Pride and his crew effectively eliminated one New Orleans ghost story.

Yes, Halloween came early on NCIS: New Orleans Season 4 Episode 4.

Yeah, that's a bit of a stretch, but there were spirits and a medium involved, so it kind of qualifies.

Having identical murders separated by 150 years was a nice touch.

Dropping a sailor's body fall right into the middle of a ghost tour was even better.

There will be one less story for that tour thanks to Pride and his people.

And let's not forget Otis, the fake/real medium. He seemed to be picking up psychic vibrations at least some of the time.

Otis even felt driven to use his special skills to help out with the investigation, despite the fact that no one had asked him to. He almost got arrested a second time, but his gift led him to the photo that broke the case wide open.

That's why a paranormal theme helps move the narrative along. Instead of using a computer to piece clues together to solve a mystery, you have a medium receiving answers from the Great Beyond.

Good thing they had Otis to gather information since I don't remember any sign of Patton.

It was a nice bit of synchronicity when Pride, then Sebastian and Gregorio, figure out that Cornelius LaRue was an ancestor of the Anderson family.

Then Otis, LaSalle, and Percy found the photo which proved LaRue was a silent partner at the beginning of what became the Edgar Pharmacy fortune.

Maybe, if circumstances allow, Otis could become one of those characters who recur a couple of times a year. That's a crucial part of the NCIS franchise: having quirky guest stars.

Once the Prescotts were introduced, it was clear that the husband, Tate, was the guilty party. After all, he was protecting his stake in the family fortune.

There was a satisfying scene near the end, when Tessa, the last Edgar, went to make peace with Brandy, the last Anderson, even though I don't think Brandy ever got brought up to speed on what happened.

There was also some interesting character development.

First, LaSalle and Percy made up. Percy's weak explanation for her attitude this season was after they decided to be just friends, she didn't know how to go back to being just friends.

I don't remember it ever getting to the friends-with-benefits stage, so I'm still not sure why her panties were in a bunch. They've both been seeing other people, so apparently, they've moved on from what never was.

So hopefully, that will be the end of the awkwardness. Also, the fact that Percy is only there for about two-thirds of the episodes should help smooth things out.

It was also an interesting twist to see Gregorio freaked out by all the spirit talk around her.

Gregorio chalked up her willingness to believe, while the others were scoffing, to her Catholic upbringing. Usually the most blase of the unit, she was on edge most of the time, rightfully so as she had to outrace a fire.

Then, in the end, she hunts down Otis so that she can question her dead father. That makes you wonder what she wanted to know.

Adding more range to Gregorio can only give the character more appeal since most find her too dour and too "New York." Maybe viewers may come around on her yet.

In a welcome change of pace, Pride and his recent travails took a backseat in this self-contained episode. He did mention ominously something about how he feared that HQ still wanted to break up the team.

I don't know why. All the NCIS teams go their own way, taking on the personality of their leader. Sure, they would all be lawsuits waiting to happen in the real world, but this isn't meant to be completely realistic.

It appears that FBI DIrector Isler is back (already) on NCIS: New Orleans Season 4 Episode 5. Let's get him in that once or twice a year rotation.

This time, it's Sebastian who's in trouble for his choices during a foot chase of a target. I'm not a fan of Sebastian in the field. But it's still way too early to dust off the "he shot an unarmed man" trope and hit Sebastian with it.

Is this leading somewhere, or is it just some momentary peril for the team?