Ghosts series 4 iPlayer pace SPOILERS
Lalabooboo
Posts: 102 Forum Member
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Just finished series 4 of ghosts.
Whilst it had its moments I didn’t really get into this series as much as previous ones.
Spoiler for episode 4
Whilst it had its moments I didn’t really get into this series as much as previous ones.
Spoiler for episode 4
sad to see Mary get ‘sucked off’/move on. I guess Katy decided to leave the show
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So we also know how Robin died, struck by lightening hiding from a bear.
Wish the serials had been longer.
Episode 6
Love this show and have watched the first 3 series over and over but was a little underwhelmed by this.Perhaps I had looked forward to it too much.
Didn't hate it, found it an enjoyable watch, just didn't get quite the buzz this time.
Exactly that. Bitty. Don’t know why episode 4 bugged me so much lol. It just felt rushed and unfinished. It went from ‘where’s Robin’ to ‘Mary’s gone’. It felt so unusual that I spent the whole episode thinking she hadn’t really gone. That when they were saying their goodbyes at the end she’d just appear and make them jump. She’d been playing a game/joke on them. Then she’s not even mentioned the rest of the series.
Great series again and for me on initial viewing I think episode 4 is one of the best Ghosts episodes. (nice foreshadowing/reminding casual viewers in ep 2. They really ensured they gave Katy Wix some particularly good stuff.) Very intelligent writing about how different people deal with grief.
Loved it.
I do understand, having watched one and three quarter episodes, what you mean by bitty though. I swear in the first three series there only used to be three storylines running through it. Now, there seems to be more. Take episode two - we've got Mary and Julian speaking about her death, Kitty trying to show the Captain how to fill time, Thomas going 'cold turkey' on Alison with Pat's help, Mike's friends arriving at the cottage and the 'cult'. Rather than some characters taking the main storylines and others playing in part of those, every character has their own story.
I must admit I was quite relieved about the conflagration in ep6. I think that plot thread had run it's course. Wonder what they'll do now.
Yeah, I think that's a general thing with this series. The cast are so terrific and invested in their characters that throughout the series on rewatch you can pick up all sorts of nuances and little reactions even when they're just in shot but not the focus of a scene. Brilliant television. I really am very impressed by the lot of 'em, in front of and behind the camera.
"Squirrel!!!!"
Series 4 was directionless - no real thread connecting the series such as getting ready for their first guest etc etc.
The loss of Mary came from nowhere. I guess Katy got bored and wanted to leave.
Looking forward to USA season 2 though. The characters are slightly more interesting and fun - perhaps just because its newer and fresher.
Will finally get around to trying the US version when it pops up on a channel I can watch, just out of interest. but couldn't disagree more. Thought Series 4 was excellent. Throughlines included a certain character for the first half and, all the way through from episode 1 to the finale it was about how their B&B went. And 'went' is indeed what happened. Up in flames! Personally thought it was a pretty cohesive run....it's all kind of about 'famleeeee' really innit, however bizarre the set up!
Hey to each their own.
I hope the US version finds its way over here at some point though when the UK version of something is still 'current' you don't tend to get another broadcaster showing the US version when its on simultaneously.
Personally I thought season 4 was the weakest of the lot and if they don't make a season 5 then so be it - it didnt really end with a bang more a whimper. And, what WILL they do next indeed?
Getting to season 4 was about the B&B - they had mostly forgotten about weddings and functions with the exception of the kids birthday party - and in season 4 they had the B&B running but although we only had 6 episodes this season..... (really short!) - we didnt exactly see many actual customers coming and going - just the old couple with the bike & Mikes old friends - the rest was off camera mentions of reviews people had left so therefore we assume it was running OK for them just a lot of work.
Season 1 - the setup and decision to keep Button House.
Season 2 - trying to rent out the place for weddings and functions.
Season 3 - conwoman sister, and getting enough money to create the B&B.
Season 4 - running the b&b then it burns down.
Glad you liked it though! It was watchable for sure but feels to me like its running out of steam. I wonder what, if anything season 5 has in store. Although they don't exactly need a bigger cast they could always replace Katy Wix with someone else who dies at the house - although 1 less ghost isn't really missed in the grand scheme of things.
Ive seen it. Its got some good viewing figures and reviews in America and of course they are very mercenary when it comes to cancelling things and this seems safe for now and season 2 is about to start.
Its very strong. As good if not better than the UK version which for US remakes is rather unheard of. The format translates very well and they've kept it more or less the same as the UK version but of course the ghosts are more relevant to the US audience and setting. There is still a trouser-less Julian type but he's a Wall Street banker rather than a politician. The military ghost is from the civil war rather than WW2... The Kitty equivalent is a Jazz singer from the 20's. Theres a scout master with an arrow through his neck just the same as the UK version.....also an aristocratic type female equivalent to Fanny.
Theres not really a Thomas equivalent but their Robin equivalent is a Native American, the headless guy doesn't have an equivalent (they have a 60s biker mod who was only seen in the first episode) ..... but they do have unique ones themselves such as Viking, and Hippie flower child character.
All in all if you enjoy the UK version theres lots to enjoy in the US version too.
I'll save my comments on particular episodes until each is broadcast, but I found this series to be really funny. For me, the first and last episodes were slightly less amusing, but they had many quality moments, and still I love the writing and the acting in the show. I think the third episode was probably my favourite.
Having lots of different stories running at the same time is not new; it was definitely a thing in the third series (it's too long since series two to recall exactly how the episodes were structured).
I don't feel I missed out by not seeing the various individual guests coming and going, and there might have been budget reasons for that. The focus of the show is the "family" that Alison has found at Button House. They made that overt in series three and I think the fourth one underlined that this is what lies at the heart of Ghosts.
But I like watching it.
I wish they would bring back Rentaghost, that was funny. 😀
Do you have britbox? Series 1, 2 and 9 of Rentaghost is on there
Well Rentaghost was a classic of my childhood but I suspect what I found funny as a 6 year old may not have aged well for me now!
interesting you say that - I find that most, if not all, "modern" comedies or at least from the last 20-30 years have been very hit and miss and mostly fall into the category of "lightly amusing" rather than laugh out loud funny.
Ghosts is lightly amusing for sure but not laugh out loud funny. This is my current yardstick for "watchable comedy" in 2022.
Now, I may well be showing my age here - but the golden age of laugh out loud funny stuff was the 70s and 80s when perhaps they weren't so worried about offending and tiptoeing around - and things like Blackadder, Are you Being Served, Only Fools and Horses, Hi De Hi, Fawlty Towers....
All these are absolute classics and genuinely funny.
Again, this probably shows me up a bit but I really think that the only thing genuinely funny in the last 10 years or so was Miranda.... which many love and many hate! but its no coincidence it was fashioned around the 'are you being served' model.
Thank you, I didn't know it was on there. My kids loved it, as I showed them it on YouTube. They thought it was insane 😀
The concept of Rentaghost was great, I'm surprised it never had a reboot. Wonderful actors too, I still find it funny. 😀
I guess my fav recent comedy is Motherland, it's a shame it ended. I rewatch that and stuff like the IT Crowd.
But there isn't anything current I find really funny.
Ghosts is enjoyable, it's just quite sweet and fun but not hilarious.
I loved Rentaghost too - but I imagine if I saw it again now it would seem very childish to me now. As a concept it could translate into an adult comedy now for sure - and you know how TV execs are desperate for ideas and not afraid to re-hash old ones so maybe this is it.
Although not comedy, as a concept I loved the tomorrow people and Blakes 7. The tomorrow people has been remade twice since the 70s neither of which lasting long. Blake's 7 of course remains untouched.
I forgot about the IT crowd. You are right thats another laugh out loud one and from this century too which is a real exception along with Miranda for me.
Did anyone who's watched the whole series do what I did, and leave gaps between each episode? I only watched two a day, and didn't back-to-back any of them. I think most shows benefit from a bit of breathing space between episodes. I think it's like having a big bag of crisps; if you eat them all at once, you stop appreciating the flavour.
Polly, to sort of answer your question, I suspect that we won't hear anything about that before the associated episode airs. Otherwise it would be a spoiler, wouldn't it?