Our rating: 3 out of 5

Rated: TVPG

reviewed by Charity Bishop

Although loosely inspired by the life of a real-life clairvoyant, Ghost Whisperer is a unique and touching television series that seems at times to be a cross between a horror movie and Touched by an Angel. Sound unusual? That's because it is. Though it deals with supernatural themes and ghosts that go bump in the dark, it is also a sweet romance between a young married couple and a gripping family drama in which the audience often finds themselves in tears at the end of the episode.

If you met her on the street, there would be nothing outwardly peculiar about Melinda Gordon (Jennifer Love Hewitt). Newly married and the proud owner of an antique store in the small, charming town of Grandview, her enthusiasm for life conceals an interesting secret. Ever since she was a child, Melinda has been able to see and hear ghosts. Like her beloved grandmother, she has been gifted with the ability to help earthbound spirits cross into the light. These ghosts are often confused or have unfinished business on earth -- something they need to tell a loved one, a deed that needs completion, or to atone for a past mistake -- and Melinda assists them in amending the past so they can cross over. Her most recent ghost is a Vietnam soldier convinced that his wife is about to give birth. His chopper went down somewhere in the mountains and was never found. He needs Melinda to reunite him with his family and make certain they are safe before he goes into the light. But Melinda doesn't intend to stop there. She wants to help the war department find the body, so he can finally be at peace.

Contending with spirits no one else can see and attempting to keep her secret, while coaxing along her new business, trying to hook up her best friend Andrea (Aisha Tyler) with a good man, and keeping her wonderful paramedic husband Jim (David Conrad) happy is not easy, but if she is anything, Melinda is a good multi-tasker. What she doesn't realize though is that spirits all over Grandview are getting progressively stronger... and angrier. There is a dark and evil force working against her that begins to reveal itself in malicious ways. At times the show can be hilarious and sweet but also frightening. I cannot watch it at night, because my imagination starts conjuring up creaks on the stairs. I don't find anything spiritually disconcerting about it, just creepy. Some of the ghosts are wholly human in appearance and very sweet; others are frightening and mean harm to the living. But the nice thing about it is that by the end of the hour, the ghost has been reasoned with, made peace with whomever was keeping them there on earth, and went into the light, which Melinda describes as a "place of forgiveness and love."

Forgiveness and reconciliation are the central theme as Melinda helps people come to grips with their death and move on. There is never any belief system mentioned, but Melinda has a firm belief in the afterlife. Her gifts come from a higher power and she does her utmost never to abuse them. There is an especially touching speech she gives in the season finale about death and what awaits us on the other side (our loved ones, light, forgiveness, and love). While I love crying over the series and marveling at the costume design (Melinda's clothes are always gorgeous, in a vintage antique style) it is really the relationship between Melinda and Jim that makes me love the show as much as I do. Rather than the constant bickering we have become accustomed to on television, theirs is a very affectionate and considerate partnership in which each of them put the other person first. Even when they disagree and have an argument, amends are quickly made and they talk the problem out rather than ignoring it. Jim is protective of his wife and always supportive, and Melinda is loving and respectful toward him. It's beautiful.

There are not a lot of content concerns present outside the obvious supernatural themes; sometimes the ghosts create situations that are threatening, dangerous, or frightening. Car accidents, slamming doors, light bulbs flickering, and so forth. Ghosts are usually disoriented at first and don't remember what happened, so often reflect the state in which they died -- occasionally bloodied up, or with eerie white eyes. There are a large number of frightening scenes. Melinda and others sometimes face bodily harm. In the second half of the season, we are introduced to an evil ghost that intends to convince other souls to remain on earth to create havoc. He is the ant-Melinda, which leads to a good vs. evil showdown in a truly magnificent and shocking season finale. One episode ("Miss Fortune") involves a fortune teller at a traveling fair who reads Angela's palm and looks at tarot cards. (This episode also features the fabulous Jonathan Firth as the ghost!) There is some occasional sensuality since Jim and Melinda are newlyweds, but we never see anything more than kissing. Ghosts make references to extramarital affairs or sleeping with someone's significant other. There is occasional mild language.