User Reviews

Jessica Ava Collins plays twin sisters, one of whom has drowned, in GHOST, INTERRUPTED. The surviving twin has been placed in a mental hospital, the result of being occasionally possessed by her dead sister. Melinda attempts to reunite the sisters, but the ghost is feeling rather spiteful because she believes their father favors the living daughter. It doesn't help that the girls' mother isn't buying any of this. Collins is very convincing in dual roles. I had to look at the credits to make sure the twins weren't being played by real-life twins. By this episode, we begin to be aware of other ghosts wandering in and out of Melinda's life, not all of whom can be helped.

Girls, Interrupted is one of my all time favorite psychological drama film ever. Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie are wonderful actresses and even if the characters are quite disturbed it's easy to understand them and share their sorrow. So after watching The Crossing the only reason that made me watch this one is because it's a spin-off of the film. Generally when it comes to rewriting a story the new production is really good or really bad. In this case the episode was really good.

The best thing about it is Jessica Collins's performance as Natalie and Zoe Harper. What a well inspired idea to merge the film characters into twin sisters. They're like the sides of the same coin. Natalie was the white dove, the perfect daughter. Zoe was the dark horse, the big disappointment to her parents. In fact I really liked her Gothic-emo style, it perfectly contrasts with Natalie and Melinda's spirits. They're like angels and demons. It's the deep connection between them that made the episode so great. Sometimes it's like if Natalie was becoming Zoe. I really wished they would have covered their story on more than one episode, two at least. I also enjoyed the swimming challenge between them because it reminded me of Gattaca. My only real complain about this episode is the father scenes. The one when Melinda reveals him her secret is just ridiculous. So far I've watched it two times and even the second I couldn't help laughing at it. Fun is good but I don't think it was their intention. The actor's performance was also quite disappointing compared to Jessica's one. I would also have appreciated some more scenes with the mother because her relationship with Natalie seems quite controversial.

The other great thing about this episode was Melinda's story. In the Pilot and The Crossing we didn't learn much about her background, only that she can see dead people like the kid in The Sixth Sense. But in this one her relationship with her grand-mother was covered. It was beautifully done, funny and emotional. You really have to see Melinda with braces in her teenage years. Jennifer's acting was also quite good considering she had to hide her woman side, and what an apparel, to reveal who Melinda was at a younger age. A bit clumsy, caring deeply for her loving grandma, trying to understand what to do with her gift… The flashbacks were also well mixed with the present events because they occurred in the same places. I specially liked the way the institute room morphed into her grandma hospital. I can't see how you can restrain your tears watching the scene. I only wished it lasted a little bit longer, to make the process even more dramatic and keep crying like a little baby. In fact it reminded me of the film Ghost, its shooting scene.

So if the first two episodes didn't convince you to watch the show, this one will definitely change your mind. Jennifer is beautiful and her acting nearly perfect. Melinda's story is interesting and watching this episode made me curious about her boyfriend, how they met for example.

I can't help but think that this episode, along with the other early ones of the initial season, were what John Gray envisioned when he created the series . Just Melinda, Jim, grandma, and Andrea. No Professor Payne, Eli, Delia, Ned, or Carl. No Shinies and Shadows, mystical books, an underground town, supernatural evil forces. Closed episodes with happy endings.

This story succeeds principally due to the excellent portrayal of the twins, and the actresses' ability to flesh out two different personalities. The simplicity of the plot allows the viewer to concentrate on it.

Unfortunately, as the series continued, the need to come up with more outlandish ideas erased this simplicity.