{"id":42532,"date":"2023-12-25T21:15:17","date_gmt":"2023-12-25T20:15:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1944928"},"modified":"2023-12-25T22:52:57","modified_gmt":"2023-12-25T21:52:57","slug":"ghosts-final-farewell-was-undermined-by-its-odd-double-ending","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/ghosts-final-farewell-was-undermined-by-its-odd-double-ending\/","title":{"rendered":"Ghosts\u2019 final farewell was undermined by its odd double ending"},"content":{"rendered":"

The sitcom tried to have its (Christmas) cake and eat it too. <\/p>

By David Craig\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Monday, 25 December 2023 at 20:15 PM<\/p>

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*Warning: Full spoilers for the Ghosts Christmas 2023 special*<\/strong><\/p>\n

The BBC\u2019s beloved sitcom Ghosts<\/a> bowed out on Christmas Day with an episode that saw homeowners Alison (Charlotte Ritchie) and Mike (Kiell Smith-Bynoe) leave their haunted property to start the next stage of their lives.<\/p>\n

This dramatic exit from Button House \u2013 a Buttxit, if you will (pronounced \u2018butt zit\u2019, FYI) \u2013 should have easily emerged as one of the show\u2019s most impactful scenes, yet it ended up falling rather flat.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s partly because it comes so soon after the season 5 finale<\/a>, which aired on BBC One just two months ago and hit on a lot of the same themes \u2013 but weirdly, came to a completely different conclusion.<\/p>\n

Yes, the writers tried to have their cake and eat it, too, by presenting both logical endings; one that sees Mike and Alison put down roots in Button House, another depicting their departure.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a move that feels designed to please as many fans as possible, some of whom were calling for the bleakest imaginable twist (Mike, watch your step!), while a sizeable chunk hoped for a cuddlier crescendo. This way, you can essentially choose whichever flavour you prefer for your personal head canon.<\/p>\n

But having these two clashing finales so close together lessens the impact of both. In hindsight, it feels somewhat odd that Julian\u2019s impassioned plea for the Coopers to stay \u2013 and their subsequent agreement to do so \u2013 was pitched as such a defining moment when it was destined to be reversed in the very next episode.<\/p>

Of course, the couple\u2019s circumstances do radically alter in that time, and it\u2019s not implausible that the underestimated pressures of parenthood would cause a change of heart.<\/p>\n

But narratively, it feels a little jarring to see Alison and Mike go from \u201cI love it here\u201d to \u201cget me out of here\u201d in the space of 30 minutes. And if this was always the plan, you have to wonder what the point of the earlier story beat was, besides tugging at the heartstrings with some manufactured peril.<\/p>\n

This final act might have worked better with some restructuring. If there was a desire to wrap things up at Christmas, the climactic elements of both the season 5 finale and the existing special could have been merged into one bumper-sized festive episode.<\/p>\n

The outing of Julian\u2019s big secret<\/a> and his resulting speech could still be part of the story, but perhaps Alison and Mike remain undecided on their future when the baby suddenly arrives.<\/p>\n

Then, all the residents of Button House could start to realise that the rickety and remote manor isn\u2019t necessarily the best place to raise little Mia. It avoids the awkward U-turn we\u2019re currently faced with, and would facilitate more thoughtful deliberation over one of the biggest decisions our characters are likely to ever make.<\/p>\n

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