TV Review: BONES – Season 10 – “The Psychic in the Soup”

By RACHEL REITSLEFF / Contributing Writer

Posted: April 7th, 2015 / 04:51 PM

Stars: David Boreanaz, Emily Deschanel, Michaela Conlin, TJ Thyne, Tamara Taylor, John Boyd, Cyndi Lauper, Ignacio Serricchio, Gabrielle Dennis, Steven Williams Frankie Ingrassia, Gregory Zarian, Alex MacNicoll, Sunnie Pelant
Writer: Lena Waithe, series created by Hart Hanson, based on the life and writings of Kathy Reichs
Director: Jeannot Szwarc
Network: Fox, Thursdays @ 8 PM
Airdate: March 26, 2015

Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and Rodolfo Fuentes (guest star Ignacio Serricchio) stars in BONES "The Psychic in the Soup" | © 2015 Patrick McElhenney/FOX

BONES comes back for the second half of Season 10 with “The Psychic in the Soup,” which brings back Cyndi Lauper’s psychic Avalon Harmonia. Avalon claims she’s been told to visit the lab by the spirit of the late Dr. Lance Sweets. This information doesn’t get as far as Booth (David Boreanaz), who’d probably blow his cool completely if he heard about it. Angela (Michaela Conlin), who believes in Avalon’s abilities, is happy to have her around; Hodgins (TJ Thyne) is angry that Avalon presumes to speak for Sweets and forbids her to speak on the subject.

Booth and Brennan (Emily Deschanel) are both somewhat gloomy, as this day would have been Sweets’ thirtieth birthday. They are divided on daughter Christine’s (Sunnie Pelant) imaginary friend. Booth isn’t sure this is healthy, but Brennan thinks Christine has imagined a good and kind friend who is a positive influence.

A dead body hidden in a tree turns out to belong to a not-so-gifted psychic named Justine Simmons, whose father (Steven Williams) is a minister. Reverend Simmons was fully supportive of his daughter’s sexuality, though he wasn’t thrilled about her being a psychic, something he considers akin to witchcraft. Justine had a tendency to get involved with her female clients, then would break up with them. One ex threw something at her which caused an undetected brain injury; when another woman shoved Justine, the brain injury was made worse and killed her. Had the woman who shoved Justine simply called the police at the time, she might have avoided trouble, but hiding the body made things much worse. Since the woman has young children at home and had no murderous intent, Booth and Aubrey (John Boyd) get probation for her.

Back at the lab, Cam (Tamara Taylor) has a moral dilemma when she finds that intern Dr. Fuentes (Ignacio Serricchio) is smuggling medical supplies back to his native Cuba. It’s morally right, but legally wrong, and Fuentes is ready to leave the lab – except that Brennan, who is certain that morality trumps the law, uses Booth’s CIA contacts to send the drugs to Cuba on Fuentes’ behalf. The evidence is gone from the building and Cam is hardly going to fire Brennan, so Fuentes’ position at the lab is safe.

When Hodgins again expresses disbelief about Avalon’s abilities, Angela tells her husband that, as a scientist, he should have an open mind regarding the unknown. Hodgins decides Angela is right. Avalon claims to have a message from Sweets to get a thumb drive from his car, which Daisy is about to sell.

Christine, once again playing with her imaginary friend, says that he wants to hear a love story. Angela, Hodgins and Avalon bring the printout from the thumb drive to Booth and Brennan. It turns out to contain an edited version of the book Sweets had written about their relationship – the love story that Christine wanted to hear – and has a dedication saying how much Brennan and Booth enriched Sweets’ life. Avalon isn’t so sure Christine’s friend is all that imaginary.

On the plus side, Lauper is a lot of fun as Avalon and Brennan lecturing Booth on how Christine’s imaginary friend is pretty much the same as Booth’s belief in God is another of BONES’ cheerful displays of how faith and atheism can coexist in relative harmony within a relationship. The same-sex aspect of the investigation is treated naturally, i.e., the same way any relationship where a crime of passion is suspected. Angela’s observations on the way things move from “magic” to science are well-written and well-delivered, and the medical supplies issue is given just the right amount of screen time to make its points and give Taylor, Descanel and Serricchio some good scenes.

So what’s wrong? However much the viewers and the characters miss the late Dr. Lance Sweets, it’s hard to feel much nostalgia for some of his horrifyingly unprofessional behavior as a psychiatrist. The book about Brennan and Booth, which he started while they were his patients, was just about the worst of this, started without their consent and naming them both. Yes, they both gave their consent and corrected his misconceptions and yes, Sweets evidently edited out the professional aspect. Still, of all the things that could have been resurrected from Sweets’ years on the show to serve as a loving remembrance, it’s hard to think of anything besides that book that could show the character in a more negative light.

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TV Review: BONES – Season 10 – “The Psychic in the Soup”

A decent episode that gives everyone something to do, though it resurrects one of the show’s biggest mistakes

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TV Review: BONES – Season 10 – “The Psychic in the Soup”

A decent episode that gives everyone something to do, though it resurrects one of the show’s biggest mistakes

Article Source: Assignment X Article: TV Review: BONES – Season 10 – “The Psychic in the Soup”

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Article: TV Review: BONES – Season 10 – “The Psychic in the Soup”