The Tease: 'The Goat Whisperer'... er... 'Ghost Whisperer'

September 21, 03:01 PM

This is going to sound like faint praise, but May's "Sixth Sense"-y season finale of Ghost Whisperer was absolutely the least bad episode in the brief history of the CBS drama.

They toned down the New Age sap (slightly), underplayed the set-jawed lip-quivering that constitutes Jennifer Love Hewitt's central performance (slightly), amped up the menace of Wide-Brimmed Hat Man and they dropped a plane on Aisha Tyler. That last bit was bad on the level that I like Aisha Tyler more than anybody else on the show, but good on the level that it's always a bit gutsy to drop a plane on your second-billed star.

Although that finale ended with Wide-Brimmed Hat Man sneaking up behind Tyler's Andrea and whispering "She's mine," Friday's (Sept. 22) second season premiere begins at least a few hours later. Ghost Whisperer fans (yes, there are handfuls) are sure to wonder how that tense scene resolved itself. My hunch? Hewitt's Melinda stared at WBHM with a clenched jaw, quivered her lip, shed a single tear and murmured, "Go into the light, Andrea!!!!" because a full 50 percent of the dialogue in every episode seems to be Melinda advocating on behalf of the light. We get it. The light is Love.

Anyway, Melinda's having nightmares in the premiere and she's still seeing Andrea wandering around, which makes me hope that Tyler held out for a huge guest-starring fee in exchange for having an airplane crashed on her head. Andrea is miserable and she utters the name "Romano." Is she referring to her kinship with Dr. Romano on ER, who had a helicopter dropped on him? Or is she referring to WBHM?

In search of answers, Melinda seeks out Jay Mohr, or at least an unconvincing food-obsessed college professor who looks like Jay Mohr. He's an expert on the occult and supernatural as it pertains to contemporary psychology, which means he's a skeptic. Because he's a skeptic, he's treated as a mindless cad who uses lots of sarcasm as a defense mechanism. He's there to explain mumbo jumbo about light spirits and dark spirits, but because he's Jay Mohr, he's really there for a few one-liners and to give the history of the WBHM (I'd spoil his identity here, but Ghost Whisperer fans scare me). He's got a few dramatic moments that Jay Mohr isn't capable of handling, but since he shares them with the equally emotionally clumsy Hewitt, it's hard to notice.

The gist of the episode, surprisingly, is dedicated to Melinda's attempts to get Andrea to go into the light and to convince her that the WBHM is evil and that the light is good. Like most Ghost Whisperer episodes, it ends with a three-way, tear-filled dialogue with Melinda, a ghost and a living loved one in which everybody stares off into space and seeks closure and viewers pound their heads against walls yelling, "Go into the light already! Haven't you heard? It's Love!"

Alas, not all of the characters go into the light and the episode leaves many fruitful avenues open for the season. The WBHM can be expected to play a regular role and Mohr's professor will recur as well. There's also some guy named Kyle, who spends the first half of the episode googling Melinda and announces "She and I, we have some unfinished business."

I hope it involves urging people to go into the light.

Permalink

Comments (53)

Comments

This show is great. JLH is a revelation!

CHARLIE | Sep 22, 2006 8:20:23 AM | #

Thank you Daniel! I don't know how this show is still on the air and I'm glad there are people who are willing to point out it's major weaknesses, of which there are many (most notably Jennifer "the light" Hewitt).

Jennifer T | Sep 22, 2006 9:17:17 AM | #

This is a good show. Granted, not a great show. JLH performance on the show is not any worse then Roma Downey saying every Touched By An Angel episode "I am an Angel sent by God" and that show lasted 9+ seasons. This is a fun series to watch and gives an interesting view of an afterlife. And lastly, if you don't like show; don't watch the show.

Trevor | Sep 22, 2006 11:11:56 AM | #

So is Aisha Tyler off the show now or not? I like the show but I really like Andrea.

bj | Sep 22, 2006 11:53:55 AM | #

I find it funny how everyone was on the JLH bandwagon during the Party of Five and I Know What You Did Last Summer years. She was the "it" girl on the rise. Then, Time of Your Life bombed and she got saddled with a couple of bad movies, so she kept a low profile for a while until her triumphant return with Ghost Whisperer last year. Now that she's back, every critic wants to bash her and belittle her scting skills like it's the cool thing to do. If there is one thing JLH is no clumsy with, it's her handling of her characters' emotions. That was one thing she was praised for back in the day. The show may not be the best one out there, but Jennifer Love Hewitt is one of it's best and strongest points.

Derek | Sep 22, 2006 12:22:00 PM | #

Haha nice article. GW needs to try and branch out; the "go into the light" stuff is getting pretty annoying. Apparently the dead people on the show think so too since they're starting to reject the light. But Andrea rejecting it? Dude, she was Melinda's bff, you'd think she'd have "go into the light" permanently drilled into her head by now. But then she couldn't be in the season premiere so I guess that wouldn't work out.

Brian | Sep 22, 2006 1:41:35 PM | #

Let's back up and consider for a moment that there would be NO show here w/o JLH. Perhaps she'll never win an Oscar, but this is a friggin' TV show and she does a fine job with it. True: the writing could be a bit more creative; many of the first season's episodes left me feeling more Hallmark than Twilight Zone. But tonight's season premiere did offer some new possibilities. I'm glad the show is expanding its scope. (At least, I hope it is.)

I'll keep watching.

Hopfrog | Sep 22, 2006 6:05:35 PM | #

Yawn ... Guess the job hunt's not going too well, eh DF?

SteSau | Sep 22, 2006 6:09:31 PM | #

So why did Aisha Tyler leave?

Gail | Sep 22, 2006 6:24:22 PM | #

Gee folks, lighten up already (pun intended). It's just pure escapist fiction, nothing more profound than Harry Potter. All the usual formulaic elements are there. Done as well as you could expect on the short writing and shooting schedules typical in television.

Nell | Sep 22, 2006 10:33:10 PM | #

I only want to see two things on this show,,and they both have something to do with Jen's anatomy! Her "headlights" are what makes this show, duh! Why else would a middle aged man look forward to watching this downbeat, hard to believe premise? MMM, JLH, baby! You DEF win the "boobie" prize!

Gimme Hooters | Sep 23, 2006 1:15:40 AM | #

O for crying out loud lighten up! I think its a good show. Why does everyone have to tear it a part you don't like it don't watch it! I was sad to see what happened to Andrea and will be sad if she is done with the show but in the end the show is not about her. I hope this show is around for a long time! Better then a lot of whats out there!

Abbie | Sep 23, 2006 4:40:22 AM | #

The show never billed itself as Shakespear. It's called entertainment.

To the critics/TVviewers that don't like the show, don't like ANY of the cast members or any of the story lines. Here's a suggestion: DON'T WATCH THE SHOW!

Very simple.

GWFan | Sep 23, 2006 7:50:56 AM | #

I look forward to this show every week. I'm sorry that you have such a boring take on the show, Daniel. Are you a happy person? :)

I was sorry to see Andrea go and in fact, in the beginning of the epi it looked as though she was in a coma, but alas, it was a dream Melinda was having. Oh well, I do have my doubts about the show without Andrea though. Did the actress wish to leave, I'm guessing?

Terry | Sep 23, 2006 8:23:43 AM | #

me again. I wanted to add that it will be interesting to see what changes they make to fill the gap that Andrea leaving creates.

Terry | Sep 23, 2006 8:25:37 AM | #

Entertaining, But let's face it people it's not real life, it's tv!!!
Then again I'd like to get Jenny in the coatroom for a while!!!

Denny C | Sep 23, 2006 9:37:57 AM | #

Aisha Tyler rocks. But don't sell Camryn Manheim short. She's an amazing actor.

GWFan | Sep 23, 2006 11:53:17 AM | #

After reading the comments, I guess NO ONE'S read anything about why Aisha Tyler left the show, or is she just pursing other projects and will return later in the season???

Novie | Sep 29, 2006 10:20:43 PM | #

Who was the Person/Ghost(?) with the dripping bloody hand at the end of the episode, that aired on Sep 29?
Was it Jim? Anyone with any ideas?
Would the writers and producers have killed off 2 major characters within the space of a few episodes?

k1r514 | Oct 1, 2006 9:35:54 PM | #

omg like how can someone say they dont know how this prgramme is still on the air i love this show nd if this show gets knocked off the air then i will be really unhappy i cant get enough of it casue i think jlh is a great actress xxtraxx

jenna | Oct 3, 2006 10:44:33 AM | #

I'll bet that if JLH was ugly or fat you haters wouldn't be so jealous and admit you can't wait until the next ep. If this were real more people would look forward to dieing just to meet her.

louie | Oct 7, 2006 7:32:47 PM | #

THIS IS FOR YOU! READ THIS!

Jennifer Love Hewitt whose fame can be trace back to Party Of Five is without a doubt - a great actress.

She started on TV with P05 then with Time of Your Life which flopped (it isn't Jennifer's fault, but FOX itself)

She can carry a movie, I Know What You Did Last Summer was a hit followed by the sequel earning her millions other actresses that time including Kirsten Dunst and Sarah Michelle Gellar failed to achieved. Other movies of her such as Heartbreakers, The Tuxedo, Garfield, Can't Hardly Wait are all top grosser.

Her TV Movie The Audrey Hepburn Story was a success and even her harshest critics agreed she can act.. really act..

Last year she had a great comeback. With Ghost Whisperer, I know she's here to stay. I know she canbe the next Julia Roberts.

Try her movie producers. Jerry Bruckheimer.. hello? Why not give her a movie? She's a great actress.

There will always be some detractors but question her look not her talent.. she's the young Audrey Hepburn!!

For that, I will always love Jennifer!!

John Lennon | Oct 7, 2006 7:41:02 PM | #

Personally if I wanted a show that was more like reality I'd make a show on my life. I watch tv because it is a way to relax, have fun and escape reality for awhile. Ghost Whisperer fits that bill. It wouldn't be worth watching if it was based on reality. JLH does a decent job, however I was shocked that they killed off Andrea. It will be hard to fill Andreas place, she was excellent as a best friend to JLH's charecter. Everyone just needs to lighten up. Oh yeah, the "go into the light" thing, well if you remember the show has already told us that alot of the dead don't know they are dead and have to be helped to move on. So that's what JLH does. Sit back, relax and watch the show for what it is...an escape from reality for an hour.

storm_caller_1971 | Oct 12, 2006 3:42:16 AM | #

Seriously, people really believe JLH is a good actress? She's woeful. The only thing holding that show up is the decent guest stars and David Conrad who can actually act but is given painfully little to do, as was Aisha. But with JLH producing is it any wonder she gets all the screen time.

Al | Oct 14, 2006 4:48:07 AM | #

Any of you who are stupid enough to say ghost whisperer is a bad show, than go to hell! I didn;t mind Andrea leaving, she wasn't that good, but Jennifer Love is an amazing actress, she is so filled with emotion! And there is nothing wrong with telling people to go into the light, that is what Melinda does, and she has to tell each person she meets to do it. At least its not like a retarded christian show where Melinda lectures ghosts about being saved by Jesus. It is touching and emotional with a starring actress that lets you feel the love and care.

Emily | Oct 15, 2006 11:33:20 AM | #