The Tree

"The Tree" is the fourth episode of Season 2 in the American sitcom Ghosts and its 22nd episode overall. It premiered on October 20, 2022.

Synopsis[]

Sasappis convinces Sam and Jay to try and save an old tree on the Woodstone property that the neighbors want to cut down. Also, Thor attempts to become more environmentally friendly to get Flower's attention.

Plot[]

Sam enters the kitchen and tells Jay that the neighbors are planning to cut down a very large tree on their property line. The ghosts hear and Sasappis is very upset. He says that the tree is hundreds of years old and Hetty mentions that she was married under that tree. Flower says that they should protest. Sas begs Sam to do something to stop it from being cut down.

After Thor professed his love to Flower and she said she wasn't ready for a one-on-one relationship, Thor left her alone. Trevor tells Thor that he should get involved with environmentalist protests because Flower would find it endearing. Thor decides to give it a try.

Sam and Jay head next door and try to talk to the couple. They are very well known organic farmers in the area. Sam says that she really loves the tree and was hoping to change their minds on cutting it. They respond that they also love the tree, but it is dying and it was recommended to be cut down. They were worried it may fall on their work shed. Sasappis tells Sam to say it has significance to the Lenape tribe. Sam does so and follows up with the markings representing the thirteen dialects of the Lenape. Sas gives her all of her information and Sam believing it to be true, says she learned it from a close friend, who is Lenape. They argue that their arborist still says the tree is unsafe and needs to come down.

Thor finds Flower and begins telling her about his newfound "love" for the environment. Thor then asks if she likes him better now, since he likes what she likes. Flower is confused and responds that there is no substance to his environmental talk. Thor tries to change the subject. This seems to make Flower uncomfortable.

Isaac and Pete tell Sam that she should write an op-ed about the tree to raise awareness. Sam employs Jay to stay in the tree and ensure it can't be cut down, and he obliges. Sam pitches the op-ed to the Ulster County Review and they decide to run it. Sas asks id she saw Shiki while she was there. Shiki said to tell Sas hi and this really excites him.

Trevor helps Thor lookup things about the environment. When Thor learns about rising ocean temperatures threatening marine life, he becomes deeply concerned. Thor's favorite food and animal is cod, but he really likes all fish. This makes him actually concerned about the environment.

Sam's article was published and locally trending. A group of protestors gathered in front of the tree to protect the piece of Lenape history. After Sam leaves to join the protest, the ghosts notice strange behavior from Sas. They question him and get him to reveal that the tree is not significant to the Lenape, he would carve a mark into it whenever Shiki would say hi to him in his life. The other ghosts implore him to tell Sam but he says that he doesn't see any harm in it and ends the conversation.

Thor begins policing others energy usage and being very intense. The neighbors, June and Allie, call in a Lenape cultural expert and he points out the Lenape only have two dialects. He says she must be wrong and he argues he is the expert. Sam begins to defend herself, thinking she knows better, then Sas reveals he lied. This leads to major backlash on Sam and the business. People begin protesting Woodstone and calling Sam a Karen.

Flower pulls Thro aside and tells him that he shouldn't act better than everyone and be angry, he should empower and inspire them. Thor understands and Flower and him seem happy.

Sas tells Sam what the tree markings mean and that he didn't think she would care if they knew what it actually meant. Isaac comes in to inform them that the tree has been chopped down. Sas seems upset by this news. He says that the tree was the last thing left from when he was alive and he has a hard time coping with that. Thor has an idea to get the seeds from the tree from the neighbors and surprise Sas with them. Sam and Jay invited the Lenape expert back to do a land acknowledgement. He tells them that they need to acknowledge that they are on stolen land and learn the history of the Lenape. Sam makes a speech acknowledging that the Lenape took care of their land for generations and now they must continue the tradition. The expert then gives a traditional Lenape greeting and Sas is moved to hear his ancestral language.

Flower tells Thor that she is proud of him for doing something that was good for the environment and inspiring others. Sam points out that climate change doesn't really affect ghosts and Trevor says if it kills everyone there would be more ghosts. Thor decides that they're right and that it isn't his problem.

Quotes[]

Samantha: She says hi.

Cast[]

Main cast[]

Guest cast[]

Co-starring[]

Thomas Wilkinson Fullerton as Protestor
Francesca Gosselin as Ulster Worker
Keggy as Lenape Villager
Hazgary Colin as Ted The Arborist

Historical notes[]

While Bob did acknowledge that the Lenape tribe could had more distinct dialects centuries ago, they only have two languages (Unami and Munsee) which survived to the present day. There is only one known lost language “Nanticoke”.
Three major clans make up the Lenape; Turtle, Turkey, and Wolf. Research in many written pieces suspects that clans were driven by demographics. Many have assumed that Turtle Clan remains in the NJ, PA, and DE area, while the Turkey and Wolf Clans are further West and in Canada.
- Munsee was originally spoken by the more northern populations, in northern New Jersey and southeastern New York. While Unami was spoken elsewhere.
Pete talks about the federlist papers and Hamilton.
Flower talks about the Vietnam War protest that she took part in.

Trivia[]

This is the first time we see June and Ally in the series. They come back again in Halloween 2: The Ghost of Hetty's Past.
Sam doesn't consider one ghost her best friends.
Some of the local news is "missing cow" and "weatherman with a secret family."
There is a small flashback to Sas' life in this episode.
Hetty refers to herself as Sam's great-great- great-great-great-aunt when she should be her grandmother.
This is one of the few times where Sam calls Sas' by his full name.
The tree on the property has been there since the four