Sorry, But Ghosts Season 4 Episode 13’s Returning Supporting Star Is Still My Least Favorite Character

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Ghosts season 4, episode 13, “Ghostfellas."

While everyone has different preferences when it comes to the CBS sitcom's characters, I truly can't stand one recurring supporting character who returned to Ghosts season 4, episode 13. All the ghosts in CBS’s Ghosts have a role to play in maintaining the Woodstone Mansion’s chaotic atmosphere. Brandon Scott James’ Isaac might be terribly self-involved, but his arrogance and self-interest have resulted in some of the sitcom’s most compelling storylines. Similarly, Hetty and Trevor’s shared love of scheming makes their stories more interesting precisely because these flaws often create conflict.

Even Ghosts season 4’s favorite character Pete can be grating thanks to his endless optimism and cheeriness, but this same attitude makes him a proactive character who is central to many of the show’s best plots. Broadly speaking, everyone from Ghosts supporting star Flower to the show’s resident human characters Sam and Jay are well-balanced enough to keep the sitcom’s plots ticking over. However, there’s one supporting star I can’t stand, and I feel like it is because Ghosts has never worked out how to properly integrate them.

Pete’s Widow Carol Is Still A Frustrating Character In Ghosts Season 4, Episode 13

Carol Initially Refused To Help When Her Nephew Threatened Sam and Jay’s Restaurant

Caroline Aaron is great as Pete’s late wife Carol, but the supporting character has never had a role that worked for her in Ghosts. When Carol was first introduced, the central gag was that she clearly cheated on Pete during their marriage, but he was blissfully unaware of this. When she died at the Woodstone Mansion, she became an occasional supporting star who cropped up in a background role but never joined the sitcom’s central character group. This is how season 4, episode 13, “Ghostfellas,” utilized Carol.

Carol's mob family planned to drive the restaurant into debt, force Sam and Jay into taking out an exorbitant loan, and then burn down the restaurant for insurance money afterward

In “Ghostfellas,” Sam and Jay’s new restaurant attracted the attention of Carol’s mafia family after using her secret tomato sauce recipe. When Carol’s mobster nephew Anthony began to run up an outrageous tab at the restaurant and start scaring away customers, Carol explained his plan. Her mob family planned to drive the restaurant into debt, force Sam and Jay into taking out an exorbitant loan, and then burn down the restaurant for insurance money afterward. Anthony planned to destroy Sam and Jay’s livelihood and Carol refused to stop him since he was family, making her abrasive character even more unpleasant.

Granted that Carol's argument is that Anthony is family, it shouldn't have been a difficult decision for her, considering that she is essentially living in the Woodstone Mansion. Unless she gets sucked off in the near future, it's safe to say that she will e spending many years with the couple and all the spirits in their household who seem to love them endlessly. Ultimately, Carol should have recognized that what Anthony was doing was wrong, and that she had to step up not only to stop him, but also to save what could be her family post-death.

Pete’s Widow Never Improved After Her Original Ghosts Introduction

Carol Never Shook Off Her Role As Pete’s Cheating Wife

While Ghosts’ lovable Viking Thor and its catty general Isaac can be thoughtless at times, none of the sitcom’s other supporting characters have ever been this outright callous. Granted, Anthony is Carol's nephew, but she is spending eternity with Sam and Jay. As such, it was egregious that she didn’t want to help Sam and Jay retrieve their restaurant from her bullying mafia family and had to be shamed into doing so. This was indicative of a larger issue with Carol’s character.

Sheila Carrasco's Flower looks worried beside Devan Chandler Long's Thor in Ghosts season 4 episode 12

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Carol played minor parts in other storylines, like when she joined season 3’s seance or offered to sleep with Sass upon hearing he died a virgin. However, as evidenced by “Ghostfellas,” Ghosts has never taken any time to make her likable, relatable, or even so outrageously heartless that it becomes hilarious. Carol’s lack of camaraderie with her fellow spirits and disinterest in helping out Sam and Jay makes her the worst supporting star in Ghosts, and season 4 has done nothing to change this.

Otherwise, it's easy for the series to only bring Carol in as some type of agent of chaos with truly no sense of character progression.

It doesn't help that she is barely utilized in the show. While Carol is technically a fringe spirit, her ties to Pete should be enough motivation for the writers of Ghosts to bring her back every time that there is a suitable narrative for her to be involved i This way, we can clearly track if there's any kind of improvement to her character. Otherwise, it's easy for the series to only bring Carol in as some type of agent of chaos with truly no sense of character progression. She needs to have a true purpose in the series to be a likable player — at the very least.

Will Carol Ever Change In Ghosts?

It's All Up To CBS

Carol looking shocked in Ghosts — Carol in Ghosts U.S.

Ultimately, Ghosts will have to eventually fix Carol. Ever since she died, she has barely appeared in the show, and when she does, it's usually some type of nuisance character. I would assume that after dying, she would at least develop some sort of ability to genuinely self-reflect, instead of acting on her best interests. While firmly established, Ghosts hasn't really fully explored the ramifications of her infidelity to Pete who I would argue is the purest of the spirits at Woodstone.

Pete was at the center of the show's Christmas special, with his own holiday-themed arc playing in parallel with Jay's reconnection with his father.

All this while Ghosts season 4 has done a tremendous job moving the character's story. Pete was at the center of the show's Christmas special, with his own holiday-themed arc playing in parallel with Jay's reconnection with his father. However, the storyline itself doesn't involve Carol. Beyond that, there had been several other instances that they could have brought her back. As previously mentioned, her character development is purely based on how Ghosts utilizes her. Perhaps the series can put her in situations where she is forced to do good.

One of the big benefit of making Carol a better spirit is that it offers the project a supporting spirit to be sucked off. She isn't quite as important as the main ghosts in the Woodstone Mansion, but if CBS gets me and the rest of the series' viewership invested in her story from here on out, seeing her eventually move on to the afterlife will still be poignant. This would address Ghosts' lack of progress with regard to that aspect of their storytelling, while also allowing the comedy's main ensemble to continue with a complete roster.

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