Ghosts Season 4 Episode 13 Review: Ghostfellas

Ghosts Season 4 Episode 13, “Ghostfellas,” is a tasteful dip into the local mob.

Rose McIver’s directorial debut (pause for a quick squeal of joy) expands on the Ghosts’ lore with saucy H-Money schemes and a delightfully misguided Pete backstory.

It’s quiet mayhem and whispered threats, treating us to causal chaos at the restaurant with that dependable level of storytelling we expect.

Carol’s Crime Family

After being cheated out of a Pete and Carol flashback last season, Ghosts more than delivers the goods this time.

The reveal that Carol was part of a mafia family is the prized puzzle piece we have been eager to click into place since she was introduced. It makes perfect sense that her character has mob ties (Carol is terrifying!), which also explains why she married Pete.

I’m not saying she married Pete because she knew he was a perfect patsy for her family’s crime business, but I’m not not saying that.

Add in the fact that Pete’s entire career as a travel agent was a front for money laundering, and this mafia storyline brings a considerable amount of crazy lore to his pre-established backstory.

For one brief moment, Carol and Pete join forces under the pretense of saving the one person with whom Pete has a genuine partnership — our boy Jay. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Ghosts has outgrown the traditional character showcases from its earlier seasons. Instead of fighting this, the show has fought through the growing pains to develop an episodic approach that complements a variety of ensemble-based storylines.

This episode gives us one of the best Pete-centric storylines while keeping the lens wide enough for the ensemble to shine.

Pete continuing his self-guided journey of confidence by demanding Carol do just one thing for him after years of putting up with her betrayal is a thrilling fist-bump-the-air moment for fans, played expertly by Richie Moriarty.

It is an excellent page in this chapter of their story to have Carol fold and apologize to Pete. Then, to follow that up with confirmation that Pete left his mark on the world as a travel agent in ways he never even realized is just beautiful. The Pete girlies are thriving!

It is a silly mobster storyline, channelling Goodfellas and the darkness that lays dormant under Woodstone’s cursed grounds. Yet, we have a valuable new interest in the Pete and Carol dynamic.

Power Friends 4Ever

Ghosts, how dare you give us two Power Friend storylines back-to-back like this! Not only have you learned to carry storylines through multiple episodes (I’m so proud!), but you jumped right to weaponizing this new dynamic against us.

The episode pretends to dissolve their little pact not a week after it was established, and we fall for it because these two “friends” are incapable of being platonically involved.

Yet, they pulled one over on us and the other ghosts in an epic plot twist. If this is the deception and thievery that awaits us with future H-Money team-ups, sign me up (I was, in fact, already signed up and down bad for these two).

Ghosts expertly keep us out of the loop so we can fully appreciate the bedroom ruse, from Isaac and Alberta teaming up to stop Tretty from getting back together to Florfinn being insufferably loud in bed.

The icing on the cake is Flower being the one to catch on to H-Money’s hostile takeover. Her speech arguably should have come an episode earlier, but any time this series can remind us of Flower’s intelligence and law expertise, it is a win.

It’s not the kind of threesome we expected, but it is the one this mischievous pair deserve.

McIver the McDirector

Rose McIver directs this episode with the poise and strength she is known for conveying in her leading roles. The same expertise that has led Ghosts and iZombie to multi-season success is present in her work on this episode behind the scenes.

This won’t be the last time she steps behind the camera to help guide an episode over the victory line, not if we have any say.

Congratulations to her on this well-deserved and long-overdue accomplishment. Girl, you killed it!

Thank you to CBS for acknowledging the excellence this flag-ship comedy continuously brings to the table. After this season’s stellar run, a double renewal for Seasons 5 and 6 is more than deserved.

Ghosts has perfected its secret sauce, and not even the materialization of the local mob can shake its confidence.

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

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