AlthoughGhostsseason 4’s Stephanie story seemed tough to justify on a character level, one fun behind-the-scenes casting trick makes sense of this gag.The ghosts of CBS’sGhostsare the show’s true heroes, as viewers tune in to see how Thor, Sass, Isaac, Hetty, Alberta, Flower, Pete, and Trevor are complicating their shared afterlife every week.
However, the sitcom’s stars don’t always feel consistent in terms of their characterization. Sometimes Flower can be savvy and canny, while she is comically inept and flighty at others. Similarly,Ghostsseason 4’s Albertadisplays genuine sweetness towards Sam in some episodes, but she is an incorrigible gossip and a fan of fueling interpersonal drama in other outings.
Ghosts Season 4 Guest Stars Stephanie and Trevor’s Daughter Abby Pinkus Are Related
Gideon Adlon and Odessa A’Zion Are Real-Life Sisters
However, the most notable example of the show’s shifting characterization arguably comes from Trevor. A stockbroker and frat bro, Trevor was initially introduced as a misogynistic blowhard. However, asGhostshumanized the character, Trevor has become an almost heroic figure in the show’s later seasons. Some of this is welcome character development, but some moments are outright strange.
One example of this comes in Trevor’s attitude toward Stephanie, the ghost of a prom queen who was murdered by a serial killer on the grounds of the mansion.Stephanie usually only emerges once a year on the anniversary of her death, but she always makes a point of propositioning an uncomfortable Trevor. Repeatedly, Trevor refuses these advances.
Trevor once tried to kill Tara Reid when she visited the Woodstone Mansion, so it doesn’t seem like he is overly concerned with ethics and morality.
This seems like common decency, but it is worth noting that Stephanie is technically the same age as or slightly older than Trevor. Not only that, but Trevor once tried to kill Tara Reid when she visited the Woodstone Mansion, so it doesn’t seem like he is overly concerned with ethics and morality.
Stephanie and Abby’s Real-Life Connection Makes Trevor’s Atypical Dating Choice More Sensible
Trevor Turned Down Stephanie Due To Her Age
However, season 4, episode 19, “Pinkus Returns,” thoroughly justifies Trevor’s reticence with a clever casting gag. In this outing,Ghostsexplains a piece of series lorewith the revelation that Trevor unknowingly fathered a child shortly before his death. His colleague, Pinkus, raised Trevor’s biological daughter Abby as his own child.
It turns out Stephanie really is young enough to be Trevor’s daughter, so his unease with her romantic advances makes a lot of sense.
Abby and Stephanie’s actors are real-life sisters, with Gideon Adlon and Odessa A’zion both being daughters ofCalifornicationstar Pamela Adlon. As such, it turns out Stephanie really is young enough to be Trevor’s daughter, so his unease with her romantic advances makes a lot of sense. Funnily enough, Abby’s actor is the older of the two in real life.
Devon Chandler Long
Thor
Before appearing inGhosts, Adlon starred in 2018’sBlockers, 2020’sThe Craft: Legacy, and 2022’s underrated slasher movie Sick. A’Zion, meanwhile, cropped up in 2022’sHellraiserreboot and 2024’s video game adaptationUntil Dawn, and will soon star in a24’sMarty Supreme.
How Stephanie & Abby Tremendously Helped With Humanizing Trevor
Stephanie and Abby Pinkus Should Return In Ghosts Season 5
Abby’s role in “Pinkus Returns” does a great job of humanizing Trevor, and especially explaining the apparent inconsistency in his character. More than most ghosts, Trevor has improved as a person immensely since Sam and Jay’s arrival at the Woodstone Mansion, and he even sees himself as a protective father figure for Stephanie after learning of Abby’s existence.
While thebestGhostsseason 4 quotesprove all the show’s heroes have their moments, Trevor has done a particularly impressive amount of growth and maturation throughout the show. This is why his rejection of Stephanie initially seemed strange, since such a questionable decision wouldn’t have fazed the amoral stockbroker back in season 1 of the series.
Stephanie should return in season 5, as she is exactly the sort of recurring but not regular character who could be “Sucked off” or sent to Hell to prove the show still has stakes. However, Abby’s return is even more important for the future ofGhosts, as Trevor’s daughter gave the character a new depth and a more heroic side in season 4.
