Ghosts – The Tree

While the ghosts watch Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar)  make shakshuka, Sam (Rose McIver) comes in to tell Jay about their neighbors preparing to cut down a tree at the edge of the property. This seems to rattle Sasappis (Román Zaragoza), who says that tree has been around since he was alive. Flower (Sheila Carrasco) mentions potentially protesting to keep the tree, even though Thor (Devan Chandler Long) goes on about all trees being the same. Sensing the need to keep the tree, Sam takes Jay and the ghosts with her to meet their neighbors and convince them to keep it.  

After witnessing Thor’s behavior towards the tree, Trevor (Asher Grodman) sits down with him and tries to talk to him about Flower. Trevor convinces Thor that it is important to get involved in Flower’s interests in order to win her over. Thor tells Trevor that he is smart, something that Trevor is elated to hear since everyone only looks at the fact that he does not wear pants. As Thor compliments Trevor for his intelligence and mentions the lack of attire waist down, Trevor leaves the room. 

Sam and Jay go to meet the neighbors June (Carolyn Taylor) and Ally (Punkie Johnson), organic farmers that Jay seems to fangirl over. June and Ally explain to Sam and Jay that their arborist Ted (Hazgary Colin) has advised them that it would be best to get rid of the tree. As Alberta (Danielle Pinnock) drools over Ted, Sasappis tells Sam that the tree is important to the Lenape people and holds special significance in their history. Sam relays this information to June and Ally, even though it does not seem to make much headway.  

Once back at the house Flower runs into Thor, who starts spouting generalizations about the environment. Flower tries to ask Thor to explain further, but Thor goes into a story that he got from Trevor and fumbles over his words a little. Once Thor compliments the blood under her fingernails, Flower decides to completely exit the conversation. 

Sam and Jay convene back at Woodstone with Isaac (Brandon Scott Jones), Pete (Richie Moriarity), and Sasappis about how they can save the tree. After discussing, Sam decides to head to the Ulster County Review to pitch and write an op-ed about the tree to try and save it. In the meantime she asks Jay to stand guard at the tree and make sure that no one takes it down, a task that he reluctantly takes on. Later when Sam returns from pitching the op-ed, she is happy to report that she got the green light to write the op-ed. While Sasappis is glad she gets to write it, he’s really digging for information about Shiki. Sam did see Shiki (Crystle Lightning), who says hi. 

In another part of the house, Hetty (Rebecca Wisocky) catches Trevor and Thor on the computer. Assuming they’re looking at porn, Trevor explains to Hetty that he is trying to show Thor information on climate change to entice Flower to date him. After watching the videos on climate change, Thor is a changed man as he leaves the room in anger over the state of the environment and how he intends to save it. Meanwhile, Hetty tries to appeal to Trevor to help her look up pictures of stable boys.  

Sasappis and Alberta come to find Sam, followed by an excited Jay over the success of Sam’s op-ed. There are now protestors at the tree, standing guard to help protect it. As Sam and Jay head out to see the success of the op-ed, Isaac notices that Sasappis looks somewhat guilty. He then tells Isaac, Pete, Trevor, and Alberta how he may have lied to Sam about the history of the tree. While he told Sam that the thirteen marks on the tree represent the thirteen dialects of the Lenape language, those marks instead indicated all the times that Shiki said hi to Sasappis. They tell him that he needs to tell Sam the truth, even though he tries to justify his reasons for lying. 

On an environmental tear, Thor comes in watching Hetty and Trevor watching television. Utilizing his power, he turns the tv off on both of them. While Hetty and Trevor are upset, Thor continues to rant about their selfish lives and endangering the planet.  

While Sam and Jay go to visit the protestors in solidarity, June and Ally arrive along with local Lenape Bob (Dallas Goodtooth). Bob explains to Sam that she is wrong in her knowledge of the Lenape dialects. As Sam is read to argue with Bob, Alberta finally convinces Sasappis to tell Sam the truth and he does. When Sam finally backs down, the protestors turn against her and her and Jay begin to lose a few of their clientele for the lies.  

Flower later encounters Thor as he curses a jet in the sky and explains how she appreciates his newfound commitment to helping the environment. However, Flower also points out that starting a movement does not mean making people miserable but instead inspiring people to want to change. Thor decides to try and understand Flower’s message. 

After returning to the manor, Sam confronts Sasappis and asks him why he lied to her. Sasappis explains the significance of his Shiki tree to Sam as Isaac and Thor come in to tell them that the tree has been taken down. Sasappis then points out that the world has changed so much around him that the tree was the last thing of the old world that he recognized and now it is gone. This gives Thor an idea. 

Later, the ghosts all convene at the site of the fallen tree as Sam holds out a bag of seeds from the tree that June and Ally had taken down. Thor tells Sasappis that while the old tree may be gone, the seeds from that tree will be planted and create more trees that will keep his memory of Shiki alive. Bob happens to arrive and helps Sam and Jay to honor the Lenape past with a land acknowledgment. Once Sam does her acknowledgment, Bob performs a quick Lenape welcome, something that Sasappis appreciates.  

As Thor has gone on his pro-environment crusade, Flower is impressed with his new stance. However, the ghosts then explain that once the humans are gone then climate change will no longer be a problem. Where Thor initially looked at solely saving the environment, he now wants the demise of humans to come quicker with climate change. While Flower tells Trevor that he is blowing his chance, she will also not remember this moment soon enough.