Review of CBS's Ghost Whisperer

CBS's Ghost Whisperer is a unique drama about a woman, Melinda Gordon, who can see and talk to spirits, a talent she inherited from her grandmother. Played by Jennifer Love Hewitt, Melinda's mission is to help the ghosts she sees, and often their loved ones, wrap up any unfinished business that may be keeping them tied to the world of the living and help them to cross over into the afterlife.

The first season of Ghost Whisperer reminded me a lot of an older television show, Touched by an Angel. The stories were usually extremely touching and often showcased people dealing with the loss of a loved one. Melinda owns and runs an antique store, aided by her friend Andrea (played by Aisha Tyler) in the first season. Melinda's husband Jim (played by David Conrad) and Andrea are the only people who know about Melinda's abilities.

The first season ended tragically with Andrea's death as a result of a horrific plane crash. The season finale had a climax similar to The Sixth Sense where neither Andrea nor the viewers realized that she was actually dead until the very end of the show. The plane crash set off a series of events that has taken the show in a different direction from its beginnings. Throughout the second season, the spirits Melinda sees have been getting stronger and more able to manipulate objects and people in the living world. An evil spirit who first appeared at the plane crash site seems to be collecting these souls in an attempt to sway the delicate balance of good and evil in the world. The second season episodes have become less touching and more frightening than the ones from the first season. The show is beginning to remind me of a Stephen King novel, appearing to be building toward an epic battle between the supernatural forces of good and the forces of evil.

The second season added two more people to Melinda's circle of friends who know about her abilities. Jay Mohr plays an egotistical scientist/professor who studies the supernatural. Melinda goes to him for help when she begins to realize the magnitude of the evil spirits' strength. Camryn Manheim plays Melinda's new friend Delia, a widow with a young son who takes Andrea's place in helping Melinda run the antique store. Delia has only recently learned about Melinda's talent, and she is not yet fully accepting of the idea.

I have enjoyed Ghost Whisperer from its start and am anxious to see how Melinda ultimately deals with the recurring leader of the evil spirits in the show's upcoming third season. I do hope, however, that the writers and producers bring back the atmosphere of the show's first season. I miss the touching stories that usually left me crying at the end. This new, scarier format is entertaining, but I think Ghost Whisperer would do well to have a mix of the two, depending on the episode.