Ghosts season 5 episode 8 ending explained: Did Alberta really kill a man?

The CBS comedy Ghosts tracks Sam Arondekar (Rose McIver), who sees ghosts after a fall, and husband Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar) as they run Woodstone Mansion B&B with spectral roommates. 

Episode 8, "The Life and Times of Esther Greene," aired December 11, 2025, and focuses on Alberta, poisoned in 1928. Key query: Did Alberta really kill a man? No- she smashed her ventriloquist dummy, Murray, to end a failing act and become Alberta from Esther Greene. 

But whom did she then kill? No one; she was the victim, murdered by Thomas Woodstone, Hetty's son, who spiked her moonshine with rat poison out of jealousy over her boyfriend Earl's affair with him (Season 2 reveal). 

This episode's dummy kill explains her name change amid 1920s Harlem pressures, not her death. Todd's return amps up promo stakes for Jay and Sam while Pete is seen aiding Alberta's confession. 

Co-created by Joe Port and Joe Wiseman, the U.S. version adapts the BBC series, starring ghosts like Colonel Isaac (Brandon Scott Jones), scoutmaster Pete (Richie Moriarty), Viking Thorfinn (Devan Chandler Long), Lenape Sasappis (Román Zaragoza), hippie Flower (Sheila Carrasco), robber baroness Hetty (Rebecca Wisocky), finance bro Trevor (Asher Grodman), and jazz singer Alberta Haynes (Danielle Pinnock). 

Season 5 of Ghosts airs Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on CBS, with a new twist in every episode, blending mysteries with group dynamics.

Ghosts season 5 episode 8 ending explained: Alberta Haynes a.k.a Esther Greene and Todd’s podcast 

Book sales for Sam and Isaac's memoir slump, so Sam invites podcaster Todd Pearlman (Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll) to Woodstone for coverage.

Todd, upgraded from his Season 1 creepiness with a chest tattoo of Alberta's face and garage of her nails, now eyes Jay's restaurant for leverage, dangling bad reviews unless he gets Alberta scoops.

His research uncovers a pre-1923 blank in her records, piquing Thorfinn's interest; he recalls her name-change admission.

Thorfinn corners Alberta, who snaps, "I killed a man- that's why I changed my name." He bolts to Pete with the gossip. Pete, drawing from his own marital secrets, coaxes her gently.

Flashbacks depict young Esther Greene (Pinnock) in 1920s Harlem, blending singing with ventriloquism via dummy Murray after gigs flop.

Audiences fixate on the puppet's quips, sidelining her voice during the Renaissance's jazz surge. One disastrous night, she swings a bat, shattering Murray into pieces.

Horrified by the scandal, she discards Esther, keeps the hat as a memento and relocates to speakeasies as Alberta, securing bootlegger spots.

Back at Woodstone, Todd preps the interview, obsessing over Jay's menu while probing Alberta. Sam stresses over flops; Jay pushes back on threats.

Meanwhile the Ghosts meddle as Flower Zooms in mid-seance confusion, Sasappis unearths fuzzy clippings on dummy scandals, Hetty mocks that vaudeville drudgery is unfit for elites, Trevor analyses Todd's parasocial fixation and Thorfinn plots petty revenge on Todd with Alberta, like dummy-hat pranks.

Alberta confides in Pete and owns the podcast moment, declaring herself Esther Greene who killed Murray the dummy to reclaim her singing spotlight. She details the destruction as a desperate reinvention.

As tensions rise, Sam gets a call from her publisher about tanking sales, pushing her to lean on Todd's platform. But Todd shifts focus to Jay's restaurant, hinting at sabotage via poor reviews if he doesn't get an exclusive.

Sam vents to the ghosts and Alberta steps in with diva advice: Offer her backstory secret to Todd in trade for fair promo on both the book and the eatery. Sam agrees, pitching it directly to Todd, who is delighted to get Alberta's backstory reveal. In exchange, he will feature Jay and Sam both in his podcast.

In this episode, Pinnock's performance earns nods for emotional range, blending humor (bat swing chaos) with depth (Harlem hustle regrets). Todd's creep lingers as comic foil, hinting returns while Woodstone stabilizes for holidays. 

Where to watch Ghosts season 5

Watch Ghosts Season 5 live on CBS Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT, or next-day on Paramount+. 

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