Ghosts Season 4, Episode 6, “The Primary Source” Spoilers Ahead
Ghosts singlehandedly proves that sitcoms aren’t dead (pun absolutely intended), and “The Primary Source” is yet another episode that demonstrates this fact. Four seasons in and every episode provides something incredible to cling to, doing so in such a way that delivers subtly essential character growth.
While the focus this week is mostly on Isaac’s manuscript, the Woodstone Mansion welcomes a tiny new guest whose presence continues to remind us that Trevor Lefkowitz is a real treasure. It’s funny, anxiety-inducing in a satisfying way, provides a surprisingly emotional punch, and delivers a crucial message about authenticity.
Ghosts Season 4, Episode 6 Turns Isaac Into a Vampire, Fictionally
There are still ways to go for Ghosts to firmly establish Isaac’s character development post-engagement and one of those means is by ultimately humbling him. He starts off the episode with his usual cockiness—correcting people on publishing jargon and bragging about his story—but it ends with a significant change. His story isn’t getting published as a non-fiction piece but as a historical fiction where he’s a vampire. Despite Jay’s efforts to forge the diary that they travel three hours for, Sam blows their cover by thinking the authenticator is one of the basement ghosts.
This also isn’t the first time this has happened, so it really makes you wonder whether something bigger will come from Sam mistaking a human as a ghost. Or, it’ll be a running gag, and either way, it’s funny where it needs to be.
Still, this is but a mere stepping stone that will hopefully nudge Isaac to see that maybe he shouldn’t get too pretentious. But the best forms of character growth don’t happen overnight, and I love seeing the tiniest ways his character evolves. The sole fact that he’s obliging to the idea of being turned into a vampire tells us that while he does care about how his story is told, Sam’s work and everyone else’s involvement also matter. He can’t be stubborn here by continuing to fight.
Related Content via Fangirlish: Ghosts‘ ‘The Primary Source’ Features a Powerful Message
Additionally, in this day and age, it’s admirable and easy to appreciate the fact that the show isn’t glossing over the importance of legitimizing a source. Yes, they have the real one, but actual accounts of history tracing back to authentic text is a detail we need to keep preserving, even when it comes to our fiction. And with AI out there, it allows Ghosts to send out a powerful message.
The One Where Trevor Once Again Makes Me Cry
I know I sound like a broken record at this point, but if you’d told me when I first started watching the show that the finance bro would be the one who’d make me cry the most, I wouldn’t have believed you. What is this now, the fifth time? Sixth? Frankly, I lost count. But Ghosts Season 4, Episode 6, “The Primary Source,” provides further space for Asher Grodman to continue layering the character and exposing key parts of his big, beautiful heart.
When Alberta, Hetty, Flower, Thor, and Trevor find a ghost snail, they decide to keep it as a pet. Hilariously naming it Escarghost, save for Trevor, they each fight over whose pet it’ll be. They eventually decide they’ll share, but Trevor states that he finds pets useless and isn’t interested. When the team thinks that Thor ate it (because he’s undoubtedly capable of that), Trevor reveals that he actually took him, and it turns into another heart-shattering confession about how he feels he betrayed his own dog when he died.
These quiet revelations we get about Trevor persist in cementing not only how spacious his heart is but how he never quite fit in when he was alive, which makes discussions about his legacy even more heartbreaking. It’s also quite telling because the 90s (like most years) were extremely misogynistic, often robbing men of the safe space to be vulnerable. Trevor carries this hesitation with him still, time after time, forcing him to mask his true feelings at the risk of not sounding cool in front of the ghosts. Yet, here we have another reminder of the fact that he’s safe with them. Sure, they’ll mock him incessantly for trivial matters, but their arms are always open when it comes to his raw emotions. So, when he confesses his sadness, Hetty and Alberta reassure him that it wasn’t his fault and that his dog lived a good life.
Even more so, in an episode that’s primarily focused on tracing back to the past, it’s fascinating how we explore two different men and how they look back. These differences make the dynamics in Ghosts thoroughly engrossing, and like in “A Star Is Dead,” this week’s episode continues to dig into pieces of the past to make the present a little brighter. Somewhere in the perfect pet heaven, maybe Bucky is still watching over Trevor, too, knowing wholeheartedly that his owner would never abandon him.
Ghosts Season 4, Episode 6, “The Primary Source,” authenticates the crucial support system present at Woodstone Manor, providing further proof that sitcoms are the saving grace on television. It momentarily terrifies us by making it seem like Trevor is about to be sucked off, but it’s thankfully Escarghost, and it’s safe to assume that this show wouldn’t do that to us after Flower. Right?
Stray Thoughts
- “H*rned up housewives.” Appliance erotica. CRYING. I’ll write it for you, Hetty. I’ll write it.
- Jay shame eating Sonic is me shame eating Taco Bell.
- I now need the show to get a ghost pet that isn’t sucked off.
- Thor truly concerns me sometimes.
- “Jay’s a wife guy.” Heck yes, he is. You know who else is a wife guy? Trevor Lefkowitz.
- The way that Flower was about to drop Thor over this snail? She’s so real for that. “This is where you draw the line?” Yes.
- Sas is so done with Pete it’s hilarious.
- “And we’re back on sandwiches.” Honestly, I think we should’ve stayed here a while, marinate on it. Exactly what kind of a sandwich did Isaac have to hate them so much?
- “No, I’m sorry. Your dog is 35 years old.”
- THE PANIC I EXPERIENCED WHEN I THOUGHT TREVOR WAS GETTING SUCKED OFF. The quiet panic in Hetty’s eyes?!!?!?!?! The way her breath catches for the briefest moment?!?!
- The ending is another perfect opportunity for Hetty to sit on Trevor’s lap. It would’ve made watching the snail get sucked off a lot more entertaining. It could’ve also inspired some other … activities. We all know the kind. We’re all thinking it. I’m just saying.
Now streaming on Paramount Plus: What are your thoughts on Ghosts Season 4, Episode 6, “The Primary Source?” Let us know in the comments below.
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