I have to say that I feel pretty satisfied with the first season of this show. I can’t say that it was the best season of television I have ever seen, but it had many elements that made it a strong introduction to the series, and made it worthwhile to view and become invested in.
One of the strongest pieces of this show, in my opinion, is the relationship between Melinda and Jim. If I had to pick the one thing that kept me watching episode to episode, I would no doubt say that it was the two of them. There is something very pure and genuine about their relationship. They can make you laugh and cry all in the same episode. The casting for those two characters was spot on as well. The chemistry between them is fantastic. Writing-wise, the show did a great job of keeping their relationship real as well. It was not always happy go lucky. Just as in the case of a real marriage, they had disagreements and the occasional fight. At the end of the day though, they are partners. They support each other through everything. I am really looking forward to seeing more of their relationship in season 2.
Apart from Jim and Melinda as a couple, they also had a good deal of individual character development this season. We learned a lot about Melinda’s backstory with her mother and grandmother, as well as what it was like for her growing up with her gift. I really like the fact that they included the story of how she discovered her gift. I feel like just saying she has this ability, without getting any explanation, would make it more difficult to relate to her, by making her in some way superhuman. It also would cheapen her gift in a certain sense, as you then lack the appreciation of its progression and meaning. Part of the appeal of supernatural shows is the backstory of how a character comes into power. Think of Buffy or Charmed, the latter of which was still in production when Ghost Whisperer first came on air. These shows, while possibly based even more in fantasy than Ghost Whisperer, allow you to take that journey of discovery along with the characters. Even though Melinda has already possessed her gift for quite some time by the time the pilot takes place, having the episodes with backstory allows for a similar journey of discovery, albeit more indirect. Jim also has a solid backstory built around his deceased brother, his mother and his work as a paramedic. We see him grow throughout the season in his confidence in dealing with the emotional stress of his job, and accepting the fact that he cannot save everyone. Even Andrea, who rounds out the group of main characters, ended up being well developed by the end of the season, though it took quite awhile for this to happen. However, it does seem like, to a certain extent, they only ramped up her character development to make sure that the audience cared enough about her that her death in the finale would be a significant event. It worked, as I very audibly yelled “Nooooo!” at the TV, but why else would they suddenly give you that increase in back story just for the last 6 episodes or so. I’m thinking that by that point in production, they would know they were killing the character off at the end of the season. I could be wrong, but that’s the vibe I get.
My biggest complaint for season 1 was that it took way too long to get into the meat of the season. The season was practically over before we got any explanation for the creepy spirits, despite their being introduced in episode 4. At the very least, tossing hints, or having Melinda research them throughout the season would have given more coherence to their story as a season arc. Instead, I constantly felt like I was waiting for the season to get started. When they finally did delve into the main story, I was hooked. It was interesting, suspenseful, and kept you wanting to watch. I just wish they had gone deeper into the story, which I feel like they could have accomplished had they started discussing it earlier. I guess they still have the ability to discuss the story further with season 2.
There is also, now, a connection between Andrea and the creepy spirits, as it was implied that her spirit was taken by them. Will they keep the character around for a long time in season 2? Will there be a dark/evil Andrea who sides with the creepy spirits? I sincerely hope not on the latter. Will Melinda be able to help cross her over? Maybe she’s not actually dead. Like I said though, they left enough questions unanswered that there are a lot of ways to continue with, or at least feed off of the story they had this season.
As far as the individual ghost stories go, they did a fairly good job of keeping them fresh and interesting. Some were obviously stronger than others, and there were a couple of stories that I did not like at all. Generally speaking, however, they kept the season flowing nicely, and managed to cover a wide range of issues. That being said, the ghost stories are not what really make this season good television.
Overall, season 1 was a good start. I feel like it is just the tip of the iceberg though. The last couple of episodes proved that this show has the potential to do some really interesting stories, so I hope that this is simply a stepping stone to bigger and better things. I look forward to watching season 2. Bring it on!