Ghosts Season 3 Episode 2 Review: Man of Your Dreams

Ghosts dreams big with this momentous Sas-centric episode.

Oh yes, Ghosts Season 3 Episode 2, “Man of Your Dreams,” is the episode we dreamed of when picturing a tale that would elevate the storyteller’s journey.

It’s no secret Sas was one of the few ghosts left hanging in the back half of Season 2 after the car-ghost storyline. Season 3 looks to right that wrong with a game-changing superpower for the scheming spirit.

Sas the Superhero

There’s so much beauty in this silly concept of ghost powers.

Sometimes, they are just that, silly. But sometimes, they help Ghosts tap into an element of character development from beyond the grave that would otherwise be quite difficult to cultivate.

By gifting Sas the ability to enter dreams, the episode offers him a new avenue of storytelling as he navigates basketball courts and Star Trek-like spaceships. While Sas first treats these sets as part of his scheme, he learns to embrace Jay’s dreams as an oasis for new adventures — and that’s so wholesome.

Introducing a power that Sas can use for good or evil allows the show to explore the character’s dueling traits as a spirit who died young but has haunted Woodstone for over 500 years.

He is as wise and caring as he is selfish and immature, and Jay holding him accountable for his actions forces Sas to challenge that inner teenager more than he ever has in the series.

Jay’s Breaking Point

Ghosts’ prioritization of developing the relationship between Jay and the ghosts continues to be this season’s most exciting selling point.

This episode allows Utkarsh Ambudkar to flex his acting chops with heavier material. And it’s about time Jay reached a breaking point as the non-supernatural punching bag of the series. 

It’s shocking to see him turn such a familiar storyline on its head when Sam and the spirits run one too many schemes at his expense. He does a lot for the ghosts, and to have him acknowledge how poorly they treat him in return is such an emotional gut punch.

The subsequent apology from Sas lands so well because Jay lays the groundwork with such an emotionally charged confession. The vulnerability from Jay and the childlike excitement from Sas when he realizes Jay wants to be friends are ridiculously adorable.

Between Sas learning the power of friendship and Pete never being acknowledged for how aggressively he goes to bat for Jay, the entire storyline is an emotional journey.

With Great Power…

This episode does so much right that discussing what doesn’t work feels wrong. Nonetheless, the series risks polarizing us when welcoming any change through Woodstone’s doors.

Sitcoms like this thrive on the chaos of condensed episodic formatting. That said, it can work against new developments because character traits are being introduced sporadically.

The best comedies weave nods to an upcoming story into the fabric of the season so the reveal feels more organic. Ghosts especially needs to do this more often, given how long its ensemble has been canonically confined to the same space.

It isn’t entirely believable that Pete’s sleep apnea would just now lead him to follow Sas into a living’s bedroom.

It would have been more effective to flashback to Sas using this power without anyone realizing it. The episode could frame the power reveal as confirmation that Sas is a terrifying puppet master, which distracts from the part where this is the first the ghosts hear about it.

A Séance, You Say?

Hopefully, Sas will offer up instances where he used his power in the future to see how the group will react — only because that would instill a level of chaos that Sas would surely flourish in.

Ultimately, nods to this power in previous episodes would have made the reveal all the more authentic and less like a convenience to the plot to drop this information.

That said, the announcement that Ghosts will go ahead with its Halloween episode as planned is a perfect example of how the comedy can benefit from setting up upcoming storylines and building excitement around them.

The larger mystery with Flower is further proof that feeding into speculation helps come time to reveal these big character moments.

However, with a promise of a Halloween séance (strike be-dammed) and a momentous character study for Sas in the books, Ghosts fans are living the dream.

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

Want a behind-the-scenes look at this episode? Check out our post-mortem episode discussion with Román Zaragoza about Sas’ ghost power right here.

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

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