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GHOST WHISPERER |
Season Overview
Melinda Gordon - Jennifer Love Hewitt Jim Clancy - David Conrad Delia Banks - Camryn Manheim Eli James - Jamie Kennedy 
OTHER GHOST WHISPERER SEASONS Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Season 5 THEY ALSO SEE DEAD PEOPLE Medium Haunted Afterlife Millennium 
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SEASON OVERVIEWSo, Jennifer Love Hewitt is back for a fourth season talking to ghosts and coaxing them to go into the light. The basic template of the show hasn't changed at all, but then when you have a popular format why change it? There are changes, however. Jay Mohr's Professor Rick Payne is sent on his idiosyncratic way after only a few episodes and is replaced by Jamie Kennedy as Eli, a psychologist whose near death experience leaves him with the ability to hear ghosts. This gives her a believing ally rather than a sceptical one, but Professor Payne is sadly missed. The biggest change, though (and this is a huge SPOILER, so don't read on if you don't want to know) lies in the death of Melinda's husband Jim. TV's most sickeningly perfect couple are not, however, to be parted for long as Jim's spirit takes over the body a dead man called Sam, but loses his memory in the process. Coming to terms with this and winning him back in his new life is the heart of Melinda's story for this season and it provs to be a clever move as it holds together the show in the face of unoriginal ghost of the week stories and regularly proves to be the only reason for watching. If you're a fan then Season 4 gives you more of the same and that killer central storyline. If you're not then this will not convert you. TopFIRESTARTERWhen Jim is called to a fire at the University, Melinda is concerned for Professor Payne and goes along. She sees another Professor, psychology department, pulled back from death at the last moment and learns that he now has the power to hear the dead. He can't see them like she can, but he can hear them, though he doesn't want to. he also doesn't want to delve into the past of the only person who died in the fire, his patient and the woman he had come to love. Yes, Melinda Gordon is back, healing the dead and sending them off into the light with a song in her heart. This first episode shows that the formula that has been established in the show to date hasn't gone away since the last season and so those that love it should continue to do so and those that don't, well won't. This is a very static episode with a lot of talking whilst either standing still or sitting at cafe tables. There's also no real sense of threat from the ghost. Sure she is capable of lighting fires all over the place, but since the story is pretty sure from the off that she wasn't responsible for the fire that killed her any threat she presents is undermined. Anyone who hasn't watched Season 3 won't understand the significance of the caves in the archive room so that seems like a Deus Ex Machina escape, but it does introduce a group of women who 'like to watch' people like Melissa do that voodoo that they do so well. Clearly they are going to be significant to the plot arc this year, but there are no hints of what that might be beyond their presence and the fact that people like Melinda have to pay a price. There are no surprises, apart from the departure of Jay Mohr whose Rick Payne was the best thing about the show and who is apparently going on sabbatical, but then this show is so much about giving reassurance to its audience, reassurance that death is not the end, that small town living is good, that fashion sense is not a hindrance to getting your own TV show, that the more things stay the same the more likely the show is to surge on through its fourth season. TopBIG CHILLSMelinda didn't fit in at High School because of her habit of talking about seeing ghosts. She is, therefore, confused to be invited to the funeral of one of the popular kids who died recently. A female friend of the deceased asks for her help as she believes that he died troubled and an incident on the road, several bloody noses and a wallet full of stolen photographs would suggest that she is right. Her new boyfriend, however, isn't so keen on talking about. It's a case of deja vu for Jennifer Love Hewitt as the plot borrows heavily from I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (drunk kids in car, man knocked down, secret kept, vengeful spirit etc). It also appears to be a bit of wishful thinking as well as everyone else in her graduating year looks a good deal younger than she does. Either they've aged well or she's ageing down for the show. Jamie Kennedy has taken over the role of sidekick from Jay Mohr's professor Payne and is a perfectly fine addition although his set of tics aren't as much fun as Mohr's character was. And we're back in typical GHOST WHISPERER territory in terms of plotting. There's a troubled ghost, troubled people left behind. If only everyone can talk to each other then everyone can find peace etc. This is, to be fair, less annoying than usual, but that could just be that the show has only just returned and we haven't had time to get bored of the repetitious nature yet. Alternatively, it might just be better. Time will tell. TopGHOST IN THE MACHINEA ghost is stalking a young girl in an online gaming experience. He is responsible for lots of other underage girls appearing all over the net in indecent photographs. Or is he? Melinda Gordon goes all TRON and enters into the online game that is being played, taking on a couple of alternate personas (avatars for the initiated) and kicking some online butt MATRIX style. OK all of this has been done before, and better, but it is a major deviation from the standard format and freshens up the formula quite a bit to make for an episode that is more interesting than it is annoying. Sure, it all reverts to type in time for the big weepy ending, but the search for the identity of the ghost and the dip into the murky world of internet chatrooms and paedophile grooming makes for a more edgy experience than the show is renowned for. Not to mention that Jennifer Love Hewitt looks pretty good doing the ninja thing in cyberspace. Look out for an AEON FLUX revival with her as the star any time soon. TopSAVE OUR SOULSMelinda and Jim take a cruise on a liner soon to be broken up on the pretence of making babies and picking up souvenirs for the shop. Instead, they meet a couple who are being haunted by a ghost looking for her fiance and have a mystery to solve. Perhaps it's the change of location (this is as far from Grandview's set that the show has ever strayed), but this is an entertaining episode that freshens up the format even though it follows it slavishly. There's a mystery to be solved (well two actually) and there is the usual teary soul-baring at the end, but the incidental pleasures (a friendly, fun loving ghost, Melissa's solution to the many others that want her attention etc) are a lot of fun. This is the third episode in a row now that has managed to entertain rather than annoy and that's something of a record in recent seasons, so soon we might have to reassess our feelings towards it. TopBLOODLINEA friend of Ned presents Melinda with her latest ghost mystery when the best friend she had, now her worst enemy, collapses and dies on a tennis court. The girl is angry when she learns a family secret, well two family's secret actually, and does her best to ensure that it remains buried. The bad old days of the ironclad GHOST WHISPERER format come rushing back with this story. Everything about it follows the show's cliche pattern right down the letter, giving it a real sense of deja vu and not in a good way. The characters prove to be thin, the mystery uninvolving and the big teary finale as treacly as the show at its worst. TopIMAGINARY FRIENDS AND ENEMIESThe wedding of a friend is stalked by the ghost of a young boy in leg braces who has a history with the bride and who wants to play a nasty game, but is he really evil? What is the point of the game and will it all end in tears? SPOILER ALERT - it is impossible to review this episode without giving away an important plot development, so consider carefully if you wish to continue reading. This episode plays around with the established format enough to keep from seeming too stale with the games that the young boy is playing, the directorial flourishes and the fact that he is also visible to the bride's daughter, but it is in the twist that this episode's coup de grace comes. The death of Melinda's husband Jim (yes, that's huge!) comes out of the blue. OK, he does stupid things like argues with a man holding a gun and what is the detective doing shooting at a shadow through a window blind anyway? How is that picking your target and assessing the situation? This doesn't mark the end for the world's most annoyingly perfect couple (Melinda talks to ghosts after all), but it reshapes the whole show and it will be interesting to see which direction it takes us. And it's been a while since this show surprised us. TopTHRESHOLDJim finds it difficult to come to terms with his new situation and Melinda seems unable to help. Whilst friends and family rally round, these two must find their own way and also help an angry teenage ghost who believes it's all her fault. SPOILER ALERT - it is impossible to review this episode without giving away an important plot development, so consider carefully if you wish to continue reading. So, Jim is dead, which doesn't mean that it's the end for the most annoyingly perfect couple in television. Although they both know that going into the light is what Jim needs to do, he's not about to do that and she's not really ready for it either. The change of slant on the show, seeing things from the ghost's point of view rather than Melinda's makes for a more interesting than the usual take on the story and actually makes the story of the angry teenager with eating disorders fairly irrelevant, except for providing the obligatory teary farewell. At least it explains why a trained cop would act in such a reckless manner as he did in Imaginary Friends and Enemies. And, since in this show death is definitely not the end, the plot manages to find a way to not only keep Jim around, but take his story in a whole new direction. He also has about the funkiest funeral ever. Things might be looking up in this show after all. TopHEART AND SOULWith Jim's soul now in the body of a man called Sam, but unable to remember anything, Melinda is forced to take drastic steps to keep him in town, very much against the wishes of his parents and Delia. The surprising events of the last few episodes have certainly shaken up the show quite a bit, but in a good way. As this is an episode all about how she comes to terms with these events, nothing much happens and lots of people give each other grief advice in such a condescending manner that it is likely to infuriate anyone who has gone through the death of a loved one. At least the big fight between Melinda and Delia rings true, however short-lived it is. TopPIECES OF YOUSam takes a job working on the restoration of an old house. The house has a wishing well and the well has a ghost. Melinda and Eli attempt to unravel the little girl's story. It's back to the old GHOST WHISPERER story template for this episode which in interchangeable with so many others. Only the disturbing imagery of Melinda with arms and legs severed sets it apart. The ongoing arc of Melinda's relationship with Jim's soul in Sam's body gives things a boost with an unexpected revelation at the close, but otherwise it's all too familiar and dull. TopBALL & CHAINMelinda encounters a ghost at the Farmers' Market who is determined to look after her family, except that she had no family. Or so at first it appears. It is amazing that anyone lives anywhere near Grandview considering the wierdness that goes on their. Clearly inspired by a certain Austrian real life story it is obvious who the bad person is here from very early on and the unravelling of the case is all the more predictable as a result. The Jim-in-Sam's-body storyline is sidelined for the ghost of the week and the show reverts to its less than interesting type, complete with tearful goodbyes. The woman-empowering action finale is also too predictable to be either tense or exciting. TopLIFE ON THE LINEA house with a tragic past being sold by Delia is the source of strange 911 calls regarding the death of one of the children in an accident. It's because of his ghost, of course, but exactly what did happen with the lawnmower that day? At one point in this episode Delia is in a haunted house with the power out and lightning all around. It's the ultimate horror cliche, but it proves to be the high point in an otherwise standard GHOST WHISPERER storyline that comes up with precisely nothing new whatsoever over any of the previous ghost of the week episodes. TopTHIS JOINT'S HAUNTEDA dark secret from Delia's past comes back to haunt her through her relationship with her son Ned. It is left to Eli to sort this one out as Melinda has undertaken a road trip with the body that her husband's amnesiac soul is inhabiting in the hope of awakening his memories of her. An episode of two parts sees the ghost-of-the-week being someone from Delia's past which gets past some of the usual preamble and gives a bigger role to Eli who is finally starting to grow on us. The other half is the growing relationship between Sam and Melinda. Whilst his search for the woman he was supposed to propose to gets nowhere, his growing affection for Melinda can't help but be infectious. It's the bombshell dropped at the end that is memorable no matter how predictable it is. TopBODY OF WATERA late night swim brings up a whole group of bodies from a lake, bodies who have ghosts attached and who are very unhappy. Melinda is also unhappy as she watches Sam and Nikki grow ever closer. Forget the bodies in the water. That's the usual GHOST WHISPERER spirit of the week story, although it does also give some background on the spirits who warned of Sam's death and provide an actual mass final weep-in which is a first for the show. No, the real interest is in the relationship between Melinda and Sam and Nikki. Though this takes up far too little of the screen time it still holds the attention and is the only reason really to still be watching the show. TopSLOW BURNWith Sam's fiancee out of the way, Melinda and he make a date, but the ghost of mother wishing to keep her daughter away from a particular boy gets in the way with visions of a break in that didn't happen and a fire that didn't burn. The ghost-of-the-week story uses the hoary old story of sibling who don't know they are siblings falling for each other (or not) as its core and is in no way any different from any of the others that form the template for the show. The love story between Melinda and Sam, however, hots up as they both attempt to act on their feelings, but Melinda's 'job' provides all the obstacles that any love story could need. TopGREEK TRAGEDYA sorority pledging prank goes horribly wrong, leaving a girl out in the woods, probably dead. Melinda and Eli try to sort out the facts, but Sam realises that his new girlfriend is hiding something from him. Sorority pledging and a supposed race against time (it's said that the girl can't survive the night in temperatures that low, but there's a least a couple or three nights involved here) can't lift this out of the usual ghost-of-the-week rut. The fact that Sam is slowly catching on to the fact that there's more to Melinda than meets the eye is the only hope that future episodes will be better than this. TopGHOST BUSTEDLife is complicated for Melinda when a would-be ghost hunter arrives on the scene with a lot of scientific equipment and discovers the body of a dead woman. The woman, however, is not the source of the ghost. The ghostbuster story is fine enough with Jamie Kennedy taking more of a central role, but it's the ongoing story between Melinda and Sam (or Jim) that is the important thing here. Sam makes it very clear how he feels about ghost hunters in general, making it very difficult for Melinda to tell him her secret. It doesn't help that he knows she has secrets and just wants her to open up to him. This is all handled pretty well and is the glue that is holding the show together. TopDELUSION OF GRANDVIEWWhen a school class full of children goes missing, Melinda is certain that a ghost is responsible. Now that Sam knows her secret, he wants to come along for the investigation and struggles to believe. It's finally make or break time for Sam as he follows her through this investigation and finally learns the truth about who she believes he really is. The main story is a bit creepier than usual as it deals with children and psychiatrists, including shock therapy, but it is the central story that continues to hold the attention and this episode proves to be more dramatic than the norm thanks to Sam/Jim's response. TopLEAP OF FAITHHaving moved out of Melinda's garage because he believes that she has manipulated him through her own emotional problems, Sam finds that he can't stop caring about her and that he can't shake her friends' belief in her. When a ghost gets her into a life-threatening situation, he has to take the titular leap of faith. The whole Jim in Sam's body storyline of this season has provided the backbone to an otherwise dull and repetitive set of stories featuring a ghost of the week. The ghost this time is the psychologist who threatened everyone in Delusion of GrandviewDelusion of Grandview and he is a promising menace, but his descent into uncertainty and final redemption is so abrupt and without motivation as to be pure plot manipulation. Convincing it isn't, just like the supporting story of another soul who has ended up in an unoccupied body and is equally confused. It's not there in its own right, but to service the main story. At least the main plot is significantly moved forward and it will be interesting to see where the makers can take it now that it is apparently wrapped up. TopTHRILLED TO DEATHNow that his memory has returned, Jim has to come to terms with living in Sam's body. Things might be fine with Melinda, but all anyone else can see is a stranger trying to get it on with a recently bereaved woman. That woman, however, is working on the case of Eli's neighbour who is being haunted by a man who died skydiving. The ghost storyline is the same throwaway stuff that goes on in this show from week to week and is just as repetitive. The key here, as it has been throughout the season, is the ongoing saga of Jim/Sam. Now that he's got his memory back, though, it's hard to see how the writers are going to manage to keep that story going. In short, bog standard GHOST WHISPERER. TopSTAGE FRIGHTA TV company comes to town to film some scenes for top soap opera Hope's Edge. The writer/creator and the main star bring with them a history and a ghost - an actor friend who was killed by a misfiring prop gun on stage. The ghost is intent on stopping the shooting of some of the scenes, but why and whom is he threatening. Without the 'Jim in Sam's Body' to keep things alive, GHOST WHISPERER reverts back to its dull ghost of the week format. OK, this time it's set in the world of actors and TV shows (inside joke alert), but otherwise it is indistinguishable from any of the other standalone episodes, following the template flawlessly. There's a big plot development at the end, but where that's going to take the show could be an issue. TopCURSEDA dollhouse in an attic starts telling the daughter of the family that lives there things that she doesn't want to hear and the dolls inside move around on their own, always going back to the same positions - positions that relate to a family that died in the house that the dollhouse was modelled on. Dolls can be creepy and for the first half of this episode they manage to be just that, moving by themselves, half-seen, talking to little girls at night. Yes, that's all very creepy. Then the reasons why the dolls are talking, moving and doing all the other stuff that they are doing becomes clear and the episode reverts to type and it's all one big misunderstanding to be sorted out so that everyone can have a good cry. Even the sugarloaded coda doesn't manage to deflect the disappointment. TopENDLESS LOVEMelinda is planning her wedding to Jim in Sam's body, but a girl in Ned's school is being stalked by a ghost that she believes to be a vampire. The title of the episode is enough to put us on sugar overload alert, but the story turns out to be standard GHOST WHISPERER fare with actually less of the sucrose as the girl's parents are suffering marital strife and the girl is placed in a very real mortal danger before all the tearful farewell stuff kicks in. TopBOOK OF CHANGESOpposing forces are after something called the Book of Changes at the university library and they are willing to kill for it. Th mysterious Watchers are full of ominous warning for Melinda that might have to do with her unborn child, but they are less scary than the wedding planner that Melinda's mother has forced on her. Some shows end a season on a cliffhanger, others tie everything up. This season finale of GHOST WHISPERER does neither. The love story of Melinda and Jim goes full circle, but the introduction of opposing forces with Melinda in the middle and omens and portents about the importance of Melinda's child all come along and go precisely nowhere. They clearly are the foundation for future seasons, but don't lead to anything satisfying here. In fact, nothing about the episode is satisfying. There are no exlanations and the death of someone supposedly important to a major character passes without significant emotional impact. Where others make every effort for the season finale to be a highlight, the makers of GHOST WHISPERER seem to have been determined to go out on as low a key as possible. Top |
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