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Bones 5x01 - tarot analysis
For a TV show that gleefully tramples all over science while touting geekiness and the scientific method, it actually did quite a good job with this esoteric episode, albeit one stuffed with anvils and heavy-handed metaphors.
The redeeming thing about the way they portrayed Avalon was that there was familiarity in her hands, a sense that she HAD attached particular individual meanings to each card in her deck, and she used them as a conduit to guide her intuition and her more 'genuine' psychic power, and so the writers could be shamelessly flexible in the message that she drew out of each one.
That said, I am now going to gleefully overanalyse everything. LET'S GO. I checked things against my Keywords in the Crowley Tarot book a lot, because my tarot knowledge is still quite rudimentary.
Brennan's first reading
TEMPERANCE - "it's not really speaking to me" - Obviously a dig at Brennan's scepticism, but it's an interesting card to start with because it's all about mixing differences to arrive at an ideal balance. In the context of partners: true harmony, equality in togetherness. The ENTIRE Booth/Brennan relationship is about his heart and her mind and E.M. Forster's mantra of only connect -- only connect the heart and the head, and true harmony and wholeness results.
NINE OF SWORDS - "a sick man in a hospital takes refuge in a dream life" - this is the 'cruelty' card, and I am pretty sure they only picked it because of the illustration in that particular deck, but some of the meanings are to do with anxiety and fear, which are relevant.
THREE OF CUPS - "you're helping him create the dream life by telling him a story" - this card is for abundance and harmony in relationships, and WEDDINGS. Well done! It's actually a very good card for the shared dream of a happy, fruitful life together.
TEN OF COINS - "you're both so happy in the story that it's almost sad when you wake up" - this basically reinforces the previous card: wealth, rich relationships, etc.
THE LOVERS - "the man whose life you saved is exicted to see you again" - ohhhh so predictable :) But luckily the card's meaning (while having nothing to do with what Avalon says) is actually SPOT ON for Brennan: decisions of the heart, and willingness to enter into a relationship, and truly opening up to another person.
STRENGTH - "I'm pretty sure you saved somebody's life" - again with the exploitation of illustration, the woman with the lion (oh man, the continual Lion Heart references were so silly). This card is also known as 'Lust', however, and it's all to do with passionate connection and powerful relationships, which fits with this assertion that Brennan 'saved' Booth from his coma by helping him weave the story and showing him just how strongly he feels about her. Oh, television <3
TEN OF CUPS - "were you pregnant?" - satiety, fulfillment, culmination. The card has kids on it (sigh) but I do find the fact that there were two Cups in the spread to be interesting, because it's the water suit, the one dealing with deep emotions. And we all know Brennan's problems with emotions.
DEATH - "her life is at a critical turning point between great happiness, and..." - all in all I approve of this card because they've actually correctly emphasised the 'turning point' meaning, the idea that one stage of your lie has to end so that another can begin. But Angela (and the show...) also interprets it literally, which is a bit of a cheap trick.
Booth's first reading
KING OF WANDS - "you're worried. you lost something." - looks like they actually did some digging to find an excellently Booth-like card: this one is courage, and striving for ideals, a dynamic man with leadership skills. Nothing much to do with loss, though, which is why it's interesting that she follows up by telling him that he never lost anything; he gained it.
Booth's second reading
THE DEVIL - "she's in terrible danger" - okay, at least they didn't pull out Death again. This is probably the weakest use of the symbolism, but there are a couple of shades of meaning that could be appropriate: deep passion (Boooooooth) and the idea of shady dealings, greed, corruption (meaning that the card could very well symbolise the doctor).
Brennan's second reading
EIGHT OF CUPS - "you're an abandoned child" - (again with the Cups!) weakness, broken hopes and disheartenment. Lack of commitment in relationships. YES. Especially because of where this reading is going: the fact that Brennan's ability to trust in the love that others may have for her, her tendency to consider that love to be based on a flawed hypothesis, stems from her childhood and is an integral part of her. But it is also a flawed hypothesis in itself.
THE HANGED MAN - "the world scares you, so you wrap it up deeply in bonds of reason, education and proof" - this is one of my favourite cards! And in this reading it's a reinforcement of the previous card: powerlessness and victim mentality. In a relationship context it can mean being stuck, and needing to sacrifice something in order to move on. This is the irrational fear behind her logical argument for why people would love her, an argument which she does not believe. Brennan has to give up this fear in order to be with Booth.
THE SUN - "he knows the truth of you" - OH, TERRIBLE 'DAZZLED' REFERENCES THAT MAKE ME THINK OF TWILIGHT. But! It's a card for reconciliation, new beginnings, and deep joy. Striving for a culmination. It's an optimistic card to end on, and it mirrors the last thing Avalon says to Booth later in the episode: it'll all turn out right in the end.
~
Well, that was fun. Lunchtime!
The redeeming thing about the way they portrayed Avalon was that there was familiarity in her hands, a sense that she HAD attached particular individual meanings to each card in her deck, and she used them as a conduit to guide her intuition and her more 'genuine' psychic power, and so the writers could be shamelessly flexible in the message that she drew out of each one.
That said, I am now going to gleefully overanalyse everything. LET'S GO. I checked things against my Keywords in the Crowley Tarot book a lot, because my tarot knowledge is still quite rudimentary.
Brennan's first reading
TEMPERANCE - "it's not really speaking to me" - Obviously a dig at Brennan's scepticism, but it's an interesting card to start with because it's all about mixing differences to arrive at an ideal balance. In the context of partners: true harmony, equality in togetherness. The ENTIRE Booth/Brennan relationship is about his heart and her mind and E.M. Forster's mantra of only connect -- only connect the heart and the head, and true harmony and wholeness results.
NINE OF SWORDS - "a sick man in a hospital takes refuge in a dream life" - this is the 'cruelty' card, and I am pretty sure they only picked it because of the illustration in that particular deck, but some of the meanings are to do with anxiety and fear, which are relevant.
THREE OF CUPS - "you're helping him create the dream life by telling him a story" - this card is for abundance and harmony in relationships, and WEDDINGS. Well done! It's actually a very good card for the shared dream of a happy, fruitful life together.
TEN OF COINS - "you're both so happy in the story that it's almost sad when you wake up" - this basically reinforces the previous card: wealth, rich relationships, etc.
THE LOVERS - "the man whose life you saved is exicted to see you again" - ohhhh so predictable :) But luckily the card's meaning (while having nothing to do with what Avalon says) is actually SPOT ON for Brennan: decisions of the heart, and willingness to enter into a relationship, and truly opening up to another person.
STRENGTH - "I'm pretty sure you saved somebody's life" - again with the exploitation of illustration, the woman with the lion (oh man, the continual Lion Heart references were so silly). This card is also known as 'Lust', however, and it's all to do with passionate connection and powerful relationships, which fits with this assertion that Brennan 'saved' Booth from his coma by helping him weave the story and showing him just how strongly he feels about her. Oh, television <3
TEN OF CUPS - "were you pregnant?" - satiety, fulfillment, culmination. The card has kids on it (sigh) but I do find the fact that there were two Cups in the spread to be interesting, because it's the water suit, the one dealing with deep emotions. And we all know Brennan's problems with emotions.
DEATH - "her life is at a critical turning point between great happiness, and..." - all in all I approve of this card because they've actually correctly emphasised the 'turning point' meaning, the idea that one stage of your lie has to end so that another can begin. But Angela (and the show...) also interprets it literally, which is a bit of a cheap trick.
Booth's first reading
KING OF WANDS - "you're worried. you lost something." - looks like they actually did some digging to find an excellently Booth-like card: this one is courage, and striving for ideals, a dynamic man with leadership skills. Nothing much to do with loss, though, which is why it's interesting that she follows up by telling him that he never lost anything; he gained it.
Booth's second reading
THE DEVIL - "she's in terrible danger" - okay, at least they didn't pull out Death again. This is probably the weakest use of the symbolism, but there are a couple of shades of meaning that could be appropriate: deep passion (Boooooooth) and the idea of shady dealings, greed, corruption (meaning that the card could very well symbolise the doctor).
Brennan's second reading
EIGHT OF CUPS - "you're an abandoned child" - (again with the Cups!) weakness, broken hopes and disheartenment. Lack of commitment in relationships. YES. Especially because of where this reading is going: the fact that Brennan's ability to trust in the love that others may have for her, her tendency to consider that love to be based on a flawed hypothesis, stems from her childhood and is an integral part of her. But it is also a flawed hypothesis in itself.
THE HANGED MAN - "the world scares you, so you wrap it up deeply in bonds of reason, education and proof" - this is one of my favourite cards! And in this reading it's a reinforcement of the previous card: powerlessness and victim mentality. In a relationship context it can mean being stuck, and needing to sacrifice something in order to move on. This is the irrational fear behind her logical argument for why people would love her, an argument which she does not believe. Brennan has to give up this fear in order to be with Booth.
THE SUN - "he knows the truth of you" - OH, TERRIBLE 'DAZZLED' REFERENCES THAT MAKE ME THINK OF TWILIGHT. But! It's a card for reconciliation, new beginnings, and deep joy. Striving for a culmination. It's an optimistic card to end on, and it mirrors the last thing Avalon says to Booth later in the episode: it'll all turn out right in the end.
~
Well, that was fun. Lunchtime!
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(Ohh, that's interesting. I wonder if she contributed anything to the script?)