This episode seemed like such a bonus before I watched it. It was well done, the last scene was hilarious, but the twist broke my heart. And upon mulling it over, I realized that there was a giant plothole: the original reason why Alison and Michael stayed in Button House was that Alison saw ghosts in every apartment or house they looked at away from Button House, that is, she realized that no matter where she was, she would have a hard time ignoring or not engaging with some ghost or other, so she decided she night as well stay close to the ghosts she had already come to know. That's why it didn't really make sense for them to move away, apart from the financial gain/security, since privacy was not to be had anywhere anyway. Also, the numerous basement ghosts hardly ever interfered with Alison and Michael's life style. They could have struck an arrangement with the "upstairs" ghosts regarding time and place limits in such a vast building, making it more like a neighbourly family setup. But of course that's not how fiction works.
Having an old Alison visit with the ghosts implied a progression of regular visits to catch up over the years which was also heartbreaking: the poor ghosts waiting for updates and watching Alison age, aware that they would lose her eventually, though they would have been amply entertained by the happenings in the hotel. Finally, this opens the possibility of a sequel series about Alison's periodic visits and the ghosts' exploits. It would again enable stories about some ghosts moving on, for example, or new ghosts entering the fray (with the movement of more people=hotel guests there is a greater chance of someone dying there). The difficulty would be less to progressively age Alison and her family, and more to keep the ghosts from aging.
Final thought: I think I would have been satisified with the series finale. This Christmas final episode just made me too sad, and I don't dare hope that the creators of the show pick up the thread again. But here's to hoping.
Having an old Alison visit with the ghosts implied a progression of regular visits to catch up over the years which was also heartbreaking: the poor ghosts waiting for updates and watching Alison age, aware that they would lose her eventually, though they would have been amply entertained by the happenings in the hotel. Finally, this opens the possibility of a sequel series about Alison's periodic visits and the ghosts' exploits. It would again enable stories about some ghosts moving on, for example, or new ghosts entering the fray (with the movement of more people=hotel guests there is a greater chance of someone dying there). The difficulty would be less to progressively age Alison and her family, and more to keep the ghosts from aging.
Final thought: I think I would have been satisified with the series finale. This Christmas final episode just made me too sad, and I don't dare hope that the creators of the show pick up the thread again. But here's to hoping.
