Introduction:
Ghost Whisperer (2008) is an excellent three-season compilation of a "paranormal" series actually based on the work of two psychics, James Van Praagh and Mary Ann Winkowski. The series plot centers around an antique dealer, Melinda Gordon, played by Jennifer Love Hewitt, who has the ability to see and hear spirits. She has been this way all her life and has learned to let only certain people into her world; one such person is her husband. Melinda trusted Andrea, her business partner, enough to know about her gift or curse whatever it may be. However, she is reluctant to let her new friend Delia, into her world as she knows from experience that the general public can either view her as crazy or creepy.
Plot:
Each week Melinda deals with a ghost that has not been able to leave this plane we call earth because of unfinished business. By the end of the first season. Andrea leaves the show having been killed off in a plane crash, and Delia is introduced. By the third season Delia is aware of Melinda’s abilities.
Main Characters
Melinda Gordon - Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jim Gordon - David Conrad
Delia - Camryn Manheim
My thoughts
The downside is that each episode is pretty much the same, Melinda meets the ghost, sometimes she understands why it has not crossed over and most of the time she must find clues and put the puzzle together, then contact the humans that ghost is haunting or wants to communicate with. Many times Melinda is in the room with the ghost that only she can see and hear. The human the ghost is haunting may or may not be present. At the end of each program, Melinda has pretty much discovered the reason why the ghost has not crossed over and there is always a scene where she relays the messages onto the human, for example, "he is saying you must get on with your life," and so forth.
Mended Hearts was one of my favorite episodes, here we have a ghost who refused to leave this earth until he would find out who received his heart. He was an organ donor. I would have thought that a ghost would be able to know this in the after world, but I guess they are not all-seeing and all-knowing after all.
Melinda, of course, who is the star of the show, can find out things that the average person would not have pubic record of, such as medical files. So here is where it becomes a bit unrealistic for my liking. Anyhow suffice to say she is able to connect with a ghost nurse, yes I know it is corny, and she gets the name of the donor, who is met by the ghost looking for his heart. A wonderful connection is made and our ghost friend can now peacefully pass over.
I am a firm believer in the paranormal and I do believe that ghosts haunt this world when they still have unfinished business to attend to. I do believe there are people who can see and hear these ghosts, only in today’s society many of them are being treated in a mental hospital for schizophrenia.
I am not so sure how realistic Hewitt’s role is, though. I would imagine people with this ability would be reluctant to go out and bother strange people with bizarre tales of seeing ghosts and passing on messages, for the very reason I mentioned in the paragraph above. But nevertheless, the series is very entertaining if not that realistic.
