Ghosts Season 3 Star Reacts To The Heartbreaking Truth Behind Hetty's Death

SPOILERS ahead for Ghosts season 3 episode 8.

Content Warning: the following article contains discussions of suicide and suicidal ideation.

Summary Hetty's tragic backstory is revealed in Ghosts season 3, revealing her death came by suicide.

Ghosts star Rebecca Wisocky credits showrunners for developing the story and involving her.

Early hints about her death were previously planted, such as Hetty's nervous neckpiece gestures.

Ghosts star Rebecca Wisocky reacts to Hetty's tragic backstory. It's in the eighth episode of season 3, titled "Holes Are Bad", Flower (Sheila Carrasco) is rescued from the bottom of a well with the help of Hetty (Wisocky). But that rescue comes with a heavy cost, as it's revealed how Hetty died taking her own life. It's a revelation that informs so much about the character and, according to Wisocky, goes back to some of the earliest moments in the CBS comedy.

In an interview with Deadline, Wisocky opened up about the pivotal Ghosts season 3 episode. The actor credits showrunners Joe Port and Joe Wiseman for how the story unfolded and involving her in the process. Wisocky mentions that hints of Hetty's backstory were planted early on, such as how the character nervously palms her neckpiece. She also offers some insight into her Ghosts character, mentioning Hetty's “terror of isolation.” Read the quote below:

The showrunners, Joe Port and Joe Wiseman, very generously involved me in conversations about this storyline and how it was going to unfold. I’m so grateful that they did. Everyone involved knew how important it was to be accurate and sensitive and not sensationalize it as a plot point. I think it’s very earned. I mean, there’s so many seeds that were planted over the course of our three seasons that make this both shocking and also make complete sense. She’s had this cord wrapped around her — not only is she corseted in this beautiful but uncomfortable gown, but she’s had this cord wrapped around her neck this entire time. It’s funny, in retrospect. So many of the little behavioral things that I chose to do as an actor in the beginning of season 1, even like always fiddling with my neckpiece a little bit, always kind of nervously grabbing on to my fellow ghosts next to me…Hetty doesn’t like to be alone. She has a terror of isolation. All those things planted seeds that made this make a lot of sense. And again, also be shocking and heartbreaking. I love that she’s only able to speak about this and really process it when her friend is in a similar, metaphorical situation. The title of the episode is, ‘Holes are Bad.’ When she realizes that flower is possibly going to be isolated and abandoned forever, she has to act, and that just makes real sense to me that the writing is gloriously funny, and then it’s smart enough to go to these places because they’re justified and because you’ve come to love all of these characters and realize how dependent they are on one another.

Hetty's Death & Backstory, Explained

Ghosts had previously established that Hetty was in an unhappy marriage. "Holes Are Bad" elaborates further that Hetty's life of comfort is threatened due to the actions of her husband, though Hetty acknowledges she also participated in criminal behavior. Hetty feels trapped, believing that her death would at least provide wealth for her son. So, she uses the cord from her newly-acquired telephone to hang herself.

Hetty's backstory and flashbacks dovetail with the effort to rescue the hippie ghost Sheila from the bottom of an abandoned well. Hetty uses the cord to pull Sheila back up, which reveals the secret of her death to many in the group. The cord is still wrapped around Hetty's neck when she uses it to rescue Sheila. Understandably, Hetty is not at peace with what happened to her.

Related Ghosts Season 4: Confirmation & Everything We Know CBS' uproarious comedy series Ghosts has spooked up a big audience across its first three seasons, and now it will return for season 4.

In the episode's closing moments, Hetty shares with Sam (Rose McIver) and her close friend and fellow spirit Isaac (Brandon Scott Jones) that she regrets her suicide and was only trying to do what she believed was best for her son. The lingering emotions aren't resolved by that one conversation, though Hetty appreciates the kindness. It's a heavy moment for Ghosts, which far more often favors a light touch, but it's wholly earned nonetheless.

Ghosts season 3 airs Thursdays at 8:30 PM ET on CBS and streams on Paramount+.

Source: Deadline