Ghosts Season 1 episode 17 - A throwback review: When Alexa joins the party

Some ghosts (and people) fear the unknown. Others? They hack into it, and with chaotic enthusiasm. In season 1, episode 17 of Ghosts, one before the season finale, the afterlife meets Alexa, and everything spirals into the best kind of chaos.

It all starts innocently enough, with Alberta discovering she's the only ghost who can communicate with the mysterious "sphere that speaks." Howeveer, it escalates quickly and Alexa becomes a sidekick in a very funny and heartfelt episode, with, obviously, a full-on haunting of hilarious proportions.

While the premise might seem very simple at firs: modern technology versus ancient (and not-so-ancient) spirits, by now we kno that Ghosts never settles for simple laughs.

Alberta, ever the pragmatic diva, becomes the house’s unofficial operator, fielding endless voice requests from her fellow ghosts. It’s pure mayhem: Thor shouting commands with zero understanding of how anything works, Hetty trying to maintain some sense of decorum, and Trevor predictably abusing the power for ridiculous demands. Every request Alberta fulfills only creates more mayhem, and more comedy gold.

And then there's Thor, summing up the situation with perfect, blunt absurdity to Sam:

"Alberta can speak to voice in the sphere thingy."

It’s the kind of deadpan brilliance that only Ghosts can pull off, and it contains equal parts ridiculousness and weirdly poetry.

Yet, beneath the laughter, the episode reveals its heart.

When Ghosts feels so alive it hurts

Stephanie, the teenage ghost who only awakens once a year on her prom night anniversary, ends up being awaken by Jay before her time, and crashes into the household with the full force of bottled-up teenage rebellion. Loud, restless, and dripping with Mean Girl energy, she becomes both a comic disruption and a ends up as a deeply sympathetic figure.

Sam and Stephanie's initial interactions are filled with biting sarcasm and not subtle bullying, triggering Sam’s own high school traumas and memories of not fitting in and being mocked up.

Stephanie’s arrival isn't just funny chaos orjust played for laugs. While temporary, it opens old wounds, creates space for more wholesomeness, and, as expected, Ghosts handles this emotional complexity with tenderness.

Despite Stephanie's sharp edges, Sam recognizes the loneliness and pain hidden beneath all the attitude. A teenager whose life was cut short by a serial killer on her prom night. Moved by a mix of empathy and her own desire to rewrite some part of her teenage past, Sam decides to give Stephanie the night she never got to have.

With Jay’s support, and a lot of ghostly "help", with Alexa never ceasing to be a character of its own, they turn the living room into a makeshift prom dance floor. It’s nothing really grand or polished, but it’s perfect in the way only imperfect, love-filled moments can be.

When Alexa brings the party on

Lights strung up, music blaring from Alexa (at Alberta’s command), and a house full of eccentric, centuries-spanning spirits trying to party like it’s 1997, or 1897, depending on who you ask. Thor, who spends much of the episode hilariously reacting to the talking orb, reveals another unexpectedly tender side by shyly asking Flower to dance.

It's awkward. It's sweet. It’s pure Ghosts magic: finding emotional truth in the middle of absolute absurdity.

After the prom night winds down, Sam takes it a step further and quietly redecorates Stephanie’s bedroom, swapping out the formal, outdated décor (and the mess her room was before, like a depositfor old stuff) for something that reflects the girl’s real spirit: rock posters, including U2's (which sets Hetty into rage-mode-on), and a rebellious, fun energy. It’s a small gesture with big meaning, offering Stephanie a personal, meaningful connection to the house seh'sbeen tied to for the past half century, and now more home-like.

Through these details, Ghosts shows again why it's so special. It's not just about laughs. It's about second chances, unexpected bonds, and finding belonging in the unlikeliest places.

As the penultimate episode of the season, Episode 17, which should be renamed to "When Alexa joins the party", captures everything that makes Ghosts irresistible: Outrageous comedy seamlessly blended with genuine emotional weight.

One moment you’re laughing at Thor trying to summon Alexa like a Norse god; the next, you’re tearing up as Sam helps a lost teenager find a new sense of home.

And just when the glitter fades and the music stops, you feel it, that pang only the best shows leave behind. That bittersweet longing and the sense that no matter how much you laugh, you’ve also been moved.

Luckily for the ones who have found out about Ghosts only recently, with more seasons already available, we don’t have to say goodbye just yet.

But let's be honest: when that final episode hits, the ache will be so real, because Ghosts is more than a TV show. It feels like a tight embrace. It's a feeling, a family, a chaotic, haunted, beautiful home.

Rating with our touch of flair: 5 out of 5 shiny orbs, and if Alexa could hear us, she'd be playing "We Are Family" right about now.

Ps.: These ghosts do know how to throw a party, huh?

You can also check our review of Ghosts very first episode here, and the entire first season, here. Join the fun!