Ghosts 3×08 “Holes Are Bad” Spoilers Ahead
Ghosts Season 3, Episode 8, “Holes Are Bad,” is a heartwarmingly balanced episode that brings revelations and reminds viewers how special and well-rounded these characters are. Written by Sophia Lear and directed by Jude Weng, it effortlessly touches on sacrifices as a theme by carrying out long-kept secrets.
Flower is officially back, and as much as the episode centers around her return, it’s also a monumental showcase for Hetty Woodstone’s growth, giving both Rebecca Wisocky and Sheila Carrasco the kind of beautiful scene that many have likely wanted to watch for a while. Flower and Hetty are often on opposite sides of a coin, but what we see here intricately brings to light the thread that binds all these characters into one place. It isn’t their curse or Woodstone Mansion itself; it’s a love and care for each other that surpasses all of that.
Ghosts 3×08 “Holes Are Bad” Marks Flower’s Return
How Ghosts combines humor and big revelations is something that could have become tiring after a while, but instead, the writers make it feel sharp, nuanced, and refreshing still. Of course, Thor would’ve heard Flower screaming from the well during his walks and taken it as a sign that she was well. It’s ridiculous how clever that minute detail is because it makes absolute sense in every way. We all assumed the owl would somehow bring Thor and the ghosts to Flower, but the way it happens here is just brilliant.
This way, it also underscores the importance of Thor and Flower’s connection. It tells us how deeply Thor cares that despite the hiccup, he relied on these small words to believe she was doing okay. It’s what he was holding onto. Carrasco has excellent chemistry with the entire cast, but everything we get with her and Devan Chandler Long is something else entirely. It’s brighter. It’s softer. And seeing them both happy again is a sight for sore eyes. It’s also a reminder that she doesn’t yet know what happened between Thor and Carol, however meaningless it was for him. Thus, it begs the question if she will and if that’ll cause a rift between them before they’re back together again. It’s how the world of television works, after all. (Though, if Ghosts chose to subvert expectations by giving us happiness instead, who am I to object?)
Hetty Woodstone’s Heartbreaking Sacrifice and Moment of Vulnerability
Rebecca Wisocky deserves every award under her belt after Ghosts 3×08 “Holes Are Bad.” Hetty emphasizes death by overdose so much that it now makes complete sense why she does so. It’s the kind of revelation that reminds viewers that while they’re not alive, the ghosts all harbor secrets of their own. They carry crosses others aren’t always aware of, even those who might be sleeping with (or are closest) to them.
Still, when Hetty reveals that she died at her own hands, trying to protect her son, everything about her characterization locks into place. There’s a reason she’s often closed off and deflecting with humor. There’s a reason she doesn’t let anyone fully in (including Isaac, Alberta, and Samantha), the people she’s closest to. There’s a reason she holds on as firmly as she does because she doesn’t know how to move past the decision she made. The fact that her son went on to kill Alberta. It all weighs on her. It’s also riveting to see how she carries Elias’s mistakes, too—her son’s more than anyone else’s. How she tries so hard to keep it together and pushes this idea of morphine killing her when it was her willingness to do everything possible to keep the Woodstone name and her son’s happiness.
The fact that she chooses to reveal this part of her past to save Flower tells us a great deal about her character, too. It boldly shows us Hetty adores all the ghosts and how she’d jump to protect them—be the mother-like figure they don’t have. It’s an exhibition that the profound loneliness she once felt is instead full of love now. She understands her mistakes. She understands who she wants to be, even if she can’t exist outside of the estate’s confines. The final scene between Wisocky, Rose McIver, and Brandon Scott Jones was astute in every way, too. To have Hetty sitting in front of the woman who’s ultimately her second chance at motherhood and one of her best friends puts her heart on full display. Even if the flashback didn’t exist, we see why it happened, and like invisible strings, how the ghosts all connect to one another—why they died when they did, to end up here now. The clear admission and proof that none of them are alone any longer. It’s going to take a while to move past the vulnerability of this episode.
But there’s also another invisible string (Taylor’s Version)—the romantic kind— threading two people together, and it’s between Hetty and Trevor. It continues to be so fitting that they got together in the first place. He also lied about his pants—lied about where they are and how it was a detail to protect someone. So when people don’t think they’re suited for one another, we simply need to remember that they’re two characters who appear entirely selfish on the surface but are profoundly selfless in actuality.
It makes them even more perfect as a couple. It also makes complete sense why he never noticed. The look on his face before they ask him is a testament to his own heartache, too. But so is his expression when he first sees the cord. It’s such a treacherous slope, but it’s a surprisingly understandable one. And there’s so much underlying hope for their friendship, not just the romance. You can watch everything click for Trevor, too, just based on Asher Grodman’s expressions. For Isaac, for Alberta, and for Flower even when she comes to thank Hetty. Despite her forgetful personality, her gratitude is entirely sincere.
Ghosts 3×06, “Holes Are Bad,” is a gorgeously telling episode in more ways than one. It shows us plenty, answers much, and still leaves significant room for further development. For a woman who had no friends and thought she had nowhere to turn, Hetty Woodstone is now anything but alone. She’s the one taking care of people. She loves them, however, begrudgingly, and once again, through all this, the ghosts (plus Sam and Jay) prove that come hell or high water, they have each other’s backs. And it’s episodes like this that prove why this show is special.
Stray Thoughts
- I don’t think I’ve ever laughed as hard as I did in this episode while bursting into tears the next minute. It’s a top-tier episode, to be honest.
- Are we ever going to see Patience, the Puritan ghost?
- Thor recounting things to Sas as though he’s Flower!?!? Amazing
- “Do FaceTime! Just one button.” “Samantha, try new IOS update!” I screamed.
- “None of you are alive; what kind of an emergency could there be?” I cackled.
- “Some of us are adults who are trying to plan dinosaur-themed weddings.” If I adored Isaac less…
- Thor and Flower are so cute I could scream.
- Look, I don’t care, but where exactly is Carol?
- Pete and Jay both being Jay to Flower is also everything.
- Okay, but honestly, why can’t we let Stephanie have her little teenage dirtbag romance?
- Nancy always comes through with some of the best throwaway lines.
Now streaming on Paramount Plus: What are your thoughts on Ghosts 3×08 “Holes Are Bad?” Let us know in the comments below.
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