As a journalist and a fan of pop culture, I’ve been around the fandom space for a long, long time. I remember the days when all we knew about films and TV shows ahead of time came from trade magazines or the interviews we caught accidentally. But I also remember the early days of Twitter when actors, directors, and writers began engaging with the fans who loved their work. We’ve come a long way, both good and bad, but there’s still something that always riles me up a little, and it’s how romance between fictional characters is treated, and by extension, the shippers. Again, both as a journalist and a fan of the work I cover, I’ve never felt more welcomed, as I do in the Ghosts fandom, particularly among the H-Money shippers, captained by stars Asher Grodman and Rebecca Wisocky.
As a romance author, I know firsthand how the genre is treated in literature, and I wrote part of my thesis on its importance for this very reason. The blatant dismissal is a constant hardship that boils down to how we undervalue women, feminism-forward content, and vulnerability. It’s a dismissal of softness, empathy, and kindness, deeming it as somehow less than because it’s loved and consumed by women or members of the LGBTQIA+ community. And with this dismissal, it becomes a direct perpetrator of toxic masculinity that continues to uphold the patriarchy as the one true standard for superiority and excellence.
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As a journalist, I know what it’s like to tread lightly around the topic of romance in reviews, features, and any written work when it doesn’t feature overt declarations I could use to back up my analysis. But I’m also adept at critical thinking, reading between the lines, and taking note of the seeds that are planted. Sometimes, those seeds aren’t intentional—they start as one thing, but before we know it, they turn into another. It’s not only hard to predict what viewers will gravitate toward, but it’s also hard to envision what the characters will want. As writers, we get to play God, but every writer knows that the characters can also forge their own path and force us into their chosen direction instead. It’s part of what makes the process so fun and enlightening.
By now, both Asher Grodman and Rebecca Wisocky have said that the idea of Hetty and Trevor was theirs, pitched separately to the writers, and if that isn’t some brilliantly cosmic interference to make the show even better than it is, then I don’t know what is. And H-Money’s chaotic first kiss turned into something bigger, taking so many of us by the hand and pulling us into the wild trenches with them. As a series, Ghosts is as wholesome and amazing as it comes. The second chance each of these characters gets matters as deeply to the viewers as it does to them. And it also matters that the cast and crew care as much as they do.
While reviewing any other show, I’d feel a lot less reserved pointing to every look and every seemingly small gesture as a representation for something bigger until there’s concrete proof that there is. But as Grodman confirmed recently at San Diego Comic Con in a message to the H-Money nation, “Everything you think you’re seeing, you’re seeing. It’s all right there.”
It’s a lovely, surprisingly comforting addition to appreciating a show that the actors are so welcoming of the shippers because they’re fully aware it’s not some dirty, weird thing to want fictional characters to find love. It’s precious that instead of feeling like there’s something wrong with us for wanting our two favorite characters to be happy together, we’re welcomed to continue rooting for them. It’s not weird to ship or want romance in our shows when love is the most realistic and unifying connection humanity can agree on.
And the thing is, even if H-Money never got together, there’s no harm in fans wanting it. They don’t need to be dismissed as bottom-of-the-barrel scum in creative spaces when we have concrete proof of how impactful fan fiction and fan works can be. The world is really dark and scary right now. Groups of people wanting to see their favorite characters kiss aren’t the people to go after with pitchforks. They’re clinging to every bit of small joy they can find, and I, for one, think that’s beautiful.
So, really, I’m just thrilled that Ghosts is renewed for two more seasons because I can’t wait to continue watching the whole house eventually fall in love.