👻 The Joy of the Afterlife: Why Ghosts Continues to Capture Our Hearts
If there’s one show on television right now that genuinely makes you feel warm and fuzzy—despite being entirely populated by dead people—it’s CBS’s delightful comedy, Ghosts. This series took a wonderfully charming British premise and perfected it for an American audience, giving us a houseful of hilarious, diverse, and perpetually frustrated spirits stuck sharing a gorgeous country estate with the very-much-alive couple, Sam and Jay.
The heart of the show lies in its perfect ensemble cast, and one of the most unpredictable, yet strangely lovable, members of that ensemble is Thor, the Viking explorer who died on the property a thousand years ago. Thor, with his blend of primal intensity, surprising sensitivity, and constant misinterpretation of modern life, provides some of the show’s biggest laughs.
We recently caught up with the man who brings the Norseman to life, Devan Chandler Long, who gave us a fascinating peek behind the curtain. He didn’t just talk about the upcoming chaos; he specifically broke down Thor’s involvement in a sneaky Thanksgiving ploy and teased a “crazy” flashback that sounds so absurd, even the actor himself had to question the writers: “Is this for real?” Get ready, because it sounds like we’re heading deeper into Thor’s hilariously complex past than ever before.
🦃 Thanksgiving Chaos: Thor’s Sneaky Ghostly Ploy
We know that holidays in Woodstone Manor are never quiet. When you mix the high expectations of the living (Sam and Jay) with the constant, manipulative desires of the dead, things are guaranteed to go sideways. Thanksgiving, a holiday centered entirely on food and family, is the perfect stage for the ghosts’ desperation to run wild.
The Culinary Conundrum: The Ghosts’ Obsession with Food
The entire premise of the ghosts is their inability to interact with the physical world—especially food. They can smell it, they can watch the living enjoy it, but they can never taste or touch it. This perpetual, agonizing hunger turns any holiday meal into a high-stakes, spiritual drama. Long confirms that Thor, whose primary joy in life revolved around feasting and fighting, is heavily involved in the plot to try and experience the Thanksgiving meal vicariously, or perhaps even sabotage it if they can’t have it.
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Thor’s Simple Desire: Long noted that Thor’s motivation is primal. “He wants to eat! It’s that simple. He remembers the giant feasts, the mead, the meat. To watch Jay carve a turkey and not be able to have any? That is a form of torture for him.”
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The Sneaky Strategy: Thor, being a literal Viking, isn’t subtle. But according to Long, the “ploy” involves a sneaky, coordinated effort with the other ghosts. They realize that their individual attempts to manipulate the kitchen have failed, so they form a spectral alliance to try and either scare Jay and Sam away from the food or perhaps possess Jay for a culinary experience (which, let’s face it, usually ends badly).
H3: The Burstiness of Ghostly Intervention
Long explains that the Thanksgiving episode’s writing perfectly utilizes the burstiness factor—moments of quiet, poignant reflection on family are suddenly punctuated by frantic, loud, and ridiculous ghostly chaos. Thor’s outbursts are always the catalyst for the biggest, most absurd interruptions, making him the perfect point man for Thanksgiving mayhem. Long finds the script hilarious precisely because the stakes are so high for something as mundane as gravy.
🤯 A Viking’s Past: Teasing the ‘Crazy’ Thor Flashback
While the present-day drama of the house is always fun, the show’s greatest strength is its periodic flashbacks that peel back the layers of the ghosts’ lives, often revealing surprisingly emotional or ludicrous details about their deaths. Thor’s Viking origins are fertile ground for absurdity, and Long confirms an upcoming flashback that even he found unbelievable.
“Is This For Real?”: The Absurdity of the Origin Story
Long recounts reading the script for an upcoming episode featuring a deep dive into Thor’s life before he died in the 11th century.
“I read this scene, and I actually had to call the showrunner and ask, ‘Is this for real?’ It is so ridiculous, so historically bizarre, and yet perfectly Thor. It takes the absurdity of him being a Viking who died on a voyage and just cranks the volume up to eleven.”
While he remained tight-lipped about the exact details (no spoilers, folks!), he heavily teased that this flashback will focus less on battle and more on an unconventional or downright surreal aspect of Viking life that Thor carried with him. This kind of historical humor—taking a well-known cultural figure (a Viking) and adding a bizarre, modern layer—is where Ghosts truly shines.
H3: The Perplexity of Thor’s Death
We know Thor died after falling off a roof. This flashback promises to add incredible perplexity to that seemingly simple death. What if the fall wasn’t accidental? What if it was tied to this bizarre cultural practice or tradition that Long is hinting at? These flashbacks always reveal the why behind the who, and Long suggests this episode will completely recontextualize the Viking we thought we knew. It will answer questions about his fears, his beliefs, and maybe even why he struggles so much with modern plumbing.
💖 Devan Chandler Long: The Man Behind the Muscle and the Heart
Devan Chandler Long’s performance is critical to Thor’s success. He manages the delicate balance of making Thor genuinely intimidating and utterly childlike at the same time.
The Actor’s Challenge: Balancing Primal and Poignant
Long explains that the key to playing Thor is maintaining his primal innocence.
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The Honest Read: Thor is one of the only ghosts who has no filter. He states exactly what he is thinking, whether it’s threatening Jay or expressing genuine affection for the other ghosts. Long finds this honesty refreshing, stating, “He is completely pure. He acts out of instinct. When he’s angry, he bellows. When he’s happy, he… bellows happily.”
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The Ensemble Dynamic: Thor’s relationships with the other ghosts—especially his rivalry with Sasappis and his surprisingly tender mentorship of Pete—are vital. Long credits the writers for using Thor’s Viking intensity to amplify the personalities of the quieter ghosts, forcing them to react to his overwhelming presence.
H4: The Future of Thor: Finding the Modern Way
As the seasons progress, Thor is surprisingly one of the ghosts who shows the most emotional growth. He has started adopting modern customs, albeit in a skewed way, and his reliance on Sam (the “Shaman”) for guidance has shifted from reverence to genuine, if demanding, friendship. Long believes Season 4 will continue this evolution, seeing Thor attempt to apply his Viking philosophies to incredibly small, modern problems, leading to predictable and hilarious failures.
📝 SEO and Storytelling: Why the Details Matter
As copywriters focused on SEO, we understand that these specific details—”sneaky Thanksgiving ploy,” “crazy Thor flashback”—are the hooks that draw search traffic. Fans are actively looking for insider information, and Long’s quotes provide the perfect, unique content. This kind of behind-the-scenes honesty is what converts casual viewers into dedicated ones, demonstrating the unique collaborative spirit required to make a show about the dead feel so vibrantly alive.
🌟 The Unshakeable Ensemble: The Ghostly Glue
Ultimately, Devan Chandler Long’s comments remind us why Ghosts works. It’s a show that embraces the high-concept absurdity of its premise but grounds it in the relatable, universal need for connection and belonging. Whether Thor is trying to orchestrate a Thanksgiving heist or reliving a bizarre moment from the 11th century, his motivation is the same as every other character, living or dead: He just wants to matter. And for fans, Thor, thanks to Long’s brilliant portrayal, matters immensely.
Final Conclusion
Devan Chandler Long has given Ghosts fans plenty to anticipate, revealing that Thor, the beloved Viking ghost, will be a central force in an upcoming sneaky Thanksgiving ploy aimed at getting close to Jay and Sam’s feast—a plot driven by the Norseman’s perpetual, agonized hunger for real food. Even more tantalizing is his tease of a “crazy” Thor flashback so bizarre it made Long question the script’s reality. These details confirm that Ghosts remains committed to its core formula: blending high-concept absurdity with genuine emotional character growth. As the show moves forward, we can count on Thor to provide the biggest laughs and the most surprisingly tender moments.
❓ 5 Unique FAQs After The Conclusion
Q1: Which character on Ghosts is Devan Chandler Long referring to as “Thor”?
A1: Devan Chandler Long plays Thorfinn ‘Thor’ Bjornsen, the Viking explorer who died on the grounds of Woodstone Manor around 1000 AD after being struck by lightning while trying to find new land.
Q2: Why do the ghosts constantly plot to interfere with Sam and Jay’s meals on Ghosts?
A2: The ghosts are unable to interact with the physical world, meaning they cannot eat, drink, or touch objects. Their constant interference with Sam and Jay’s meals is driven by their profound, agonizing inability to satisfy their hunger or experience the joys of the living world, making food a major point of obsession and temptation.
Q3: Which two characters on Ghosts does Thor often try to mentor or advise?
A3: Thor often tries to mentor Pete (the cheerful scout leader) in matters of aggression and masculinity, and he often offers strange, pseudo-historical advice to Jay, whom he sees as the “chief” or “provider” of the house.
Q4: Has the show confirmed who else will be featured in the “crazy” Thor flashback episode?
A4: While specific casting details remain under wraps, it is highly likely that Sasappis (the Native American ghost) will feature prominently, as he has the most historical context for Thor’s time, or perhaps Alberta and Hetty, who often react strongly to Thor’s more primal behavior.
Q5: What is the main conflict that drives Thor’s storyline in the later seasons of Ghosts?
A5: Thor’s main conflict often revolves around his feelings of inadequacy and cultural obsolescence. He struggles to reconcile his Viking past—defined by strength and conquest—with his current reality as a powerless ghost in a soft, modern world. His relationship with the other ghosts and his reliance on Sam (the only one who can see and talk to him) drive his emotional arc.
