Ep 22. The Ghost Story

The Waltons season 2 episode 22, titled "The Ghost Story," centers around the Walton family as they gather together one evening to share ghost stories. As the family sits by the fireplace, John-Boy begins to tell a spooky tale and everyone becomes engrossed in the story. Just as John-Boy finishes, they hear a noise outside and the family, thinking it's a ghost, becomes frightened.

As the noise continues, the family becomes more and more afraid. It turns out that the noise is just Grandpa's pet bullfrog, but the incident sets off a series of strange occurrences in the Walton household. Strange sounds are heard throughout the night, and the family is convinced that the ghost John-Boy spoke about has come to haunt them.

The next day, John-Boy and Grandpa go into the woods to cut some firewood and they come across an old Civil War era grave. The ghost stories from the night before are still fresh in John-Boy's mind, and he can't shake the feeling that there's something supernatural about the grave.

As the days go on, the eerie occurrences in the Walton home continue. Olivia finds that her prized vase has been broken, and John-Boy's typewriter starts typing on its own in the middle of the night. The family is convinced that they are being haunted and enlist the help of a local psychic to come and investigate.

The psychic, Mrs. Hanley, arrives and sets up shop in the Walton house. As she begins to investigate the strange occurrences, she starts to uncover some surprising secrets about the house and the family. She tells them that there is indeed a ghost in the house, but it is not malevolent. In fact, the ghost is trying to help the family.

It turns out that the ghost is a former slave who lived on the property during the Civil War. He was buried in the woods near the Walton house, and his spirit has been trying to communicate with the family in order to help them. The ghost has been attempting to fix the vase that Olivia was so upset about, and was even trying to help John-Boy with his writing.

The Walton family is relieved to hear that the ghost is not there to harm them, but are still scared by the idea of a ghost in their home. With the help of Mrs. Hanley, they are able to perform a ceremony to put the ghost to rest and hopefully put an end to the strange occurrences in their home.

"The Ghost Story" is a spooky and suspenseful episode that delves into the supernatural. While the idea of a ghost in the house is certainly scary, the episode also explores the theme of communication and how it can transcend even death. The Walton family learns that sometimes the things that frighten us the most can also be the things that bring us together and help us understand one another.