1.12 - Jay's Sister

Episode Number: Season 1, Episode 12
Episode Title: Jay’s Sister
Air Date: January 13, 2022
Written By: Julia Hartner, Ian Murphy
Directed By: Christine Gernon
Regular Cast: Rose McIver, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Brandon Scott Jones, Brandon Scott Jones, Danielle Pinnock, Asher Grodman, Román Zaragoza, Sheila Carrasco, Rebecca Wisocky, Devan Chandler Long
Guest Cast: Punam Patel, Betsy Sodaro, Matt Enos
Episode Images: Episode Stills | Screen Captures

 

Episode Summary

Goodmorning to Nancy and the first time she’s slept in a bed in forever, and goodmorning to Pete who compromised to sleep on the ground instead. She’s still a bit cranky though and refuses to rub his shoulders since it’s a fake relationship and doesn’t wanna touch any of his “man parts”. Instead, she suggests that they head downstairs to get the “living butler” (aka Sam) to make them breakfast. Pete clarifies she’s not a butler. Nancy is upset by this and how Sam is “too good to be a butler” because when Nancy was alive the only options women had for work was as a “wench, a midwife, or a whore” which then she giggles after, so Pete doesn’t feel compelled to follow up on that.

Meanwhile, Jay gets a text from Bela saying how she’ll arrive at the mansion in an hour. Sam clarifies for the ghosts (Thor, Hetty, Alberta, and Isaac) that Bela is Jay’s sister who lives in Boston, and since her boyfriend broke up with her the week before, she’s coming over to stay with them to feel better. Jay reinforces how she is still feeling down when they talked a few days ago and Sam is relieved. She’s oddly excited because she didn’t have siblings growing up and has been waiting for a chance to bond with her sister-in-law, like watching the legally blonde franchise together to help her over her breakup. Isaac interrupts her to ask where Bela will be sleeping, and Sam realizes one of them will have to give up their room for the weekend, which naturally upsets them.

Isaac then gathers some of the ghosts, Hetty, Pete, Trevor, Thor, and Alberta, to figure out who will forfeit their room for the weekend. Pete suggests Bela can take the extra bedroom, and Hetty says they offered that but Sam is aware of the mold and draft issue. Thor calls “not it” which Isaac follows. They all start arguing and talking over each other so Pete gets upset and offers that he will take the moldy room instead because he can’t stand to watch them fight. Unfortunately, Isaac also reveals that there is a leak in the room now, too. Pete responds with an unenthusiastic “Yay!” as the rest of them all scurry away.

Knock knock. Who’s there? Bela! “Let the girl bonding begin!” Sam says while she and Jay walk over to welcome her in. Bela greets Jay with the nickname “LL Uncool Jay”, but only greets Sam with her name, so she offers one, “Manhattan Sam Chowder”, which confuses Bela in an awkward moment – which Trevor then subtlety leaves after. Sam lets Bela know that she has the perfect plan to help her get over her ex, but Bela says it’s cool because she’s over him and dating someone new which upsets Sam. Bela explains how she set her dating profile to the Hudson Valley since she was going to be at the mansion and then matched with an “insanely hot guy” a few days ago and now they’re “really vibing”. She tries to show them a picture of him, but since her phone is almost dead she decides to just drop her things off and charge her phone instead.

Nancy is now getting the news that she and Pete have to give up their room. She also points out how Pete is a pushover because not only did he give in on forfeiting the room, but he also compromises on everything else, too, like never picking the movie on movie night and always being the caboose in the massage train. She then pushes him to stand up for himself to get their room back or else she’ll tell everyone their relationship is fake and that he actually has a big crush on Alberta (which he initially lied about, hence Nancy as the fake girlfriend).

Sam and Jay check-in on Bela and she shows them the dating profile of the guy she’s talking to. She also notes how he isn’t her usual type because he’s a little bit of a “douchey finance bro”, but also “really sensitive”. Jay comments that he is hot, but Sam is shocked when she realizes it’s a picture of Trevor – which then he conveniently is at the door and says how he can explain.

While walking into another room Jay is confused about what the problem is as Sam asks Trevor why a picture of him was on the dating profile and tells Jay that that was a picture of Trevor, or “No pants”. Jay then asks defensively “The one who keeps hitting on you? How come you never told me about those cheekbones?” which, again, Trevor is amused at. Anyway, Trevor then explains how he made the dating profile. A few months back he watched a painter on his break use a dating app. Trevor was intrigued by the “brave new world” and knew he wanted in so for the next month he “studied” Sam and Jay downloading apps and saving pictures so he would know how to make his profile. Additionally, he mentions how it took weeks of sneaking down nightly to search for a picture online until he found one, downloaded it, and finally made “the perfect profile”. After that, he started getting matches and then started talking with Bela two days ago. Trevor then tries to apologize to Sam by admitting that it’s lonely being a ghost and how he’s missed having a connection with someone new who might be “the one” – he may never get that again. Sam sympathizes… but is still rightfully upset that he catfished Bela. Thus, Sam comes up with the idea that Trevor needs to “move”, and Jay agrees that it should be somewhere “far away and unappealing” because he loves his sister, but knows she’s “thirsty” and would follow Trevor. He would understand though. Jay saw Trevor’s jawline, “it’s like granite”. Once again, Trevor exclaims how he “loves this guy!”.

Back to the b-plot, Pete and Nancy decide to confront the other ghosts, Hetty, Thor, Isaac, and Alberta, about not wanting the moldy room. Pete has spent the last 40 years “bending over backwards” to compromise for them, and now it’s time for him to get what he wants – a mold-free room for him (and Nancy). She also encourages him as he opens up about what they practiced saying, including how he won’t be the caboose on the massage train – he leads it now. He’s the engine. After he leaves, the ghosts are upset that Pete has finally “developed a spine”, but Alberta defends him because he’s finally sticking up for himself and that’s a good thing and suggests that maybe it’s time that they all learn to compromise for once, which is met by stubbornness and disbelief.

After Sam, Jay, and Trevor sent a text to Bela letting her know that Trevor is moving to Newfoundland, they come to check on her who doesn’t believe him. She senses something is off so she uses the dating profile picture to do a reverse-image search on google and finds the online obituary that says that Trevor died 20 years ago. Since she believes she was catfished, she lashes out by texting and insulting Trevor on the app – but then starts to notice the kitchen IPad’s ‘beeps’ at the Same time she sends her texts. She rushes into the kitchen and guesses the IPad password correctly to discover that Jay “is” Trevor!?!

While still in shock, Jay tries to clarify how he just invited her to the house to cheer her up. She is offended that she thinks Jay means how creating a fake dating profile would “cheer her up”. She goes on to say how Trevor flirted with her, complimented her smile, and shares many of her interests like “clubbing, the Hamptons, and jam bands from the late ‘90s”. Sam can’t fully explain what happened, so Bela decides she’s leaving.

We then see Isaac, Alberta, Hetty, and Thor in Thor’s room attempting to outvote each other to decide who gets the moldy room, but they keep hurting each other’s feelings instead. Pete and Nancy watch them from the door and Pete says how he wants to put a stop to it. Nancy insults him again so Pete finally opens up about why he always compromises: He’s modeling for them. He admits how they’re not exactly picking up on his example, but he believes they have good in them and one day they will get better. Nancy calls BS and insists he compromises because he just wants them to like him, while also calling him a “wimp” finally causing Pete to yell and lash out at her. Pete raises his voice and stands up to her and gives her an out if she was going to reveal the relationship is fake, but she instead decides to keep up the lie and says how she’s going to go back down to the basement because she just broke up with her “very real boyfriend” and doesn’t like the upstairs people anyway. So once she leaves, Pete exhales and confidently takes the moldy room and doesn’t want to hear “another word about it”.

Jay and Sam go to check on Bela again, but she is still stress-packing and upset with them. She’s hurt that Jay thought she was so pathetic that he had to make up some big lie to make her feel better – and she doesn’t know if she’ll ever forgive him. Sam then reveals the fact that Trevor is a ghost. She comes clean by telling her how after she fell down the stairs, also noting to thank Bela for her flowers, she woke up from her coma and could see ghosts. Sam understands that it sounds crazy and difficult to believe but genuinely wants Bela to believe her. Bela tells her to “get help” and leaves the room. They follow her downstairs to the door while trying to convince her that Sam is telling the truth. Sam tries to prove it by asking Thor to control the lights and Alberta to hum. Bela dismisses it for being secret switches and speakers. So, Sam also asks Isaac to walk through Bela, and for Pete to see what’s in Bela’s bag. However, Bela is only convinced when she puts her hand behind her back and Sam correctly guesses that she is holding three fingers up.

Bela then tries to confirm some of the ghost rules although Sam is still hesitant that she told Bela, but Bela reassures her that her “secret’s safe” with her and that she feels closer because Sam told her. Bela even mentions how she always wanted a sister and they have a sister-banter moment. Then, Trevor pops in because he wants to say goodbye to Bela, so he is allowed. Trevor says and Sam repeats how he is sorry for lying to her, but the connection they had wasn’t a lie.. He also confesses how he “talk[s] a big game” but honestly just wanted to find someone to spend the rest of his life with but didn’t because “life is way too short”. He then tells her to “go find yourself someone who’s as incredible as you because that’s what you deserve”.

Episode Quotes

  • “Troops, Samantha has informed us that one of us will be required to forfeit our rooms.” -Isaac
  • “Oh, I don’t need a nickname, but Manhattan Sam Chowder could be something if you’re looking for one.” -Sam
  • “Sorry Jay’s sister’s not devastated, Sam.” -Thorfinn
  • “You know, there’s a certain irony to you strong-arming me into being less of a pushover.” -Pete
  • “I was minding my own business, hoping I might get lucky and see a painter fall off his ladder. When you’ve been dead 20 years, it’s the little things that really keep you going.” -Trevor
  • “You’re right. I should have anticipated a ghost catfishing my sister.” -Jay
  • “Sam, I was like Andy Dufresne chiseling through to a new life with a little rock hammer.” -Trevor
  • “Also, I will no longer be the caboose on the massage train.” -Pete
  • “Pete’s finally sticking up for himself, and you think that’s a bad thing?” -Alberta
  • “Need I remind you what it was like before that saint of a man was felled by a little girl’s arrow?” -Isaac
  • “We had people like Pete in Viking society. We sacrificed them, then gave their blood to please our gods and prevent famine. They were respected. Dead but respected.” -Thorfinn
  • “Well, I like this new Pete. He’s got gumption. And maybe the answer isn’t him going back to the way he was. Maybe the answer is all of us actually learning to compromise for once.” -Alberta
  • “Also, please send nudes.” -Trevor