#bbc ghosts series 5 spoilers

[tamsinbeybey-she-no-porcupine]

Poor Havers.

Obviously poor Cap as well because he died

But fml poor Havers.

Being wounded after the war, having seen the horrors of the front line, then seeing Cap again realising that he isn't supposed to be there and that he smuggled himself in, Havers probably panicking because they are surrounded and every sign of affection is a high risk. And then someone confronts the man who is clearly trying to get to him and Cap collapses and basically tries to confess his love and Havers has to keep him from putting them both in danger but wants him to know that He reciprocates so he says he knows and stops him from touching his face but guides him to grab the swaggerstick so he can grab his hands. which is such a smart idea because of course a dying and scared man grabs at something and of course one has to provide comfort to loosen the grip. And then they say each others first named and the second Cap is dead he has to release his hand or else it would be suspicious. And he has to do this with a straight face.

I wonder when he finally was allowed to shed a tear, to mourn, to fall apart

I'm by now completely convinced that he went to the front to protect them both because Cap really wasn't that subtle

And Havers looked out for both of them even in Cap's final moments

It's just so tragic. Cap lost his life but Havers lost so so much as well

I really, really want to know what happened to him afterwards.

#bbc ghosts #BBC Ghosts spoilers #BBC Ghosts series 5 spoilers #Redlever #My soft boy and my creaky boy #Caphavers #Capvers #Lieutenant Havers #Lieutenant Anthony Havers #Formerly known as #Lieutenant William Havers #I fucking can't Stop crying

[captains-swaggerstick]

He’s so me I swear.

#bbc ghosts spoilers #bbc ghosts #ghosts bbc #incorrect bbc ghosts #the captain #bbc ghosts series 5 #bbc ghosts series 5 spoilers #bbc ghosts season five #bbc ghosts season 5 #bbc ghosts s5 #bbc ghosts textposts

[blistering-typhoons]

still not over simon's performance in the finale, because as much as I adore the Captain, and Ben's portrayal of him, it's always Julian that resonated uncomfortably close for me. Alongside Pat, I think he was the one person where emotions are concerned that I always wince and go, yikes, ok that's me sometimes. The way it all hits him in an instant and his movements fail, the breath he takes when he looks to Alison and realizes the enormity of the past five years. Simon nailed that desperation and love so, so fucking well and i don't know why i'm still surprised because the man can fucking ACT.

#if you told me a dead dickhead politician with no trousers would do this to me #i'd probably believe you cuz i know myself #but oh lord #such a beautiful performance #made even stronger of course by charlotte! #now if you'll excuse me #time to wander the empty landscapes of my heart once more #bbc ghosts #bbc ghosts spoilers #bbc ghosts series 5 spoilers

[ghostlycheuwing]

The empty frame (which also became an incidental meta about portraits in Ghosts)

I find the establishing shot of the Captain reminiscing privately in Carpe Diem very meaningful.

We get this image with the music they used in Redding Weddy to introduce the flashbacks between the Captain and Havers. Interestingly, in that episode, we hear the violins twice and it's always in association with the letter addressed to William – the first time, the Captain is looking at the envelope in deep thoughts and hurriedly hides it as he bids Havers to come; the second, he looks at the envelope in deep thoughts and eventually throws it on top of the bomb (his metaphorical heart), intending to bury them forever (... or until it explodes, as it were. Of course, if you repress your feelings for too long, they tend to explode in your face).

When you hear the music, you immediately understand the Captain is thinking about Havers.

The framing (pun intended) is really interesting to me. The Captain has an expression of intense longing on his face. He seems to be in the same position as he was at the end of Redding Weddy, when he sees/remembers Havers' private goodbye from afar as he left for the front; sitting at the same window; turned the same way; a similar expression on his face; both hands on the stick again. Indeed, just after, we are shown the same view of the front gate, sans Havers. If you allow me another nod: the frame is empty.

I keep talking about frames, because I find the empty frame on the Captain's right very symbolic. The association with the next shot (the image of the front gate without Havers = an empty frame) makes it all the more poignant to me. Why is the Captain's frame empty?

Frames are shown to ornate several kinds of objects in the show:

Portraits of loved ones. Fanny's husband comes to mind. Interestingly, it is the portrait of a closeted homosexual man, whom Fanny eventually learns to accept for who he was and what society was through his portrait (while a gay wedding is about to take place).

Portraits of oneself. Humphrey and Fanny are prominent ones. I just realised that both portraits get torn during the show, which reflects their fragmented identities/sense of self. I love that Fanny's portrait gets repaired, albeit not perfectly, by Alison. I love that Fanny recognises that she is still the same girl underneath. (I love that Humphrey seems mildly disgruntled and resigned at the damage on his one? It's exactly his reactions towards his recalcitrant body, and it feels very much like his whole vibe; I adore him). Also, we shouldn't forget Thomas' portrait: slowly built until he overthinks it all, gets ahead of himself and rejects the piece before it is ready... a portrait which ends up being put aside by the woman he loves (a woman who feels slighted by his hasty words even if he only wanted to be honourable). If it doesn't parallel his relationship with Isabelle and his death, I don't know what does!

Mirrors. It is a recurring theme around the Captain of course: we see his reflection in the mirror in the intro; the picture on Alison's mirror has him reminiscing about dead seagulls and start the process of resolution which saves the day.

With that in mind, I find the symbol of the empty frame can work on several layers here:

Portrait of a loved one: the frame is empty, but not because there is no one (there is still a frame). It could symbolise an absent lover (Havers left the picture through that front gate)... or a love that never became official. No one could have taken Havers' portrait for the Captain. And Havers wouldn't have given him his picture, because everything was left unsaid. Not to mention the fact that it would have been incredibly damning and dangerous for the Captain to keep the image of the man he loved around him. It had to stay hidden, invisible. So no picture, and Havers is far away and out of reach, but he is still very much present in the Captain's mind and heart. He is able access the memory of Havers not through his portrait but through his secret memories.

Portrait of oneself: a portrait (one like Fanny's, Humphrey's and Thomas') is made with care. It takes a long time to complete and it cements the way you want to (or people want you to) be remembered through time. It is a reflection of who you are, but also the way others perceive you. Humphrey and Fanny had their portraits done because they were socially important and rich people; these are very official portraits. As I touched before, they are also a sign of their fragmented selves. Both characters want to be and get to be more than this unmoving piece of history. They both lost themselves in who they were supposed to be. Through death, they are allowed to show their own individuality. For his part, Thomas gets to pose like a romantic intellectual (or an intellectual romantic?), very much the way he wants to be seen and remembered. He has someone close to him who is willing to paint him.

Now, the empty frame could be a sign that the Captain was not considered important enough in his life or was not remembered fondly enough (by the troops, for example) to capture his image. We understand that he has never been on the front, and men like Cartwright sneer at him for that reason. In a room full of officers, the heroes whose memory the Captain never fails to honour, he is readily rejected. At that point in time, there is no place in history for the Captain to be remembered (and he believes it too: "I am no hero"). The empty frame could be a symbol of his lack of active role during the war (something that is obviously important in his own identity and the way he is perceived by people who "made history"). The absence of a portrait could also reflect the fact that no close one was there to take his picture. He was not fully seen by Havers, or, once again, it was not possible for them to carry a portrait of their loved one. It was even less possible for Havers to take the time to paint the Captain or be asked to take his picture (… although... one could dream. I mean, can you imagine Havers secretly, or not-so-secretly-but-the-Captain-is-oblivious, taking a picture of him, developing it on his own and frequently gazing at the portrait of the Captain, so focused on his image that he fails to see the seemingly judgemental old lady looking over the Cap's shoulder in the background. I love the idea of Fanny & James, the repressed siblings, having a photo taken of them together before they even got to know each other). To sum up: no official loved one to preserve the Captain's image, no place in history according to his society.

Mirrors: well, it's all about the reflection of the self, isn't it? We know the Captain has difficulties with his identity. He has carefully crafted his military persona and has played the role of the strict and efficient commanding officer for decades, repressing his more sentimental and less conventional side as much as he could. A crucial part of his arc is that he buried his heart and he has to learn to accept himself and express who he is without fear. I also love the idea of inversion in relation to the Captain: in a mirror, you're looking at the inverted image of yourself. "Inversion" was a synonym for homosexuality in the Victorian era (and was still in use in the 40s). Therefore, the recurring theme of mirrors makes a lot of sense around this character. Even his decorations (over his heart) are placed in an inverted way. The empty frame could represent the lingering issue around his identity. After this moment of introspection, and faced with his potentially impeding passing, he will finally tell the truth about who he is. The frame is empty right now, but he is about to leave that behind: he gets to accept who he is. He gets to share the truth about his past and his heart. He gets to be seen (and cherished) for who he is.

The Captain is gazing out of the window, but visually the empty frame is very much part of that window. Hence the Captain is metaphorically reflecting on this empty frame. A symbol for the absence of his loved one, the lack of place in history or remembrance for him, the lack of place in history and memories for his relationship with Havers, the sense of intense self-repression. (on that note, bear in mind that up until his confession, no one knew the Captain's name. It is after this deep introspection that James is able to be open about it all)

When he comes out of his reflection (... pun intended?), we can see how intense the process is for him. It is overwhelming and painful. But when he looks away from the window/empty frame, he faces forward. He turns his eyes to the room next to him - I believe it is the room where he's about to meet the ghosts, so the room where he's about to come out. This shift means that in the Captain's mind, it is not about then anymore: it is about now. Back then he couldn't be himself; he couldn't show his heart. Now, if he's brave enough, maybe he can exist as his true self.

#bbc ghosts #bbc ghosts meta #the captain ghosts #the captain #ghosts bbc #bbc ghosts series 5 spoilers #bbc ghosts series 5 #bbc ghosts spoilers #ghosts spoilers #ghosts meta #the captain's name #carpe diem #the captain and havers #capvers

[ailendolin]

All right, here are some of my thoughts and speculations based on the trailer and the promo pics and synopsis for episode 1:

Barclay gets locked in a room in Button House (the basement?) and witnesses some ghost activity (Plague Ghosts power reveal?)

Alison is going to prank Thomas by pretending to return his feelings and breaks his heart (possibly leading to him moving on from her)

Kitty's death will have something to do with the pineapple (either because she's allergic to it, Eleanor poisoned it, it was rotten or because there was something in it to preserve it that's poisonous)

Alternatively, the pineapple is a red herring and will not directly cause her death

The Captain returns post-war to Button House to receive his medals and possibly reunites with Havers

He might also die there in the same flashback (for added heartbreak imagine him dying in Havers's arms)

Robin flashback to at least one former ghost moving on

Something will happen at midnight or at least the ghosts think it will (perhaps Robin has figured something out that leads them to believe they/one of them might move on? Possibly in the context of Halloween since it's a shame we haven't had a Halloween ep)

Money / financial struggles will again be an issue for Alison and Mike (perhaps leading to Fanny using her math skills to help them out or to more Alison & Julian crime shenanigans)

#bbc ghosts #bbc ghosts spoilers #mp bbc ghosts #bbc ghosts series 5 #bbc ghosts series 5 spoilers

[stop-saying-tootsie]

if anyone wants to know, i accidentally watched episode 6 before episode 5, so my series finale was the achy breaky heart line dance , and i feel like that’s really fitting

#like i realized AFTER julian’s speech that. huh this seems like final episode material #so with 2 minutes left in the final episode i watched ep 5 #honestly i’m not TOO mad #but the set up of episode 5 was def to make us think someone got sucked off #so having seen episode 6 it wasn’t as scary to me as it should’ve been #i was extraordinarily high though so i couldn’t remember if everyone was in ep 6 #so there were SOME stakes #bbc ghosts #six idiots #them there #bbc ghosts spoilers #bbc ghosts series 5 #bbc ghosts series 5 spoilers

[ratboylucius]

“it’s cake!”

the way lolly adefope delivers kitty’s lines, i adore her.

#lolly adefope #kitty bbc ghosts #bbc ghosts #bbc ghosts series 5 #bbc ghosts series 5 spoilers #bbc ghosts spoilers

[discoddity]

BBC GHOSTS 5 SPOILERS!!!

the captains NAMEBhvqhgsjev???? and the faxt he died staring into havers’ eyes :(((( kill me

#bbc ghosts #bbc ghosts 5 #bbc ghosts 5 spoilers #bbc ghosts season 5 #bbc ghosts season 5 spoilers #bbc ghosts series 5 #bbc ghosts series 5 spoilers #ghosts 5 #the captain bbc ghosts #the captain ghosts #the captain #ghosts bbc #ghosts series 5

[chuffedchough]

Yeah, no, okay as far as I’m concerned 5x06 is the ending, sorry

#bbc ghosts series 5 spoilers #bbc ghosts spoilers #I'm very sorry #I really wanted to adore it but I just well didn't #I'm very happy for the folks who loved it though #still gonna be drawing fanart and still love the series of course #but yeah bit sad me lads

[olithatwriter]

does anyone have the "Achy Braky Heart" BBC ghosts series 5 dance video?

#bbc ghosts #ghosts bbc #bbc ghosts spoilers #Ghosts bbc series 5 #bbc ghosts series 5 #Bbc ghosts series 5 spoilers #the captain bbc ghosts

[tamsinbeybey-she-no-porcupine]

His proud little "she got me on that one...well played, well played indeed" dad smile

I can't.

#i love him your honour #he is Allisons dad #also when he says clever girl he also looks so proud and slightly annoyed...annoyed isn't the right word though #anyhow it gives s1 cap smug vibes #i love this so much #also oh boy he looked so gorgeous in that scene #like aesthetic attraction going through the damn roof #bbc ghosts #bbc ghosts spoilers #my creaky boy #bbc ghosts series 5 spoilers #my comfort middle-aged man ben willbond

[captains-swaggerstick]

We know, James. We know.

#bbc ghosts spoilers #bbc ghosts #ghosts bbc #incorrect bbc ghosts #the captain #bbc ghosts textposts #bbc ghosts series 5 spoilers #bbc ghosts s5 #bbc ghosts season 5 #bbc ghosts series 5 #bbc ghosts season five

[blistering-typhoons]

I AM DISTRAUGHT

spoilers, massive spoilers under cut, also it's three am so-

- ALISON! PREGNANT! I'M SO, I'M FUCKING- IT'S A LOT IM SO HAPPYY

- her and mike deciding to go for gender neutral names? And mike casually saying baby cooper could change their name in the future? dead oh my god

- the 'ew thomas' count rose to dizzying heights this series, but spliced with that were genuine moments of pure joy at him also

- THOMAS SCOTTISH

- pat being impervious to alison's pranks was incredible, this man is the loml

- kitty's death made me cry, still coming to terms with eleanor's characterization, but i'm not mad

- also thomas going 'bitch' every two seconds had me shRIEKING

- clever girl

- pat and julian's whole north v south argument had me in legitimate stiches, and cap's contribution was so cute and wholesome, like a border collie

- robin this season made me cry almost every fucking time istg, i was generally a mess

- everybody! carrying humphrey about! Nice!

- walk in safe!

- kitty mimicking a pregnant alison was everything

- have to get this out before i combUST FUKIN CAPTAIN DEATH AND NAME AND FUCK YOU BEN WILLBOND

- sibling asked me to explain myself at this point and i genuinely had to collect myself for a mo i was so choked up

- fanny assuring him that he's brave

- pat's only wish to be with the others in the house

- im making a part two for this because my brain is melting so last two points

- only criticism is that it feels? oddly incomplete? i dunno, maybe my expectations were wired too specifically, but it feels lacking in some way, but ofc! There's a Christmas special still on it's way, so there could be some stuff getting fleshed out- but overall, something felt a little off but also i am an empty husk right now so

- and finally, simon's performance in the finale as julian pours his heart out to alison, the way his breath hitches at the full emotion of it and desperately trying to shoo it away- keep himself together, god that might be the finest bit of acting this whole show i'm not even fucking kidding, it rent an honest to god gasp from me, so fucking talented

#bbc ghosts #bbc ghosts spoilers #bbc ghosts series 5 #bbc ghosts series 5 spoilers #god this aint even all of it #but im so exhausted #but i had a fuckin blast #a few things unsure in my chest #but still #my god what a ride #im so fucking emotional i miss them already

[ghostlycheuwing]

"Stick it?!"

"In my bottom, presumably"

... I mean, this line in the context of Carpe Diem, mamma mia! (ABBA)

#bbc ghosts #the captain ghosts #ghosts bbc #bbc ghosts series 5 spoilers #the captain's sexuality #bbc ghosts series 5 #bbc ghosts s5 #bbc ghosts spoilers #silly posts

[missielynne]

Excuse me, I just need to listen to Alone by Heart and Fernando by ABBA as I think of Cap and Havers and cry.

Alone:

Fernando:

#bbc ghosts #capvers #bbc ghosts spoilers #bbc ghosts series 5 spoilers #Youtube

[just-a-coincidence]

I'm binging ghosts and there's so many moments when all I can say is why why whyyyyyyyyy! Episode 5 is just best and worst and amazing and my heart is cracking into a million tiny pieces and everything is all happiness at the same time

#ghosts #bbc ghosts #ghosts series 5 #ghosts series 5 spoilers #bbc ghosts series 5 spoilers