Featured TV on DVD Review: Ghost Whisperer: Season Five

October 21, 2010

Ghost Whisperer: Season Five - Buy from Amazon

I've reviewed the past three seasons of Ghost Whisperer, and I own season one on DVD, so I can judge the series from beginning to end. While I enjoyed seasons one through three, season four was a bit of a letdown. There were some good episodes, but the constant changes to the show were starting to take its toll. Since Season Five was the last season for the show, we know it didn't recover in the ratings, but was it able to go out on a high note in terms of quality?

The Show

For those who were sick of the changes, I have some bad news for you. The season starts with Melinda very, very pregnant. (This is not a spoiler, as she was pregnant at the end of last season as well.) This condition doesn't last long, and within 6 minutes she's given birth, while within 9 minutes it's five years in the future and she has to deal with a son that has similar powers to herself.

Two major problems with this. Firstly, it seems every season, the show focuses a lot on breaking in a new character and having them deal with the whole psychic / talking with ghosts thing. Since there's only so many questions the average person will ask the first time, this gets a little repetitive. Secondly, the mother teaching her child to deal with psychic powers is not exactly unique. In fact, it's a major thread in Medium, which is the next TV show I'm reviewing. This doesn't help the show stand out.

There are still some strong episodes, including the season premiere, Birthday Presence. The Halloween episode with the Headless Horseman is strong, the episode with Eli's parents was good, and the guest shot by Barry Bostwick didn't hurt either. Do Over features a guest appearance by Mike Farrell, who appears to be ageless in real life. Generally the series is lacking in humor, but one of the funniest episodes was Dead Listing. Here two real estates agents, Greg Germann and Perrey Reeves, are involved in a rivalry that they were willing to take beyond the grave, a rivalry that is complicated because they are married. Were married. Dead Air has quite a complicated storyline, but it is worth paying attention to. Implosion is the show's 100th episode, and it is a big one. In Old Sins Cast Long Shadows Joey King plays the ghost of a child that is trapped in a haunted house, and she's one of the more sympathetic ghosts on the season.

A few of the stronger episodes, Do Over, Old Sins Cast Long Shadows, etc., are part of the overall arc of the season. But for the most part, the stand alone episodes are better. Additionally, the show was canceled very late in the season, three days before the season finale aired, so the show didn't get a proper send off. It doesn't feel like a true series finale.

The Extras

On disc four there are two featurettes, the first is an 11-minute featurette on the show's 100th episode and there is also a shorter featurette on Jennifer Love Hewitt's triple role as star, producer, and sometime director. (She directed the season premiere and the show's 100th episode.)

Disc six has four more extras, starting with a 16-minute overview of the final season. There are nine webisodes with a total running time of nearly 40 minutes, which is about as long as an episode. There are also two games.

The Verdict

I think Ghost Whisperer peaked during season three and by the time season four rolled around the cumulative effect of all of the changes was getting to be too much. Season Five wasn't able to dramatically turn things around, but it also didn't see any real drop-off in quality. If you bought season four and liked it, then it is very likely you will like season five enough to buy as well.


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