Ghost Whisperer – S3E1 – The Underneath
As a season premiere, this was a decent episode. I liked the ghost story, and Melinda’s search for her father seems to be getting off to a good start. The show appears to be moving in a darker direction this season, or at least that is the vibe I am getting.
The main story of this episode was a continuation of the events in the season 2 finale. Following her brief meeting with death, and the visions she had of her father, Melinda is on a mission to find him, be he dead or alive. This forces her to have a conversation about her father with her mother, who chooses to blame Melinda’s head injury for the ghostly vision of him. It’s clear that the man is a very sore subject for both of them. I felt so bad for Melinda when she explains to Jim how badly she wished her father had come back. That desperate desire for a connection, followed by the knowledge that she may never get the chance to see him again…it’s such a sad situation.
We do finally get an explanation for why Melinda’s mother is so afraid of the spirit world. The ghost story with Jennifer Billings (Jayma Mays from Glee) reveals that Jennifer’s dead father tried to communicate with Melinda’s mother 20 some years earlier. Her inability to effectively explain his death to his wife resulted in her dying as well, leaving Jennifer an orphan. This is something that the father still blames Melinda’s mother for. Thinking that you caused someone to die is no easy burden to bear, so I now understand where she is coming from, not only wanting to keep herself away from it, but also trying to protect Melinda from it as well. I still think she could have handled Melinda’s childhood exposure to the gift with more grace, as she effectively alienated her, but her actions seem slightly less harsh knowing the full story. Fortunately, the situation gets resolved peacefully, and Jennifer and her father get to connect one last time. I loved the scene with him sharing all of the photographs with his daughter so that she can know who all the members of her family are. Such a sweet ending to that story.
On another note, it seems Payne has a little crush on Melinda. I guess they sort of alluded to it last season, but they were fairly explicit about it in this episode. Otherwise, he is up to his usual tricks, helping where he can with the occasional humorous comment. Then there was Justin Yates, the photographer. I wonder if there is potential for him to become some sort of protégé of Payne’s? Of course there is also the possibility that he could become yet another obstacle for Melinda’s ghost busting. After all, he does steal all the files on Melinda. I’m curious to see how that plays out. Speaking of Justin, it is thanks to him that the pictures with the cage around Melinda’s head are discovered. He is the one who takes the pictures when Melinda gets recognized by the city of Grandview for saving the children at the memorial. There is irony in that scenario given the fact that she admitted that the kids were the ones who saved her. Of course, no one but her and Jim, and I assume Payne, really know that.
The dark spirits are still after Melinda, and there is ghostly activity coming from underneath Grandview. I loved seeing Kris Lemche (Joan of Arcadia), even though it looks like his character is going to cause issues for Melinda as she continues the hunt for her father. I’m interested to find out what her father has to do with the dark spirits. Also, what is it about Grandview that causes it to be such a hub for spirit gatherings? Then there was the creepy warning Melinda receives from her mother that she needs to leave. I actually got the feeling that it wasn’t really Melinda’s mother giving the warning. It was like she was possessed by a spirit or something.
Overall, this episode was pretty good for a season premiere. They are jumping right into the story about Melinda’s father, which seems like it is going to provide some really interesting character development for Melinda. I’m actually looking forward to seeing how the writers chose to connect him to the dark spirit story. Next episode anyone?
Best Moment:
Jennifer’s father showing her the photos.
Best Quote:
Melinda: It’s hard to get through life without a few tears.
As a season premiere, this was a decent episode. I liked the ghost story, and Melinda’s search for her father seems to be getting off to a good start. The show appears to be moving in a darker direction this season, or at least that is the vibe I am getting.
The main story of this episode was a continuation of the events in the season 2 finale. Following her brief meeting with death, and the visions she had of her father, Melinda is on a mission to find him, be he dead or alive. This forces her to have a conversation about her father with her mother, who chooses to blame Melinda’s head injury for the ghostly vision of him. It’s clear that the man is a very sore subject for both of them. I felt so bad for Melinda when she explains to Jim how badly she wished her father had come back. That desperate desire for a connection, followed by the knowledge that she may never get the chance to see him again…it’s such a sad situation.
We do finally get an explanation for why Melinda’s mother is so afraid of the spirit world. The ghost story with Jennifer Billings (Jayma Mays from Glee) reveals that Jennifer’s dead father tried to communicate with Melinda’s mother 20 some years earlier. Her inability to effectively explain his death to his wife resulted in her dying as well, leaving Jennifer an orphan. This is something that the father still blames Melinda’s mother for. Thinking that you caused someone to die is no easy burden to bear, so I now understand where she is coming from, not only wanting to keep herself away from it, but also trying to protect Melinda from it as well. I still think she could have handled Melinda’s childhood exposure to the gift with more grace, as she effectively alienated her, but her actions seem slightly less harsh knowing the full story. Fortunately, the situation gets resolved peacefully, and Jennifer and her father get to connect one last time. I loved the scene with him sharing all of the photographs with his daughter so that she can know who all the members of her family are. Such a sweet ending to that story.
On another note, it seems Payne has a little crush on Melinda. I guess they sort of alluded to it last season, but they were fairly explicit about it in this episode. Otherwise, he is up to his usual tricks, helping where he can with the occasional humorous comment. Then there was Justin Yates, the photographer. I wonder if there is potential for him to become some sort of protégé of Payne’s? Of course there is also the possibility that he could become yet another obstacle for Melinda’s ghost busting. After all, he does steal all the files on Melinda. I’m curious to see how that plays out. Speaking of Justin, it is thanks to him that the pictures with the cage around Melinda’s head are discovered. He is the one who takes the pictures when Melinda gets recognized by the city of Grandview for saving the children at the memorial. There is irony in that scenario given the fact that she admitted that the kids were the ones who saved her. Of course, no one but her and Jim, and I assume Payne, really know that.
The dark spirits are still after Melinda, and there is ghostly activity coming from underneath Grandview. I loved seeing Kris Lemche (Joan of Arcadia), even though it looks like his character is going to cause issues for Melinda as she continues the hunt for her father. I’m interested to find out what her father has to do with the dark spirits. Also, what is it about Grandview that causes it to be such a hub for spirit gatherings? Then there was the creepy warning Melinda receives from her mother that she needs to leave. I actually got the feeling that it wasn’t really Melinda’s mother giving the warning. It was like she was possessed by a spirit or something.
Overall, this episode was pretty good for a season premiere. They are jumping right into the story about Melinda’s father, which seems like it is going to provide some really interesting character development for Melinda. I’m actually looking forward to seeing how the writers chose to connect him to the dark spirit story. Next episode anyone?
Best Moment:
Jennifer’s father showing her the photos.
Best Quote:
Melinda: It’s hard to get through life without a few tears.