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Arr, there's rough seas ahead for the 'Ghost Whisperer'
We're getting back to business on Ghost Whisperer this week - the town blogger Justin is back, and he knows all about Melinda. Will he tell Grandview the truth about their snoopy psychic antiques dealer?
Beware... spoilers under everything you turn over.
The word "witchcraft" is splashed across the store in red paint one bright and sunny Grandview morning. Not exactly a random prank graffiti artist, eh? Rick Payne (who, hooray, is back) tells Melinda that there's a teaser on the blog And Shame the Devil about someone who has "more than a passing acquaintance with the dead." She confronts our hero blogger, Justin, and he tells her that she's helped lots of people with their dead issues, so how long did she expect it to remain secret? But later, when Justin awakens to a bedroom where everything has been, literally, turned upside down, much like Melinda states her life will be if word gets out about her, we realize that "witchcraft" may not be a coincidence.
And here I have to ask... how big, do you think Grandview is? Don't you think after, oh, 58 episodes of helping ghosts cross over, word would have already gotten around about Melinda? Justin's got a point. But I digress.
Melinda realizes though that Justin needs something, and for the time being, he's going to keep her secret. Which returns us to the original question - who painted "witchcraft" on the store? But the next morning, there's a strange bird-like symbol in red instead of a word. Delia sets up her video camera to try and catch who or whatever is playing artist. Moments later, we see Justin setting up his webcam to find out who's flipping his stuff upside down.
The next graffiti word is "killer" - and the camera shows Justin doing the painting. Melinda and Delia head to Justin's and say they're heading to the police, when he shows them his own video - of himself turning his home upside down. He believes he's haunted, but Melinda dismisses him by saying she doesn't see any ghosts. On their way out, Melinda notices a good sized pile of medication next to Justin's bed.
Melinda goes to Payne to talk over what she should do. She's not sure if she should be afraid, or help Justin. Payne believes he's sleepwalking, but offers to do some checking up on him. Oh, she's going to help him... she has to. She's Melinda. Jim confirms that the medication Melinda saw is used to control seizures, and it could very well be physical and not spiritual.
Next, Melinda approaches Justin to offer to help him. He says he's not sick, but he's dying. Well, aren't we all? But he says that he's been diagnosed with an aneurism, very deep within his brain. He thinks he knows why he's turning everything over in his room, but he can't tell her yet. But he does want to know if it is indeed true that she can speak to the dead. She confirms that she can, and Justin tells her that once he passes, he will need her help finding someone who may be on the other side waiting for him.
Back on the ever easy-to-navigate Internet, Melinda discovers what the bird creature is that Justin painted on the store - a figurehead for a boat. At the same time, Justin sees a vision of a drowned girl in his room, who states simply "I'm waiting for you." She appears to him, walking out of what looks like the underground church under Grandview. He tells Melinda that he saw the ghost of his girlfriend, Julie, and she stops him by saying that she's discovered what "witchcraft" was (the name of Julie's boat, which had the figurehead.) There was an accident on the boat, and it capsized, drowning Julie. Justin is convinced that he was supposed to die on the boat too, and that the aneurism is merely a correction. A moment later, Justin realizes that he can't touch anything, and is told by a tearful Melinda that he's dead himself. Well, that's one way to stop spreading the rumor about her. How convenient!
Melinda tries to get Justin to go into the light, but he refuses, and disappears. We next see him being sucked down into the underground beneath the streets of Grandview. Moments later, Melinda gets a creepy message through a possessed customer that they "have" Justin and Melinda needs to stay out of it, or her house will be burned down.
Justin's brother and sister come to collect his belongings, and Melinda shares that he knew he was going to die, and he was at peace with it. They share that they were never fond of Julie. Meanwhile, Justin is underground, finding Julie in the church. She tells him that they're now in their new home, where they belong, and that she's met someone "bad" like they are. She says that there's a secret they all know - that they can live again in the world above.
After a quick phone call to the tell-all detective who investigated Julie's death and the boat accident, Melinda finds out that Julie was indeed "bad", and that she'd rigged the boat to sink, to blame it on Justin and collect the insurance money. Melinda tells Payne she's heading back underground, and makes him come with her. Melinda finds Justin and Julie, and tells him the truth about Julie and her boat plan, and that his brother and sister love and care for him. He tells Julie that he forgives her for everything, and she fades into the underground. Melinda gives Justin's siblings one last moment with him, and he crosses over... leaving his awesome blog without an owner. Who is calling dibs?
No more information next week - it's a repeat. Again.
Other thoughts:
- Darn, I was really hoping Justin was going to be a major figure in ridding Grandview of their underground pest problem. If he does indeed "come back" though, that would be a nice new spin on things.
- Oh, Payne just gets the best lines. "Romantic in a Dawn of the Dead way" indeed.
- Whoever the actress was that delivered the possessed message to Melinda freaked.me.out. Drowned Julie didn't, but there was something about the look in that woman's eyes.
- Love the ship motif of Justin's shirt.
What about you? Are you going to miss Justin too? Do you think we're going to have a town full of zombies before this season is out?
Even after that customer was "unpossessed" she still creeped me out. Excellent bit of work there.
smaileh | Apr 11, 2008 9:03:47 PM | #I very much enjoyed this episode, it was a great way to give answers but then also make it more intriguing. Can't believe we only have 4eps till we find out why Grandview is the Dark Spirits destination to roam, along with why the town itself choose Mel and Jim to be residence. Hopefully, by seasons end they also wrap up the Gabriel, Daddy & Mommy plot too.
Jeffrey | Apr 11, 2008 10:08:10 PM | #This episode creeped me out for some reason. In a good way. I'm always scared when they go underground where the "dark spirits" are. :)
I'm glad Justin stayed strong and true. Too bad he didn't stick around to join forces with Melinda. That would've been fun.
Terry | Apr 12, 2008 2:28:42 AM | #Good episode. Justin was such a great character. He reminded me of the 'conspiracy book store owner' played by Patrick Fishler on "Angel". I hope Justin does come back.
I hope the delve into more unexplained phenomena, especially with Payne around eventually the ghost of the week will become tiresome.
Where was that beach that Justin and Melinda were on? Is that in Grandview, too. Is Grandview now on the water? I don't remember them ever showing the ocean before.
Sue | Apr 14, 2008 1:35:46 PM | #Sue, they've shown the ocean before, "Love Still Won't Die." Grandview is in NY as in why in the exact same episode Mel could easily transport from Maine to Grandview will ease and it explains the NY license plates. The only fiction part of the town is the Town Square, which is based in part of John Gray's own hometown, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, which also has Rockland U as it's university.
Jeffrey | Apr 14, 2008 4:49:55 PM | #Grandview is a small town in the same way the Sunnydale was a small town. It has an airport, a marina, a labrinth of underground tunels, a university, an army base, etc.
Ryu Hyabusa | Apr 20, 2008 5:01:27 PM | #I liked this ep. It creeped me out too and that's just as it should be. The woman in the store was seriously good and so was the gf Julie.
Melinda's reaction to the woman was a bit weak, I thought. She barely rolled her eyes about it on the way out. I realize that she's seen a lot, but, really, that was one unusual interaction! One that, I think, at least warranted a moment's contemplation on Melinda's part.
What I also don't understand is why Melinda was so quick to dismiss Justin's explanation that he was being haunted. I think the ep confirms this, but because Melinda can't see any ghosts around him she feels justified in not believing his hypothesis.
I don't like it when characters on tv shows who have special powers, or who see the world in a way that regular people don't, are given lines where they deny the possibility of there being even more out there than what they know about. As if they alone hold all information about the possibilities of the universe.
I mean, what gives? Considering what they see, shouldn't these kinds of characters be more tolerant of unexplained phenomena than everybody else and not less so? Some of them, at least?
I just think Melinda jumps to easy conclusions and it makes her character seem ignorant; like she doesn't learn from her past experience. In the last ep she was convinced the ghost she was seeing was a man when really all that was clear was that the ghost was dressed in baggy clothing and bald. It turned out to be a woman.
This ep she dismisses the experiences of a man she dislikes simply because she can't see any ghosts in his immediate vicinity. But Justin's gf was there. She said she'd been watching him (from afar) and, doubtless, this affected his behavior. If that's not a haunting than I guess I don't know what is.
I enjoyed the trip under the town again, especially since Melinda took Payne with her. They're a good, if uneven, team.
Berlin | Apr 21, 2008 6:44:49 PM | #
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