The show’s latest episode tackled a hard subject the right way.
Editor’s Note: The below contains spoilers for Ghosts Season 3, Episode 8.
The Big Picture
- Hetty’s shocking cause of death is revealed in a tragic episode that delves deep into the complexities of mental health.
-
Ghosts
sheds light on the impact of suicide, emphasizing the need for open conversations and support for those struggling. - The series tackles the heavy subject responsibly, painting suicide with empathy to break stigmas and foster awareness and understanding.
At first glance, the CBS sitcom Ghosts is a lighthearted comedy about a woman whose life becomes way more complicated after an accident leads her to see a motley crew of spirits in her new home. But while the Joe Port and Joe Wiseman ensemble comedy often uses death as a jumping-off point to explore life and our relationships, its latest episode touched on a much heavier subject through one of the show’s most beloved characters. In Thursday night’s antepenultimate episode of Season 3, audiences finally learned the cause of Hetty’s (Rebecca Wisocky) death at Woodstone. While the cause has been shrouded, the episode written by Sophia Lear put the series back at the top of its game amid a rather bumpy season.
In the episode, “Holes Are Bad,” Sam (Rose McIver) and Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar) leave the spirits home alone for the weekend in an attempt to have a romantic getaway. But while the Livings are away, the ghosts discover Flower (Sheila Carrasco) is still very much alive and trapped in a well on the Woodstone grounds — and that Ralph, the basement cholera ghost, was “sucked off,” which is an underwhelming reveal. With one of the previous episodes informing how the ‘60s hippie can be rescued by using what’s attached to each ghost’s person, Flower is finally saved from that dark hole. But her rescue delves into a rather heavy topic and extends itself to Hetty’s death, which propels the show into a deeper conversation that humanizes the complexities of mental health.
Ghosts (US)
A young couple, Sam and Jay, inherit a haunted mansion and, unaware of their invisible housemates, plan to turn it into a B&B. Their lives become much more complicated after a fall causes Sam to see the ghosts. Based on the UK series.
- Release Date
- October 7, 2021
- Creator
- Joe Port, Joe Wiseman
- Cast
- Rose McIver , Utkarsh Ambudkar , Brandon Scott Jones , Danielle Pinnock
- Main Genre
- Comedy
- Seasons
- 3
The following discusses themes related to suicide, including its causes and impacts, as well as descriptions of emotional distress. Reader discretion is advised.
How Did Hetty Die in ‘Ghosts’?
In what appeared at first to be a relatively lighthearted episode that would lean into Flower’s rescue, Ghosts took audiences for a turn on Thursday night as Hetty’s cause of death was finally revealed. In what was a gradual buildup of flashbacks to her final moments of despair, Hetty takes her own life with a phone cord after feeling like she is in a hole of her own.
But how did the matriarch of Woodstone even get to such a dark, tragic place? With the episode opening up to Hetty’s last few days in 1895, her husband Elias (Matt Walsh) has gone missing and left her in legal trouble after authorities discover he has been employing children to work in their Woodstone factories. As their family lawyer, George (Brian Huskey) states, in Elias’ absence, Hetty will be convicted and the authorities will seize all assets, including the Woodstone estate. Though George promises he will help her and get in touch as soon as possible, Hetty most subtly introduces the audience to the family’s first Ericsson skeletal phone sitting idly in the corner of her husband’s library.
Fast-forward to the day that Hetty takes her own life, complete with her signature sharp updo and vibrant teal Edwardian gown, and the lady of the house is frantic. The plan was to run away and pick up her son from boarding school, but she had not heard back from George. As the authorities make their way to the mansion, the help does their best to hold them off as Hetty barricades herself in the library in full panic mode. Getting arrested would not only push Hetty into poverty, but as someone who spent a large part of her life rejecting a certain image, it would have all been for nothing. She would lose her fortune, her family, and her friends.
With the law closing in, Hetty is hopeless and frustrated over the lack of help and uncertainty about what to do. It’s this moment that also brings out a strong, robust performance from Rebecca Wisocky that is the absolute best of the season and tugs hard at your heart. Wisocky shows another layer of Hetty that not only provides a more profound perspective of why her character is the way she is, but also how suicide is a deeply agonizing psychological struggle stemming from emotional turmoil. In her last moments, as the phone rings from what is a wrong number, a sudden wave of despair paints her expression. Hetty looks at the phone with deep pain and desperately rips the cord out, alluding to her final act unseen in the series.
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Hetty’s Death in ‘Ghosts’ Is Not in Vain
After it was discovered Flower was trapped in a well shortly after the series’ third Halloween episode, there has been an incremental build throughout this season of Ghosts of just how she gets out. In the episode, “The Silent Partner,” the show hints at how objects attached to a ghost can be temporarily removed and magnetically pulled back to them. While Hetty didn’t need to take off the entire phone cord wrapped around her neck under the rigid collar of the Victorian-era dress, she was able to keep herself as a steady base while the others pulled Flower out. It’s at this moment that we learn Hetty’s death was not in vain and, all these years later, she’d be able to save someone who she cares a great deal about and considers a found family member.
With the suicide being Hetty’s deep dark secret and leaving the other ghosts stunned by the revelation, Isaac (Brandon Scott Jones) asks if she would like to talk about it, to which Hetty says no. It’s a heavy moment between the friends and one the audience can see is deeply agonizing, as the anguish felt by those contemplating or dying by suicide and those impacted by such complex actions profoundly affects everyone. When Sam and Jay arrive, Isaac and Sam confront Hetty and ask her if she’s all right. It’s at this point that Hetty expresses regret over her decision. For years, she had lied about her death being an accidental morphine overdose, but the personal shame that came with her suicide aligns with society’s social stigma over asking for help. Hetty internalized her struggles for years and admitting to her housemates that she took her own life would be a reflection of her failures or weakness, further exacerbating her own shame and self-condemnation.
Hetty, in her most desperate decision, felt the choice to take her own life came from a place of love to protect her son (who later turned out to be a murderer and killed Alberta, played by Danielle Pinnock). After Elias disappeared, she would be held responsible for his crimes but felt if she was out of the equation, her son’s future would be secure. Moreover, and most tragically, Hetty never knew the telephone dialed out and was unaware she could have called for help. In her confession to Sam and Isaac, she admits regret and feels she had her whole life ahead of her. As Flower drops in to thank Hetty for helping her and revealing her deep dark secret, it’s from this interaction we can recognize how love for ourselves and others stems from an appreciation of our fragilities.
‘Ghosts’ Has the Potential for Stronger Conversations
TV shows about death are not easy to digest because death itself is uncomfortable. But as Ghosts delicately uses these themes to bring life to characters destined to live out eternity together, this episode is proof it needs to tackle more overarching themes of grief and loss. This season has been a hodge-podge of frivolous relationships that some might argue take away from the show’s overall direction. But “Holes Are Bad” sets itself apart thanks to the full-bodied writing that elicits real emotions from its cast and audience. Hetty is a beloved character and for her to be someone all-powerful in the house, yet alone at the end of her life, is a tragic misstep on our collective societal norms. Her not knowing how to call out for help with the phone speaks to a deeper conversation that we don’t give enough help and resources to those who need it most.
Ghosts, most responsibly and sensitively, tackled the subject of suicide with enough forcefulness to increase awareness, especially with its younger audience. It doesn’t make suicide simply a dramatic motivation for Hetty’s growth. Instead, there is a layered and empathetic portrayal evident in the character and those who love her, letting the series go beyond shame and grief. With the series and the Woodstone matriarch’s final moments raising awareness of the complexities behind such decisions, it’s important to recognize these things are not black and white. Ghosts‘ latest episode offers a strong message that even the strongest are allowed to feel vulnerable. Through Hetty’s struggles, the series effectively validates our own emotions and sentiments to explore cultural nuances for healthy, open conversations that let viewers know there is support available.
Ghosts airs Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. EST on CBS.
If you or someone you know is experiencing mental health distress or suicide ideation, reach out 24/7 by dialing or texting the Suicide Crisis Hotline at 9-8-8 or using chat services at suicidepreventionlifeline.org to connect to a trained crisis counselor.
This article was originally published on collider.com