Ghosts Season 5: Why Alberta’s Real Name Was a Secret For 100 Years

The big mystery about Alberta Haynes on Ghosts is finally solved. In the latest episode, the 1920s jazz singer revealed she has been living a lie for a century. Her real name is Esther Greene, and her hidden past as a failed ventriloquist is the reason she changed her identity.

The secret came out when Todd, the superfan turned podcaster, returned to Woodstone Mansion. His research found no record of anyone named Alberta Haynes before 1923. This discovery made Thorfinn suspicious, and he confronted her. Alberta first claimed she changed her name because she “killed a man”. The real story, which she later told Pete, was much different.

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The Life and Times of Esther Greene

In Season 5, Episode 8, titled “The Life and Times of Esther Greene,” audiences saw flashbacks to 1920s Harlem. A young Esther Greene dreamed of being a jazz singer, but she could not get booked for gigs. To make a living, she created a ventriloquist act with a dummy named Murray.

The act was successful, but for all the wrong reasons. Crowds loved Murray’s jokes, but they ignored Esther’s singing voice. She felt trapped by the puppet that was supposed to help her career. In a moment of frustration, she took a baseball bat and destroyed Murray. Horrified by the public scandal she thought would follow, she left her old life behind. She kept only the puppet’s hat as a reminder, which explains the fashionable hat her ghost always wears. She moved to speakeasies, reinvented herself as Alberta Haynes, and finally found success as a singer.

Danielle Pinnock Went to “Puppet School” for the Role

To play a convincing ventriloquist from the 1920s, actress Danielle Pinnock had to learn the skill quickly. She said the script arrived on a Thursday, and by that same evening, she was in “ventriloquism school”.

“I got that script on a Thursday, we did the table read, and that Thursday evening, I was in ventriloquism school,” Pinnock said in an interview. “I am truly just building up my actor’s toolbox one season at a time… and now I’m a ventriloquist.”

Pinnock described practicing for hours, even on weekends, to perfect the technique in just a few days before shooting the flashback scenes. This is part of a pattern for the actress on Ghosts, where she has also learned to tap dance and sing for the role.

How Pete Helped Alberta Share Her Secret

A key part of the episode was Alberta’s relationship with Pete, the Scoutmaster ghost played by Richie Moriarty. After Thorfinn spread the rumor that Alberta killed a man, Pete was the one who gently talked to her. He created a safe space for her to confess the true, less scandalous story.

Pinnock explained that Alberta felt deep shame about her ventriloquist past, which she saw as a “low-grade talent” compared to her jazz singing dreams. Pete’s support gave her the confidence to finally tell her story publicly.

This moment highlights the growth in their relationship, which has been a slow-building romance over the seasons. Despite knowing each other as ghosts for about 40 years, they are still discovering new secrets.

Todd’s Return and a Deal for Woodstone

The episode also featured the return of “Creepy” Todd, played by Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll. He is now a famous podcaster, and Sam invited him to Woodstone to help promote her new book. However, Todd was more interested in digging up dirt on Alberta and threatened to give Jay’s restaurant bad reviews if he did not get an exclusive story.

To help her living friends, Alberta made a deal. She agreed to tell Todd her full secret on his podcast if he promised to also promote Sam’s book and Jay’s restaurant fairly. Todd agreed, making the episode’s final reveal a strategic move to help the people she cares about.

Ghosts airs Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. New episodes are available to stream the next day on Paramount+.

Also Read: GHOSTS, DANIELLE PINNOCK, CBS, TV SERIES, COMEDY SERIES, ROSE MCIVER, UTKARSH AMBUDKAR, RICHIE MORIARTY

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