CBS
You know what, we can’t even talk about this up front. I can tell you that Ghost Whisperer was all new Friday night. I can also tell you that Jamie Kennedy was barely in it and the episode was a hell of a lot stronger for it. I’m sorry, but Jamie Kennedy doesn’t work at all for me.
Beyond that, I’ll tell you that this is going to get all kinds of spoilery so stay on this side of the jump if you haven’t watched the episode, or aren’t ready to deal with it yet.
Seriously, this is my last [!!SPOILER WARNING!!] warning! No bitching allowed after you click that link.
Jim is dead. You knew what you were getting into when you clicked to this side. But yeah, there it is. It was probably one of the worst kept secrets in recent television history, and it does make the “five shadows” thing from the end of last season matter a little more, but this is still a major, major development for the show. The bond between Jim and Melinda was always such a beautiful thing to behold, and often it was his support that kept Melinda going.
When we got warned that Melinda’s connections to death might rub off on those she touched, we knew to be worried. When we learned that she and Jim were trying to conceive, I saw his time running out. If you want to considering it a silver lining, It seems pretty clear that even though Jim has departed from the land of the living neither his character or David Conrad, the actor who plays him, are going anywhere any time soon.
Considering that he knows he can still see and interact with Melinda from the other side, I can understand why he would be reluctant to go into the light. It’s probably going to create a major conflict for Melinda as well. She will want Jim to find the peace that going into the light will give him, but she’ll want him there with her.
The worst part of this is that with Professor Payne gone, who does she have left? And you’d better not even think about Eli James. The sooner that guy disappears, the better this show will be. Can we all make a deal to stop watching Gary Unmarried so it will tank in the ratings and Jay Mohr can return sooner rather than later?
With Jim on the other side, it does present opportunities for us to learn more about the spirit world. There have been all kinds of cryptic things going on the past several years, from the bizarre ghost “city” under the city to the battle for souls that took place a couple of years ago, clearly things are happening on the other side. Things Melinda can only speculate on. But now, with Jim in that world, the opportunity to learn and understand earthbound spirits grows exponentially.
Still, there’s a certain morbidity to this whole scenario. Suddenly, a grieving widow will have her dead husband hanging around. Will she still be as sad as she’s supposed to be? And Jim won’t be able to physically help her in any way, and we all know how Melinda likes to get herself into trouble. But then again, he will be able to go tell Eli where she is. Dammit, Eli again!
What do you think of this development? Will it strengthen the show, or did they just cross to the wrong side of the tracks?
Clacked by Jason Hughes 
on Nov 09, 2008 @ 12:00 EST5EDT
