Melinda Irene Gordon is the title character of the television series, Ghost Whisperer, portrayed by Jennifer Love Hewitt, where she has the unique ability to talk to the deceased. She uses her ability to help ghosts by finding them peace by assissting them in any unfinished business, sometimes having to contact their living loved ones and tell them of her gift so their departed can transfer messages to them just before they cross over into the light. However, telling her secrets to the living often causes Melinda trouble, usually doubt and anger from the people she tries to help. Melinda is a warm-hearted, loving person who finds love with Jim Clancy, marrying him in the first episode of the series and spending the rest of her life with him until his death, in which he assumes the role of Sam Lucas, who she later marries, all the while knowing Jim was possessing him. During the first season, she is helped by best friend Andrea Marino, who co-owned Same As It Never Was, the antique shop Melinda ran. Andrea continued to help Melinda until her death, where the role was later resumed by Delia Banks, who had a hard time getting her head around Melinda's ability to talk to the dead, however she still supports Melinda. Melinda is currently expecting her first child with husband Jim Clancy, who they will name Aiden Lucas. Melinda also fell pregnant early season four with Jim, however she miscarried after her body couldn't support the pregnancy.
Character Overview
Early Life
Season One
Melinda and Jim moved to the small town of Grandview where Melinda opened a small antique shop, named "The Same As It Never Was" Antiques. She met and became friends with Andrea Marino, who came to share management responsibilities of the store with Melinda. Eventually, Melinda gained enough trust in Andrea to tell her about her ability.
In the later part of the season, Melinda began encountering a malevolent spirit (Romano) that wore a black hat while trying to "cross over" earthbound spirits. In the season finale, a plane crashes in Grandview. Romano used the massive death count to his advantage, "keeping" the souls that Melinda was unable to cross over- one of which was Andrea who died when the plane crashed.
Melinda's first appearance
In "Pilot", Melinda is first introduced as a young girl at a funeral for someone she doesn't know, however her grandmother tells her what she has to do. Melinda is unaware of what is going on, as she can see the spirit of the deceased, and Mary Ann teaches Melinda how to cross him over by giving a message from the ghost to his widowed wife. The scene changes to a grown-up version of Melinda at her wedding, throwing flowers for one of her bridesmaids to catch, in which Andrea catches herself. Melinda sees the spirit of Daniel Clancy, her husband's dead brother. Melinda and Jim, newlyweds, move into a new house that Jim is fixing himself. Melinda gets visits from a sargaent, who she has to tell his son about her secret, and he reacts negatively when she does so. However, by the end of the episode, Melinda crosses the ghost over when his son believes Melinda. Melinda consults Andrea a lot about her ghost problems, as Andrea is her best friend, and Andrea already knows about her ability. Melinda also has a newly-opened shop in Grandview Square that sells antiques, called "Same As It Never Was".
Melinda tells Kenny she will take him to his mommy
In "The Crossing", Melinda catches Dylan and Kenny playing by the tracks and tells them to get off, only to find out that Kenny is a spirit. When Andrea asks how Dylan could see him, Melinda says that children can see spirits until they grow up. Melinda also has to deal with Jim's mother, Faith, visiting her and Jim for a few days. Riddled with her ghost problem, Melinda is forced to cancel dinner with Faith. Melinda finds out that Kenny, the young male ghost, died in a train accident, and she goes to see his parents, fresh out of court after trying a case against the person who sold them the car that was a tool in Kenny's death. She tells them of her gift, and the father acts negatively, whereas the mother is curious. Not wanting to talk to her son, Candace leaves Melinda, and Melinda leaves her address for the store. Later, the father, Hank, visits Melinda and tells her to stay away, calling her a fraud, and Andrea backs Melinda up when she needs her to. After being a bit off with Faith, Faith suspects she is pregnant. Melinda helps stop Hank from killing the man who sold them the faulty car, and crosses Kenny over. Melinda also has to tell Faith that she isn't pregnant, and that she just had to deal with a mother who lost her son, to which Faith could relate.
Melinda realizes Mary Ann is dead.
In "Ghost, Interrupted", Melinda has a stubborn ghost of a twin to deal with. Finding it difficult, she visits the alive twin at a psychiatric ward after she stole from her. Melinda then has to tell Natalie that her twin sister, Zoe, is a ghost. Natalie already felt her prescence. Throughout the episode, Melinda has flashbacks of her grandmother, the woman who taught her everything she knows about ghosts. She follows her life with her, like when she visits her at an old folk's home. Another flashback shows when Mary Ann tells Melinda to notice a ghost she will feel what they're feeling, and Melinda could feel that from her grandmother, and realized she was dead. Melinda tells Jim that Mary Ann was like a twin to her, how she was the only one who fully understood her and was the only person who didn't think Melinda was crazy. Also in the episode, Melinda and Jim work together to set Andrea and Will on a date, which doesn't go as planned as Will seems to still be in love with his ex. At the end, Jim witnesses Melinda crossing over a ghost for the first time, and when they are alone, Melinda asks what time it is, and Jim says a little after midnight, which Melinda then tells her grandmother happy birthday.
Melinda is creeped out by the Laughing Man
In "Mended Hearts", Melinda is at Andrea's apartment with Jim as they celebrate until water leaks from the cieling and hear noises from someone upstairs. They find out Andrea's upstairs neighbour, Gwen, is trying to kill herself, and she dies until Jim revives her. Gwen saw Melinda talking to her dead fiance for the little time she was dead, and so Melinda tells Gwen of her gift. Melinda has difficulty with Conor, her finace, as he doesn't want to leave Gwen, and Gwen doesn't want him to leave her. Melinda then looks for the person who recieved Conor's heart, and sets them both up on a date, hoping Gwen would move on from Conor and Conor would cross over. When Gwen sees Clifford doing something only Conor ever did, she leaves. Melinda tells Clifford to not give up, and attends a study group to where Clifford talks to the group and Conor attends. Conor tells Melinda they should ask what Gwen wants, for him to go or stay. When Gwen is confronted about it, Conor realizes that he needs to let go and let her move forward, and he crosses over with Melinda's help. At the end of the episode, a man is watching Melinda and she realizes him. He's a ghost, and he ominously laughs and disappears, leaving her creeped.
Melinda sees Jim drunk
In "Lost Boys", Melinda runs into some young ghost boys and a ghost dog, and faces the challenge of trying to cross them over when their leader, Rat, doesn't want to go anywhere, and it doesn't help when the building is due for demolition in due time, and if the ghosts are still in there when it happens, they will stay earthbound forever. Melinda also has to deal with Jim's naive friend who stays for a few days as he attempts to fix the boiler, but Melinda doesn't like him, and it doesn't help when he runs over Melinda's favourite plant. Melinda grows attached to two of the ghost boys, Marty and Vic, who they begin to also get attached to her. She reads them Peter Pan, a story they love, and they even grow to love her. They ask her why they can't stay with her and she could be their mother. Melinda says she would be proud to have them two as sons, but they don't belong in the world anymore and need to cross over. At the end of the episode, she crosses Rat, Vic and Marty over, the first time she crosses multiple ghosts over at the same time, and returns home to her husband. Homer the Ghost Dog, however, remains earthbound, and seems to look at Melinda as his new owner.
Melinda crosses Jason over
In "Homecoming", Melinda is seen through the eyes of the Ghost. Melinda doesn't want Mitch to come over for drinks at hers because she hasn't finished tidying the house and he is a millionaire. Andrea, however, changes Melinda's mind and she finally agrees to it. Melinda gets visits from a teenage ghost who seems very angry. Melinda and Jim host Andrea and Mitch, where Melinda and Andrea frequently say the same thing at the same time. Melinda finds out the ghost she has to cross over was adopted and he got angry at his adoptive mother because of it and she wouldn't allow him to see his birth mother. Melinda goes to see Diane, the adoptive mother, and tells her about her gift, but Diane doesn't believe her, until that night when Jason visits Diane and puts the radio on. Melinda sees Diane the next day and she gives Melinda Jason's birth mother's address. Melinda goes to the city to find her, and she does, telling Fran that she can see ghosts and the son she gave away eighteen years ago is dead. Fran doesn't believe Melinda either, but Sybil, Fran's daughter, overhears and believes her. Sybil visits Melinda and Melinda helps her communicate with her dead half-brother. Fran comes to pick Sybil up, and Sybil tells her she is pregnant. The next day, Melinda takes Fran to see Diane. Fran leaves, but later seeks Melinda's help at her store when she has a change of heart. Melinda helps Fran and Sybil get closure, before going to see Diane and give her closure, crossing Jason over in the process.
Melinda crosses Hope over
In "Hope and Mercy", Melinda gets a call from the Hospital telling her that her husband was in an accident, and Melinda rushes straight to the Hospital. After being told her husband is okay, Melinda sees a ghost named Hope whose husband had dialled 911 when he saw the ambulance Jim was in tipped over. After being pestered by the ghost named Hope, Melinda agrees to help her. The next day, Melinda goes to Same As It Never Was and talks with Andrea, telling her the watch she bought was fake. When Melinda goes to the Hospital to collect Jim, she finds him gone but finds out he has went to Cat Scan, and Hope shows up. Melinda sees a lot of spirits in the hospital, then finally takes Jim out of the hospital. She tells him she is glad it's not him she is helping. At the store, the man who sold Andrea the fake watch comes back, and even though Andrea wants to do it, Melinda goes and gives him a piece of her mind, but fails in getting the money back. Melinda talks with the doctors who operated on Hope, one of them very old, and the other tells Melinda that it's Dr. Devine's fault she died. Melinda tells Brad, Hope's husband, that it wasn't his fault Hope died and gives him closure, allowing Hope to cross over. Meanwhile, Melinda finds out that Dr. Devine is losing his mind and crosses his deceased wife over also. At the end, Melinda and Jim find out that the person who died in the Ambulance was just released from prison for attempted murder, and don't realize that his ghost is watching them.
Melinda's favourite fantasy is a Fairy
In "On the Wings of a Dove", Melinda is stunned to bump into her old best friend from High School, Alexis, who Melinda seems very awkward with and gives her the cold shoulder. Andrea can tell she has issues with Alexis, but Melinda just tells her they drifted apart. Melinda gets worried when her husband, Jim, begins to act wierd, but realizes that it's down to the fact that a ghost is attached to him, the tattooed man from the previous episode. Melinda and Jim try to help him, despite him accidentally killing a man, they go to see the parents of the man he killed, only to be shut away because they could never forgive Julian, the ghost, for what he did. Alexis also tells Andrea of the fancy dress party that humiliated Melinda. In Freshman Year, Melinda was led to believe that she was going to a fancy-dress party, as told to her, and is told to go as her favourite fantasy, which is a fairy. So when she goes to the party, everyone else is dressed as ghosts, taunting Melinda because Alexis has told everyone about her gift. Andrea sticks up for Melinda and gives Alexis the cold shoulder also. Back with Melinda, she goes to see Julian's wife and child with Jim, helping him cross over and giving Rachel and Joseph closure. In the end, Melinda agrees to the lunch with Alexis and tells her she has learned forgiveness, only to find out that Alexis's true intentions are to use Melinda to contact her deceased aunt to find an emerald necklace. Melinda walks away after telling Alexis how she felt, and notices a big flock of doves.
Melinda bails Kirk out of Jail
In "Voices", Melinda and Jim come back from a night out at a restaurant to find their car had been stolen. Jim calls the police and they soon find it, stolen by a young teenage boy who creeps Melinda out. They don't press charges and when Jim is driving her home, the both hear EVP on the radio station. Melinda investigates it by going to see Dr. Huffman and starts to understand what it means. Faith comes to stay again while Melinda gets headaches from the ghostly messages on her phone's answering machine. Melinda finds the ghost outside an electrical station, who appears fuzzy to her. Melinda helps her rebel teenage son, who stole her car, overcome his hatred for her and cross over. Meanwhile, Jim is off with Faith's new boyfriend Ellis, though Melinda seems to take a liking for Ellis straight away. Faith and Melinda also cook together, where Melinda tells her she is jealous of what Faith and Jim have, and she wishes that she and her own mother were like that. Melinda also continues to consult Andrea about her ghost problems, and usually leaves Andrea when she sees Kirk in the middle of the Square or begins to feel sick from the ghost's voices.
Season Two
After losing her friend and business partner to the plane crash, Melinda succeeds against Romano in helping Andrea and many of the other ghosts from the plane crash cross over.
Melinda ends up meeting several new people in season two: an occult professor, Rick Payne, who often helps Melinda with a troublesome ghost without realizing it, until she tells him about her gift. She also meets widow Delia Banks and her son Ned. After a few episodes, Melinda invites Delia to take the place of Andrea as her business partner, and confides in Ned about her gift. While trying to crossover Delia's husband, in the episode Delia's First Ghost, Melinda reveals to Delia her gift. Delia, a skeptic in anything beyond the norm, slowly begins to believe Melinda.
Throughout the season, events occur showing that the "veil" between the living and the dead is thinning. With the introduction of a second ghost whisperer, Gabriel Lawrence, it is learned through the earthbound spirit of Payne's wife that dark forces "are trying to make the dead stronger than the living." In the season finale, she learned that she might have a brother from her dead father. Before she had learned this, she had died momentarily after a tower of poles collapsed upon her. Four children help revive her (as noted under "Abilities"). She is stunned when she returns to consciousness, stating "I think I have a brother". She looks around and, from a distance, Gabriel is looking at her very crossly.
Season Three
Melinda searches continually for her father, strongly believing him to have died, and for her brother. She speaks with her mother who does not give her much information other than that Melinda and Jim have to leave Grandview because of all the evil spirits. Melinda also learns that Beth had once lived in Grandview. In the fifth episode "Weight of What Was" Gabriel arrives at her home saying that he is her half-brother and that he is also looking for their father. He was staying in a hotel under the name Gabriel Gordon. He hands Melinda a package that leads her to an underground church that had been buried as well as to her ancestor, Tessa, who was also a ghost whisperer.
Tom Gordon reveals to her a little bit about her past. Melinda and Jim later on have a discussion about having children and Melinda agrees on having one. From some point in the show Melinda is haunted by a ghost who is known as the (Masked Man) at first. Towards the end of the season, Tom Gordon shows up in Grandview alive. It is revealed, however, that Tom Gordon is not her biological father.
She asks her mother to be absolutely honest with her and tell her everything. Her mother reveals the fact that her birth father is really a man named Paul Eastman. At the very end of the season, what seems to be a happy moment is spoiled when Payne makes a shocking observation. He points out the fact that there are six people lined up (Delia, Beth Gordon, Ned, Jim, Melinda, and Payne himself), yet there are only five visible shadows.
Season Four
Melinda and Jim talk about having children. In the beginning of the season, Melinda meets a man who had a ghost haunting him - one of his patients. Eli suffered a near-death experience, and when he was revived he discover that can hear the dead. Eli is extremely confused and refuses to listen to Melinda, but in the end they develop a good partnership.
Professor Payne went on a trip for a long time. In "Big Chills", Melinda helps a ghost that has to have the truth come out about an accidental death on a boat. In the next episode, Melinda finds a man that is dead and trapped in an online chat game. She soon realizes that the man is actually the teenager's father, who is trying to protect his daughter from an online predator. Melinda and Jim went on a trip to find another ghost (or many on the boat), but the main reason is to talk to the boat owner's son, who is planning to tear down the boat and rebuild it. Many spirits were worried that their home would be ruined, so they were bothering Melinda to help them. But one girl needed help to talk to the owner of the boat about the accidental death, when she waited for him in the same room she met him many years before.
Then Melinda meets a teenage ghost who dies on the tennis court from a blood clot in her lung and Melinda watches the dead teenager follow her friend's family home (both families used to be friends, but one moved away and they stopped talking, and the families are no longer friends.) The two families soon find out that the hospital made a mistake and they switched the girls at birth. In the end Melinda and Jim think she is pregnant, but are disappointed when they get they discover that Melinda had a miscarriage. This episode is the episode of which the tagline is: The episode that will change everything.
In this episode Melinda and Jim go to the woods and they stay in a cabin for Jim's friend's wedding. The spirit wants the bride to play a game which will let her know the truth about her fiance. She discovers that the ghost (Owen) used to know the bride when they were young. When she finds out the truth, she calls off the wedding. Later Jim goes back to clean up and finds the groom still in the cabin, with a gun. Melinda finds out and calls a detective. When Melinda and the detective get there they see two shadows through the door windows and they see one man with the gun and one man without. Then the detective pulls out the gun and shoots. Then in the window Jim falls. Melinda is in the hospital waiting for Jim to wake up from the surgery. Then when Melinda wakes up she sees Jim's ghost. He says "Remember me this way; I'll always love you." Nurses suddenly rush in, and Jim begins to flatline.
In the next episode Jim keeps saying throughout that he is will not cross over, no matter how hard Melinda tries. There is a teenage ghost who keeps saying she's sorry and that it's all her fault that Jim is dead. It turns out that the teenager was anorexic and that made her heart stop. Her stepfather was very depressed, and he went back to work before he was ready to. Later it is found out that the girl's stepfather is the detective who shot Jim. Melinda says to Jim "You have to do the right thing." He replies "I will." and possesses the body of a dead man, Sam, to live again in episode 4.07 "Threshold". After Jim jumps in Sam's body he has no idea who he is.
Melinda begins dating Jim/Sam when Sam's ex-girlfriend Nikki leaves Grandview. Melinda revealed her gift to Jim/Sam and his response was unexpected. Melinda told Jim/Sam he is really Jim; Melinda saves Jim/Sam from drowning and is surprised when he asks her why she is calling him Sam because Jim has now gotten his memory back. Melinda soon learns she is eight weeks pregnant with Jim's baby . Melinda began to have nightmares and visions that her baby was in danger. She was sure by the things she was being told the baby was a girl after Melinda runs into the faceless child again, who puts her hand on Melinda's belly and says, "You can't save her. You can't." and Carl telling Melinda that her future is in Melinda's hands.
Jim reveals to Melinda that he had seen her chart accidentally and knew it was a boy. He knew they agreed not to find out, but he told her to ease her mind, so she’d see her visions and dreams were wrong and her was actually about Zoe, who was Eli's ex-girlfriend and killed accidentally when she fell down the steps, startled by a thief ( who is actually being controlled by the Watcher Carl) in her house. They were looking for an ancient tome written in multiple languages called The Book of Changes, of which Zoe was caretaker. Eli then became the caretaker of the book, and was warned by one of the Watchers (Carl) that people were after the book, he must safeguard it and was also warned he must NOT show it to Melinda.
Melinda, however, couldn’t get the idea something was wrong out of her mind and convinced Eli to show her the book. The book had their names in it, followed by odd dates. The dates were revered; Melinda realized they were dates of death. Jim was there, as was Sam, Zoe and even Eli from his near death experience. She was also listed as September 25 and if the prophecy is fulfilled, Melinda will die upon giving birth to her son. Later Melinda confronts Carl in the Tunnels of Doom and wants to know if her son is in danger. Carl tells Melinda that white light spirits are watching over her, but the balance can shift and her son is the key. Carl advises her to teach her son about the other side, not shield him from it, because her son will be able to do much, much more than she can. Jim and Melinda marry again at the same place they met - in front of witnesses, Eli James (best man) and Delia Banks (matron of honor), and a full gathering of spirits.
Season Five
Notes
- Melinda loves anchovies on her pizza.
- Melinda didn't know how to cook when she met Jim.
- Melinda bought her first car with the babysitting money she made in high school.
- Melinda graduated from Hillridge High School and went to college in Washington State.
- Melinda played field hockey in high school and wore braces when she was seventeen.
- Melinda likes chick flicks and horror movies (though the latter scare her a lot).
- Melinda had a red umbrella turn inside out on her first date with Jim. He replaced it on the fifth anniversary of that encounter.
- Melinda knows nothing about sports.
- Melinda is allergic to Ho-Hos.
- Melinda doesn't like her birthday or Halloween, but loves Christmas.
- Melinda's biggest fear is being studied for her gift.