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Ghost Whisperer is an episodic thriller that includes elements of drama and fantasy. The show was created by John Gray and stars Jennifer Love Hewitt, David Conrad, and Camryn Manheim, and Jay Mohr shows up regularly in a recurring role. Inspired, in part, by the work of the famed medium James Van Praagh and Mary Ann Winkowski, a real-life communicator with spirits, Ghost Whisperer explores the spiritual side of life and death.
Melinda Gordon (Hewitt) has the ability to see and communicate with the dead. She lives with her husband Jim in the fictional town of Grandview. The premise of the show is that when a person dies, especially in a traumatic manner, they might not be able to find their way to "the light" until they relay a message, or complete a task that allows them to "cross over" into their afterlife.
While each episode is generally a complete entity, there are some plot lines that carry over through multiple episodes. The first season introduced an antagonist named Romano, the opposite of Melinda who tries to draw souls to the "dark side." At the end of season one, Melinda's friend and business partner, Andrea, is killed when a plane crashes in the location to where she is driving. The man in the wide-brimmed hat (Romano) tries to encourage the souls from the crash to come with him, but Melinda convinces them to cross over to the light — all but seven. The season closes with Romano sneaking up on Andrea's ghost.
Ghost Whisperer: Season Two begins with Melinda having to convince Andrea to cross over. This season introduces two new characters. Delia Banks, played by Camryn Manheim, is a skeptical widowed mother who takes the place of Andrea Marino. It isn't until episode 19 in the second season that Delia is made aware of Melinda's abilities. The second character, Professor Rick Payne, played by Jay Mohr, is a professor who specializes in myths, the paranormal, and the occult. He helps Melinda in crossing ghosts over. In season two he is a recurring character, and, it is expected that he will become a regular in season three.
By the end of season two, both new characters are aware of Melinda's power and have roles that involve helping the ghosts to cross over. The second season revolves around the thinning of the layer between the living and the dead. Toward the end of the season, a second ghost whisperer is introduced. His appearance sets in motion the final pieces of a prophecy which adds to the strengthening of the dark side over the light.
Ghost Whisperer: Season Two comes with a lot of extras. The first is a Crystal Ball Mind Game in which the crystal ball tries to read your mind. Then "A Conversation with the Living" is a video by the creators of the show about the changes to the second season. "Ghostly Visions" is all about the special effects that are used on the show, and "Grandville Graveyard" is all about the different ghosts that are involved in the show.
"Melinda's Closet" focuses on the clothes that she wears on the show and how it affects the style of Melinda's character. "The Other Side" is an original scripted online companion series to the Ghost Whisperer that concluded on May 4, 2007. It shows the spirit world from the perspective of an earthbound spirit. Included on the disk are all eight webisodes. Each one is about 2-3 minutes long. Finally there is the Jennifer Love Hewitt Speed Painting Video. To the music of The Cinematics, Nico Di Mattia paints a portrait of Jennifer Love Hewitt in a little over four minutes. Obviously the video is sped up considerably.
Being a fan of the show, I would have to recommend Ghost Whisperer: Season Two. My biggest disappointment was the departure of Aisha Tyler (Andrea Marino). I liked her character and the interaction between her and Melinda. It also diminished my uptake on the Camryn Manheim character as well, although by the end of the season, I had accepted her. I do really like the Jay Mohr character addition. He adds a lighter touch to a dramatic situation.
