One of the things that makes CBS’s Ghosts a special comedy is its surprising depth when it comes to worldbuilding. The writers recognize that the simple premise of the show invites a bevy of questions, and they find clever ways to come up with answers via specific stories and earned character development. All that being said, there are still many things about the canon that inspire curiosity – including both baseline details and circumstances that emerge from individual episodes – and it’s to address these parts of the series that we have put together this feature.
The fact that Ghosts is an on-going show (all episodes currently available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription), we expect that there are some questions that will be addressed eventually and more will be generated, but after recently doing my own rewatch of the series, these are the 12 that currently stand out.
What Was Sasappis’ Cause Of Death?
We know that the second oldest ghost on the Woodstone property has the power to invade the dreams of the living and died the night that he was going to commit his life to storytelling, but Sasappis’ cause of death has not yet been revealed. This question also used to pertain to Hetty, but the story behind her passing was shown in Season 3’s "Holes Are Bad." It’s clearly not an event that the character dwells on, and there is no visual evidence that can inspire speculation, but it presumably will be explained at some point before Ghosts’ end.
What Is Hetty’s Ghost Power?
As noted, we finally learned how Hetty died in Ghosts Season 3, but of the eight main spirits whom we’ve gotten to know over the course of the show, she is the only one who has not yet discovered her unique power. There was a brief moment when it appeared as though she had the ability to send ghosts to hell (Season 1’s “The Vault), but that was quickly debunked. We only learned about Sasappis’ dream walking and Pete’s ability to leave the property relatively recently, so it does feel like the revelation is right around the corner.
Will We Get To Learn About Supporting Ghosts’ Powers, Like The Cholera Ghosts And British Revolutionary Ghosts?
When it comes to ghosts outside the main group of eight, powers are revealed pretty randomly. For example, we know that Patience can make the walls bleed, Elias Woodstone could make people horny, and Sam’s mother could belch shrimp breath. But what about the Cholera ghosts, the British Revolutionary ghosts, Stephanie (a.k.a. the prom ghost), and Pete’s ex-wife Carol? While we’re pretty certain that we’ll eventually know what Hetty can do, whether or not we will ever learn about these characters’ special abilities feels like a toss-up.
Why Do Ghosts Not Fall Through The Floor, And Why Can They Use Furniture?
This is a classic one and one that the characters on the show have directly addressed – but it’s significant enough that I felt it required mentioning in this feature. The ghosts are not tethered to the physical realm and have no issue walking through walls, and yet, their feet stand on the ground as though it is solid and they can make use of furniture like chairs, sofas and beds. To add to this mystery, we know that there are some materials that the dead can’t pass through (ex. what was used to forge the secret vault)… so does that potentially mean that there are spots in the Earth that ghosts could unknowingly fall into?
How Is The Geography Of Ghost Boundaries Determined?
Season 3’s “The Traveling Agent” introduced the fact that Pete can leave Woodstone, which is awesome – but I’ll admit to still being confused by how ghost boundaries work. There seems to be a suggestion that property lines have something to do with it, but that doesn’t make a ton of sense when one considers that Thor and Sasappis were roaming the land before the mansion was built. And I’m left wondering if ghosts would be able to travel further if, say, Sam and Jay were to someday purchase the Farnsby house.
Why Do Ghosts Have To Sleep?
“Have” to sleep is perhaps wording that is too strong, as we don’t know what happens to ghosts when they don’t sleep – but it’s generally weird that the ghosts sleep at all (though I suppose it does support the expression “I’ll sleep when I’m dead”). The fact that the dead require rest was a detail introduced at the very start of Ghosts, but we have not yet seen an episode digging down on it as a part of post-life life.
Why Are There So Many Ghosts On The Woodstone Property?
This question mostly stems from Season 1’s "Alberta's Fan" and a claim by Isaac that only about five percent of people become ghosts after they die. I can’t discount the idea that the former Continental Army officer has no idea what he’s talking about, but if that that statement is accurate, I have to wonder why it is that the Woodstone property has so many incorporeal souls walking around. If we conservatively estimate that there are 20 ghosts around, that means that as many as 400 people have died at Woodstone, and that seems like a really big number.
How Many Cholera Ghosts Are There?
While we’re on the subject of counting ghosts, let’s quickly discuss the population in the Woodstone basement. From the beginning of the show, the roster of cholera ghosts has regularly changed, and while I imagine the reason stems from something related to the filming/scheduling/business aspect of TV production, it makes it hard to get head count. Are there 10 of them down there or two dozen? It’s unclear.
What’s Going On With The Ghosts Living In The Dirt?
The population of cholera ghosts isn’t the only on-going mystery of that type on the show. In Season 4’s "Halloween 4: The Witch," Patience announced that she is leaving the house and going to be with the other ghosts who are living in the dirt… which came as a serious surprise to the others. Who are these others in the dirt, what is their number, and what are their stories? We presently have nothing but questions regarding this aspect of Ghosts.
How Much More Could The Ghost Trap Do, And Where Is It?
If there is any single episode element featured in Ghosts that I am specifically hoping to return someday, it’s the ghost trap from Season 2’s "Ghost Hunter," and it’s because I have too many unanswered questions. The fact that it functions suggests that there are people in the world who know the truth about ghosts (apparently people living in Latvia), but more importantly, I want to know everything the trap can do. For example, could it possibly be used to transport ghosts across ghost barriers? Unfortunately, the device hasn’t been seen or mentioned since its introduction.
Do Functional Exorcism And Possession Videos Online Suggest A Lot Of People Know About Ghosts?
The people who created the Latvian trap seem to know about the fact that ghosts are real… but they are not alone, as evidenced by the fact that Sam and Jay are able to find and make use of paranormal how-to videos that they find online. It’s possible that there are content creators out there who are just stumbling upon ways to manipulate the bounds of nature, but if not, I would love to have questions answered about how they develop their methods.
What Would Happen To Sam If Her Secret Got Out?
Pop culture has frequently enforced the idea that when it comes to elements of the supernatural, it’s really best not to let any official channels know about it. Be it super powers or otherworldly beings, indiscrete revelations frequently lead to experimentation, pain, and death. Still, I have to wonder what would happen if Sam’s ability to talk with ghosts became public knowledge – if not simply because everyone actually having firm awareness of rules of the afterlife could potentially upend society as we know it.
Ghosts Season 4 is now in the midst of airing, and as new questions are introduced and old ones are answered, we will continue to update this feature.
