Season 8's "The Ghost in the Machine" holds the lowest rating of any episode of Bones on IMDb, with a paltry 6.6 stars out of 10. Most episodes of Bones hover between 7 and 8 stars, but apparently, people aren't keen on an entire episode shot from the POV of a child's skull.
Yeah, you read that right. This entire episode is shot from the perspective of the skull of the victim, a teen skater named Colin, with a whole unrequited love subplot. Perhaps done in homage to the MASH episode "Point of View," everything we see in the episode happens in front of the remains. The thing is, suspects and victims' families don't usually go to the Jeffersonian Institute, which houses the lab, on Bones. Interrogations and interviews usually happen at the FBI, so they feel incredibly awkward and ham-fisted happening in front of Colin.
"The Ghost in the Machine" is one of the more supernatural episodes as well. Cyndi Lauper's recurring character, psychic Avalon, comes to the Jeffersonian to tell the crimefighters that Colin's spirit is calling out to her. He can't pass on until his unfinished business is resolved, which turns out to be confessing his feelings for a crush. Whether for the schmaltzy denouement, the gimmicky staging, or the big supernatural energy, the episode ranks very low among many Bones fans. And we can't say that we blame them.
