| Ghost Whisperer season 3 | |||
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DVD cover |
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| Country of origin | United States | ||
| No. of episodes | 18 | ||
| Broadcast | |||
| Original channel | CBS | ||
| Original run | September 28, 2007 – May 16, 2008 | ||
| Home video release | |||
| DVD release date | Region 1: September 2, 2008 Region 2: April 6, 2009 Region 4: March 18, 2009 |
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| Season chronology | |||
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| List of Ghost Whisperer episodes | |||
The third season of Ghost Whisperer, an American television series created by John Gray, commenced airing in the United States on September 28, 2007, concluded May 16, 2008, and was originally intended to be consisted of 22 episodes. However, due to the Writer's Strike it was shortened to 18 episodes. The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon (Jennifer Love Hewitt), who has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts. While trying to live as normal a life as possible—she is married and owns an antique store—Melinda helps earthbound spirits resolve their problems and cross over into the Light, or the spirit world. Her tasks are difficult and at times she struggles with people who push her away and disbelieve her ability. In addition, the ghosts are mysterious and sometimes menacing in the beginning and Melinda must use the clues available to her to understand the spirit's needs and help them.[1]
Ghost Whisperer's third season aired in the United States (U.S.) on Fridays at 8:00 pm ET on CBS, a terrestrial television network, where it received an average of 8.67 million viewers per episode.[2]
This was the final season to be overseen by John Gray (he would be credited as a consultant on seasons four and five, although he continued to write and direct episodes).
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In the third season, Melinda searches in her family history for answers as she gets closer to learning the secret of her gift, her childhood, and her estranged father. She soon finds out that Gabriel is her half-brother. Melinda finds a series of tunnels which lead to a town buried deep below Grandview, which houses dozens of ghosts. She soon has dreams about a man in a mask coming to her in her sleep, and believes this is an event from her childhood.
At the end of the season, Tom Gordon appears in Grandview alive with Gabriel. It is revealed the man in the mask is Paul Eastman, and Melinda's biological father (Melinda awoke Paul's ghost when searching in the tunnels). In disbelief, Melinda goes with Tom to her childhood home and when they arrive inside, Tom tells her the truth. When she was a child, Tom fell in love with Melinda's mother, Beth, while Paul was in prison. When Paul escaped from prison after a fire and returned home, Tom killed him in order to keep him from Beth and buried him in their basement. When he heard that Melinda was slowly uncovering the evidence, he had to return to Grandview. Tom tries to kill Melinda, but she is saved when Paul's ghost possesses Tom and throws him down a flight of stairs, killing him. The next day, Melinda and her friends meet in the town square. Melinda invites her mother, and the two say goodbye to Paul as he goes into the Light.
Ghost Whisperer is based on the work of "Spirit Communicator" James Van Praagh,[3] who is co-executive producer[4] and regularly updates a blog about the show through LivingTV.[5] The stories are also said to be based in part on the work of "Spirit Communicator" Mary Ann Winkowski.[6] Development of the show dates back to at least two years before its premiere.[7]
The show was produced by Sander/Moses Productions in association with CBS Television Studios (originally Paramount Network Television in season one and ABC Studios (originally Touchstone Television in the first two seasons) and CBS Paramount Network Television in seasons two and three).
The show was filmed on the Universal Studios back lot in Los Angeles.[8] One area on the lot is Courthouse Square from the Back to the Future trilogy, though it has been drastically modified to depict Grandview. For example, the clock tower in Back to the Future has been completely covered up. Cast and crew members believe that the set gets visits from real spirits.[9]
Sound effects were completed at Smart Post Sound.[10] Visual effects for the pilot and some season one episodes were completed at Flash Film Works.[11] Visual effects for nearly the entire series were created at Eden FX.[12]
Creator John Gray grew up in Brooklyn, New York, which is not far from Grandview-On-Hudson, west of the Hudson River. Piermont is often referenced in episodes as the neighboring town, which is accurate to real life as Grandview-On-Hudson is actually located just north of Piermont. Professor Rick Payne worked in the fictional "Rockland University," and perhaps not coincidentally, the actual Grandview, New York is a village located in Rockland County, New York.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Jennifer Love Hewitt | Melinda Gordon |
| David Conrad | Jim Clancy |
| Jay Mohr | Rick Payne |
| Camryn Manheim | Delia Banks |
| Christoph Sanders | Ned Banks |
| № | # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 1 | "The Underneath" | John Gray | John Gray | September 28, 2007 | 8.72[13] |
| Jennifer goes to Melinda's store to sell some belongings that came from her deceased parents' house. Melinda then helps Jennifer with her father who died when she was only a toddler. Someone takes photos of Melinda and they show something suspicious. Melinda finds that she has a hidden connection to Grandview while digging into her family's past. | ||||||
| 46 | 2 | "Don't Try This at Home" | Ian Sander | Teddy Tenenbaum & Laurie McCarthy | October 5, 2007 | 8.91[14] |
| Two girls at Rockland University go into a coma after being scared. It's up to Melinda to get Sloane, the only girl of the group who has not been comatose to get her to confess what happened to their other friend, Rachel. Melinda must get Rachel to believe she is not Bloody Mary. | ||||||
| 47 | 3 | "Haunted Hero" | Eric Laneuville | Breen Frazier & Karl Schaefer | October 12, 2007 | 8.90[15] |
| Jim's friend Matt returns home with memory loss after serving overseas in the military where all of his friends died. Matt's comrades appear to Melinda to help Matt regain his memory. | ||||||
| 48 | 4 | "No Safe Place" | Peter O'Fallon | Jeannine Renshaw | October 19, 2007 | 8.95[16] |
| When Jim and Melinda are out on a dinner date, they come across a very drunk attorney named Shane. Shane tells Melinda that he is being haunted by the ghost of his dead stalker. Melinda soon finds that Shane is lying about the ghost and confronts him, but Shane finds another way to deal with the situation. He begins to stalk Melinda, and tries to lure Delia away from her. Delia attempts to get Ned into a private academy, but Shane pretends to be Ned's school counselor in order to cast aspersions on Ned. It's up to Melinda and the ghost to stop Shane before his acts of malice become even more dangerous. After being arrested, Shane is set free on bail and is found lying in wait in Melinda's basement. He attempts to assail Melinda but is pulled away by a mysterious pair of arms emerging from the basement walls. | ||||||
| 49 | 5 | "Weight of What Was" | Gloria Muzio | P.K. Simonds | October 26, 2007 | 9.99[17] |
| In this Halloween episode, Gabriel returns to Grandview and Melinda seeks out to find what is lurking below and discovers that Grandview has a dark past. | ||||||
| 50 | 6 | "Double Exposure" | Eric Laneuville | Laurie McCarthy | November 2, 2007 | 9.18[18] |
| Melinda and Professor Payne meet with another college professor who discloses that she had an affair with a student who has just died after an accident. Shortly after, evey picture taken of the professor does not show her image, but a cloudy and ghostly image. | ||||||
| 51 | 7 | "Unhappy Medium" | Frederick E.O. Toye | Breen Frazier | November 9, 2007 | 9.85[19] |
| Melinda and Jim discuss a kidnapping where the family has contacted a psychic who Melinda believes is telling the family things that they want to hear just so he can make money off of them. Melinda goes and talks to the family and finds that something else has happened to the missing girl. | ||||||
| 52 | 8 | "Bad Blood" | Peter Werner | Teddy Tenenbaum | November 16, 2007 | 9.56[20] |
| Melinda becomes involved with a couple of ghosts who refuse to cross over after she finds that they are causing trouble for a man and his daughter. The ghosts make Melinda play a game of twenty questions. | ||||||
| 53 | 9 | "All Ghosts Lead to Grandview" | Frederick E.O. Toye | P.K. Simonds & Laurie McCarthy | November 23, 2007 | 9.98[21] |
| While Melinda and Jim are camping they find a runaway girl in the woods. The girl is being haunted by a young boy and when Melinda tries to help him they discover that the girl, Becca, can also see ghosts and she must help the boy cross over to help her learn what to do when she sees a ghost. | ||||||
| 54 | 10 | "Holiday Spirit" | Steven Robman | Jeannine Renshaw | December 14, 2007 | 9.80[22] |
| Melinda encounters a ghost who thinks he is Santa Claus. He is haunting a man who is a workaholic and always on his cell phone, causing him to neglect his son. Santa is attempting to bring the young boy and his father back together. | ||||||
| 55 | 11 | "Slam (a.k.a Slambook)" | Mark Rosman | Karl Schaefer & Daniel Sinclair | January 11, 2008 | 9.86[23] |
| Melinda helps Ned at his new high school were there are several different hauntings. In the process Melinda finds that she is investigating the intricate world of gossip and romance within the high school before she uncovers the reasons for the hauntings. | ||||||
| 56 | 12 | "First Do No Harm" | Ian Sander | John Gray | January 18, 2008 | 9.91[24] |
| Melinda helps a ghost who blames Jim for his untimely death in an explosion. | ||||||
| 57 | 13 | "Home But Not Alone" | Eric Laneuville | P.K. Simonds & Laurie McCarthy | April 4, 2008 | 9.06[25] |
| Strange happenings surround Ned's new girlfriend and her family. Ned enlists Melinda's help, who believes they may be haunted by their deceased father. | ||||||
| 58 | 14 | "The Grave Sitter" | Frederick E.O. Toye | John Gray | April 11, 2008 | 8.55[26] |
| After graffiti is repeatedly painted on Melinda's shop doors, she seeks out the town blogger, convinced he is the one causing the mischief in an attempt to expose her. Melinda is forced to encounter the dark side of Grandview in order to help the latest ghost cross-over. | ||||||
| 59 | 15 | "Horror Show" | Ian Sander | Jeannine Renshaw | April 25, 2008 | 8.98[27] |
| Melinda investigates the haunting of a college student after the student sees a horror movie. | ||||||
| 60 | 16 | "Deadbeat Dads" | Gloria Muzio | Mark B. Perry | May 2, 2008 | 9.21[28] |
| Professor Payne meets Elliot, the brilliant son of one of his old girlfriend. When Payne discovers that the boy is almost 10-years-old, he realizes he may be the boy's father. This angers his deceased wife. After watching Payne, Elliot, and the boy's mother, Melinda tells Jim she wants to have a baby. | ||||||
| 61 | 17 | "Stranglehold" (Part 1) | Eric Laneuville | Laurie McCarthy & P.K. Simonds | May 9, 2008 | 8.78[29] |
| While trying to figure out the meaning of a dream, Melinda finds out some surprising news about her father. | ||||||
| 62 | 18 | "Pater Familias" (Part 2) | John Gray | John Gray | May 16, 2008 | 8.44[30] |
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Melinda discovers the truth about her family's past through a series of bodily possessions. At the end, Melinda, her mother, Payne, Delia, Ned, and Jim go out, and Payne points out to Melinda that there are six of them, but only five shadows on the sidewalk. |
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