In “His Girl Shiki,” Pete (Richie Moriarty) finally makes good on his promise to bring a girl back for Sasappis (Román Zaragoza) when he finds Joan, a fellow roamer who happens to be a 1940s screenwriter and a perfect match for Sass. Joan and Sasappis get the a-story across two episodes that play like a two-part mini-rom-com as Sass finally figures out what’s been holding him back romantically, and takes a leap of faith to go after the girl of his dreams. The introduction of Joan shakes up the dynamics of the house while finally giving Sass the whirlwind romance he’s been longing for — she also opens up a whole world of possibility for Ghosts.
‘Ghosts’ Newest Spirit Makes the World Bigger
The addition of Joan expands the world of Ghosts far beyond the walls of Woodstone and the regular ensemble we’ve come to love across the show’s first four seasons. Giving the whole ensemble someone new to mingle with, she shakes up the usual group dynamics to make the show itself feel bigger. While Pete’s power has taken him to far-off lands like Pennsylvania and St. Lucia, most of his adventures happen off-screen. Bringing Joan back to the house allows both the household and the viewer to benefit from his powers in a way that pushes the story forward, especially for Sasappis.
Joan, having strengthened her power over time, also implies that our ghosts may eventually be able to strengthen their own powers at some point, and it does seem like a few of them have already begun to do so. In the pilot, Trevor (Asher Grodman) could barely knock over the fateful vase that led to Sam’s ability to see ghosts, but now he can somehow hold down a whole job with enough speed to get work done and “kill it in the company Slack.” This means that Pete could potentially build up his tolerance enough to go see his daughter in Australia, Alberta could be heard singing, not just humming, and Sasappis could enter daydreams. While these are just hypothetical, series creators Joe Port and Joe Wiseman have cleverly given themselves the ability to slightly adjust the ghosts’ abilities if it benefits the story.
Sass and Joan’s Romance on Is Worth the Wait on ‘Ghosts’
While Patience brought a welcome dose of horror to the series, Joan gives the show a shot of romance that we’ve been missing following the dissolution of most of the show’s romantic entanglements from Season 2. In that season, we saw Sasappis get his first shot at love when the assistant Sam and Jay hired brought a car ghost to the property. While it ultimately ended in a bittersweet goodbye as Jessica (Nichole Sakura) rode off into the sunset to go smell roast beef, that relationship was an important stepping stone in Sasappis’ journey. While speaking to Collider for Season 4, Zaragoza noted that she “made him feel seen for the first time in who knows how long, and to feel that just gives you that confidence.” Without that bit of experience and that confidence boost, Sass may not have had the bravery to go after Joan and lay his feelings out as clearly as he does now.
“Smooching and Smushing” in particular sees a fair bit of growth for Sasappis; not only does he have to let go of his impossible crush on Shiki, but this episode also sees him struggle with the classic miscommunication trope. When he overhears Joan practicing what she wants to say to him, Sass mistakes it as a genuine expression of her feelings for Pete and then proceeds to make a fool of himself by telling her off. When he realizes his mistake, he immediately regrets going too far and, with an assist from Thor, abandons his risky plan to go after Shiki in hopes of winning back the girl who has been standing right in front of him this whole time. It’s almost all for naught as Joan left after Sass nearly broke her heart. However, the show even managed to cleverly work in the classic “airport chase” trope as Joan overhears his plan to have Sam find her and tell her she’s the one for him when she comes back through the door with some delightful meta commentary about her own third-act twist.
‘Ghosts’ Adds Another All-Star to Its Guest Roster
