How ‘Ghosts’ Keeps Winning Fans with Its Smartest Storytelling Move Yet!

After four seasons, and 130 years, Ghosts has finally revealed Hetty’s (Rebecca Wisocky) long-awaited ghost power. Earlier this season Hetty discovered a major revelation about her past when Thor (Devan Chandler Long) confirmed she’s Irish herself. With that discovery, Hetty was able to let go of her long-held prejudice against the Irish — and now it seems the afterlife is rewarding her for that little nugget of character development by granting her a ghost power 130 years after her death.

“St. Hetty’s Day” reveals that because Hetty finally sees the Irish as people, now she can be seen (and heard) by livings on St. Patrick’s Day. In the episode, Hetty gets to have a wonderful, albeit brief, romance with Jay’s (Utkarsh Ambudkar) recently heartbroken cousin, Sunil (Asif Ali). Ghosts introduces Hetty’s power in such a way that it not only spotlights some really beautiful character growth but also shows the audience a completely new side of everyone’s favorite Gilded Age lady.

‘Ghosts’ Season 4’s Biggest Power Lies in Character Growth

Ghosts Season 4 has featured a plethora of significant moments that have allowed for major character growth. Following Trevor’s revelation about his legacy, Thor’s abandonment issues, Flower (Sheila Carrasco) speaking up about the cult, and Alberta (Danielle Pinnock) reflecting on her past regrets, Hetty finally embraces her Irish heritage and drops her bias against them. In return, she gains a power that allows her to be seen and heard for one day a year.

While Ghosts has many strengths that work together to make it one of the best, most heartwarming sitcoms on television, at the heart of it all is how these characters have so much room to grow. Having the majority of the ensemble stuck in purgatory essentially bakes that into the narrative, allowing the show to take these big character swings without having anyone get “sucked off.” By allowing for moments of significant growth that isn’t necessarily the source of why they’re stuck here, we get to see the character development we need without losing any part of the ensemble that we all love.

In “St. Hetty’s Day,” Hetty and Isaac go on somewhat parallel journeys of growth as they each attempt to flirt with a prospective suitor, with varying degrees of success. Both were born in times when they were never allowed any kind of romantic happiness. They stumble through new crushes in a way that allows them both to grow and learn about what matters in a relationship. While Trevor, Flower, and Pete (Richie Moriarty) try to keep Isaac from embarrassing himself in front of Chris (Deniz Akdeniz), Alberta and Sasappis (Román Zaragoza) root for Hetty to succeed in her ultimately doomed romance with Sunil. And for a while, it works.

The Latest Episode of ‘Ghosts’ Shows a New Side of Hetty

When Hetty gets her power, there’s no inciting incident — such as being walked through — that causes the change; she simply walks into the kitchen on St. Patrick’s Day, and Jay’s cousin Sunil mistakes her for a guest at the B&B. When Sunil expresses interest in Hetty, she finds herself in a position she’s never been in before, being romanced by a potential suitor, as her marriage to Elias was out of her control, and she and Trevor skipped past any kind of formal courtship. Despite knowing the relationship cannot go anywhere, Hetty begs Sam and Jay for the chance to go on a date with Sunil, yearning to fully experience her new power by indulging in the fantasy of being alive and desired.

In the process, we see a softer side of Hetty, as she is a more innocent and vulnerable version of herself. While Hetty and Sunil are never going to be allowed a traditional romance, they each allow the other to feel seen, with both characters gaining something important from their brief connection. From her experience with Sunil, Hetty can learn more about what she might want from a relationship — she also gains context from her new dating knowledge that may put other relationships in her life into a new perspective. Meanwhile, she also offers something to Sunil by giving him the confidence to not settle for women with whom he doesn’t have anything in common.

Following a hilarious comedy of errors in which Sunil realizes that Hetty isn’t human anymore, she has a beautiful moment of honesty in which she’s able to confess that she is, in fact, a ghost. The music and the lighting, along with Wisocky’s beautifully measured delivery, really lean into how Ghosts is a show about people, long-dead, living in a haunted house. But it also highlights that, with Sam (Rose McIver), their fellow ghosts, and an occasional boost from their powers, these individuals have all been given a second chance to find love and purpose in their afterlives. Hetty’s power opens up the opportunity for her to live a little in a way that she was never able to when she was alive. With her power tied to the holiday, we can only hope there will be many more St. Hetty’s Day special episodes in our future — especially if this is the caliber of storytelling we can expect.

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