Ghosts Season 3 Episode 6 Review: Hello, Brother

Ghosts Season 3 Episode 6, “Hello, Brother,” is not a reference to The Vampire Diaries but the latest installment in Trevor’s saga.

The episode sees Jon Glaser reprise his role as a douchebag named Jeremy — a wheelhouse he perfected on Parks and Recreation. He slips into the role effortlessly, and it is a riot to see Ghosts use a freeloader to draw attention to the non-paying guests already staying there.

The parallels between Jeremy’s rewards point scam and the ghosts asking Sam to buy them pay-per-view fights are excellent.

Unfortunately, this installment will not make my list of favorite episodes. There are many issues that point to it being one of the weaker Ghosts additions.

But that doesn’t stop this episode from having one of the funniest, wholesome storylines of the series — Isaac’s dinosaur obsession.

Take his dinosaur fixation and bottle it up because this is precisely the energy that needs to be unleashed on this ensemble more often. These spirits are at their best when they are reduced to aimless children playing in the giant sandbox of 21st-century discoveries.

The ghosts are used to TV now, but there’s no arguing this show thrived in those early days when they met every new TV show binge with immense wonderment. To this day, Sas and Thorfinn’s “It’s Getting Hot in Here” marathon lives on in infamy.

We love it when they drop all responsibilities to reconnect with their inner child through a new fixation. It’s amusing and relatable.

Fossil Fan Girl

Ghosts hits the trifecta with this dinosaur storyline.

First, the show treats us to an obscure fact about American history that sets it up beautifully. Then we see Isaac give up all decorum and fully immerse himself in the child-like wonder of the dinosaur world. It is a breath of fresh air to see Isaac gain a joyful and silly depth.

What I love most about these fun little fixations is that they always give characters rich depth and personality. A dinosaur fixation isn’t a coming-out confession or murder plot, but it impacts Isaac’s growth as a tangible person with desires and humility.

And it is even better to see Isaac pull others into his obsession because Sam holding the pages of the picture book open for him and moving the little paper tabs as he gasps in delight is too adorable.

It’s fun but also a productive use of the character. Whoever pitched this dinosaur obsession in the writer’s room needs a raise.

Trevor’s Brother

Am I mad this episode isn’t titled “Trevor’s Brother”? Maybe, just a little.

Unfortunately, breaking from tradition isn’t what makes this brotherly reunion a letdown. Similar to the issues on Ghosts Season 2 Episode 14, “Trevor’s Body,” this episode refuses to give the floor over entirely to Trevor, barely scraping the surface of a 20-year family reunion.

“Trevor’s Pants” prioritizes Trevor’s story and uses his past to develop him significantly. Jeremy’s role in Trevor’s growth feels like a complete afterthought, with the brothers frequently pushed aside for unrelated drama.

This storyline shines when the episode takes the care to set up flashbacks (with a teen Trevor!) and brotherly lore. Trevor sacrificing a chance to live with his brother and giving him that needed push from beyond the grave is a triumph that deserves proper build-up.

Isaac and Pete undergo more growth than Trevor on his episode, and that’s a shame. Is it too much to ask that Trevor’s saga rekindle some of the vulnerability and individuality the first season captured?

Pete and Carol

Pete and Carol getting back together did not need to happen, but it didn’t have to occur during this Trevor-centric episode either.

This fling might be easier to digest if their drama weren’t taking valuable screen time away from Jeremy and Trevor. However, the more we push aside everything else to invest in a romance with a known cheater, the more I grow irritated.

We aren’t supposed to root for Carol and Pete, and Ghosts does attempt to sweeten the sour taste their relationship leaves with Thor and Sas’ loyal sabotage. But it isn’t enough to make this storyline entertaining.

This superficial conflict doesn’t build a solid argument for keeping Carol, nor does it do much for Pete’s growth. Sure, punching Thor is an epic step in his journey as a reformed pushover, but this is nothing we haven’t seen Pete work towards without Carol.

Ghosts must find a compromise where Pete and Carol’s toxic dynamic elevates the ensemble rather than overpowering them.

Four What Now?!

All that said, we have four episodes of Season 3 left! That is not nearly enough episodes for these actors or writers to expertly work with.

If we hadn’t had so little time to explore these characters this season, Pete and Carol might not have had to rekindle their doomed marriage on the same episode Jon Glaser guest stars.

So we have to take the wins where they come. When Ghosts returns to full strength next season, it is undoubtedly prepared to blow the roof off this haunted mansion.

In the meantime, more Isaac dinosaur content would be great!

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

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