01x09 - Alberta's Fan

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Ghosts". Aired: October 2021 to present.*
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Sam and Joe throw caution to the wind as they convert a run-down estate into a bed and breakfast -- only to find it's haunted by spirits.
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01x09 - Alberta's Fan

Post by bunniefuu »

Let's go, Sam! We don't have all day!

- Okay, you literally have eternity.
- Oh, that's right.

Thank you for reminding
me of my endless purgatory.

- (DOOR CLOSES)
- MARK: Morning, Sam.

Oh. Hey! Who's this cute little guy?

This is my son David.
Uh, hope it's okay.

My wife's out of town for a few days.

Ugh. Why are the good
ones always married?

And alive?

Hurtful.

Well, we're very happy
to have you, David.

Welcome to the team.

Should I put him on my crew?

Think he's too young to hold a hammer?

Are you mad? Children under seven

aren't suitable for hard labor.

Pirate!

(GASPS) Pirate?

I was a delegate of the
Second Continental Congress.

Pirate!

Damn my ruffled colonial garb.

Uh, there's nothing there, buddy,

but I love your imagination.

And he's off.

(SQUEALS)

Hang on, that kid can see you?

Yeah, it's rare. But, occasionally,

young children can see ghosts.

Sometimes, when child
has imaginary friend,

is actual ghost.

Other times, kid just crazy.

(CHUCKLES) Once, a sweet
little girl saw my arrow

and called me a monster. (CHUCKLES)

- Oh.
- But it's okay.

What am I gonna do?
(CHUCKLES) Cry myself to sleep?

For weeks?

- Got him.
- Oh, great.

Well, we'll be back soon.

We're just gonna take a quick walk.

- We?
- Yes.

As in the royal we.

Here we go,

and we are going outside.

(SCOFFS)

♪ ♪

How many of those steps
did we get today, Sam?

Only , .

Not pointing any fingers,
but Hetty was really dragging.

Well, excuse me for dying in heels.

Plus, I did not sleep. You
know I suffer from nerves.

At least when I was alive,
I could take laudanum.

What's laudanum?

It's a simple mixture
of alcohol and morphine.

You should try it, Samantha.

Oh, sure, I'll pick some up
next time I'm at the alchemist.

Well, I didn't always
require such elixirs.

When I was a little girl,

an angel-voiced servant
would sing me to sleep.

Some footman or butler.

His name was Gordon.

I was there, as ghost.

I think you're right.
It may have been Gordon.

I don't know. We paid them

so we didn't have to
remember their names.

Hey! There's a strange
jalopy in the driveway.

- Who's that?
- Land ship!

All right.

- We know, baby.
- (SIGHS)

We know.

- (DOOR CLOSES)
- Hey, Sam.

This is Todd Pearlman,

and he's, uh... he's
some kind of historian.

Historian?

Well, I think we know
where this is going.

Welcome, Todd. What
brings you to our house?

Uh, have you ever
heard of Alberta Haynes?

- What?
- Step aside, Isaac.

The name rings a bell.

Alberta Haynes was a
singer, a wonderful singer.

(CHUCKLES) Tell us
something we don't know.

Believe it or not,

she d*ed right here in this house.

Someone d*ed in this house?

I'm shocked.

TODD: I'm actually writing a book

on Alberta's life and career.

What? A book about me?

Did you hear that, Isaac?

Well, come on in and sit down.

Oh, sorry for the mess.

We're in the middle of turning the house

into a bed-and-breakfast.

Sam, stay on topic. Me.

So, uh, you study singers?

Jazz musicians, yes.

But Alberta is my specialty.

I'm actually the head curator
of the Alberta Haynes Museum

in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

- Wow, there's a whole museum about you, Alberta.
- Oh!

d*ed. I just d*ed again.

Who's the nerd?

He is historian who's
not here to study Isaac.

- Thank you, Thor!
- Her life story is an inspiration.

I mean, born in Tulsa
to Jamaican parents...

Mm, tell it.

As a young woman, she came to Harlem

during the Great Migration

with nothing but a dream in her heart

and a boatload of talent.

Can we record this? Whip
out that damn iPhone, Sam.

Oh, she sounds like
an incredible person.

Sam, ask him about my m*rder.

Oh, no, not this again.

How exactly did Alberta die?

Oh, her death is hotly
debated amongst academics.

I mean, the official
cause was a cardiac event,

but, between you and me,

I've always suspected foul play.

(ALBERTA LAUGHS)

I told you all I was too
important to die of a heart att*ck.

Well, if you're excited
about being m*rder*d,

I am excited for you.

Who would want to k*ll her?

Mm, it's hard to say.

I mean, someone as...

- beautiful and as talented as Alberta...
- Oh.

... would attract many rivals.

Genius. Mwah!

This man is a genius.

Oh, Sam, tell Todd

my old trunk's upstairs
if he wants to look at it.

You know, I... I just
remembered something.

Upstairs,

there's this trunk. It's full of stuff

that seems like it's from the ' s.

So maybe that could belong
to this Alberta person.

(ALBERTA CACKLES)

"This Alberta person"?

Girl, like we ain't besties.

(CHUCKLES)

Ooh, you so good.

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

TODD: Wow.

Sheet music, letters,
moonshine, a mink scarf.

- PETE: That is a handsome trunk.
- (CHUCKLES)

Handsome and heavy.

I remember lugging that thing over

from the motel the night I performed.

You didn't stay here?

Oh, no, wasn't allowed,
'cause, you know, racism.

Ah.

Well, if it helps, I don't see color.

Literally. It cost me
several games of Risk.

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

This is a treasure trove.

I'm gonna need a good amount of time

to get through these materials.

Well, uh, uh, take all
the time you need, Todd.

I don't want to impose, but...

would you consider allowing
me to stay the night?

You said this place was a B&B, correct?

Well, yeah, but it's-it's not
exactly open yet. (CHUCKLES)

Well, I could be your first guest.

You know what, Todd, uh, the
rooms, they're not really ready.

Uh, we haven't even started picking out

those tiny little soaps.

I don't need any of that fancy stuff.

I mean, this room is fine.

- Wait, hold up. This is my room.
- I can give you $ .

BOTH: Welcome to the
Woodstone Bed-and-Breakfast.

THORFINN: Time for afternoon walk!

(CHUCKLES)

Oh, hadn't you heard?
Afternoon walk's been canceled.

- Why?
- Well,

apparently, this bearded historian
fellow is spending the night.

Samantha and Alberta
are busy tending to him.

Okay, so we go together.
Just the two of us.

- You and me? Alone?
- Yes!

Yes, but th...

that wouldn't be the
walking crew, now would it?

Give us a chance to
catch up. We never talk.

Right. We never do. That is
a true thing you're saying.

I am free, you are free.

We both love walking.

Also true statements.

So really no reason not to proceed.

Yes, I-I'm having
trouble thinking of one.

Will be fun.

- Okay!
- Yes!

Let's go!

- Together!
- Oh, God.

(LAUGHS) Friendship!

We have a stranger in our house,

and-and I think it feels weird.

Jay, that's sort of
what running a B&B is.

I mean, I understand it, theoretically.

But now that-that it's happening,

it just... it feels weird.

Well, I think it's gonna be fun.

It's a dry run.

This is a chance for us to prove
to ourselves we can do this.

You guys are gonna be great.

The main thing is you want to get
in good with the travel agents.

- (SIGHS)
- Little secret: we basically run

the whole hospitality game.

Pete, travel agents don't
really exist anymore.

- What?
- Yeah, people just kind of book

their own travel now.

But they don't have the contacts,

the personal relationships.

They don't know who to fax.

Hey. I didn't pack for
an overnight, obviously.

(EXCLAIMS, GROANING)

So, would I be able
to borrow some pajamas?

Sure. Yeah. Jay can lend you

a T-shirt and some pajama bottoms.

- What?
- Cool.

Oh, and, also,

if I don't eat soon...

(EXHALES) we're gonna have a problem.

I-I'm hypoglycemic,

so it's kind of urgent.

We will definitely fix
something up for you.

Thanks.

He wants to put his junk in my jam-jams?

Jay, this is running a B&B.

This is what separates us
from the hotels of the world.

People expect a personal touch.

Something personal's
getting touched all right.

Can you focus? What do we
have that we can cook Todd?

There's nothing in the fridge.
We got to go to the market.

We don't have time for that. Uh, just...

Here.

Cook him this.

This chicken expires today.

(GROANS) Those dates

are just to make you throw
stuff away and buy more.

I wrote a whole article on this.

It's a scam by big chicken.

Big chicken?

Yeah. So stop acting
like one and just cook it.

Damn, girl. I love that wordplay.

Okay, there's weather in Chicago

and you need a same-day change

to a plane ticket... what do you do?

It's a button on your
phone. I'm sorry, Pete.

Jiminy.

(EXHALES SHARPLY)

You know, it sort of feel

like Thor doing all the
work in conversation.

I tell seal story. I tell salmon story.

I tell other salmon story...

I'm gonna level with you, Thorfinn.

You and I,

we get along fine,

but we are not

"hang out alone together
outside the group" type friends.

And that's okay.

But we used to be closer.

What are you talking about?

Nothing. (CHUCKLES)

Nothing at all. Just...

return home in silence.

That is a good idea. (EXHALES)

Sort of like salmon returning home

to spawning ground in springtime.

Which reminds me of third salmon story.

Maybe we can walk a little faster.

There was a bear and a badger...

(INHALES DEEPLY)

(SIGHS)

Okay, that's, like, the fifth
time he's sniffed your coat.

Clearly, there's something
off about this fellow.

The man is an academic.

He's just looking for clues.

See, this is how you
connect with history.

Hey, Todd, uh, we
brought you a fresh towel.

And some regular-sized soap.

I'm so sorry about that.

Thank you for that delicious chicken.

- Hmm.
- Did you know

that Alberta's father
was actually a chef, too?

Yeah, her family lived above
the restaurant he worked in.

Ah, Daddy could slay
the stove. (CHUCKLES)

He should've had his own restaurant,

but, again, racism.

Thank you for letting
me stay. It's... (SIGHS)

it's, like, a six-hour
drive back to Altoona.

What made you choose Altoona
as the location for the museum?

Must be a new music city.

A st century New Orleans, no doubt.

- (CHUCKLES)
- TODD: Well, uh, actually,

the museum is in my garage.

ISAAC: Ah, as all the best museums are.

Technically, it's... my mom's garage.

Oh, you live with your mom.

- That makes sense.
- ALBERTA: Well, academics are often underpaid.

(CHUCKLES) Just wait
till his book comes out.

So when does your book come out?

Oh, it's planned for a summer release.

But, really, whenever. (CHUCKLES)

That's the beauty of self-publishing.

Bro, that's not even a real book.

Come on, Todd.

Hey, do you want to see
something from my, uh...

personal Alberta collection?

Yes.

I carry it with me everywhere.

It's my most prized possession.

Oh, God, what is this gonna be?

Voilà.

Sorry, what am I looking at here, Todd?

It's Alberta's toenail.

Oh, hell no! Uh-uh!

TREVOR: Out of my room.
I want him out of my room.

Why do you have that?

What is wrong with you, Todd?

I got it online. (BREATHES HEAVILY)

Really nothing you can't get
on there. (CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

Still, why?

You know,

in Jurassic Park, when they
clone all those dinosaurs

from just a little bit of blood?

Well, maybe I could, one day,

make an Alberta from
just a little bit of nail.

Dare to dream, Todd.

Who knows? Maybe we'd end up together.

No, we would not! Oh,
God. The hell we would.

Well... (GRUNTS)

Oh.

(GRUNTS)

Time to hit the shower.

(GRUNTS, EXHALES)

ALBERTA: Oh! My... God!

Oh. (CRIES): No!

No. Oh, God.

No. Oh, don't make me hate my own face.

Todd, you creepy nut.

Well, look at it this
way, from here on out,

all our other guests are gonna
seem normal in comparison.

I don't think I can handle
any other guests after Todd.

I mean, do you really think
we're cut out for this?

- Not with that attitude.
- Are you serious?

We turned our entire lives upside down,

and you want to bail
after one difficult guest?

One difficult guest?

That's like saying Charles Manson

was one difficult neighbor.

Look, he's not dangerous.
He's just weird.

And he's only gonna be here
for another couple hours.

We need to find a better
way to vet our guests.

Oh, like some sort of
licensed go-between, perhaps?

Oh, if he could hear me,

that would have been
a powerful rejoinder.

(GROANS)

Sam, I couldn't sleep a wink last night.

Just haunted by my own face.

Oh, Alberta, I'm sorry. It's awful.

Nobody is happy about it.

Good morning, everyone!

Greetings and salutations. (CHUCKLES)

Almost nobody.

Alberta, you're down
here. I could've sworn

I just saw you upstairs.

Ha-ha. I get it, Isaac.

No, I'm sorry, that
was merely your visage

on a -year-old man's back.

My mistake! (LAUGHING)

I said I get it!

You happy now?

(GRUNTING SOFTLY)

THORFINN: Shh, shh.

Nap time, little one.

(SIGHS)

- Shh.
- (YAWNING)

Is okay.

♪ Sweet little baby ♪

♪ Drift off to sleep ♪

♪ Dream of stabbing Danish men ♪

♪ Laughing while they weep ♪

♪ When you are a warrior ♪

♪ You'll be strong and tall ♪

♪ You'll pillage ♪

♪ Villages, slit men's throats ♪

♪ And bash their heads ♪

♪ Against the wall. ♪

There you go, Hetty.

There you go.

Yes.

There you go,

David.


Drift off into the Netherlands,

into the dream realms,

burning ships,

sieging villages.

Listen, uh, I was just having fun.

- I apologize. I'm sorry.
- Yeah, well, I probably had it coming.

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY) Look, I
know I wasn't famous in my day,

but when Todd showed up,
for a second, I thought,

"Wow, the world
remembers Alberta Haynes."

But the truth is, the
only one who remembers me

is some creepy weirdo with
a jar full of toenails.

Child, that's my legacy.

To be fair, it was just the one toenail.

(CHUCKLES) It's not just about Todd.

You know, my daddy
couldn't achieve his dreams

because the world held him back.

But he always told me I could.

That's why I wanted to be a star,

so that his struggle
would have been worth it.

I guess I failed him.

Hi. Uh, have you guys seen Sam?

It's Todd. I think he's dying.

(GROANING)

- (SAMANTHA GASPS)
- JAY: Oh, my God.

What is happening? Did
anybody see anything?

That-That's E. coli
face. That's the chicken.

Can you not? Call .

PETE: What is he talking about?

- The chicken?
- Look,

we fed him some chicken that was...

at its expiration date.

Sam, those dates are
on there for a reason.

Guys, he looks really sick.

If he dies, he could become a ghost,

and I'm not spending
eternity with my stalker.

Yeah, and I'm not
sharing a room with him.

We're doing a rotation thing.

W-Wait. Okay, wait.

What percentage of people
who die become ghosts?

It's actually fairly low. I would say,

mm, like, maybe five percent?

- That's not that high.
- Are you willing to take that risk, Sam?

'Cause, remember, he's gonna
become your problem, too.

- What do we do?
- We need to get him off the property.

Okay! I called an ambulance.
They're on their way.

Jay, you're not gonna like this,

but we have to drag
him off the property.

- JAY: What?
- Mm-hmm.

W-we cannot let him die here.

He could become a ghost and
we'd be stuck with him forever.

You mean invisible Todd,
roaming the hallways,

collecting everyone's
toenails? I do not like that.

- None of us do.
- Okay, okay, okay,

but-but how are the two of us

- gonna carry him?
- (TODD GROANS)

(CLINKING, CLANK)

- (EXHALES)
- (STRAINED GRUNT)

- I did not sign up for this.
- (GRUNTS)

I-I need a break. This is too hard.

Uh-uh! Come on! No breaks!

You'll sleep when you're dead.

Why do we sleep?

- We just do!
- We just do! Let's go!

- Let's move this body.
- (VEHICLE APPROACHING)

- Well, he's not technically a body yet.
- (SIREN WHOOPS)

- (CAR DOORS OPEN, SHUT)
- You're gonna be okay, Todd.

The paramedics are here.

- Hey.
- Why is he out here?

You're not supposed to move him.

Sorry. We were just trying to help.

(GROANING)

JAY: You're gonna be fine, Todd.

Ooh!

I really hope we didn't k*ll him.

- What?
- Nothing.

(DOOR SHUTS)

It was you.

You sang to me.

Yes. Uh, tried to teach
you to say "Thorfinn,"

but eventually decide
"Gordon" pretty cute.

All these years,

why didn't you say something?

Well, I always assume, after
you die, you remember me.

Excited to say hi, catch up, old times.

But instead it seem you more have terror

of Thor and a lot of
saying my pelts smell bad.

You were so sweet to me,

and I have just been awful.

Thor get it.

Pelts do smell.

Used to soak them in wolf
urine to ward off bear.

You were there for me
when no one else was.

Thank you.

Gordon miss Hetty.

Welcome back.

Mmm.

Oh. Yeah, that is quite
pungent. (SNIFFLES)

I just got off the
phone with the hospital.

He's gonna be okay.

Oh, we didn't k*ll our first guest.

How 'bout those Livings,

trying to carry that creepy
Todd out on that blanket?

- (LAUGHING)
- PETE: Hey, hey, who... who am I?

"Oh, no, this is too heavy.

I need to take a nap."

I didn't say that!

- (LAUGHING): Yes.
- Yes, you did.

"Expiration dates are a hoax."

Oh, very funny.

Y'all, stop trying to make
me laugh. I'm still upset.

Sam, be honest...
would it help my chances

- if I got your face tattooed on my back? (LAUGHS)
- (LAUGHS)

Please don't do that. (CHUCKLES)

PETE: Ah. See?

This right here, this
is what it's all about.

These little moments.

These are the things
we're all gonna remember.

- (OTHER GROANING)
- Shut up, Pete...

- You ruined it.
- Womp!

(GIGGLES)

What is going on?

Oh, the ghosts are throwing
down some newfound wisdom.

Oh, boy. Last time that happened,

our gazebo b*rned down.

They're saying the
moments you really remember

are the ones you spend
with the people you love.

Look, running the B&B will be hard,

but at least we get to do it together.

Remember, when we were back in the city,

we worked so many hours,
we barely saw each other.

I know. We're really
lucky to get to do this.

And I'm sorry. I just...

I kind of freaked out a little.

Was it the toenail?

It wasn't not the toenail.

- Right.
- (PHONE CHIMES, BUZZES)

My buddy Neal just sent me a link.

Woodstone Mansion is blowing up.

- Currently?
- ALBERTA: Oh!

- Run for your lives!
- To the cholera pit!

- It's the safest place!
- (WHIMPERING)

Just relax, everybody.

- That's an Internet term.
- (PANTS, WHIMPERS)

It sometimes is a good thing.

Oh. Never mind.

Oh, please be a good thing.
Please be a good thing. (SIGHS)

Oh, my God, it's Todd.

An exciting morning here
at Hudson Valley Memorial,

where a visiting jazz
historian nearly d*ed

after being poisoned.

Can you tell us what happened?

Well, I was staying at the
Woodstone Bed-and-Breakfast...

Oh, no.

We're finished.

... when I discovered a
very old bottle of moonshine.

So I drank from it.

REPORTER: Why would you do that?

TODD: I'm a curator and
collector of all things

relating to jazz legend Alberta Haynes,

and I have reason to believe

that she was the very last
person to drink from it.

And I wanted to put my
lips where hers had been.

Okay.

So it turns out the
bottle had poison in it?

Yes, I spoke to the
doctors, and they informed me

they believe it was strychnine.

I've often assumed that
Alberta was m*rder*d

- by a jealous rival.
- (GASPING)

And now I know I was probably right.

- REPORTER: Back to you, Jerry.
- (GASPING)

You know what this means?

This means we didn't almost k*ll Todd.

Todd almost k*lled Todd.

You know what this also means?

I was m*rder*d.

Oh, yeah, look at you.

Hey, babe? Babe, look at this.

This has, like, , views already.

W-Wait, , ?

What-what do you mean, "views"?

What is views? Is that people?

- Yeah.
- Check out these comments.

A lot of "This guy's
a creep," but, also,

there's a ton of people just saying
really nice things about Alberta.

"Just listened to her album.

She's incredible.

How did I never hear of her before?"

Daddy would be proud.

♪ Because I'm famous! ♪

(LAUGHS) Ooh!

Look at them numbers going up!

, .

Ooh! , !

Oh, child, I could watch this all day!

Ooh, ooh, ooh. Sam, Sam, Sam.

What's the record? Is it me?

(LAUGHS)

Oh, God, Todd, I love you,

you freaky bastard!

You did it!

Ha-ha!

And she's back.

Yeah! Alberta Haynes, honey!

Ma Rainey who?

Billie Holiday where?

- (LAUGHING)
- Buster Smith what?

It's about Alber-ta Haynes!

Ha-ha! (WHOOPS)

♪ Sweet little baby,
drift off to sleep ♪

♪ Dream of stabbing Danish men ♪

♪ Laughing while they weep. ♪

HETTY: No, it's creepy at this age.

THORFINN: Thor feel it,
too. Very weird, yeah.
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