The Priest in the Churchyard

Season 2, Episode 17, Aired
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Episode Summary

A water main bursts in the middle of a cemetery, leaving coffins littering the grounds. Brennan is called in to identify the remains so they can be reburied. When she finds the remains, she discovers that some have only been there for five years, even though she was told that no one was buried there for fifty years. Meanwhile, Booth decides to bring Brennan in to see his shrink so that they can work on getting their relationship back on track. Also, things get intense between Hodgins and Angela when Hodgins makes a bold move.moreless
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Fan Episode Reviews (28)

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  • Tensions all round

    8.5
    "Great"
    By tanargue, Sep 03, 2011 Report Abuse
    Ignore the crime line concentrate on the personality clashes.
    This episode is more about the problems that Brennan and Booth are having in their relationship than about solving the murder.Because their beliefs are at variance they seem to be arguing all the time. Booth is such a religious person and Brennan is an agnostic - one who believes that we know nothing beyond material phenomena. She is forever sniping at his beliefs both in God and in the ways of his Roman Catholicchurch. This drives them to seeing Dr Wyatt together.
    Wyatt reckons that their difficulties lie not with believing that she didn't go with Sully because of Booth but in another direction. We know better, so does Angela.
    Angela and Hodgins also are having problems - except in the Egyptian storeroom at lunchtime!! Only Zack and Cam seem to be problem free.
    Oh, they also manage to track down the murderer!moreless

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    0 0

  • "Can't you be satisfied that if I'm wrong about God I'll burn in Hell?"

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Angel2408, Sep 03, 2011 Report Abuse
    Obviously this exclamation of Bones doesn't satisfy Booth as he makes her go to see Dr.Wyatt with him.

    But back to the beginning. The new case leads Booth and Brennan to investigate a murder where the body was buried illegally in a sacred Churchyard. Since Bones does not believe in the "magic" and "wandwaving ways" of the Church she antagonizes not only the Priest but also Booth, who thinks they cannot work this way. So they go to see Dr.Wyatt who promises them to put their relationship in order again.

    This is a brilliant episode with a great storyline that puts Bones and Booth in square corners about their personal belief systems. The talks to the psychiatrist both in tandem and individually are great fun to watch as guest star Stephen Fry burns the screen with both leads.

    The best line comes from Angela, who brought it all to a simple conclusion : "Journeys end in lovers meeting, every wise man's son doth know."moreless

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    4 1

  • Full of insights on the two main characters.

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By HurryUpSlowly, Sep 03, 2011 Report Abuse
    I'll ignore the case plot line, as I was much more interested in the 'psychological' stuff going on. Also, since I'm posting this review a long time after the episode was aired, I guess a lot has been said already.

    Religion. Definitely an issue that Brennan and Booth will always disagree on ('she refers to God as my invisible friend', he says about her; 'Well, you talk to someone who isn't there!' she replies).

    You have to love Gordon Wyatt (having spent some time in the UK, I know Stephen Fry is a super-famous person there). It's funny how sometimes in US shows they use a British character to bring a note of sophistication to the show - and Wyatt is no exception. The guy's quotes Shakespeare (and William Blake) non stop, for God's sake!

    So here's to the main character development bit. Wyatt says 'What now is proved was once only imagined. The rat, the mouse, the fox, the rabbit, watch the roots; the lion, the tiger, the horse, the elephant, watch the fruits. The system contains, the fountain... overflows.'. To which we're thoroughly entitled to say 'uh?'. So I checked the quote out (it's from William Blake's Marriage of Heaven and Hell) and came up with this.

    It's a tribute to the writers' skill in this episode that they manage to say so much with one single quote. Of course, as Wyatt realises, Brennan and Booth's relationship is 'opposites attract' - reason versus emotion, science versus intuition. Which is exactly what Blake was obsessed with. Beautifully done (although I think it's meant so that the characters don't realise that yet). And, as Angela in Shakespearian mood puts it: 'journeys end in lovers' meeting, every wise man's son doth know'.

    Overall, a pretty romantic episode disguised as a therapy session.moreless

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    3 1

  • Proof of how dangerous gossip can be.

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By whiteraven2005, Sep 03, 2011 Report Abuse
    A very funny episode, Brennan's take on religion is always hilarious and makes her very cuttingly witty. Throw in tension with Booth and the interference by Wyatt and this is a fun episode.

    It's so cool that Brennan finally meets Wyatt, they'll get alone famously. Despite Brennan's dislike for psychiatry, he's an unusual psychiatrist. All this bickering and tension is coming from somewhere and Booth is extremely aggressive suddenly about the lab and Brennan. The core of contention is Sully but I think the shrink gave them the easy answer to ease the tension and not the real one, letting them figure it out for themselves.

    I enjoyed this one, Brennan's hilarious irreverence about religion while not falling into easy pitfall of making one or more of the priests actually being bad, which would have disappointed me. So many shows make the priest the villain and as much as I dislike religion, it's tired. It was a nice touch to have the murder based on idle gossip which is so often more hurtful than truth.moreless

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    2 1

  • this was a good ep

    8.5
    "Great"
    By cube2k8, Jan 07, 2011 Report Abuse
    in this ep of the show bones she and booth are called to a cemitary out side the church and they start to learn after looking at the graves a man was murderd. and buried there. and they start to go investgating but thing is bones and booth are having problems togeather working things out. and so they go and see a shrink. and they start to do more digging and come accross these gossip rumors of a old prist and a new one touching kids. but there just ing rumores and they start to do more digging and accuse the father of the church of posing them but thing is he was covering for a girl that was taken in by the church years ago. and she was accept that they were touching kids but the father said it was never proven and only rummors . and this was a good epmoreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • Goof: In the first season episode "The Man in the Fallout Shelter" the characters may have been exposed to coccidiomycosis (Valley Fever) and had to be quarantined for 3 days. In this episode, when they may have been exposed to the same fungal spores, they are not quarantined. Edit

  • Notes

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    • David Burke (Father Matthew Sands) also played a priest on various episodes of Joan of Arcadia (as Father Ken Mallory). Edit
    • Soren Fulton was nominated for the 2008 Young Artist Award for "Best Performance in a TV Series - Guest Starring Young Actor" for playing "James Levay" in this episode. Edit
    • International Air Dates: Denmark: Tuesday May 1st, 2007 on TV3 Spain: Friday June 1st, 2007 Portugal: Wednesday August 29th, 2007 Belgium: Friday December 14th, 2007 on RTL-TVI Germany: Thursday December 27th, 2007 France: Friday March 21st, 2008 on M6 Australia: Thursday, June 12th, 2008 on Network 7 Finland: Friday, August 29th, 2008 on Sub Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Angela: Hey, have you noticed anything going on between Brennan and Booth? Hodgins: This sounds good. Angela: There is tension ... ever since Brennan let Sully sail off into the sunset without her. Hodgins: No I didn't notice. But then again I didn't notice you didn't want to live with me either. Angela: Hodgins. Hodgins: If you are getting cold feet ... Angela: You are the only one that would feel them. Edit
    • Booth: Yeah, you know, I got no problem with this place. It's where Bones and the squints get their answers. See? Gordon: Thumbs in the belt. That's a very aggressive stance ... very male. (Booth crosses his arms) Gordon: Crossed arms. Defensive. (Booth shoves his hands into his pockets) Gordon: Disdain. But let's not worry about what you do with your hands. Edit
    • Gordon: What now is proved was once only imagined. The rat, the mouse, the fox, the rabbit, want the roots; the lion, the tiger, the horse, the elephant, watch the fruits. The system contains, the fountain ... overflows. Booth: What? Gordon: Oh come now, surely you get the reference. Brennan: William Blake. Gordon: Yes. Blake is telling us that we're all at the mercy of our fundamental natures. Nonsense of course, but when we understand our natures, we understand the resulting conflicts. Booth: What? Brennan: I hate psychology. Gordon: As do I. It applies a patina of science over what is essentially a dark and complex set of roiling unknowables. Booth: You see ... what? Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • The quote of William Blake's that Gordon Wyatt says to Brennan and Booth while they're sitting at the Diner is from The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, which was written from 1790-93. "What is now proved was once only imagin'd. The rat, the mouse, the fox, the rabbet; watch the roots; the lion, the tyger, the horse, the elephant, watch the fruits. The cistern contains: the fountain overflows." Edit
    • Angela: All right, listen up, Monty Python. Monty Python is the name of a British comedy troupe that was popular in the late 1960s and 1970s for its irreverent, fast-paced television series. One of the most distinctive actors is John Cleese, who has a particular English accent, which is probably what Angela is referring to. Edit
    • Angela: He also says, "Journeys end in lovers meeting, every wise man's son doth know." This is from William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, or, What You Will, Act II, Scene III. Edit

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