'Ghost Whisperer': No, you're the crazy one
Now that Sam knows one of the Ghost Whisperer's big secrets (but not the one where he's her dead husband), he's game to see what she's all about. And he's in for a good introduction. Her case of the week features mental patients. Because nothing is spookier than crazy ghosts in old hospitals.
Sam is a believer, sorta, in Melinda's gift, but he's tailing her pretty closely, trying to figure it all out. After a quick trip to one of his work sites, an old mental hospital from the 1950s being converted into a Kindergarten, which, duh, is never a good idea, Melinda tells him there are several spirits lingering around, including one woman ghost who seems particularly disturbed. After some quick sleuthing with Eli, they determine she's Greer Clarkson, who suffered from post-partum psychosis, and was committed after killing her newborn. She then died in 1959 in the hospital. And she's pretty attached to the Kindergarteners, who all find her funny. Aiiieeeee.
Then one morning, one of the kids writes "I'll be quiet when I am dead" Bart Simpson-style on the dry erase board, and then all of the Kindergarteners disappear - poof - only to turn up in the town square with Greer. Melinda tries to reason with her, but Greer disappears, telling them to keep the kids away, that it's not safe.
Melinda and her Scoobies then realize that the kids and Greer must have gotten to the town square by way of the - hooray! - Grandview tunnels! There, Melinda sees a vision of Greer receiving some wonderful 50s-style electroshock therapy, which killed her. Eli says that the doctor in her journals, Dr. Byrd, is the person they need to figure out because if Greer really is crazy, they're never going to be able to reason with her.
Some more sleuthing on Greer turns up a living son, Douglas. Greer's baby didn't die! And now he's all grown up, and very aware of his mother's past. He says she never hurt him, but was scared she would, and he's never heard of Dr. Byrd. Eli and Delia look into more of the hospital records, and realize that Dr. Byrd was a ghost himself. Because what's scarier than crazy-mental-patient ghosts from the 50s? Electroshock-therapy-loving psychatrist ghosts from the 20s!
Melinda then believes that Greer could see ghosts, and that Dr. Byrd convinced her that she'd killed her baby. She then puts together that Greer is protecting the Kindergarteners from Dr. Byrd, who is whispering in the childrens' ears, and to the other patient ghosts too.
During her conversation with Greer, Sam visibly becomes more and more disbelieving. It only makes Melinda angry, and she ends up spilling that he is actually being inhabited by Jim's spirit. Again, not a lot of finessing going on with the giant loaded secrets, Melinda. Already thinking she's a bit crazy, he's pretty insistent that what's gone is gone, and that he's not Jim at all. He then bolts.
Determined to get to the bottom of things, Melinda drags Eli into the tunnels, where they find Greer. She leads them to the others, and then Dr. Byrd shows up. He's been telling them the light is only going to show what they really are to the people they don't want knowing. The patients ignore him, and head in anyway. Greer stays long enough to reconnect with Douglas before heading into the light herself. Dr. Byrd says he's staying around.
In the end, Sam comes to the conclusion that Dr. Byrd and Melinda are the same kind of crazy (or evil) - she's been filling his head with all of Jim's memories, whispering in his ear at his bedside. He wants her to get help, but she tells him that he should just leave. As he heads out, we see Dr. Byrd hanging around outside.
However, if Sam really believes that Melinda's been filling his head with whatever she wanted him to believe, he'd have to believe the Dr.Byrd ghost story. But whatever.
I'm glad the pace of this plot is being sped up a bit now. I may not be the biggest fan of the twist this season, but at least it's moving along at a good clip. And I guess the Grandview tunnels are going to be a stocked pond for the plot vehicles. When in doubt, refer to the tunnels! There's always a way to move the story there!
But what's going to happen next? The preview had a glimpse of Dr. Byrd perhaps helping Melinda, and Sam magically becoming Jim again... and I've heard some spoilers about the end of the season. Go Google.
And I have to say, Eli's best line of the night - "Way too spooky. Need more light." - actually made me laugh out loud. That and the sexing line.
What about you? Likey/no likey? Have you heard the spoilers too? Do you think we've jumped the shark yet?
An outstanding episode. Sim admits that he is seriously in love with Melinda so she finally gets some leverage with him. So what if she blurted out that he was Jim's spirit is Sam's body? Telling him this was never going to be easy -- no magic bullet for this bombshell. But now the other shoe has dropped and we're just going to have to see how Sim handles it.
I think you are on to something about Dr. Byrd helping Melinda. They really like complicate personalities on this show -- people who are neither clearly good or bad. But didn't his speech to the mental patients remind you a lot of what Romano told the plane crash survivors. That is, they are going to judge you harshly on the other side.
I'm really excited about where this story line is leading us. David Conrad said early on he would eventually become a spirit. But to make that believable the creators had to break the notion that he was just Jim playing at being a ghost. And I think they have come up with a clever way to do that.
When we get through all this Jim is going to wind up being Mel's spirit helper. But both of them will arrive at that place with a lot of baggage that will make them doubt who they are. But they will both have grown from the experience.
Yay for the Granview tunnels.
This was fantastic. The storyline was creepy and JLH and David Conrad were fantastic during both of their confrontations. They have amazing chemistry and I'm glad the cat is out of the bag.
Noooooonan!! Michael O'Keefe from Caddyshack as the evil Dr. Byrd. I am glad that they are trying to ring the Jim/Sam storyline to a close but when in doubt, someone dies. Watch out Deliah and Ned!!!
This was another amazing episode! I absolutely loved it. I also don't believe this show has jumped the shark and in fact I believe this show is stronger than ever before. The ratings are at an all-time high and I think the Jim/Sam storyline has really saved this show and even rejuvinated it a little bit. I also like Jamie Kennedy but I really believe that Jim/Sam is the true reason for this show's renaissance!
This show is definetely my favorite of all time. I feel a connection with Melinda. I have been working though Friday evenings for the past season so I am so out of sorts. I am so happy that you guys caught me up a little. I love the chemistry between Melinda and Jim. And she always wears the cutest outfits. She is a success in so many ways.
I LOVE Ghost Whisperer this season. I've seen a couple episodes here and there in prior seasons, but I actually look forward to Friday nights now. That's saying A LOT.
LOL...and David Conrad thought he was gonna be fishing and playing golf back on the East Coast... NOT... Like most of you, I was upset and disappointed to see JIM killed. But, it seems THIS is a GREAT storyline - it gives JIM a more indepth role on the show - not just a cameo husband. Oh, those writers are so smart - whoever thought of this twist, is a genius. Just one thing - why did they NOT show SAM's ghost leaving his body..??
They did. They also showed him crossing over. It's all in the last scene of the episode Threshold.
Shanae, like Mar said, they did, very specifically show Melinda watching Sam's spirit leave his body and go into the light. It wasn't until after Sam's spirit was gone, and amid Melinda's protests, did Jim jump into Sam's body.