Ghosts season 2 episode 14 review: meet Trevor's parents

NOTE: this post contains spoilers for Ghosts season 2 episode 14, "Trevor's Body."

"Trevor's Body" is one of the episodes that really captures the, well, spirit of Ghosts. It was fun and clever and peppered with pop culture references, but it also had some real depth without being cloying or saccharine.

The episode opens with Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar) fishing at the Woodstone pond with a guest. Jay was trying a new "experience" package for guests where they would fish then Jay would cook whatever they caught; Isaac named it "Bait to Plate," which sounds like something that some B&B in the country is probably already doing. But what the guest fished up was Trevor's (Asher Grodman) skull.

After the coroner confirmed the skull was Trevor's, Sam (Rose McIver) broke the news to the ghosts as Trevor's parents, Lenny (Chip Zein) and Esther (Laraine Newman), arrived at Woodstone. They came to walk the grounds where Trevor had been to feel connected to him after they got his remains back. Jay and Sam sat down with Trevor's parents to talk about Trevor and learn more about his life.

Esther shared some childhood photos of Trevor from her phone, including one of his "schmekel," which Trevor pointed out was a "respectable schmekel" for a 2 year old. Flower (Sheila Carrasco) thought "Respectable Schmekel" would be a great band name, which it would. 

And there was another photo of Trevor with a cardboard cutout of Mel Gibson at his bar mitsvah because the theme was Mel Gibson movies. Lenny points out they didn't know about Mel Gibson at that time.

It's also revealed Lenny and Esther divorced after Trevor died. Trevor was shocked to learn about Mel Gibson, and his parents divorce, and later in the episode laments, "I'm a child of divorce, Mel Gibson is a monster, what the hell is going on in the world?"

While Trevor's parents are talking to Sam and Jay, Pete (Richie Moriarty, Nigel (John Hartman), Isaac (Brandon Scott Jones) and Thor (Devan Chandler Long) are in the shed watching ants. Nigel and Isaac go for a walk and Jenkins (Christian Daoust), who was sitting in the corner, insinuates that Nigel cheated on Isaac by having a liaison with him on Christmas Eve. Pete and Thor are not sure if they should tell Isaac so they tell Hetty (Rebecca Wisocky), Flower, and Alberta (Danielle Pinnock) to get their opinion.

While they're debating what to do, Isaac comes in and Flower mistakenly tells him what Jenkins said. Isaac confronts Nigel, who says he and Jenkins did kiss on Christmas Eve. Nigel points out that he and Isaac were "on a respite," a clever reference to the Friends trope of Rachel and Ross being on a break. Isaac breaks up with Nigel. 

Meanwhile, Trevor is working on getting his parents back together with Sam and Jay's help. They pull our all the stops, recreating special moments from their relationship, including a dinner featuring red snapper, their song for dinner music and watching The Horse Whisperer. It seems like the plan is working until Lenny takes a cell phone call, destroying the cozy romantic vibe.

Later on, Trevor sneaks into his mom’s bedroom, at Sam's suggestion, and sends a sext to his dad. Trevor left at that point but the other ghosts confirmed the next day his parents did indeed reconnect romantically thanks to his text.

After Thor says there’s another gay ghost named George (Chris Eckert) at Farmsby's, Alberta suggests Isaac meet him. Isaac gives it a shot, but George is definitely not Isaac's type. He’s very forward and a little icky. If Tinder was a ghost it would be George. Instead, Isaac chooses to forgive Nigel and they get back together. Isaac even invites Nigel to live in the mansion, although not in his room. Isaac is still setting boundaries. 

Trevor's memorial is surprisingly heartfelt. Photos of Trevor's life are shown and his parents give a touching tribute to their son. It's always nice when a comedy delivers an unexpected bit of real depth and warmth. Trevor got some humanity and his parents got some closure.

Then Tara Reid showed up. She was hired by Trevor's brother Jeremy through Pop In, a service "like Cameo, but for in person appearances." Trevor was thrilled. So thrilled that at the end of the episode he uses his ability to manipulate objects to throw a vase on the floor right in her path trying to get her to fall down the stairs, die and stay with him for eternity. Sam intercepts the vase though and spoils his plan.

Trevor's still upset about his parents divorce, but Sam is able to steer a conversation with them to the divorce and they tell her, and Trevor who is nearby, it had nothing to do with Trevor. It turns out their marriage was not good for a long time. So in another surprisingly deep moment, Trevor gets some closure too.

This episode was great because it so deftly handled a topic like the aftermath of finding Trevor's human remains. Without getting too maudlin or depressing there was still closure, some poignant and warm moments and just the right amount of dark comedy. 

New episodes of Ghosts are on Thursdays on CBS. You can watch previous episodes on-demand on Paramount Plus.