In Speak As Ye Choose, Mary finally speaks about her tragic death, while Alison and Mike find themselves caught up with a suspicious “investment circle, writes GEMMA JOHNSON
This episode made it into the number three slot in my top 10 episodes of Ghosts — and with good reason. It is the first time in many episodes, and several hundred years, that Mary finally speaks about her death. Her tale is a common, tragic one, but this does not make it any less emotional. Mary was a lone woman, different from others and a free spirit, making her an easy target for accusations of witchcraft.
Her story echoes that of many women before and after her time. The horrific deaths were shocking — even the ghosts agree. Thomas remarks, “I shall be having nightmares tonight.” Can ghosts have nightmares? Do they dream? Robin’s sharp-witted humour lightens the moment: “You didn’t see it live!” The ghosts are so shocked that the usual “Which five people would you invite to a dinner party — living or dead?” roundtable discussion is cancelled.
Meanwhile, Alison and Mike utter the same words that many of us have over the past few years: “Have you seen the energy bill?” I know what mine looks like, and I don’t own a huge manor house — good luck with that one! They soon realise that it is The Gate House causing the issue. Not to worry, though. Mike’s creepy cult friends are their next guests and are keen to sign Mike and Alison up to their (insert sarcasm here) “investment circle” — also possibly known as Multi-Level Marketing.
The military man, Captain, is struggling with the lack of structure that has resulted in Mary sharing her story, but Kitty soon comes to the rescue. Now that Mary has found her voice, she delights in telling Julian more about her story and her transition into the spirit world, supported by the feisty Annie.
Thomas’s infatuation with Alison intensifies as he compares his addiction to her to that of opium — from which he also confesses he has had to withdraw. Oh, Thomas, we love your secret little life! This leads Pat to take on the role of guard for Thomas as he withdraws from Alison, but it quickly turns into something reminiscent of The Shining.
There were several favourite moments in this episode, including Alison walking Robin like a dog (and he loves it!) and Alison (again) using the ghosts to escape the cult meeting that Mike seems to have signed them up for.
Takeaway lesson from this episode: if someone says, “Don’t worry, it’s not a cult,” then it probably is a cult.
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