The second season of Ghosts premiered to a bigger audience from season one, and Brandon Scott Jones received his second Critics Choice Award nomination for playing Isaac Higgintoot (still the best name on TV) on the beloved comedy series. Season three of Max’s The Other Two is reaching an even wider audience while scaling new heights of insanity and showbiz mockery, and Jones (as Curtis…Paltrow…yes, thank you) is given the opportunity to flex his dramatic chops when Curtis stands up to his best friend, Cary. It goes without saying: Brandon Scott Jones is having one hell of a season.
When characters come out of the closet, they typically do not get anything as rich or fulfilling directly afterwards. Some shows treat their queer characters as if coming out is all they have to offer, but with Isaac’s pride and reluctance to open himself up, Ghosts realizes what a goldmine they have with Jones’ character. Can you imagine what the negotiations are going to be like between Isaac and Nigel for their wedding? We could have an entire show devoted to that and fans would tune into the ghostly nuptial shenanigans.
Curtis, on the other hand, is anything but closeted–it’s fascinating to see Jones play two opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to time period, circumstances, and location. I often wonder what Isaac might think of the super gay, unapologetic world of The Other Two if the ghosts flipped by it during TV time.
Curtis is a genuine friend–someone you want in your corner as you inch towards success. He would like to have that success, of course, but he doesn’t begrudge you if you make it first. This third season of the cutting comedy raises the stakes in terms of both absurdity and drama. Unlike Cary, Curtis is aware that Girlies feels like a throwback that no one asked for, and we both admit that we would watch it. In one of the season’s best scenes, Curtis confronts Cary about his selfishness, lack of awareness, and inability to be a good friend to Curtis as he is so close to succeeding. It reminds us that we are allowed to break up with our chosen family as much as we blindly accept them. It’s a great scene, and, hopefully, a pivotal moment in their friendship that neither of them will forget.
Imagine Cary’s face if Curtis landed a Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy nomination before he did…
The Other Two is streaming on Max and Ghosts is streaming on Paramount+.
