The fourth episode of “Not Dead Yet” was all about Nell trying to get over the fact that her ex-fiancé has a new girlfriend, and how he did not shy away from posting about it on all of his social media handles. She is disturbed to know he moved on rather quickly. She is initially not keen on dating, but after knowing who Philip’s new girlfriend is, she asks Sam, Dennis, and Lexi to set her up with someone. The dates don’t go as planned but she finally runs into someone who might be the one. But he ends up being a ghost, someone only she could see. She is heartbroken, but will she pursue him, or is this just a one-time sighting?
Spoilers Ahead
Dr. Jesse And His Heroics
Nell wakes up the next day only to see a ghost sitting next to her on the bed, looking at her. She is taken aback, and she wonders about this man, with whom she spent the entire evening until morning, only to realize the man she connected with is a ghost. He never managed to inform her about his form, and Nell, like a smitten woman, went along talking to him about her life as Philip’s fiancée. Nell truly believed there was a connection she felt with this man, and for the first time, she came across a listener. She asks him why he did not inform her of his status as a ghost which leads her to believe he existed for real. His name turns out to be Dr. Jesse and he is a pediatrician, who volunteered to do many works for the California Anthropology Commission and did part-time work as a deep-sea diver. Nell is mesmerized by the life Jesse has led so far, and she wonders what led to his early demise. Nell wondered why she couldn’t find a man like him, who seemed like an emotionally available person who could connect with her for real but who wasn’t dead. Nell is carried away by the way he talks, listens, and looks into Nell’s eyes.
Dr. Jesse has swept her off her feet, and Nell cannot seem to stop thinking about him, and she does not want to stop talking to him. Dr. Jesse passed away when he volunteered to look for a cave village underwater, and he was killed by a great white shark. The man was not just liked by the kids and his patients; he was always lauded for the plenty of charity work he did and for his deep-sea diving skills. Nell is intrigued by the amount of work Jesse has done, and how he ended up having to pass away in such a heroic manner. Nell would have loved to date a man like Jesse, and Jesse felt the same. But the barrier is life and the afterlife, which will make it hard for Nell to even consider dating a man like him because he is no more.
Nell And Sam’s Day Out
Nell and Sam plan to have a day out at an Italian restaurant where they will be served plenty of breadsticks for free. Nell and Sam have not had a blowout since Nell came back from London. Nell has been busy rebuilding her career, while Sam has been busy with her kids and work too. This outing to an Italian restaurant is where they just spend time with each other and talk about their lives for once. Lexi wants to join in, but Sam makes it politely clear that this day is only for herself and Nell. Nell cannot wait for the afternoon to kick in to make a day out of this weird evening she had the previous day and a weird morning with Jesse. Nell would do anything to distract herself from the topic of Jesse. He keeps following her everywhere, and until she submits Jesse’s obituary, there is no way Jesse is going to leave her alone.
‘Not Dead Yet’ Episode 5: Ending Explained – Will Nell Finally Let Go Of Dr. Jesse By Publishing His Obituary?
Nell has a one-on-one conversation with Dr. Jesse about the work he did with children as a pediatrician. She cannot seem to let go of this person to whom she is genuinely attracted. Even though there is a big barrier between them, Nell cannot wonder what it would be like to let him hang around for some time for her to understand Jesse. It is not just Nell who feels strongly; it is also Jesse who feels the same way about Nell. He wants to touch her, but he cannot seem to do that for obvious reasons. In the hope of increasing his time in the mortal world, she delays her submission of the obituary only to be able to spend time with Jesse. In that process, Nell forgets that she has to meet Sam for lunch. Nell skips lunch and hangs out at Cricket’s wine bar, hoping Jesse will follow her there so they can have a deep conversation about life in general.
Cricket, on the other hand, is having a hard time hiring anyone to play the piano after her husband’s passing. She has not hired anyone because this would mean she would have to accept the fact that he is gone for good. Monty used to play the piano during the happy hours, and Cricket cannot come to terms with the fact that he is gone. The piano belonged to Monty, and she was not ready to let anyone else play it. Edward shows interest in playing the piano at the wine bar, but she refuses to allow him to do so, citing the same reason. Cricket has yet to let Monty go from her heart. Monty, though, appears in front of Jesse and pesters her to ask Cricket why there is no one playing the piano at the bar. Nell is also confronted by Sam for not showing up for the lunch plan they had. Sam is livid for obvious reasons, and she wonders if Nell will again ditch her for another date. Nell, on Monty’s insistence, asks about the piano. Cricket gives the same response she gave to Edward. As the days go by, grief takes over, and she is unable to let anyone play the piano. Cricket is still holding Monty close to her life, and letting someone play his piano would mean a final piece of Monty would go away from her life, and his passing would be real. Nell convinces Cricket through Monty’s ghost that he will always be there with her no matter what, and someone playing the piano would probably remind her of him. A replacement piano would not mean a replacement for the love of her life. Cricket requests Edward to start playing the piano, only to discover he is quite a talented pianist. Cricket had to face her fear only to finally move on.
Monty confronts Nell about what she is doing, trying to hang on to Jesse instead of letting him go. There is a pain in her that she has not revealed to anyone and suppressing that is leading her to make Jesse stay beside her. Keeping Jesse around for this long is making Nell not think of the pain. A pain that feels less of a pain when she converses with Jesse. But she soon comes to terms, especially after having a chat with Monty, that letting go of her pain will make it easy for her to move on. She has one last conversation with Jesse and lets him know that she is submitting the obituary. Jesse is happy to have conversed with her and made her feel better. She can only hope to see him sometime, whenever he feels like it. She submits the obituary, and Dr. Jesse disappears. Nell finally apologizes to Sam as well, and she reveals that during her time in London with Philip, she got pregnant and suffered a miscarriage quite early in the first trimester. Her pain is not from the child she lost but from the fact that Philip never understood the pain she was going through after the miscarriage. He never empathized with her loss and asked her to move on to feel less pain. She did not reveal this to Sam either because she wanted to face the pain on her own and move forward on her own. Sam promises to be there for her often from now on. Sam and Nell might have had hiccups in their friendship, but they are rebuilding it so that from now on, they do not miss out on the experiences they go through, good or bad.
What To Expect From Episode 6 Of ‘Not Dead Yet’?
Episode six of “Not Dead Yet” should be about yet another ghost that will make sure to either intrigue or pester Nell. There will also be the question of whether she should date again because her last love interest was a dead man only she could see. Sam and Dennis will hopefully help her hit the jackpot in the dating scene. There will be a point in this season where either Sam, Dennis, or Cricket will learn of Nell’s ability to speak to the dead. It will be interesting to know their reaction.
Final Thoughts
“Not Dead Yet” Episode 5, just like the fourth episode, was more emotional because Nell and Sam were rediscovering not just their friendship but also what Nell wanted from life and how she would let go of her pain. The writing and the humor work, but there is less humor in this episode and more melancholy. It blends well with the narrative. I’m really looking forward to seeing Nell have even more witty encounters with the ghosts.
