Halloween at Woodstone Manor always feels like a high-stakes gamble. It’s the one night of the year when the veil between the living and the dead supposedly thins, which is a bit of a joke for Sam and Jay considering they live with a rotating cast of historical roommates 24/7. But Ghosts Season 4 Episode 3, titled "Halloween 4: The Witch," really raised the bar. It didn't just give us the standard "ghosts get into trouble" trope. It dug into the deep, dark, and often hilarious insecurities of Patience, the Puritan ghost who has been causing absolute chaos since she emerged from the dirt.
Honestly? Most sitcoms lose their steam by the fourth season. They start recycling plots or doing those weird musical episodes no one asked for. Ghosts avoids this. By focusing on the tension between Sam’s modern sensibilities and Patience’s extreme 1600s judgment, the show finds a fresh way to explore what it means to be "cursed."
The Trial of Sam Arondekar
The meat of the episode centers on a literal witch trial. Well, a Woodstone version of one. Patience, played with terrifyingly stiff perfection by Mary Holland, decides that Sam is a witch. Why? Because Sam has the audacity to use a "magic" glowing box (her phone) and apparently controls the spirits. It’s a classic fish-out-of-water setup, but it works because the stakes feel real for the ghosts. They’re terrified of Patience.
You’ve got a ghost who spent centuries in the dark, lonely dirt. That kind of trauma doesn’t just go away because Jay makes a great charcuterie board.
When Patience puts Sam on "trial," the episode brilliantly uses the other ghosts as a jury. It’s a clever narrative device. It forces characters like Isaac and Alberta to choose between their loyalty to Sam—the woman who literally gives them a life—and their fear of a woman who can make their afterlife a living hell. The writing in Ghosts Season 4 Episode 3 shines here. It’s fast. It’s biting. It reminds us that while the show is a comedy, these people (or spirits) are technically stuck together for eternity.
Why Patience is the Villain We Needed
For a long time, the conflict in Woodstone was external. It was about fixing the roof or dealing with annoying neighbors. Patience changed that. She’s an internal threat. She represents the rigid, unforgiving past that many of the ghosts have tried to grow away from.
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- She hates joy.
- She hates "sin."
- She definitely hates Jay’s electronic gadgets.
In "Halloween 4: The Witch," we see her power isn't just in her scary presence, but in her ability to manipulate the ghosts' guilt. Even Hetty, who usually doesn't give a damn about anyone's opinion, feels the pressure. It’s a masterclass in how to integrate a new character into an established ensemble without it feeling forced.
The Jay Problem (And the Solution)
Let’s talk about Jay for a second. Utkarsh Ambudkar is the unsung hero of this show. In Ghosts Season 4 Episode 3, he’s once again relegated to the "I can't see what's happening but I'm trying my best" role. But the writers gave him a win this time. His attempt to celebrate Halloween while a literal Puritan ghost is trying to exorcise his wife is peak comedy.
There's a specific moment where Jay tries to communicate through Sam that feels so earned. We often forget how lonely it must be for him. He lives in a house full of people he can’t see, hearing one-sided conversations. This episode leans into that isolation but keeps it light. He’s the anchor. Without Jay, the show would fly off into pure fantasy; he keeps it grounded in the reality of a guy just trying to run a successful B&B.
The "witchcraft" Sam is accused of is basically just 21st-century living.
- Ordering pizza? Witchcraft.
- Checking Instagram? Dark arts.
- Turning on the microwave? Straight to the stake.
It’s a funny commentary on how far we’ve come, but also how little human nature changes. We still fear what we don’t understand. We just don't wear bonnets while we do it anymore.
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Behind the Scenes: Direction and Atmosphere
The lighting in this episode deserves a shoutout. Normally, Woodstone is bright and inviting. For the Halloween special, the cinematography shifted. It felt claustrophobic. The shadows were longer. It felt like a nod to classic horror films without losing the sitcom snap.
The director, Katie Locke O'Brien, balanced the physical comedy—like the ghosts trying to move objects to "prove" Sam's innocence—with the genuine tension of the trial. It’s hard to make a scene where a woman talks to empty air feel high-stakes, but the editing in Ghosts Season 4 Episode 3 pulls it off. You feel the presence of the ghosts even when the camera is focused on Sam's panicked face.
The Evolution of the "Halloween Special"
Most shows do a Halloween episode and then forget it ever happened. Ghosts is different. Each year, the holiday moves the overarching plot forward.
In Season 1, it was the accidental fire.
Season 2 gave us the séance.
Season 3 dealt with the fallout of the "sucked off" mystery.
Now, Season 4 uses Halloween to cement Patience as the primary antagonist (and perhaps eventually, a tragic friend).
It’s a smart way to handle a seasonal trope. It makes the episode "must-see TV" rather than "filler TV." If you skip this one, you actually miss character development. That’s rare in the streaming age where everything feels disposable.
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What This Means for the Rest of Season 4
The fallout from the trial isn't just going to disappear. Patience is still there. She’s still watching. The dynamic of the house has shifted. Sam is no longer just the "translator"; she’s now a target. This adds a layer of peril that the show hasn't really explored since the early episodes.
We’re likely going to see more of the "Old World vs. New World" conflict. The ghosts are starting to realize that their comfortable afterlife at Woodstone is fragile. If Patience can turn them against Sam, they lose everything. They lose TV. They lose snacks. They lose their connection to the modern world.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans
If you’re catching up or just finished the episode, here’s how to get the most out of the Ghosts experience:
- Rewatch the trial scene: Look at the background ghosts. Their reactions—especially Flower and Thorfinn—are gold. The physical acting when they think they might be "sent to the dark" is some of the best in the series.
- Track the Patience arc: Go back to the Season 4 premiere and watch how her "rules" have slowly started to infect the other ghosts. It’s a subtle bit of writing about how peer pressure works even in the afterlife.
- Check the historical Easter eggs: The writers clearly did their homework on 1600s Puritanism. The specific accusations Patience hurls at Sam are based on actual historical records from the era.
Keep an eye on the basement ghosts, too. They’re becoming more integral to the main plot, and their role in Ghosts Season 4 Episode 3 suggests they might be the ones to finally bridge the gap between Patience and the rest of the crew.
The brilliance of this show is its heart. Beneath the jokes about pantless politicians and Viking curses, it's a story about a makeshift family. This episode tested that family. They passed, but barely. And in the world of Woodstone Manor, "barely" is usually as good as it gets.