Coroner Review: Spirits (Season 3 Episode 3)
Alison Trent deserves a better sendoff than Coroner Season 3 Episode 3, “Spirits,” gives her. It’s a shame we have to say goodbye so soon.
Her mother’s death is not given much attention throughout her tenure, so it’s strange that we are meant to find closure from one plotline on her last episode.
Alison’s speech to her mother’s supposed killer is a beautiful monologue if we want to get technical. But if she is only going to appear on one episode of Season 3, I want to see more of the life she’s creating with Sabina and the baby.
If Alison doesn’t need this man to confess for closure, why do we have to watch any of it at all? Flashbacks are a great way to show us events we need to see from the past. But this one serves no purpose.
Watching Alison doing her homework with her mother and then begging her for sugary cereal at night for more energy only makes me dislike a character I have only ever loved. Your mother said she was going to get you your sugar puff things in the morning kid, deal with it.
It’s also a pointless scene because we don’t follow her to the gas station market to get a sense of what may have happened to her.
Of course, her mother’s murder is not Alison’s fault and it’s great she’s found a new purpose in life helping indiginious people. There is just no denying that Coroner pulled this ending out of thin air. Even if there were no way around that, we have to point it out.
Jenny and Alison eating mixed berry pie together is the second best scene of the episode, though. I will never hate on any scene in which two women bond over dessert.
“Spirits” suffers more than most Coroner episodes because in Jenny’s case at work, the victim’s cause of death is as boring as who killed him and why.
The leaf blower guy wants to own his mother’s house so he taunts and goes as far as to kill one of its owners with carbon monoxide? This is a joke.
Even if I guess who is involved in someone’s death, the reason why usually surprises me or at least keeps my attention. This is the first case I can remember that does neither of those things.
That said, Coroner has not delivered a bad episode yet, and this episode is still decent. The final scene redeems it for so many reasons.
First of all, Jenny and Clark’s dynamic is fascinating. From minimal research, I think a crown attorney is equivalent to a state prosecutor in the U.S. . So, he’s obviously right when he tells Jenny he is looking out for public safety only.
It tracks that if he likes her, he would not want Jenny to tell the full story of how her sister died. If he knows something he might be obligated to report it.
Jenny is also being truthful when she says she did not kill her sister — at least not intentionally. I absolutely love Jenny and there is no reason to watch a second of Coroner with her in jail.
At the very least, is there a possible manslaughter charge, though? Isn’t it irresponsible of Clark not to get the complete story? I’m posing these questions because I have to, not because I want the answers; I like things just the way they are right now.
Forget the fact that it’s totally weird that there is a random bowl of apples on the table just when he needs them. Clark is incredibly kind to help Jenny stop panicking by giving her an apple.
So, not only does the final scene foreshadow a deeper relationship between these two — it also calls us back to Coroner Season 1 Jenny who would have panic attacks at crime scenes.
We love a dual purpose, but there’s more. Liam texts Jenny back and he has a lot to say. Will she go and meet him?
When all is said and done I only needed “Spirits” to be one scene long and it’s the last scene that matters most. So, Coroner has done its job.
Autopsy Notes
- Liam’s one scene is pointless. We already know the horse hates him.
- Jenny’s nightmare is another callback to Season 1 and an effective cold open.
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What did you think of this episode of Coroner? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Coroner airs Thursdays at 8/7c on The CW.
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Esme Mazzeo
Esme Mazzeo is a lifestyle and entertainment journalist from Long Island. When she's not writing for work, she's writing for fun, or searching for something to satisfy her sweet tooth. She thinks rainy days are the best kind of days. Certified night owl.
One thought on “Coroner Review: Spirits (Season 3 Episode 3)”
I, too, loved the last scene of Coroner’s “Spirits” episode. I also loved the scene where Jenny vents her anger. So sad that her parents created this mess by not simply telling the truth. Seems as though a typical sisterly spat happened in the wrong place and ended atypically tragically. I can’t imagine she would have been charged with anything, and she could have been given the counseling she needed then to avoid all the agony she’s suffered since. The reason for Allison’s leaving made sense to me given what happened in season 2’s “One Drum” episode. I’m just wondering why the character is being written out. I love this show for addressing so many human issues and for the rich performances of the entire cast. I’d never heard of Serinda Swan before I started watching Coroner; but, since then, I’ve watched whatever I could find her in, and Jenny Cooper gives Swan a chance to show her true talent.
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