History YMMV / Ghostwriter

** A meta one: Rob is great with the English language so if he hadn't left, he could have been a second BigBrotherMentor to Hector, helping him master speaking English. Instead Rob leaves and some members of the fanbase hate on Hector for replacing him.

* FoeYay:
** When Calvin tries to convince Rob [[WeCanRuleTogether to join forces with him]], it sounds like he's hitting on him.
--->"You're the strong, silent type. I like that."
** Alex even mocks Calvin afterwards:
--->"Did you actually think that Rob would hook up with you?"

** Ghostwriter's ultimate identity- he was an escaped slave (possibly even Jamal's ancestor Ezra) who had taught himself to read and was teaching other slaves to read, up until slave catchers learned of what he was doing, and they and their dogs killed him. Somehow, his ghost ended up inside a book for ''125 years'' until Jamal freed him in the pilot. And what are some of the first words he writes? Asking if "the children" are all right; said children were likely killed by the dogs as well.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Creator/JuliaStiles as Erica Dansby in "Who Is Max Mouse?" and "A Crime in Two Cities".

* HoYay: There are hints at Hector having a crush on Avatar, the male makeup artist, when the team appears in Lenni's music video.
** Not to mention the guy himself. He's a ''male makeup artist,'' and he calls himself "The Fabulous Avatar."

* MemeticMutation: [[{{Hackette}} Erica Dansby (Julia Stiles)]]: "[[WebComic/{{XKCD}} Do you know anything about hackers? Can you jam with the console cowboys in]] {{Cyberspace}}? Ever read Literature/{{Neuromancer}}? Ever experienced the {{New Wave|Music}}? Next wave? Dreamwave? or {{Cyberpunk}}!?"
** It's even funnier when you think about ''WesternAnimation/{{Cyberchase}}'', which also airs on PBS stations.

** Ghostwriter's ultimate identity- he was an escaped slave (possibly even Jamal's ancestor Ezra) who had taught himself to read and was teaching other slaves to read, up until slave catchers learned of what he was doing, and they and their dogs killed him. Somehow, his ghost ended up inside a book for ''125 years'' until Jamal freed him in the pilot. Yikes.
*** And what are some of the first words he writes? Asking if "the children" are all right; said children were likely killed by the dogs as well.

* HarsherInHindsight: To Catch a Creep parodies how politicians ran smear campaigns in elections in the United States. Smear campaigns have worsened since the early 1990's. [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment Let's leave it at that.]]

** For all of Calvin's {{Jerkass}} tendencies, his genuine devastation at losing his beloved parrot Attila is pretty sad, especially since viewers got to see the real bond they had in previous episodes. He noticeably tones down any jerk tendencies afterwards.

* NightmareFuel: Gooey Gus is the most remembered example of this on the show, to the point where him and the story featuring him is a commonly repressed memory for many who were traumatized by this as children.

** For all of Calvin's {{Jerkass}} tendencies, his genuine devastation at losing his beloved parrot Attila is pretty sad, especially since viewers got to see the real bond they had in previous episodes. He noticeably becomes less of a jerk afterwards.

** Creator/LaurenFaust actually has a toy line show called ''Galaxy Girl'' (well, ''Toys/MilkyWayAndTheGalaxyGirls'') in development by .
*** The main game of ''Galaxy Girl''' Hyberball is very similar to [[Literature/HarryPotter another popular game in a popular series of books]].

* JerkassWoobie: Many of the villains are so pathetic that it's pretty easy to feel sorry for them. A good example is Manny Gite from "Into the Comics". He was an awkward twentysomething who lived with his aunt and desperately wanted to be a cartoonist. He was embittered when his first comic was rejected by a comic book company, but refused to give up his dream. So in an desperate attempt to achieve this, he entered a contest for kids (in which the prize was getting to be in a comic book) disguised as his cartoon character Stoopdude and tried to sabotoge the other contestants.

* MemeticMutation: [[{{Hackette}} Julia Stiles]]: "[[WebComic/{{XKCD}} Do you know anything about hackers? Can you jam with the console cowboys in]] {{Cyberspace}}? Ever read Literature/{{Neuromancer}}? Ever experienced the {{New Wave|Music}}? Next wave? Dreamwave? or {{Cyberpunk}}!?"

* SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome: Rob snapping at Gaby, Alex, Tina and Lenni to [[BigShutUp shut up]] in "Get the Message Part 3" when they're arguing in the park in the aftermath of the accident earlier in the episode. He really came out of his shell. It's a pity [[PutOnABus he had to move to Australia.]]

** There actually is a show called ''Galaxy Girl'' (well, ''Galaxy Girls'') in development by Creator/LaurenFaust.

* RootingForTheEmpire: Calvin is so entertaining that it can be hard for viewers not to root for him, especially if they find the Ghostwriter team too goody goody. This generally only refers to Calvin after his [[TheOtherDarrin recast]] as the first Calvin was more a one not jerkass.

** Calvin Ferguson, both with those who LoveToHate him and those who [[RootingForTheEmpire root for him]].

* EarWorm: The main theme: "''Ghoooostwritaaaah! '''Word!'''''"
** "Aw yeah, aw yeah! You gotta believe! '''''BOOM-SHAKA-LAKA-BOOOOOOOM!!!'''''"

** To Catch a Creep parodies how politicians ran smear campaigns in elections in the United States. Smear campaigns have worsened since the early 1990's. [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment Let's leave it at that.]]

*** The main game of ''Galaxy Girl''' Hyberball is very similar to [[pmwiki/Liturature/Harry Potter another popular game in a popular series of books]].

** It's even funnier when you remember ''WesternAnimation/Cyberchase'', which also airs on PBS stations.

*** The main game of ''Galaxy Girl''' Hyberball is very similar to [[HarryPotter another popular game in a popular series of books]].

* NightmareFuel: Gooey Gus is the most remembered example of this one the show, to the point where him and the story featuring him is a commonly repressed memory for many who were traumatized by this as children.

** Ghostwriter's ultimate identity- he was an escaped slave (possibly even Jamal's ancestor Ezra) who had taught himself to read and was teaching other slaves to read, up until slave catchers learned of what he was doing, and they and their dogs killed him. Somehow, his ghost ended up inside a book for ''125 years'' until Jamal freed him in the pilot. Yikes.

* {{Padding}}: Take away the slow typing and writing sequences and [[CaptainObvious obvious explanations]], and most of the arcs can be reduced by one episode.

* HoYay: Hector has a pretty blatant crush on Avatar, the male makeup artist, when the team appears in Lenni's music video.

** In "Lost in Brooklyn, Part 1" Tina meets Safira, visiting from Mozambique. Everyone does rush to see who it is coming to school in a limo, but Tina's the only one who takes one look and says "Oh, ''wow!''" when Safira gets out of the car. By the time we cut to the classroom, everyone else has moved on, but we have Tina looking around the room until Safira is introduced by the teacher, whereupon Tina watches Safira's every movement with a smile until she sits down next to her, while everyone else acts normal. When she gets to say more than hi, she talks fast and rambly, and at one point talks about trying talking to her (a second pitch at being in her video, actually) with lines that sounded like someone trying to ask out a crush. The entire first part is driven by her ''need'' to get this girl to be friends with her, and there's master plans and talk of "destiny" that she wound up sitting next to her and on and on and it ''doesn't'' end up having to do with the video. There ends up being a picnic in the woods on a blanket, and a DeathGlare at Safira's dad until he leaves. The mystery of the arc is introduced only in the closing moments of part one; the rest is ''entirely'' Tina positively drooling over this girl and stopping at nothing to get her attention. (Well, that and a few minutes devoted to Hector's introduction, setting up [[PutOnABus Rob's replacement]].)

* JerkassWoobie: Many of the villains are so pathetic that it's pretty easy to feel sorry for them. A good example is Manny Gite from "Into the Comics". He was an awkward twentysomething who lived with his aunt and desperately wanted to be a cartoonist. He was embittered when his first ccmic was rejected by a comic book company, but refused to give up his dream. So in an desperate attempt to achieve this, he entered a contest for kids (in which the prize was getting to be in a comic book) disguised as his cartoon character Stoopdude and tried to sabotoge the other contestants.

** To Catch a Creep parodies how politicians ran smear campaigns in elections in the United States. Smear campaigns have worsened since the early 1990's. [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment Let's leave it at that.]]

** In "Lost in Brooklyn, Part 1" Tina meets Safira, visiting from Mozambique. Everyone does rush to see who it is coming to school in a limo, but Tina's the only one who takes one look and says "Oh, ''wow!''" when Safira gets out of the car.[softreturn][softreturn]By the time we cut to the classroom, everyone else has moved on, but we have Tina looking around the room until Safira is introduced by the teacher, whereupon Tina watches Safira's every movement with a smile until she sits down next to her, while everyone else acts normal. When she gets to say more than hi, she talks fast and rambly, and at one point talks about trying talking to her (a second pitch at being in her video, actually) with lines that sounded like someone trying to ask out a crush.[softreturn][softreturn]The entire first part is driven by her ''need'' to get this girl to be friends with her, and there's master plans and talk of "destiny" that she wound up sitting next to her and on and on and it ''doesn't'' end up having to do with the video. There ends up being a picnic in the woods on a blanket, and a DeathGlare at Safira's dad until he leaves. The mystery of the arc is introduced only in the closing moments of part one; the rest is ''entirely'' Tina positively drooling over this girl and stopping at nothing to get her attention. (Well, that and a few minutes devoted to Hector's introduction, setting up [[PutOnABus Rob's replacement]].)

* NightmareFuel: Gooey Gus.

* KarmaHoudini: Played With regarding Manfred Gite from "Into the Comics". Whereas most villains were taken away by the police or punished severely in the end, Manfred [[spoiler:is simply escorted away from the contest grounds after the Ghostwriter gang thwarts him. What kind of punishment Manfred got after that [[LeftHanging was never revealed]]. It's implied that if nothing else, Manfred's aunt was prepared to [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech chew him out]].]] Considering some of the antics he pulled were illegal, that should have landed him in jail.