Part Of The Family

**Part of the Family** is the sixth episode of Series 3 of *Ghosts* and the 19th episode overall. It premiered on 13 September 2021.

## Plot

The episode begins with Alison finding Mike upstairs watching football with Mary, Pat and Julian. Mike decides to film a promotional video to advertise Button House while Alison goes to meet up with Lucy. While walking through the countryside (and with the ghost of a roundhead attempting to politely question her), Alison learns that Lucy had been conned which resulted in her losing all her savings.

Back at Button House, Mike purchases a drone to film every angle of the house and the acres of land around it. Julian becomes fascinated by the drone, prompting him to join Mike outside. Alison later returns from meeting up with Lucy and tells Mike of her sister's situation. Despite being close to reaching their financial target to renovate the gatehouse into a high end B&B, the couple decide to loan Lucy their savings to help her start over her business.

Upstairs, Kitty is staring at the photograph of Alison's father which Lucy had shown her as proof of being related. The Captain passes by and exclaims that the background of the photo where Alison's father is had been taken in Weymouth. This confuses Kitty since Lucy said it was Cornwall, but the Captain tells her that he remembers that particular place very clearly. He had been there before when he was still alive. Convinced that Lucy is up to no good, Kitty confronts Alison and tries to warn her.

However, Alison refuses to believe Kitty's claims, believing that Kitty is trying to create a wedge between her and Lucy out of jealousy. Meanwhile, the Captain informs Fanny of Kitty's suspicions that prompts her to investigate this matter after being inspired by *Murder, She Wrote*. Gathering the other ghosts, they all learn from Julian that photos can now be edited using computer software. As they wonder how Lucy could have gotten a photo of Alison's father, Fanny recalls the documentary that was made at Button House.

Later that day, Alison tells Mike that she is going to meet up with Lucy to transfer the money in person, and she invites him to come along. Upstairs, Julian plays the documentary and pauses it at Alison's childhood photograph of Alison with her parents. This baffles the ghosts since Lucy's photo of Alison's father is facing the other way as to the one in the documentary. However, Fanny quickly realises that Lucy had *indeed* faked the photograph after seeing the TV screen being reflected in the mirror.

She had taken the face of Alison's father from the documentary and had deliberately flipped his face. Fanny then deduces that Lucy saw Alison on the documentary, and learned about her backstory. Using this information, she located Alison and showed up at Button House to claim that she is her half-sister. Lucy manipulated Alison into gaining her trust while using a fake photograph of Alison's father to make her convinced that they were related. This prompts the ghosts to rush to find Alison, in order to warn her of Lucy's deception. They pass by Kitty who tells them that the couple have gone to meet up with Lucy to give her their savings.

Hearing this, it is just enough for the ghosts to realise that Lucy had been scheming to steal Alison’s savings, and they desperately chase after the couple who have already departed in their car. However, the ghosts are unsuccessful as the car drives through the gates.

At a bar, Lucy graciously thanks the couple for their generosity as she writes down her bank details in their notebook. They make a toast and Alison prepares to transfer the money. Before filling in the details, Alison asks Lucy if she should put her name as her account name, unless 'Lucy' was *never* her real name. It is then revealed that the ghosts had successfully warned Alison of Lucy's deception, after Thomas managed to kick Humphrey's head far enough for Alison to notice them.

Mike uses his phone to take some photos of Lucy, telling her with that and her bank details, it will be just enough evidence for the police to arrest her. This prompts Lucy to gather her belongings and bolt out of the bar. When Alison quietly asks why did she target her, Lucy tells her to not take it personally as she leaves. Alison is then comforted by Mike. The couple then return to Button House where Alison meets with the ghosts. Kitty apologises to Alison for losing the sister she never had, but Alison tells Kitty that she is the sister she never had. This prompts Kitty to share an embrace with Alison, despite being a ghost. The episode ends with the couple having dinner with the ghosts to thank them for saving them. Since the ghosts cannot physically eat the food, they improvise.

## Quotes

* *”Account name. Should I put ‘Lucy’? Or… is that not your real name?”* - Alison
* *”Don’t take it personally.”* - Lucy
* *”You’re the sister I never had.”* - Alison to Kitty

## Trivia

* The bar scene where Alison, Mike and Lucy met up was filmed at *Betty’s Café Tea Rooms* in Harrogate.

## Sources

1. ↑ The Bone Plot
2. ↑ A Lot to Take In