Ghosts Season 5 Episode 2 Review: Viking Wedding

The Louvre thieves have nothing on this bookcase heist!

Ghosts Season 5 Episode 2, “Viking Wedding,” gets us back to the crux of this show: Sam and Jay trying to make friends and ultimately sacrificing that potential connection for the ghosts.

We will never tire of watching these two crazy kids try to make their ghost children happy.

Strip back the fiery portholes to hell and the threat of immediate bodily harm at the hands of a demon, and what’s left is a TV show that doesn’t need any of that to be good. Ghosts, at its most mundane, is pretty darn entertaining.

It hasn’t just established the likability of these more casual Woodstone outings. This episode shows it’s improved on the formula.

The sitcom is known to confine its scope to one or two rooms for a filler episode here and there. While cost-effective, that choice has made these storylines feel less significant because they are contained in a smaller space.

Well, not this time! Episode 2 utilizes almost every set in the Ghosts universe, which makes the story feel lived-in and larger than life.

Part of this show’s charm is the lore of the mansion and the surrounding land. It pays to make it as much of a character as the characters themselves.

Typically, these sitcom episodes can succumb to uneven storytelling, but if you’re looking for a weak B-plot, you won’t find one here. Putting a ghost on hold with customer service for the entire episode is genius.

Random cutaways to Trevor becoming more and more irritated as he waits by the phone would be more than enough to capitalize. Yet, Ghosts goes one step further and recruits Sas for additional layers of goofing off, bickering, and TV watching.

This choice to add a few more elements to a concept speaks volumes for how the show’s storytelling has improved with time.

Plus, it’s brilliant from a lore perspective to have the ghosts see Carol get sucked off, completely understand what selfless choices led her to that reward, only to turn around and do the exact opposite.

Sas and Trevor talking about small deeds of kindness like they are this unbelievable concept and not something they should have been doing this entire time is hilarious. They may not know why they are still here, but all we see are a bunch of forks in the sink.

Additionally, almost the entire ensemble is utilized throughout the episode as we visit each of these sets with storylines that move the needle of the season’s larger goals.

As his girlfriend, Alberta now wields Pete’s ghost power as a status symbol, which is a promising new wheelhouse. These spirits will rub anything they can in each other’s faces, and Alberta is ready to be insufferable about her new boo.

Hetty always thrives with the social-based episodes like this, so she is entirely in her element watching Sam and Jay make moves. That said, having her scream unhelpful insults across the street is a delightful addition.

Pete’s ghost’s power comes in clutch whenever Sam leaves the property, and he has become a valuable tool for moving the plot along by divulging info to the group that would have once required a more complicated workaround to get.

And best of all, Thorfinn gets to talk about the deadly traditions of his homeland at random intervals. So it really is a group effort.

This episode champions Sam and Jay having to face a decision they have time and time again when Thorfinn asks them to put his needs before theirs.

It’s the bread and butter of Ghosts to the point we’ve moved beyond the annoyance of repetition to the comfort of knowing these two will ruin any relationship for their precious ghosts. And some truly cringe-worthy moments will come of their sacrifice.

Yet, the show throws a few curveballs into the mix that suggest this gimmick is also evolving.

First, Sam and Jay get away with moving the bookcase, so the couple next door doesn’t know they broke in. The sitcom is deciding to let this storyline play out in additional installments, and that is something we have begged to see more of. It’s about time Sam and Jay started to make lasting connections with others in their neighborhood.

And Sam says no! Sure, Thorfinn knows the score, and she eventually caves, but it is progress. Sam put herself before the ghosts, and that’s always exciting.

Everything about this episode screams classic, lovable Ghosts.

Yet, beyond the dusty shelves and peeling wallpaper are the almost undetectable updates being made to the bones of this mansion each season.

While we love the creature comforts these ghosts provide, it is relieving to see changes come where they are needed — to know that just because the spirits are stuck in their ways doesn’t mean the writing has to be.

Forcing the Farnsbys on a swingers vacation to bring in fresh new neighbor dynamics is a savvy move.

And with lines like “What is foreplay?” and “It’s true he has no idea,” it seems very little can stop Woodstone Mansion from standing the test of time.

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

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