Well, we did it. The MelindaVerse site now has a forum where you can discuss Ghost Whisperer to your heart’s content.

Running a forum is an entirely new thing for The Bears and Rodney. So you will be learning what the forum can do right along with Rodney (we bears aren’t interested in those technical details).

Come on over to The MelindaVerse Forum and check it out.

As for this blog -- we expect to use it to keep posting our thoughts on more general things and what’s going on in the website.

– The Bears and Rodney

This Friday we will see the return of Ghost Whisperer for a new season with the broadcast of “The Underneath.” In this episode, Melinda uncovers some secrets of Grandview’s past. Learn more about the episode on The MelindaVerse.

In this episode, Anne Archer returns as Melinda’s mother Beth and Jay Mohr becomes a full cast member as Melinda’s mentor, professor Rick Payne.

The Bears say check it out.

After two weeks without [i]Ghost Whisperer[/i] we finally have Melinda back in action in the finale of season two: "The Gathering." In this last episode of season two, we finally get some closure on what all those messages and portents we have been seeing throughout season two were about. That is, what were the five signs, who is Gabriel, what was up with the children?

We believe Melinda would have had a great deal of trouble figuring what was going on without Rick Payne's help. Fortunately, in the previous episode Melinda used her considerable charm to convince Rick to help her. So in this episode we get to see them as a great team as they figure out what the various signs mean and where the disaster on May 11, 2007 is going to happen.

What’s in store for Ghost Whisperer in season three? The cast and crew are keeping things under wraps for now so we don’t know very much. But some information has leaked out from the Grandview set. For example, we know that Ann Archer is coming back to play Melinda’s mother Beth in the first episode of season three, “The Underneath” (click here for episode information). Other cast members include a young Melinda and a young Beth so it is very likely we are going to learn something about their family history.

We also know that professor Payne is going to be a full time cast member. And another character, Justin Yates, who takes some pictures in the first episode which show something about Mel’s abilities is being added to the show. We also know from interviews that we are going to learn a lot more about Mel’s past and her unique connection to Grandview. Jennifer herself has said that Melinda didn’t choose to move to the town – the town chose her!

What do you think season three holds for us?

Tonight Ghost Whisperer returns to its regular Friday time slot for a repeat showing of episode 221, “The Prophet.” It is the beginning of the second season finale, where the various messages Melinda has been getting all this season start to come together in a way we can understand them. In particular, a shadowy figure called The Prophet gives Mel visions that show several children know what she can do and are trying to warn her of a coming disaster. (Check out the episode page here.)

After tonight’s show, we will have to wait three weeks for the second part of the finale, “The Gathering”, on September 21. The week after that the third season of Ghost Whisperer kicks off with “The Underneath.” Until then, we will just have to content ourselves with the release of the season 2 DVD set for September 18 according to Amazon.com.

– The Bears

As Ghost Whisperer season 2 winds to its close, we get to watch this week's repeat episode on Saturday night (to make room for preseason football Friday). In "The Ghost Within", Melinda is confused and scared because the spirit won't talk to her. Turns out he didn't talk to anyone much when he was alive, either, because he is autistic. Before she crosses him over, we (along with Mel) get a pretty good short course in what life is like for two people with this disability. (Check out the episode page here.)

This was Rick Payne's second episode and he has two very interesting meetings with Melinda. In the first one, she continues to try to get help from him without saying why she wants it. But it's the second meeting that's really interesting because she lets herself be vulnerable in front of Rick. We think it might mean she is starting to trust the good professor.

On a side note, The Bears have checked the TV Guide site two weeks ahead and reluctantly accept that Futon Critic must be correct that all that we have left after tomorrow of the summer repeats is the two part season finale. The first part, "The Prophet", airs August 31 and the second, "The Gathering", airs September 21. A "Jericho" repeat will be shown in GW's time-slot on September 7 and we don't know what on September 14. Oh, well, it was nice to think for a while that we would get to see the last four episodes of season 2 consecutively as a bang-up lead-in to season 3. Even so, The Bears are happy for what ever GW they can get.

Cheers!

As you may have noticed, there are changes occurring in our melindaverse.com web site. The big one is we have added a section of news stories about the show and its cast. Right now you can get to them by going to the GW News link. Once there, you will have a choice of looking at recent photos or news stories (the photos are what was our old Events link). We hope you will check it out.

Currently the stories go back to May of this Year and the photos to January. We have a lot more material squirreled away in the cave and are planning to gradually add more older stories and photos as time permits. And, of course, we will try to get the latest news and photos up quickly.

Adding the news section has made us realize the original design of our site is getting somewhat awkward to navigate. So we expect to make some major organizational changes in the next few weeks. If possible, we would like to get these changes in place before the new season of Ghost Whisperer starts and we have to deal with all the new material.

– The Bears and Rodney

This week’s episode – “The Cradle Will Rock” #216 – puts Melinda and Delia in the middle of a jewelry store robbery. But this is Ghost Whisperer, after all, and soon Mel finds herself taken hostage along with a reluctant spirit. Check out the summary here.