Why Who Got “Sucked Off” Is Important

The Big Picture

• The
  Ghosts
  Season 2 finale ended with a major cliffhanger as one of the ghosts moved on, leaving fans on the edge with anticipation for Season 3.
• All signs point to Nigel Chessum being the one “sucked off,” and his departure will be integral to the trajectory of Season 3.
• The exit of a character like Nigel will create new consequences, drive the plot forward, and allow the other characters to explore deeper themes and emotions.

In what induced an enormous Higgintoot-sized gasp among audiences, the Ghosts Season 2 finale went out on a major shocker after one of the Woodstone B&B ghosts finally moved on — or as the spirits in the house naively say, “got sucked off.” With some of the stars of the Joe Port and Joe Wiseman sitcom previously teasing a “big cliffhanger” shaking up the house dynamics going into Season 3, the final moments no doubt have fans on edge just as much as Rose McIver’s Sam Arondekar, who was left stunned in the final moments witnessing a light ascending into the night sky.

So, who is no longer a part of Ghosts Season 3? While fans will have to wait until the show returns, the payoff of who is gone is essential in proving what more this show can do, and the level at which it can be a significant sitcom. As the Season 2 finale might have given audiences some hints, here’s who we think is out of Woodstone, and why whoever got “sucked off” is integral to the trajectory of Season 3.

Who Got “Sucked Off” in ‘Ghosts’ Season 2?

While Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar) hoped that it was Trevor (Asher Grodman), all signs from the Season 2 finale of Ghosts are pointing to the Lieutenant Colonel of the King’s Army, Nigel Chessum (John Hartman) being “sucked off” — or just…departing to heaven. In a moment that saw Sam stunned as she sat in her car outside Woodstone with Jay, it was a cliffhanger that left audiences on the edge of their seats. However, a closer look at the episode might have offered some hints early on.

In the episode that found Sam gifting Isaac (Brandon Scott Jones) half of her $20,000 advance on the Higgintoot biography, the militiaman decides to spend it on a new day-bed, which leaves Nigel angry since the bed he’s choosing can only fit one individual. Though Nigel has since moved into the mansion to be closer to Isaac, the American war captain is confused by the outburst and is told by Sasappis (Román Zaragoza), Flower (Sheila Carrasco), and Nancy (Betsy Sodaro) that his actions prove he’s not ready to move forward in his relationship with Nigel. After a pep talk with Thorfinn (Devan Chandler Long) and Trevor, Isaac confronts Nigel, acknowledging his upset over the situation. However, he tells him that he doesn’t feel their relationship is at the right stage for moving in together and instead, decides to propose, to which Nigel quickly says yes. The two, who are now happily engaged, decide to move in together and use the money to buy a king-sized bed.

Why It Needs To Be Nigel Who Moves On in ‘Ghosts’

As tragic and personally painful as it is to admit, considering Hartman’s beautiful performance since his arrival in Season 1, Episode 8’s “D&D” and his character being a fan favorite among audiences, Nigel is most probably the early exit in Ghosts Season 2. With the adorable couple being at their happiest together in some of those final moments before Sam witnesses a spirit ascending, Nigel has consistently shown signs that he has always been comfortable with who he is, has no secrets, and is someone who knows himself inside and out. Meanwhile, his partner Isaac is a different story, as he is still discovering himself after having just come out the year before. Early on in the episode, Isaac wasn’t even thinking about Nigel when he thought of the new bed. Instead, he was looking forward to being on his own as he had been for years. But while this might be indicative of the captain’s childish nature, similar to the other ghosts at Woodstone, and just not adjusting to habits, it leaves little room for such actions not being intentional by the writers. If it is indeed Nigel who is “sucked off,” it will be an important jumpstart to Season 3, forcing the characters (especially Isaac) into deeper themes that complement the half-hour comedy.

One of the most tragic things about grief is that it is sudden, yet we never get a chance to really understand it through these spirits and the lighthearted writing. Because they’ve all died, none of the ghosts (except for Hetty) have truly experienced the loss of a loved one in their afterlife while at Woodstone. Ghosts has played around with its themes of regret, shame, and insecurity since first making its mark on CBS through different characters and story variations. But it hasn’t really delved into loss to jumpstart its stories, nor has it forced these eight silly spirits into action, knowing that every moment could be their last.

An exit like Nigel’s is the right type to create new consequences that drive the plot forward and, eventually, allow all these ghosts to move on peacefully. The loss needs to be a significant payoff going into the show’s third year and one that is as meaningful as the series has been to its fans, which also means it can’t be Nancy or one of her cholera pit ghosts, the headless Crash (Alex Boniello), or ‘80s prom ghost, Stephanie (Odessa A’zion) — even after she got her Sixteen Candles-type date. Resorting to the hijinks bridging the Season 1 finale to the Season 2 premiere, where audiences believed for a hot minute that Jay could see the ghosts after an accident in the cold open, was not significant enough and had a low payoff, story-wise.

Why ‘Ghosts’ Season 2 Exit Is So Important

Though some might make the case for one of the core eight departing earlier than expected on Ghosts, like Alberta (Danielle Pinnock), who finally solved her murder and made up with Hetty (Rebecca Wisocky), there is still more to figure out about the 1920s singer because her death did not define her life, the dreams she had, or all the things she wanted before dying. In that argument, it’s definitely not Alberta. Moreover, it is certainly not the other seven because they have not come to any conclusion or any kind of progress in their respective arcs to move on.

But the exit, whoever it might be, is nonetheless important to the show and the trajectory of Season 3 as the CBS sitcom leads the network. With streaming often taking all the glory from primetime TV in both viewership and awards, killing off the main or recurring characters of a show can be crucial for strong, lasting storytelling that has an impact on the audience. It also helps the writers avoid complacency while not being afraid to be bold through genuine stakes and conflict that their characters must face. Not to mention, it gives plenty of room for the actor to deliver a strong, compelling performance that is outside their character’s comfort zone. If the first two seasons of Ghosts proved anything to audiences and critics, it’s that the show is good at sharing the obvious lessons, but Season 3 needs to work outside its usual comforts, collectively hovering around the ghosts for a more nuanced, layered series.

If Nigel is gone, it will unquestionably affect Isaac. But it will also open up the opportunity to showcase the emotions of the other characters also dealing with the loss. Because our life stories and plans are often interwoven closely with those of another, when a character dies (and in this case, moves on), that life story and plan are shattered. Never getting to say goodbye is one of the hardest parts of grief and one that can open Isaac up in a way that branches out to the others. Of course, Ghosts is a comedy and manages a sweet balance between pathos and wit, but tackling sudden loss through its sharp humor needs to be the next step forward for the show by heightening some of the arcs.

Fans of the American sitcom’s British counterpart of the same name know that it wasn’t afraid to shock its audience with a gasp-inducing, tear-jerking plot twist by giving its most passive spirit Mary (Katy Wix) a sudden exit this past season ahead of its final year. While the CBS version of Ghosts isn’t ready to cut its core eight spirits just yet, Mary’s moving on was a good way to give gravitas to the show amid its comical elements, even if the exit was rooted in the actress’s desire off-screen to leave the series (she’s now on Ted Lasso). The creative choice plays well, though, and sparked a ripple across the surface of the series, inspiring those around Mary to branch out into deeper emotions and ways of handling grief.

‘Ghosts’ Needs To “Suck Off” Nigel if They Want To Raise the Stakes

In the end, a sudden loss reflects what can, most tragically, happen in real life all too often to humanize the ghosts even more, as so many of them think they are invincible right now. Anything less than Nigel (or even the core eight, to be honest) would be a disservice to the appeal of the series’ takeaway on how love doesn’t die with death. Love, in this sense, is eternal and the core of our lives. While love takes us deeper into ourselves for a more complete canvas of our purpose (like how that could have been Nigel’s final wish), it is also the one component that fills our life with meaning.

As we’ve learned through the ghosts at Woodstone, every sudden death is unique and potentially traumatizing because different life stories and the combinations between the characters that we see transpire in every episode means sudden loss is hard to bear for a myriad of reasons. Sure, the ghosts don’t know why they’re here at Woodstone and never got a chance to ascend before Sam, but a twist close enough to the vest through the likes of Nigel will continue to feed a good, solid sense of unpredictability that few sitcoms claim to have, while also furthering the arcs of our favorite characters.

Ghosts is available to stream on Paramount+.

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