DISCLAIMER: This recap of SurrealEstate Season 2 Episode 2, “Truth in Advertising” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
SurrealEstate Season 2 is off to a delightful start. “Truth in Advertising” is easily one of my favorite episodes. I love it when this show leans heavily into the campiness and cheesiness of it all. This spoof of those hokey paranormal investigation shows is pitch-perfect. Kit Rampart is a legend.
This outing boasts plenty of humor, cheesy horror and effects reminiscent of campy horror flicks, fun performances and an interesting narrative. We’re also exploring the dynamics between our core cast and propelling the overarching story in an intriguing direction. I hope the season continues on this track.
Ready to delve into “Truth in Advertising”? Let’s get to it.
RELATED: Check out our recap for SurrealEstate Season 2 Episode 1, “Trust the Process”
We open with a man, Doug Pederson (Andrew Steven Legg), who’s taking the trash to the curb at night. Suddenly, a creature appears, boasting a gray hooded cloak while slowly dragging a shovel behind them. They spot Doug and move toward him with their clawed hands raised. Doug runs into his garage and shuts the door. Unfortunately, the creature scratched him. He sees bloody claw marks on his back. Uh-oh.
Then, we see famed paranormal investigator Kit Rampart (Brian Marler) in the opening credits for his TV series Spirit Stalkers Paranormal P.I. He introduces us to the legend of Grace Wexford, a werewolf-like ghost who haunts the area. He hopes to see her in real-time. However, Zooey (Savannah Basley) ruins the shot by standing behind Kit. Later, Luke (Tim Rozon) advises Doug as his realtor. Doug will be featured in an episode of Kit’s TV show. After all, Grace Wexford scratched Doug. Doug claims that his house has been on the market for a few months now with no bites. Perhaps an appearance in Kit’s series will change that.
Of course, Luke knows this Kit dude’s full of BS. He might not be able to communicate with the dead anymore, but he can sniff out that BS from a mile away. Luke meets Kit, confirming his suspicions. Kit is as overdramatic and deeply, unironically serious as possible. I love it.
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Next, Luke and Susan (Sarah Levy) share an elevator ride to The Roman Agency. It’s awkward. Luke reveals he will let Doug participate in Spirit Stalkers because there’s not much else he can do. Susan disagrees with this move. Once inside, Zooey gives Susan some info on her clients, an older couple who own a Bed and Breakfast. Apparently, Luke has decreed that all current and prospective clients must go through him now. Ugh. I wouldn’t be surprised if Susan temporarily quits or another agency snatches her up.
Susan asks August (Maurice Dean Wint) if he’ll accompany her to this B&B to scope it out. Auggie wants to test Susan’s new home for supernatural activity, but Susan insists it’s unnecessary. Meanwhile, Kit butts heads with Ileana Davis (Natalie Charles), presumably the showrunner. He’s tired of “faking it.” They have crewmembers off-camera creating sounds to make it seem like there’s a paranormal entity. However, it’s all phony. Unfortunately, they have a shooting schedule to plow through.
We see Grace (Nicole Redmond) lurking near the window in the Wexford house. She parts the curtains with her clawed hand before walking away. Next, Luke competes with Kit as they show off their battle scars from their various paranormal exploits over the years. As it turns out, like Luke, Kit used to have the ability to communicate with the dead. Then, it simply vanished. They commiserate together over this shared loss. Kit wants his series to be rooted in authenticity, but it’s not.
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Later, we see Susan and Auggie driving to the B&B. They talk about houses, particularly Auggie’s favorite home with his family. I love getting these little nuggets of insight into these characters’ lives. And now we know that Auggie fences, plays poker and is in a jazz band. His extracurricular dance card is always full. When they get to the B&B, they chat with the older couple about the sounds they hear. It sounds like lots and lots of moaning. Hmm.
At the Wexford residence, Luke watches a take with Kit as he attempts to communicate with Grace. Grace legitimately answers, getting Kit excited to see real action. However, Luke ruins the take by jumping into the shot to protect Kit from harm. Afterward, Luke calls Father Phil for backup.
Then, Ileana chats with famed author and historian Willa Stans (Kate Trotter), who’s agreed to be interviewed for the episode. Willa has written about the Wexford family before. Ileana hoped for some juicy behind-the-scenes bits for her scene, but Willa wants to tell the truth. The truth can be less glamorous. Meanwhile, Zooey scares one of the Spirit Stalkers crewmembers (I love her) while Susan and Auggie discover why this couple hears noises. The two ghosts in their B&B were lovers when they were alive, and they’re doing the horizontal tango under the sheets. Ooh la la!
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Next, Luke and Zooey try to sing the Grace Wexford lullaby into an old-school communication device. They get a response, which is progress. Susan calls Phil (Adam Korson) for assistance in “turning off” the sex ghosts. He vows to do some digging. But first, he meets Willa Stans, who he loves. He expresses admiration for her catalog, including the “boring” stuff. He’s all about the truth. Phil asks to speak to her about the Grace case.
Luke and Zooey devise a plan to distract Kit so Luke can work his mojo. Zooey conceals herself under a sheet and pretends to be Grace. Naturally, Kit orders his team to chase her outside into the surrounding woods. Ileana protests, reminding Kit that it’s almost daylight and they still have a lot to shoot. However, Kit hopes they’ll have plenty of actual supernatural phenomena to entice viewers.
Later, Phil fills Luke in on what he found regarding Grace. Her father died one day, making her uncle the heir to his business. The uncle instantly buried Grace’s dad before he went cold. Grace came home and dug him up to honor his wishes. When the authorities arrived, one of them slapped Grace in the face. Her teeth scratched him, and he died. Thus, the insulting lullaby was born. Her father used to sing a real tune to her that was much nicer. Essentially, society constructing this nasty legend about Grace turned her into a monster.
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Auggie and Susan are waist-deep in research. How do they get rid of the sex ghosts? Auggie admires their love that stands the test of time (and the physical plane). Perhaps they leave them be. Luke digs up Grace’s father’s grave. We see her lurking behind him. She raises a clawed hand, seemingly to harm him. She shoves him to the ground. When Luke lays eyes on Grace, she looks like a terrifying creature of our nightmares. Luke starts singing her father’s lullaby, a sweet song about Grace’s positive attributes. It relaxes her.
Then, she transforms into her human self. She smiles at Luke before turning to face her dad’s grave. She takes off her necklace and drops it in the dirt. Grace Wexford vanishes.
When the morning comes, Kit tells Luke he thinks he has a banger of an episode on his hands. He feels reinvigorated after coming into contact with real paranormal stuff again. Kit also wants to hire Zooey, giving her his info should the real estate thing not pan out. However, we know she’s studying for her real estate license, as evidenced by the practice test on her desk. Get it, girl.
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Later, Susan and Auggie present their solution to the couple. The ghosts only reunite every Saturday night to get it on, so why not let them? Make it part of the B&B’s marketing. Pivot and accept them. Millennials love an experience (as one myself, I concur). Embrace the sex spirits!
As part of this new marketing angle, the couple enlists Kit Rampart to film an episode of Spirit Stalkers. He’s ready for all the paranormal nookie. Wink-wink.
RELATED: Keep up on the haunted housing market with our SurrealEstate recaps!
When will Zooey tell Luke about her secret studying to obtain a real estate license? How long until Susan has had enough of Luke? Will Luke’s power ever resurface? Only time (and more episodes) will tell.
SurrealEstate airs new episodes every Wednesday at 10/9c on your Syfy affiliate.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
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