Last week’s 100th episode was a tough act to follow. We couldn’t expect an episode as action packed as ‘Implosion’ was this week but we were given spooky episode that, even if somewhat a “filler episode” because we didn’t learn a lot of new tidbits about the Shadows, helped push the issue about the Shadows and them wanting children a bit further.

‘Old Sins Cast Long Shadows’ was yet another rather dark episode of the series this season. Madame Greta looked so spooky and scary that I’m glad I forgot to record the episode on Friday so I couldn’t watch it on my return around 11 p.m. and had to watch the episode online during the day (which is why my review is late as I had to wait for it to be online). Yes, I scare that easy.

“Don’t come back. You’ll be dead too,” said Cassidy to Melinda through the old mirror. It was 100000% certain that Melinda wouldn’t die if she went back to the house — and we knew she would — but she could have gotten really injured because the Shadows were all over the place and Madame Greta was quite evil as well.

One day, I hope that the writers have Melinda be so injured that she can’t do her “normal” saving ghosts stories and that Eli and Ned must work together to have someone cross over on their own. Even if Eli is less annoying and a more established character — plus Jamie Kennedy’s acting did improve when compared to his first few episodes — you have to admit that his gift has been underused this season. When was the last time he heard a ghost?

This week, Eli was in a house filled with ghosts and it was like he couldn’t hear/feel a thing. Ned seemed to sense the ghosts more — especially at the beginning of the episode — than Eli did and Ned doesn’t have powers… at least, not that we know for clear yet. We know he is sort of “chosen” though because he got the Book to reappear to him.

Speaking of the Book, I’m a bit bummed that Ned told the others that it rewrote itself in his Economics book. It would have caused great tension and discovery if Ned kept it a secret but studied it to help learn more about the Shadows, the Shinies, etc., and that he would have to confess he had it to the others in a critical moment near May Sweeps.

The storyline with Cassidy, Naomi, and Madame Greta playing medium when she was alive and now bringing souls to the Shadows was interesting. As I’ve pointed out in the intro of this post, we didn’t learn a lot this week about the Shadows but the episode set the stage for upcoming revelations: why do the Shadows need children so bad, are there other people/ghosts working for the Shadows to bring them souls, why weren’t the Shinies nearby to protect Cassidy, etc.

One beef I have about this episode is the 360 Delia took at the end of the episode. It made sense in the beginning of the episode to have her walk away from anything ghostly and want Ned to stop helping Melinda as well. After all, it took Delia a long time to accept Melinda’s gift and the fact that Ned wanted to help and study the occult. Therefore, Delia was in character when wanting to stay away from it all after the Shadows and Melinda’s world almost killed her and destroyed her office. I would have preferred having Delia be mad for a few more episodes. It would have fitted her character more, no?

But having Delia miraculously know where the gang was and that the key to save them was to turn on the car’s headlights was too much a stretch for me. Yes, she sort of explains why she changed her mind at the end of the episode. But it still doesn’t make sense that she knew what to do. There is no way she heard Ned say that they needed to turn on the headlights as it was too noisy and he was inside while she was outside.

I asked it before but I’ll ask it again, where were the Shinies in all this? Wouldn’t they want to help protect Cassidy, Naomi and the male ghost but, more importantly, help Melinda and co. take down the Shadows and Madame Greta?

One thing is certain, we will see the house again and the small boy who entered it at the end of the episode. It’s so not over.

What’s your take on this week’s episode? Do you agree with my comments about Delia and the need to have Eli use his powers again? Why do you think the Shadows need children so bad?

Watch ‘Old Sins Cast Long Shadows’ Episode Online

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