SURREALESTATE Recap: (S03E09) Grave Matters

Geek Girl Authority

30-05-2025

SurrealEstate Season 3 Episode 9, 'Grave Matters,' showcases a dangerous yet creative scavenger hunt as our heroes race against time to retrieve a password in a cemetery, all from a ghostly client who doesn't want them to leave it alive. Tyler/Malec tracks down Luke's mom for what'll undoubtedly culminate in a tense showdown between Luke and his former childhood friend. Rita gets some much-needed development. All in all, it's a spirited, entertaining penultimate outing for the season, and it pushes us narratively toward the finale.
RELATED: Read our recap of the previous SurrealEstate episode, 'Perchance to Dream' SurrealEstate, 'Grave Matters'
We open with Luke (Tim Rozon) chatting with his mother, Victoria (Jennifer Dale). He has Elvis the Elephant on the counter between them. Victoria explains that Luke and Elvis were inseparable. She and Carl didn't want to break them apart. Victoria assumed Luke had an imaginary friend and that that was normal. She'd often observe while her young son talked to Elvis. She admits she wasn't in the best place, though.
Then, Luke remarks that his mom hears those voices, too. Victoria adds that while yes, she can, she can't communicate with them like Luke can. Luke gets a text from Rita Weiss, urging him to meet her at his office. He and his mom part ways for now. SURREALESTATE — 'Grave Matters' Season 3 Episode 9 — Pictured: Tim Rozon as Luke Roman — (Photo by: Albert Camicioli/SE3 Productions Inc./SYFY) Puzzles and Riddles
After this, Rita (Alison Brooks) introduces Luke to Stephanie, whose father, Magnus, just passed away. Stephanie chats with them via video. She reveals her dad was a big fan of puzzles. Her inheritance was locked under a password that she had to jump through hoops to access every year. Well, the same thing now applies to Magnus' will, which requires a password to read. Thankfully, he's left a treasure trove of word puzzles for her to solve, leading to the password.
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Unfortunately, Stephanie has until midnight to access her dad's will. If she can't recover the password, Magnus' lavish mansion will, as Rita eloquently puts it, be seized by the government for tax purposes. Rita proposes that Luke and his merry band of miscreants retrieve the password to unlock the will. Then, she and Luke can split the commission from the sale of the mansion. Luke demands a 50/50 split and won't help Rita otherwise. She reluctantly agrees to this.
Later, Luke sits with Susan (Sarah Levy), August (Maurice Dean Wint) and Lomax (Elena Juatco). He explains the deal. Susan insists this will be a walk in the park for them. Plus, Mangus' mansion is a pretty big get for the Roman Ireland Agency (half the commission from it, anyway). To the Cemetery We Go
The first clue is from Magnus' attorney, which points to a cemetery. Luke offers to track down the location of Mangus' gravestone while our trio heads to Weeping Willows Cemetery to crack the next puzzle. Before she leaves, Susan chats with Luke about reuniting with Megan. She told Susan that she and Luke were on the outs. Luke claims they've been apart longer than they were together. It's no biggie. Luke asks Susan about Crash, and she lights up. He doesn't know about her being pyrokinetic and telekinetic, but she'll tell him when the time is right.
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Later, Rita arrives at Mangus' home. Luke calls her. The ringtone she has for him is hilarious — your stereotypical circus theme music. He asks if she can check with Stephanie about the location of her father's gravestone. Rita uses this opportunity to ask about Tyler MacNeil. Perhaps he would be interested in purchasing this place. Luke advises Rita not to get into bed — of the real estate persuasion, of course — with Tyler. SURREALESTATE — 'Grave Matters' Season 3 Episode 9 — Pictured: Alison Brooks as Rita Weiss — (Photo by: Albert Camicioli/SE3 Productions Inc./SYFY)
After getting off the phone with Luke, Rita runs into none other than Magnus (Wayne Best). Well, his ghost. Naturally, this scares the crap out of her. Meanwhile, Susan, Auggie and Lomax are in the cemetery. There, they meet Zara (Caleigh Le Grand), an eccentric character who claims she just started working at the cemetery. Lomax sniffles, her trademark tick that indicates her Spidey senses are tingling. Like Charlie Cale in Poker Face , this is how Lomax calls bullsh*t when someone's lying. If They Live That Long
Anyway, our trio claims they're searching for good ole Poppy's gravestone. Zara knows precisely where Magnus' grave is located. I kinda hope this character returns somehow. She's kooky enough to fit in this world. At the same time, Rita discovers she can't leave the house. Magnus is holding her prisoner. Rita tries to persuade him to disclose the password to his will. She boasts that her people will uncover it one way or another, though. 'Only if they live that long,' he warns. How ominous.
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Then, Lomax recites a riddle, which is etched into Magnus' gravestone. It claims the next clue is with the band, 'but say goodbye to your right hand.' Auggie stoops to grab something as a metal trap springs forth, almost lopping off his right hand. Susan tries to call Luke to warn him that Mangus' games are quite deadly. However, none of them have a cell signal in the cemetery. SURREALESTATE — 'Grave Matters' Season 3 Episode 9 — Pictured: (l-r) Elena Juatco as Clytemnestra Lomax, Sarah Levy as Susan Ireland, Maurice Dean Wint as August Ripley — (Photo by: Albert Camicioli/SE3 Productions Inc./SYFY)
Auggie declares they should continue solving clues, since time is of the essence. It dawns on Lomax where the next clue is based on the 'with the band' part of the previous riddle. Auggie and Susan follow her. Elsewhere, Rita asks for clarification. Are Luke's employees (and co-partner) in danger? One Happy Memory
Mangus explains that he didn't have a good relationship with his daughter. Stephanie didn't have his drive to succeed. He pulled himself up by his bootstraps and made something of himself, accruing massive wealth over the decades. Magnus orchestrated these elaborate puzzles and riddles so she'd apply herself. This postmortem puzzle for the password is more or less so she'd feel remorse over his passing.
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Rita asks Magnus if he has a happy memory with Stephanie. Initially, Magnus vehemently says 'No,' until he really thinks about it. He regales Rita with a story from Stephanie's childhood. He had tea with her and her stuffed animal. They enjoyed each other's company. It was transient, but nice.
Next, Rita reveals that her first husband wanted children badly, but she didn't. Then, her second and third husbands had no interest in children because they were children themselves. Magnus and Rita share a drink together. Just because he's dead doesn't mean he can't still party. Not for the Living
Later, Lomax, Auggie and Susan wind up in front of a gravestone that looks like it's for a band. Suddenly, an arrow whizzes past them, burrowing into another plot a few feet away. Auggie unfurls a piece of paper fastened around the arrow. It's another riddle. This time, our trio must wait until dark and walk 60 yards to a 'house not for the living' — a mausoleum.
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After dark, Auggie reads the next riddle on the door of a mausoleum. They need a key, which they find around the neck of a Jesus statue. Before they retrieve it, though, Auggie tests the space before it to ensure there's no trap. He tosses a vase with dead flowers, which, inevitably, fall through a trap door in front of the statue. A makeshift grave. SURREALESTATE — 'Grave Matters' Season 3 Episode 9 — Pictured: (l-r) Elena Juatco as Clytemnestra Lomax, Maurice Dean Wint as August Ripley — (Photo by: Albert Camicioli/SE3 Productions Inc./SYFY)
Next, Luke tries to call Lomax, Auggie and Susan. They all go straight to voicemail. I love how different they all are. Auggie quotes Gandhi, Susan's voicemail message is also pretty clever and Lomax's is straight to the point. No muss, no fuss. Hers is my fave. Then, Rita calls Luke. The ringtone he has for her is 'The Imperial March.' Perfection. 14 Minutes
Rita, now a few drinks in, informs Luke that his team is in danger. However, when she tries to specify how, Magnus interferes with the cell signal, cutting Luke off.
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After retrieving the key, our trio unlocks the mausoleum door. Inside, Susan reads the next riddle. There's only one stone left, and it bears an eye. There, they'll find the password. However, they're now trapped in the mausoleum with only 14 minutes left of oxygen. They're about to run out of air. We see a clock count down their limited time. Uh-oh.
Then, Rita and Mangus laugh over drinks. She pivots back to the sale of his mansion, revealing she has a multimillionaire in mind for it. She offers to reach out to Tyler that night so Magnus can deprive Stephanie of the house. Magnus admits that telling the tea time story reminded him that there's still good in his daughter. He orders Rita to leave so he can think. SURREALESTATE — 'Grave Matters' Season 3 Episode 9 — Pictured: (l-r) Elena Juatco as Clytemnestra Lomax, Sarah Levy as Susan Ireland, Maurice Dean Wint as August Ripley — (Photo by: Albert Camicioli/SE3 Productions Inc./SYFY) A Reverse Ping
Later, Luke arrives at the cemetery. He uses his abilities to detect Susan, Auggie and Lomax. However, instead of looking for ghosts, he reverses it — he searches for the living among a sea of dead. A gnip instead of a ping . Luke unlocks the door to the mausoleum and frees our trio before their time (and oxygen) runs out.
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Meanwhile, Rita visits Tyler/Malec (R Austin Ball) and offers to show him Magnus' home. Tyler admits that Luke has been busy of late. Rita remarks that Luke was visiting his mother that morning. Priorities, right? The mention of Luke's mom clearly flicks on a lightbulb in Tyler's head. He invites Rita in for a chat.
Elsewhere, Susan asks Auggie for advice about breaking the truth to Crash. How does she tell him about her powers and her spooky job? Auggie admits it was easy to be honest with Rochelle because she was used to coming up against impossible odds. Susan calls him a lucky guy, to which Auggie responds that he was. Hmm. Are they no longer together? Don't Wait
At the same time, Luke gets the location of the gravestone with the eye, where the password is. From whom, you might ask? The ghost of an older woman who passed away. She asks Luke if he's seen her husband. Luke learns that this woman and her husband spent their whole lives in love with each other, but never acted on their feelings. It was never the right time. When they finally wed, she thought they had all the time in the world … until she died. The moral of the story? Don't wait to tell someone how you feel.
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Later, Luke reunites with Rita at Magnus' mansion. It's two minutes to midnight, but he has the password. On the gravestone with the eye, we see the password spells out, 'Steph, you will hate this,' but in a series of letters, numbers and symbols. However, the password unlocks Magnus' will. And guess what? Steph will hate this. She's not getting the house.
Rita persuades Magnus to reconsider his choice. Why not make his last act on Earth a benevolent one? Surely, that'll drive Stephanie crazy. Magnus asks Rita to retrieve an alternate copy of his will from one of his encyclopedias, one in which Stephanie inherits everything, including the mansion. He signed it and everything when he was feeling more magnanimous. He approves of this will going into effect. Then, he vanishes, his business finished. SURREALESTATE — 'Grave Matters' Season 3 Episode 9 — Pictured: (l-r) Wayne Best as Magnus, Alison Brooks as Rita Weiss — (Photo by: Albert Camicioli/SE3 Productions Inc./SYFY) Mending Fences and Kidnapping Moms
Next, Luke meets with Megan (Tennille Read). He tells her he loves her. He's always loved her. Luke doesn't want to regret not taking the chance to fight for her. Sure, she's in a relationship, but when is love ever on time? Now, the ball's in Megan's court. At the same time, Rita leaves a voicemail for her daughter, Madeline. She lied about having a child. She hopes to meet Mads for coffee sometime. Aww, I like that we're getting more depth for Rita. She's not just Luke's mustache-twirling, Machiavellian archnemesis.
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Finally, Tyler winds up on Victoria's doorstep. He claims Luke is in trouble. And Victoria wouldn't abandon her son again, would she? She tries to slam the door on him, but Tyler/Malec is too strong. He muscles his way inside.
SurrealEstate drops new episodes every Thursday at 10 pm EST on Syfy.
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