History YMMV / GhostWhisperer

* {{Tearjerker}}:
** Some of the episodes but one of the episodes that really sell it is Melinda trying to help a ghost named Marty make amends with his loved ones left behind, after his [[DrivenToSuicide suicide]].
** We encounter the spirit of a young boy named Kenny who passed away in a [[spoiler: train accident]] but the truly heartbreaking moment is where he tearfully tries to talk to his grieving father, apologizing for getting lost and trying to comfort him. Even more when he crosses over at the end
** Finding out that Angela was [[spoiler: DeadAllAlong]]
** In "The Walk In", seeing how much Bryan Curtis' life went downhill after high school. Despite having been the local football hero and valedictorian, he couldn't adjust to college and ending up dropping out and being so down on his luck that he committed suicide. Especially sad as he was a genuinely NiceGuy, not a JerkJock deserving of such a downfall. Plus, the other ghost from that episode who inhabited his body revealed that he'd idolized him in high school and was [[BrokenPedestal sorely disappointed]] in how much he'd screwed up. And then the kicker that the other ghost's real reason for staying was to convince the friend that stayed by his side to the end to do their "bucket list" and not let go of her dreams kicks up a lot more dust.
** One episode featured a haunted dollhouse, haunted by the family who had once lived in the real mansion it was modeled on. They believed the husband's sister was an IllegalGuardian towards SoleSurvivor Emma because they saw her at the house the night they died; Emma ends up feeling the same way after a discussion with Melinda. The truth? [[spoiler: The aunt had come over because she thought she had seen Emma out on a dangerous date and came over to see if her niece was home but misinterpreted the carbon monoxide poisoning induced slumber and Emma's stuffed-with-pillows bed for peacefully sleeping and the shocked look Emma interpreted as confirmation of EvilAunt was mixed emotions over realizing she hadn't lost all of her family.]]

** In "The Walk In", seeing how much Bryan Curtis' life went downhill after high school. Despite having been the local football hero and valedictorian, he couldn't adjust to college and ending up dropping out and being so down on his luck that he committed suicide. Especially sad as he was a genuinely NiceGuy, not a JerkJock deserving of such a downfall. Plus, the other ghost from that episode who inhabited his body revealed that he'd idolized him in high school and was [[BrokenPedestal sorely disappointed]] in how much he'd screwed up.

** Finding out that Angela was [[spoiler:DeadAllAlong]]

* MomentOfAwesome:
** Melinda gets one in the climax of the season one finale, when [[spoiler: she convinces almost all the ghosts resulting from the plane crash to go into the light -- one of the very few people to stick with Romano, a female flight attendant, goes over in a season two episode -- with so many going through at once that it actually becomes visible to Melinda (and the audience) for the first time in the series.]]
** In "Bad Blood," the father who's being haunted by a pair of ghosts [[spoiler: hoping to drive him and his daughter to their deaths, as they did with all the previous tenants --as they love playing those kind of sick games, they join the very short list of ghosts who ''don't'' go into the light--]] gets one when he [[spoiler:brings their games to a (temporary) end by blowing up the house. As the male ghost says before it all goes boom, "Well played"]].
* {{Tearjerker}}: Some of the episodes but one of the episodes that really sell it is Melinda trying to help a ghost named Marty make amends with his loved ones left behind, after his [[DrivenToSuicide suicide]].
** Another episode is where we encounter the spirit of a young boy named Kenny who passed away in a [[spoiler: train accident]] but the truly heartbreaking moment is where he tearfully tries to talk to his grieving father, apologizing for getting lost and trying to comfort him. Even more when he crosses over at the end
** Finding out that Angela was [[spoiler:DeadAllAlong]]
** In "The Walk In", seeing how much Bryan Curtis' life went downhill after high school. Despite having been the local football hero and valedictorian, he couldn't adjust to college and ending up dropping out and being so down on his luck that he committed suicide. Especially sad as he was a genuinely NiceGuy, not a JerkJock deserving of such a downfall. Plus, the other ghost from that episode who inhabited his body revealed that he'd idolized him in high school and was [[BrokenPedestal sorely disappointed]] in how much he'd screwed up.

** Another episode is where we encounter the spirit of a young boy named Kenny who passed away in a [[spoiler: train accident]] but the truly heartbreaking moment is where he tearfully tries to talk to his grieving father, apologizing for getting lost and trying to comfort him.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Is Melinda a well-meaning woman trying to help the living and the dead? Or is she just a nosy person sticking her fingers in everyone's pies?

** In "Bad Blood," the father who's being haunted by a pair of ghosts [[spoiler: hoping to drive him and his daughter to their deaths, as they did with all the previous tenants -- as they love playing those kind of sick games, they join the very short list of ghosts who ''don't'' go into the light -]] gets one when he [[spoiler:brings their games to a (temporary) end by blowing up the house. As the male ghost says before it all goes boom, "Well played"]].

** The show also got a reputation for all the ghosts of the week appearing villainous but always being revealed to have been misunderstood or innocent. While that does happen a lot, there are plenty of villainous ghosts. Notable is "Friendly Neighbourhood Ghost" where the old man turns out to have been an abusive parent, and "The Last Execution" where he confesses that he ''did'' commit murder.

* MomentOfAwesome: Melinda gets one in the climax of the season one finale, when [[spoiler: she convinces almost all the ghosts resulting from the plane crash to go into the light - one of the very few people to stick with Romano, a female flight attendant, goes over in a season two episode - with so many going through at once that it actually becomes visible to Melinda (and the audience) for the first time in the series.]]
** In "Bad Blood," the father who's being haunted by a pair of ghosts [[spoiler: hoping to drive him and his daughter to their deaths, as they did with all the previous tenants - as they love playing those kind of sick games, they join the very short list of ghosts who ''don't'' go into the light -]] gets one when he[[spoiler: brings their games to a (temporary) end by blowing up the house. As the male ghost says before it all goes boom, "Well played."]]

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Is Melinda a well-meaning woman trying to help the living and the dead? Or is she just a nosey person sticking her fingers in everyone's pies?
** [[TakeAThirdOption Both.]]
* CanonSue: Melinda. Beautiful, popular, unique, born with semi-magical powers, barely a single character flaw, wants to help everyone, happily married, difficult childhood... the list goes on.
** There's an ION network commercial for the show which consists almost entirely of various characters and the narrator gushing about how awesome she is.
** TropesAreNotBad: YMMV of course, despite being overly optimistic and ideal, characters like Melinda can still be viable for shows like this. Her "purity" might get dull after a while, but her character is not really one you would hate.
* RelationshipSue: YMMV (naturally), but does Jim exist for any other reason than to be handsome and tell Melinda how wonderful she is?

* TastesLikeDiabetes: The cynical watcher (not ''The'' Watcher, although he is pretty snarky) would say that almost every episode qualifies these days, largely because the plot must sometimes twist itself into painful knots to make everyone blameless so they can stand around teary-eyed and bask in The Light.
* TearJerker
* UnfortunateImplications: I'm not sure if this fits, but something about the episode with the autistic person who "got better" (a person's "limitations" are eliminated in the spirit world) in spirit form felt odd. No physically or mentally disabled ghosts have been seen since, though.
** It was either that or suggesting that the mentally disabled have 'damaged souls'. [[{{unwinnable}} Sometimes you can't win]].
** It can be painful/annoying to have a mental disorder; keeping it in the afterlife can be [[FridgeHorror cruel]].
** The only major character to die and ''stay'' dead? [[spoiler:[[BlackDudeDiesFirst Andrea.]]]]

* MarySue: Melinda. Beautiful, popular, unique, born with semi-magical powers, barely a single character flaw, wants to help everyone, happily married, difficult childhood... the list goes on.

** YourMileageMayVary: series with regular happy endings are rare these days, and they still have their fans.

* TastesLikeDiabetes: The cynical watcher (not ''The'' Watcher, although he is pretty snarky) would say that almost every episode qualifies these days, largely because the plot must sometimes twist itself into painful knots to make everyone blameless so they can stand around teary-eyed and bask in The Light.
** YourMileageMayVary: series with regular happy endings are rare these days, and they still have their fans.

* InformedAttractiveness: So Melinda (played by JenniferLoveHewitt, let us not forget) doesn't get hit on by anyone other than her husband over the nine years the series covers, while her tall, funny, sexy BlackBestFriend Andrea can't get a man.[[hottip:*:Funny how the only women on the series who actually match our heroine in the hotness stakes, Aisha Tyler and Ion Overman (as Detective Blair), don't hang around long.]] Meanwhile Delia has to beat them off with a stick, despite being a widow with a son and being played by Camryn Manheim.

* InformedAttractiveness: So Melinda (played by JenniferLoveHewitt, let us not forget) doesn't get hit on by anyone other than her husband over the nine years the series covers, while her tall, funny, sexy BlackBestFriend can't get a man. Meanwhile Delia has to beat them off with a stick, despite being a widow with a son and being played by Camryn Manheim.

** YourMileageMayVary: series with regular happy endings are rare these days, and they still have their fans.

* MarySue: Melinda. Beautiful, popular, unique, born with semi-magical powers, barely a single character flaw, is viewed as a highly virtuous person, wants to help everyone, complete strangers open up to her, happily married, difficult childhood... the list goes on.

* WallBanger: Melinda at one point claims she's not a psychic, because psychics only see the future.
** It ''is'' true (she's only seen the past and present), if that's her measure of psychic powers.