The lowest-rated episode ofGhostsproves that, although the CBS sitcom might be popular among viewers, there is one thing that the original British series still does better than its American counterpart. Like the BBC series of the same name from 2019, CBS’sGhostsfollows a group of ghosts from various historical periods who are stuck wandering a mansion’s grounds.
What could be the setup for a chilling Gothic mystery insteadbecomes an underrated quirky sitcomthanks to the interplay between the show’s leads and their charming misadventures. Thor, Sass, Isaac, Hetty, Alberta, Flower, Pete, and Trevor get into all manner of absurd scrapes, especially when their human companions Sam and Jay are around to facilitate their plans.
However, although the original British series is a classic show and the CBS version mostly lives up to its predecessor, there are a few pivotal differences between the two series. For one thing, the British show’s characters are slightly different, and, for another, the original series is more focused on the central couple’s struggles to afford their mansion home.
Ghosts Season 4 Episode 14 Is The CBS Sitcom’s Lowest Rated Episode
“Alexander Hamilton and the Ruffle Kerfuffle” Finally Explained Isaac’s Hamilton Beef
WhileGhostsseason 5’s storylinecould change things massively, the show has not been as focused on Sam and Jay’s finances as the British sitcom up to this point. There are occasional episodes that directly address the couple’s money woes, but this isn’t necessarily the best path for the show to take going forward.
After all, the lowest-rated episode ofGhostsonIMDb, season 4, episode 14, “Alexander Hamilton and the Ruffle Kerfuffle,” explicitly focuses on Sam and Jay’s struggles to make Jay’s newly opened restaurant a success.“Alexander Hamilton and the Ruffle Kerfuffle” has a 7.2 rating onIMDb, which remains relatively high but still marks a series low for the show.
Brandon Scott James’s Revolutionary War veteran Isaac attempts to cheer up Sam and Jay with a story about narrowly missing out on signing the Declaration of Independence.
The outing sees Jay wracked by fear as he wonders how he will regain the money he has sunk intoMahesh, a restaurant on the mansion’s grounds that is proving to be a costly flop. Brandon Scott James’s Revolutionary War veteran Isaac attempts to cheer up Sam and Jay with a story about narrowly missing out on signing the Declaration of Independence.
Devon Chandler Long
Thor
As such, most of the episode’s runtime is dedicated to an extended flashback to the Revolutionary War era that finally explains Isaac’s longstanding beef with Alexander Hamilton. It transpires that the pair’s fight was over an ornate ruffle that Hamilton stole from Isaac, resulting in him feeling underdressed at the signing.
WhileJay’sGhostspredicamentis obviously significantly more serious than Isaac’s embarrassing wardrobe malfunction, this doesn’t deter Isaac from stretching out his story through the entire episode. The length of the flashbacks means viewers get to see less of the show’s many other heroes, which is always a risk for ensemble sitcoms.
Ghosts Season 4 Episode 14 Borrows The Original BBC Show’s Formula
Many Episodes of BBC’s Ghosts Featured Lengthy Flashbacks
Since “Alexander Hamilton and the Ruffle Kerfuffle” answered a major character mystery by explaining Isaac’s beef with Hamilton, viewers might reasonably have expected the episode to be popular. Although Lin-Manuel Miranda didn’t reprise his Broadway role as Hamilton,The Connersstar Nat Faxon did offer a fittingly smarmy, comically unpleasant alternative.
However,“Alexander Hamilton and the Ruffle Kerfuffle” proved unpopular withGhostsviewers,and the reason for this could be down to the show’s decision to borrow a trope from the original BBC series. Some of the best episodes of the BBC’s version ofGhoststook the form of extended flashbacks, usually detailing a character’s backstory.
WhileThor’sGhostsseason 4 storylinesaw Pete travel to Norway to find out the truth about why the Viking was abandoned by his shipmates, this sequence didn’t include a flashback to illustrate Thor’s perspective. In contrast, most of the BBC show’s main characters received standalone episodes that explained their origin stories.
Isaac’s story is intentionally underwhelming, since the pompous character thinks the petty dramas of his privileged set are more interesting and relevant than they are.
However, the difference between these episodes and “Alexander Hamilton and the Ruffle Kerfuffle” is that, since they usually set up the deaths of characters like Thomas or Mary, they were actually pretty poignant and moving. Isaac’s story is intentionally underwhelming, since the pompous character thinks the petty dramas of his privileged set are more interesting and relevant than they are.
The problem is that this means that “Alexander Hamilton and the Ruffle Kerfuffle” isn’t terribly compelling as an episode. Isaac’s comical pomposity aside, most of the episode is spent lingering on the signature of the Declaration of Independence, something viewers already know Isaac wasn’t a part of.
It is only a matter of time beforeGhostsseason 4’s heroscrews up badly enough to get himself uninvited from the event, and when this does happen, it is hard for viewers not to wonder what the rest of the ghosts were up to during this overly long plot. Fortunately, this proves the storyline’s saving grace.
“Alexander Hamilton and the Ruffle Kerfuffle” Was Still Vital In Ghosts Season 4
The Episode Set Up Ghosts Season 4’s Finale Twist
While “Alexander Hamilton and the Ruffle Kerfuffle” might not have been popular with audiences upon release, the outing did retroactively justify its existence weeks later in the season 4 finale. Season 4, episode 22, “The Devil Went Down To Woodstone,” saw Patience warn of a supernatural presence on the grounds of the mansion during Sam’s book launch.
Patience was proven right when Jay’s supposed agent revealed himself to be Elias, Hetty’s husband, who became a demon after he was banished to Hell.
This was summarily dismissed as more of Patience’s unhinged ramblings, and she was treated as a nuisance likeGhosts' supporting star Stephanie. However, Patience was proven right when Jay’s supposed agent revealed himself to be Elias, Hetty’s husband, who became a demon after he was banished to Hell.
Elias reveals that Jay unknowingly signed his soul over to him at the end of “Alexander Hamilton and the Ruffle Kerfuffle”, meaning he can now collect this debt any time by killing Jay. Although viewers didn’t realize it at the time, the unpopular episode set up this twist with a mid-credits stinger that teased Elias meeting Jay.
The atypically brief B-story of “Alexander Hamilton and the Ruffle Kerfuffle” saw the rest of the ghosts debate selling their souls to the Devil via Elias. This plot ended without any of the ghosts going through with the plan, but an unwitting Jay did end up having lunch with Elias disguised as an agent.
Thus, while “Alexander Hamilton and the Ruffle Kerfuffle” was unpopular, the episode did justify its existence. Without this lesserGhostsouting, viewers would never have found out about Elias’s deal with Jay.
Ghosts (US)
Cast
Ghosts is a comedy series about Samantha and Jay, who convert a country estate into a bed-and-breakfast. Unbeknownst to them, the house is inhabited by ghosts of former residents, visible only to Samantha. The show blends humor with supernatural elements as the couple navigates their unusual challenges.
