CBS’ Ghost Whisperer Goes Out with a Bang!

Whoa. What a shock I got when I tuned in to watch the season finale of CBS’s new hit show, Ghost Whisperer. Judging by the posts on internet message boards and blogs that popped up immediately after the show, my jaw was not the only one that landed on the floor when they “supposedly” killed off one of the main characters. I say “supposedly” because although my initial reaction was that they had indeed just written the Ghost Whisperer’s sidekick Andrea (played by Aisha Tyler) off the show, after reading some of the internet posts I’m not so sure they did (more on that later).

In any case, that was one terrific cliff-hanger of an ending-one of the best I’ve ever seen on any television show, and certainly the best one this year. After that last episode, how could anyone who watches the show not tune in when the second season begins, to find out what really happened?

The last episode was so otherworldly, so Sixth-Sense-ish, which is of course fitting for a show about a woman who can see and talk to spirits just like you or I can see our friends. Ghost Whisperer Melinda Gordon (played by Jennifer Love Hewitt) was battling the mysterious man in the hat-likely meant to be the devil-to help hundreds of souls who perished in a plane crash. Her best friend and business partner Andrea was worried that her brother might have been on the plane. The brother turns up alive but walks right past Andrea to hug Melinda. At first I didn’t understand what was happening, and then as it played out, shock turned to disbelief, and then a ghostly chill traveled up my spine. Andrea was dead! She was a ghost! She had apparently been hit by the wreckage of the plane, and died.

This was so totally unexpected, so completely out of the blue. Questions pelted my mind like rocks-why did they kill her off? Has she really been written off the show for good? Or will she stay on as a ghost? There are a myriad of possible plot twists the writers could take if she really is dead. Instead of being a living, breathing sidekick to the Ghost Whisperer, she could be a “ghostly associate” who helps Melinda cross over other ghosts. She could assist Melinda in her ongoing battle with the devil. Or she could refuse to cross over and just hang out at their antique shop. Then again, she might not actually be dead. I’m guessing no one knows for sure, except Aisha Tyler, her agent, and the Ghost Whisperer writers and producers.

This last episode was a brilliant move by the Ghost Whisper crew. It was one of those moments where you kick yourself for not getting TIVO or at least videotaping it, so you can watch the whole thing again. I am certain that, like the thriller film The Sixth Sense, a second viewing would add an entirely new level to everything that had occurred. A repeat watching would present plenty of “Aha” moments, as you see how the writers cleverly inserted a ghost into the scene, without you suspecting a thing. If they repeat this two-part ending during the summer, you can be sure that I will record it. And when Ghost Whisperer returns in the fall, I will be in my tv-watching chair, eyes glued to my television set.

It’s going to be a long, long summer without my favorite supernatural show.