It's been a couple of nice weeks off, but we're back to our regularly scheduled plot line! And it's good a creepy episode too, Halloween party animals. Gabriel is back, and he clears up some outstanding questions. And we remember that Grandview is very old and very New Englandy.

Big time spoilers and recapping ahead, like rocks in your trick-or-treat bag.

Before we even see the opening credits, Gabriel is back, and he tells Melinda that he is, indeed, her brother, and that their dad Tom has been haunting his dreams too. He also says that he grew up in a mental institution, and hands her a large envelope of personal effects from Tom. Then, while in the store's basement, Melinda sees a spirit of a young girl she believes is Gabriel's mother.

Melinda realizes that Gabriel was in the institution because he told people he saw ghosts – there but for the grace of whatever goes Melinda. Same gifts, different paths.

While trying to get a hold of Gabriel, Melinda has a vision of being kidnapped, and a large bloody hatchet coming down on her. Shaken by the scene, she drags Rick to the City Hall basement to try and make contact with the young woman, and they also find City Hall Ghost, and a box full of some rather ghastly artifacts.

Soon after, when Melinda reveals she's made contact with a young woman, Gabriel tells her that his mother is still alive and kicking, so the young woman remains unidentified – the only lead being that she lost her baby. When Melinda sees her next, she reveals that her name is Tessa, and in life, saw ghosts as well. She insists that "they" won't let her go into the light because she abandoned her child.

Melinda finds an old news report stating that dozens of people died of a strange fever in the mid 1800s, a fever which caused the victims to go crazy and murder each other. One preacher killed his entire congregation once he locked them all up in St. Agnes Church on Clay Street… and in a flashback, the door being shut on the preacher's flock is the Big Scary Door that has been present in Melinda's visions.

Melinda realizes that Grandview hid all traces of the murder by literally burying the street and the bodies, and the church is now What Lies Beneath. In a classic Melinda move, armed only with a flashlight, she enters a tunnel through the City Hall archives. Cue all the scary movie sound effects and music! To make matters even more precarious, City Hall Ghost finds Gabriel, who effectively locks Melinda up in the chamber, hiding all evidence that she was even there.

Melinda finds Clay St., with all of the "current" inhabitants, like a sinister haunted house existing under Grandview. Tessa explains how it was a ghost who told her about the strange fever, but the townspeople dragged her into the church to die because she tried to warn them using "witchcraft." And 1850s mindsets don't take kindly to witchy women talking to spirits. But Melinda approaches the church full of spirits anyway, actually opening the real Big Scary Door herself.

Up above, Rick, Delia, and Jim all realize that Melinda has probably gotten herself into a pickle, and they try to follow her into the chamber, but it collapses. They realize that the basement under the store is another way into the tunnels.

Melinda explains to the congregation that the fever they all suffered from wasn't caused by witchcraft, but by tainted bread, but the leader calls her out as a witch. She tries to escape, but ends up trapped in the tunnel. Tessa comes to tell her that helps is too far away to help her.

At that point, Tom appears, and explains to Melinda that he led her into all of this in order for her to understand the whole truth about herself, and Grandview. Tom says he wanted her to use and appreciate her gift to see spirits, and her mother didn't. Tessa and Melinda realize through Tom that they are related, Melinda's great x 3 grandmother, and then Tom begins to fade.

As Melinda starts to give up, Tessa reminds her that she, too, is her baby. Awww. Tessa leads Jim, Delia, and Rick to her.

The final scene is Tom approaching Gabriel, and saying some cryptic lines about Melinda soon being with "us."

Some thoughts:

- Evil Twin Half-Brother indeed! But there's more to it… Gabriel is Melinda's brother through their dad, not their mom, which is Tessa's line. So how and who does Gabriel get his gift through? My money is on Tom somehow. And what is his connection to City Hall Ghost, and why isn't Melinda trying to get that little weasel to cross over?

- Good for putting Jim, Delia, and Rick all together, and for Tessa giving all of them first-hand supernatural experiences. It was like a Scooby Doo episode.

- Tom is so not dead.

- A box full of teeth? Shudder. That was awesome. I think I may be a Spirit Under Grandview on Wednesday. Soot up my face, black some teeth out, and head on out. Happy Halloween.

What did you think? Who is Gabriel and who is his mother? What more is Tom going to come up with? Who is good and who is evil?

Comments

Best episode ever! I enjoyed seeing Payne, Jim and Delia working together. It did feel Scooby-esque. Hopefully more will come in future episodes.

Did anyone think the casting of Tessa was perfect? Amy Acker could have easily been a cousin of Jen's. Gab, Daddy dearest and the Archive ghost working together was great too.

Anyone else feel that Tom may just be in a coma? Could explain why he can still be alive but still can be seen as a spirit as we have learned before.

Jeffrey | Oct 26, 2007 9:06:06 PM | #

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I just can't get behind the whole 'what lies beneath' plotline...I mean shades of BtVS or what? Then Amy Acker (Angel) showing up as an ancestress of Melinda's? So far I'm yawning...

MortalReckoning | Oct 27, 2007 7:52:59 AM | #

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I must admit that this show has become my 'guilty pleasure' show. Watching JLH in her outfits warm the ... uh, makes me warm, er... My wife swears the woman doesn't own a pair of jeans or a sweatshirt. Gosh, that's a shame, isn't it?
In any case, I've actually begun to enjoy the stories and particularly get a kick out of Prof. Payne.
But, don't tell anyone I said any of that...

wwmeador | Oct 27, 2007 10:16:21 AM | #

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I sure enjoyed this episode,first of all because Jim and Delia had some decent screentime. I usually have a difficult time following science fiction without using my logical thinking, but in this episode I was able to just sit back and enjoy. Gabriel brings to mind Jack from Tru Calling.[Boy do I miss that show] I liked that Jim,Delia and Payne were able to save her,most off all that they were all in a scene together. The love that Jim showed Melinda was priceless. I sure hope that Payne noticed that.

Trupen | Oct 27, 2007 10:36:49 AM | #

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I loved that Jim, Delia and Rick all got equal time this week and even worked together to save Melinda. I am anxious to know what the City Hall Ghost, Gabriel and Tom are up to more than ever. I want Melinda to stay on the good side. Why do her dad and brother think they can convince her to go bad? Please don't let that lead up to someone being killed off the show I like all four characters.

Penny | Oct 27, 2007 10:43:16 AM | #

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