Frank’s Ghosts Season 4 Premiere Emphasizes a Harsh Reality About Sam’s Powers

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Ghosts, season 4, episode 2, “Sam’s Dad”

Although Ghosts Season 4 Episode 2 didn’t lean into the poignancy of Sam’s relationship with his father, Frank, there was a secret, sad undercurrent to their shared plot. To the stars of a fun and light-hearted comedy, Ghosts Season 4’s cast of characters has a lot of trauma to go around. Even the most carefree character, Scoutmaster Pete, died in a violent accident that left his ghost with an arrow stuck in his neck. About that, Ghosts Season 4’s new character, Patience the Puritan, lived a difficult life even before being isolated for decades as a ghost.

While the CBS ghosts Ghosts have a lot of sad stories, the human characters in the series don’t necessarily fare much better. Rose McIver’s Sam is irrepressibly optimistic, but her life had its fair share of difficulties even before she gained the ability to see, speak, and hear the eponymous spirits. Sam had a strained relationship with her estranged parents and she was unable to make peace with her mother until she sought out her ghost in Season 1, Episode 11, “Sam’s Mom.” Ghosts Season 4 Episode 2, “Sam’s Dad,” proved that his other parental figure was also flawed.

Sam and Franks’ Relationship and Reconciliation in Ghosts Season 4 Episode 2 Explained

Sam’s dad stayed at the Woodstone B&B with his girlfriend

Sam’s connection to her mother’s ghost inadvertently made her Ghosts Season 4’s reconciliation with his father, Frank, is tragic in “Sam’s Dad.” Frank went to stay at the Woodstone B&B with his new girlfriend, and Sam couldn’t tell him about his ability to communicate with ghosts, as the two weren’t very close. This meant that Sam couldn’t mention the events of “Sam’s Mother”, in which she reconciled with her mother Sheryl and, as a result, Sheryl passed on to the afterlife. What made this even sadder was the revelation of Frank and Sheryl’s fights over Sam during their childhood.

In Season 4, Episode 2, Jay pointed out that Sam never got over missing her father’s recorder recital when she was a small child. The ghosts overheard Frank discussing this incident with his girlfriend and discovered that Sheryl specifically forbade Frank from appearing at the recital. Threatening to make a scene if he arrived, Sheryl forced Frank to put more distance between him and his daughter and as a result damaged his relationship with Sam. Sam couldn’t even confront Sheryl about this, as her mother had already ascended to the afterlife.

Sam’s ghost powers prevent her from really being close to her father

Sam couldn’t tell his father about his ability to see ghosts

Although Sam’s relationship with Frank was strained by Sheryl’s meddling in his childhood, his adult self also struggled to be honest with his father. Sam’s powers meant it was impossible for her to be completely honest with him, which was what the pair needed if they were to fully repair their relationship. “Sam’s Father” proved that Frank never fully forgave Sam’s mother, so Sam couldn’t tell him that she had already reconciled with Sheryl. Meanwhile, the supernatural nature of the encounter made it even more impossible to explain to Frank.

While Ghosts Patience’s catchphrase from season 4 was secretly tragic, Sam’s situation was one of the character’s saddest stories since the series began. In a quietly devastating way, Sam’s powers distanced her from her father in Season 4 as much as they helped her relationship with Sheryl in Season 1. “Sam’s Dad” highlighted the weirdness inherent in the show’s premise, as it was strangely sad to realize that Sam will never be able to be honest with her father, about her mother, or anything else related to ghosts.

Jay’s family knows more about Sam’s ghost powers than his father

Jay’s sister knows more about ghosts than Sam’s father

As if that wasn’t bad enough. Ghosts added insult to injury thanks to an earlier appearance by Jay’s sister, Belle. In Season 1, Episode 12, “Jay’s Sister,” Trevor attempted to seduce Jay’s sister through a dating app despite his ghost status. Initially, Sam and Jay tried to claim that they catfished Belle to regain her trust after a bad breakup, but eventually Sam blurted out the truth to stop Belle from walking away in disgust. As such, Belle knows Sam can see ghosts, even though her father can’t.

This makes Sam’s relationship with Frank even sadder, especially since Jay can’t even see ghosts. Ghosts Season 4 will allow Jay to see the ghosts eventually, but Belle knowing Sam’s secret while Frank is left in the dark underlines how estranged the series’ heroine still is from her surviving father. Hopefully, Ghosts will eventually find a way for Sam to share the truth with Frank, allowing the pair to share a closer connection.