Ghosts aren't just spooky spirits - they're storytellers with powerful messages. Join us as we explore how these supernatural beings tackle profound social issues, from grief and sexuality to cultural marginalization and historical representation.
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00:00My people were pushed out. I watched all of it happen."
00:03Welcome to Ms. Mojo and today we're counting down our picks for the moments when the afterlife
00:07taught us lessons that are just as relevant today as they were during the ghost's own eras.
00:12Just nice to have someone to share my actual feelings with."
00:17Number 10. Social Justice
00:19Flower, a ghost from the 1960s, perfectly captures the social justice movement of her time.
00:25I have an idea. What if we use the money to help people in need, like specifically us?
00:36No, guys, the narwhals need us.
00:38Oh, feral cats, Brenda, come on.
00:40Before joining the counterculture scene, Flower, real name Susan Montero, was a law student likely
00:45hoping to fight injustice in a more mainstream way. But she found her true calling in activism,
00:50protesting for gender equality, environmental causes, and more.
00:54I think it is so great that you want to turn people on to the environment,
00:58but you can't just make everyone feel bad about themselves.
01:02Why not?
01:03Well, when we protested the war in Vietnam, we didn't just yell at people all day.
01:07Her stories of those movements bring the ideals of peace,
01:10love, and fairness to life, and she often brings a compassionate, open-minded energy to the group.
01:15Flower isn't just a quirky relic of the 60s. She's a reminder that the fight for
01:19justice and equality never really ends. Even as a ghost, she carries those ideals like a badge of
01:24honor.
01:25The founder of Daisy's coffee shop is Ira Klein. In memory of his late girlfriend,
01:30profits go toward underprivileged communities and bear safety education. Ira made my dream come true.
01:389. Intergenerational Expectations
01:41Whether you're the child of a Viking or growing up today, this can resonate with anyone.
01:46Thorfinn nearly disowns his son for marrying a Danish woman, a symbol of his culture's enemy.
01:51Finn! I can live with that. A Swede! Disgusting, but fine. But why Dane? Why you do that to me?
01:59Then there's Sassapis. Sass dreamed of becoming a storyteller,
02:02but his father, shaped by his own fears and struggles, pushed him towards a safer path.
02:07I always wanted to be a storyteller, but I didn't have the gift.
02:12I don't want you to go through that disappointment.
02:13I want to try. I think I have it in me.
02:16Maybe try something safer. Like Hunter, a warrior.
02:22Great.
02:23By the time Sass felt ready to follow his passion, it was too late. It's something we can
02:27all relate to. The way parental pressures, fears, and expectations can sometimes hold us back from
02:32pursuing what we truly want.
02:34What happened when you finally got to storytell?
02:36Well, I actually never did. I died before I got the chance to.
02:41Oh, I'm so sorry.
02:43It's okay. It wasn't meant to be.
02:45We often wonder what might have been if we hadn't let those voices cloud our own.
02:49Number 8. Legacy
02:51Naturally, a show about the afterlife touches on legacies. Many of the characters, at some point,
02:56worry about the marks they left behind, whether in their families, careers, or the world around them.
03:01But what about the guys who weren't in the room where it happened, but were in the building?
03:06Well...
03:07Or like, down the street?
03:08That works.
03:09Not to upset Isaac with a Hamilton reference, but the ghosts are often faced with the question,
03:13who lives, who dies, who tells your story? Isaac, Trevor,
03:17and Alberta are especially focused on shaping their legacies from beyond.
03:20When I was alive, I was on my way to being someone, to making a mark, to becoming a legend.
03:26But now I'm just some dead guy that nobody remembers.
03:29This line of thought often brings the ghosts back to moments that haunt them,
03:32like Hedy's regret over not being the mother her children needed.
03:36It's a poignant reminder of how our past actions, and the ones we didn't take,
03:40carve out our futures and pave our legacies.
03:42"'Cause I'm famous!
03:47Look at them numbers going up!
03:48Fifty-five thousand, oh!
03:50Fifty-six thousand!
03:51Oh, child, I could watch this all day!
03:54Ooh, ooh, ooh!
03:55Sam!
03:55Sam, Sam!
03:56What's the record?
03:58Is it me?
04:01It's almost a given that a series with ghosts from different eras
04:04would explore their historical backgrounds.
04:06There's a hippie and a viking.
04:08Be gone!
04:08Peace.
04:09And a guy dressed like Hamilton.
04:11Hamilton?
04:12How do you know about Hamilton?
04:13History plays a key role in many of the show's plots,
04:16filling in details that might send viewers straight to the internet for more info.
04:19While the show is fictional,
04:21it often incorporates elements that feel rooted in real history.
04:24The Stamp Act, you maligned,
04:27was necessary to pay for the many troops we brought to protect you from France
04:32during the Seven Years' War.
04:33Oh, please.
04:35If anything, you rebels should be thanking us.
04:37Thanking you?
04:38Some of the ghosts are reportedly even based on actual people.
04:42Baker Mansion, where the alleged inspirations for Hetty and her husband are said to have lived,
04:46is famously considered to be haunted.
04:48Meanwhile, the backgrounds of ghosts like Trevor,
04:50Flower, and even Alberta are easier to recognize.
04:53Though not the series' main focus,
04:55it offers more insight into the past than you might expect.
04:58What if the website is written from the perspective of a tree?
05:04A tree?
05:05Yeah, who's been on the property for hundreds of years.
05:07It's sort of like how us ghosts have been here for a long time and seen all kinds of chain.
05:11Number six, the socioeconomic gap.
05:14Born into wealth, Hetty's privileged background allowed her to live a life of comfort.
05:18But it also showed the clear divide between the rich and the working-class people around her.
05:23I once saw you pack 12 steamer trunks for a week in Newport.
05:26One of them crushed a footman.
05:28Oh, I was so worried about the china in that trunk.
05:30Thankfully, the footman softened the blow.
05:32He did not die in vain.
05:34There's no arguing that in life,
05:35she was a cruel boss who cared little about the welfare of those poorer than her.
05:39Hetty's decisions were often influenced by societal expectations,
05:43pushing her into a marriage that was more about status than personal choice.
05:47The choice is yours, Henrietta.
05:53You once chose money over love, and were you happy?
05:57Sadly, this decision ended up having a big impact on her life and eventual death.
06:02Trevor's story also touches on the toxic cultures in workplaces,
06:06and the high personal costs people are willing to pay to climb the corporate ladder.
06:09That job, those guys, that was my world.
06:12Maybe I never had any bros at all.
06:16Maybe my whole life was a lie.
06:17Number five, gender equality.
06:19From the Gilded Age to today,
06:21the series offers a look at the evolving roles of women.
06:24Hetty has more outdated views on what women should be by today's standards.
06:28Well, I do believe that women should have each other's backs.
06:32Yes!
06:33No!
06:33But I don't believe that women should be allowed to vote.
06:36I won't get into the whos and whys,
06:38but it has something to do with overtaxing the female brain.
06:40However, she goes through changes as she spends more time
06:43with liberated women like Alberta and Flower.
06:45Also, since meeting Sam,
06:47we've seen her start to rethink what being a woman really means,
06:50and embrace its power.
06:51What happened to my obedient wife?
06:53Well, modern women don't just defer to their husbands, Elias,
06:57and I have learned from the living lady of the house
06:58that when she doesn't like something, she says so.
07:00Flower, in particular, plays a key role in helping Hetty grow into a more modern woman,
07:05teaching her the importance of putting her needs first.
07:08It's a fascinating approach that highlights
07:10how far women have come in the fight for equality,
07:12and how much further there still is to go.
07:15Look, being ashamed of female pleasure
07:19was just some BS thing that men thought up to control women.
07:23There is nothing wrong with feeling good, Hetty.
07:27And you don't need a man's permission.
07:29Number four, cultural marginalization.
07:31Sass is currently the ghost we know the least about.
07:34We do know he's part of the indigenous Lenape people,
07:36who were displaced due to European colonization,
07:39and pushed out even more after the American Revolutionary War.
07:42I'd like the entire Hudson Valley returned to the Lenape.
07:46Barring that, maybe keep the radio on in the afternoons.
07:48While the show hasn't gone into much detail about his backstory yet,
07:52it does make an effort to recognize the Lenape's connection to the land.
07:55In the episode, The Tree, Sass makes up a story about a tree
07:58that's at risk of being cut down,
08:00which leads to more conversations about Lenape ownership of the land.
08:04Everything's gone.
08:05My people were pushed out.
08:07I watched all of it happen.
08:09And that tree was the last thing left from when I was alive, and now it's gone too.
08:14There's still a lot to learn about Sass,
08:16and hopefully, we'll get more insights into Lenape history and culture along the way.
08:20We want to acknowledge that this is the ancestral land of the Lenape.
08:25They have taken care of this land for generations,
08:27and it is an honor to continue that tradition.
08:31When is she?
08:33Thank you, Sam.
08:34Number three, Prejudice.
08:35As the only Black ghost at Woodstone,
08:38actress Danielle Pinnock got involved behind the scenes
08:40to ensure Alberta's story is told authentically.
08:43That is a handsome trunk.
08:45Handsome and heavy.
08:46I remember lugging that thing over from the motel to not have performed.
08:49You didn't stay here?
08:50Oh, no, it wasn't allowed because, you know, racism.
08:53Alberta, a Jamaican-American ghost from the Prohibition era,
08:56often talks about how racism kept her and her father from reaching their dreams.
09:00Did you know that Alberta's father was actually a chef too?
09:03Yeah, her family lived above the restaurant he worked in.
09:06Daddy couldn't slay the stove.
09:08He should have had his own restaurant, but again, racism.
09:11She also speaks about the pressures of conforming to idealized body standards,
09:15with club owners favoring stars who fit a certain image.
09:18The writers approach these sensitive topics with care,
09:20using Alberta's story to bring attention to important conversations
09:23about race and equality that are still relevant today.
09:26She even mentions how her resilience is a front she puts up
09:30to survive in a world that offers little mercy.
09:32People see me as this super confident diva,
09:35but the truth is, that's an armor I wear.
09:38I struggle like everyone else, but I don't let that show.
09:43I need to be my loudest fan,
09:45because God knows there's always been plenty of folks trying to tear me down.
09:48Number two, sexuality.
09:50You might not immediately think of a Revolutionary War veteran for this storyline,
09:54but Isaac's character might have been loosely inspired by Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben,
09:59an openly gay soldier from that time.
10:01I like you.
10:05You like me?
10:07Yeah, please don't make me say it again.
10:11Well, I like you too, Isaac.
10:15Anyway, what makes Isaac's story so powerful
10:17is how his journey to accept his sexuality feels timeless.
10:21For centuries, Isaac suppressed his true self,
10:24even forcing himself into relationships that fit so-called societal norms.
10:28I just felt that if I ever spoke of these matters out loud,
10:30it would mean that everything that came before it was a lie.
10:35But if that is what it takes to speak the truth, then so be it.
10:39His coming-out scene is one of the most emotional moments in the series,
10:42and it felt like a huge sigh of relief for us all.
10:45The writers brilliantly balance the historical context
10:48with a story that feels timeless and relatable to anyone struggling with self-acceptance.
10:52You think you're ready to tell, Nigel?
10:54Couldn't be less ready.
10:57But one day, hopefully, I will be.
11:00In the meantime, it's just nice to have someone to share my actual feelings with.
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11:22Grief is a recurring theme in the series, manifesting in different ways.
11:27You can't just snap your fingers and expect somebody to move on
11:30when they've just lost one of their best friends.
11:32Well, I thought this is what you wanted.
11:34You've always said your mission is to help them move on.
11:37It is what I want, but that doesn't mean it's easy.
11:40There's grief for the ones who've passed,
11:41but also for those left behind and for the paths not taken.
11:45Every character faces this at some point.
11:47Hetty mourns her past decisions, while Flower grieves a lost love.
11:50That was my last one-on-one date.
11:54I'm so sorry.
11:55I didn't want to feel that kind of pain again,
11:57so I never allowed myself to get close to just one person.
12:00Thor struggles to make peace with the life he hasn't reconciled,
12:03and Trevor often avoids facing his own reality.
12:06Even Jay laments the life he left behind,
12:08while Sam finds the closure with her mother that many can only dream of.
12:11I'm so proud of you.
12:16The criticism worked.
12:21Bye, Mom.
12:22Goodbye, honey.
12:24Through warmth and humor, the series helps viewers reframe their own grief,
12:28offering a sense of healing.
12:29As long as we hold on to memories, nothing is ever truly gone.
12:33I so wish I could just tell him that he was a good boy one last time.
12:37Try to remember all the good times you two had,
12:40because I'll tell you this, that's what Bucky remembers.
12:43Which of these lessons from the afterlife resonated with you the most?
12:46Share your thoughts in the comments.
12:48It's great you want to help Thor, but I think what he really needs is help moving on.
12:53Do you agree with our picks?
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