GHOST WHISPERER - 4.19 Thrilled to Death

GHOST WHISPERER
Episode 4.19 Thrilled to Death

Original Airdate: 10 April 2009

Filmed in Los Angeles, Jan. 2009
Rating: 2.5/10.23 million viewers


Script by Laurie McCarthy & Jeannine Renshaw
Directed by Gloria Muzio

Cast:
Jennifer Love Hewitt (Melinda Gordon)
David Conrad (Jim Clancy)
Camryn Manheim (Delia Banks)
Jamie Kennedy (Eli James)

Christoph Sanders (Ned Banks)


Guest stars:

Kenneth Mitchell (Sam Lucas)
Hilary Duff (Morgan Jeffries)
Currie Graham (Rick Hartman)
Kieren Hutchison (Jack Pimsler)
Dariush Kashani (Bobby Tooch)
Susan Ruttan (Mrs. Blakelock)
Tom Wright (Councelor)
Debi Gutierrez (Wife)

 

Ghost Whisperer

Ghost Whisperer centers around Melinda Gordon - a woman with a unique gift. She can communicate with earthbound spirits or ghosts who cling to the living because they have unfinished business in our world preventing them from "crossing over" or going into the light. Inspired in part by the work of famed medium James Van Praagh and of Mary Ann Winkowski, a real-life communicator with earth bound spirits, Ghost Whisperer explores the spiritual side of life and death.

 

In Thrilled to Death Kieren Hutchison guest stars as Jack Pimsler, an organizer of adventure tours the ghost had booked before his death. This is his only scene in the episde.


FULL EPISODE SYNOPSIS (spoiler!)

Eli's neighbor Morgan is haunted by a ghost. Fleeing from a nightmare that had her floating under the ceiling, the young woman collides with Eli in the hall. She begs for his help. Following Morgan into her appartment, Eli notices a strange light behind the window and the curtains moving, even though the window is closed. Then he hears a man's voice asking 'Do you want to die?'. Eli is rattled and goes to Melinda for help.

Together they return to Morgan to question her. The young woman claims not to know anyone who recently died. Melinda sees the ghost and experiences the frightening sensation of falling to her death. Eli catches her, before she falls from where she stands.

Back in Eli's office, Melinda deducts from the nature of Morgan's nightmares and her own experience that the ghost died falling. The billowing curtains provide the vital clue and lead Melinda and Eli to a newspaper article about a man called Rick Hartman, who recently died in a freak parachuting accident, when his parachute failed to open. Melinda recognises the man in the photo as the ghost she saw. They are puzzled that Rick and Morgan knew each other, as they don't seem to have anything in common and there is a 15 year age difference between them. Since Morgan claimed not to know anyone who recently died, Melinda suggests that Eli talks to someone from the Xtreme Action Adventure company, who organised the trip on which Rick died.

Eli meets Jack Pimsler in a coffee shop, pretending to be interested in booking a tour. Jack is the company's founder and president. From Eli's questions Jack quickly realises that he has a different agenda. After Eli assures him that he is not looking to make trouble for Jack or his company or lay blame, but is trying to help a young woman to get her life back, Jack tells him that Rick Hartman was a typical pencil pusher who one day turned up and started booking the most dangerous tours. It seemd to Jack like he either got addicted to the thrill or, perhaps, had a death wish.

Eli tells Melinda what Jack had told him and that the death of Rick Hartman might have been suicide. A visit to Hartman's appartment seems to confirm this theory. The place is very clean and tidy, and Eli finds medication in the bathroom suggesting that Rick had cancer. In a drawer Melinda discovers a 'bucket list'. Most of the items are checked, but a few remain open. The last item on the list is 'Morgan'. They wonder what that could mean.

Back at his appartment building Eli wants to talk to Morgan again, but she's not home. In the hallway he meets a nosy neighbour, who recognises Rick Hartman from the photo Eli shows her and identifies him as Morgan's friend. The woman had overheard snippets of conversation that suggest both went to some sort of group therapy together.

More research leads Eli to a cancer support group, where he finds out that Morgan and Rick met there and that Morgan is also suffering from cancer.

When Eli and Melinda pay another visit to Morgan, Rick Hartman's ghost meets them in the hall and asks them to leave Morgan alone. Melinda replies that he is the problem. Rick then tells them that he is frustrated because Morgan gave up the fight against cancer and that he is trying to scare her back into taking therapy. He disappears when Morgan opens the door.

Melinda and Eli confront Morgan with what they have learned and she claims, she didn't tell them about Rick because she did not want them to know how they met. Morgan says she tried every possible treatment in vain and the only one left to try is one she cannot afford. Melinda asks about Morgan's family, Morgan replies that she does not want to bleed them dry for something that is eventually useless.

Eli, who likes the young woman, is set on informing Morgan's family anyhow. But while looking for them, Melinda and Eli find out, that Morgan's parents died when she was only 16 and she was already married twice to terminally ill men, who since have died. Melinda thinks Morgan is a black widow and not ill at all.

When Melinda and Eli return to Morgan to demand an explanation, they find her appartment deserted. The nosy neighbour tells them that Morgan has moved out and left no forwarding address. Rick Hartman appears. He feels betrayed by Morgan. He gave his life so that she could use the insurance money to pay for the expensive treatment she talked about and now it all turns out to be a lie. He wants revenge.

Melinda and Eli go to the cancer center to ask for an address but the only thing they find out, is that Morgan donated all the money she inherited from Rick to the center. Melinda and Eli are puzzled. They want to find Morgan before Rick gets to her.

On the streets everyone gets ready to watch the lunar eclipse. Melinda remembers that this was an item on Rick's 'bucket list'. They drive back to the appartment building and arrive just in time on the roof, to save Morgan from falling. She had stumbled when Rick had scared her and had been hanging from the roof with her grip weakening. Morgan tells them everything changed for her when Rick really cared for her. Rick understands and forgives her. Together the watch the lunar eclipse and when it has passed, Morgan scatters his ashes from the urn she has picked up and Rick goes into the light.

Meanwhile, Jim is slowly accepting his new life as Sam.

Ghost Whisperer © Copyright CBS 2005-2009
Synopsis by Ute Lafin

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Kieren Hutchison