And so we get into the meat of a 13-episode story line which starts with Jim's improbable death due to a shoulder wound, and leads on interminably to a final resolution. The writers had played around with spirit possession in previous episodes; notably "Last Execution" and "Pater Familias." But these entailed the spirit entering a living body. They propose that the ultimate result of a ghost inhabiting a dead body will be amnesia, which is what gives impulse to the whole collection.
Who came up with the concept and when is anybody's guess. Perhaps it was already in the works at the end of the previous season, with the missing-shadow finale. At any rate, the producers painted themselves into a major corner, especially through the use of Jim's body, which only the viewer sees, as a continuing character. By the end of the season, Sam disappears, and there are no more reflection shots of him.
Ironically, this episode provides David Conrad the most screen time he has on any of the shows. He habitually functioned as eye candy for the female viewers; his role of Alpha male being replaced by Payne, Eli, and even Aiden. Even throughout this stretch, his road to resurrection is a back story, giving way to whatever ghosts Melinda, who monopolized every episode, has to aid.
This pretty much signals the end of the series for, even though it lasted another season, the premises became more and more unbelievable. And when it had to go up against "Law and Order," it just could no longer attract viewers.
Who came up with the concept and when is anybody's guess. Perhaps it was already in the works at the end of the previous season, with the missing-shadow finale. At any rate, the producers painted themselves into a major corner, especially through the use of Jim's body, which only the viewer sees, as a continuing character. By the end of the season, Sam disappears, and there are no more reflection shots of him.
Ironically, this episode provides David Conrad the most screen time he has on any of the shows. He habitually functioned as eye candy for the female viewers; his role of Alpha male being replaced by Payne, Eli, and even Aiden. Even throughout this stretch, his road to resurrection is a back story, giving way to whatever ghosts Melinda, who monopolized every episode, has to aid.
This pretty much signals the end of the series for, even though it lasted another season, the premises became more and more unbelievable. And when it had to go up against "Law and Order," it just could no longer attract viewers.
