The much-awaited 150th episode of Bones “The Ghost in the Machine” provided a poignant and touching look at a teenager’s death and how it affected the Jeffersonian team. It proved to be one of the best episodes of season 8 of Bones and provided a unique perspective to the solving of the case. What follows is a recap, so naturally spoilers are included from this episode.
Bones opens with the camera looking up at Brennan (Emily Deschanel) from the viewpoint of the skull. The skull was covered by wasps and found in a greenhouse. Booth (David Boreanaz) looks upset when Brennan identifies the victim as a kid, while both Hodgins (T.J. Thyne) and Brennan get emotional when faced with the death of a child.
Avalon Harmony (Cyndi Lauper) comes to the Jeffersonian after hearing someone call her. Hodgins remains skeptical of her while Angela (Michaela Conlin) is more reflective. Harmony thinks the victim has unfinished business while the rest of the Jeffersonian team remains skeptical of her abilities, with Cam (Tamara Taylor) helping to usher her out.
The teenage boy was small but active and fit. Angela and Hodgins try to believe that the boy was not killed by his parents. Hodgins uses a wasp’s nest to create a timeline of when the victim died.
Angela talks to the skull to try to find out who he was, describing her role as finding out who he was. Again, the episode is through the victim’s eyes. Brennan shoots down the idea of a soul, calling it an myth that transcends cultures. Angela IDs the victim as 14-year-old Collin Gibson, causing Brennan to break out into tears.
Hodgins tells Collin that they usually try to separate themselves emotionally from the victims, pointing out his surprise at Brennan’s lack of composure. Meanwhile, Cam tries to send a message to her mother through Collin, telling the audience that she believes in a spirit world.
The body was moved and buried, hence the wasp infestation. Hodgins cleans up the bones before Collin’s parents come to see the bones. Cam emphasizes respecting the dead while Brennan reveals that his spinal cord was severed, instantly causing his death.
His parents tell the Jeffersonian team that Collin was athletic and smart, but not really a team player. He had lots of friends. His parents say goodbye, once again through the skull’s perspective. The victim fell to his death, as Brennan tries to figure out why he was moving so fast. It is interesting to see Brennan talk to the victim, as unlike the others on the Jeffersonian team, she is less emotional.
Collin’s friends bring in his skateboard and his CD to help the Jeffersonian team figure out the circumstances behind his disappearance and death.
Harmony barges into Hodgins’ office insisting to talk to Collin, saying “he’s really sad,” but leaves without finding out why. Booth needs to interview the dad as his car fragments are on Collin’s skateboard. After evaluating Collin’s social media presence, Sweets (John Francis Daley) and Angela determine he was a normal, happy friend. Using her womanly wisdom and the mix-tape, Angela concludes that Collin had a crush on his 17-year-old friend Miranda.
Deeply affected by the case, Brennan takes Collin home in order to figure out what was bothering her. Viewers get to see a glimpse of baby Christine while Booth explains that Collin’s dad fell apart during questioning. Brennan figures out that the discoloration on the skull is due to light. Booth says a prayer for the victim, revealing that is a battlefield prayer. Meanwhile Brennan asks why Booth has not made her a mix-tape. What songs would you put on their mix-tape?
Finding a hood ornament from Collin’s father’s car, Booth and Brennan determine that the abandoned house was where Collin’s body was dumped after he died. Brennan figures out that Collin was trying to impress his friends by surfing on his father’s vehicle while it was in motion and lost his balance, falling and killing himself. Brennan explains his foolish decision through his lack of a developed frontal lobe.
Bringing his friends in, they tell how Collin died as well as how his body was moved twice. As the friends squabble among themselves, they reveal the truth and the guilt they felt. His crush Miranda did not know anything about how he died. Still convinced that Collin is still there despite the closing of the case, Harmony convinces Angela to take another look. Angela and Brennan discover a video of Collin singing to Miranda at the end of his mix-tape. Cameron Defario plays Collin Gibson in “The Ghost in the Machine” on Bones, using his excellent singing talents to pack an emotional punch to an already intense episode.
Brennan tries to teach Christine the bones in the hand while asking how soon it is for her to learn the periodic table. Booth decides to make Brennan a mix-tape, starting off with “their” song, the Foreigner song, “Hot Blooded.”
“The Ghost in the Machine” was an emotional 150th episode for the Bones team. It was strange looking through the eyes of the victim, however powerful, as it provided a more human face to the case. Do you think Bones has lived up to its promises to the fans? Do you like this season of Bones? How would you compare this to the 100th episode of the series?
Photo Credit: Fox Broadcasting
We want to hear your thoughts on this topic!
Write a comment below or submit an article to Hypable.