Ghost Whisperer: The Complete First Season

One of 2005's surprise hits, Ghost Whisperer enchanted viewers accustomed to seeing Gen Y-favorite Jennifer Love Hewitt in lighter, frothier roles. Called upon to display greater emotional range, Hewitt created a likable, well-rounded character in Melinda Gordon, a young lady who's had the power to see and communicate with earthbound spirits from a very young age. As the series begins, recently married Melinda and her husband Jim (David Conrad) move into a new house, where Melinda finds restless ghosts continuing to press for her aid in resolving old problems and helping them to “cross over.” Spawned from the relatively recent uptick of interest in psychic phenomena (like the similarly-themed Medium), Ghost Whisperer took a while to settle into its groove, with episodes airing in the 2005-06 first season's second half showing considerable improvement over earlier ones. “The Vanishing” finds Melinda's talent affected after a head injury, and her and Jim wondering if they wouldn't be better off if she were to lose her “gift” permanently, while in the season finale, “The One,” Melinda deals with the horrendous aftermath of an airliner crash, helping hundreds to crossover while being hindered by a mysterious interloper known as “the wide-brim man.” Perhaps the best of the 22 episodes collected here, however, is “Melinda's First Ghost,” which guest-stars Anne Archer as Melinda's mother, whose relationship with Melinda became strained years before when she couldn't cope with the notion that her daughter possessed such awesome abilities. Hewitt and Archer both contribute memorable performances in this exceptionally well-written episode, which downplays the supernatural stuff in favor of solid domestic drama. DVD extras include commentaries on four episodes, along with deleted scenes, five featurettes, and a blooper reel. Recommended. (E. Hulse)