In every way, with every season, Ghosts continuously honors found families, and no episode does it more effectively than its homage to Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life. Here’s the thing: on paper, the show sounds entertaining, yes, but it’s as profoundly memorable and continuously wholesome because of the friendships built and strengthened at Woodstone Mansion. It’s because of its main character, Rose McIver’s Sam Arondekar. And from start to finish, Ghosts’ “It’s a Wonderful Christmas Carol” delivers a deeply restorative message in its Season 5 Christmas double-feature.
Here at Fangirlish, most of us are romance girlies. We love love. We’re always advocating it and wanting to scream about our favorite ships from the rooftops, but we’re also found family champions, and this episode ultimately cements Ghosts as one of the best.
“It’s a Wonderful Christmas Carol” Is a Gorgeous Homage to It’s a Wonderful Life
When it comes to the concept of found families, It’s a Wonderful Life is the blueprint. George Bailey is the ultimate character to showcase how a single person’s actions can be the domino effect to impact the world around them in tremendous ways. And on Ghosts, that character is very much Sam Arondekar. The things she’s been through this season and all that’s come before with the ghosts constantly meddling in her life would’ve irritated anyone. But Sam’s kept her head up and done all that they’ve wanted because she loves them just as much as they love her.
She’d show up for them in the same way they’ll always show up for her. She’ll be there. But when she hits a breaking point in Ghosts’ “It’s a Wonderful Christmas Carol,” she wishes to be freed from the “curse” of seeing them and basically gets to experience what all their lives would’ve been like without her. We all know the story. We know how Clarence’s visit helps George Bailey see his impact, and the same naturally happens for Sam. But how the episode underscores the essence of this found family is where its emotional impact lies.
Each of the characters in the show is so wildly different from the other that if they weren’t stuck in this purgatory together, they would’ve probably never interacted. But that’s how a found family usually starts, isn’t it? It’s the people you’d never expect, and it’s the forced proximity with them that helps you see the best and worst versions of yourself to continue growing. It’s so deeply human, and the fact that it happens so organically throughout the show is where so much of the strength in the writing lies.
Residents of Woodstone Mansion may be thrust together because they died in the same place, but over time, they not only chose to be good to each other, they chose to fight like hell for each other. They especially chose to fight after they each realized just how much they’re capable of because of Sam’s help, which doubles to ensure that the domino effect is monumental.
There’s so much joy in an episode like this because it continues to be proof of not only how wholesome this found family is but how they’ve changed each other for the better. It’s proof of how the inclusion of the trope makes any book, show, or movie more relatable and heartfelt. And if that isn’t the message we all need close to Christmas, then I don’t know what is.
What are your thoughts on Ghosts’ “It’s a Wonderful Christmas Carol?” Share your feelings with us in the comments.
