Ghosts Season 4 Finally Cast A Key Recurring Character, And It's Reminded Me Of Big Questions I Have About Isaac's Mystery
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The premiere of Ghosts Season 4 is approaching on the 2024 TV schedule, and as I count down the days to its October 17 premiere, my list of questions is only growing. Now, we know that two new actors are joining the Ghosts cast in key recurring and guest star roles – with one playing Patience and another as Sam’s dad. The reveal of who will be playing the Puritan ghost Patience specifically reminded me of two massive questions I have about the upcoming episodes and Isaac’s mystery specifically.
Ghosts Season 4 Has Added Mary Holland And Dean Norris As Recurring Guest Stars
Before we get into the speculation about Season 4, let’s break down this exciting casting news. During Ghosts’ panel at San Diego Comic-Con (via CBS), it was announced that Mary Holland and Dean Norris would be joining the ensemble as Patience and Sam’s dad, respectively.
Holland, who is known for her roles in Happiest Season and The Package, has been cast in a recurring role as Patience. As you likely remember, this character is the Puritan ghost who haunts the dirt and kidnaps Isaac at the end of Season 3.
Meanwhile, Norris – who is best known for his parts in Breaking Bad and Under the Dome – will play Sam’s dad Frank. He will visit the manor with his new girlfriend, and it sounds like we’ll learn more about why the two haven’t stayed close.
While learning more about Sam’s family and her history is super exciting, and will add drama to this beloved comedy, Patience’s casting is the thing that has kept me thinking, and it’s reminded me of two big questions.
I Have Two Major Questions About Patience And Isaac
When Season 3 of Ghosts ended, all we really knew about Paitence was she was a Puritan woman who had been abandoned by the other spirits when they tried to traverse through the dirt to get back to the manor after getting stuck in a well. It was clear that the other ghosts didn’t really like her, and they weren’t too concerned about the fact that she’d been missing for hundreds of years. However, she came back for revenge in the finale and kidnapped Isaac, which left me with two major questions.
What Is Isaac’s History With Patience?
While we likely won’t learn the answer to this question immediately, CBS’ announcement about Holland’s casting gives us some important background information:
Patience is the ghost of a Puritan woman who died in the late 1600s. While alive, she was exceedingly severe and judgmental even by Puritan standards. As such, she was expelled from her village for ‘being a bit too much.’ After being dead a couple hundred years, Patience was inadvertently abandoned (by our Revolutionary War ghost Isaac) underground near the mansion and has become a feral creature ‘roaming the dirt’ since 1895.
Abandoning her is likely the primary reason she kidnapped Isaac. However, I imagine there’s more to it. The release noted she was dead for about 200 years before she was abandoned in 1895, and Isaac died in the 1770s. That means they have known each other for over 100 years, and while we know Brandon Scott Jones' character is dramatic, it sounds like she is too.
So, that makes me super curious to learn more about their history and why she decided to kidnap Isaac.
How Is Patience Holding Him Captive?
I love thinking about ghost physics, and I’m incredibly curious to see how Isaac is held captive. The press release notes that we’ll learn about Patience’s plans for the Revolutionary War soldier, however, I’m equally fascinated by how she’s imprisoning him.
Ghosts can walk through walls, but can’t fall through floors. And we learned that if an object was on a ghost when they died, it can be used – as we saw Hetty use that chord to lift the spirits out of the well last season.
So, did Patience die with something on her being that makes it so Isaac stays with her? Will her ghost power have something to do with it? The possibilities are endless, and it also begs the question: How will the other spirits save their friend?
All this and more – including answers about Pete’s ghost power limitations and possibly how Sas died – will probably be addressed when Ghosts returns to CBS on Thursday, October 17 at 8:30 p.m. ET. While we wait for the fun comedy to come back, you can stream Seasons 1 through 3 with a Paramount+ subscription and consider the questions posed above.
