The Children's Parade

"The Children's Parade" is the 107th episode overall and the 22nd in the season, the fifth season of Ghost Whisperer, it originally aired on May 21, 2010 on CBS in United States. It is the fifth season finale and also the last original new episode to air due the show's cancellation on May 18, 2010.^[1]The last episode that aired on CBS was a rerun of "Living Nightmare" the week after this episode aired.^[2]

Plot

Jim's hospital is shown to be haunted by ghosts. Then the scene cuts to Melinda and Jim sleeping. Melinda wakes up and hears Aiden talking to somebody, they go into his room and see he's just playing. Then he goes to bed, telling them that he feels better when now he knows that ghosts don't exist. Melinda and Jim talk about if this is right or not and meanwhile the Shadows get into the house.

In the morning when Aiden goes to school, he complains about losing his soldier toy. Then Jim mentions to Melinda about a problem with the plumbing and Melinda gets angry for it being her job to call a plumber which causes confusion between both Jim and Aiden. The next scene is Melinda in Delia's office. Delia asks her how is everything at the store and Melinda answers she hates the place and she never wants to go there again. Then she suddenly smiles and says everything is alright.

In the hospital Jim and Melinda talk about the haunting there, then Melinda sees a boy who tries to buy a drink from a machine but he forgot his money. Melinda buys him a drink and as she gives it to him she realizes he's a ghost actually. Then she talks to Eli about how she could tell the difference and feel them before. Then Melinda goes out and the plumber comes to her house.

Melinda sees Carl the Watcher when she's with Aiden but for his sake she doesn't answer him. Then Carl goes to the dentist where Eli is and Eli explains why Melinda won't talk to him. Then Carl realizes he was under the control of the Shadows and what they made him say to Melinda is really dangerous. Then in the hospital Melinda sees ghosts marching around with the boy who asked Melinda for a drink ahead of them. The scene cuts to Eli controlled by the Shadows, he sends Melinda a message saying that she shouldn't believe Carl because he's under the control of the Shadows. When Melinda gets the message Carl appears beside her and starts explaining to her the problem but she thinks he's controlled now and the Shadows are trying to make her do a mistake. Then she gets angry because everyone is telling her what to do with her and Aiden's life and yells at him.

In the hospital Melinda mistakes a living person with a ghost. After that Melinda sees the ghost boy in the hospital and he says if Melinda brings his parents to him he'll cross over. Melinda goes to the gas station where the boy said his father is. She realizes he's not Pete's father. The scene cuts to Jim telling Melinda that Pete died in the hospital when he was 13 and he was sent by the Grandview Youth Home and he's an orphan. Jim mentions to Melinda that the plumber isn't ready yet. Then the Shadows come into their room.

The next day Melinda goes at the Orphan Home and she gets to know that Pete was adopted by many families and then he got sick. His birth mother gave him up the day he was born. Then Melinda discovers there was a polio ward years ago and Jim tells her where in the hospital they might be. She finds them and Pete explains to her he made them think they're alive and the others are dead and they're more important. He teaches them to be brave because the Shadows won't get to them this way.

Then Carl goes into Eli's house and asks him to look up the Book of Changes for something new and he finds a sign "And the darkness will come and swallow them all. Unless the family of Light turns night into day". The scene cuts to Melinda talking to Jim about the plumber still working and Jim says he hasn't even seen him but Melinda thinks he called him. Then she realizes that the plumber is a ghost and when he confesses he takes out Aiden's soldier out of the tub which was the reason for the plumbing problem. Then at night Aiden is shown talking to Cassidy and then Carl comes there. They talk about the Shinies being children and how the Shinies would win if there was a war.

Jim calls Melinda and tells her he did a research and Pete's mother died giving birth and that's why he was an orphan. She also told the doctors if anything happens she wants the child to live even if this takes her life. Melinda listens quietly and then she just hangs up on him with no reaction because Delia is knocking on the door in the store because it's locked. Melinda comes to the door with an empty look and says "Melinda's not here" and closes the blinds. Later in the night Carl comes into Aiden's room and tells him to save Melinda and to start a war between the Shinies and the Shadows. Meanwhile Delia, Ned, and Eli come into the house, telling Jim that something's wrong with Melinda. Aiden comes down and tells Jim, Delia, Ned, and Eli that they have to take him to where Melinda is before something bad happens to her. They go to the store and Aiden knocks on the door. Melinda shows up saying she's not his mother. Aiden answers that he knows that and that he wants her back. Melinda says "We're busy" and goes back in the dark. Aiden starts calling Cassidy and asks her to call all the Shinies to destroy the Shadows. Cassidy takes Aiden's hand and continues the line of Shinies which goes through the whole town turning night into day. Then all the shinies go into the antique store and destroy the Shadows, bringing back Melinda to her real self. Everyone comes in and Melinda asks where's Aiden. She hugs him and tells him he's her hero. The scene cuts to the hospital where Pete and the other ghost children talk to Melinda and Aiden. Melinda explains to him why he was in the Youth Home. Aiden convinces him to go into the Light. All the children go into the Light with a Shiny beside every single one of them.

Later Jim and Melinda talk to Aiden. Jim tells him that he shouldn't deny his gift and Melinda tells Aiden that it's called a gift for a reason and that it's something they shouldn't hide from each other and run away from. As Jim and Melinda leave, Melinda turns to Aiden and tells him that she really meant it when she said he was her hero. He smiles and answers "Just like you are, Mom. Every day". As the series concludes, we see Melinda smile back at Aiden.

Acting

Main cast

• Jennifer Love Hewitt as Melinda Gordon
• David Conrad as Jim Clancy
• Camryn Manheim as Delia Banks
• Christoph Sanders as Ned Banks
• Jamie Kennedy as Eli James
• Connor Gibbs as Aiden Lucas

Guest Starring

• Connor Gibbs as Aiden Lucas^[3]
• Nick Hodaly as Fred the Janitor^[3]
• Billy Unger as Pete^[3]
• George Wendt as George the Plumber^[3]
• Asante Jones as Stuart^[3]
• Jack Donner as Man in Hospital Gown^[3]
• Peter Holden as Darren^[3]
• Tammy Townsend as Jacqueline^[3]
• Zayne Emory as Pig Mask Kid^[3]
• Rebecca McFarland as Joan^[3]

Recurring

• Joey King as Cassidy^[3]

Production notes

• The episode was filmed near the time the 100th episode aired in March, 2010.
• On May 18, 2010 CBS announced that Ghost Whisperer would not return for a sixth season.^[1]
• Before the cancellation was announced the promo that aired on May 14, 2010 stated that this was the season finale. After cancellation, the promo remained this way, because of the then still possible renewal from ABC.
• John Gray, the original creator of the show, directed and wrote this episode, his second directing in the season and third writing credit as Jennifer Love Hewitt directed on his script of the 100th episode.

Reception

Isabelle Carreau commented the episode as a surprise because of the "happy ending and no cliffhangers", although there still were unfinished storylines, for example President Bedford. She also commented on how quick the Shadows were destroyed without fulfilling the promise of an action packed episode and an epic battle, although the promising line "Melinda's not here".^[4]

Ratings and viewership

• The episode averaged 6.85 million viewers, rating of 1.6/7 and a share of 9.^[5]

Notes

• After the cancellation on May 18, 2010 it was rumored that ABC would renew Ghost Whisperer for a sixth season because it produces the show along with CBS.^[6]
• The episode features the song "There for you" from The Undeserving.^[7]
• Melinda wears black the entire time she is being influenced by the Shadows.^[8]
• Zap2it declared Ghost Whisperer is the second "most missed axed show" after a poll determined 17.1 percent of voters would miss it.^[9]

References