Ghosts Finally Introduces the World to Chef Jay

Ghosts Season 4, Episode 12, “It’s the End of the World as We Know It and What Were We Talking About?” is another glorious reminder of why this show is one of the best things on TV right now. With everything falling apart around us in the real world, it’s comforting to have the fiction we consume showcase the importance of how people can show up for others. This idea is a constant at Woodstone Mansion, but it’s hitting especially hard these days. 

There’s rightfully quite a bit of focus on Jay this season, making every episode we get that much sweeter as it deep dives into this idea of belonging. In “A Very Arondekar Christmas,” he finally gets to see the ghosts; in “Thorapy 2: Abandonment Issues,” he chooses to give Bela a job at the restaurant. And in the latest episode, he experiences a crowning moment that wouldn’t have been possible without the ghosts.

Jay’s Restaurant, Mahesh, Is a Place for the People and the Ghosts 

Everything about this episode is a reminder that even when the ghosts mess up, it always stems from their desire to protect Sam and Jay at all costs. Flower’s naive nature often comes at the expense of her own pain. But here, she also gets a reminder of how she belongs with the ghosts, and in a sense, they’re each reminded of this fact, too. Flower’s mistake, unsurprisingly, makes things better.

Jay is frequently on the outside looking in because he can’t see the ghosts. Yet, even while he’s used to this and knows that he’s a part of their strange little family, it’s a comforting detail to witness how they’ll step up for him. Opening up Mahesh wasn’t just Jay’s dream. But it’s become a part of the ghosts, too—however selfish their reasons might be to smell good food all the time. Sas, Alberta, and Pete have been with him every step of the way as he’s trained the new chefs. So, the fact that they get to step in and be part of the opening in a Ratatouille-esque manner is magnificent. 

Ghosts Season 4, Episode 12 Underscores What Belonging Actually Means

More than anything, the episode is about forgiveness and understanding. It’s about talking things through to understand different perspectives instead of what we internalize in our own heads. Ghosts Season 4, Episode 12, “It’s the End of the World as We Know It and What Were We Talking About?” also emphasizes this through Hetty and Trevor finally addressing their breakup and how to move forward. As a series that’s about finding a place to belong, tying the opening of Hamesh to a preconceived end-of-the-world date makes it an even more perfect beginning. 

It’s not the end of the world. But it’s the start of their new era—it’s the beginning of a different type of belonging where Jay’s restaurant and the lengths the ghosts will go to for one another continue to illuminate what a refreshing balm the show is. It’s about allowing characters who don’t often get a chance to be vulnerable to voice how they’ve felt in trying times. And Sheila Carrasco getting to do this with Flower this week makes the end result even lovelier. Like Thor, she is frequently a character who’s comedic relief. So, the chance to see her crack open her heart is a beautiful thing to witness during an episode that’s a long time coming. 

With clever nods to The Bear and what the statement of “yes, chef” means on the show, Ghosts plays on the idea of a found family with scenes that wholeheartedly authenticate how these characters belong, even when they’re each vastly different from one another. And that is something we’ll keep welcoming on our TV screens.

Ghosts is now streaming on Paramount+.