In Ghosts Season 4, Episode 5, titled “A Star is Dead,” we’re treated to a mix of nostalgia, awkward auditions, and a dash of supernatural chaos—all centered around a community theater musical production. This episode finds Sam (Rose McIver) revisiting her own stage fright and unearthing long-buried memories while Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar) struggles with some bizarre dream-related issues involving an attractive actress. And as always, the ghosts have their own agendas, adding their unique brand of humor and mischief.
The episode kicks off with Jay in the kitchen, preparing a meal as the ghosts stand by, eagerly awaiting the smells. Sam enters to announce that a group of actors wants to rent the ballroom for a production of Anything Goes, a classic musical. Sam reveals that she worked as part of the tech crew for the show in high school but was never brave enough to audition for the stage. This revelation gives us some context for Sam’s complicated relationship with performing, and it sets the stage for her confronting a fear from her past.
The ghostly crew gets involved as well, particularly Alberta (Danielle Pinnock), who is eager to relive her glory days as a star, and Sass (Chris Redd), who is immediately captivated by Marisa, one of the leading actresses in the group.
However, when the lead actress in the musical unexpectedly drops out, the director decides to hold an open audition for the role. Alberta quickly encourages Sam to audition for the part, convinced that this will be Sam’s chance to conquer desire to lead the musical. Sam, however, is less than enthusiastic. She has a bad history with auditions, and a painful memory from high school—where she threw up in front of the entire cast during her first audition—has haunted her ever since.
While Sam is facing her own fears, Jay is dealing with his own supernatural dilemma. Sass enters Jay’s dreams, hoping to find Marisa there. What follows is a surreal and awkward sequence where Sass and Marisa’s interactions in the dream world leave Jay perplexed and uncomfortable. We also learn that when Marisa appears in Jay’s dreams, she takes on all of Jay’s personal interests, which leads to the awkward realization that Sass, in some strange way, is “dating” Jay through the dreams.
Meanwhile, Alberta is putting Sam through the wringer with a Rocky-style training montage designed to get Sam ready for her audition. However, as the session continues, Alberta’s tough-love approach becomes a little too much. Hetty (Rebecca Wisocky) and Isaac (Brandon Scott Jones), ever the comedic duo, provide commentary, heckling Alberta’s methods while Sam struggles through her training. It’s great to see Isaac and Hetty back together, their banter providing some much-needed levity to the episode.
As the montage progresses, Alberta’s training begins to work—Sam’s singing and dancing improve, and she starts to gain the confidence needed to audition. However, Alberta’s own insecurities start to creep in. She insists that Sam can’t make it on her own and enlists Flower to “walk through” Marisa and mess up her audition. Alberta’s desire to manipulate the outcome stems from her own fear that Sam won’t be able to succeed without a little “supernatural” help. When Sam finds out about this, it creates tension between the two, as Sam realizes Alberta doesn’t have enough faith in her abilities to succeed on her own.
In another subplot, Pete (Richie Moriarty) takes matters into his own hands by trying to help Sass find a ghost who can move around as he does—hoping to set him up with a proper ghostly girlfriend. Pete’s efforts to play matchmaker are a fun addition to the episode and highlight the sometimes ridiculous lengths the ghosts will go to in order to fulfill their own desires. It will be interesting to see who Pete finds for Sass.
Ultimately, Sam decides to go through with the audition as her and Alberta make-up. With Alberta’s “training” behind her, she steps onto the stage and gives a great performance. It’s a powerful moment, not just because Sam does so well, but because she’s facing down a fear that’s plagued her for years. Her success is made even more poignant by Alberta’s presence in the audience—and later on stage, proving that the ghosts may be unconventional in their methods, but they genuinely want Sam to succeed. And in a happy ending, Sam lands the role, and her performance goes off without a hitch.
While “A Star is Dead” delivered a solid and engaging storyline, it didn’t quite have the same comedic punch as previous episodes, particularly last week’s standout. The humor felt more subdued this time around, with the focus primarily on Sam’s personal growth and the somewhat complicated relationships between the ghosts. Still, the episode managed to balance heart with humor, offering some touching moments alongside the laughs.
There were a few standout moments, including the dynamic between Isaac and Hetty, Pete’s matchmaking attempt, and Alberta’s “training” sessions. Sass’s dream-related dilemma also added some nice absurdity to the story, and it was fun to watch how Jay reacted to his dreams being influenced by Sass. However, it would’ve been nice to see a bit more humor throughout the episode, as Ghosts often shines brightest when it blends the emotional beats with its trademark comedic moments.
All in all, “A Star is Dead” remains an enjoyable installment in the series, with some nice character development for Sam and Alberta. It’s a good episode, and I’m looking forward to seeing where the show goes next.
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