This week’s episode of The Ghost and Molly McGee introduces us to all new possibilities in the Ghost World, before introducing a familiar character but a new resident to the town of Brighton.
All Shark No Bite
Pete and Sharon are getting ready for a date night, but frankly, they’re afraid to leave Molly and Darryl alone for the evening. Even when they’re around, the shenanigans that they get into when they’re together are already impressive enough. What kind of trouble can they get into when completely unsupervised?
Scratch also wants to enjoy the evening alone, complete with a spa kit that he has to help him relax and rejuvenate. So when Pete and Sharon do finally leave, he is especially annoyed when Darryl and Molly have the greatest of shenanigans up their sleeves. Together, they have gotten their hands on a DVD copy of the terrifying horror film, “Ghost Shark,” which is rated T for Traumatizing.
They have taken every precaution to ensure they don’t get caught, including that DVD being physical media. After all, streaming leaves a viewing history trail that their parents will find. Scratch is upset but also ready to participate, more upset that he can’t return his already opened spa kit. So he throws on a special face mask and buckles up for the film.
Ghost Shark is easily the most terrifying thing that the three have ever seen, full of scary shark attacks both on their boats and on land. After all, a ghost shark can be in both the water AND on land.
After the film, the kids are (as promised) traumatized. Scratch, being the chairman of the ghost world, insists to them to help calm them down, that there are no such things as ghost sharks. In fact, to prove it to them, he, as the chairman, summons a ghost shark to the McGee household, inviting it to use the home as its own personal ocean should it actually exist.
No ghost shark appears, and all is thought to be clear. But it's not, as we the viewer get to see a ghost shark fin appear moving through the floor. As the trio goes into the kitchen to enjoy a vegetable tray, one of the cucumbers appears on the fin. The group panics as they are now dealing with a very real ghost shark. Scratch says that “they’re going to need a boat” – one of many legally distinct JAWS references throughout the episode, and we see them paddling through the house in their wagon as Scratch captains the faux-vessel.
As the chase ensues, a twisted shanty song plays about the Ghost Shark, while Scratch is trying to figure out what the Shark can and can’t do as a ghost shark. He mentions that as a ghost, it could go upstairs and it could go up ladders.
By the end of the song, the three of them are stuck in Molly’s room in the attic, throwing plush toys at the shark to keep it from eating them. After Molly sacrifices one of her favorite toys, Scratch suggests that the shark is full. From there, the ghost shark belches up its most recent plush snack. That’s when Molly puts together that Scratch is controlling the beast. He summoned it while wearing his Chairman robe, and single handedly created the phantom while doing so. Once this is pointed out, Scratch calms the shark down and turns it into a cute and cuddly ghost shark. Now with that situation calmed down, there’s only one thing left to do – Spa Night!
By the time Pete and Sharon come home, they find their children and Scratch masked up, relaxing and rejuvenating. Don’t mind that cute ghost shark chillin’ with them though.
Nin-dependence
Grandma Nin has hurt herself, spraining her arm in a bit of a fall she had thanks to her recurring Dizzy spells. As she gets older, Sharon suggests that maybe she should come and stay with them so these kinds of things won’t happen as often. After a bit of conversation, Nin agrees and decides to come to Brighton.
From there, chaos and cleaning ensues throughout the McGee house, and even Scratch is ready to help. He feels that Nin is a saint and nothing bad should ever happen to her. Once she arrives, she is smothered by every McGee, save for Pete, who brought her flowers but felt that they weren’t enough and went out for more.
Molly furthers the smothering, watching over Nin as she takes a nap, but inadvertently waking her up and causing her to fall off the bed. It’s a good thing that Molly has already pillow proofed the ground near the bed so she’ll land comfortably.
In fact, the entire house is now covered in pillows should Nin fall over again. Scratch won’t even let Nin climb up the stairs, contorting himself into a special lift that will help her up. After all, Scratch is family and as Sharon continues to say throughout the episode – Family Takes Care of Family.
While Nin is inside being treated like a child, she looks outside and sees a group of seniors running around on their own without overprotective families trying to take care of them.
She gets the idea to do the same, and sends out each member of the family on a very specific errand to run to get the house alone. Scratch, however, is left with her, and she sends him to find a dumpling pizza. After he is gone, Nin makes her great escape.
Shortly after, everyone returns home and Scratch admits that he has lost Grandma Nin. A search ensues and Molly is thinking the worst – that she has been abducted by a group of Grandma-nappers.
The episode’s song ensues, and we see some brilliant animation against a catchy tune. In her efforts to evade her family, we also learn that she attached her phone to a dog, that way her family can’t find her.
After the song, she is finally on her own in the middle of the park when she gets hit by another dizzy spell, falling to the ground.
That’s when the McGees get a phone call from a warped and spooky Grandma-napper voice saying that they have her. What?! Molly put that into the universe and now it has happened!
They go the destination that the nappers requested, and discover that they are at the Brighton Senior Center and Nursing Home, and Nin is very excited to be there.
In the park, she had her dizzy spell, but it was Patty and Bobby and others who found her and brought her there. Now, she has access to activities like jazzercise and yoga, access to nurses and health care, privacy, and most importantly – her “Nin-dependence.” Darryl’s Nin puns 2, Grandma 1, Molly 0.
It seems from now on in the series, Nin will be in Brighton taking up residence at the Senior Center.
This episode of The Ghost and Molly McGee is now available on Disney Channel and the DisneyNOW app. You can also catch up with the first season and earlier episodes now streaming on Disney+.