Search - Ghost Whisperer - The Third Season on DVD

Third season Amps up the Scares!

Tim Janson | Michigan | 01/28/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

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A critic once said of the 1970s Wonder Woman TV series that there was only two good things about the show and they were both holding up star Lynda Carter's costume. Ghost Whisperer has at times been dismissed in the same way over its well-endowed star, Jennifer Love Hewitt, a wildly unfair criticism. In the third season, Ghost Whisperer reached its stride as a well-written genre show. The horror elements were increased dramatically over the first two seasons and Melinda Gordon faced some of her most terrifying threats so far.

One of the season's main plot devices of season three is the discovery that the town of Grandview was built on top of the former town that existed in the 1800's. What's more, there are numerous souls wandering about the old city and their reason for being drawn or trapped there is a mystery. Melinda finds that there is an entranceway to the old town behind one of the walls her in shop's basement. The other continuing story of the year surrounds Melinda's father who disappeared when she was just a child and is now seemingly haunting his own daughter.

Throughout the year, Melinda uncovers numerous secrets about her family, past and present, and their connection to Grandview. Her husband Jim rightly surmises that they may not have chosen the town to settle in as much as the town seemed to choose them.

Some of the more notable of the season's 18-episode season include "Unhappy Medium" as Melinda matches wits with a celebrity psychic as they both try to solve a kidnapping; in "Bad Blood" a father and his young daughter become possessed by the spirits of cheating lovers when they move into their new house; "Holiday Spirit" finds a ghost haunting a wealthy business man who is not paying enough attention to his son. What's more, the ghost is convinced that he is Santa Claus; "Horror Show" finds Melinda haunted by a ghost who uses scenes from well-known horror films to terrify her; the season wraps up with the finale "Pater Familias" as Melinda finally discovers the shocking truth about her parents.

While shortened to just 18 episodes due to the writer's strike, season three was the strongest yet for Ghost Whisperer. The show's writers made it a goal to create ghosts that were more frightening but also that had more character. Rather than standalone episodes that were about crossing a spirit into the light, we got more episodes with continuing story arcs and Melinda discovered that a lot of ghosts simply refused to cross over.

Extras:

Ghost Whisperer includes an outstanding array of extras in the five disc set:

Audio commentary is included on two episodes including the season premiere, "The Underneath"
"Welcome to the Underground" (12:30) is a featurette on the creation and design of the Grandview underworld. The producers visited a number of cities that were built atop their predecessors to develop the town's look. The writers also discuss how they intended to make season three developed around Melinda and her family. Also includes comments from Jennifer Love Hewitt and other cast members.

"Bringing the Spirits to Life" (11:30) This featurette looks at the development of season three's ghosts and how they were personalized and made more believable. We also get behind-the-scenes peeks at both the special and visual effects for the season.

"Payne's World" (7:07) is a short featurette on Jay Mohr's flippant character Professor Rick Payne. Mohr will be leaving the show to star in his own sitcom and his comedy relief will be missed.

8 webisodes of the "Other Side II) webseries are included as well as a 2:03 animated short that is designed to bridge seasons two and three.

"Interactive Mash-up" is really for kids and it allows you to select various options including characters and music to design your own spooky scene with sound and music.

"Interactive Haunted House" Here you choose from one of six windows and doors, each playing a short clip from the season. If you select them in the correct order, you'll get a special surprise at the conclusion. Don't worry, it's process of elimination so it won't take long to figure it out.

"Melinda's Haunted Diary" This is another interactive feature that takes you on a narrated reading of Melinda's diary.

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AWESOME SHOW

Margaret G. Ewell | 08/04/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"All I can say is that "Ghost Whisperer" is an awsome show! It leaves with a good feeling for both life and death. It leaves you teary eyed with each show. The insight is amazing and the realism is superb. Everything meshes together and it can make you a believer in after death experiences. Melinda and Jim are amazing together. You feel the love and trust they have in each other. They blend together as well as "The Cosby Show" team. The entire cast has always worked well together, including Andrea and Delia. I could go on and on about this show. I do not miss an episode. New or reruns. My DCR is set to record EVERY episode."

Very enjoyable season...

CoffeeGurl | MA | 12/27/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I am a fan of this show. I love the story about Melinda's "gift" of being able to see dead people and help them and the people they leave behind find closure so that they could "crossover." Almost every episode is a tearjerker. I don't think I've watched many shows where either Jennifer-Love Hewitt or I (or both) shed a tear or two. Wouldn't it be great if there were a real-life person who could communicate with the dead and help us find peace and resolve whatever misunderstanding between the dead and the living? But the more I watched the show, the more bored I became. It's almost the same theme on every episode, and it was just too repetitive for my taste. As the weeks passed, I watched the show less and less, until I completely passed on season two altogether. Stuck visiting family over the holidays, I grabbed the season three boxed set and watched a few episodes. The third season of Ghost Whisperer comes with a few new surprises: spookier ghosts, more storylines centered on the afterlife and further character development. I also like the addition of Jay Mohr to the cast, adding more pizzazz and interesting twists on the show.

The DVD comes packed with a few interviews and the picture quality is quite good. Jennifer-Love Hewitt, who stars and produces the show, looks great with the extra weight (I think the press took her weight gain way out of proportion) and David Conrad is still gorgeous. He and Hewitt have great on-screen chemistry and are totally believable as a young married couple working around his dangerous job as a paramedic and her unusual "gift." The episodes are touching, of course, especially one centered on a tortured war soldier and the ghosts that haunt him. All in all, I enjoyed Ghost Whisperer, Season Three, and I will see if I can watch the fourth season, which is currently on the air."

Rave Reviews!

Cindy L. Widner | Tazewell, TN | 10/07/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My cousin recommended I watch Ghost Whisperer. I watched it once and was hooked. Now my 8 year old daughter is hooked as well. We sit and watch it over and over. The third season deals alot with the mystery of Melinda's father which I thought was brought to a great conclusion (at least for now) at the season's end. My daughter loves Prof. Payne and is dreading to see him go. But we are both wondering how his ghost will deal with leaving. Each season is great and the third only gets better."