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9 Observations from Re-watching Ghost Whisperer as An Adult

9 Observations from Re-watching Ghost Whisperer as An Adult
Carly Jacobs

Okay. I’ve officially hit the rock bottom on Netflix. I’m over Dawson’s Creek now. Once everyone has dated everyone at least once all the magic disappears from the show. I’ve now moved on to Ghost Whisperer. It has the most shallow plot of any television show I’ve ever watched but for your entertainment, as well as my own, I’m going to dissect the storyline. Don’t feel like you need to  concentrate. A toddler could pick up the inaccuracies of  this beautiful television disaster. Many of these points are related to the fact that she supposedly lives in a small town and like the super sleuth I am I’ve figured out that this is practically impossible. 

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9 Observations from Re-watching Ghost Whisperer as An Adult

1. It’s a massive secret that Melinda can communicate with ghosts… yet she tells at least 2 total strangers about her ‘gift’ every single episode. She also lives in a small town, so how she even comes across so many people who she’s never met before is mathematically questionable.

2. She paraphrases like a motherfucker. A ghost will be all ‘Tell him I love him. Tell him I will never forget his kindness, the way he always believed me. Tell him I will always be with him in spirit and that I want him to move on. I want him to find someone else to love. Tell him not to waste his love… it’s too precious. I want him to smile when he thinks of me and be happy that I’m in a better place.’ Then Melinda will get all misty eyed and say ‘She loved you. She wants you to be happy.’ I just sit there shaking my head and thinking that the translation of the final words of a deceased love one is the worst time to be getting all interpretive.

3. Considering the ‘small town’ they live in, Jim is an extremely busy paramedic.

4. Again with the ‘small town’ nonsense. Melinda has been living there for 5 years and the only people she actually knows the names of are her husband and which ever secondary character is working in her antique store at the time. Every one else seems to be brand new to her.

5. Melinda does everything really slowly. It will take her like 5 lines of dialogue to slice a mushroom. I’m there being all ‘Jim’s waiting for you to slice the bloody mushroom so HURRY UP! Do you want to ruin the risotto and disappoint your impossibly handsome husband?’. It’s equally as infuriating watching her gift wrap a package at her antique store. *twitch*

6. Often Melinda will find a ghost, start researching them and then figure out that they died in the Grandview village square/high school/local library exactly a year ago. This news is always shocking to her. I’m like ‘Bitch! You live in a small town. How did a murder that took place there less than a year ago escape your attention?’.

7. All the famous people are in it. So far pop ups include Abigail Breslin, Dominique Swain, Madeline Zima, Mike and Jesse from Breaking Bad, Kives from Hello Ladies, Lacey Chabert… It’s like watching a super lame and not funny Seinfeld.

8. Melinda dresses so beautifully. 50% of the reason why I watch Ghost Whisperer is because of her antique lace nightgowns, embroidered coats, pretty smock tops and ridiculously gorgeous falsies. She also has spectacular breasts.

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9. I cannot look at Cameryn Manheim without hearing ‘Okay Toby, fuck off!’ in my head.

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Are you a Ghost Whisperer fan? Or am I literally the only one? Do you have any shows that you love that are completely stupid?

68 Comments

  1. Alisa Muir 10 years ago

    I remember that show. Hated it back then… probably still do.. lol

    I am rewatching Gilmore girls.. for the like 3rd time.
    Still rewatch Sex in the city.
    Also with the kiddos been slowly watching Fresh prince of bell air and Full house. Haha.. love them. And my kids are totally impressed I can do the whole fresh prince rap (very badly of course).

    • Author
      Smaggle 10 years ago

      Gilmore Girls is AMAZING! I watched the whole series when I was in jewellery school. I had a bead project that took an entire weekend and I watched it while doing that. It was amazing.

    • Author
      Smaggle 10 years ago

      I can also do the whole Fresh Prince rap. *fist bump*

  2. Nicole 10 years ago

    You were an adult when this show came out! I’ve never seen it, I think I have an allergy to Jennifer Love Hewitt. Her and Melissa Joan Hart.

    I’m also one of those people that grits their teeth at stupidly overlooked mistakes or inconsistencies. Especially time-line related stuff. On the third season of a show I watched they talked about it only been a year since what happened in the pilot episodes. I was flabbergasted. The most glaring ridiculousness being the high school in the show had THREE different “decade dances” in one year. Where does that happen in reality?!

    I aim to be more and more like Janeane Garofalo and her characters every day.

    • Author
      Smaggle 10 years ago

      Only sort of! I was still living at home with my parents and I was at uni! 🙂 Ha the decade dances! I remember them. I loved Sabrina The Teenaged Witch. I just love shitty TV though.

      • Nicole 10 years ago

        We might be even then because the TV show I was talking about with the triple decade dance ridiculousness (50s, 60s, and 20s…AND they almost did 80s as well. FOUR decade dances in one year!) was The Vampire Diaries. Shitty TV at it’s best.

        • Author
          Smaggle 10 years ago

          I my god I haven’t seen that… but I do watch Pretty Little Liars. Let us never speak of this again.

  3. Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella 10 years ago

    I loved that show! Most of the reason was that I loved her clothes and her antique store!

    • Author
      Smaggle 10 years ago

      Me too! It’s all about the clothes!

      • Allyson 5 years ago

        7th Heaven is pretty lame and cheesy. Unrealistic

  4. Sarah Destrehan 10 years ago

    I think you’re right that I watched that show purely for the adorable clothes. Sadly, it never occurred to me before how unsmall her small town must be.

    • Author
      Smaggle 10 years ago

      I think I wasn’t really paying much attention the first time. The plot of this is ridiculous.

  5. Mr and Mrs Romance 10 years ago

    Totes agree on the JLH boobs shout-out, Smags, but there’s no way I can watch the show anymore – even with her hypnotic orbs whisking me away on a journey all of my own. No, the reason I can’t – just can’t – do it is closely linked to a lot of the flaws in the show you’ve mentioned already.
    The thing that really grates my cheese is this: she’s a clairvoyant, right? A seasoned ghost spotter who goes around like that nosy old moo from Murder, She Wrote (don’t get me started on Landsbury btw – aka Paul McCartney) getting involved in everyone else’s business. But every time she sees a ghost or senses something from The Veil, she shits herself!
    It’s like she’s never seen a spook or spectre before in her entire life. But she has. Just last week!
    Anyway, rant over. Thanks for listening.
    Jx

  6. Stacey D. 9 years ago

    Ive seen some of the episodes on tv so I decided to start with Season One on Netflix….I too wondered how she didn’t seem to know anyone in this “small town” ha! Anyway, I googled “why does Jennifer Love Hewitt always have her boobs hanging out on Ghost Whisperer” (bc it really annoyed me!) & your article popped up. I know it was written quite some time ago, but I had to let you know that it was fabulous & made my day! ????

    • Keith Draper 2 years ago

      It annoyed me to no end how she dressed. She either looked like a highend hooker with her boobs hanging out or a fashion model who just left a photo shoot on 5th Avenue. Either way, completely unrealistic for a shop owner in a small town.

      • Susan 2 years ago

        I must admit I loved seeing her outfits on the show. But after just one or two episodes, it sure seems like they capitalized on her boobs, and they were on full display. Family Guy said it best: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE0XvQ0HwD4 Ha ha!

  7. j9neener 9 years ago

    I guess I’m alone but I’ve been binging on this show this month as I missed it the first time around and love the cheesy. Her clothes are awesome, the stylist hopefully won some award. I agree with most of your obse

  8. j9neener 9 years ago

    ….sorry, observations. Her paraphrasing drives me bats…I almost want to mute it because she screws it up so badly. The other thing I noticed is everything is located in that town square, not just her store but every restaurant, park, office…all conveniently next to her store. But I love that make believe place for some reason and the thousands of ghosts that haunt everyone!

  9. Jessica 9 years ago

    I think they began the paraphrasing because it was getting so monotonous having her repeat every line a ghost said. It was basically half an episode of her parroting someone. Bugs me too, but that’s the best justification I can think of.

    I do love this show, but I agree that the small town aspect is ridiculous and I mostly watch it for her beautifully awesome clothes. Love all the vintage-inspired stuff in this show!

  10. kitlynstar 9 years ago

    What I want to know is where did those beautiful earrings with the pearl dangles that she wears in the season 1 intro came from, and where can I get a pair?

  11. Jasmine Quintana 9 years ago

    Everyone she helped wasnt exactly in the town… A lot of time she met with “family and friends” she went to neighboring towns/cities.

  12. SaraM 9 years ago

    It never claims to be anything more than it is; a bit of escapism! And never mind about the paraphrasing, small town etc. The fact that she can see and speak to ghosts seems to be the biggest observation overlooked by everyone. Personally, I love it – you don’t have to think, you just let it wash over you. I think deep down we would all like to live in small towns, wear fabulous clothes, have a husband that you wouldn’t kick out of bed for eating biscuits, a wonderful best friend and run a beautiful antique store. In fact I am going to dust off the box set and watch all over again.

    • Sara Giambra 8 years ago

      100% agree 🙂

    • Susan 2 years ago

      Ditto: This show is pure bliss in that I would love a life like this. Yes, it’s fluff, it’s light, but sometimes that is what we desperately need.

  13. Anna 8 years ago

    Love this programme. Easy watching with lovely clothes. I totally laughed at all your obvs…as I always thought the same. But I wanna live in that cute little town (it’s the back to the future set btw)

  14. Anna 8 years ago

    I’m just starting series one again…

  15. Maryann 8 years ago

    Why does husband Jim always wear tank tops at home?

    • Ellie 8 years ago

      To show off his sexy abs

    • Susan 3 years ago

      I have an uneasy premonition about his wearing a wife beater…

  16. Ellie 8 years ago

    I loved ghost whisperer since the day it aired and im currently re watching it. There are shallow plots and mistakes in the show but just like every show theres going to be. You’re not supposed to fixate on them.

  17. Lil 8 years ago

    I’m watching this show right now. I find it fascinating : how can she be so busy helping out ghosts while keeping her shop open ? How can she have this hair while being busy as a mother and shopkeeper ? How is it that nobody makes fun of her ridiculous eyelashes ? Why do nobody tell her she’s way overdressed and dressed overly sexy? I mean, her skirts are soooo short and she wears so many sheer tops… I’m not at all for modest clothing but sheer tops and stilettos must be so convenient to go explore old military bases and such…obviously.

  18. Llady Llama 8 years ago

    do you know the things that i noticed in rewatching ghost whisperer as an adult?
    while remaining a definite guilty pleasure, i tip my hat to the writers as i observed that many of the episodes deal with things that (as far as i’m aware) other tv shows did not do quite so bravely (but then i’m not exactly a ‘gilmore girls’ person so who knows, maybe they do…)
    the episodes i’m referring to are the ones dealing with issues of racism, mental illness, domestic violence, sexism, drug addiction, sexual identity….i.e. the things in our community that we either (mostly) pretend aren’t there or aren’t willing to talk about them in an open forum.
    like i said, hats off to the writers. and JLH…what a babe.

    • Maribl 6 years ago

      Well I agree with them emphasizing a few issues well. However, one thing that raised my eyebrow, they make a huge deal in the first season about racism. Then they drop a plain on the black best friends head and from then on, there are literally no black people in the show anymore (a few Asian side characters). I have only reached to Season 4 so maybe there will be some later but so far is full white cast.

  19. Cynthia Thornton 7 years ago

    I know this discussion is over but I love the relationship between Melinda and Jim. He is so sweet and protective and she is all flirty. They are nice and kind to each other. I like that. I mostly fast forward to when they are talking to each other.

  20. Not Interested after season one. She’s an airhead, waaaaay over dressed In gorgeous ‘red carpet Oscar night, over the top super sexed-up sheer and deeply plunging clothing’ that would fall off a normal woman. And worn at totally inappropriate times, like digging through a cave of rubble and dirt. So it’s stupidity lingered on sex appeal alone. Put some clothes on the next babe and write real good stories.

    • Jeanine 3 years ago

      Ditto! They really made this show as much about how hot she is and her so called abilities to talk to the dead. She never had a hair out of place (or pulled back in a pony) and is always dressed in skimpy, sexy,albeit, beautiful clothes. Makes a unrealistic show even more unrealistic

      • Susan 3 years ago

        I do have to correct you on one thing: she has indeed had her hair in a pony tail… but yes, it was a ridiculously cute and coiffed, wavy one.

  21. Dalinka A Payton 7 years ago

    Has anyone ever paid attention to the fact that Mel’s last name is Gordon and Jim’s last name is Clancy. Also Mel seems scary when she sees a ghost. Isn’t she a ghost whisper? Lastly, she has a habit of leaving Jim at home in the middle of the night and he didn’t seem bothered. I mean she leaves him standing alone often..

  22. Adrienne 7 years ago

    Seriously they don’t have the same last name and even after him dies takes over sams body. Then he remembers he is him and I noticed after that they still call him Jim didn’t anybody in the small-town think that was weird ? Even though all of it is so fake and all of that she’s overly dressed she leaves him alone all the time I love that show so much because I love the fact she lives in a small town she sees ghosts helps people and the fact that Jim loves her so much I use to watch this show all the time and now I’ve binged watched the entire series this week!

  23. Julia 7 years ago

    Im only on episode seven season one but find her fake eyelashes and bad wigs more distracting than the plot. But i kind of like the fact that she and her husband are so in love. Every show i watch is full of snark and dark humor. Shows where a husband and wife typically cant stand each other. So this is a welcome escape. When my boyfriend comes home he teases me for watching it but instead of me changing it, we watch it together and spend the night in a warm cozy melinda/jim style love 🙂

  24. Cay James 7 years ago

    Not really because the last name thing was already addressed in Season 1.

  25. GW Fan 7 years ago

    This blog is mean, so mean. Honestly, just enjoy the show without being so judgemental.

  26. Sandy 6 years ago

    Funny and so true!!!!! esp the paraphrasing, over the top outfits… makes me feels like a frumpy person coming home and putting on sweats and not wearing faslies to bed everynight.

  27. Kajsa Öhrström 6 years ago

    Jennifer must be wearing wigs in this show, right?

  28. Locket 6 years ago

    As much as I enjoy this show, how badly she paraphrases things drives me crazy. I don’t expect her to repeat a ghost’s last words “word for word,” but she over paraphrases. The message she often gives to the loved ones feels nowhere near as sentimental.

    @GWFan it’s not mean, don’t be such a baby. This show, like some others, plays on tropes that need to fade away. Like when that teenager jumps/falls off the roof, and instead of immediately calling the police/ambulance. Melinda waits for Jim to tell her a second time to get help.

  29. S.m.terry 6 years ago

    Being that the show so shallow and easy to follow just makes it that much easier for the enemy of this world being so sneaky and deceitful that will allow this TV show in our home and therefore allowing and opening our doors wide open you’re saying to come in and destroy the lives of those he seeks I find these shows appalling disgusting

  30. Beth 6 years ago

    Why is it always raining? Usually, after a rain but everything’s always wet

  31. Amy Downing Loveless 6 years ago

    Just hulu binged on it this week…and all I am saying …is dang..
    It has been more than a decade…
    and I still think those clothes could set new style trends…today.
    The CLOTHES. Obsessed.

  32. Lisa 5 years ago

    Currently watching the show again. It is pissing me off how she discounts everything her husband says and acts like he knows nothing

    • Tay 4 years ago

      She loves to remind people she’s the one with the gift and not them. I think her ego was hurt when her son ended up more powerful. lol

  33. Chloé 4 years ago

    I’m rewatching this after lord knows how long, and Googled ‘Melinda Gordon paraphrasing’ as it DRIVES ME MENTAL. I’m sat there like BUT DID THEY SAY THAT?! NO MELINDA, TELL THEM WHAT THEY ACTUALLY SAID. Glad I’m not the only one! Haha.
    Agree with the clothes, I didn’t appreciate them when I was younger!

  34. Jennifer 4 years ago

    How about the fact that she ALWAYS has her makeup on. Even in the shower and to bed, she’s got those knockers out in front of everyone at all times funerals children’s hospitals, meeting new neighbors, Jim’s friends. She has no shame on her game

  35. Tieranni 4 years ago

    I’ve probably watched each episode 3 times over the years. I love the clothes, their relationship, and the mystery. And yes, She has the best boobs! I want them! I just wish for more diversity.

  36. Lynn 4 years ago

    I totally agree. Paraphrasing someone’s last words to a loved one is wrong. She doesn’t even try half the time. I get that doing it verbatim might be tough if it’s a long statement, but seriously. Plus, yes, how can they not be whispering and talking about her behind her back by now? Just watched one where the guys were at a poker game at Jim’s house and had a ghostly experience. They all would have run back and told their wives who would have told their friends…etc etc.

  37. Betsy Draper 4 years ago

    Small town? OMG!
    Grandview has the following:
    Airport
    University
    Hospital
    Orphanage
    High school, etc.
    An entire city under Grandview
    All of this fits nicely around the town square.
    I think there is also a psychiatric hospital.
    Basically if they needed something in the plot they “built” it.

    Her antique store has a great inventory. There are rarely people shopping in her place so not sure how she pays rent or pays her employee (s).
    There are about 888,523 ghosts living there.

    Past commenters have pointed out that she doesn’t know more than a couple people. No one is a regular customer of her store.

    I can go on and on but I won’t.
    I actually enjoyed the first couple of seasons but it really got so crazy after that.

  38. jaybird023 4 years ago

    I know this is old, but I had to comment about a couple of things. I watch the show all the way through every few years. I like my escapism.

    I do think there’s a logical explanation for her getting scared with a LOT of the ghosts. Mostly it’s because the way the ghosts present themselves. No matter how used to the fact that you see ghosts, if one shows up and is menacing, or unusually distressing, you’re gonna get frightened. Especially if that’s what they WANT her to feel. If you remember, she does feel their emotions or the emotions they’re pushing at her.

    Second, the paraphrasing was addressed on the DVD sets. It WAS just monotonous with her quoting the exact same words. It made for VERY boring scenes. They started also having the ghost say a lot of things for which Melinda says she’ll tell them, then having the ghost crossover before telling the family (or whomever), so they didn’t even have to paraphrase it anymore and the explanations and words the ghost actually said were off screen, after the fact. I like to think that even the ones she paraphrased, she also discussed with the people after the ghost crossed over to make sure they got all of the information and not just her brief words.

    Ironically, the MAIN reason I found this post was because I was looking for a place to post about the house they use at LEAST 8 times in the first 3 seasons alone. Orphanage house just kept getting used over and over, just dressed up differently! Once I read this post though, I had a light laugh at some of the ways people nitpick at other minor/major things. It’s television, it’s not supposed to be perfect. Just an approximation of slightly realistic is good enough to pass for everyone. If the people who have these complaints think it’s so easy, maybe you should try your hand at trying to get a TV show, not only that a network is invested in, but one that is still interesting enough to stay on air for 5 seasons! If they changed these things about “Ghost Whisperer”, or even a dozen other shows, they would have lost a lot more of their audience than a few people here and there!

    A good example…Charmed.You seriously think the Charmed neighbors would be THAT deluded and NOT know something is going on in that pretty pink house all the time? Even when they did have a couple of neighbors find out about about it, they just “assumed” that the sisters just threw a bunch of loud parties. Nevermind the fact that the house has been destroyed, renovated, and even DISAPPEARED almost instantly like ALL THE TIME. They saved TONS of people over 8 years in the show and NOBODY has EVER let it slip that they are witches? No bloody likely…lol. However, if they had changed any of those aspects the show would not have been nearly as good as it was.

    Same goes for Ghost Whisperer.

    • Susan 2 years ago

      I know you wrote this over a year ago but I just wanted to say your explanation of why she paraphrases what the ghosts say makes perfect sense. It would indeed be monotonous to hear her repeat back word for word what they said. I wish the writers did have her say more frequently, though, to the loved ones, that she would go into detail what was said after they crossed over.

  39. JaipurTea 3 years ago

    I’ve watched the show all the way through twice. It’s NOT a good show, by any stretch. Love the humor and obvious affection which you used to point out some of the more glaring flaws.

    Despite these problems, there’s something oddly comforting about Ghost Whisperer. Maybe because the overriding theme is that love never dies, and something better is waiting for us on the other side. Maybe it’s the simplistic plots, or the warmth and vulnerability of Melinda as a character. All I know is, after my dad died a couple years ago, this silly show was a very real balm for my grief.

    • Susan 2 years ago

      I am sorry you lost your father. I just wanted to say, I feel exactly the same way about this show. It’s light, simple in its formula, but oddly comforting to watch. It reminds me a lot of Murder, She Wrote, which has a similar effect on me. I also love Melinda’s outfits!

  40. Mia Z 3 years ago

    I have to disagree that the show is shallow. Especially in comparison to any other show out there that isn’t about a life saving hospital or true crime. I find it weird that people hate JLH so much (except for her Boobs of course & if that isn’t shallow I don’t know what is). In response to some comments: What show or film does not have girls wearing make up in the shower or when they wake up? Not many. I think you could make this exact same type of post about ANY and every show if you wanted to. Hopefully there would be more pros than cons but it is still entirely possible.

    I really wish people who disliked a show so much would just stop watching. Why go through the entire run just to make a post about how much you hate it? I always make the mistake of looking something up, while watching, only to find a bunch of super depressing commentaries. When will I learn??

  41. Jennifer Ovalle 3 years ago

    Oh my God thank you!! I hate the paraphrasing it’s like she take something so beautiful that should at least be told to the family member word for word and swaps it for the most generic response I mean so generic it’s the kind of stuff you would hear coming from a phony psychic.

    Anyways I do like the show but Melinda herself is really irritating at times.

    • Susan 2 years ago

      Now THAT is one thing that really bugs me too: speak word for word what the ghost is saying. These are meaningful, parting words!

  42. Susan 3 years ago

    As for her bodacious bosom, I think Family Guy said it best… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE0XvQ0HwD4

  43. Mrs C Banks 3 years ago

    I love ghost whisperer. This is the second time I’ve seen it. She is quite beautiful and her dresses are gorgeous. Yes it may be nonsense but wouldn’t it be great if it was possible. Like many TV programs it’s entertaining, that’s all its ment to be

  44. Mark 2 years ago

    I stumbled on this blog looking for the answer why the house Jim was remodeling in the pilot, was not the house they were in later. I laughed out loud at the paraphrase comment in the original blog. I had caught that issue my first time through as well. I do agree it would have been too much to just double up on the monologue. I read the comments about the clothing choices and breasts. I think the reason she was wearing most of those outfits was just insecurity about her body shape. JLH has a common body shape for ‘real’ people but not so much for Hollywood. The clothing styles clearly were to reduce emphasis on her hips and to draw attention upward. As for the “small town,” they do refer to it as a Village, but this is also set outside of New York City and it seemed to be possibly a bedroom community to NYC. Jim and Melinda ‘met’ in the West Village. Andrea was driving ‘into the city’ to check on her brothers flight info. After living on the East Coast And seeing how the land lays out here I can totally see how she may not really know a lot of townsfolk. It’s kind of fluffy at times but the overall massage of the show seems valuable. There will always be a chance of unfinished business and people should try their best to keep things resolved from day to day.

  45. Susan 2 years ago

    Now I am curious: I hadn’t noticed that the house Jim remodels is not the one they live in later on. Did you find an answer to that?

  46. jasmaine tate 2 years ago

    I must say this was perfectly written and hilarious as I sit here watching it lol! All your points are valid! ?

  47. Julie Johnson 1 year ago

    I love now and then Ghost Whisperer. In mention to her breasts always showing…in Jennifers defense, this was the style of the time. I know this well raising teen twin girls of the time …. double DD. I fought Every morning to cover them things up. Yay for camisoles and undershirts…I lived

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