Ghost Whisperer – S3E2 – Don’t Try This At Home
A Bloody Mary episode. Epic. They had to include this one eventually. I mean, what supernatural show hasn’t addressed this? To top it off, I actually really liked what they chose to do with it as well. It was a fun episode in its own dark and creepy way.
This is the first time I can remember seeing a Bloody Mary story that did not actually involve an actual Bloody Mary ghost, though it’s possible that I just need to get out more, or rather see more examples. In this case, it was just a teenage girl with a heart condition and a prank gone wrong. They did a good job of making the story both creepy and entertaining. Having a Bloody Mary story was another prime example of how the show has been choosing to incorporate various aspects of supernatural mythology. Payne choosing to cash in on the “cyber wave” by giving extra credit to students who tried the ritual was kind of funny. A little sick and twisted, but funny. It was kind of great that, even though she is not directly involved, the real ghost of Bloody Mary makes an appearance at the very end. At least I assumed that was who that was.
I was so excited to see Mae Whitman in this episode, and she was fantastic as always. The Rachel story was basically the idea of the “kid in the plastic bubble” scenario. Her parents, in an effort to protect her, overcompensated and prevented Rachel from having the opportunity to live a full life. I’m not entirely sure why Rachel would choose to haunt Sloane and her friends, given that she knew all along about her condition. I guess you could chalk it up to her being a confused spirit, but still. It was a little bit harsh to put Sloane in the position she was in.
Jim is clearly getting concerned that Melinda may not be as in control of the spirit world as she believes. Like I mentioned in my last review, the show is taking on a much darker tone this season. Combine that with what we have seen of Kris Lemche’s dark spirit character, and I have to agree that Jim may have a point. I mean, I know Melinda disproved the whole Bloody Mary thing, but that does not erase the other weird events that have taken place in Grandview recently. Then again, if she did have complete control, the show might get a bit stale, so this keeps things interesting. Right?
Speaking of Melinda and Jim, the show seemed to acknowledge one of the points I made in my season 2 review about the fact that Jim became such a minor character in the latter half of the season. Jim comments on the fact that they have not been spending much time together because he supposedly has been working the night shift for quite awhile. They then make up for this with their dinner date at the end of the episode and Melinda saying that they were going to be okay. Is this a sign from the writers that I’m going to start getting more Jim again??? I sincerely hope so, because I have missed him.
Overall, I really enjoyed this episode. It was fairly standalone, with the exception of a few comments about recent events and ghostly appearances from dark spirits. I think they did enough in the episode to remind viewers about the bigger story with the dark spirits, while still making the individual ghost story fun and interesting. Hopefully the next episode will give us some more insight into what is going on with Grandview and the dark spirits, as well as with Melinda’s father.
Best Moment:
-Payne coming to the store to ask for his 138 dollars.
Best Quote:
Melinda (to Sloane): This is gonna sound strange, but I know a few things about ghosts. (Sloane says nothing and shrugs) You're not laughing. I'm so sorry, I'm not used to that.
Jim: You’re not really worried about us, like we’re in danger?
Melinda: Definitely not with Jim Clancy out there in his uniform. Go to work, don’t come back until people are healthy and safe.
Melinda: Did you get me in?
Payne: Well as it turns out, Bloody Mary’s ancestral home is one of Grandview’s registered historic buildings, and the preservation society is run by the chair of the architecture school, who is a very bad poker player, and he owes me $138. By the way, the combination to the key box is K-E-Y.
Melinda: So I guess now I owe you a favor.
Payne: Yeah, and $138.
A Bloody Mary episode. Epic. They had to include this one eventually. I mean, what supernatural show hasn’t addressed this? To top it off, I actually really liked what they chose to do with it as well. It was a fun episode in its own dark and creepy way.
This is the first time I can remember seeing a Bloody Mary story that did not actually involve an actual Bloody Mary ghost, though it’s possible that I just need to get out more, or rather see more examples. In this case, it was just a teenage girl with a heart condition and a prank gone wrong. They did a good job of making the story both creepy and entertaining. Having a Bloody Mary story was another prime example of how the show has been choosing to incorporate various aspects of supernatural mythology. Payne choosing to cash in on the “cyber wave” by giving extra credit to students who tried the ritual was kind of funny. A little sick and twisted, but funny. It was kind of great that, even though she is not directly involved, the real ghost of Bloody Mary makes an appearance at the very end. At least I assumed that was who that was.
I was so excited to see Mae Whitman in this episode, and she was fantastic as always. The Rachel story was basically the idea of the “kid in the plastic bubble” scenario. Her parents, in an effort to protect her, overcompensated and prevented Rachel from having the opportunity to live a full life. I’m not entirely sure why Rachel would choose to haunt Sloane and her friends, given that she knew all along about her condition. I guess you could chalk it up to her being a confused spirit, but still. It was a little bit harsh to put Sloane in the position she was in.
Jim is clearly getting concerned that Melinda may not be as in control of the spirit world as she believes. Like I mentioned in my last review, the show is taking on a much darker tone this season. Combine that with what we have seen of Kris Lemche’s dark spirit character, and I have to agree that Jim may have a point. I mean, I know Melinda disproved the whole Bloody Mary thing, but that does not erase the other weird events that have taken place in Grandview recently. Then again, if she did have complete control, the show might get a bit stale, so this keeps things interesting. Right?
Speaking of Melinda and Jim, the show seemed to acknowledge one of the points I made in my season 2 review about the fact that Jim became such a minor character in the latter half of the season. Jim comments on the fact that they have not been spending much time together because he supposedly has been working the night shift for quite awhile. They then make up for this with their dinner date at the end of the episode and Melinda saying that they were going to be okay. Is this a sign from the writers that I’m going to start getting more Jim again??? I sincerely hope so, because I have missed him.
Overall, I really enjoyed this episode. It was fairly standalone, with the exception of a few comments about recent events and ghostly appearances from dark spirits. I think they did enough in the episode to remind viewers about the bigger story with the dark spirits, while still making the individual ghost story fun and interesting. Hopefully the next episode will give us some more insight into what is going on with Grandview and the dark spirits, as well as with Melinda’s father.
Best Moment:
-Payne coming to the store to ask for his 138 dollars.
Best Quote:
Melinda (to Sloane): This is gonna sound strange, but I know a few things about ghosts. (Sloane says nothing and shrugs) You're not laughing. I'm so sorry, I'm not used to that.
Jim: You’re not really worried about us, like we’re in danger?
Melinda: Definitely not with Jim Clancy out there in his uniform. Go to work, don’t come back until people are healthy and safe.
Melinda: Did you get me in?
Payne: Well as it turns out, Bloody Mary’s ancestral home is one of Grandview’s registered historic buildings, and the preservation society is run by the chair of the architecture school, who is a very bad poker player, and he owes me $138. By the way, the combination to the key box is K-E-Y.
Melinda: So I guess now I owe you a favor.
Payne: Yeah, and $138.