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Erin Gilbert is a former professor from Columbia University specializing in theoretical particle physics.[1][2] She, along with Abby Yates, co-wrote Ghosts from Our Past: Both Literally and Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal.[3] She is one of the four Ghostbusters in the 2016 movie.

History[]

Primary Canon[]

Erin Gilbert was born between 1973 and 1974[4] and grew up in Battle Creek, a suburb outside of Detroit.[5] Erin's parents paid twins, a couple years older, named Jimmy and Kate $1 per hour to be her friends and help her with chores.[6] On October 30, 1982[7][Note 1], late into the day, her parents asked Erin, age eight[8], to rake the leaves in the backyard after school. Like typical children, they raked the leaves into piles, jumped onto them, raked them up and repeated. It was enough noise to stir Gretta DeMille, the mean old woman who lived next door. She came outside onto her porch and warned them that if a single leaf ended up on her property, there would be hell to pay. They did a thorough job of taking and bagging the leaves then taking them to the curb. In what was a "tradition" since she was five, Erin wore a simple ghost costume - a white sheet from a king-size bed with eye holes cut out - for Halloween. But for the first time, she went trick-or-treating with no adult chaperone and instead went with Jimmy and Kate, who dressed as a werewolf and a witch, who got paid $1.50 per hour. Jimmy and Kate persisted even after they went to 40 houses. Sometime after 10 pm, they returned to the Gilbert home. Jimmy and Kate got an idea and dumped the two bags of leaves on Gretta's porch as payback then ran off. Gretta stepped out and pointed at Erin then the leaves creepily rose up in the air. By the time Mrs. Gilbert stepped outside, Gretta was gone. Erin, Jimmy, and Kate were scared. Erin left her candy on the ground outside and hid under the covers in her bedroom.

Days before Christmas, Gretta died after breaking her hip the past week or so earlier. Later that morning, her body was taken away. Erin went to sleep at around 8 pm and awoke at 2:06 am. The ghost of Gretta manifested at the foot of her bed.[9] Gretta whispered "Hell...to...pay, young girl. There will be...hell...to...pay..." then blood spilled out of her mouth down her chin and neck onto Erin's bedspread. Erin hid under the covers until her alarm for school sounded off. Erin's ears popped. She looked around and both Gretta and the blood were gone. Gretta returned again the next morning at 2:06 am. Erin tried turning on her bedside lamp to dispel Gretta but it didn't work. Erin told her parents about the second incident. They took turns and camped out in Erin's bedroom but Gretta only appeared when they left the room or if they fell asleep. Gretta continued to appear in her room every morning for the next year.[10][11] Her parents put her in therapy to deal with her "problem." Erin had a weekly sessions with a therapist named Dick Rockwell.[12][13] Whenever Gretta came up in discussion, Rockwell asked Erin why she thought Gretta was appearing over and over. Erin's parents told their friends about Gretta's ghost then they told their children. Soon, the other children yelled "Boo!" at Erin and she gained the nickname "Ghost Girl" thanks to her second grade teacher.[14][15] Erin's anxiety spiked and she suffered from the stress (later diagnosed as Post-Paranormal Stress Disorder according to the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV").[16] Rockwell told her to "get over it." Jimmy and Kate stopped being her friends.

Dr. Cynthia Yates found a new job in Battle Creek that involved fortifying cereals with essential vitamins and cereals. Abby, her daughter, wasn't interested in moving since she was a month into the first semester of her junior year.[17][18][19] On her first day at Hoover High School, Abby was a little insulted no one approached her and realized the bullies were busy picking on existing students, namely someone called "Ghost Girl." Abby noticed they were the only two students who bothered in raise their hands in Chemistry. After a week, Abby went to go sit with her. Erin thought it was the same old joke with someone asking if a ghost was sitting with her. Abby found that joke idiotic since ghosts are composed of ectoplasm which appeared on the visible light spectrum and thus, they would be able to see a ghost if it was around. After a moment of silence, they introduced themselves. Abby inquired if she really did see a ghost then speculated it could have been astral projection or a hallucination but she believed Erin's claim. Erin was happy Abby didn't think she was crazy. Abby hadn't ruled it out yet. Erin asked if her parents were paying her. Erin explained her parents paid two neighbor kids to be her friend for $1 an hour. Abby made a counter-offer of 75 cents an hour. Erin accepted. They became best friends. Abby never planned to collect her fee. They bonded over ghost stories.[20] They weren't invited to parties. Abby thought everyone was terrified of them.[21][22] They did a musical rendition of "The Shining" for the school talent show and torched spectral effigies for the homecoming parade during School Spirit Week.[23] In addition to being unpopular, they were shunned. Undaunted, they formed a high school club dedicated to exploring the world of the supernatural. It was called the Metaphysical Examination Society. Only Abby and Erin were members. They conducted meetings during lunch hour at their table in the cafeteria.[24] During senior year, Mr. Gannon, their AP Physics teacher, broke off the class into groups of four and assigned each group a topic for the science fair. Erin and Abby ignored the assignment and focused on the paranormal. Their partners Robin and Ben bowed out. Erin and Abby continued with their plan to perform a rap, "Nuthin' But a Ghost Thang" even though Gannon told them they made a mockery of science.

They both were accepted to the University of Michigan. They believed their unconventional beliefs would be embraced by forward-thinking professors and enrolled in courses, such as Physics 107---Twentieth Century Concepts of Space, Time, and Matter, Physics 115---Principles of Physics, and Quantum Mechanics I. They asked Professor Rice about the possibility of interdimensional entities crossing over into their world and were laughed out of Quantum Mechanics I. However, due to the heavy course load and part-time jobs at the dorm cafeteria, they had little time to study the paranormal. For sophomore year, they signed up for the most advanced course available for undergraduates: Professor Alderman's Particle Physics & Theoretical Cosmology. On the first day of class, Erin and Abby realized they were the only two to sign up. It was a notoriously tough class taught by an infamously eccentric old man. Alderman implored them to sit closer then asked if either of them had the textbook. Alderman skimmed through Abby's book. He stated theoretical cosmology was evolving too fast to print and half the book was already out of date then casually tossed the text into the trash. A couple weeks later, "The X-Files" premiered on September 10, 1993 and blew Erin and Abby's minds. It had everything they liked: two photogenic agents investigating paranormal phenomena, unexplained flying objects, and cryptids. They liked Special Agent Dana Scully, a smart and successful butt kicking woman with a degree in physics but they gravitated towards Fox Mulder because was like them, consumed with explaining the unexplainable. A couple days later, they discussed the show during cosmology class and caught Alderman's ear. He asked them if they believed in the paranormal. Erin kicked Abby under the desk but she ignored her and stated they had an open mind about unlike some people. Alderman admitted he was the only professor at the University that believed in the paranormal. He explained he had dual degrees, one in physics and one in parapsychology. He even taught the latter at the New York Institute of Technology previously but swore Abby and Erin to secrecy about it or he could be fired.

As the semester pressed on, Erin and Abby often spoke about the paranormal with Alderman. Alderman had theories about how the paranormal intersected with particle physics and even believed it would one day become a unified field of study. He was surprised they kept up with his ideas but quickly caught on they researched the topics on their own. As the December 18 final exam loomed, Alderman announced it was being moved to 10 pm and instructed them to meet him in the campus parking lot with flashlights, plenty of batteries, and clothing appropriate for the winter weather. Alderman revealed they were going on a ghost hunt. They went to a ranch house about a mile off campus. Alderman explained the owner, a single woman, experienced chills, saw shapeless objects in the corner of her eye, and saw blood pour out of her shower head. Alderman handed them audiotape recorders and revealed the plan was to record for four to five hours in the hopes they would record electronic voice phenomena. He excused himself and went to the bathroom. 15 minutes later, Erin went to the kitchen to get something to eat and ran into the homeowner. She forgot it was the night of the stake out. The women went to go look for Alderman and screamed. Erin and Abby ran to the bathroom and found him slumped back on the toilet, dead of a heart attack. Erin and Abby gave their statement to the police at 2 am. The homeowner handed Alderman's duffel bag of paratechnological gadgets to them. They slept till noon the next day then replayed their recorders. At 52:43 on Abby's, they heard a man's voice say "The Truth... is out... there." They weren't sure if it was the ghost of Alderman, another ghost in the house, or a stray radio signal. Erin and Abby quit their part-time jobs to focus on the studying the paranormal. To make up for the loss of money, they took out additional student loans and donated blood. Over the years, they managed to convince some people to let them in their houses to investigate. They racked up thousands of hours but after two and a half years, gathered no confirmation of spectral entities. At some point, Erin coauthored the seminal paper "Condensed Matter in Transport of Fractional Quantum Hall States."[25]

Erin and Abby graduated with bachelors of science in physics in May 1996.[26] Erin was accepted into the physics department at Princeton University and Abby planned to stay in Michigan for graduate school. They decided to spend the summer writing a book on the paranormal so pioneering it would render all existing books in the field obsolete. They hunkered down at the University of Michigan's Special Collections Library and went through research papers, journals and rare books.[27][28] After two weeks and a lot of Chinese take out from Tomorrow's Teriyaki, they completed a single-spaced 460 page manuscript for "Ghosts from Our Past Both Literally & Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal".[29] Notably, it contained their own theory, the Spectral Field Theory. It postulated the existence of a new gauge field, hereafter known as the spectral ether and it was through the localized excitation of this ether by interdimensional entities in the form of spectral and standard model particles that resulted in the manifestation of ectoplasm.[30] They printed a "truckload" of copies but couldn't sell any. To make matters worse, a promotional appearance on the campus talk show "Wolverine Scene" didn't go well. Erin and Abby's friendship came to an end, too.[31]

Erin transferred from Princeton to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned a Ph.D. and M.S. thanks to the mentoring of Professor Han Anschutz. She completed her Doctoral work at CERN then taught theoretical particle physics at Columbia University.[32] She was published in Scientific American, Nature, and The Journal of Unexplained Things, Explained.[33] Erin yearned to be an associate professor with tenure and specialized in the study of a subatomic particle called a neutrino. She also attempted to solve the challenge of unifying quantum mechanics and Einstein's gravity with her own Grand Unified Theory.[34] Erin spent years working hard and ingratiating herself with the Physics Department.[35] Amid her impending tenure review, Erin learned she was being published again and was assigned to lecture in the "big hall."[36][37][38] Phil Hudson, her boyfriend and colleague, greeted Erin at an administrative gathering in the morning at Columbia University. She informed him she was lecturing in the big hall. Phil thought it was wonderful then asked if that was what she was wearing for the lecture. He then introduced Erin to Phyllis Adler, a guest lecturer and a physicist she admired.[39] It soon became apparent Phyllis would answer everything contrary to what Erin would say. She excused herself to get ready for the lecture. As she learned over to kiss Phil, he instead greeted a colleague named Simon. She kissed his shoulder instead then brushed it with her hand. She joked about not stepping on any cracks then played with a man's ponytail. Phyllis asked Phil if he really knew her. He replied he did. Ed Mulgrave Jr. came to her in the lecture hall after he read "Ghosts from Our Past Both Literally & Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal." Mulgrave introduced himself and asked her to investigate the Aldridge Mansion Museum because he thought it was haunted. She was unaware of the book's re-circulation and didn't want her reputation mucked up by ghost chasing non-sense.

Ultimately, she found out that Abby was operating her paranormal research at Kenneth P. Higgins Institute. Dean Harold Filmore came to her office and informed her the committee was set for the final review of her tenure case on Thursday.[40] She had her monitor on an Amazon listing for Ghosts from Our Past and hid it from his view. Filmore brought up her recommendation letter from Dr. Branum at Princeton and asked her to get one from a more prestigious college.[41] She was caught off guard by his opinion. Filmore stated to her that he believed she was an asset to modern physics and would hate to see her throw it down the drain.[42] He thought about telling her something about her clothes but changed his mind and left after she remarked it was "too sexy for academia." Erin took a yellow taxi cab to the Kenneth P Higgins Institute and walked past two students fighting each other. Erin found the Paranormal Studies Laboratory and noticed a sign that read, "Do not write stupid things on this door!" with 'stupid' added on in red marker. She walked inside and saw a table with stacks of Ghosts from Our Past: Both Literally and Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal marked down to $5.99. She knocked on the door. Abby remarked it's been awhile then drew some orange curtains apart and was surprised to see Erin as well. After Abby paid Bennie for the Zhu's Authentic Hong Kong Food take out order, she directed him to show Erin the door on his way out. Bennie made a half-hearted attempt to grab her arm but she resisted. He left claiming he tried. Erin brought up the book and how she put it online without her permission. Abby played dumb about needing permission and stated she was one-tenth away from a brand new mini fridge. Erin revealed she was up for tenure but Abby could have cared less. She pointed out the book was their baby and Erin abandoned it very quickly. Erin stated there was no experimental backing for anything in that book and it made her look like a crazy person. Abby couldn't believe she got one wonton and a carrot in her order again. She called Zhu's and complained.

Erin met Holtzmann. Abby warned her not to get too close to Erin or she would ask her to write a book, and then squash her dreams. Abby boasted Holtzmann was brilliant and loyal, specialized in experimental particle physics, and was almost hired by CERN then mentioned a lab incident. She changed the subject and claimed they were close the actualizing their theories like a hollow laser for the reverse tractor beam. Holtzmann suggested letting her listen to the EVP. Erin interrupted Holtzmann and told her she knew what it meant but none were ever substantiated. Annoyed by her cockiness, Abby played along and they told Erin a story about how they spent eight nights at the Chelsea Hotel a few months ago then found something when they reviewed their tapes. Abby started a tape on the Kudelski Nagra III Reel to Reel Tape Recorder. Holtzmann and Abby leaned in to listen. Erin approached and suddenly a recorded fart sound plays. Abby mocked her with a spooky "ooo" noise while Holtzmann laughed. They realized Erin was the first to come right over to the recorder. Abby was concerned when Holtzmann asked if it was more or less disgusting if the noise came from the front. Erin sarcastically asked if they were going to give her a wedgie next. Abby retorted they weren't because she had enough stuck up her butt. Erin had enough and stormed away. Abby asked her why she came looking for the book if she didn't believe in it. Erin told her about Ed Mulgrave Jr.'s claim that Aldridge Mansion Museum was haunted. Abby and Holtzmann looked up the mansion online, performed an elaborate patty cake, then grabbed some equipment. Abby stood at the door and beckoned Erin. Erin misconstrued it as an invitation to join them but Abby needed to lock up the lab. She gave up and told Erin to close the door behind her and it should lock. Erin continued after Abby to take the book down. Abby agreed to consider taking down the book temporarily if Erin would introduce them to Mulgrave.

Later, when Erin Gilbert, Abby Yates, and Jillian Holtzmann arrived to investigate, Garrett called out to them from across the street. Erin asked for Ed Mulgrave but Garrett thought she was talking about Ed Senior and stated he died 15 years ago. and implied the Mulgrave she met had been a ghost. Just as Abby and Jillian got excited at the prospect of two ghosts, Ed Mulgrave Junior arrived. Garrett pointed out he was Ed Junior. Abby asked him when the last time the entity was seen and how he would rate it according to the Ghostly Interactions Rating System, from a T1 to a T5. Mulgrave made a point of Garrett's confession to soiling himself during his experience and crying over the phone. Abby estimated that was a T3 if he soiled himself but Holtzmann suggested it was a T4 if there was poop unless he ate something weird. Garrett denied he soiled himself. Abby asked him if he kept a sample to his dismay. He sarcastically thanked Erin for introducing him and Mulgrave to Abby and Holtzmann. He refused to go with them into the mansion and threw the keys across the road then declared they were going to die in there.

At the start of the investigation, Abby turned on the P.K.E. Meter, checked the settings, and verified it was operating normally. Erin was curious about it and Abby explained its function to her. Erin asked if it really worked. Abby scoffed but admitted she was never in the vicinity of a ghost before to fully realize its capabilities. Abby tried unsuccessfully to open the basement door but got a strange reading. Erin tried to push the camcorder away but Holtzmann pointed it back at her and asked where she got the world's tiniest bow tie from then what it was like to walk around in high heels all day. Erin replied the bow tie came with the shirt and it wasn't fun walking in heels. Erin stepped on Ectoplasm then witnessed the basement door open. She thought she was being pranked again but both denied they opened the door. Erin then thought it was Garrett and Mulgrave but Abby pointed out they were still outside across the street. The P.K.E. Meter suddenly spun furiously then Abby and Erin experienced an AP-xH Shift. Holtzmann directed their attention to the door. They encountered the ghost of Gertrude Aldridge. Erin couldn't believe Holtzmann was eating Pringles. Erin decided to communicate with it. Abby cautioned her it could be a malevolent entity. Erin introduced herself and was ecto-projected on by Gertrude at 2:09 pm. They hurried outside and Holtzmann spotted her first. They watched Gertrude fly away at 2:14 pm. They celebrated. Abby and Erin hugged but the former remembered the latter was slimed. Erin emphatically declared ghosts were real.

After the interaction, a video of it was posted online by Abby. Dr. Bronstein saw it re-blogged on Reddit and brought it to Filmore's attention. Erin tried to play coy about being in the video. He explained those given tenure become representatives of Columbia. Erin quickly accepted. Filmore continued and stated the video did not represent Columbia, indicating she was being fired on the grounds that she no longer met Columbia's standards. Erin took the walk of shame down the hall with her belongings in a box, including her plant, and made up stories so no one thought she was fired. Phil pretended to be studying a chart on the wall and ignored Erin. Erin was irate with Abby and Holtzmann. She returned to the Paranormal Studies Laboratory, threw down her purse angrily, told them the news, and grabbed the nearest thing, a Proton Grenade (Air Filter Prototype). Abby and Holtzmann freaked out and exclaimed they would all die and turn to ash from the inside out. Abby instructed her to put the grenade down slowly. Erin slammed it down on a pile of components. Abby and Holtzmann gasped. Erin couldn't believe she got fired after years of hard work and ass-kissing. Abby tried to spin it into a glass half full scenario since they saw a real ghost. Holtzmann agreed it was beautiful until she dislocated her jaw and ecto-projected all over Erin. Erin added the Ectoplasm went everywhere in every crack. Even Abby found that kind of spectacularly beautiful. Erin remembered she detected and smelled a heavy ionization discharge. Abby declared they weren't going to be quiet about it. She informed Erin they got over 100 comments about the video and invited her to read one. Erin took a look and read it aloud, "Ain't no bitches gonna hunt no ghosts." Abby pointed her to the one below it. The comment was a woman describing a Class 3 haunting in her house. Abby asked who she was going to call for help. The theme song for "Ghost Jumpers" interrupted Abby. The show's announcer revealed the Ghost Jumpers made contact with the ghost of Bigfoot. Abby got annoyed and blamed programs like "Ghost Jumpers" on preventing legitimate scientists from researching the paranormal. She felt like they were on the cusp of a real discovery and told Erin the Institute backed her and Holtzmann 100 percent. Erin became interested. Abby reminded her they were achieving what they dreamed up as teenagers and proposed she join the faculty. All they had to do was go upstairs and request more funding. Abby promised they would pumped if Erin joined.

They met with Dean Thomas Shanks in his office. Shanks had no idea Abby and Holtzmann's department still existed. He refused to let the 12-year reputation of the institute to be besmirched by their discovery. Abby couldn't believe what he said. She knew full well the Institute didn't have an upstanding reputation and pointed out he became the dean because the previous one went to jail. Shanks took that as an insinuation he wasn't qualified. Abby replied he spelled "science" with a "y" and she didn't think he knew that was wrong. Shanks stated it was an institution of higher learning and if they wanted to study ghosts, they had to do it somewhere else. He ended saying he had two words for them. Erin guessed it was "Get out" but Abby predicted it was "suck it." Erin didn't believe her. Shanks told them to suck it. Erin admitted she was right. Shanks pretended to see a ghost then flipped them the middle finger. He pointed to the door and told them bye. He asked if they could hear him. He spun his hands as if it was a volume knob and whistled as he did. Abby was dismayed by the incredibly immature behavior. Shanks mimicked blowing his hand as if it were a balloon, pretended it blows away, stopped, and flipped them the middle finger again. Holtzmann, Abby, and Erin gathered everything they could and wheeled it outside the Institute. In reality, Erin unwittingly helped them steal equipment from the laboratory. Abby stressed it was just a minor setback. Erin was undaunted and believed they could become the first scientists to prove the existence of the paranormal and all they have to do was find an entity and capture it and bring it into a controlled environment. Abby welcomed the "old" Erin back into the fold. Holtzmann was pleased. Abby warned they should leave quickly since they wanted it back. Erin thought it was all theirs. Holtzmann admitted it was all stolen school property. Shanks appeared at the front door with a bat and demanded it back. Abby ordered everyone to scatter. Erin gritted her teeth. They ran for it. Shanks started to run down steps after them.

They started their own paranormal research group, Conductors of the Metaphysical Examination. Abby, Holtzmann, and Erin started looking for a new place of operations. A Rental Agent claimed she found a fantastic spot for their business and introduced them to a firehouse in Tribecca at 14 North Moore Street. Abby and Holtzmann loved it. Erin told the agent they were taking it. The agent informed her the rent was $21,000 a month. Erin inadvertently swore at her then apologized. She asked who could afford that. The agent claimed Abby only told here they were looking for a place "to explore the unknown." Erin told her they needed to explore something a lot cheaper. Abby noticed there was an upstairs. The agent pondered and asked Erin if she was offended by the smell of Chinese food. They ended up picking a much more budget friendly location in Chinatown. They moved into the second floor of Zhu's Authentic Hong Kong Food. Holtzmann started dancing and lip synching to DeBarge's "Rhythm of the Night." Erin smiled but realized Holtzmann now had two lit torches. She called for safety. Holtzmann lit some equipment on fire. Holtzmann danced back with an extinguisher and neutralized the fire. Erin thanked her then Holtzmann pretended to go walking down stairs behind her table. Abby announced she got the website up and passed out a bunch of fliers all over town. Erin looked at one and read the slogan aloud, "If you see something, say something." Abby found it catchy. Erin agreed but pointed out it was the anti-terrorism slogan. Abby realized she was right and figured out why so many people were calling about suspicious-looking bags. Erin complimented the use of green paper. Abby thanked her as she walked away. Kevin Beckman passed by the doorway then peered in. He inquired about the job opening for a receptionist. Erin was instantly smitten with him. Holtzmann wondered if he was a robot. Kevin repeated he was interested in the receptionist job that was in the newspaper. Erin joked he was hired. Kevin laughed. Holtzmann stared and smiled. Abby was unaware of Kevin and noticed Erin was all sweaty then pitched her idea for part of the new slogan, "If there's something strange in the..." but Erin pinched her. She finally noticed Kevin. Erin found his name manly and introduced herself as Erin with an "E," for "everything you want." Abby was at a loss and steered the conversation to the interview. She invited Erin to join.

Before Abby could read from her notes, Erin butted in and asked him if he was seeing anyone. Kevin didn't understand the question. Erin lied it was being asked for business purposes. Kevin noted he was currently seeing the three of them in front of him. Abby asked him to forget the question because it was illegal to ask a prospective employee. Kevin told her it was forgotten because he literally forgot what the question was. Eventually, Abby decided to jump ahead and announced Kevin dabbled in web design so he asked him prior to make some logo designs for the business and directed him to pull it out. Erin thought of something else. Abby realized she was a lawsuit waiting to happen. The first design was a female ghost with large breasts. They were speechless. Erin finally asked him if he saw how that might make them look bad. Kevin wondered if was the boobs they didn't like and offered to make them bigger. Abby and Erin remarked they saw them. The second design was just the 7-Eleven logo. The third was a hot dog floating above a house. Erin thought it was a mistake. Kevin explained the floating hot dog implied that a ghost was holding it. Abby gasped in realization and admitted his work was more cerebral than she expected.

Erin wanted to discuss with Abby and Holtzmann and asked Kevin to stand elsewhere in the headquarters. Erin jokingly told him not to listen. Kevin covered his eyes and promised not to. Erin admitted she liked the idea of having him around to look at but didn't see him as receptionist material. Abby didn't find him attractive and felt sorry for him. Kevin rocked a table then repeatedly poked at an aquarium. Abby pointed out they needed someone to carry the equipment up the stairs and eventually they needed someone to answer the phone. Kevin remarked an aquarium was a submarine for fish. Erin wanted to talk to the others interested in the job to see who was more qualified. Abby revealed he was the only applicant. Kevin struck a gong then recoiled at the sound it made. He reached his fingers through his glasses to cover his eyes. Abby told him he was hired. Abby noticed Patty Tolan sitting outside looking at a magazine and informed her she should wait downstairs for takeout. Patty recalled some historical trivia about the building then abruptly revealed she was chased by a ghost. Patty led them through the Seward Street Subway Station and talked about how its history was tied to New York's first prison to execute criminals by the electric chair. The lights flickered off and on. Patty asked them if they saw that. Erin and Abby confirmed they saw it. Patty realized the Graffiti Artist was back and tagging a wall despite her past warning.

Abby asked if he was down in the station all the time. Abby interjected and asked him if he ever saw a Class 4, semi-anchored entity anywhere in the vicinity. He asked if she was talking about a boat. Annoyed, Patty asked her to speak English. Abby insisted she was being specifically clear. Erin rephrased the question and asked him if he saw a ghost. Abby admitted that was clearer. He confirmed he saw a ghost to Patty's amazement. Erin asked him to describe it. The Graffiti Artist held out his hand to stop her then started spraying. Patty wasn't pleased. Abby got out a small notebook to take notes. Abby wanted him to continue so she could record the visual. Patty insisted she couldn't or she would get fired. Abby wanted the visual. Erin added it was very helpful. Patty retorted he wasn't helpful for her. Green Ectoplasm dripped down onto Erin's left shoulder in the tunnel. Patty admitted she should have given them coveralls because the tunnel was unsanitary. Erin picked up a piece of the Hyper-Ionization Device and observed fission scorch. Abby didn't believe her then realized she was right. She guessed she smelled both electrical discharge and isotopic decay. Abby agreed. They smelled it again and both nodded. Abby called Holtzmann over for her opinion. She sniffed it. Patty reminded them they only had a couple of minutes left. Electricity cackled and the P.K.E. Meter spun rapidly. Holtzmann saw something. Erin thought she was messing with them. Holtzmann denied it. Erin and Abby saw it. The Electrocuted Ghost was back. Abby asked Patty for some illumination on the ghost. She complied. It looked scarier. Holtzmann walked back to the Proton Box and activated it. Abby got out the Sony 4K Camcorder to get the ghost on film.

Holtzmann cautioned the technology was in its early stages. At 4:21 pm, Holtzmann handed a bulky particle thrower to Erin. Holtzmann told her the thrower was going to shoot a proton stream at the ghost and instructed her to wait for her go ahead. Erin inquired why she was operating the untested nuclear laser. Holtzmann noted she had the longest arms. Patty advised them to hurry up. Holtzmann remembered she forgot the most important part and placed a collar around Erin's neck for a little bit of grounding so she didn't die immediately. Holtzmann asked Erin if she knew her iron level. She did not. Holtzmann told her it was fine. Abby chuckled. Patty asked them if they caught a ghost before. Holtzmann gave her the green light to aim and fire. The proton stream fired but stopped way short of the ghost and drooped into the ground. Abby suggested more power. Holtzmann tried again. Erin fired off a sustained stream and wrangled the ghost but it was still coming at them. Erin asked if the stream could get any stronger. The ghost growled and thrashed at them as the stream entangled it but it continued to close in on Erin. The ghost pawed at her. Erin gasped and fell on her back. Patty alerted them the train was coming and it was time to leave. Abby asked Erin to lure it back on the platform. The Proton Box fell on its side. They pulled Erin to the platform. The train closed in. Patty realized that was the express train, which meant it wasn't stopping at the station. Holtzmann remembered and quickly removed the collar. The train rammed the box and the ghost and drenched most of them in Ectoplasm. The ghost left the station in the train. Abby tried wiping some of the Ectoplasm off Erin's face. Erin remarked she almost got killed. Holtzmann thought it was so awesome. Abby agreed.

Back at headquarters, they reviewed comments for the 17 second "Ionized Class 4 Apparition in subway" video. Erin pointed out everyone thought the video was fake and repeated they had to bring a ghost back to the lab and document it to prove it. Abby assured they would and advised her against reading things crazy people wrote in the middle of the night online. Abby stopped and noticed a "bogus equipment" comment. She typed, "I'd love you to meet me any place, any time." Erin tried to stop Abby. Kevin brought Abby her coffee. Abby thanked him then asked if he put sugar in. Kevin drank then spat it out then gagged. He remarked he hate coffee but confirmed the sugar was in there then walked away. Erin took the mug and explained it wasn't right to waste a cup of coffee. Abby requested they pretended that didn't just happen. Erin inquired about the pieces of the Hyper-Ionization Device. Abby took the mug away then addressed the device. She wasn't sure because it was only bits and pieces. Erin brought up the fact that the pieces looked like it was part of a miniature cyclotron. Holtzmann added whoever built it used a chromium alloy for the hull. She scoffed and admitted she would have used aluminum. Erin asked about what Patty said Rowan told her in the subway. Abby knew what she meant but couldn't remember. From a booth, Patty told them it was "Fourth Cataclysm." The phone rang. Patty announced she was joining the club. Erin tried to correct her but she stopped and asked Kevin to answer the phone. Kevin informed her he couldn't because it was in the fish tank. Erin meant the one on the desk that was ringing. Kevin noticed it. Abby was beside herself. Kevin asked what they were called. Erin replied they were the Conductors of the Metaphysical Examination. Kevin answered the phone and told the caller they were the Conductors of Metamucils and Stuff. Kevin listened and abruptly hung up on the caller. He informed them he was just not into that conversation. He left to join his team for a hide-and-seek tournament semi-finals game. Abby reminded him to pick up all his suitcases. Kevin turned and tripped on his way out. Erin asked him if he hurt his face. She told him goodbye and waved. He waved back.

Erin returned to her previous thought and told Patty they were not a club, they were a scientific research group. Patty understood and told them while they knew the science, she read a lot of nonfiction and knew about New York. She added she could borrow a car from her uncle so they wouldn't have lug all their heavy equipment around. Holtzmann loved the idea of getting a car. Patty was confident of her pitch. Abby told her she was in. Patty returned in a black 1984 Cadillac Fleetwood hearse and honked the horn. Patty stated her uncle owned a funeral home. Erin joked she hoped Patty checked to see there wasn't a body in the back. Patty admitted she didn't know. Abby was surprised she didn't check. Patty insisted she was in a hurry and only checked to see if the car had gas. Abby asked if there was a body. Patty retorted Holtzmann should check. Holtzmann thought of seven good uses of a cadaver right off the bat. Patty stated they had to turn in the body if there was one in there. Holtzmann made a face. Patty told her not to do that. Holtzmann presented the Proton Pack. She built it based on the results of the subway field test and reminded Erin she was almost killed. Erin clearly remembered. Holtzmann informed them she added a booster using microfabricated radio-frequency quadrupoles to speed up particles before entering the DLA device and made it portable and wearable for maximum flexibility. Erin was impressed. Abby revealed they just had to add the reversible psychokinetic energy sink and Holtzmann's hollow beam to a canister and they would have something to hold a ghost. Abby held it up. Abby and Holtzmann performed a complicated patty cake then went outside to test the pack.

They went outside into the alley between Zhu's and its neighbor building to test the Proton Pack. Erin proclaimed it was an exciting moment and told Holtzmann she was beyond impressed. Abby fired and blew up the target but the kickback took her across the ground then up into mid-air. Erin and Patty were alarmed. Patty surmised she wasn't bending her knees enough. All they could do was let her ride it out until the pack was out of power. They settled back inside and ate Papa John's delivery pizza. Patty asked Erin and Abby how they met. Erin answered that Abby transferred to her high school during their junior year. Abby remembered the high school mascot was the Karate Cats. She recalled they started telling ghost stories, and they bonded right away but thought what all the other kids were doing like getting drunk and going to parties was stupid. Erin added they weren't invited to any parties. Abby believed they were terrified of them. Abby remembered something else and walked off to go get it. Patty then asked how they got into ghosts then if one of them saw one before. Erin admitted she did, and told them about Gretta. Patty and Holtzmann were surprised. Erin continued and revealed her parents never believed her and put her in therapy for years, and the kids at school found out. They teased her and called her "Ghost Girl." Abby was the only person who believed her. Patty stated kids were mean and told Erin she believed her. Erin thanked her. Holtzmann had some questions. Patty reacted, "Seriously?" Holtzmann winked and smiled. Erin laughed. Abby returned with a photo of teenage Erin and Abby with a science fair presentation. Erin was aghast. Patty was amused. Erin wished they still had the presentation and bragged it was pretty great. Patty kinda wished she could've seen it. Abby hinted she might just get her wish. She ran off exclaiming. Erin realized she had it. Patty regretted speaking out.

Abby and Erin, now dressed in all black turtle necks, reenacted their high school presentation and sang a song about the existence of ghosts. Holtzmann thanked Patty for requesting it. Patty was at a loss. Abby sang about a barrier that stopped served as the last line of defense between the worlds of the living and the dead. Erin and Abby chanted, "Protect the barrier!" or mankind would end. Erin and Abby thought the song was still good. Holtzmann walked towards them doing a slow clap. She declared she so goddamn happy there were friends again then embraced them. Patty admitted she was hating it up until the finale, but the finale was what got her. Holtzmann noticed they were on TV. NY1 dubbed them the "Ghostbusters" and did a piece on the video about the Electrocuted Ghost. Patty was shocked and declared they were famous. Pat Kiernan proposed the question of should they be taken seriously. Erin wasn't happy with them being called "Ghostbusters." Kiernan transitioned to a recorded clip with Martin Heiss from the Council for Logic and Data and a famous debunker. Kiernan asked him if the video was real. Heiss told him it wasn't and laughed.

Patty declared they were all ghost girls now. Erin refused to wilt and declared they were scientists. Plus Patty. Patty thanked her for the inclusion. Erin stated they believed in provable, physical results. The phone started ringing. Abby agreed. Patty replied "Preach." Erin confirmed that was what she was going to do. She told them they were going to catch a ghost. The phone continued ringing. Abby was upset. Erin turned and looked at Kevin then turned back. Erin repeated herself. The phone kept ringing. Erin asked Kevin to answer the phone. Kevin snapped his finger and answered the phone. He greeted the caller as "Ghostbusters" instead of "Conductors of the Metaphysical Examination." Kevin listened, told the caller goodbye, hung up, then held up two glamor shots. He asked them which one made him look more like a doctor, one of him playing a saxophone or the one of him listening to the saxophone. Abby and Erin, at the same time, asked who called. Kevin guessed it was the Stonebrook Theatre and there was a goat on the loose. They paused in thought. Erin elected to load up the car.

Erin walked out with her pair of neon green wading boots. Patty announced she modified four flight suits from work so they wouldn't get slimed again. Abby and Erin were pleased. Phil Hudson called out to Erin across from Zhu's on the island in the middle of the street. He gestured her to him. Erin told them it would take a second and crossed the street. He asked how she could just completely ignore his calls and messages for a week. Erin was taken back and pointed out he just stood there during the most humiliating moment of her life. Patty asked if that was her boyfriend. Abby didn't think so. Phil wondered who she really was or who those people were. He just found out she co-wrote Ghosts from Our Past: Both Literally and Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal and heard rumors he became some sort of crazy ghost hunter. Erin corrected the rumor, they stalked ghosts. She added they were very close to trapping one soon then they would study it and write reports then declared she didn't care if people thought she was crazy, even him, because what they were doing was groundbreaking, serious, and important work. Holtzmann pulled up in Ecto-1. Erin pointed it out as their science mobile and told him she was leaving with her science friends to do real work then told him good day. Holtzmann and Patty called out to Erin. Abby told Phil not to follow. Holtzmann drove a few inches forward when Erin tried to open the door. Erin played along. Holtzmann told her they had to go. Erin walked to door. Holtzmann drove forward. Holtzmann asked her to get in. Erin told her it wasn't the time to mess with her. Phil just stood there and stared. Holtzmann quipped to Erin, she was killing her then remarked they had fun then drove off.

Erin and Abby both said "Let's go" at the same time by accident. Abby apologized. Erin proposed next time she would say it. They crossed the street and walked through the theatre. They met Jonathan the Theater Manager and he asked if they were the Ghostbusters. Erin was about to correct him but Abby went with it. Fernando the Janitor was wheeled off on a stretcher by paramedics, muttering "Diablo." Erin interpreted his Spanish as, "There's a chicken frying itself in the library." Patty didn't believe that was correct at all. Jonathan led them downstairs and recounted his encounter with Mayhem. Abby had everyone split up. Erin walked past a shelf of wigs. Holtzmann spooked her and had on a purple wig. Erin wasn't amused. Holtzmann placed the wig back on the shelf and followed her. Abby found the Hyper-Ionization Device in the Wardrobe Room and radioed everyone. Patty arrived last and the possessed mannequin kicked a hole in the door near Patty's crotch. Patty screamed then ran over to the others. It kicked its way in through the door. Abby realized the ghost performed a full paranormal transferal embodiment and her and Erin's theories on spectral possession were true. Erin wanted that ghost. They opened fire on the mannequin. Mayhem emerged as they blasted the mannequin. Erin ordered them to run after Mayhem. They chased it down the hall and fired at it. Mayhem screeched and flew up through the floor leaving Ectoplasm behind, dripping from the ceiling. Erin blocked her face with her elbow then ordered them upstairs.

Erin realized the Hyper-Ionization Device was making the ghosts stronger and pointed out Mayhem was super ionized. Abby added it was "super not-benign." Patty remarked the music was so terrible, it made the ghost more angry. The Ghostbusters ran onto the stage after it shoved the lead singer into the speakers. They opened fire starting with Patty then Erin then Holtzmann and lastly, Abby. Mayhem dodged the streams and ended up perched on Patty's shoulders. Erin tried to tell her. Patty told her she didn't have to tell her anything. Erin kept trying to tell her but Patty refused and told her she really needed her not to tell her anything. Patty proposed she was just going to go ahead and take off. Erin didn't think that was a good idea. Patty walked away. A selfie was taken at her expense. Abby signaled the others to shoot Mayhem. Erin told Patty to stay still. Abby asked everyone not to hit Patty anywhere important. Erin, Abby, and Holtzmann shot Mayhem. It screeched and hopped off Patty's shoulders. Patty fired at it, too. Holtzmann remembered and warned Erin to never let their beams get entangled or there would be a counter reaction. The beam would shoot back into her body, and each atom will implode. Erin exclaimed. Abby told Holtzmann to open the Trap. She resumed firing at Mayhem then told Erin and Abby they were doing great but asked Patty to try a little harder. The Trap pulled in Mayhem. Erin asked if they caught it. Holtzmann declared they put a ghost in a box. She held out the Trap as steam hissed from it. The crowd cheered. Erin shouted "Yes!" As Holtzmann and Abby spoke to a NY1 reporter, Erin declared they were the Ghostbusters.

Back at headquarters, the Ghostbusters celebrated to DMX's "Party Up (Up in Here)" single. Erin and Patty danced in the lab. Kevin walked to the lab area. They invited him to join in. Kevin started dancing between them. Patty cheered him on. Abby noticed Kevin was dancing too closely to Patty. Patty flatly told him no then eventually walked away. Erin and Kevin were back to back. Erin turned and placed her hands on his hips like a train. Patty laughed. Kevin walked back to his desk. Erin continued dancing and strolled to the others. Abby and Patty laughed. Erin was still on cloud nine about their successful capture. She picked up the Trap then kissed it. Abby turned off the boom box and took the Trap away. She told Erin to stop kissing it. Erin stated it made her feel so warm and tingly inside. Abby quipped that was probably the radiation. Patty and Abby laughed. Holtzmann got their attention and showed off the Mark II Proton Pack. Kevin interrupted and informed them there was a "Smartin Christ" to see them. Erin was confused and realized he meant Martin Heiss. Abby was not happy. Kevin pointed to Heiss, who was standing in the doorway. Abby directed him to tell Heiss they weren't there. Erin was confused. Abby stated she didn't want to talk to him. Kevin told Heiss they weren't present. Heiss entered the lab area. Erin greeted him. Heiss asked if it was a good time or if was the dinner rush. Abby told him to make an appointment. Erin countered it was a perfect time since they were doing some experiments.

Heiss sat down on a chair. He wanted start light and easy then asked them why they were pretending to catch ghosts. Before Erin could answer, Abby picked out how easy it was to just be a naysayer and not do anything. She contended humankind only comprehended about four percent of the universe and repeated the fact. Erin stopped Abby and reiterated they were adherents of the scientific method and she, in particular, dedicated her life to it. She picked up Trap and told him they captured a Class 3 vapor at 4:32 pm. Heiss pointed his cane at the Trap and wanted to clarify the ghost was indeed inside the "thermos." He poked it but Abby pushed the cane away, telling him not to touch it. Heiss remarked he would really love to see it. Abby shot that down and stated they were still assessing what type of containment method to use. Abby tried to take the Trap, Erin resisted, but Abby yanked it away. Heiss was amused at his timing, they caught a ghost but he couldn't see it. Erin admitted it sounded like they were making it up, it sounded crazy, and they probably don't really look like legitimate scientists. Heiss contended they only lacked the proper equipment, like a garbage truck to hang on to the back of. Erin's smile turned to a frown and glare.

Patty cleared her throat and thanked him for stopping by. Heiss was disappointed the graciousness ran out. Erin was still intent on showing him the ghost. She grabbed the Trap and set it down on the floor. Abby told her not to do it. Erin released the pedal. Abby pulled her back and questioned her. Erin insisted it was because he didn't believe them. Heiss got out his camcorder and recorded. Abby tried to talk Erin out of it, citing they finally succeeded at doing the thing they talked about since they were little kids and it wasn't worth it trying to impress him. Heiss thought they were something. Erin apologized to Abby. Abby told her it was okay. As soon as Abby turned away, Erin stomped the pedal and the Trap opened. Heiss cheered her on. Erin and Abby cringed. Erin quickly apologized. Heiss mockingly referred to Mayhem as Casper. Suddenly, Mayhem manifested, flied out of the Trap, carried Heiss through the window and dropped him. Officer Stevenson grilled the Ghostbusters outside of Zhu's. Holtzmann replied a ghost threw him out the window. Stevenson was annoyed and asked if she meant like Patrick Swayze and asked if he was sitting behind her, making some pottery. Abby sarcastically confirmed it was like Swayze. She added they were all dancing at a summer camp in the Catskills, then they sat down, and he was behind her, and they made a vase. Erin realized she combined Swayze movies. She remembered "Road House" was a good one. Abby confessed she loved "Road House." Erin remembered "Point Break." Abby reminisced. Erin cited the ending with the big wave. Abby recalled he was a ghost in that movie, too. Erin contended that was ambiguous. Agent Hawkins and Agent Rorke flashed their Department of Homeland Security badges and informed the Ghostbusters the mayor wanted a word with them.

Erin started with saying they didn't have a lot of time and they were not frauds. Bradley interrupted and stated they knew they were not frauds because they were monitoring the situation quite closely. Lynch added Hawkins and Rorke were with Homeland Security they were investigating it extremely quietly. Bradley asked the Ghostbusters what they knew. Erin revealed that they believed that someone was creating a device that attracted and amplified paranormal activity. Abby added that activity was escalating now and leading to an even larger scale event. Bradley joked that sounded terrible. Holtzmann gestured an explosion. Bradley complemented them on the great work but told them it was time to knock it off and let the government do their work. Lynch added they were worried that they were drawing a lot of attention to themselves. Bradley agreed. Holtzmann feigned surprise. Erin noted Patty wore big earrings. Patty admitted if it was a crime to look good, she was guilty as charged. Other than that, Erin believed they kept a very low profile. Hawkins pointed out they drove a hearse with a ghost on it, and used a distinctly un-American-sounding siren. Erin admitted they did.

Bradley explained what the essence of the deal was going to be: they planned to make the public believe the Ghostbusters were frauds. Erin and Abby were surprised. Lynch explained the human brain could only handle so much and if everybody knew what was going on, there would be a panic. Abby understood and nodded. Lynch elaborated that they would release disinformation to make the Stonebrook case look like a hoax rather than risk mass hysteria. Abby agreed they didn't want mass hysteria either but their main concern was that they were allowed to continue their work. Erin agreed but felt like the cat was sort of already kind of out of the bag. Abby interpreted their words as they wanted to put the cat back inside the bag. Erin agreed but repeated she felt like the cat was already out. Abby knew that. Erin brought up how hard it would be to put the cat back in. Abby wasn't convinced it was impossible to do. Erin pointed out that was why that saying existed. Abby thought it was a nonsense saying. Erin elaborated they couldn't put the cat back is if it was out. Abby insisted she put a cat in a bag all the time. Erin rephrased herself. Lynch interjected and stated they just wanted to shove that damn cat back in the bag. Rorke intimated that the cat had been out of the bag before but people lost interest and put it back in. Lynch added people always moved on. Rorke told them about a sheriff in New Mexico who reported a UFO encounter, the crew of the SS Ourang Medan who died mysteriously, and the entire town of Langville, Montana who went missing. Holtzmann feigned shock. Abby explained they were talking about relocating and not about anyone being killed. Bradley stated they were turned inside out. Erin asked if their skin was on the inside of their body. Bradley confirmed that was true because their organs were on the outside. Abby asked if they were okay. Bradley curtly answered "sure." Holtzmann thought they were dead. Bradley thanked them for coming. Agents Hawkins and Rorke dropped the Ghostbusters off outside Zhu's but the latter got hostile with them.

Holtzmann stated they had to be prepared and presented new sidearms on a wooden table: three Proton Grenade (Air Filter)s, a Proton Grenade Launcher, a Ghost Chipper, a Proton Glove and a Proton Blaster. She invited Erin to pick any one. Erin picked up the Proton Grenade Launcher. Holtzmann freaked out and told her that one wasn't ready but when it was, she could have it. She handed her a Swiss Army Knife. Erin thought it was modified. Holtzmann revealed it was a normal one and no woman should walk around unarmed. Holtzmann handed her a Proton Grenade. She instructed her to throw it and it would send up a "little poof" only dangerous to ghosts. Erin armed and threw it. It exploded by some trash. Everyone was dazzled. Holtzmann corrected herself, it was a medium poof. Patty tried the Chipper on a trash can and the shredded trash went all over Erin and Abby. Abby tried the Proton Glove and accidentally blew up Bennie's bike. Abby declared that was awesome. Erin tried to high five Abby. Abby pulled away and told her that would have been a deadly high five. Holtzmann declared that was a successful test. Bennie stepped outside and saw the wreckage then looked at them in dismay.

Jennifer Lynch held a press briefing and deemed the Ghostbusters' actions as fraudulent and unsafe, then blamed them for creating an unnecessary panic in their attempt at fame. Erin clicked her tongue, looked at Abby, and she raised up her hand gesturing stop. Lynch stated the Ghostbusters were fake. Erin declared they were all ghost girls. Erin slammed her head on the table but a beaker of Hydrochloric Acid dropped onto the floor, broke, and the acid hissed. Holtzmann was sad to see her favorite acid go. Kevin walked in to the lab area and offered to get it. Erin told him to be careful. Kevin asked them what that thing was that threw out that man out the window the other day. Holtzmann asked him if he knew what their business was about. Erin gestured at the TV. A still of the Ghostbusters from the Stonebrook report was stamped "FRAUDS!" Abby took a moment to remind everybody that in a very short amount of time, they encountered multiple Class 4 malevolent apparitions so they shouldn't care what anybody else said about them. She remembered the latest reports and walked to the laptop on the other side of the table. She read them off, a wailing spirit sighted at 6th and 26th, a spectral polar bear on 63rd and 5th, and a weeping wall in the thrift store at Chelsea. Something about the locations clicked with Erin. She asked Abby if she said 6th and 26th. Abby confirmed.

Erin laid a map down on the table and uncapped a pen. She marked 6th and 26th, then the Aldridge Mansion in Upper West Side by 70 and 72nd. Erin asked where they found the first Hyper-Ionization Device. Patty answered the tapped at the Upper East Side near 78 and 76th as the subway's location. Erin marked it. She recalled Stonebrook was downtown and marked by the Lafayette and E. Houston Street intersection. She asked what the other address was. Abby repeated it was a polar bear on 63rd and 5th Avenue. Erin asked where the one in Chelsea was. Abby looked and told her it was at 10th Avenue and 18th. Erin drew straight lines connecting her "x" marks and formed a big "X" in Midtown. Erin asked everyone what they looked like. Kevin got literal and noticed it was an X touching other little "X's." Erin and Abby both mentioned Ley Lines. Holtzmann understood and emoted. Patty asked what it was. Holtzmann walked over and grabbed a "Ley Lines: of North America" book from a cardboard box. Abby explained it was a hidden network of energy lines that ran across the Earth. It was a current of supernatural energy. Erin continued that supposedly, by connecting sacred sites and weird events all over the world with the lines, the point of intersection was an unusually powerful spot. She admitted she and Abby previously dismissed the Ley line theory because it just seemed too random to have any merit. Holtzmann smoothed down a page and placed the map half on the book then slid it forward. She implored them to dismiss it then patted the book. The two maps, the one Erin marked and the one in the book were identical. Abby admitted that it looked like it had some merit.

Erin realized Rowan was using the devices to charge the Ley lines and create a vortex. Abby pointed out if he got one of his machines in intersection and it was big enough, he would be able to rip a hole right through the barrier. Holtzmann demonstrated with her hands how whatever was on one plane of existence would then crash down onto another plane of existence as a result of the machines then she smacked the center of Erin's big "X" on the map. Abby walked away to report their discovery to Agent Hawkins and Rorke. Erin wondered what was at the intersection between 7th and 8th. She grabbed the laptop and typed. Holtzmann read aloud, it was the Mercado Hotel. Erin incorrectly translated "Mercado" as Spanish for "table." Patty recognized the name and told them about the Mercado's history of bizarre massacres but stopped and recognized Rowan in the employee photo. Erin remarked it was always the sad, pale ones. Abby rallied everyone to gear up for the Mercado. The Ghostbusters took stairs down to the boiler room and confronted Rowan. He revealed he was seeking revenge and so were the ghosts he allied himself with. After the barriers were destroyed, an army of the undead would return to pester the living. Erin didn't think "pester" sounded so bad. Rowan clarified they would pester the living with unspeakable pain and torment, children would be pestered limb from limb in front of their own parents, the parents would be pestered in half and pestered in half again then pestered into the ground until their bloody, pulpy bodies were nothing but meat. Erin admitted that was a different definition than what she was thinking. Holtzmann offered up the word "apocalypse."

Rowan went to activate the Barrier Compromising Master Machine. Abby yelled at him to stop. She tried to show she understood people could be terrible but tried to appeal to him listing the terrific things in the world but she could only think of soup. She asked Patty. Patty shot back there was salad. Rowan turned back to the master machine. Abby yelled at him to stop and informed him the police were already on their way and he was going to jail. Rowan told them goodbye then grabbed hold of two pylons and electrocuted himself to death then his body dropped to the floor face first. Abby asked Holtzmann to shut the machine down. Holtzmann jogged over to where they found Rowan. Abby and Erin pressed her to hurry. The electricity powered down. The ghosts vanished from the mirrors. Erin asked if they were good. Holtzmann believed so, except for Rowan. Erin was relieved it was over. Abby yelled out into the corridor for the police. The police set up shop and took statements. Erin asked Abby what was bothering her. Abby had a feeling his technology was not that different from their technology and used the same science. Erin agreed it was strange. Holtzmann walked over to them and presented a copy of Ghosts from Our Past. They were mortified at first. Abby was oddly pleased she was right about how there would be people out there that loved their work. Erin wondered why she was so flattered that that weird little sociopath bought their book. Jennifer Lynch arrived and thanked the Ghostbusters. She added Mayor Bradley thanked them, too, but privately and asked them not to tell anyone. She asked if she could walk them out. Back up in the lobby, Lynch suggested they get some rest then revealed Agent Hawkins and Rorke. Abby thanked her. Hawkins and Rorke thanked the Ghostbusters, too. Lynch revealed they were going to stage a fake arrest but Ecto-1 was towed for real. She walked over to the crowd of reporters before they could process what she said. Hawkins grabbed Erin's arm. Rorke grabbed Abby's arm. They placed their arms behind their backs and walked them to the door. A reporter asked Lynch if New York was in trouble. Lynch assured them everything was fine and it was all just another publicity stunt by the Ghostbusters. Erin turned and glared at Lynch. She called them incredibly sad and lonely women then joked they read "Eat, Pray, Love" and just ran with it.

The Ghostbusters walked down the sidewalk away from E 45th Street. Abby declared it was mission accomplished and proposed getting some drinks to celebrate. Patty held out her right arm to Holtzmann for a high five. Abby asked Erin what she thought. Holtzmann grabbed Patty's arm and kissed her hand instead. Patty pulled away. Blogger Chris Gethard, with his his phone recording, caught up to them. He wanted to ask a couple quick questions for his blog. He asked how it felt wasting tax payer money and government resources with their pranks. Abby asked him to go back to his mother's basement where he lived then pushed the phone down. He sarcastically replied he planned to. He addressed Erin and revealed he went to her hometown and found out she made up a ghost when she was a child then ended asking her if she was born a fraud and called her ghost girl. Erin turned and collared him, then exclaimed not to call her that. Abby insisted he was too pasty to fight. Patty pointed out she was making them look bad. Abby implored her to let go. He retorted she should go back in therapy and called her a freak. Erin punched him square in his face. He instantly dropped to the pavement. Patty was shocked.

The late edition of New York Post newspaper had the incident on the front page and had a photo of Erin when she threw the punch. The headline read, "Nosebusters! It's not the ghosts he should be afraid of." Erin looked at it in the booth back at headquarters. Holtzmann placed the Ghost Chipper down and scooted in from the other side. She asked Erin to guess whose desk she just set on fire. Holtzmann got no answer and presumed she would guess when she saw her desk later. Abby and Patty remained at the lab table. Erin told her to just read it. Holtzmann saw an article about how a Midtown movie theater owner claimed a Basset Hound regularly attended matinees by himself. She was amused by the hound's ears. Erin clarified she meant the article about her. Holtzmann turned the pages. The article revealed cellphone video of the fight was uploaded to Youtube and Gethard later tweeted that he was "feeling fine with the help of an ice pack and a nice glass of Merlot" then he thanked his followers for their words of support. The article also mentioned the Ghostbusters were just in trouble two days ago when Martin Heiss was hospitalized after falling through a window in a freak accident. Sergeant Lance Larson was quoted saying a freak accident was virtually impossible. Holtzmann proclaimed the article was devastating. Erin sighed. Holtzmann noticed Erin was on TV, too. Fox 5 News anchor, Mike Kelly, introduced a piece done with Harold Filmore. The news ticker indicated academic institutions were distancing themselves from any affiliation with Erin. Erin was horrified. Filmore found it was unfortunate that Columbia University had these former ties with her but stated they were about real science, discovering truth, and not lying for a sad moment of fame. Abby snatched the remote control away from Erin and assured her they didn't know what they were talking about. The second anchor revealed Fox 5 also spoke with the Dean of the Kenneth P. Higgins Institute. Abby's tone changed. Dean Shanks clarified Erin's association with the institute, albeit distant, was a blight but he shifted the conversation to an album of his that was releasing in two weeks. Abby clicked the TV off in disgust. Patty advised Erin to shake it off and reminded her of the lives she helped save. Abby agreed. Holtzmann recommended they leave and get something to eat then look for the Basset Hound. Erin, deflated, told them she would see them tomorrow, apologized, and left.

Erin returned to her apartment. She sat down on her bed in a lavender robe. She picked up Rowan's copy of Ghosts from Our Past and flipped through the pages until she saw some handwriting "Research Notes" with drawings of a cube and notes. She flipped and found a drawing of Gertrude and Rowan's technology. She continued and found drawings of Rowan as a giant rampaging in the city. There was even a drawing of him killing himself just like he did at the Mercado then a drawing of him grabbing people and full page spread drawing of people on a roof top bowing to him. Words read "The Fourth Cataclysm" and "I Will Lead Them All" were also written on the pages. Erin called headquarters but she got the answering machine. She pleaded for someone to pick the phone up or call her as soon as possible. She relayed her discovery that Rowan killed himself as the next step in his plan. Erin keyed towards the news on her TV. The news ticker read, "Mayor hosts diplomats." NY1 Anchor #2, Cheryl Willis, reported Mayor Bradley was currently meeting with the diplomats at Lotus Leaf. Erin got an idea. She got dressed and went to Lotus.

Erin looked inside and tapped the glass. She yelled Bradley's name to get his attention. Lynch realized it was a "code red." Bradley asked if he had something in his teeth. Lynch told him that was "code green." Bradley became upset. Lynch was saddened to see Erin try to open the windows like they were doors. She ran inside and told Bradley he had to evacuate the city. Bradley whispered to her to never say that word. Erin continued and told him he had to shut down the power to the whole city because Rowan was using it to energize the ghosts. Lynch tried to end it. There was a rumble outside. Erin thought it was happening. Bradley pointed to the dumpster being moved outside. Erin conceded but pleaded with him to believe her and implored him not to be like the mayor in Jaws. Bradley laughed then angrily advised her to never compare him to the Jaws mayor. Erin continued but two security officers grabbed Erin's arms. Bradley noted that took way too long. They tried to pull her away but she clung to the table. She yelled at them to let go. She yelled out to Bradley to listen and get everyone out of the city because of the killer ghosts. They backed up. Erin dragged the table with her.

Erin ran down Walker Street towards Broadway shouting at people to get out of the city. There was a loud rumble everyone felt. Erin realized it was happening and went past the other people in the opposite direction then paused near a cross walk. She saw the Mercado Hotel in the distance. Erin ran down a street and stopped at a corner. She hailed a cab. The cabbie asked her where she was going. Erin wanted to go to Chinatown. The cabbie declined. It was one more block south than he wanted to go. Erin informed him those were actual ghosts flying around. The cabbie wasn't concerned. He noted they were all Class 5 floating vapors and nothing to worry about. Erin emphasized it was important. Cabbie stated he didn't go to Chinatown, he didn't drive wackos, and stated, "I ain't afraid of no ghosts." Erin tried to stop him but he drove away. She yelled out what he said was a double negative which meant he was afraid of ghosts. Erin realized she still had to go get her gear. She managed to, suited up, and made her way back up to Times Square. She found the other Ghostbusters being smothered to death by a Stay Puft Ghost Balloon at West 38th and 6th. Instead of using her equipment, Erin simply stabbed the balloon with her Swiss Army Knife and it popped. Holtzmann yelled welcome back to her then asked if she was shouting. Erin confirmed. Holtzmann yelled the balloon popped her ear. Patty high fived Erin. Abby announced it was time to go save the city and get their terrible receptionist back. They ran down past Canfora Street towards the Mercado Hotel.

Rowan transformed the area around the Mercado with his power and soon, the ads, store fronts, restaurants, and bars morphed into those of bygone eras. The Ring Leader Ghost and Times Square Battle Ghosts gathered and stood between the Ghostbusters and the Mercado. Erin admitted she was never good in a fight. Abby believed her chance to work on that was coming up. Holtzmann reminded everyone they had Proton sidearms to use. Abby told everyone to power up. The Ghostbusters opened fire with their throwers on the ghosts that emerged from the P.K.E. mist. Erin fired at the ghosts but Gertrude picked Erin up from behind and dropped her into the arms of a Ghost Pilgrim. Erin didn't find it to be very Puritan behavior. Abby armed a Proton Grenade and tossed it up at 7 seconds then tried to bat it with her thrower but missed. Abby kicked the grenade over. The grenade went off and neutralized the Ghost Pilgrim. Erin landed on her feet and shot the pilgrim back into the mist. Erin was happy she was getting the hang of it. Abby whooped but was grabbed by Mayhem in front of a Nathan's. Abby yelled she lost her glasses. She realized they were in her hand. Erin blasted Mayhem and it dropped Abby on the hood of a car. Erin batted with her thrower. Mayhem was chipped by Patty. Erin sidestepped the remains as it exited the Chipper. Gertrude and Electrocuted Ghost charged. Erin got out her Proton Grenade Launcher and fired. They went flying backwards. Even Erin was surprised by its power. Abby berated the neutralized ghosts as they marched onto the Mercado. Erin told her to reel it in tighter and save her energy. Abby realized Erin "killed" a Pilgrim.

The Ghostbusters walked past the police, agents, and soldiers frozen in place. Abby found it weird. Erin agreed. The Ghostbusters stepped into the lobby of the Mercado Hotel. Erin slipped on some Ectoplasm on the floor. She was sure the slime had a personal grudge against her. Rowan noticed there were five of them now. Erin was confused. She saw that there was a middle aged man in a bath robe standing next to them. Abby told Frank to get out of the hotel. Rowan realized Kevin was making him feel stupider by the second. He exited Kevin's body, and Kevin fell down to the lobby. Abby and Erin "broke" his fall and wound up on their backs. They traded insults with Rowan as they blasted at him. Abby wanted to switch gears and take Kevin to safety. He was still unconscious so Erin and Abby had a hard time dragging him out. Abby ordered Rowan to show himself. Rowan asked her what form she preferred he take. Patty took the lead and wanted something nice and cute, like a friendly little ghost. Rowan appeared as the Ghostbusters' logo and asked them if it's what she wanted then became sinister and started expanding in size. Patty stipulated she wanted "cute." They became very concerned. Rowan grinned and raised his left arm then makes a shoving motion with both arms. They were sent flying outside by a flood of green energy and the shock wave knocked the police, agents, and soldiers on their backs.

Rowan chased after them. Erin shot side of a building. A billboard exploded and fried the left side of Rowan. Rowan roared and look around. The Ghostbusters hid down a street alley. Abby prioritized the need to reverse the portal but it required an insane amount of energy. Erin wondered what to do. Abby believed they just had to shoot directly in the portal with more power to cause a reverse reaction. Holtzmann suggested they cross the streams. Erin remembered that was the thing that was so powerful that would make all of their atoms implode. Holtzmann corrected her and thought it would be more violent than that. Abby believed they had an extremely good shot at pulling all the ionized ecto-matter back into the dimension of its origin by crossing their streams into the portal. Erin saw the pro was they saved the world but the con was they experienced the most painful death conceivable of all time. Abby admitted it was hard to shine that penny. Erin agreed to do it.

They returned to the portal and crossed the streams into it but it wasn't enough. Ecto-1 returned again. Patty asked about the roof rack equipment. Holtzmann theorized if they could get the reactors super-critical inside the vortex, the beta radiation could reverse the polarity. Erin realized it would cause a total protonic reversal. Abby equated the plan to turning the portal into a giant ghost trap and called Patty a genius. Patty stated she was a Ghostbuster. Abby told everyone to focus on narrowing the car's path. They blasted one pole at time. Ecto-1 swerved away from each one. Holtzmann directed them to aim for the silver canisters. They side stepped Ecto-1 and fired. Ecto-1 launched in mid-air into the portal. They nailed the canisters as it descended into the Portal. All the ghosts around the city were pulled in by red streams of energy shooting out of the Portal. Erin exclaimed it was working. Even Rowan was pulled back but he resisted and held onto some buildings. Erin didn't want to let the portal close with him still in New York. Abby ordered everyone to loosen his grip. They shot his "crotch." He winced and clutched his "crotch." Rowan tripped on a fire truck as he was pulled forward. Rowan reached for the Ghostbusters as he fell to the ground. Abby told them to look out. She pushed Patty aside. Rowan grabbed Abby as he was pulled into the portal.

Erin eyed a winch on the ground. She tied the wire around her waist and ran for the portal. Erin dived into the portal and passed through The Divide. Erin fired her thrower at his left arm. He released Abby. Erin closed the gap and grabbed her. Rowan plunged into the end of the divide and vanished. Erin told Abby she wasn't going to leave him twice. They felt a yank. Erin told her to hold on. Patty and Holtzmann pulled on Erin's wire from outside the hotel. As Erin and Abby reached the red zone of the divide, their hair turned white. Abby and Erin emerged just as the portal closed and they burst through the doors. Patty noticed their hair was white. Erin looked at Abby's hair and vice versa. Erin asked what year it was. Holtzmann joked it was 2040 and the president was a plant. They fell for it. Holtzmann told them she was kidding. They realized they saved the world. Kevin joined in and ate a sub sandwich. Erin asked him when he had time to get a sandwich. They placed their hands into the center of their circle. Erin told him to hold her hand longer. Abby had enough and tapped Erin. Kevin commented he loved their hair because it made them look a lot older. Abby took the sub and tossed it.

The Ghostbusters waited for Lynch in a Jacob Wirth Co. Restaurant. Abby and Erin's hair were dyed by then. Erin commented she now knew how Batman felt. Holtzmann laughed. Abby told her to stop fiddling with her hair and thought it looked nice. Holtzmann quipped she would talk to her at an AA meeting. Patty snickered and drank. Erin admitted she thought the color was Garfield like the cat but it was the president from the Dead Presidents Color Collection. Holtzmann warned her to stay away from Taft because that was her mother's color and she didn't want to see that on anyone's head. Holtzmann decided to make a toast and tapped her glass with a utensil. The others were concerned. Holtzmann talked about how physics was the study of the movement of bodies in space, and it can unlock the mysteries of the universe. But it cannot answer the essential question of what is our purpose here. And, to her, the purpose of life is to love. And to love is what they have shown her. She didn't think that she would ever really have a friend until she met Abby, and then she feels like she has a family of her own. She ended telling them she loves them and thanks them. Holtzmann clinked glass to glass with Patty then Abby then Erin and sat. Abby was surprised and thanked her back. Erin, Abby, and Patty clinked drinks. Lynch pulled out the fifth chair and apologized for being late. She thanked them for their discretion even though it was not working at all then chuckled. Lynch revealed the Mayor would like them to continue to study the paranormal, fully funded, so the city can be better prepared just in case of another event. She emphasized they can have anything at all. Erin got an idea and asked for the Firehouse

The Ghostbusters walked to the Firehouse. Abby congratulated Erin on the idea. Erin declared she proudly took the title of Ghost Girl. A black Cadillac hearse pulled up to the Firehouse. Tires screeched. The horn honked. A man got out of the driver's side. Patty stepped outside. Abby confirmed to Erin that he was Patty's uncle. Uncle Bill demanded to know where the car was. Abby and Erin made no eye contact and walked past them to the door. Some time later, Erin unpacked a box that came in the mail while Abby got her order from Zhu's. Kevin answered the phone and gave the thumbs up hand sign to Erin and Abby as they walked by towards the lab. He tried to act scientific and classify the ghost as a "illusional meta-physious, spectro-mian." Kevin told the caller the ghost was probably a result of a lot of bad karma from their previous life. He drank and spitted, then remarked he hated coffee. Abby remarked she was just going to disconnect his phone. Erin doesn't think he would notice. Abby agreed. Abby and Erin approached the lab and got Holtzmann's attention. She turned around to them. Erin asked how things were going. Holtzmann told them it was going really good and she was working on some kind of next-level stuff. Holtzmann pushed a button on her Keysight FieldFox Microwave Analyzer. The Ghost Transporter, a giant device resembling a bear trap, activated. It clamped shut then released. Erin gasped in shock. Abby was impressed. Erin asked what it was for. Holtzmann stated it caught ghosts and it transported them somewhere else. She admitted she doesn't know where but had a feeling it was Michigan then apologized out loud to the city of Lansing.

Abby asked about the Containment Unit. Holtzmann replied that was going real smooth but warned them to not be in the room with it for more than an hour at a time, because she was thinking there may be a lot of hair loss. Dr. Rebecca Gorin walked around the Containment Unit, assessing it and not paying them any attention. Erin tried to greet Gorin. Holtzmann kicked herself and introduced Gorin as her mentor.Patty came down from the stairs and told everyone to come up to the roof. Buildings across Manhattan were lit up thanking the Ghostbusters. One read, "NY S2 GB" while another read, "I love GB", and another read, "NY Loves Ghostbusters." Patty was happy some people actually knew what they did. Abby admitted it was not terrible. Erin agreed. Patty chuckled, placed her right arm around Erin and they hugged. Holtzmann placed her arm around Abby. Abby grabbed her hand. Erin and Patty linked up to them. Some time later, Erin and Holtzmann inspected a new device in the back. The device Erin was inspecting clanked. Holtzmann called it the Nutcracker. Erin assumed it crushed ghosts. Holtzmann quipped it was for walnuts. It clanked again. Erin nodded and commented "Smart." Patty heard something interesting on the recorder. Erin walked over between Abby and Patty. She asked Patty if she got something. Patty revealed she heard something really weird and asked them what "Zuul" was. Everyone was silent. Erin and Abby couldn't think of anything and both shook their heads.

After Rowan's defeat, Erin and Abby updated Ghosts From Our Past and the first editions were pulled. The revised edition was "organized" into three sections, "Our Stories", "Our Research" and "Our Methods", on the suggestion of their editor. They decided to leave most of the original text intact except for the final chapter about attracting paranormal to the physical plane and removed over 200 pages of ghost orb photographs which turned to be just dust particles on Erin's camera lens. Holtzmann, Patty, and even Kevin got to contribute new material to it. The Ghostbusters became swamped with new cases in Manhattan.[43]

Secondary Canon[]

IDW Comics[]

A teenage Erin and Abby hung out in the latter's bedroom one day. Erin came up with an idea for her and Abby to stay overnight at St. Paul's Chapel on the night of Friday the 13th for their first stake out of a haunted site.[44][45] Despite it being her idea, Erin worried about security guards or priests who would call the police on them. The possibility of getting in trouble made her stomach twist. That night, they crossed through the chapel's cemetery. Abby admitted she was giving her a hard time but found it pretty cool that she said she wasn't afraid of ghosts. Patty was there, too, on a modified dare and noticed Erin and Abby breaking in downstairs. Holtzmann was also there and tested her first weapon but something went wrong. She ran for it and yelled out for anyone to run for their lives. Abby, Erin, Patty, and Holtzmann fled to the cemetery and hid behind headstones. The chapel partially exploded. They noticed each other and ran away in opposite directions.

Erin found herself once again distracted with Kevin. This time he was dancing near the front door in a broccoli costume with no music on. At first, Erin thought he was doing a take on the traditional Bhangra Dance Style but then he started doing the Mashed Potato. Erin was disappointed when Abby had him practice whatever he was doing in the other room. Abby tried to get her focused on preparing the Ghostbusters for saving the world again. Unlike Abby, Erin was skeptical something bad was on the horizon again since their field was still a new one. Erin lost a coin toss to Abby and had to go over the accounting. She stayed behind at the Firehouse while the others went out on another slew of calls. She reassured herself she loved going over the books and it was the cornerstone of a good business. She discovered an order for 10 cases of spray cheese and on a hunch, asked Kevin if he ordered it. Kevin replied 'possibly'. She reminded him he (and Holtzmann) couldn't just order anything he wanted on the business account then asked him to answer the phone. Kevin wasn't feeling it on account of bad vibes and declined. He called her "Stephanie" instead of "Erin". Mike Hat brought her the phone while she corrected him. Erin informed the caller that the Ghostbusters had a full schedule and couldn't possibly come before 6 pm. The caller said some obscenity that offended Erin and she asked if he kissed his mother with that mouth. Erin wished they could hire more help and imagined Kevin as someone else.

After two Statues of Liberty and another team of Ghostbusters appeared on the news, the team gathered outside the Firehouse. Erin was shocked to see layout of the interior was different and their stuff was gone. She wondered if they were robbed. Kevin Tanaka greeted them from the office. Erin demanded to know where Kevin was. Kevin stated he was Kevin. Erin lost her composure and declared Kevin was a chiseled, godlike, specimen of a man and he wasn't. Kevin remarked he did all right. Patty advised Erin to take a breath. Egon Spengler and Kevin Beckman got their attention from atop the stairwell. The two teams gathered on the second floor to figure out what was going on. Erin was surprised to learn the other team had interns. Janine Melnitz added they also had a branch in Chicago and a a liaison agent with the FBI. Erin asked if they were still hiring. Egon concluded their two dimensions were in a state of overlap. He and Ray Stantz talked about their exploration of the alternate dimensions and shared their theory about seeding the subconscious of the Multiverse with the idea of Ghostbusters. Abby was angry to learn they risked the lives of innocent citizens when they crossed the streams. Erin reminded her they set off a nuclear explosion in Times Square once. Abby told her to be quiet because that was a totally different situation.

On the ride to Ellis Island, Erin started to have a panic attack after she realized Winston Zeddemore looked like Patty's Uncle Bill, Peter Venkman looked like Martin Heiss, and Ray Stantz looked like the Cabbie. She told herself it was just a stress dream from working on the taxes. She was about to try to force herself to wake up but Holtzmann slapped her. Erin wondered if there were other versions of themselves and if they could be crazy. She started to panic again and freaked out her alternate self might be a jerk cabbie. Peter reminded her he was a trained psychologist. Holtzmann didn't believe Ray's warning about dispersing ghosts but a single and powerful entity manifested. Holtzmann thought it was stupid since nothing bad happened before in their dimension when they shredded ghosts. Erin independently came to a similar conclusion as Ray and pointed out a lot of P.K.E. was sucked away when Rowan's breach was sealed. Too strong to trap, Erin came up with an idea to use an explosion. She asked Ray to return to Marine Ecto-8 with her. Erin explained her team used a concentrated explosion to seal Rowan's breach and believed they could rig a Trap. Ray caught on and grabbed the Megatrap but wasn't confident it had the power to fully discorporate the entity. Erin agreed and got out the Proton Bazooka. Erin took aim and nailed the entity. Ray trapped it then swung the Megatrap into the tear. The explosion successfully closed up the tear. Holtzmann was irate Erin violated the sacred law of dibs by using the bazooka before her. Holtzmann promised there would be reprisals.

Erin participated in scanning the Ghostbusters 101 pilot team but asked again what they were looking for. Ray stated they were looking for any trace of the ghost that attacked them when they last used the teleportation unit. She inquired why it wasn't secured. Egon revealed the security they used on their Containment Unit was incompatible and there were only so many hours in a day. Garrett Parker told Kylie Griffin he washed off the ghost's ectoplasm already. Kylie was amused and Abby explained ectoplasm seeped in and stuck around for awhile. Before she could change her statement, Erin freaked out. While Egon, Ray, and Kylie conferred on what the major problems were, Erin noticed Abby was gone. Erin found her in another room looking at the equipment hanging up and admitted she couldn't even tell her what it did. She thought she knew everything there was to know about the paranormal and should be able to as well been the first to break into other dimensions. Then Abby stated they should have gotten a ghost in a tank first but they got beaten to that, too. She admitted it was sinking in they weren't the first Ghostbusters and she wasn't as special as she thought she was. Erin had enough and swiped the device out of her hand and called it a B.S. Detector. Erin admitted the other Ghostbusters were further along but that shouldn't downplay what they accomplished so far. Erin pointed out they were still pioneers for writing their own book and it was so comprehensive that Rowan was able to follow it and build from there. She reminded Abby two worlds were in trouble and if they failed, Rowan would get what he wanted - a world full of ghosts. She finished saying they should celebrate there's a whole multiverse full of Ghostbusters but could still borrow a few of their ideas like interns.

Erin oversaw a group of 101 Cadets outside of a department store and briefed them about Ley Lines. She started to tell the cadets about the danger of the overlapped dimensions but stopped mid-way and simplified it as making sure nothing bad happens. She joined the standby teams on rooftop in case the ghost had to be "guided" into the mobile trap. Erin overheard Ray on Winston's comms and panicked about being in pack range or not. She tried to reassure herself they were since it took so many stairs to get to the roof. Patty pointed out they took the elevator. Once the ghost was captured, the breach remained. Erin realized they needed a catalyst to seal it and work on the molecular level to split their dimensions. She proposed they Cross the Streams. Ray objected and called it a terrible idea. Egon agreed but they didn't have any other choice. Patty warned Erin if it didn't work and they all got atomized, she would not hear the end of it from her. Two weeks after everything was restored to normal, Peter and Ray visited their dimension to rebuild their Containment Unit. Erin and Abby reflected on the roof. Erin asked Abby if she felt any better then declared they saved the world again, had colleagues, and had proof of alternate universes. Erin called dibs on writing a paper on it. Abby admitted having her protons scrambled did her a world of good and wondered what was next for them.

At the Yorkville Brownstone case, Erin got a bad feeling. The Ghostbusters were surprised by the sudden manifestation of the Timothy Ghost. Erin realized it was just a tiny ghost child. Patty got wound up and asked her if she ever saw a horror movie. She went on a rant about children in creepy fiction. Erin noticed the ghost had a hoop and stick. Holtzmann antagonized it by stating its mom was definitely dead. Timothy transmogrified and attacked them. Erin panicked when the hoop touched her. They took cover by some furniture and used the "Hi-Lo" maneuver to trap the ghost. Erin agreed with Patty that all the creepiest ghosts were kids. She tried using "no kidding" as a pun but as Patty pointed out, she put too much emphasis on it. Erin was not pleased to learn Holtzmann had something cooking back at the Firehouse lab and they had to get back by 5 pm or things would get messy. Erin asked Kevin to order the usual from Zhu's but resigned herself to the inevitable and that the food would never show up. Holtzmann placed a diode on Erin's forehead for an experiment while she asked where Abby went. Patty suddenly burst in and shared her discovery of an entry on the brownstone. Erin wanted Abby to hear it, too, but they realized Abby was possessed again. At their behest, Holtzmann grabbed her De-Possessor and went on about explaining it. They yelled at her to just use it. Doctor Kruger was pulled out of Abby but he attacked and drained them of energy. They fell to the floor and watched as Kruger burst through the upper floors and escaped into the city. They ran to the roof. Erin confirmed she used her knack for mindless paperwork to set up insurance for that very instance.

Erin overstated the obvious in stating the situation was not good. Once Patty reminded her of the hole in their ceiling, Erin wondered where the insurance adjusters were. While the others debated about the next course of action, Erin found it odd they weren't getting any calls. Abby checked with Kevin and he revealed he unplugged the phone because it annoyed him. They headed to the Empire State Building. Erin suggested going in at full power. Even that wasn't enough and Kruger sent them into the Nightmare-Scape. Erin found herself mid-speech being mocked by her peers for her belief in the existence of ghosts. Her papers started flying away and giant bees, her fear, appeared. Erin's fears were of bees, public speaking, and being a complete failure nobody believes.[46] 40 minutes after their defeat at the hands of Kruger, Erin broke the silence inside Betty's Diner and spoke up but Patty got irritated and confirmed it was too soon. Erin agreed what they experienced was awful but refused to give up and took solace they got away. Abby disagreed and pointed out they didn't know anything. Erin was sure they would figure it out. Holtzmann clarified Kruger let them go because they had nothing to offer and were unimpressive. She left the diner sullen. Erin found her in the alley with her Proton Pack and for once, she didn't want to talk. Erin went first and admitted she was more afraid to see Holtzmann unwilling to overcome a challenge than her fear of bees. Holtzmann started laughing. Patty and Abby joined them. Holtzmann continued to laugh at Erin's expense. She clarified she was laughing at her fear, not her, but the others weren't catching on. Holtzmann clarified someone's fear was dumb to someone else and the reason they lost was the specificity. She theorized it could free them, too, and was ready to get back to work.

Erin noticed they had a lot of messages, including six calls from the Mayor, and Kevin cut the cord. Since he already did that seven times before, Abby already had some replacement phones ready. Abby, Erin, and Patty returned to the Yorkville Brownstone and searched for the entrance to an underground lab using the brownstone's schematics. They discovered it was sealed up behind a wall. Abby came out of nowhere with an axe and started chopping away at the wall. She warned the others there were ghosts bound to the lab but didn't think they would attack unless they disturbed something. Erin riled up about a dozen of Kruger's Victims. After Patty retreated past Erin and Abby, they opened fire and she trapped them. Erin thought it was a good thing she made noise and they ended up cleaning the room of ghosts. Erin suggested they call the Mayor and have him condemn the brownstone as soon as possible.

Erin and Abby were subjected to the Dream Machine next. A dream merge was achieved but Holtzmann couldn't control it. What they experienced was more intense than what Kruger did to them. Holtzmann also used the Dream Machine at the same time to make scrambled eggs for Erin and Abby to keep their strength up. Kevin brought her a record and frisbee instead of plates. Holtzmann wanted to implant memories but nobody would agree to it. After several hours, they made little progress. Abby suggested adding more power to their arsenal but Holtzmann cited she would need a Neutron Bomb as a power source and recalled a man she knew in Brighton Beach that could supply her. Erin struck down the idea. Holtzmann reiterated without any leads from the journal, she couldn't figure out a way to stop Kruger from putting them back in the Nightmare-Scape so they needed a way to control their dreams and hide. She cited a traumatic memory. Erin pointed out they had plenty of those. Holtzmann further elaborated she needed a common memory that was buried and attached with guilt or shame would be sufficient. Since there wasn't one, Holtzmann circled back to a memory implant. She was turned down again. It reminded her of her first weapons test that partially blew up St. Paul's. They realized they were all at the chapel on the same night. 90 minutes later, they departed for the Empire State Building again. Erin and Abby both said "Let's do this" at the same time. Holtzmann quickly intervened and declared it was time.

Erin returned to her fear in the Nightmare-Scape. She concentrated on the plan and find the memory of St. Paul's Chapel. She was distracted and wrestled a bee then ran for it. Erin yelled out for Abby then fell right into Abby in her fear. Erin soon realized she was now a clown, too. She implored Abby to remember the plan. Abby thought of the chapel and took Erin's hand. They dropped into the chapel and reunited with Patty. They calmed her fears of being left alone and vowed to avenge the missing Holtzmann. Erin even swore. Patty was surprised. Erin declared Holtzmann deserved the swears. Kruger found them and admitted they were clever to hide in a shared memory. Abby corrected him and Erin revealed the plan was to lure him to the memory. On Erin's call, they opened fire on Kruger but she realized they couldn't hold him for long. Holtzmann finally arrived and joined the battle. They were blown back to the real world, where Kevin was waiting and he trapped Kruger. While Kevin declared he was on the team, Erin wondered how to bill for this case. Kevin wanted his own car with a siren but Abby promised to talk about putting one on his Ecto-2 if he mastered the phone. Kevin insisted he was good at it already. Erin clarified it had to be plugged in. Holtzmann admitted she was starving and was craving more of the nightmare-induced scrambled eggs. Erin and Patty turned her down in unison. Holtzmann pointed out they were so good. Abby admitted she was right. Holtzmann declared nightmare science eggs for everyone.

Erin helped trap all of Connla's Army on Liberty Island in the prime dimension weeks away from Halloween. Egon Spengler asked the Ghostbusters for their help in retrieving ghosts that escaped from the Containment Unit and escaped into the multiverse. All of the teams involved in the operation gathered in the Warehouse. A field team consisting of Ray, Samuel Hazer of Dimension 50-S, Peter Venkman of Dimension 68-R, Kylie Griffin of Dimension 68-E, Erin, and Kylie arrived in Dimension 00-D. After the Kylies messed with Samuel's head, Erin asked if anyone was going to freak out about the team being shuffled around. Ray stated they were all highly intelligent people and it was obvious some molecules got crossed then admitted it was bound to happen sooner or later but asserted they were fine. Erin wasn't placated. Peter 68-R flirted with her and was shut down. Erin asked if they had any indication of what they were after, recalling her team was assigned to a mid-level Class 3. Samuel was excited about what it could be. Erin thought she heard something. Peter suggested it was his beating heart. Erin was not moved. She noticed the sound of hoof beats. The Headless Horseman arrived, grabbed Peter 68-R by the hair, and rode off. The others ran after them. Erin wondered how his hair was still attached to his head.

After following glowing hoof prints for half an hour, the Ghostbusters found a broken Trap-Gate. Samuel found Peter 68-R's Proton Pack. Erin became concerned with the prospect of having to find Peter 68-R's decapitated corpse. Peter 68-R, possessed by the Horseman, charged towards them. Ray directed everyone to switch to low-power streams and blast him in an alternating burst pattern. He was knocked off the horse. They surrounded the Horseman but it attacked with its pumpkin constructs. Erin kicked herself for not bringing the De-Possessor. Ray recalled he wanted to check that out since Holtzmann couldn't tell him how it was calibrated not to harm the body's native spirit. Kylie got him back on track to the task at hand. Ray asked Erin to widen her Proton Stream then he threw his vial of Psychomagnotheric Slime at it. The "skin" of the horse began to dissolve after the slime made contact and the Horseman was bucked. Samuel called out to Peter 68-R. The Horseman was still in control and leaped at him but found itself paralyzed in mid-air. The Ghostbusters Beyond of 00-D, namely a splinter of the divine half of Rachel Unglighter and Louis Tully of Dimension 00-D had intervened. Rachel concentrated and used her magic to safely draw out the Horseman out of Peter 68-R and into a Trap Orb. Peter 68-R reckoned he would have a major headache for a year and a half but joked he at least learned capes worked for him. Erin told him whatever he needed to tell himself as she held his pack. She didn't believe they were in a version of Central Park the whole time and remarked it didn't smell like it. The Ghostbusters tried to persuade Rachel and Louis to hand over the Horseman but Louis insisted a trapped ghost stayed trapped. Erin rapidly listed off everything that happened to them. Rachel read Ray's memories and realized how bad the situation was. She became weak from the ordeal and Louis held her up. She told Louis to give them the Horseman as soon as they had their Trap-Gate ready. The field teams were whisked away by Tiamat to the Collectors' Limbo. Rather than serve her, they fought back. Tiamat was stripped of her P.K.E. and trapped.

The Ghostbusters returned to the Firehouse after a successful bust. Holtzmann went to deposit the ghost into the Containment Unit. Patty noticed Kevin was absent and a young man was waiting for them. Erin introduced herself and asked how they could help him. The man explained his abuelo sent him to complain about the apartment next door. He described crazy sounds, smells, and blasts of cold air. Erin informed him those were definite signs of paranormal activity and asked him for the address after being unable to locate an intake form. Erin believed it was a Class 2 entity. They departed for Astoria in Queens. The Ghostbusters knocked on Apartment 4B's door. The mother opened the door and Erin spoke to her but she pretended nothing supernatural was going on. A ghost dog named Nunu ran out the door. They blasted at it by the elevators but Nunu went through the wall into the stairwell. Luckily, like in life, it had no idea how to get down the stairs. They trapped it. Zara's mother explained everything to them. Erin questioned the mother why she let a cult impregnate her with the spawn of a demon. The mother admitted she didn't think it would work. Abby confirmed it did and revealed her scan showed her P.K.E. readings were off the chart and even her Muhkee doll radiated it. She was concerned Zara could act like a beacon for her father.

Erin asked the mother if the cult mentioned who they were trying to summon. Sahaq's Herald crossed over and answered it was Sahaq. Abby asked when they should expect him. The herald proclaimed, "He shall emerge from between the flow and the stagnation when the Fourth Eye opens upon his issue's second revolution!" While the Ghostbusters dissected his words, the herald exited the apartment through a portal and the room was slimed. Erin tried to explain what ectoplasm was but Patty told her to just give the mother their cleaning formula. The Ghostbusters went to work trying to decipher what "He shall emerge from between the flow and the stagnation when the Fourth Eye opens upon his issue's second revolution!" meant. Patty interpreted the "flow and the stagnation" as the Hudson River emptying into the Bay. Abby agreed it was New York Harbor. Erin noted "Sahaq" sounded Arabic and found a passage on "Sahaq the Trampler" and noticed a summoning ritual mentioning a full moon. She wondered if the "Fourth Eye opens" meant the fourth full moon of the year. Abby realized "his issue's second revolution" meant the second birthday of his daughter Zara. Kevin talked about his tenth anniversary but in reality only worked for the Ghostbusters for two years. Erin scolded him and told him he had to let them take him out and do something special, prompting Abby to suggest going out on a night cruise.

The Ghostbusters, Kevin, Zara, and Zara's mom boarded a cruise ship in New York Harbor on a Friday night. At 8:47 pm, off Pier 81, Abby felt something under the ship. Sahaq rose up from the harbor and announced himself. The Ghostbusters tried to pull him towards the C-7 Trap but Zara's mom panicked and ran off with her. Erin, Patty, and Abby tried in vain to hold him with Proton Streams. Holtzmann grabbed the mom's hoodie and Zara's Muhkee doll. Holtzmann tricked Sahaq into thinking it was Zara and he followed her. He reached over the trap and was captured. Erin assured Zara and her mom they no longer had anything to worry about but Muhkee suddenly started talking like Sahaq. Holtzmann speculated some of Sahaq's P.K.E. escaped into the doll but assured her it wasn't dangerous.

Personality[]

Erin runs the risk of potentially being haughty, as she is shown to be highly concerned with her perception by intellectuals. She is insecure from years of not being accepted by the academic community, and tends to come off as goofy when sharing their company. In fact, Erin is headstrong, believes in the scientific method, and does not easily give up.

Trivia[]

  • Like Peter Venkman, Erin was the first in the cast to be slimed by a ghost. She is also the unofficial leader of the Ghostbusters and has a friendship with Abby as Peter has with Ray.
  • In early development, Erin's last name was Gabler seen in the previsualization reel done by Proof Inc.
  • For her lecture at the start of the movie, Erin's Grand Unified Theory was based on the challenge of unifying quantum mechanics and Einstein's gravity.[47]
    • There are even the series of equations involving conformal compensator superfields. They were written by MIT consultant Lindley Winslow and later transcribed on set. They illustrated the failure of a once-promising physics theory called SU(5).[48]
  • Erin was an associate professor and specialized in the study of a subatomic particle called a neutrino, nicknamed the "ghosts of the standard model."[49]
  • Erin's office is a recreation of movie consultant and Physics professor Janet Conrad.[50]
  • In Erin's office, there is a paper on neutrinos formatted in the style of real-world journal Physical Review Letters and the co-author is listed as G.F. Siegal, a nod to movie consultant Lindley Winslow's baby.[51]
  • Erin won the Maria Goeppert Mayer "MGM Award" from the American Physical Society.[52] It is in recognition of outstanding achievement by a woman physicist in the early years of her career and contribution to physics research. It can be seen above her book shelf where Dean Harold Filmore pauses in Chapter 1.
  • Erin also won the LeRoy Apker Award, the highest honor awarded to undergraduate physicists in the United States. It can be seen hanging up next to the bookshelf where Dean Filmore pauses in Chapter 1.
  • Erin mentions Google and that Ghosts from Our Past and a ghost emoji comes up first when her name is googled.[53]
  • Abby thinks the world of Erin's mother.[54]
  • When Erin was fired:
    • In the theatrical edition, she claimed cats were found in her wall so she had to leave her office.
    • In the extended edition, she claimed mold was found in her office, was taking her plant out for some air, and sometimes liked to put all her stuff in a box and use it as weights.
  • After Erin is fired, the top of her framed University of Michigan Bachelor's Degree can be seen in her box.
  • When the Rental Agent informs Erin of the rent in Chapter 5:
    • In the theatrical edition, Erin tells her to burn in hell like the message left for Peter at the start of the first movie.
    • In the extended edition, Erin responds with the f word.
  • Out of the four Ghostbusters, Erin has the longest arms.[55]
  • Erin gets her Spanish wrong a second time in the movie. Mercado is actually Spanish for "market."
  • The blogger mentions going to Erin's hometown. In the revised edition of Ghosts from Our Past, she is revealed to have grown up in a small suburban enclave in Battle Creek, Michigan.
  • When Erin punches the blogger, the camera POV shifts to his phone. Behind Erin is 100 Federal Street, in Boston's Financial District, not edited out during post-production.
  • Erin initially pounds on the glass of Lotus Leaf from the outside, a similar act to when Louis Tully runs to the Tavern on the Green in the first movie.
  • As Erin (and the sheet) are pulled off the table by Lotus Leaf employees, the center piece is still standing. This might be a nod to the first bust in the first movie, when Peter Venkman declares the flowers are still standing.
  • After Erin saves the others from the Stay Puft Ghost Balloon, she quotes Holtzmann from when she received her Swiss Army Knife.
  • When Erin uses her Proton Grenade Launcher, she quotes most of the famous line from "Scarface".
  • After Al Roker asks if it was the Ghostbusters who saved the world, Erin mentions Batman.
  • In the deleted scene "The Breakup," Erin admits to stealing paper clips for years at Columbia to make Christmas ornaments.[56]
  • In the alternate extended scene "The New Book", Erin admits she doesn't own a cat yet but has a cat brush and a few toys after Abby compliments her hair for being so smooth in a photo.[57]
  • Erin was obsessed with getting straight A's since kindergarten (even though letter grades weren't assigned).[58]
  • Erin hated broccoli when she was a child and currently, only sort of dislikes it.[59]
  • In her junior year of college, Erin went on a couple dates with her Philosophy assistant professor Greg after the semester finished.[60]
  • In the Tor Books Ghostbusters Novelization, there are some differences to the main canon of the movie:
    • On pages 14 to 22, Erin's first experience with a ghost is expanded on.
    • On page 26, it's revealed Erin burned the only two original copies of Ghosts From Our Past and threw the ashes into the Hudson River in a weighted garbage bag.[61]
    • On page 30, it's revealed Erin attended C.W. Post High School.[62]
    • On pages 50 to 63, Erin and Abby blew off a Thanksgiving holiday during college to look for paranormal activity in Depot Town.
    • On page 57, it's revealed Erin attended graduate school at Princeton after the University of Michigan.[63]
    • On page 96, Erin got her PhD in Physics from MIT after transferring from Princeton.[64]
    • On pages 139 to 146, Erin and Abby's high school science fair project is expanded on.

IDW Comics Trivia[]

  • In Ghostbusters International #3, on page 6, in panel 5, Erin makes a non-canon cameo as one of the applicants outside.
  • On page 17 of Ghostbusters International #7, the whiteboard in panel 6 is a non-canon reference to Erin's equations in the Columbia lecture hall near the start of the movie.
  • On page 4 of Ghostbusters International #8, once again on the whiteboard, is the equations written by Erin in the Columbia lecture hall at the start of the movie.
  • On page 20 of Ghostbusters 101 #1, right of Kemp's Spectral Field Guide is the photograph of Abby and Erin at their high school fair, seen in the Extended Edition and deleted scenes of the 2016 movie.
  • On page 4 of Ghostbusters 101 #2, Erin is wearing her white shirt and jeans outfit from Chapter 16 of the 2016 movie.
  • On page 7 of Ghostbusters 101 #3, Erin is in her civies from Chapter 12 from the 2016 movie.
  • On the Subscription Cover of Ghostbusters 101 #5, below the Ghost Smashers is Erin.
  • On page 3 of Ghostbusters 101 #5, panel 5, Erin is wearing her red vest outfit from Chapter 7 of the 2016 movie.
  • On page 5 of Ghostbusters 101 #5, Erin's panic attack is attributed to when Gertrude Aldridge ecto-projected on her in the 2016 movie.
  • Erin appears on Cover B of Ghostbusters 101 #6.
  • On page 18 of Ghostbusters 101 #6:
    • The first image is from the first movie, Chapter 3 "Get Her!", when the Library ghost roars at them. Erin and Patty appear in place of Peter and Egon.
    • The fourth image is from the 2016 movie, Chapter 6, when Abby and Patty dragged Erin from the Seward Street Subway Station tracks while she had the Electrocuted Ghost confined by the Proton Box thrower. Ray appears in place of Erin.
    • The eighth image is from Ghostbusters II, Chapter 24 "A Harbor Chick", when the team looks out from the head of the Statue of Liberty. Holtzmann, Patty, and Abby appear in place of Peter, Winston, and Ray.
    • The tenth image is from Ghostbusters II, Chapter 28 "World is Safe Again", of the 'cleaned' Vigo portrait. Erin appears in place of Peter.
  • On page 1 of Ghostbusters: Answer The Call Issue #1, Erin's bio refers to her co-authorship of "Ghosts From Our Past" and her pantsuits.
  • On page 9 of Ghostbusters: Answer The Call Issue #2, Erin is in her professor outfit from the beginning of the 2016 movie.
  • On page 9 to 11 of Ghostbusters: Answer The Call Issue #2, Erin's fear starts out as her lingering need to be accepted as credible by the scientific community. The bees are a nod to an outtake outside the Zhu's set.
  • On page 5 of Ghostbusters: Answer The Call Issue #3, Erin admits she is afraid of bees.[65]
  • The Crossing Over Virtual Trading Card #7 revealed Erin has a Doctor in Science (Sc.D) degree.[66]
  • On page 22 of Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #1, the notes on Erin incorrectly states her doctorate is a Ph.D., whereas her virtual trading card, released on March 13, 2018, is considered correct and stated she had a Sc.D.
  • On page 13 of Ghostbusters: Answer The Call Issue #4, teenage Erin is wearing a KISS shirt.
  • On page 10 of Ghostbusters: Answer The Call Issue #4, it is revealed this continuity places teenage Erin and Abby in New York City.
    • The Ghosts From Our Past River Press Edition previously revealed they met and attended high school in Battle Creek, Michigan. They didn't go investigate their first haunted site until sophomore year at the University of Michigan after X-Files premiered on September 10, 1993.
  • On page 20 of Ghostbusters: Answer The Call Issue #4, Erin and Abby both say "Let's do this!" before a bust like in the movie before Stonebrook.
  • Erin appears on Cover B of Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #2
  • Erin was mentioned on Crossing Over Virtual Trading Card #21, featuring Kevin Beckman, released on May 1, 2018.[67]
  • On cover A of Ghostbusters: Answer The Call Issue #5, Erin in her professor outfit from the movie.
  • Cover RI of Answer The Call Issue #5 used a scene of Erin in Chapter 2 of the 2016 movie when she went to Abby and Holtzmann's lab.
  • On page 5 of Answer The Call Issue #5, Erin is back in her professor outfit from the movie.
  • Erin was mentioned in the Groovy Doom Dimension bio in the 40th Crossing Over Virtual Trading Card, released on July 5, 2018.[68]
  • Erin appears in the lower right side of Cover B of Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #6.
  • Erin appears on Cover RI of Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #6.
  • On Cover A and RI of Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #7, Erin is featured.
  • Erin appears on Cover B of Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #8.
  • Erin appears on all 3 covers of Ghostbusters 35th Anniversary: Answer The Call Ghostbusters.

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed Trivia[]

  • In Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, the Erin Over Your Head hairstyle added in the DLC #3 update is based on Erin's hairstyle in the show.
  • The Erin Over The Top hairstyle alludes to Erin's attempts to distance herself from "Ghosts From Her Past"

Quotes[]

  • "That stuff went everywhere, by the way. In every crack. Very hard to wash off."

Appearances[]

Primary Canon[]

Ghostbusters (2016 Movie)

Secondary Canon[]

IDW Comics

Notes[]

  1. According to page 24-27 of Ghosts from Our Past, the year was 1985. In an Interview with Andrew Shaffer, Andrew Shaffer corrected the year to be 1982.

References[]

  1. Phil Hudson (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Extended Edition; Chapter 1 (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 00:05:52-00:06:01). Sony Pictures. Phil Hudson says: "I have someone I want you to meet. Phyllis, I would like to introduce Erin Gilbert. She specializes in theoretical particle physics."
  2. Erin Gilbert (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Extended Edition; Chapter 3 (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 00:20:50-00:20:54). Sony Pictures. Erin Gilbert says: "Um, my name is Erin Gilbert, Doctor of Particle Physics at Columbia..."
  3. Ed Mulgrave Jr. (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Extended Edition; Chapter 1 (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 0:08:10-00:08:16). Sony Pictures. Ed Mulgrave Jr. says: "You're Erin Gilbert, right? Co-author of Ghosts from Our Past: Both Literally and Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal?"
  4. Interview with Andrew Shaffer Andrew Shaffer says: "Erin and Abby - DOB 1974 (approximate -- we don't have exact DOBs)."
  5. Shaffer, Andrew (2016). Ghosts From Our Past: Both Literally & Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal, p. 23. Three Rivers Press, New York NY USA, ISBN 9781101906002.Line reads: "Back when I was in elementary school, my family lived in a small suburban enclave in Battle Creek, Michigan."
  6. Shaffer, Andrew (2016). Ghosts From Our Past: Both Literally & Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal, p. 24. Three Rivers Press, New York NY USA, ISBN 9781101906002.Line reads: "I labored under the delusion for years that they were my besties, before discovering that my parents were paying them a dollar an hour---not only to help with chores but to be my friends."
  7. Interview with Andrew Shaffer Andrew Shaffer says: "The references to October 1985 were an error on my part -- they should have read October 1982."
  8. Shaffer, Andrew (2016). Ghosts From Our Past: Both Literally & Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal, p. 25. Three Rivers Press, New York NY USA, ISBN 9781101906002.Line reads: "Figure 1.1. Erin Gilbert, age 8."
  9. Shaffer, Andrew (2016). Ghosts From Our Past: Both Literally & Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal, p. 27. Three Rivers Press, New York NY USA, ISBN 9781101906002.Line reads: "I don't remember what time I went to bed---probably around eight---but I remember what time I woke up: 2:06 in the morning. That was the time glowing red on my alarm clock when Gretta appeared at the foot of my bed."
  10. Erin Gilbert (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Extended Edition; Chapter 8 (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 00:50:05-00:50:26). Sony Pictures. Erin Gilbert says: "When I was eight years old, the mean old lady that lived next door died. And that night, I woke up and she was standing at the foot of my bed, just staring at me. She did that every night for almost a year."
  11. Shaffer, Andrew (2016). Ghosts From Our Past: Both Literally & Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal, p. 29. Three Rivers Press, New York NY USA, ISBN 9781101906002.Line reads: "Gretta appeared in my room in the early morning hours every single night... FOR THE NEXT YEAR."
  12. Erin Gilbert (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Extended Edition; Chapter 8 (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 00:50:28-00:50:49). Sony Pictures. Erin Gilbert says: "And I told my parents, and they didn't believe me. Still don't believe me. I had to go to therapy for years, and the kids at school found out, and they would laugh at me and make fun of me, call me "ghost girl." Abby was the only person who believed me."
  13. Shaffer, Andrew (2016). Ghosts From Our Past: Both Literally & Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal, p. 30. Three Rivers Press, New York NY USA, ISBN 9781101906002.Line reads: "My parents put me in therapy for my paranormal "problem." Once a week, a therapist named Dick Rockwell asked me about my life."
  14. Shaffer, Andrew (2016). Ghosts From Our Past: Both Literally & Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal, p. 31. Three Rivers Press, New York NY USA, ISBN 9781101906002.Line reads: "After the ghost story circulated, I picked up an even more hurtful name: "Ghost Girl." That may sound innocuous. For an eight-year-old already struggling with nightly spectral visits, however, it nearly broke me."
  15. Shaffer, Andrew (2016). Ghosts From Our Past: Both Literally & Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal, p. 40. Three Rivers Press, New York NY USA, ISBN 9781101906002.Line reads: "My second-grade teacher came up with the name."
  16. Shaffer, Andrew (2016). Ghosts From Our Past: Both Literally & Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal, p. 30. Three Rivers Press, New York NY USA, ISBN 9781101906002.Line reads: "Emotional trauma, classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV as PPSD (Post-Paranormal Stress Disorder)."
  17. Erin Gilbert (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Extended Edition; Chapter 8 (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 00:49:38-00:49:41). Sony Pictures. Erin Gilbert says: "Uh, Abby transferred to my high school, junior year."
  18. Shaffer, Andrew (2016). Ghosts From Our Past: Both Literally & Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal, p. 31. Three Rivers Press, New York NY USA, ISBN 9781101906002.Line reads: "There was only one person who ever believed me, and I would have to wait until the eleventh grade to meet her...but when we did meet, she would push me to overcome my fear of ghosts by confronting it head-on."
  19. Shaffer, Andrew (2016). Ghosts From Our Past: Both Literally & Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal, p. 38. Three Rivers Press, New York NY USA, ISBN 9781101906002.Line reads: "I was already a month into the first semester of my junior year."
  20. Abby Yates (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Extended Edition; Chapter 8 (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 00:49:41-00:49:52). Sony Pictures. Abby Yates says: "Go, Karate Cats. We started telling ghost stories, and we just kind of bonded right away. And all the other kids were, you know, getting drunk and going to parties, and we're like, "Uh, that's stupid"."
  21. Erin Gilbert (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Extended Edition; Chapter 8 (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 00:49:53-00:49:54). Sony Pictures. Erin Gilbert says: "Plus, we weren't invited to any parties."
  22. Abby Yates (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Theatrical Edition; Chapter 7 (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 00:44:15-0:44:23). Sony Pictures. Abby Yates says: "No, I think that's because we told very, very scary ghost stories, and I think the other kids were terrified of us. That's what was actually happening."
  23. Shaffer, Andrew (2016). Ghosts From Our Past: Both Literally & Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal, p. 43. Three Rivers Press, New York NY USA, ISBN 9781101906002.Line reads: "Perhaps we shouldn't have written and performed a musical based on The Shining for the school talent show. We'll also allow that our interpretation of "School Spirit Week" was wildly off-base---nobody wants to see spectral effigies torched during the homecoming parade."
  24. Shaffer, Andrew (2016). Ghosts From Our Past: Both Literally & Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal, p. 44. Three Rivers Press, New York NY USA, ISBN 9781101906002.Line reads: "We called our club... THE METAPHYSICAL EXAMINATION SOCIETY."
  25. Ghosts from Our Past prop inside jacket Line reads: "As an undergraduate she has coauthored the seminal paper "Condensed Matter in Transport of Fractional Quantum Hall States"."
  26. Interview with Andrew Shaffer Andrew Shaffer says: " In May 1996, they graduated with their undergrad degrees from the University of Michigan."
  27. Shaffer, Andrew (2016). Ghosts From Our Past: Both Literally & Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal, p. 11. Three Rivers Press, New York NY USA, ISBN 9781101906002. Line reads: "They were all of twenty-two when they wrote it, with nothing more than undergrad degrees from a Big Ten School."
  28. Shaffer, Andrew (2016). Ghosts From Our Past: Both Literally & Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal, p. 15. Three Rivers Press, New York NY USA, ISBN 9781101906002. Line reads: "We'd just graduated with bachelors of science in physics. One of us---Abby---planned to return to Michigan for grad school while the other---Erin---had been accepted into the physics program at Princeton."
  29. Shaffer, Andrew (2016). Ghosts From Our Past: Both Literally & Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal, p. 15-16. Three Rivers Press, New York NY USA, ISBN 9781101906002. Line reads: "And our favorite place, Tomorrow's Teriyaki, graciously supported us in our endeavor by delivering directly to our temporary workspace. Two weeks after sitting down, we had a single-spaced, 460-page manuscript that we christened Ghosts from Our Past: Both Literally and Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal."
  30. Shaffer, Andrew (2016). Ghosts From Our Past: Both Literally & Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal, p. 86. Three Rivers Press, New York NY USA, ISBN 9781101906002. Line reads: "If you've never heard of Spectral Field Theory, don't worry---it's so new it's still got that new theory smell. It's our own theory."
  31. Shaffer, Andrew (2016). Ghosts From Our Past: Both Literally & Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal, p. 16. Three Rivers Press, New York NY USA, ISBN 9781101906002. Line reads: "We printed a truckload of copies but no one wanted them. We were far ahead of our time. A promotional appearance on a campus talk show, Wolverine Scene, didn't play out the way we'd intended, and our friendship and the book both died quiet deaths."
  32. Ghosts from Our Past prop inside jacket Line reads: "She plans on finishing her graduate studies at MIT, under Professor Han Anschutz. She will also complete her Doctoral work at CERN and is currently studying Swiss."
  33. Shaffer, Andrew (2016). Ghosts From Our Past: Both Literally & Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal, p. 219. Three Rivers Press, New York NY USA, ISBN 9781101906002. Line reads: "Erin Gilbert, Ph.D., M.S., previously taught theoretical physics at Columbia University before taking permanent extended leave to cofound the Ghostbusters. The former academic firebrand's work has been published in Scientific American, Nature, and The Journal of Unexplained Things, Explained."
  34. Erin Gilbert (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Extended Edition; Chapter 1 (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 00:07:31-00:07:39). Sony Pictures. Erin Gilbert says: "As you can see from my calculations, we will soon be able to combine general relativity and quantum theory."
  35. Erin Gilbert (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Extended Edition; Chapter 4 (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 00:23:21-00:23:30). Sony Pictures. Erin Gilbert says: "Fired! After years, years of hard work. And ass-kissing. God, I kissed so many different kinds of asses."
  36. Phil Hudson (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Extended Edition; Chapter 1 (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 00:06:58-00:06:59). Sony Pictures. Phil Hudson says: "Hey, good luck on your tenure review."
  37. Erin Gilbert (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Extended Edition; Chapter 1 (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 00:05:44-00:05:46). Sony Pictures. Erin Gilbert says: "I'm lecturing in the big hall today."
  38. Phil Hudson (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Extended Edition; Chapter 1 (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 00:06:10-00:06:13). Sony Pictures. Phil Hudson says: "Erin just learned she's being published."
  39. Erin Gilbert (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Extended Edition; Chapter 1 (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 00:06:01-00:06:04). Sony Pictures. Erin Gilbert says: "I'm -- I'm a huge fan. This is such an honor to meet you."
  40. Dean Harold Filmore (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Extended Edition; Chapter 1 (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 00:09:16-00:09:18). Sony Pictures. Dean Harold Filmore says: "We're set for the final review of your tenure case on Thursday."
  41. Dean Harold Filmore (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Extended Edition; Chapter 1 (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 00:09:21-00:09:25). Sony Pictures. Dean Harold Filmore says: "But I saw that you had a recommendation letter from Dr. Branum at Princeton."
  42. Dean Harold Filmore (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Extended Edition; Chapter 1 (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 00:09:39-00:09:46). Sony Pictures. Dean Harold Filmore says: "You see, I think you're an asset to modern physics, but I would hate to see you throw it down the drain."
  43. Shaffer, Andrew (2016). Ghosts From Our Past: Both Literally & Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal, p. 17. Three Rivers Press, New York NY USA, ISBN 9781101906002. Line reads: "The recent events in Manhattan have us swamped."
  44. Erin Gilbert (2018). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters: Answer The Call Issue #4" (2018) (Comic p.11). Erin Gilbert says: "It was our first attempt to stake out a haunted site. We broke in and were planning to sleep there overnight..."
  45. Patty Tolan (2018). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters: Answer The Call Issue #4" (2018) (Comic p.11). Patty Tolan says: "This was Friday the 13th, right?"
  46. Narrator (2018). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters: Answer The Call Issue #5" (2018) (Comic p.1). Narrator says: "Definitely afraid of bees and public speaking, also being a complete failure that nobody ever believes."
  47. Boston Globe " Meet the MIT physicists who vetted the science in ‘Ghostbusters’" 7/27/16 Line reads: "Winslow herself spent a week writing out a lengthy and elaborate Grand Unifying Theory known as SU(5). (You can spot it in a scene where Wiig's character, Erin Gilbert, while trying to earn tenure at Columbia, prepares to speak on the challenge of unifying quantum mechanics and gravity.)."
  48. PC Magazine "Reimagining Ghostbusters, and Proton Packs, for 2016" 7/11/16 Line reads: "The inspiration went beyond just facilities, though. In one scene in the movie, Wiig's Gilbert stands in front of a lecture hall, speaking on challenges of reconciling quantum mechanics with Einstein's gravity. On the whiteboards, behind her, a series of equations tells the same story: a self-contained narrative, written by Winslow and later transcribed on set, illustrating the failure of a once-promising physics theory called SU(5). (Yes, "Pa/RA(NO x RM)alS + UDIes/Lab" might be an easter egg, but "conformal compensator superfields" are a real thing.."
  49. Boston Globe "Meet the MIT physicists who vetted the science in ‘Ghostbusters’" 7/27/16 Line reads: "Like Wiig's character, Winslow is an assistant professor. She studies a subatomic particle called a neutrino. So little is known about neutrinos they're called the "ghosts of the standard model," Winslow said."
  50. Boston Globe "Meet the MIT physicists who vetted the science in Ghostbusters" 7/27/16 Line reads: "Physics professor Janet Conrad, another consultant on the film, saw her office re-created, and many of her books and papers make cameos in the movie."
  51. Wired "The MIT Physicists Who Infused Ghostbusters With Real Science" 7/11/16 Line reads: "With Winslow now on parental leave, the production asked Conrad to create physics papers and grant applications to use as props on the character’s desks—something she did in almost absurd detail. Wiig’s character got a paper on neutrinos, formatted in the style of real-world journal Physical Review Letters. (There’s an even deeper homage as well: on the paper, Gilbert’s coauthor is one G.F. Siegal—the name of Lindley Winslow’s new baby.)"
  52. MIT News "How MIT gave "Ghostbusters" its geek cred" 7/15/16 Line reads: "For instance, Wiig's character is the recipient of the Maria Goeppert Mayer "MGM Award" from the American Physical Society, which hangs on her office wall."
  53. Erin Gilbert (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Extended Edition; Chapter 2 (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 00:12:03-00:12:11). Sony Pictures. Erin Gilbert says: "And if my colleagues at Columbia University Google my name, that is the first thing that comes up. Along with a ghost emoji now, thank you very much, ...that does a little dance."
  54. Abby Yates (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Extended Edition; Chapter 3 (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 00:19:06-00:19:09). Sony Pictures. Abby Yates says: "Just your mama. No, actually, I think the world of your mom."
  55. Jillian Holtzmann (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Extended Edition; Chapter 6 (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 00:41:13-00:41:14). Sony Pictures. Jillian Holtzmann says: "You have the longest arms."
  56. Erin Gilbert (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Deleted/Alternate Scenes; (Deleted Scene): The Breakup (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 0:00:43-0:00:46). Sony Pictures. Erin Gilbert says: "I've been stealing paper clips for years and making Christmas ornaments."
  57. Erin Gilbert (2016). Ghostbusters (2016 Movie) Deleted/Alternate Scenes; (Deleted Scene): The New Book (2016) (Blu-Ray ts. 0:01:05-0:01:09). Sony Pictures. Erin Gilbert says: "No, I don't have one. But I do have the brush and a few toys."
  58. Shaffer, Andrew (2016). Ghosts From Our Past: Both Literally & Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal, p. 30. Three Rivers Press, New York NY USA, ISBN 9781101906002.Line reads: "I was obsessed with getting straight A's , even in kindergarten when we weren't assigned letter grades."
  59. Shaffer, Andrew (2016). Ghosts From Our Past: Both Literally & Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal, p. 51. Three Rivers Press, New York NY USA, ISBN 9781101906002.Line reads: "For instance, Erin hated broccoli when she was a kid. Now she only sort of dislikes them."
  60. Shaffer, Andrew (2016). Ghosts From Our Past: Both Literally & Figuratively: The Study of the Paranormal, p. 60. Three Rivers Press, New York NY USA, ISBN 9781101906002.Line reads: "Erin took a philosophy class her junior year, taught by assistant professor named Greg. He lived with three roommates. She might have gone on a couple dates with him after the semester was over."
  61. Narrator (2016). Tor Books- "Ghostbusters Novelization (Holder)" (2016) (Book p.26). Line reads: "I thought I burned both copies. Then threw them into the Hudson River in a weighted garbage bag."
  62. Narrator (2016). Tor Books- "Ghostbusters Novelization (Holder)" (2016) (Book p.30). Line reads: "The class was Honors Physics, but for lack of available space at C.W. Post High, it was being held in the chemistry lab."
  63. Narrator (2016). Tor Books- "Ghostbusters Novelization (Holder)" (2016) (Book p.57). Line reads: "Erin and Abby had both graduated from U of M and Erin had entered graduate school at Princeton. Abby decided to find someplace in New York to further her research on the paranormal, and Princeton wasn't it."
  64. Narrator (2016). Tor Books- "Ghostbusters Novelization (Holder)" (2016) (Book p.96). Line reads: "Taking in the debris and disarray and general filth that surrounded her, she knew she could always start tidying it up, but, blech... a PhD in physics from MIT (she had transferred from Princeton) reduced to cleaning lady?"
  65. Jillian Holtzmann (2017). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters: Answer The Call Issue #3" (2017) (Comic p.6). Jillian Holtzmann says: "Erin is afraid of bees!"
  66. erikburnham Tweet 3/13/18
  67. TomWaltz Tweet 5/1/18
  68. TomWaltz Tweet 7/5/18

Gallery[]

Primary Canon[]

Secondary Canon Images[]

Tertiary Canon Images[]

Behind the Scenes[]

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