Ghosts Season 2 Episode 19 Review: Ghost Father of the Bride

No need to wait for a Martino family newsletter to find out if Laura’s wedding is a success.

Ghosts Season 2 Episode 19, “Ghost Father of the Bride,” speaks for itself, delivering one of the sitcom’s most emotional endeavors in a delightful package of lighthearted comedy and kookalooka confessionals.

The episode presents a beautiful marriage between the sinister undernotes of the Crash investigation and Pete’s sweet reunion with his daughter.

Big Deck Energy

Only Ghosts could make an illegal deck the foundation for a terrific episode.

I don’t know why Pete revealing he built a deck without a permit brings such joy into my life, but it is a brilliant plot device.

This is a perfect crime, really. Pete is a stickler for rules, so it’s entirely believable that the worst crime he ever committed would involve permits. His shame is countered beautifully by the act of provoking the Ulster County zoning board to shift the episode’s direction.

It’s a plot device that makes sense for the character. This silly, illegal deck flawlessly pulls off the impossible feat of convincing Pete’s family to host a wedding where he died — and allows for an excellent “big deck” joke.

Also, Pete skirting permits as Thorfinn discusses bludgeoning people with frozen carrots speaks to Ghosts’ jackpot premise.

Martino Family Newsletter

Speaking of perfect plot devices, Ghosts has to know it has stumbled onto a goldmine with Pete’s family newsletter.

So much of the character backstory is cleverly kept under wraps to prolong this sitcom’s relevance. But there are also characters, like Pete, with family still living their lives. So it makes sense to introduce a story tool to resolve that.

With Sam and Jay finding a way onto the email chain, we are given valuable tidbits about life outside Woodstone. Plus, retainers and adventurous cousins are cute ways to get the other ghosts invested in these Pete-centric episodes.

Ghosts has used the emails to lay essential groundwork for this wedding, giving Sam an airtight alibi for knowing Laura’s business.

But with a tool this powerful, there’s also the fear of losing it. With one click, Carol could cut Pete off from his family, and even the most casual viewers can come to care about those stakes.

A Wedding to Remember

“Ghost Father of the Bride” plays up a whimsical optimism to compliment Pete’s persona and a darker humor to reflect his relationship with Carol. But none of it undercuts the emotional severity.

Pete missed out on so much of his daughter’s life, and Ghosts allowing him a storyline where he can heal that wound by walking her down the aisle is sincere storytelling. That is how you cater to a character and a fanbase.

There’s so much nuance and lore steeped in this wedding. It’s a nod to the people who lost their parents too soon and the relationships we hold onto too long.

Even Pete’s senior moment is an intelligent commentary on unreliable narratives and the idea that humans are deeply flawed in remembering the past as it happened.

All of that strokes a tender nerve of emotion as Pete walks alongside his daughter. Their bond across decades of loss encompasses the heartwarming intentions at the core of this selfish sitcom.

Pony and Bangs

Not many secondary storylines could hold a candle to a father walking his adult daughter down the aisle from beyond the grave.

But not many storylines involve the incredible team-up that is Pony and Bangs.

Alberta and Isaac provide the right amount of harmless chaos and substance with their investigation. However, they don’t overpower Pete’s big moment, matching the sweet cadence of the wedding with a calculated interrogation style.

So much is perfect about this storyline. We have Isaac misunderstanding the term necking, Flower putting on the performance of her life for a crime she didn’t even commit, and then there is Isaac’s shocking betrayal.

Sharp teeth hide behind this satirical mystery, and we don’t realize that until the gasp-worthy reveal is upon us.

This silly concept rests easy on the ensemble’s capable shoulders thanks to low stakes (because the ghosts are ridiculously bored) and a disregard for the well-being of Crash’s head.

The evidence here is damning — Isaac and Alberta need to team up again soon.

It helps to see these strong storylines propped up by stellar banter. So whether Jay acknowledges the silences we don’t hear or someone calls Little Pete a bastard — the dark, twisted, and oddly observant comedy nails the punchline.

This episode deserves ten thousand Woodstone Reward points, but we’ll have to settle for a perfect star rating.

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What did you think of this episode of Ghosts? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Check out our postmortem episode discussion of Ghosts Season 2 Episode 19, “Ghost Father of the Bride,” with Richie Moriarty here!

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

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