The Big Picture
- Despite being the realist with a big heart, Sasappis is underutilized in Ghosts compared to other ghosts like Pete and Thorfinn.
- Sasappis offers storytelling talent and a unique perspective due to his long history, but the series needs to explore his character more deeply.
- Fans want to see more personalized stories for Sasappis that showcase his humor and sweetness, rather than being overshadowed by other ghosts.
Welcome to Woodstone Bed and Breakfast on Ghosts, a CBS adaptation of the popular UK series of the same name, where a number of ghostly residents aim to haunt you and living owners Sam (Rose McIver) and Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar) seek to make your stay a pleasant one. Since Sam and Jay moved in, they have befriended the ghostly inhabitants on the main floor of the Woodstone — namely, Hetty (Rebecca Wisocky), Trevor (Asher Grodman), Alberta (Danielle Pinnock), Isaac (Brandon Scott Jones), Flower (Sheila Carrasco), Thorfinn (Devan Long), Pete (Richie Moriarty), and Sasappis (Román Zaragoza) — and kept their distance from the cholera ghosts in the basement or the teenage attic girl who wakes up once a year to cause mischief.
Now well into its third season, we’ve learned quite a bit about each of the ghosts through some hilarious and touching stories. We’ve discovered how Trevor died with no pants on, how Thorfinn was left behind by his fellow Vikings, and we've even uncovered some clues in the ongoing mystery of who murdered Alberta in her heyday. The ghosts’ personalities have been well-developed, like Alberta’s enchanting sass and Pete’s genuine kindness, to bring us further into this world and help us lose ourselves in the story of the Woodstone crew. Everyone has received stories to highlight their personalities and strengths, but it sometimes feels that some of the ghosts are allowed to shine brighter than the others. For instance, even though he has been just as much a part of the ensemble as the others and the series just revealed his spirit power, there is one character that we find ourselves wishing the series would shine the spotlight on and explore a little more: Sasappis.
Ghosts (US)
TV-PGComedyFantasy710A young couple, Sam and Jay, inherit a haunted mansion and, unaware of their invisible housemates, plan to turn it into a B&B. Their lives become much more complicated after a fall causes Sam to see the ghosts. Based on the UK series.
- Release Date
- October 7, 2021
- Creator
- Joe Port, Joe Wiseman
- Cast
- Rose McIver , Utkarsh Ambudkar , Brandon Scott Jones , Danielle Pinnock
- Seasons
- 3
There Is Room for 'Ghosts' To More Fully Explore Sasappis
Since the beginning of the series, Sasappis has been the realist of the bunch. He’s blunt, yet not mean about it, as he’ll often look for a nice way to tell you something you aren’t going to like. He’s got a wonderful sense of humor with the perfect sarcastic bite. And, frankly, he’s the most innocent of the bunch — not innocent in the same way Pete is, where it’s part of his nice guy charm, though. I mean, Sasappis made a tally mark on a tree every time Shiki (Crystle Lightning) said hi to him. That’s incredibly sweet and pure, and also shows Sasappis to be a hopeless romantic, which is rare considering his brutally realistic view of the world as a whole. Ultimately, Sasappis has probably the deepest personality and biggest heart of all the Woodstone ghosts, but it doesn’t feel like the series takes advantage of that and what a fantastic character he is enough.
Something the series confirmed early on but hasn’t revisited much is Sasappis’ passion for storytelling. It’s a gift, as he shows the audience and his fellow Woodstone inhabitants, and a tool that the series could be using either to shake up the narrative in an episode or to further explore Sasappis’ relatively life as a member of the Lenape tribe. It’s a great method to teach, to explore a topic, or to get to know Sasappis and his view of the world a little better.
Sure, keeping an air of mystery can be fun, but that doesn’t seem to be what’s going on. It feels like Ghosts is holding back with Sasappis’ stories, and it’s time for that to stop. Too often, it feels like Sasappis is wasted in the stories where he does play a leading role because they aren’t personalized enough. (The exceptions being the episodes about Shiki and his storytelling.) They don’t do enough to capture who Sasappis is like they always do with the other ghosts, which is frankly quite disappointing considering what a scene stealer Zaragoza has proven himself to be. While the series needs more of Sasappis in general, we also need to see the same thoughtful content they consistently give to everyone else that allows for personal growth, even when it’s just about what show is playing on the television.
Why Who Got “Sucked Off” on ‘Ghosts’ Season 2 Is Important
The ‘Ghosts’ Season 2 finale proves Woodstone’s spirits need to experience one specific thing.Sasappis' Knowledge Is Vastly Underutilized on the CBS Sitcom
As he died centuries prior to many of the current Woodstone ghosts, excluding Thorfinn, Sasappis has had a front-row seat for much of what happened with the others. His firsthand knowledge has come in handy on a few occasions and given him a leg up, like being privy to the real story about Trevor’s pants. (Which also goes to show what a fantastic person Sasappis is, as he didn’t try to catch Trevor in the lie he knew about.) Being around the longest next to Thorfinn, Sasappis uses his knowledge to truly understand and empathize with his ghostly friends — unlike Thorfinn who is standoffish, and while he does care about everyone else too, empathy is not something he concerns himself with very often. In short, Sasappis takes every opportunity to get to know the other ghosts better and actually pays attention to what they do, what they say, and what kind of person they are. He’s unmatched in that regard, but much quieter about it than Pete, so it often goes unnoticed.
All in all, Sasappis has been criminally underutilized on Ghosts. He is arguably the funniest of all, and his playfully sarcastic lines are consistently the highlight of the show. There’s so much potential for what to do with the character, particularly stories that showcase his best qualities, and this is something that needs to be changed now rather than later. Unfortunately, that’s not the content we are getting with Sasappis on a regular basis right now. We want more Sasappis and stories that are tailored to showcase his best attributes from here on out. Is that too much to ask?
Ghosts is available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S. with additional episodes releasing Thursdays.
