Lower Decks

Ghost Whisperer
“Stage Fright”
Originally Broadcast Friday, April 24th, 2009

Unlike the last new episode (“Thrilled to Death,” shown two weeks ago) the Ghost of the Week storyline in “Stage Fright” was actually very interesting. There still wasn’t much going on with Melinda and Jim, though, and that’s frustrating. This was a show-within-a-show episode, involving a fake soap opera (or daytime serial) called “Hope’s Edge” that both Delia and Jim are fans of, and included an amusing in-joke for viewers of Ghost Whisperer.

The producers of “Hope’s Edge,” including creator Cally O’Keefe (played by Kellie Martin) are shooting an episode in Grandview and want to use Melinda’s antique shop. After seeing the amount of money they’re willing to pay for that privilege Melinda agrees. She’s also offered tickets to a special 10th anniversary presentation at the university and brings Delia and Jim with her. Eli has also been invited.

Before long both Eli and Melinda realize something isn’t quite right. A ghost is interfering with the question and answer session. Melinda recognized him as Miles Maitland (played by Johnny Pacar), an actor killed in an accident during a play more than a decade ago. Author of the play? None other than Cally O’Keefe. Furthermore, acting opposite Miles was Grant Harper (played by Thad Luckinbill) who later rocketed to fame on “Hope’s Edge” as the hunky Dr. Troy Holden.

As if that wasn’t confusing enough, Brook Dennis, a professor at the university, was also in the play. She’s the one who pulled the trigger of the prop gun that killed Miles. Rounding out this improbable cast of characters is Suzanne Zale (played by Lesli Kay) — she plays Celese Barrington, owner of the hospital on “Hope’s Edge.” It wasn’t that difficult to keep all the characters (and levels of characters) straight while watching the episode. But I did have to check the IMDb to get all the names right.

Initially, Melinda, Delia and Eli believe someone killed Miles and that’s why he’s hanging around. They learn that Dr. Troy Holden is being written out of “Hope’s Edge” and while watching Grant and Suzanne shooting his farewell scene, which involved a pistol, Eli charges Grant and knocks him to the ground. He thought perhaps the prop gun was still deadly. It wasn’t.

After having her own marathon of “Hope’s Edge” and coughing up some letters cut out of magazines (that was a disturbing scene, wasn’t it?) Melinda eventually realizes that Miles doesn’t want revenge. He wants Grant to be able to move on with his life. Miles was the one who fiddled with the prop gun that would later kill him. He wanted to shake up the play after Cally informed him the play was going the New York City without him.

So, despite Cally lying and telling Grant that he couldn’t leave the show, after Melinda explains why Miles is hanging around everything turns out okay in the end. Grant will leave the show and teach a class. Cally will keep working on “Hope’s Edge” with Suzanne. Brook will stay at the university. And Miles will cross over.

Oh and Melinda is pregnant.

That’s right. Melinda is with child. It’s Jim’s, of course, and was conceived prior to his death and later reincarnation as Sam. Given that Melinda and Jim (who still looks like Sam to everyone else) are comfortable walking around Grandview holding hands and kissing and otherwise being lovey-dovey, I doubt a baby is going to complicate things as much as it should.

To the outside world it must look like Melinda has moved on from Jim’s death really, really fast. It’s been, what, a few months at the most since Jim’s funeral? And now there’s another man living in her house and she’s openly kissing him in public? That has to be tough for Jim’s friends to handle. Melinda’s too, although most of them are part of her inner circle and know the truth.

Add to this a baby fathered by Jim and, well, Melinda is going to have the town abuzz with gossip for the foreseeable future. Unless, of course, it is glossed over and otherwise ignored. That could happen easily enough. It has so far, aside from a few comments from one of Jim’s fellow paramedics to Jim.

Anyway. Aside from the revelation of the pregnancy, “Stage Fright” had little to do with Melinda and Jim/Sam. Melinda did get a walk-on role in the “Hope’s Edge” episode as Sexy Coroner #2. She kept missing her mark, though, and sprained her hand when a light smashed into her hand (Miles was responsible for that). It was a fun episode.

And the in-joke regarding a character on a television being killed off only to later return was amusing. It was mentioned a handful of times, always obliquely. Dr. Troy Holden is going to be shot and killed on “Hope’s Edge” but Cally tells Melinda that he’ll be back. The ratings will go up when he leaves and they’ll go up when he comes back. Shades of Ghost Whisperer, obviously.