On Ghosts Season 2 Episode 22, “The Heir,” Sam and Jay witness a bright beam appear as one of the ghosts is seemingly “sucked off.” But what benevolent spirit convinced the heavens to let them pass over? That we don’t know, and Ghosts might not either.

This cliffhanger establishes that someone will leave Woodstone, but not who. While there’s likely a character in mind, this move allows people to renegotiate contracts and navigate the unknowns of the writer’s strike with a contingency in place. With everyone’s fate up in the air, I’ve compiled a list of ghosts with the best chance of getting sucked off when the show returns.

Here are those possibilities:

Stephanie (The 80s’ Slasher Ghost)

I am reluctant to include Stephanie because she is a teenage tyrant, and a fling with the teen basement ghost doesn’t change that.

But as an established side character, her effectiveness in a guest role is not something to write off. Stephanie is less likely to hurt the ensemble’s dynamics if she leaves, but her ascension would enact a strong response from the other ghosts.

The sitcom could repackage the plot hole into a hilarious twist, turning Stephanie and Ralph’s romance into a believable redemption arc. Crazier things have happened.

The issue is Stephanie has made no attempt to reform her mean-girl persona. Her yearly gimmick hinges on her being a selfish antagonist, much like Elias Woodstone. It would be a drastic change in character to see her sucked off so soon. That said, her departure is something I would love to see Ghosts try and sell us.

Nigel Chessum

I know. Stifle your gasps. We must face the facts. Isaac makes Nigel happy, which runs the risk of Nigel finding peace now that Isaac has worked up the nerve to propose.

After all, Nigel has no major quarrels with his comrades (that we know of), and it is established he is comfortable with his sexuality. Compared to Isaac, Nigel is years ahead of his boyfriend in his journey of growth, and this engagement could be a defining conclusion.

However, it would be dangerous for Ghosts to remove Nigel from the story of its own volition. Isaac just proposed, and the decision to split them apart could invoke the “Bury Your Gays” trope. This sitcom is better than that.

And Nigel did recently attempt to blackmail Hetty and Trevor, so the little teapot has that going for him. Let’s hope the deciders upstairs frown on extortion, and Nigel and Isaac can have the ghost wedding of their dreams.

Alberta Haynes

No one from the core ensemble can leave us, but if I have to guess one, it’s Alberta. Alberta recently solved her 100-year-old murder and forgave Hetty for misleading her. On top of that, she has witnessed her music find renewed fame and has healed old wounds of unfulfilled motherhood by helping her descendant.

Alberta has lived her afterlife to the fullest. There is still lots to explore with Danielle Pinnock‘s character, but if she can do all that and not get the green light from heaven, who can? (Definitely not Trevor, who almost killed two people this season).

This is the issue with establishing “death” in the afterlife. The more fulfilling the ghosts’ lives become, the more we want them to stay. But someone will have to get sucked off to give credibility to the goal, and that someone could be Alberta. Here’s hoping Ghosts recognizes this ensemble is perfect and holds off on tampering with it until, say, Season 5.

Nancy (The Basement Ghost)

Of all the options, I believe Nancy is the contingency plan for this cliffhanger.

If everyone returns for Season 3, the basement ghost will likely part ways with Woodstone. Like Stephanie, Nancy is well-established within the mansion’s ghost community, and her departure shakes things up without impacting the core group.

Removing Nancy would enrage the upstairs ghosts to know the spirits they look down on ascended to heaven first. In addition, it would force the ensemble to interact more with the downstairs ghosts now that they have something they want.

It is also believable that Nancy would get sucked off because we know so little about the basement ghosts. They have their own show with developments we don’t see. Springing that fact on the main cast would be hilariously on-brand.

Betsy Sodaro is a more notable recurring guest star on Ghosts and appears briefly throughout the show. Yet this season, we saw the actress double her appearances, popping up at the end of the season to make idle chit-chat.

While these appearances are harmless, they are somewhat odd in timing. This could be a tactic to reintroduce us to the character so our memory of her is fresh when Nancy leaves.

As the only basement ghost interacting with the upstairs spirits, she is the most practical basement option. However, that’s not to say she couldn’t become the mouthpiece for a faceless basement ghost that gets sucked off. And ultimately, beaming Nancy up doesn’t alter her recurring guest role much because she can still return to the house on Halloween.

A Trick, Perhaps?

There is one option we have to consider: not a single ghost gets sucked off. After all, this crafty sitcom loves a good misdirection. We spent a summer eager to see if Jay could see the ghosts, only to be robbed with a bait-and-switch in the form of a Pete look-a-like.

Nothing about this sitcom is straightforward, so if we can easily connect the beam to a ghost going to heaven, chances are the show will try to disrupt that theory.

We must also consider what getting sucked off means, given Ghosts will tell us nothing about upstairs. Who is to say it’s where good people go?

Blame the mistrust on The Good Place, but when this concept is relayed to us by ghosts not in heaven, we must consider what exactly is above them.

Even though getting sucked off is the goal, establishing an upstairs oasis is not part of the show’s vague agenda. And with Molly suggesting she will “melt” if she says too much about heaven and Elias sending emails from hell, anything is possible.

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The first two seasons of Ghosts are available to stream on Paramount+.

This article first appeared on Tell-Tale TV.

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Alicia Gilstorf

Alicia is a writer from Canada. She credits her passion for TV and film to superheroes, workplace comedies, cheesy holiday movies, and coming-of-age stories.