Warning! Spoilers ahead for Ghosts season 4, episodes 8 and 9.dual Hollywood strikes of 2023, Ghosts season 4 is back with a full year order, which means that it has extra time to address all lingering plots, while also tackling long-overdue storylines, which includes Jay's relationship with the spirits.

Like its BBC counterpart, the primary premise of Ghosts US is Sam being able to see the spirits of Woodstone Mansion following a near-death experience. She functions as the connection between the living and the dead, as she helps the latter resolve some lingering personal issues and unfinished business so they can finally be sucked off. Because only Sam can directly communicate with Hetty and the rest of the group, Jay is often left out during their shenanigans. This has prompted calls for him to finally see the spirits as well — something that Ghosts season 4 Christmas Special finally delivers.

Jay Finally Sees The Spirits In Ghosts Season 4, But It's Temporary

It's A Roller Coaster Christmas For Jay

Ghosts season 4, episode 8 expands the show's lore in a couple of ways. Firstly, Jay and Sam find themselves in a double possession with Pete and Nancy, respectively, while trying to fix the water heater in preparation for the arrival of Champa and Mahesh Arondekar. This creates some funny moments in the episode, as Sam, who is trying to her mother-in-law over, acts oddly with Nancy inside her. Interestingly, however, once Champa sits down with a more carefree Sam, she starts liking her.

Instead of Pete being forced out of the body, it's Jay who is booted from his own physical form.

Getting Nancy out of Sam is a struggle, considering that the basement spirit is determined to stay in her body. However, Sam is able to reclaim herself after running through the Woodstone Mansion border. The real problem is with Pete and Jay's situation, considering the latter's unique powers. Sam and the other spirits attempt an exorcism, but unsurprisingly, it doesn't go the way they plan. Instead of Pete being forced out of the body, it's Jay who is booted from his own physical form.

Bernard White and Sakina Jaffrey debut as Jay's parents in Ghosts season 4, episode 8, Mahesh and Champa.

This creates more problems, but it also allows Jay to finally see the ghosts, considering that he has essentially become one of them. The sort of introduction is heartwarming, allowing him to finally interact with the spirits after living with them for the past several years. Unsurprisingly, he's able to easily recognize who is who, because of countless stories from Sam, as well as his own encounters with them via Sass' dream ghost power and Trevor's ability to communicate via the iPad. Had it not been for the Arondekars visiting, Jay staying in this state would have been more probable.

Why Ghosts Couldn't Let Jay See The Spirits Full Time Like Sam

It's Too Disruptive To A Perfectly Good Show

Unlike Sam, however, whose ability to see the spirits came in a more straightforward manner, Jay's supernatural propensity is only temporary. The rest of Ghosts' 2024 Christmas special is devoted to keeping both Champa and Mahesh as oblivious as possible to what's really happening in the Woodstone Mansion while finding a way for Jay to reclaim his physical form. The problem is that Pete wants to go to Philadelphia to spend Christmas with his daughter and grandson before they move to Australia, which is too far for him to travel.

Pete actually wants to touch and communicate with them rather than just being a bystander, so he essentially kidnaps Jay's body. This prompts Sam to intervene to ensure that her husband's body is safe. In the end, they all resort to the trusted electrocution scheme to sort out their supernatural dilemma. However, when Jay comes back to his physical form, he can no longer see the spirits of Ghosts, which is sad, but also necessary, considering the sitcom's established storytelling format.

As great as it is to see him finally directly interact with Woodstone's friendly souls, a big part of Ghosts, particularly its brand of comedy, is rooted in Sam having to re-explain things to Jay when they are dealing with Pete and his cohorts. Taking that away risks changing the project in a bad way. Considering how beloved it currently is, there is no urgent reason for CBS to drastically change it and risk ruining a perfectly good show.

Coming out of the experience, Jay likely has a better understanding of the Woodstone ghosts moving forward, which is great, especially as he opens up his restaurant.

In any case, just because it's temporary, it doesn't mean that Jay's whole seeing the spirits arc is pointless. Surely, it's great for him to finally be able to put faces into the ghosts and get to know them personally, albeit only for a brief period. Coming out of the experience, Jay likely has a better understanding of the Woodstone ghosts moving forward, which is great, especially as he opens up his restaurant.

When Will Jay See The Spirits Again In Ghosts?

It May Be A While Before Jay & The Woodstone Spirits Interact Again

Ghosts' 2024 Christmas episode introduces a couple of new big things to the show's lore. Since the project isn't really beholden to any source material or other canon, CBS can pretty much do anything that they want to do in it, and that includes repeating Jay's recent experience in having interactions with the spirits in season 4, episodes 8 and 9. The problem with this is that they also need to be careful not to overdo it. Otherwise, it could end up losing its appeal, which is bad for its future storytelling.

So, if the acclaimed comedy wants Jay to see the spirits again, they need to craft a good story to explain how. For now, however, it's safe to say that any kind of happenstance won't happen again in Ghosts season 4.

It's also worth noting that the way Jay is able to see spirits is a total accident. Granted that the show can eventually establish it, the same way they did with the electrocution near the fireplace in the living room, but this would require multiple incidents of the same thing. So, if the acclaimed comedy wants Jay to see the spirits again, they need to craft a good story to explain how. For now, however, it's safe to say that any kind of happenstance won't happen again in Ghosts season 4.