While Ghosts season 4 did technically follow through on its big Jay promise, Utkarsh Ambudkar’s character needs another shot at this storyline. Ghosts season 4’s cast of characters included new ghosts like Mary Holland’s Patience, as well as new human characters like Dean Norris’s Frank, Sam’s estranged father, and Samantha Boscarino’s Marisa, a short-lived love interest for Sass. While Ghosts season 4’s Patience shaped the action of the outing’s first three episodes, characters like Marisa only appeared in a single episode.
Fortunately, this gives Ghosts season 4 more opportunities to flesh out the show’s existing ensemble. The ghosts of CBS’s Ghosts all have interesting backstories to explore and, as Pete’s adventures outside the grounds of the mansion have proven, some intriguing new supernatural powers to explore. However, this sometimes leaves little screen time for one of the show’s ostensible main characters. Despite being Sam’s love interest, Utkarsh Ambudkar’s Jay has mostly been used as a pawn by the ghosts in season 4’s first half.
How Jay Sees The Spirits In Ghosts Season 4 Explained
Jay Briefly Interacted With The Ghosts In “A Very Arondekar Christmas Part 2”
Throughout season 4’s first few episodes, Jay’s most prominent plots saw him doing the bidding of the ghosts, whether he was digging for Patience at Flower’s direction, using Pete’s advice to find Sam after Patience seemingly turned her into a statue, or pretending to be Trevor at a work retreat. Jay’s inability to talk to the ghosts himself made these plot lines frustrating, so it was exciting when Ghosts season 4’s Christmas special promised that Jay would finally be able to see the ghosts. Sadly, the way this plot was executed left something to be desired.
Jay spends “A Very Arondekar Christmas Part 2” working out how to get back into his body, and he converses briefly with the ghosts in the process.
In season 4, episode 8, “A Very Arondekar Christmas Part 1,” Sam and Jay attempt to fix their broken heater and are both electrocuted. Nancy and Pete possess them during the electrocution. Although Sam’s body expels Nancy’s spirit before the episode’s end, Jay is not quite so lucky. Sam’s attempts to exorcize Pete’s ghost instead end up vacating Jay’s soul from his own body. Jay spends “A Very Arondekar Christmas Part 2” working out how to get back into his body, and he converses briefly with the ghosts in the process.
Ghosts Have Re-Used Spirit Tricks In The Past
Ghosts Season 4 Set Up Another Possession For Jay
While fun, Jay’s interactions with the ghosts were surprisingly minimal in “A Very Arondekar Christmas Part 2.” This was partially because the special featured Pete’s best Ghosts season 4 story so far, and the show spent most of its screen time focusing on the ghost’s emotional reunion with his family while he was possessing Jay’s body. Although Pete’s story was funny, unpredictable, and heartwarming, Jay’s time with the ghosts couldn’t help but feel like a wasted chance.
Fortunately, the creators of the CBS sitcom are seemingly not averse to repeating gags, judging by recurring plot elements like Sass’s dream invasions or the other ghost powers. Electrocution has been used as a way to get the ghosts to possess the main characters a couple of times throughout the sitcom’s four seasons. As such, there is no reason to think that this plot device won’t crop up again and offer Jay another chance to talk with the ghosts. This would be a good choice for the future of the series.
Why Ghosts Needs To Make Jay See The Spirits Again
Ghosts Season 4 Barely Gave Jay Any Screen Time With The Ghosts
Not only was Jay only able to talk to the ghosts for the second half of the special, but his story was eclipsed almost entirely by Pete’s plot. Although the sitcom is unlikely to repeat season 4’s electrocution twist soon, the fact that viewers now know how the ghosts could possess Jay in the future means the option is at least on the table. As Ghosts season 4’s changes to the show’s format continue, Jay spending more time talking to the ghosts would be a welcome change for the sitcom going forward.
Since so many of Jay’s plots specifically center on him taking orders from the ghosts without being able to directly communicate with them, this dynamic can get tiresome and repetitive. Similarly, plots that hinge on Sam misunderstanding the ghosts or miscommunicating their plans have been too common throughout seasons 1-3, and Jay seeing the ghosts more regularly would ameliorate this issue. As such, Jay needs to see the ghosts again for the show to stay fresh and unpredictable.
Much like Bela’s limited role in Ghosts season 4 proves the show could benefit from giving Jay’s sister more time in the spotlight, Jay’s minimal role in “A Very Arondekar Christmas Part 2” only served to highlight how much more conversation with the ghosts he needs. Ambudkar’s long-suffering hero is funny precisely because he spends his time trying to accommodate characters he can’t communicate with, but this dynamic is becoming tiresome. Now that Ghosts season 4 has shown viewers how he can communicate with the ghosts, Jay needs more chances to do so.
