Recap: Monica the Medium, Episode 5 “Heaven on Hold”

Monica is a tired lassie, there’s a lot on her plate and her heavy schedule of readings has her drained both emotionally and physically. Communicating with the dead is a lot more than simply listening, there’s an unseen energy exchange that takes a toll on the reader. Thankfully there’s plenty of water in her extra-huge glass, because gurl needs to hydrate!

Monica’s sister’s are visiting (yay!) and they’re celebrating big sis Vanessa’s recent promotion (double yay!). At the sisters’ celebratory lunch, Monica’s spider senses start to tingle and her attention is drawn to two girls sitting at the restaurant’s bar. Monica asks her sisters to wait in the bathroom (Oh no, she didn’t. Oh, yes she did) or at another table while she gives a message to one of the woman. Vanessa and Joanna roll their eyes and take the pizza with them, but not to the bathroom, because that’d be gross. The sit at a nearby table and shoot daggers at their sister. Not really — maybe a little.

Monica approaches a woman named Kela who agrees to receive a message from her fiancée. (The deceased was also the cousin of the other woman at the bar). Joshua died as a result of an epileptic seizure that led to him crashing his truck. Joshua knows Kela still agonizes for him and the fight that led to that fateful drive. Joshua wants her to remember the good times and forgive herself. He also apologizes for the actions of his family, who blame her for his death. This message is the answer to Kela’s prayers and she feels like she can finally move on with her life.

Once Monica is done helping Kela, she has to face the wrath of her sisters, and they are pissed!! I know they’re resentful that they’ve been dismissed, but aren’t they even a bit proud that their sister has the ability to give comfort to people in pain? After lunch, Monica ditches her sisters to get interviewed for a student documentary.

Monica meets with Chelsea the documentarian and her cameraperson, which is a surreal moment because a camera crew making a documentary about Monica, is filming another camera crew making a documentary about Monica. Monica reveals that she doesn’t open herself to negative energy or earthbound energy. “I’m not a Ghostbuster,” Monica says in an interview. The interviewer tells Monica that she believes that she as a ghost in her apartment, who she and her roommates have dubbed “Geppetto.” The girls keep a log of the things “he” does and although it goes against what Monica usually does, she agrees to visit the girl’s apartment. Monica feels it’s urgent and she breaks more plans with her sisters. Joanna and Vanessa are doubly pissed.

Monica goes to the apartment that Chelsea shares with four other girls. And there is a guy there who seems gleefully skeptical. One of the girls, Erin’s grandfather comes through and reveals that he still sits next to his wife in the matching chairs that were in their home. Erin’s pseudo-grandfather, Billy, also came through. Then a spirit came through for the group’s skeptic, Dylan, and he found himself believing in the possibility of beyond.

Monica rushes home to spend time with her sisters, but they’re not there. When Krista, Vanessa and Joanna get back, it’s Monica’s turn to be upset. It’s not payback, but it is turnabout. Monica stamps into her room and goes to bed.

The next morning, the tensions are still high, but Monica has clients coming over. Terri and Nikki have several spirits who want to come through, but one — a man named Chris — is extremely pushy and eager to talk. (That’s got to be a good feeling — to be so beloved that people line up for a chance to say “Hi!”) Chris reveals that his death happened because he fell asleep at the wheel. Chris tells Nikki that is proud that their son chose to donate Chris’ organs; the son believed that no other child should lose their parent. Nikki feels guilty that she encouraged her husband to go out that night, and wishes she had kept her husband from going out with work friends that night. He tells his wife that it was his time, and she needs to let go of the burden of that decision. It’s a message that calms Nikki. Personally, it makes me feel powerless.

After her reading, Monica leaves to go to the haunted apartment again, further pissing off her sisters. “We don’t drive here to hang out with each other,” says Joanna. She continues, “if she spends the rest of her life, putting her work before her personal life, she’s not going to have much left.” I agree, Joanna. You knew her first and you called dibbs long before Spirit.

Monica is big-hearted and doesn’t want to miss out on the chance to offer closure to people whom she may not see again. But maybe she needs to hand out cards when she’s out and about and feels the presence of their loved ones and encourage people to come for a reading. If Monica can’t create safe boundaries for herself, where will she draw the line? Her wedding day? A professional interview? And what if the people she’s approaching aren’t in a receptive mood? What if she interrupted someone’s engagement? Or breakup?

Monica goes back to the haunted apartment, where she burns sage and sprinkles holy water around the apartment. She sees a man in her mind’s eye that she dubs “Geppetto” whose granddaughter may have lived in the apartment. His granddaughter had a hard time with his passing, so he stayed behind and got used to being in the apartment. When she moved out, he stayed. Monica says he’s a funny guy and likes playing with the girls, although isn’t trying to scare them. Why didn’t she ask his real name? or get him to move along?

Monica is back home and gets to help her sisters and roomies make a tasty dinner. Monica brings out a beautiful cake as a peace offering and vows to spend more time with the people in her life who are alive. That’s a good idea, because pissed off live folks can smack you.

More about Monica the Medium
Recap: Monica The Medium, Episode 4: “Junior Slump” 
Recap: Monica the Medium, Episode 3: “Spirit Needs an Office”
Recap: Monica the Medium, Episode 2: “Spirit at Work”
Recap: Monica the Medium, Episode 1: “Blind Date Surprise”
About Monica Ten-Kate

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