Peter "Pete" Martino is the ghost of a scoutmaster who was accidentally shot in the neck with an arrow by a scout. He appears in the American sitcom Ghosts.
Biography[]
History[]
Pete was born circa 1944–1945. He mentions that he was bullied constantly as a kid. His mother said it was because he was special and the other kids were just jealous, which he knew to be a lie but still found it comforting.[2] His father was distant and a tough guy who pushed him to solve his problems through aggression. Pete hated it because that wasn't his personality. Pete felt neglected because his father never listened to him nor his ideas, which was all he ever wanted from him. Before his parents announced their divorce, they took him to Toys 'R Us and let him get whatever he wanted.[3] If he could have, he would have tried to talk to them about what was going on.
Pete lived in the Hudson Valley area as he would use Woodstone Mansion for his scout outings until his last fatal outing happened in 1985. In addition to being a scoutmaster, Pete was also a travel agent and was a fan of Newhart, even finding a way to watch the new episodes after his death.
In the episode The Liquor License, he mentions that he had two light beers in college once and woke up in a trash heap in northern Nevada. He also mentions that he once parked in a loading zone and it ruined 'Goonies' for him.
He was married to Carol in 1971.[4] Pete says that he didn't sleep with his wife on his wedding night. Eventually, the pair had a daughter Laura who he was very close to. They would play make-believe wedding together and he would give her away with her favorite flowers, lilies.
Before he died, he remembered having an argument with Carol because she ate all the donut holes. Pete says that it grinds his gears. That same day he was distracted and handed out the bows and arrows before giving the safety demonstration as shown in Dumb Deaths.
Pete mentions his best friend in life was Jerry, whom he'd called Jerry Bear and they got into funny situations. He was thrown to hear that Carol was remarried to Jerry but was happy they comforted each other when he died. Pete is upset to learn that his wife was having an affair with him while he was living and thought he knew but he tells the ghosts he had no idea. He later forgives them for the affair in Pete's Wife.
In life, he enjoyed watching sports and was well versed in the games. In Viking Funeral, Pete wants to know the Mets scores for the last 30 years. In the episode Ghostwriter he watches basketball, but only knows about the teams from the 80s. He was a travel agent, he let people yell at him when something went wrong as mentioned in Isaac's Book. He mentioned that he worked as a travel agent for 18 years in Spies.
Later, Carol reveals that the travel agency was a front for organized crime and that Pete was unkowingly serving as a patsy for the Mob, they needed his credentials and expertise to help it come off as convincing. While he did actually help out with planning trips, Carol also revealed that part of the reason why no one talks about Pete besides his embarrassing death was due to the fact that Pete was posthumanously remembered as a criminal which Pete's family disputes as they know he couldn't have done any of his alleged crimes. Carol herself barely escaped from being a criminal accountant because Pete took the fall
Pete mentions that he built the deck on the house when he was alive as mentioned in Ghost Father of the Bride, but did not get a permit from the zoning board in Ulster County.
Death[]
Pete began clubs so that the other ghosts wouldn't get bored. He remembered his death date and mourned it as it came up. He was thrilled to see his wife Carol and best friend Jerry, however was infuriated to find out they had been having an affair while he was alive. However, he cheered up when seeing her genuine guilt and to see his daughter Laura, now an adult and with a child of her own, a son called Pete (named after him). He adored seeing his grandson play with Carol, and forgave her for the affair. However, he still held a slight grudge in the episode Pete's Wife.
Having accepted his wife's affair, he hoped to pursue a relationship with Alberta as he had developed a crush on her by Sam's Mom. He explained to Sam about this, but Sasappis overheard and tried to keep it a secret, but ultimately revealed it. Humiliated, Pete claimed he was not in love with Alberta and lied that he was dating a Cholera ghost named Nancy. Nancy agreed to pretend that she was his girlfriend, but went over the top and enjoyed embarrassing Pete. Eventually, she and Pete ended their so-called relationship and Nancy returned to the basement.
In the episode Viking Funeral, he guided Jay on how to shoot an arrow for Thor's funeral through Sam.
Pete is the one who originally thinks of the idea of Sam creating the podcast about Alberta's murder in the episode Alberta's Podcast.
He is quite shocked when Hetty's husband Elias Woodstone ends up in Hell and tells Hetty that her power might not be sending people to Hell but Elias simply refusing to change was plausible in The Vault.
He was tricked into selling his soul and nearly dragged into Hell by Elias Woodstone but thanks to Thorfinn teaching him self-defense, he avoided this fate but he caught a glimpse of the place and believed he saw his deceased Uncle Sal in Hell when he nearly went through the portal in Weekend From Hell.
Sasappis mentions that Pete's death wound was very clean with little to no blood in Ghost Father of the Bride. It gave him nightmares for weeks.
Sam and by extension Pete receive the Martino family newsletter, a newsletter which updates them on Pete's living family. He finds out his grandson is getting a Spider-Man retainer through the newsletter, and also that his daughter Laura is marrying Brian, the father of her child (Pete's grandson). Pete convinces Sam to try and convince Carol to hold the wedding at Woodstone Mansion, so he can attend. Hijinks ensue but eventually Laura's wedding does take place at the Mansion and Pete is able to walk her down the aisle, just like he did when she was a little girl.
Pete has an email address so that he can receive a "joke of the day" from Reader's Digest magazine. He then receives an email from a Nigerian prince, "Prince Jones Dimka," in a classic version of the Nigerian prince email scam. Him, Trevor, and Flower send $5,000 of Sam and Jay's money to the "Nigerian Prince" before they realize it's a scam. Turns out, no harm is done because the "scam" email was actually a trick by Sam and Jay to teach the ghosts a lesson about not using the computers.
Appearance[]
Pete has brown hair, wears glasses, and wears a scout uniform with shorts. He has an arrow through his neck, referencing the way he died. He is shown to wear a watch on his left arm and wears his wedding ring.
Personality[]
In the episode Trevor's Pants he describes himself as can-do and selfless and has excellent hand-eye coordination.
Although usually excitable, he has had angry moments such as when he discovered his wife was cheating on him in life and he had no idea, causing him to shout angry words at her. He was spurred into fighting Elias Woodstone after the latter attempted to drag him down into Hell with him, though Thorfinn's teachings helped him avoid an eternity of torture.
In The Owl, he talks about how he doesn't like conflict.
Ever since finding out about his ghost power, he is shown to be incredibly smug about it, unknowingly rubbing it in the ghosts' faces that he can cross the boundary. This smugness ends in Hetty and Sassapis creating a rumor that his girlfriend in the Caribbean wasn't real. However, it is shown that he still has residual arrogance because he has made tiers of the powers and placed his at the top. He also does not hesitate to bring up how he can leave.
Special power[]
As a ghost, Pete was thought to be bound to the mansion's property like the other ghosts, unable to go past the property line. However, he possesses a unique ability that allows him to cross this boundary. Pete can travel long distances, even crossing oceans, by hitching rides on airplanes. Despite this freedom, his time away from the mansion is limited. If he stays away for too long - typically a week or two - his energy begins to fade, and he risks disappearing. But if he returns to the mansion within the time limit, he can restore his energy and rebuild his ghostly form.
Both Chris and Joan, fellow roamers, can stay out of their property bounds by being airborne or be away a year at a time due to building a resistance from staying out for long, meaning Pete could theoretically build a resistance as well.
He is also able to remove his arrow into his neck for short time as it will be put back into his neck either willingly on its own or by Pete himself.
Quotes[]
"Man, these guys can drink. I had two light beers in college one night. Woke up in a trash heap in northern Nevada"
— The Liquor License
"I can't go to hell! Elias said my soul's too pretty!"
— Weekend From Hell
"Cheese & crackers!"
— The Heir
"My wife is terrible. I'm single"
— Isaac's Wedding
"You know when you're with someone and you feel like your feet aren't touching the ground? That's what it was like with Donna"
— Isaac's Wedding
Trivia[]
- Opening intro objects:
- Pinecone Troopers' field book (Pete's Wife)
- Donut holes (Dumb Deaths)
- Butterscotch (Hello, Brother)
- Snow globe (A Very Arondekar Christmas)
- He is the American version of Pat, right down to the manner of how they were both killed.
- He comes from an Italian family. At Christmas, they served a traditional Italian-American Christmas meal called "The Feast of Seven Fishes," a seven-course meal of fish dishes. His favorite part was having his entire family over to celebrate.[5]
- He runs a food club with the other ghosts.[6]
- He's color blind.[7]
- Besides Hetty, Trevor, and Alberta, Pete is one of the few ghosts who's known to have a living descendant.
- Pete implies that he was married before Carol.
- He has seen the film Ghost, which was released in 1990, five years after his death. It's possible he saw the movie as a ghost. However, he hasn't seen Ghostbusters, released in 1984, a year before his death.
- He was part of a barber shop quartet in life.[8]
- He has a shellfish allergy and used to carry an epi pen.[9]
- Despite having not traveled much in life, he mentions he has been to EPCOT, which opened in 1982, only a few years before he died.[10]
- He did improv and was part of an improv group.[11][2]
- Carol mentions that his favorite spot was on a bench in their backyard so he could take in nature.[12]
- Trevor mentions that Pete taught all the ghosts different knots.[13]
- He has a deceased Uncle Sal, whom he believes he saw in Hell when he nearly went through the portal.[14]
- He used to play the oboe.[5]
- He wore headgear until he was fifteen.[15]
- He has a badge for apple picking and honesty.[16]
- He has sleep apnea, even in the afterlife.[16]
- He still doesn't like bees, despite the fact they simply go through him now.[17]
- He worked as a travel agent run by his wife's family, unaware they were the mob and the business was a front. As a ghost, he was horrified to learn the truth.
- His favorite treat is s’mores as noted in season 3 episode 2
- Pete has shown intense interest with his friendship with Jay (even though they exist on different planes of existence). He likes Jay so much that he expresses that he wants Jay to die so they can be together.
- He's been trying to start an all-ghost improv club called "Dead Ringers".
Gallery[]
Promos[]
Stills[]
References[]
- ↑ Pete says that he would be 78 years old if he was alive.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "The Perfect Assistant"
- ↑ "Thorapy"
- ↑ The Family Business
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "The Christmas Spirit"
- ↑ "Pilot"
- ↑ "Alberta's Fan"
- ↑ "Alberta's Podcast"
- ↑ "Sam's Mom"
- ↑ "Dumb Deaths"
- ↑ "Dinner Party
- ↑ "Pete's Wife"
- ↑ "Possession"
- ↑ "Weekend From Hell"
- ↑ "Woodstone's Hottest Couple"
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Man of Your Dreams"
- ↑ "The Traveling Agent"