Ghost Whisperer – S3E5 – Weight of What Was
This was actually a pretty exciting episode. Most of the plot actually centered on the main, dark spirit/underground story, so I was happy. The best part was that it did so in an engaging way.
Gabriel has returned, and he is back to his old tricks. It’s pretty twisted that he tries to kill Melinda knowing that she is his own sister. Melinda also finally gets to see her father, who is apparently one of the dark spirits Melinda has been trying to stop and he is working with Gabriel. This confirms that he is for sure dead. Some questions arise from this pairing though. What are they planning, and why do they need Melinda on their side? Melinda’s father trying to manipulate her is really messed up and concerning on many levels. I was heavily reminded of Melinda’s comment in the first episode of the season about how she would have believed anything her father said had he come back. This would lead one to the conclusion that her father is not going to have that much trouble tricking her into helping him, because she wants to trust him. Look how easily she went back to trusting Gabriel.
Poor Melinda has a pretty messed up family tree, at least on her father’s side. Most of her mother’s relatives have been pretty decent well rounded people. She meets yet another family member in this episode, as it turns out Tessa was her great great great great (possibly more, possibly less) grandmother. Like Melinda, Tessa could talk to spirits. Unfortunately, she died because of what she could do. Tessa leads Melinda to the spirits hidden under Grandview. Angry after having been trapped in the church and burned alive, it is understandable why there is some dark activity going on under the city. They were creepy and threatening, but obviously the main focus of the episode was getting Melinda and her father to meet again, so the spirits really did not make a terribly large impact on me. I was mostly just happy to finally know who the underground spirits were.
Delia is officially a true member of the ghost busting squad now as far I am concerned. This is the first time she has knowingly and willingly assisted the group with something ghost related. Yes, she is helping to find Melinda, but she also ends up feeling the presence of a spirit, and does not question at all when Tessa points Jim in the direction of Melinda. She has definitely come a long way from where she was when she first found out about what Melinda could do. Payne on the other hand is as goofy as usual. He has a tendency to make jokes at the most inappropriate times. It kind of seems like an involuntary coping mechanism, but sometimes I just have to face palm after he speaks. In this episode in particular, it was his joke about needing ice for his room temperature water that got me. Jim and Delia clearly ignore him, as they kind of have more pressing issues at hand, what with Melinda being trapped in an underground tunnel. The one thing I really loved about this ending was Jim and Melinda. They nearly made me cry again in this episode after he rescues her from the tunnel and makes the joke about her being 12 hours late for dinner, and then she starts crying and hugging him. Gah! All the adorable feels. I cannot help but love those two.
Overall, I really enjoyed this episode. We’re getting some context for what is going on with the dark spirits early on in the season. I’m not going to pass any judgment on the season arc at this point. This one example cannot speak for the whole. To me, it does not yet suggest an improvement over the waiting game we had to sit through for the past 2 seasons. In terms of this episode, I liked that it focused so much on the main story. We got some answers, and a few more questions. Gabriel is confirmed as an evil force, and it is obvious that Melinda should be more wary of who she trusts. Until next time, happy whispering.
Best Moment:
Jim rescues Melinda from the tunnels.
Best Quote(s):
Professor Payne: What are these?
Melinda: These are teeth! Clay 48, what does that mean?
Professor Payne: Well whomever these belong to is going to have a hard time eating beef.
Professor Payne: I have a friend who teaches forensic pathology, and he's been looking at these teeth. Did you know these teeth are over 150 years old?
Melinda: So then how are those teeth connected to this ghost?
Professor Payne: He's going to run some tests on the smoke stains and caraway seeds that are stuck inside these teeth. I'm pretty sure the message is going to remain clear: never underestimate the power of floss.
Delia: Oh, it's you.
Professor Payne: Is it that painful to see me?
Jim: It's okay, it's all right, it's okay. Don’t cry. You know you’re twelve hours late for dinner, that is so not okay.
Melinda: (between sobs) I am so sorry. I am so sorry.
Jim: Shh, as long as you are okay babe, nothing else matters.
This was actually a pretty exciting episode. Most of the plot actually centered on the main, dark spirit/underground story, so I was happy. The best part was that it did so in an engaging way.
Gabriel has returned, and he is back to his old tricks. It’s pretty twisted that he tries to kill Melinda knowing that she is his own sister. Melinda also finally gets to see her father, who is apparently one of the dark spirits Melinda has been trying to stop and he is working with Gabriel. This confirms that he is for sure dead. Some questions arise from this pairing though. What are they planning, and why do they need Melinda on their side? Melinda’s father trying to manipulate her is really messed up and concerning on many levels. I was heavily reminded of Melinda’s comment in the first episode of the season about how she would have believed anything her father said had he come back. This would lead one to the conclusion that her father is not going to have that much trouble tricking her into helping him, because she wants to trust him. Look how easily she went back to trusting Gabriel.
Poor Melinda has a pretty messed up family tree, at least on her father’s side. Most of her mother’s relatives have been pretty decent well rounded people. She meets yet another family member in this episode, as it turns out Tessa was her great great great great (possibly more, possibly less) grandmother. Like Melinda, Tessa could talk to spirits. Unfortunately, she died because of what she could do. Tessa leads Melinda to the spirits hidden under Grandview. Angry after having been trapped in the church and burned alive, it is understandable why there is some dark activity going on under the city. They were creepy and threatening, but obviously the main focus of the episode was getting Melinda and her father to meet again, so the spirits really did not make a terribly large impact on me. I was mostly just happy to finally know who the underground spirits were.
Delia is officially a true member of the ghost busting squad now as far I am concerned. This is the first time she has knowingly and willingly assisted the group with something ghost related. Yes, she is helping to find Melinda, but she also ends up feeling the presence of a spirit, and does not question at all when Tessa points Jim in the direction of Melinda. She has definitely come a long way from where she was when she first found out about what Melinda could do. Payne on the other hand is as goofy as usual. He has a tendency to make jokes at the most inappropriate times. It kind of seems like an involuntary coping mechanism, but sometimes I just have to face palm after he speaks. In this episode in particular, it was his joke about needing ice for his room temperature water that got me. Jim and Delia clearly ignore him, as they kind of have more pressing issues at hand, what with Melinda being trapped in an underground tunnel. The one thing I really loved about this ending was Jim and Melinda. They nearly made me cry again in this episode after he rescues her from the tunnel and makes the joke about her being 12 hours late for dinner, and then she starts crying and hugging him. Gah! All the adorable feels. I cannot help but love those two.
Overall, I really enjoyed this episode. We’re getting some context for what is going on with the dark spirits early on in the season. I’m not going to pass any judgment on the season arc at this point. This one example cannot speak for the whole. To me, it does not yet suggest an improvement over the waiting game we had to sit through for the past 2 seasons. In terms of this episode, I liked that it focused so much on the main story. We got some answers, and a few more questions. Gabriel is confirmed as an evil force, and it is obvious that Melinda should be more wary of who she trusts. Until next time, happy whispering.
Best Moment:
Jim rescues Melinda from the tunnels.
Best Quote(s):
Professor Payne: What are these?
Melinda: These are teeth! Clay 48, what does that mean?
Professor Payne: Well whomever these belong to is going to have a hard time eating beef.
Professor Payne: I have a friend who teaches forensic pathology, and he's been looking at these teeth. Did you know these teeth are over 150 years old?
Melinda: So then how are those teeth connected to this ghost?
Professor Payne: He's going to run some tests on the smoke stains and caraway seeds that are stuck inside these teeth. I'm pretty sure the message is going to remain clear: never underestimate the power of floss.
Delia: Oh, it's you.
Professor Payne: Is it that painful to see me?
Jim: It's okay, it's all right, it's okay. Don’t cry. You know you’re twelve hours late for dinner, that is so not okay.
Melinda: (between sobs) I am so sorry. I am so sorry.
Jim: Shh, as long as you are okay babe, nothing else matters.