Secrets of Sulphur Springs S3 E5

## Plot

It turns out that the kids were scared by Sam. They think he's a ghost at first, but Zoey quickly figures out that he came from the hatch, so he must be a time traveler too. Griffin asks Savannah why she's so sure that the ghost in the present is Judge Walker. She saw that he lived in room 205, plus she found money in the basement wrapped in a newspaper from 1947, which is how she knew when to go back to. Her gut is telling her that the money is connected to the judge. Stacks of buried cash seems pretty shady, and Walker is as shady as they get. And then they're almost hit by a pulley, since Walker is still trapped in the barn in 1962. Now they know for sure that he's listening in on them. Sam thinks Grace was able to keep the judge trapped in the barn because her spirit was stronger, but once she ascended, all bets were off. Griffin was hoping that the ghost was just misunderstood, like Grace. Savannah suggests that he might have unfinished business too, but Harper refuses to help the man who's still out to destroy her family. Sam accidentally admits that he built the time machine. The dials on the radio switch to 1947 as the lights flicker and buzz, which means that someone just used the time machine to travel back to that year. They may not be able to stop the judge in the past, but they can learn how the money is connected to him. Griffin points out that just spying on him in case he says something incriminating isn't much of a plan. Savannah wants to talk to Ruby, Daisy's daughter, which makes her Harper's great-aunt. She might know something about the judge that they can use against him. Harper can't believe that Daisy would work for the man who stole her family's land. They see the sheriff show up and talk to Judge Walker. They go up to the veranda, which is basically a fancy word for an upstairs patio or porch. Harper volunteers to watch the judge while the others look for Ruby, since she would stand out too much. She buttons up Griffin's shirt first, pointing out that the concert on his T-shirt won't happen for fifty years. Savannah leaves, but then Griffin and Harper hear the table sneeze. It turns out that they're not the only ones spying on the judge. Ruby is hiding under the table. Griffin pretends that he was the one who sneezed, and claims that he fell into a patch of poison ivy in the woods. The judge takes him away to have someone fix him up, but before he does, he asks the sheriff to let him know when he finds the thief who swindled those "good people" out of their "hard-earned" money. Ben is heading to Baton Rouge to get permits pulled for the kitchen. Jess thought they already had permits. If the inspector finds out, they're doomed. Ben has had a lot on his mind lately, like Sarah, and asks Jess to keep an eye on her. She's in the barn when she hears the ghost whispering, but she can't make out what it says. She asks it why it's following her and tells it to stay away. She says it's in her head and it's not real, but then the barn doors open by themselves, and she screams. She runs outside. Sam heard her. He tells the ghost to stay away from her and the kids, and goads it into attacking him instead. Ouch. That looked worse than his fall down the stairs in 1962 (as well as season 2), but he doesn't seem any worse for wear. Ruby talks to Harper. She can't believe a boy like Griffin would do something like that for her. Harper tells her that it's not so unusual where they're from, and Ruby assumes that they're from up north. She's going to stop the judge once and for all. Daisy is applying some awful smelling paste to Griffin to stop the "poison ivy". She recognized him too. She tells him to leave and go home before the judge starts asking questions, but he refuses to until she's answered his. She can't have her daughter get mixed up in whatever crazy adventures they're on now. When Griffin thanks her for stopping the "itching", Judge Walker tells him that he doesn't have to thank the help, which noticeably upsets and infuriates Daisy, along with his claim that the Tremont hotel will be this town's legacy, as well as his. The ointment is courtesy of his wife. It's an old family recipe, just like the beignets they make in the kitchen, which are deep-fried pastries, specifically a type of fritter. He doesn't even call Daisy by her name, and considers her helping Griffin, something he *ordered her to do* in the first place, to be a "break". Racists and racism can kindly fuck off and die a painful death. Savannah follows him down into the basement and sees him wrap up and bury the cash. Harper tells Ruby that she needs proof that the judge is corrupt, and even then, he's a powerful man. Griffin and Savannah return. The smelly cream reminds Griffin of something his mom used when he had chickenpox. Savannah tells Ruby that they all know each other from summer camp, and tells them about the cash that the judge buried. Ruby knew he was up to no good and leaves. Now they just have to figure out how Judge Walker died, and if Ruby was involved in some way, given all of the comments she made about him. At the very least, she has a motive. They see Sam in the bunker, and explain that it's Judge Walker's ghost up in 205. Wait, if they're back in 2020, then why are there no chains on the hatch anymore? They never explain that, but I guess it's possible that Sam broke them off with something while they were in 1947. He once again tells Savannah to go home, even though she just wants to help. He tells Griffin and Harper about the judge being fixated on Sarah for some reason. The twins and Topher overhear them talking about the awful things that they saw in 2024. The only way to figure out the secret they're keeping from them is to go to the future and see for themselves. It turns out that Savannah didn't actually go back and was hiding behind the tunnel door. She follows Wyatt, Zoey, and Topher, and tells them that they need to go back home. They think the awful thing that happened was the hotel burning down. Before they can leave, they see Harper leaving her house… when future Topher comes out and gives her flowers, and asks her to tell "him" that he and Jess say that they miss him too. Present Topher thinks she's going to visit their dad, but that doesn't explain why she's still so upset about it years later. Back in the present, Griffin tells Harper that much money going missing would've been big news in the 40s. They should check old newspapers and see if there's any mention of who it belonged to. Griffin checks on his mom. He tries to assure her that she's not crazy, and she can tell him anything, because he'll believe it, but she says she can't. She can still hear the ghost. All sorts of wealthy people in town invested money into a phony financial company. It claims that the judge was one of the innocent victims. Walker invested his own money, convinced his rich friends to do it too, and then scammed them out of their savings. Someone must have figured out what he had done, and murdered him before he could skip town with the money. He goes missing tomorrow, on October 17, so something must happen to him tonight. Savannah and the kids follow future Harper to the cemetery and see the grave that she places the flowers on. Also, Wyatt says "I don't know", but the captions on Disney+ seem to think that he said "Hell, no." Obviously, since Topher is fine, the future has already changed. The headstone has Griffin's name on it. He and Harper see that the radio is set to 2024, but they think Sam must've been messing with it earlier. While turning off lights, the ghost talks to Sarah again, and she can finally understand what he says. "It's time to pay for what you did." She claims that he can't scare her, but then he throws a vase at her. In 1947, Griffin and Harper sneak upstairs, and hide when someone comes out of room 205. It's Ruby. They open the door… and see the judge's dead body lying on the floor.