PBS Utah Commentator Explores How Ghosts Shape Our Lives

In a recent column for PBS Utah, a commentator explores why the concept of ghosts remains a persistent, if abstract, fixture in our decision-making and emotional lives.

Whether one believes in the literal existence of spirits is perhaps less important than the curiosity such a question invites. The author suggests that the "ghosts" we live with are essentially forces from the past—memories, regrets, and echoes of our former selves—that shape how we live in the present.

The essay highlights how these internal hauntings are not merely metaphorical for characters in television dramas; they are active drivers of narrative conflict. In the series The Gold, Edwyn Cooper is depicted as a man burdened by his own history.

The author notes that in a key scene from the first season, Cooper sees a young boy who reminds him of his own past in South London. Despite his financial success, this encounter underscores a lingering sense of shame that prevents him from ever feeling truly secure.

Grief serves as another form of haunting. In Unforgotten, the team is forced to move forward after the loss of their colleague, Cassie. The arrival of a new leader, Sinéad Keenan, introduces a friction between loyalty to the past and the necessity of growth.

As the author observes, Sunny and his team must balance the memory of their former partner with the reality of working under a new, different leadership style.

The gold actor dominic cooper edwyn cooper

The connection between the past and the present is a cornerstone of the mystery genre, a fact that the author traces back to the work of Edgar Allan Poe. In an episode of American Masters titled Edgar Allan Poe: Buried Alive, the program highlights Poe’s invention of the detective protagonist.

While he is often remembered for his horror stories, Poe’s creation of C. Auguste Dupin in the 1841 story The Murders in the Rue Morgue established the archetype for the eccentric, reclusive intellectual who often worked outside the law.

This persona remains foundational to modern television detectives. Whether it is Jasper in Professor T, who is haunted by memories of his father, or Inspector Maigret, who experiences recurring dreams of his youth, the detective is rarely an unburdened observer.

The author argues that these characters are compelled to resolve unfinished business, using their past experiences to decipher the present. For Maigret, a recurring dream about his father serves as a subconscious prompt as he approaches fatherhood himself.

The author concludes that ghosts, whether they are the literary inspirations of Edgar Allan Poe or the personal memories that inform our daily choices, are ultimately companions we learn to live with. They are not inherently good or bad; they are simply parts of our history that our present needs.

For those looking to engage with these themes during the autumn season, the author suggests checking the PBS App for a curated list of programs called Things that Go Binge in the Night, which includes the 2014 miniseries Death Comes to Pemberley.