Ghosts Is Finally Giving This Underutilized Supporting Star The Correct Role After Their Breakout Debut

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Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Ghosts season 4, episode 11, “Thorapy 2: Abandonment Issues”

While Ghosts introduced one of the show’s best supporting stars back in season 1, the CBS sitcom is only now starting to utilize their true potential. The ghosts of CBS’s Ghosts are a colorful bunch. As such, viewers can be sure the Woodstone B&B would always be a lively home, even if the show had no guest stars. That said, Ghosts season 4’s cast of characters has introduced a slew of new faces and familiar returning guest stars, from Kelsey the con artist to season 4’s new ghost Patience.

Some of these characters, like Sam’s estranged father Frank, or Jay’s parents, only appear in one or two outings. However, others gradually became Ghosts season 4 supporting stars. Patience’s arc lasted three episodes and ended in a way that left the door open for her potential return in future episodes, while the role of Sam and Jay’s construction worker and business partner Mark has grown as Jay’s ambitious plans for an onsite restaurant came to the fore. There is one guest star in particular who is overdue a promotion to series regular status.

Ghosts Season 4, Episode 11 Gives Bela A Proper Role

Jay’s Sister Took Over The Management Of His Restaurant

Jay's sister Bela surrounded by ghosts in CBS Ghosts

In season 4, episode 11, “Thorapy 2: Abandonment Issues,” Jay reluctantly allowed his sister Bela to take over managing the as-yet unopened restaurant, since his original manager took another role at the last minute. Jay was unsure about this plan, but Bela ended up doing great in the position. Unfortunately, the ghosts intervened and made this Ghosts season 4 plot more complicated when they mistakenly thought Bela had ordered only one pound of shrimp and corrected this order by amending it to 100 pounds.

Brandon Scott James' Isaac and Sheila Carrasco's Flower stand talking in a living room in Ghosts season 4 episode 11

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In reality, Bela ordered a single pound as a test for Jay’s palate and ordered a hundred pounds of cheaper shrimp, comfortably certain that she could convince her brother there was no difference in quality. Thanks to the meddling ghosts, she ended up with 200 pounds of shrimp and Jay had a meltdown where he told her she was as irresponsible and untrustworthy as ever. When he learned the truth and apologized to his little sister, Jay offered Bela a permanent role as the manager of his restaurant, and she happily agreed.

Bela's Knowledge Of The Ghosts Makes Her Invaluable To Sam & Jay

Ghosts Season 4’s Bela Role Was A Necessary Change

This was a perfect twist for Ghosts season 4, which badly needed a new human character to interact with the show’s ghosts. Although Jay briefly saw the ghosts earlier in season 4, he usually relies on Sam to relay whatever they are saying and doing on a weekly basis. However, Jay and Sam being the only humans involved in every ghost-centric story was getting tiresome, since both of them are reasonably sensible characters. Bela has less experience with the ghosts and more interest in them, as evidenced by her fascination with Trevor’s crush on her.

Thus, adding another character who knows about the ghosts but can't see or hear them is a welcome change of pace for Ghosts season 4. The show’s format is relatively predictable at this stage, with the ghosts usually hatching a plan and Sam and Jay doing their best to execute it until unexpected complications arise. Bela is a more self-interested, unpredictable character, meaning she is less likely to end up acting as a living conduit for whatever the ghosts are trying to pull off next.

Ghosts Actor

Character Name

Brandon Scott Jones	Isaac Higgintoot
Roman Zaragoza	Sass
Danielle Pinnock	Alberta
Rebecca Wisocky	Hetty
Richie Moriarty	Pete
Asher Grodman	Trevor
Devon Chandler Long	Thor

While Rose McIver’s Ghosts heroine Sam is a lovable protagonist, she can be a pushover when it comes to prioritizing the ghosts. She has gone out of her way to write a book about Isaac’s experiences, called on Jay to help Trevor fake his presence at a work conference, and even temporarily canceled Halloween at Patience’s behest. In contrast, Bela is a wild card who is unlikely to focus on the ghosts over her own plans. This will be a fun change of pace for the show.

Bela Is More Rebellious And Flightier Than Sam and Jay

Bela should become a series regular in the second half of Ghosts season 4, as she is the only other living character who knows about the ghosts and understands Sam’s link to them. Thanks to her rebellious nature, there is more room for Bela to have fun storylines with the ghosts than there is with Sam and Jay.

After three years, Sam and Jay have gotten good at simply appeasing the ghosts, and often take a backseat as their backstories and internal power struggles command the show’s primary focus. While this isn’t necessarily a problem, it is a welcome change for Ghosts season 4 to feature a more proactive human character in Bela.

Ghosts (US)

8/10

Release Date October 7, 2021

Directors Christine Gernon, Jaime Eliezer Karas, Katie Locke O'Brien, Nick Wong, Jude Weng, Pete Chatmon, Richie Keen, Alex Hardcastle, Kimmy Gatewood, Matthew A. Cherry, Cortney Carrillo

Writers Emily Schmidt, John Timothy, Lauren Bridges, Sophia Lear, Guy Endore-Kaiser, Rishi Chitkara, Julia Harter, Skander Halim, Zora Bikangaga