Notice! Spoilers ahead for Ghosts season 4, episodes 8 and 9.Ghosts Season 4 finally allows Jay to see spirits, but how he does it is more complicated than how Sam was able to do it. Despite being based on its British counterpart, the American version of the supernatural comedy has found its own identity over the last four years on the air. After a truncated Season 3 due to the two Hollywood attacks in 2023, Ghosts Season 4 is back with a full year order, which means it has extra time to address all of the remaining plotlines while also addressing long-awaited storylines that include Jay's relationship with the spirits.
Like its BBC counterpart, the main premise of Ghosts USA is Sam being able to see the spirits of Woodstone Manor after a near-death experience. She functions as the connection between the living and the dead, as she helps the latter resolve some remaining personal problems and unfinished business so that they can finally be sucked in. Since only Sam can communicate directly with Hetty and the rest of the group, Jay is often left out during his antics. This sparked calls for him to finally see the spirits too – something that Ghosts The Season 4 Christmas Special finally arrives.
Jay Finally Sees the Spirits in Ghosts in Season 4, But It's Temporary
It's a rollercoaster Christmas for Jay
Ghosts Season 4 Episode 8 expands the show's lore in two ways. Firstly, Jay and Sam get double possession with Pete and Nancyrespectively, while trying to fix the water heater in preparation for Champa and Mahesh Arondekar's arrival. This makes for some funny moments in the episode, as Sam, who is trying to trick her mother-in-law, acts strangely with Nancy inside her. Interestingly, though, when Champa sits with a more carefree Sam, she starts to like her.
Instead of Pete being forced out of his body, it is Jay who is forced out of his own physical form.
Getting Nancy away from Sam is a struggle, considering the basement spirit is determined to remain in her body. However, Sam manages to recover after crossing the Woodstone Manor border. The real problem lies in Pete and Jay's situation, considering the latter's unique powers. Sam and the other spirits attempt an exorcism, but, unsurprisingly, it doesn't go as planned. Instead of Pete being forced out of his body, it is Jay who is forced out of his own physical form.
This creates more problems, but also allows Jay to finally see the ghostsconsidering he essentially became one of them. The type of introduction is exciting, allowing him to finally interact with the spirits after living with them for the past few years. Unsurprisingly, he is able to easily recognize who is who, because of Sam's countless stories, as well as his own encounters with them through Sass' dream ghost power and Trevor's ability to communicate via iPad. Had it not been for the Arondekars' visit, Jay's stay in this state would have been more likely.
Why the ghosts couldn't let Jay see the spirits full time like Sam
It's too distracting for a perfectly good show
Unlike Sam, however, whose ability to see spirits came in a more direct way, Jay's supernatural proclivity is only temporary. The rest GhostsThe 2024 Christmas special is dedicated to keeping Champa and Mahesh as oblivious as possible to what's really going on at Woodstone Manor, while finding a way for Jay to regain his fitness. The problem is that Pete wants to go to Philadelphia to spend Christmas with his daughter and grandson before they move to Australia, which is too far for him to travel.
Pete actually wants to touch and communicate with them instead of just being a spectator, so he basically hijacks Jay's body. This leads Sam to intervene to ensure her husband's body is safe. In the end, everyone turns to the trusty electrocution scheme to solve their supernatural dilemma. However, when Jay returns to his physical form, he can no longer see the Ghosts' spirits, which is sad but also necessary considering the sitcom's established narrative format.
As incredible as it is to see him finally interact directly with the friendly souls of Woodstone, much of the Ghostsparticularly his brand of comedy, is rooted in Sam having to explain things to Jay again when they are dealing with Pete and his companions. Taking this away risks changing the design in a bad way. Considering how beloved it currently is, there's no pressing reason for CBS to drastically change it and risk ruining a perfectly good show.
Coming out of the experience, Jay will likely have a better understanding of the Woodstone ghosts in the future, which is great, especially when he opens his restaurant.
Anyway, just because it's temporary doesn't mean Jay's entire vision of the spirit arc is useless. It's certainly great for him to finally be able to put faces to the ghosts and meet them in person, albeit only for a brief time. Coming out of the experience, Jay will likely have a better understanding of the Woodstone ghosts in the future, which is great, especially when he opens his restaurant.
When will Jay see the spirits again in ghosts?
It may be a while before Jay and the Woodstone Spirits interact again
GhostsThe 2024 Christmas episode introduces some major new additions to the show's lore. Since the project isn't actually tied to any source material or other canon, CBS can do pretty much anything they want, and that includes repeating Jay's recent experience interacting with the spirits in season 4, episodes 8 and 9. The problem with this is that they also have to be careful not to overdo it. Otherwise, it could end up losing its appeal, which is bad for your future narrative.
So if the acclaimed comedy wants Jay to see spirits again, they need to come up with a good story to explain how. For now, though, it's safe to say that any kind of event won't happen again in Ghosts season 4.
It's also worth noting that the way Jay is able to see the spirits is a complete accident. Granted, the show could eventually establish this, much like they did with the electrocution near the living room fireplace, but that would require multiple incidents of the same thing. So if the acclaimed comedy wants Jay to see spirits again, they need to come up with a good story to explain how. For now, however, it is safe to say that any such event will not happen again in Ghosts season 4.