Ghosts Season 5 Premiere: Utkarsh Ambudkar Explains Why Jay Couldn't 'Throw A Ghost Under The Bus' — Plus, Who Got Sucked Off?

If you spent all summer worrying about the fate of Jay's soul, rest assured. The Season 5 premiere of "Ghosts" did not off Jay, nor did Elias drag him to hell. (Phew!) But by episode's end, Woodstone Manor did find itself down one ghost after a certain someone was surprisingly sucked off.

When we first find Jay in Thursday's episode, he's donning all sorts of athletic protective gear and yes, still avoiding most kitchen appliances — which isn't entirely ideal for a budding restauranteur. 

"He and Sam are on high alert and I think he's naturally afraid for his life," Utkarsh Ambudkar tells TVLine. "That's pretty much how he's operating right now. Like his days are numbered and that Elias is around every corner waiting to strike. It's scary times at Woodstone Manor!" 

Scary indeed. It's not every day that the devil's soul collector targets you for eternal damnation. But that's Jay's new reality at the start of Season 5, and both he and Sam are panicked. When asked to describe how Sam's dealing with her spouse's, uhh, situation, Ambudkar says bluntly: "She's not stoked at all." 

"Sam is having a rough go, just like Jay is," he adds. "I think they're in it together, as with pretty much [everything]. They're scared together, they're happy together and this is no different. They are united in their deep fear of what is to come." 

Surprisingly enough, it's Flower who comes up with the best possible plan. Why don't they trick Elias into going inside the ghost trap until he agrees to let Jay out of the deal he mistakenly signed? Solid! Only in order to trap him inside, he has to be in ghost form. 

"Weirdly for a change, we follow Flowers' lead off into the abyss, and we have to fight Elias and get Jay's soul back," explains Ambudkar. "[Flower's] our Trojan horse." 

After Alberta flirts with Elias to get him to change from demon to ghost, Sam's able to get him inside the trap... only he's not alone.

Sam, Jay and the ghosts quickly learn that Carol climbed into the ghost trap in order to nap on Jay's comfy looking mini Barcalounger (who could blame her?), which complicates their whole "eviscerate Elias" ordeal. After Hetty suggests that maybe they should sacrifice Pete's ex since she's "kind of a bad person," Jay and Pete won't hear of it. Since Jay was the one who signed Elias' deal, he won't let Carol cook for it.

"If Jay sacrifices Carol, then what? If he's the kind of guy who will sacrifice a soul to save his own, who's next? What door does that open to dishonesty, to deceit?" asks Ambudkar. "Jay, above all things, weirdly with all his quirks and his character flaws, he's got honor. He has a sense of right and wrong, and I think he's incapable of putting somebody else at risk when it's his decisions that caused the kerfuffle. Also, would you want, as an audience member, to see Jay throw a ghost under the bus? Nobody wants to see that. Everyone loves Jay!" 

Touché. 

Jay opens the trap, freeing Carol and Elias, only the angry demon returns and demands a soul... and he doesn't even care whose it is. Right before Jay agrees to go with him, Pete steps in to fall on the sword for his friend. But then Carol is the one to shake Elias' hand and get sent to hell! (Call it a mea culpa for ruining Pete's life, I guess?) Elias drops her down into the fiery pits below, but right after, a bright white light beams from the skies and she rises up, up and away — officially sucked off as a reward for her selfless deed. So Jay's officially free and Carol's heading to the pearly gates — take that, Elias! 

"The funny thing is Jay didn't even know that was happening. He had no clue," says Ambudkar. "I mean, that entire last section in Jay-life is just blank. Jay had no clue Pete stepped in. Jay had no clue that Carol stepped in. Jay didn't know that Carol then got sucked off. He had no idea. But I think it speaks a lot to the way that the ghosts love Sam and Jay, and the way that that family, of livings and non-livings, needs each other. They ride-or-die for each other and I think that's beautiful. That's what I love about the show."

Happy that Jay's a free man once again? Grade the premiere below, then sound off in the comments!