Ghosts UK Season 1 Episode 4 Review: Free Pass

It is lights, camera, action for Ghosts UK Season 1 Episode 4, “Free Pass,” as Alison and Mike welcome a film crew into Button House — and subsequently, a lot of chaos.

The estate may not be structurally sound for ambitious money ventures, but the foundation of Ghosts UK finally feels like it has settled.

Alison and Mike are no longer terrorized by their new house guests, and the ghosts are more open to humoring new livings. It’s a co-habitation partnership in the early stages, but the ease of it all has developed a successful rhythm of banter and pairings.

Losing the external conflict of the construction crew so early on felt like a potential misstep for the comedy. However, countering the fallout with a Regency drama is a brilliant pivot and arguably better for the chaos of this premise.

A film crew is more lively and comes with a new set of personalities and dynamics — like Alison’s free pass and a narcissistic method actor.

It is odd for Alison and Mike to stay for the filming portion of this venture, especially given how many outbursts would have been avoided if Alison was minding her business downstairs.

But we need the main characters to interact with the episode’s plot, so Ghosts UK cleverly uses the house’s structural problems as both an excuse and a plot tool to build suspense. To have the floor finally give out for the big finale is rather fitting as it allows Button House to be a character in the conflict.

Fancy Flapjacks

The comedy using Button House, an already magnificent playground, as a film set is a brilliant way to experiment with new dynamics.

Pat sticks by Mary’s side with determination to explain how footage is recorded. It is tedious work; however, the shy peasant woman discovers a new confidence and passion for directing that is worth our time. Watching her call the shots, only to be validated by the livings, is a nice blend of lovely and laughable.

Also, Toby Nightingale is a ridiculous man, and it is a joy to watch Alison slowly come to that realization.

The scene where he notices Alison is watching him and starts eating his salad seductively is just great use of this guest character. And the little rollers in his hair, no notes.

Additionally, this episode outdoes itself with one-liners because there are so many iconic, series-defining ones in this single outing. It is near impossible to choose between “Oh, she’s a fancy flapjack” and “I’m going to drown myself in the lake” because both are phenomenal comebacks.

A Tortured Poet

Coming into this series, I expected to like Mathew Baynton’s Thomas before all the ghosts. Oddly enough, though, this struggling poet makes it challenging to embrace him, and maybe that’s by design.

We all know that one over-zealous artist we avoid at all costs, fearing they will start talking in sonnets.

Either way, seeing something click into place with this character would be excellent. As it stands right now, most of the ghosts spend the episode interacting. However, Thomas keeps to himself, mainly resulting in a lack of interaction and development with the other characters.

He’s the odd man out, and as the one ghost on the outskirts, I hope Ghosts UK finds ways to insert him into the primary plot.

However, introducing his hatred for Lord Byron and following up with a shot of Thomas attempting to follow through on his dramatic threat to drown himself is undoubtedly a step in the right direction. Who doesn’t love an overly dramatic spirit?

Spirits with Star-Power

Ghosts UK is doing a fantastic job of capturing those magical little character details.

So many memorable jokes are fleeting remarks mentioned briefly before whisking us off to the next scene. But enough of those character quirks pile up, and you start to piece together who these ghosts are behind their bored masks.

From The Captain making sure Pat, lost in thought, doesn’t stray from the group or Alison secretly listening to Julian’s ill-advised gambling advice, the desire to love these characters grows more with each passing adventure.

These ghosts don’t need some fancy film crew to be the show’s stars, that’s for sure.

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Back-to-back episodes of Ghosts UK air Thursdays at 9/8c on CBS.

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