This week’s episode of The Ghost and Molly McGee is all about growth, with Molly learning more about her culture and Ollie learning more about a world he thought he knew everything about.
The Unhaunting of Brighton Video
Last week we saw Ollie come into his own and discover that not all ghosts are bad, and today we discover that he is fully integrated into the GhostFriends gang, alongside Molly, Libby, and Scratch. It’s a little jarring at first considering that last week, we end with the rest of the Chen family fully prepared to go ghost hunting in Brighton with force, proving to the world that they aren’t crazy and that ghosts exist.
Today, there are big plans to turn the former Brighton Video into a new community center, but reports show that Brighton Video has a Howling Harriet-level spirit nearby. Likely a ghost who has unfinished business and refuses to move on.
During the GhostFriends intro number, we learn that Ollie is now a proclaimed FORMER Ghost Hunter, so when they get to Brighton Video, he’s the only one that shows a bit of trepidation. The video store is also dated and overwhelming and as Molly so offensively said – “Old Timey” as she tries to touch-screen scroll on a VHS Tape to get the movie to play.
Suddenly the TV’s come to life around the store, attempting to scare everyone away to no avail. That’s when the ghost, Blair, reveals herself stunned that none of the horror movie tropes she knows so well are working on the gang.
Blair sounds awfully familiar, and perfect for the horror movie fan ghost who lives in a video store, that's the voice of Kimberly J. Brown from Halloweentown.
Blair also begins quoting from her favorite horror movie, trying to scare them away, when finally Scratch gives in and pulls rank as Chairman of the Ghost World. That doesn’t seem to work either to get Blair to leave the store. Ollie, overwhelmed, finally breaks down. Seems like he had some unfinished business, or rather, unaired grievances of his own. Everything he knew was wrong, his world has been turned upside down. He locks himself inside the video store with Blair and now the others must get them both out.
Eventually, they do, and after Blair and Ollie’s bonding, Blair comes through with a retro-flashback of her own….that has the quality of a VHS tape in a brilliant move.
Turns out, she was obsessed with her favorite horror movie and couldn’t bear bringing the video back. And one day, she tried but couldn’t, and on her way home. She died. So now, with the overdue tape, she can’t even watch her favorite movie. That’s her unfinished business. So, Molly and Ollie create a fantastic recreation of the video store experience and are able to get her to finish returning the video so she can finally finish her journey crossing over to the ghost world.
Looks like Ollie made some progress too. Let’s see how this goes in the future.
100% Molly McGee
Brighton Video isn’t the only location that has a bit of emotional weight this episode. Back at the McGee house, some of Molly’s Thai cousins are ready to visit. There is plenty of excitement when they come to visit, and they go absolutely crazy when they meet Scratch. So everyone can see him now or what? Not even addressed, I guess it’s just assumed that Gramma Nin told them about him.
Anywho, Molly celebrates and welcomes them with a quick Thai phrase but she doesn’t fully know Thai, so when her cousin responds, she doesn’t fully understand. Later, they play Thai games that Molly doesn’t know and they eat Thai food that is too spicy for her, with her mom even pointing out that she has the McGee tongue and can’t handle anything spicy.
This leads Molly to feeling like she isn’t Thai enough to be with her family, so she and Scratch stay up all night in a Culture Cram session (leading to a great song), which involves her learning the language and learning how to cook (and tolerate) the spicy foods of her family.
The next day, she sets up a full meal, impressing her extended family, and starts talking to them in Thai. Too bad she only learned the opening phrases, now the family (save for her father) is speaking fluently in Thai while Scratch tries to help her translate but they are all speaking so quickly. They can’t keep up. Even her dad tells a joke in Thai, but he openly admits that it took him months to learn it, just to impress Grandma Nin.
The food once again proves too spicy, and Molly finally breaks down and runs upstairs. When her Mom comes to check on her, Molly explains that she doesn’t feel like she’s Thai enough, being only half Thai. Her Mom explains that she has felt that way at one point as well, and her cousins chime in too. From Downstairs, Grandma Nin even says that her family criticized her for moving to America.
It’s a heartwarming moment, and we know that despite what she thinks, she’s 100% Molly McGee. Hey, that’s the title!
This episode is now available on Disney Channel and the DisneyNOW app. You can catch up with earlier episodes, now streaming on Disney+.