Ghosts Season 5 Episode 18 Review: Under New Management

Ghosts Season 5 Episode 18, “Under New Management,” is everything a guest could want from their stay at the seasoned Woodstone Mansion.

This fantastic outing elevates the classic antagonist role with Mayor Tad and brings back a fan-favorite to deliver several engaging storylines.

Plus, any episode that features Thorfinn screaming random movie quotes at the top of his lungs like a war cry is a 10/10 experience.

When we learned that Mayor Tad would be stepping up as the new majority investor of Woodstone, we could assume the show would consider several predictable storylines for the potential antagonist.

Immediately establishing that Mayor Tad is mayor no more was not one of those predictable moves — making it rather brilliant. Ghosts immediately pulls the rug out from under us with this shake-up, putting viewers on uneven ground from here on out.

We never quite know where Tad is going in his unemployment, or if he is to be estimated as a true villain. It’s a dynamic that keeps us on our toes.

And the show navigates this exciting unpredictability with impressive integrity as it continues to have Tad skirt the line of what an antagonist can be.

It’s a choice that allows him to still alter and create chaos for Sam Jay while leaving the door open for the ghosts to be their own downfall.

The ghosts will always be the greatest antagonists at this show’s exposal and Tad’s surprisingly docile takeover is the perfect excuse to revisit the real villains of this series.

Pete mentions that men like Tad always have an ego to stroke. It’s exquisite foreshadowing, as we forget that Trevor and Tad are businessmen cut from the same cloth. Even as Sam and Jay foil Tad’s dealings, they underestimate Trevor’s desire to make money at any cost.

His involvement comes out of nowhere, but it’s rather genius to have Trevor reveal himself as the true antagonist. Ghosts pulls a fun throwaway joke from ages ago about Trevor’s insane boob-forward restaurant chain and uses it as the catalyst for the rest of the season.

Each stroke of storytelling seems purposeful as Trevor’s time in the spotlight goes beyond just teaching him a lesson into something more unpleasant and complex.

Just episodes earlier, we watched Isaac senslessly decide to ruin Sam and Jay’s business before Flower stepped in to stop him. Isaac’s antagonistic moment was never challenged by the ensemble as thoroughly as it should have been.

However, Trevor earnestly reveals he would consider a business deal over Sam and Jay’s loyalty, allowing the show to sink its teeth into that uncomfortable interaction.

For an entire scene, Ghosts lets Trevor’s ego go unchecked as he preaches to Thorfinn about Sam and Jay’s poor business handling and how betraying them would actually be doing them a favor. The Viking is an excellent scene partner choice as he mirrors Trevor’s words, never challenging him, and Trevor knows he has an agreeable audience.

It’s the most we’ve ever seen of that ugly, egotistical side of Trevor, and the finance bro is almost unrecognizable in this form.

Then, as quickly as he builds himself up, Jay’s call with his dad knocks Trevor to his knees with a brutal swing of sentimentality. It’s a masterclass in execution as Trevor is forced into the realization that he cares more about Sam and Jay’s happiness than their wealth.

A few more lines of dialogue between Sam and Trevor, reminding the ghost who helped him facilitate all those business dealings, would have taken this conflict to the next level. Really, any reminder that Trevor is the reason Tad is dismantling Jay’s restaurant in the first place would be nice.

However, for the 5-10 minutes of airtime, Ghosts works magic to orchestrate the Tad red-herring.

And because this episode spoils us, we also witness the return of Sas’ beloved script-writer girlfriend, Joan.

Joan re-entering the scene with the line: “Sorry, kid, that smoke break took a lot longer than expected” is so iconic of her. Ghosts seamlessly reworks Taylor Ortega’s beloved roamer back into the mansion’s fold with an abundance of adorable and abrasive scenes that highlight everything we love about this wise-cracking gal.

Sas and Joan are such an iconic couple; so much so that her absence doesn’t ever slow their momentum. Joan slips effortlessly back into Sas’ embrace, and their shenanigans are the perfect match for the main conflict of the episode.

For Joan to immediately catch Sas in a lie because he’s “good at sex now” is an absolutely hysterical escalation of conflict. Can all plots escalate for this reason moving forward, because I have no notes.

Sas and Joan have a fantastic outing that moves the needle romantically. Meanwhile, Trevor experiences meaningful development as the episode focuses on Sam and Jay’s business dealings — an element that is often shafted from the narrative.

There was a time when Ghosts only prioritized one ghost at a time. To juggle multiple character-driven storylines almost always meant undermining one of those characters.

This episode proves multiple ghosts can thrive in the spotlight without sacrificing quality storytelling. It also proves that Joe Port and Joe Wiseman, with Director Katie Locke O’Brien, are a phenomenal pairing.

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

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