AlthoughGhostsisn’t a show that is typically all that concerned with its lore, the CBS sitcom does need to explain how one season 4 twist was possible in season 5.The ghosts of CBS’sGhostsmight be the show’s heroes, but that doesn’t mean that viewers should expect much in the way of explanation regarding their existence.
The supernatural specifics of how ghosts work are left intentionally vague inGhosts, allowing the show to change the rules of its paranormal universe depending on the episode. Some ghosts have powers while others don’t, some can roam and others can’t, and some are“Sucked off” to Heaven after a few good deeds while others wait years or even centuries.
Since the antics of Thor, Sass, Isaac, Hetty, Alberta, Flower, Pete, and Trevor are more compelling than the lore of their afterlife, viewers can typically ignore this lax approach to world-building. That said,Ghostsseason 5’s lorewill need to change after a bombshell twist from season 4, episode 22, “The Devil Went Down to Woodstone.”
Ghosts Season 5 Must Explain How The CBS Sitcom’s Demons Work
Ghosts Season 4’s Elias Change Complicates The Sitcom’s Lore
In “The Devil Went Down to Woodstone,”Sam finds out that Jay hired Elias as a publicist for his restaurant Mahesh. This decision seemingly paid off when Jay secured a profile in a glitzy food magazine, but his celebrations were short-lived. A gleefully evil Elias gloated that he would now come to collect Jay’s soul.
Elias used his demonic powers to threaten Jay’s life, which, after four seasons, is a whole new threat in the world of the series. WhileGhostsseason 5’s remaining mysterieswere already left open by season 4’s finale, this twist added a whole host of new questions to the world of the show.
If Elias is a demon, then how does the confirmed existence of demons change the world of the series? Can living people be demons? Can all demons take human form?
Now,Ghostsseason 5 must explain how the CBS sitcom’s demons work. If Elias is a demon, then how does the confirmed existence of demons change the world of the series? Can living people be demons? Can all demons take human form? Can they all cause deadly accidents like Elias?
Clearly,Ghostsseason 4’s Elias/Jay twist reshapes the world of the sitcom, and the show must respond by clarifying exactly how its demons work. Answering the above mysteries would be a solid start, butGhostsseason 5’s other upcoming revelationsmust be carefully balanced alongside this storyline.
How Elias' Hell Story Will Make Ghosts Season 5’s Story More Interesting
Elias Got A “Promotion” After His Soul Went to Hell
Although no one mentioned the possibility of Elias becoming a demon before it happened,the ghosts already knew about Heaven and Hell well before season 4’s finale. The possibility of getting “Sucked off” has been dangled in front og the ghosts throughout the series, and season 2’s finale even implied that the fate befell Flower. Admittedly, this turned out to be a fake-out.
Devon Chandler Long
Thor
Still, the fact that Trevor thought it was his time to ascend to the afterlife after he befriended a ghost snail proves that the characters are well aware of Heaven. Meanwhile, Elias’s earlier return from Hell in season 4 saw him attempt to talk Thor into selling his soul. Thus, viewers know as much as the ghosts do about Hell.
What they did not know about was the possibility of returning to the world of the living as a demon, at least not until Elias did this in “The Devil Went Down to Woodstone.” It isn’t clear whether this could happen to another ghost, if any of them were irredeemable enough to end up in Hell in the first place.
Although it would be nice to see all of them make it to Heaven, some of the ghosts have lingered on Earth for a long time. Thus, they may be candidates for the other place.
Thus, Elias’s story givesGhostsseason 5’s Jay plothigher stakes, not just for Sam’s husband, but for all the show’s title characters. Although it would be nice to see all of them make it to Heaven, some of the ghosts have lingered on Earth for a long time. Thus, they may be candidates for the other place.
While Elias’s status as a demon is intriguing and has far-reaching implications for the rest of the show’s characters, his plot shouldn’t outshine the rest of the cast’s storylines in season 5. The sitcom still has more lore to explore, and viewers have been waiting four years to find out Sass’s backstory.
Exploring Hell Shouldn’t Take Hinder Ghosts From Exploring Character Stories
Ghosts Season 5 Must Balance New Lore With Character Stories
The last-second revelation from season 4’s finale shouldn’t take precedence over plots like Sass’s backstory orPete and Alberta’s romance. After all, at the end of the day, the way that Hell works in the sitcom’s universe is only relevant for ghosts who end up there.
Whether they are “Sucked off” or sent to Hell, none of the show’s ghosts seem like they will be leaving the Woodstone B+B anytime soon.It will be a challenge forGhostsseason 5 to balance the stories of each ghost and Elias’s demonic antics, so the CBS sitcom should take care to prioritize the former over the latter.
Even if Hetty’s husband is an intriguing character, he is still a straightforwardly evil villain. It seems vanishingly unlikely thatGhostsseason 5 would somehow redeem him, whereas the show’s main characters are more morally complex. As a result, their storylines need more screen time and focus from the show.
Currently, it is unclear exactly how demons work in the world of the series, and the stakes of storylines like Jay and Elias’s deal would be higher if the rules were clearer.
Elias’s newfound powers as a demon, and the limits thereof, should be explained in season 5. Currently, it is unclear exactly how demons work in the world of the series, and the stakes of storylines like Jay and Elias’s deal would be higher if the rules were clearer. However, this can’t come at the expense of the show’s heroes.
Much likeGhostsseason 5’s proposediZombiecast reunion, Elias’s storyline is a fun story element that should not come to dominate the action of the series. Until viewers know what happened to Sass and how Pete and Alberta’s relationship pans out, the demons of the sitcom aren’t all that important.
CBS’sGhostsis available to stream on Paramount Plus.
Once those bigger storylines are ironed out, it would be helpful to know just what Elias is and isn’t capable of, and how many other demons could be secretly roaming around the world of the sitcom. Thus,Ghostsseason 5 needs to explain this storyline, even if it is not the CBS sitcom’s most pressing plot priority.
