Bones – Season 8 Episode 9 – Recap – The Ghost in the Machine
TVEpisode 9 of Bones Season 8 was both creepy and nauseating to watch. Literally. The executive producers decided to shoot this episode “through the eyes of Colin’s spirit.” Throughout the entire episode, the camera angles were shot as though Colin—the murder victim—was watching. I still feel dizzy after watching this episode. 
Also, two famous individuals guest-starred in this episode: Cyndi Lauper and Justin James Hughes!
Check out the recap for “The Ghost in the Machine”:
The Jeffersonian Team found a skull—of a pubescent, teenaged boy—in an abandoned greenhouse. Brennan (Emily Deschanel) estimated the boy’s age to be about 13 or 14. Hodgins (T.J. Thyne) and Booth (David Boreanaz) immediately made this connection to their own sons: Michael & Parker, respectively…. since they hate working on cases involving under-age-18 murder victims.
In the lab, Angela (Michaela Conlin) invited Psychic Avalon (Cyndi Lauper) to take a look at the boy’s skull. Avalon immediately said, “I heard him calling, I heard him Colin.” I think it’s impressive that she knew his name right off the bat. She’s such a cool psychic. Aside from Angela, however, none of the Jeffersonian Team believed in psychics, so they shooed her away.
Psychic Avalon
Angela’s job was to give him a face, and Brennan’s duty was to give him a voice. His time of death was two years ago during the Autumn season, and his full name was Colin Gibson. (Angela also found his record on the missing person’s list). Colin’s parents also came by the lab to take a look at Colin’s remains. It must be so weird to see your own kid’s bare bones!
The team found a paint chip from a 1987 Chevy El Camino on Colin’s bones. This vehicle was registered under Colin’s dad’s name…. but Colin’s friends actually stole the car so that they could take it for a joyride & perform stunts with. Two years ago: when Colin was aged 14 & all of his friends were aged 17+, Colin was performing a skateboarding/surfing stunt on the hood of this car. He stood on the hood of the car while his friend Sean (Justin James Hughes) drove. Sean drove over a bump causing Colin to fall forward, break his neck, and die. Thereafter, Sean panicked and hid the body.
The driver: Sean
Colin also had a major crush on his older female friend, Miranda. Since she was three years older than him, she only saw him as a little brother. He created a mixed tape for her, and he even recorded a video of him singing an original song while playing acoustic guitar. Avalon also spotted Colin in the lab. (She was the only person who could physically see him in the flesh).
When Avalon saw Colin…
In the final scene, we saw the return of “dancing phalanges” and Booth+Brennan’s couple’s song, “Hot Blooded”! Booth & Brennan is probably my favorite on-screen couple of all time.
The next episode airs Monday, 1/14, at 8pm ET on FOX! This show just gets better and better! I love it! I hope it never ends. I can’t believe we have to wait a month for the next episode, though.
