Ghost Whisperer – S2E20 – The Collector
We’re finally getting into that meaty season finale arc. One episode sooner than last season, so there’s that. Despite the creepy factor, I actually quite liked this episode.
This episode features the return of the flight attendant, Amy, from the plane crash. She regrets her decision not to cross over. As much as Melinda tried to help her, and thinks that she was able to cross her over, I’m not convinced that it actually happened. I have a feeling that, like Kate, Amy was being used by Gabriel against Melinda. The almost car crash? Yeah. She was a tool and nothing more. Along with Amy, we also see the return of many other ghosts Melinda has failed to cross over. The army of souls has grown quite dramatically, and has become a force to be reckoned with.
It turns out that there is someone else that shares Melinda’s gift, and he is not using it for the right reasons. Gabriel added a new twist, and it is pretty clear that he will be important to the Romano story. He parties with the dead, in particular the dead that Melinda has lost to Romano. So it sounds like the human that Romano is using to create a world of evil, the one they discussed when Melinda and Payne first met and first discovered who Romano was, might be Gabriel. All along, I have assumed that they have not been showing us the five signs of death, but it turns out they have been scattered throughout the episodes. They are the dove, the bee, the writing on Jim’s back about the death of a loved one (which has not yet happened), the rise of the dead (aka Jason and Brian), and the return of the forgotten. Gabriel’s story culminates in the reveal of the quintessential stalker room lined with photos of Melinda and those close to her. So creepy. He is not a good guy.
So, it turns out Payne’s wife, Kate, isn’t necessarily jealous of Melinda for the reasons I thought. She’s actually dead, and she was the one having an affair. She provides Melinda with information about what is going on in the spirit world: An attempt to make the dead stronger than the living. Gabriel is punishing any soul that tries to help Melinda. She does not want to be involved with Gabriel, but when Payne refuses to forgive her, anger takes over and she crosses to the dark side. This cannot be good.
On a lighter note, Delia seems to be slowly accepting Melinda’s gift. If not actually accepting, she is at least trying to understand what Melinda has told her about communicating with the spirit world. We see this when she asks Melinda about ghosts at funerals. I don’t know that I’d qualify Delia as a true member of the ghost busting team just yet, as she still has reservations about it, but I can see her eventually becoming a true member, i.e. someone who both knows about the spirit world and also willingly helps with the ghost busting.
Overall, I liked this episode. I like it because it is a culmination episode. It finally brings together all of the little hints seen throughout the season, many of which I realize now that I missed, and places them front and center. It proves to me as a viewer that the writers have had a plan all along. Now I feel that some of the episodes which I criticized for lacking season arc material may have been to harshly judged on that account, as they offered hints I wasn’t aware were hints. That being said, there have been a fair amount of standalone episodes this season, so I’m not totally off base in my assessment. I look forward to seeing what the rest of this season arc has in store. Just 2 episodes to go!
Best Moment:
The reveal that Payne’s wife was actually dead, the return of the old spirits, but most of all the revelation of specifically what the five signs of death are.
Best Quote(s):
Melinda: I can't believe you followed me, what are you, 12?
Payne: It was in the name of Science, plus my lecture let out at 5.
Melinda: Do you have any idea what this makes me look like?
Payne: Tell me about it, I was running like a girl holding this camera. I fell down, that guy grabbed me and I almost...thank god he did not break this camera because that is not cheap and I am.
Payne: Are we going to find this ghost guy or are we going to write bumper stickers?
We’re finally getting into that meaty season finale arc. One episode sooner than last season, so there’s that. Despite the creepy factor, I actually quite liked this episode.
This episode features the return of the flight attendant, Amy, from the plane crash. She regrets her decision not to cross over. As much as Melinda tried to help her, and thinks that she was able to cross her over, I’m not convinced that it actually happened. I have a feeling that, like Kate, Amy was being used by Gabriel against Melinda. The almost car crash? Yeah. She was a tool and nothing more. Along with Amy, we also see the return of many other ghosts Melinda has failed to cross over. The army of souls has grown quite dramatically, and has become a force to be reckoned with.
It turns out that there is someone else that shares Melinda’s gift, and he is not using it for the right reasons. Gabriel added a new twist, and it is pretty clear that he will be important to the Romano story. He parties with the dead, in particular the dead that Melinda has lost to Romano. So it sounds like the human that Romano is using to create a world of evil, the one they discussed when Melinda and Payne first met and first discovered who Romano was, might be Gabriel. All along, I have assumed that they have not been showing us the five signs of death, but it turns out they have been scattered throughout the episodes. They are the dove, the bee, the writing on Jim’s back about the death of a loved one (which has not yet happened), the rise of the dead (aka Jason and Brian), and the return of the forgotten. Gabriel’s story culminates in the reveal of the quintessential stalker room lined with photos of Melinda and those close to her. So creepy. He is not a good guy.
So, it turns out Payne’s wife, Kate, isn’t necessarily jealous of Melinda for the reasons I thought. She’s actually dead, and she was the one having an affair. She provides Melinda with information about what is going on in the spirit world: An attempt to make the dead stronger than the living. Gabriel is punishing any soul that tries to help Melinda. She does not want to be involved with Gabriel, but when Payne refuses to forgive her, anger takes over and she crosses to the dark side. This cannot be good.
On a lighter note, Delia seems to be slowly accepting Melinda’s gift. If not actually accepting, she is at least trying to understand what Melinda has told her about communicating with the spirit world. We see this when she asks Melinda about ghosts at funerals. I don’t know that I’d qualify Delia as a true member of the ghost busting team just yet, as she still has reservations about it, but I can see her eventually becoming a true member, i.e. someone who both knows about the spirit world and also willingly helps with the ghost busting.
Overall, I liked this episode. I like it because it is a culmination episode. It finally brings together all of the little hints seen throughout the season, many of which I realize now that I missed, and places them front and center. It proves to me as a viewer that the writers have had a plan all along. Now I feel that some of the episodes which I criticized for lacking season arc material may have been to harshly judged on that account, as they offered hints I wasn’t aware were hints. That being said, there have been a fair amount of standalone episodes this season, so I’m not totally off base in my assessment. I look forward to seeing what the rest of this season arc has in store. Just 2 episodes to go!
Best Moment:
The reveal that Payne’s wife was actually dead, the return of the old spirits, but most of all the revelation of specifically what the five signs of death are.
Best Quote(s):
Melinda: I can't believe you followed me, what are you, 12?
Payne: It was in the name of Science, plus my lecture let out at 5.
Melinda: Do you have any idea what this makes me look like?
Payne: Tell me about it, I was running like a girl holding this camera. I fell down, that guy grabbed me and I almost...thank god he did not break this camera because that is not cheap and I am.
Payne: Are we going to find this ghost guy or are we going to write bumper stickers?