Oh i loved this episode too. It was so different and so completely moving. Although i did not really get why he was able to choose to go into the light and not be reborn. IF he had gone into the light previously (didn't he say that or was it simply that he saw it but did not go into) then why would him going this time mean he would not be reborn.
I wonder if they will have melinda get pregnant in the near future. I thought it was a very interesting way to have her agree she was ready.
SPOILERThe issue was this: He had gone into the light and had seen many things he'd done that hurt other people, and he had been horrified by (or frightened of) what he saw. He then found himself back in the world, but as a ghost or spirit.
What saved him was overhearing the dicussion between Melinda and her husband. His wanting a child, and her being willing to give him one even when she wasn't sure the timing was right, was -- as he told her --the first time he'd ever witnessed anyone doing anything so generous for a loved one. That, and the fact that he told her he wouldn't fight being born again if she was to be his mother, brought the light. And Melinda, realizing that he finally had the opportunity to move on, rather than try another lifetime, told him he should go.
She only wanted one thing from him, and that was for him to tell his sister how he felt about her. As you may recall, the sister said he could be very selfish, and that she never knew if he appreciated anything she had done for him...but that he could be so charming and lovable when he was happy that she hoped he'd one day realize how much she loved him.
The result for Melinda and hubby, of course, was that she turned out not to be pregnant. This topic has been brought up before in this season, and I'm not certain what the writers/producer (i.e, Love Hewitt) will do to reconcile it.
I greatly fear they're going to kill off another key character before this season ends.