Unoriginal ideas fail to kill 'Ghost Whisperer'
Originally published in The Daily Orange - 11/11/05
The surprising ratings success of CBS's new program "Ghost Whisperer" proves it's not going to die anytime soon."Ghost Whisperer" takes the "I see dead people" premise of "The Sixth Sense" and turns it into a sentimental weekly television melodrama.
Despite an irritating lead actress and obvious heart-tugging tactics, "Ghost Whisperer" offers a spooky, tingle-inducing story with heart.
Cursed with a gift that allows her to communicate with the dead, Melinda Gordon, (Jennifer Love Hewitt), an antique-shop owner and newlywed, reluctantly helps earthbound spirits complete their business with the living so the spirits can cross over to the peace beyond."
Ghost Whisperer's" biggest flaw is Hewitt, a poor actress who comes off as phony and insincere. Her speech and movements are too stiff and practiced to convincingly convey a free spirit like Melinda. All of Hewitt's long, flowing dresses and the elaborate sets decorated with candelabras and velvet chaise lounges can't hide the actress' painful lack of talent.
The show's storylines are clichés, shamelessly designed to elicit the sympathy of viewers. An episode about a woman whose dead fiancé haunts her is neatly tied up when Melinda introduces her to the man who received her fiancé's heart in a transplant. A little boy who died because he disobeyed his mother refuses to move on until the mother tells him she forgives him. A missing soldier from Vietnam can cross over only after he sees his son, who was born after the soldier died, have a child of his own.
Despite the triteness of the plots, the show is surprisingly effective. It is a guilty pleasure despite, or maybe because of, such hokey storylines. It deals with death in a straightforward manner, making it a part of life instead of a macabre plot device. A spooky vibe permeates the show, but the chills come from scenes of spirituality rather than cheap scares. The positive effect of Melinda's helping the spirits cross over is what really involves the viewers' emotions. The loved ones of those left behind finally have closure as they move past the deaths that haunted them. They, and the audience, are left feeling uplifted instead of scared.
"Ghost Whisperer" is unlike any traditional ghost story, and viewers know they are being manipulated. The conclusions are never really surprising, but each week they provide a satisfying ending.
The surprising ratings success of CBS's new program "Ghost Whisperer" proves it's not going to die anytime soon."Ghost Whisperer" takes the "I see dead people" premise of "The Sixth Sense" and turns it into a sentimental weekly television melodrama.
Despite an irritating lead actress and obvious heart-tugging tactics, "Ghost Whisperer" offers a spooky, tingle-inducing story with heart.
Cursed with a gift that allows her to communicate with the dead, Melinda Gordon, (Jennifer Love Hewitt), an antique-shop owner and newlywed, reluctantly helps earthbound spirits complete their business with the living so the spirits can cross over to the peace beyond."
Ghost Whisperer's" biggest flaw is Hewitt, a poor actress who comes off as phony and insincere. Her speech and movements are too stiff and practiced to convincingly convey a free spirit like Melinda. All of Hewitt's long, flowing dresses and the elaborate sets decorated with candelabras and velvet chaise lounges can't hide the actress' painful lack of talent.
The show's storylines are clichés, shamelessly designed to elicit the sympathy of viewers. An episode about a woman whose dead fiancé haunts her is neatly tied up when Melinda introduces her to the man who received her fiancé's heart in a transplant. A little boy who died because he disobeyed his mother refuses to move on until the mother tells him she forgives him. A missing soldier from Vietnam can cross over only after he sees his son, who was born after the soldier died, have a child of his own.
Despite the triteness of the plots, the show is surprisingly effective. It is a guilty pleasure despite, or maybe because of, such hokey storylines. It deals with death in a straightforward manner, making it a part of life instead of a macabre plot device. A spooky vibe permeates the show, but the chills come from scenes of spirituality rather than cheap scares. The positive effect of Melinda's helping the spirits cross over is what really involves the viewers' emotions. The loved ones of those left behind finally have closure as they move past the deaths that haunted them. They, and the audience, are left feeling uplifted instead of scared.
"Ghost Whisperer" is unlike any traditional ghost story, and viewers know they are being manipulated. The conclusions are never really surprising, but each week they provide a satisfying ending.
posted by The Couch Critic at
9:53 PM
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