Ghost Whisperer kicks off tonight as Matt, a firefighter friend of Jim's, returns from two tours in Iraq as a war hero -- but he also brings home ghosts from the war. Literally. But interestingly enough, he, too, can hear and feel their presence. Melinda, however, can't make them realize that she's there. Very weird for Melinda, who is usually beating the ghosts off with a stick.

Even though Matt is constantly haunted by the death of his men, he can't remember the details of what actually happened during the firefight. The vision of the event haunts him as an "imprint haunting" – ghosts that do the same thing over and over, with no clarity or ability to stop, and he, and Melinda, are only able to watch the scene as if it were a movie in 3-D, playing out around them. Melinda believes that he's so bonded to his men that every time he tries to remember the situation, they appear. But Dr. Payne says that if they were angry at Matt, perhaps they are haunting him for that specific reason.

Richard, the father of one of Matt's men, Hector, shows Melinda a video on the Internet of Matt driving away from the firefight, supposedly leaving his men behind to die, and is determined to let the public know the truth about Matt.

Unable to accept that Matt would abandon his men, Melinda shows him the video to jog his memory. As it grows stronger, Melinda is able to talk with the ghosts at last. Hector is able to remember, even as an imprint ghost, that something Matt gave him needs to be found. Until it is, Matt's pain will only continue, and probably drive him crazy.

Hector leads Melinda and Richard to his personal items, and Melinda finds the item in question – a small braid of reeds that would have been a make-shift engagement ring for his girlfriend, for Hector to give to her when he returned – but he didn't. Matt believed that he was going to be a decoy, drawing the attention away from his men. Instead, he escaped, and his men died. After making peace with his men, and what really happened during that firefight, they're able to cross over.

In truth, this episode wasn't political. It was about war, and no matter what your politics, war is a separate issue. All of our veterans will bring back their own ghosts, and like every war's aftermath, we will deal as a society with the repercussions of their experiences. No one comes back from war unchanged. No matter how you feel about the war, this episode deals with some heavy issues.

It's an interesting thought that post traumatic stress disorder could be hauntings. But unlike the show, there aren't Melindas running around to check.

Other points:
- Anyone recognize Michael DeLorenzo from Fame? He was also in the video for "Beat It." And he was playing the dad. That moment is not lost on me.
- The show continues to use the Internet as a source, a tool to move the storyline, and it was convenient for this episode. I hope it doesn't continue to be used so conveniently to fill plotlines.
- OK, we've now had two episodes not dealing specifically with the major plotlines, and this episode didn't even cameo creepy archive ghost. Next week didn't look like it will either. Are the writers just needing a break? Please don't leave us hanging!

Comments

it was alright, but I sorta felt sad for the other 3 solders that didn't get a chance for closure. they could have easily have opted for just Hector to return, otherwise it was a nice sweet reminiscence of Season 1.

as for not doing the overarching plot, as I've read there is going to be one or two standalone eps or this could tie into the bigger picture but is to soon to tell *shrugs* who knows? people last year thought the bee was or the bleeding man were for nothing till the finale.

Jeffrey | Oct 12, 2007 9:04:34 PM | #

---

I enjoyed this episode very much. I for one like the episodes that are more like the first season.

TrupenI | Oct 13, 2007 2:04:56 PM | #

---

I like Ghost Whisperer. I would prefer that some episodes stand alone. Last year they had an overarching story and still had seperate episodes and they can do it again. The most noticable change this year is Melinda's narrative is deemed no longer necessary. Each supporting character seemed to have a part this week and the show seemed more like the original concept which I enjoyed. Here's to hoping they can do both the spooky and heartwarming for the remainder of their run.

Penny | Oct 13, 2007 7:13:13 PM | #

---

Post a comment

Name:
Email Address:	optional
URL:	optional
Comments: