SurrealEstate 2×2 Review: “Truth in Advertising”

SurrealEstate season 2 episode 2, ‘Truth in Advertising’, had Luke come face-to-face with an interesting version of himself as he tried to help a young woman move on to the afterlife.

The main plotline of ‘Truth in Advertising’ had Luke Roman handle a house that was being haunted by a ghost that resembled some kind of a were-demon. While Luke’s been trying to get to the bottom of the situation for the past two months, the owner decided to take a different approach that led to more worldbuilding in the SurrealEstate lore.

Turns out, this fictional world had a ghost-hunting reality show called Spirit Stalkers: Paranormal PI led by a guy named Kit Rampart (Brian Marler). The owner of the house thought that promoting the building via the show would get people to be interested in buying it. However, Luke’s understandably against the idea because he’s worried Kit and his crew might end up complicating the ghost-related situation.

I really liked how the creative team handled Kit’s introduction. Spirit Stalkers: Paranormal PI was definitely a spoof of the numerous paranormal shows out there. From the shaky camera work to the visuals, the creative team made sure to make everything look as authentic as possible. And, of course, there was also the behind-the-scenes look that showed how the ghost-related events in such shows are overly produced. As Kit’s director put it, if you can fake the truth, you can fake anything.

While the spoof elements made me laugh, I do think it was the right decision to showcase the heart behind Kit’s character and how his journey paralleled Luke’s. From what I could tell, Kit indeed had the gift to sense the paranormal but found himself constantly having to fake his content as he grew more popular and networks demanded more episodes. Kit longed to feel the real thing again, and Luke (who recently lost his powers) could relate to him.

In a sense, Luke could have easily become a paranormal reality show star if he wasn’t interested in becoming a realtor. Kit was, in a way, another version of Luke. Both men did what they did to help ghosts leave the mortal realm. And I liked that. With how things ended in ‘Truth in Advertising’, I hope to see Kit again. 

The current case also added a paranormal layer of world-building to the narrative. It’s revealed that certain ghosts can be influenced by how they are remembered. Kit was trying to reach out to a were-demon named Grace. The urban legend involved her digging up her father’s body to feast on him. Grace was supposed to have sharp teeth and long claw-life fingernails. She also walked around with a shovel. And that’s how the show depicted Grace whenever she appeared onscreen.

With Luke calling Phil for help and Phil connecting with a historian who had researched Grace’s life, we got to learn the truth about what happened 200 years ago and how Grace ended up being remembered as a were-demon. Seeing Luke recite the actual poem to help Grace remember who she was made for a very emotional moment.

I really liked the idea of urban legends making ghosts appear a certain way in SurrealEstate. And I hope that the creative team continues to play around with said concept.

Zooey also aided Luke during the current case. And she did great. Which, duh! It’s Zooey after all.

In my review of the season 2 debut episode, I wondered what Zooey’s arc was going to be. ‘Truth in Advertising’ showed that she’s been studying to get her realtor license. She hasn’t told anyone about it yet though. I’m looking forward to Zooey getting her license and how her wanting to work as a realtor will impact the Roman Agency.

As for August and Susan, their plotline involved handling another haunted property. The reason behind the property being haunted really took me by surprise. I loved it. Not every ghost needs to be sent to the afterlife.

The episode also allowed Susan and August to spend much-needed time together. We got to learn more about August’s interests and his family life. I hope to see August’s daughters soon. 

August did bring up running a scan of the house that Susan’s fallen in love with. But Susan told August not to worry about it. I mean, Susan’s clearly in danger as her infatuation with the creepy AI house increases. I’m excited! 

What did you think of SurrealEstate season 2 episode 2 ‘Truth in Advertising’?

Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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