Well Ghosties, guess what I returned home to on Friday evening? NO. CABLE. For me, no cable = no land phone, Internets or TV [gotta love those "bundle deals"]! They couldn't send anyone out until today, and the cable guy just left the house. They told us that they're still cleaning up the mess from the ice storm... can you believe that? Anyway, after having been without power for three days several weeks ago, I was really able to keep things in perspective over the weekend. Losing cable is easy. I mean, I was going crazy without the Internets, but... no power for half a week is just... an experience I don't want to have again.So I'm officially connected again, but my weekend shows have officially gone A.W.O.L.! My first order of business was to log on and tell you all what happened. It looks like I need you all to fill me in this episode recap. In the meantime, I'm going to see if I can find a way to get a hold of the episode, come back, and chat with you all later.For now, it's all...
read more
Yay, we get new Ghost Whisperer episodes for a bit! [And Moonlight too, yum-yum]! Happy New Year, Ghosties... how did you like this one?I really, really liked this episode. Had Jim been present in a significant way, it would have been near-perfect for me... definitely, a favorite of the season. First of all, how do you like our new Ned?! Is he adorable, or what?! I know that many of you Ghosties didn't really care for the younger Ned of last season... are you happy with this new incarnation?I have to say, I was loving the scene when Ned, Mel and Delia were all together in the shop, talking openly about the haunting, and putting their heads together on how to help. Isn't that totally what we'd all wanted to see for so many months? I enjoyed it so much, and I hope that [new] Ned becomes a regular fixture on the show.So now, there's a bit of a mystery brewing with the photographer/blogger guy. It got pretty tense there for a bit between Mel and Payne, but I'm glad they made nice in th...
read more
The Ice StormIt was a surreal week leading up to Friday night. I'd lived in Wisconsin half my life, and never thought in a million years, I'd face the worst winter of my entire life in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After so many winters watching snowdrifts hit sixteen-plus feet at times, I'd never spent more than a few hours without power [and heat and hot water] during those Wisconsin winters. Last week, I was without power for three days. Some Tulsans are still without power, a week later, so I will level with you: I feel silly exerting effort writing a blog entry about a TV show while other people are still dealing with this hideous weather fallout. However, this is my blog, so I don't feel silly admitting my gratitude for making it through the week with a pretty positive attitude, for having my power [and heat] back, and for having my TV back!Last week, I found out that I survive just fine without TV [it's music I cannot live without – thank Jobs for the almighty iThingie], but at the s...
read more
Hmmm... ah... hmmmm... Ghosties, I got nothin' on this one. Is it because I'm still too full from feasting to care? I really don't know. For all that happened in this episode, it feels like I should have so much to say, but I don't. Something about this storyline just didn't grab me for some reason... maybe it's because I didn't empathize with "Mini Mel," and I'm not sure why. I don't think it was any fault of the actress, and it's not like the writing or plot was subpar.Maybe this episode should have been a two-parter, so that I could feel a bit more invested in the Little Ghost Whisperer... I felt like she was sort of thrown at us out of left field, and then we were supposed to care as much about her as Mel did. Meeting a young Ghost Whisperer had to have been extremely pivotal for Mel, but for me, it fell flat. Am I just a cold-hearted viewer this weekend, or what's the deal?Now, I did like the scene with Little Mel and her grandmother in the hospital. That gave us some great bac...
read more
Wardrobe MelfunctionMy first thought this episode was: holy pants, Batman! Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?Anyone who experienced their pre-teen to teen years in the '80s will understand why I'm referring to Ferris Bueller's Day Off in this post. Wow, Alan Ruck really hasn't aged a whole lot, has he? Well... and neither has Matthew Broderick, come to think of it.It's a Sick.... Howse [Yes, I'm Singing That to the Tune Of... oh, Nevermind]!One thing that I found very effective was the lighting in the house during scenes in which the father and daughter were in a trance. Did you notice how everything was cast in sort of a murky, "sick" green hue? The characters were also often filmed at strange angles when in the house, and of course, the ghosts themselves had an "off" color to them, as well. The ghosts weren't as subtle, but the house had a subliminal sort of "ick" to it, which was really effective.Doubting DeliaI enjoyed the scenes between Delia and Melinda... the interaction felt believa...
read more
An Unlikely AllianceThis episode made me cry. Like a baby. I think it's because I found the partnership between Melinda and Casey to be as touching in the end as the actual crossing over. The storyline of having somebody "with a gift" move in on Mel's turf was interesting enough, but then when Jim gave Melinda advice on embracing the "competition" rather than fighting him... well, that made the plot take the high ground, and I was genuinely moved by how their dynamic evolved from that point on through to the end. I think I cried more from how Mel and Casey delivered the "tag-team crossover" in the end than from the actual crossing over... excellent acting between J. Love and Orlando Jones.Orlando!Applause to Orlando Jones for doing an amazing job as Casey the wonder guru. It was very smart for the writers to keep that character from venturing into comedic territory à la Payne. Orlando did a fantastic job playing the part. Something that many people may not know is that good com...
read more
Melinda: "I've been thinking about how dark spirits don't just lurk underground... that they're around me all the time.... I just want you to know that that doesn't scare me."Jim: "How is that reassuring?"Melinda: "Because... anger and darkness... that's just the stuff we're supposed to unravel and learn from. And I do that all the time. I'm not afraid because... I know that love is stronger. I've seen it."Jim: "OK, no more decisions based on fear."Melinda: "No more decisions based on fear."I loved that closing scene so much. This week, it was Jim and Melinda that moved me the most. I love that they had a disagreement, I love that they worked through it with tenderness, honesty and humor, and I love that Jim's starting to mean more to the show than "perfect husband." I mean, he still is a perfect husband, but I like that he's starting to communicate his own needs and goals, and that it's bringing a realistic element of conflict to the show without being forced. Reminds me a little m...
read more
This episode had me on the edge of my seat. Very cool twist with "who's stalking whom." Did you find that the way in which the ghost twitched her neck was waaay creepy? I thought so. Either the actress did a really good job with it, or they did something with the frame rate to make it creepier (à la Japanese horror and their ghosts). Or maybe it was that "crunch" sound effect. Shivers.Did you notice that during the crossing over, when the ghost was in the presence of Campbell, she didn't twitch anymore? I loved that subtle yet effective detail.Also, the way the stalker (not remembering his name, and too lazy to look it up. LOL) had hung those photos up in his office? Cah-REEPy!No Payne this time, but oddly, that was OK by me... maybe because now I know he's a series regular, so there's no reason to worry when he's not in an episode. Now, I never watched Season 1... has anyone ever "met" Jim's mom? She sounds like quite the character!The cliff-hanger ending was great. I never s...
read more
Wow. I... am at a loss for words regarding this episode, and I'm trying to figure out why. I will be very curious to read your thoughts on this one, Ghosties.I thought that the mystery behind the haunting was unique. I liked seeing Jim being much more active at helping Mel with this haunting, but overall, I felt a little bit confused because it seemed like an obligatory "war episode." I dunno, maybe it's because I also watch Brothers & Sisters, and Sunday's episode brought one of the brothers home from Iraq injured, and it was pretty intense.Anyway, one thing is for certain: Whether this episode was about war or roses, it wouldn't matter because at the end of the day, the GW powers-that-be seem to be getting further and further away from the greater mystery that they started last season and opened with this season. I mean, I know we're only three episodes into the season, but with each episode, they're moving further and further away from all of the greater Grandview mysteries t...
read more
Bloody Mary [Spin], bloody Mary [Spin], bloody Mary [Spin]. Did you ever play that game? I did several times at grade-school slumber parties, and here's the secret: the reason "Bloody Mary" pops out at you in the mirror is... you're so dizzy after spinning around three times, you wind up seeing your reflection "behind" you. But do not try this at home!Actually, at the start of the episode, when the first "victim" landed herself in the hospital, I thought, "It's kind of what's supposed to happen when you play that Bloody Mary game in the mirror!" Was I right, or was I right? After a pretty eventful season premiere, I don't have much to say about this episode, and not because it was bad. It just didn't really connect any dots about the big "Grandview secret" or all of the other unanswered questions. But that's OK, I'm sure we'll get a few episodes of the "semi-serialized" variety for a few weeks, and then the dots will start lining up during November sweeps. It just seems to work that...
read more
