for attempting to break up ships at the slightest inconvenience but because it would make sense these star-crossed dignitaries would have some disagreements to work through.

Thankfully these grudges don’t matter when matched with the sitcom’s “humanity is bigger than agendas” message. A message that comes through in Isaac and Nigel’s desire to be better for each other — and to look at ducks by the lake together.

Also, Sam’s speech about America and Britain’s “special friendship” is masterful, pulling from Love Actually‘s atrocious representation of diplomatic partnerships when we least expect it.

“Dumb Deaths” is brimming with funny antidotes and character assignments that push this ambitious episode over the edge of loveable absurdity.

There’s Hetty’s on-brand power trip and Thorfinn’s loud outbursts that add nothing to the discussion. Not to mention Sas fact-checking the drunk allegations even though he was there. These small, personality-packed performances add up to something glorious.

Best of all, the documentary casts Sam as Flower, and her on-point impersonation dredges up iZombie nostalgia with McIver back in her persona wheelhouse.

Episodes like this remind us we are incredibly lucky to have a character-driven comedy like Ghosts in our lives.

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What did you think of this episode of Ghosts? Share your thoughts in the comments below! And check out our postmortem episode discussion with Richie Moriarty right here!

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Ghosts airs Thursdays at 8:30/7:30c on CBS.

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Richie Moriarty On Taking Aim at ‘Ghosts’ BBC Counterpart and That Mathew Baynton Cameo [Interview]