Bones: The Girl in the Mask

A friend of Booth’s, from Tokyo, calls and wants him to look for his sister whom he hasn’t heard from in while. They find her head in a marsh.

The brother brings this well know Japanese scientist with him. The scientist is like the Japanese version of Bones. The funny part of the show is that Angela and Hodgins have a little bet going as to whether the scientist is a “dude” or “dudette”. And you know Sweets, he is like “does it really matter?”…. uh yeah!

They realize the victim was drowned, and then decapitated. All in all, the sister had a roommate who was a prostitute. She had a “john” who liked to get” rough” with the girls. So when he got too rough with the roommate, the sister went to visit the “john” and warned him that she had a brother who was a cop. He got a bit angry and decided to drown her. Then he called the pimp to clean up after him. So the pimp cut her head off and put it on a stake to warn the roommate and other prostitutes to stay in line.

Unfortunately they could only get the “john” because he is the one who killed her, and they had to make a “deal” with the pimp to get the “john”. Got it?

So now the scientist is getting ready to leave so Angela boldly goes up and giver him/her a hug to find out….she comes back to Hodgins, Camille and Sweets saying ”it moved, he’s a guy”…lol.

Bones: Double Death of the Dearly Departed

This episode was pretty much one of the funniest ones they had. I am just going to cover the funny moments…but believe me….they are funny.

Hank, a worker at the Jeffersonian, died and everyone is going to his wake. No, I had never met Hank in all the years Bones has been on TV, but that’s OK. At the wake, Bones is confused as to who Hank is, but yet everyone else comes up with some story on how Hank helped them. Bones just has this dazed look on her face like “who was this guy”, heck, even Booth knew who he was.

Each one of the “squints” gives there respect by visiting the casket. As Bones approaches the casket, she starts looking at this guy a little more closely, too closely. She starts to touch him and even feels around inside his shirt. This freaks out Booth and he comes over, only to have Bones tell him that Hank was murdered or “translated” as Booth made up a code word for murdered.
Since Bones wants to take the body to the Jeffersonian to prove he was “translated” (lol), her and Booth decide to sneak the body out of the funeral home. So picture this: Hodgins is giving a short little eulogy when he sees B&B outside in the courtyard, carrying the dead body (Booth at the head and Bones at the feet), very clumsily. So as they are dropping him and fumbling, Booth motions to Hodgins to keep talking. The look on Hodgins face is priceless. His face is turning red, and is somewhat choking, but the people just think he is getting emotional as he talks about Hank.

So now that Bones and Camille take the body back to the Jeffersonian, Booth has to keep everyone from viewing the body (that’s not there). They close the casket and tell some people that the body is seeping fluid…YUK! that is just gross, but what do you expect from the squints.
Now that Bones is back at the funeral and figures out how he was killed, she sends Sweets and Hodgins to go and bring the body back. The widow and the bimbo that Hank had an affair with argue. Then Booth sees Camille and Sweets trying to carry the body back into the casket room and take the same route B&B did. Believe me they are just as funny in carrying the body as B&B were. So to distract everyone, Booth gets everyone to start singing “Swing low, sweet chariot” and even does a little jig while he’s at it. (very funny).

Sweets: “This is why I hate funerals”
Angela: “This is why I love funerals”

Good episode

By the way, the step mother killed him, so her son could get the inheritance.

Bones: The Bone That Blew

The theme was family on Bones. First, Temperance dealing with the fact her father, Max Keenan, now works for the Jeffersonian. Meanwhile, Seeley battled with feelings that he was an inadequate father when it came to his son’s education. Further, both Bones and Booth investigated a family with a few skeletons in the closet. Finally, on the extended family side of things, Cam tried to tempt Hodgins back into doing something he hadn’t done since Zack left the Jeffersonian.

Max Keenan’s Science Squad: Temperance’s Dad was back — the first time this season — and she was not happy about it one darn bit. Sweets hit it right on the button, diagnosing the reason why she disliked having her father be a science teacher at the Jeffersonian: she was afraid he’d get up and abandon her again. With his past enemies dead I don’t see any reason why he would leave her side. If anything, Max is making a concerted effort to stay as close to Tempe as possible.

Max is a good balance for his daughter. Where Bones has taken her science to one of the highest levels possible, Max uses his knowledge in a more common arena, which makes it more available to others. Hence, the reason why he was able to work with Hodgins on the experiment that I’ll talk about in a bit. If he was as hyper-logical as his daughter was, he probably would have never been hired at the Jeffersonian. I mean, one Bones is enough!

Daddy Booth: In this episode, Seeley felt that he had become a below-average father because he wasn’t able to get his child into a prestigious (translation: snooty) private school in the middle of DC.

Why did he begin to feel this way? Well, Bones’ doubting tones, of course. You know, there are some times on this show where I think that Temperance just says those things to incur doubt in others and start an argument. This is one of those cases. Why she decided to do this to Seeley when he has been secure in his son’s educational progress for this long is beyond me.

Intern of the week - Mr. Bray: Have we seen this intern before? I thought he had appeared but, because they have been rotated in and out since the season began, I couldn’t recall. Anyway, he was probably one of the more straight-forward interns that the Squints have utilized. That, and he worked well with all of the team members, including Hodgins — something that hasn’t happened much this season. Bray may have to go into the top three list of interns that I would like to see return.

The wacky experiments return: I didn’t realize it, but Hodgins hasn’t performed any crazy, potentially deadly, experiments lately in order to forward the Squints’ weekly murder investigations. Of course, this is due to his last experiment partner, Zack, being in the psych ward right now. Not to mention that Dr. Addy was severely injured the last time an experiment was done.

But, a new era of Mr. Wizard-type testing returned this week thanks in small part to Max’s and Temperance’s wind tunnel project from her school years. Granted, no ‘King of the Lab’ statements from anyone after the experiment was successful. Still, it was good to see Hodgins getting back into some of his old traits.

This case: Kind of choppy, if you ask me. I had to watch the episode a second time (bless you, DVR) in order to really fit the pieces together. There were some big leaps of logic and focus on suspects that really only needed one round of questioning. The reveal was interesting only for the reason why the victim was murdered.

Bones: Passenger in the Oven

Well, I didn’t think it was possible, but um, did I discover the one woman impervious to Booth’s charm? Hello? The plane seat was empty. Seeley Booth wants a massage seat…what’s the problem? In other news…

This was by far my favorite episode this season. The case was fierce, the squints were snarky, Booth was a stud and Brennan was a squinty smartypants scientist! Who could ask for more?

The Case: A very interesting one. Brennan and Booth are en route to China so Dr. B. can examine some remains. But, first, there’s a little somethin’ somethin’ called a dead body in the oven of the plane! AGH! Booth is grossed to the max, Brennan is nonchalant. I liked the way the whole thing played out, and it was actually kind of intense at the end there. I was surprised and saddened by the murderer.

The Squints:
1. Honorary Member: Caroline Julian: She made me laugh in her way, and she took care of business. Well done.

2. SUPER Honorary Member: Hands down, Booth’s seat mate on the plane with the love of murder and Mary Poppins purse.

3. Cam: Ah, she was good, smart, fine, nothing special, but she’s still golden after the episode. She’s the cat.

4. Sweets: Nice shorts. And, I’d say you look more like…….17.

5. Angela and Hodgins (see how I did that?) Hmmm…interesting. I liked their chats, and I’m interested in the fact that even when they are not together, they seem to still be swirling around each other. But, I’m going to hold off on further analysis until more results are in. But I want to know what you think!

Booth and Brennan:Was it me, or were B+B flirting with each other this entire episode? Like serious flirting? I mean, I liked it, but I was surprised by it, I guess. To me, this episode marks the first time this season Booth and Brennan were both totally confident and utilized in their professional roles. Of course, they weren’t in the lab or the interrogation room, but I thought there was a lot of symbiosis (word of the day!) between them. I love that Booth took care of business in the case. I haven’t seen that for awhile, and Brennan did her thing too, and very expertly, which I also love. I love when she goes MacGuyver and figures things out using random objects. I really do. But what do you all think about Brennan’s continual questioning of Booth re: why everyone thinks they are ‘together’ together? Did you notice the way Booth kept changing the subject? Hmmm…

Favorite line of the night: Right. What I want you to do is take off your glasses, shake out your hair, and say, ‘Mr. Booth, do you know what the penalty is for an overdue book?’

Bones: The Con Man in the Meth Lab

Once again, there was not much to the actual case, but It didn’t bother me in the least because I delved into Booth’s past and met his little brother- Lt. Commander Jared Booth. Not only was I treated to a look into Booths family, I saw significant changes and growth in the relationship between Booth and Brennan.

THE CASE: The episode opened to a police training exercise in which a body flew from an exploding meth lab. Meanwhile, Booth and Brennan are in a session with Sweets and Booth is relishing in the near-completion of the Rico investigation, a case that will boost his career and raise his salary. They are called to the crime scene, but not before Booth gets a call from his brother and further piques Sweets interest in his past.

There are multiple cases of mistaken identity before they correctly identify his body as Anthony Pongetti, a gambling con man who stole the identity of a fellow gambler, Jim Stegman. The team worked to solve the case with the long suffering Clark Eddison, who returned because they ‘are the best’. It was fun to see everyone welcome him back with open arms and more than a little good-natured teasing, he fits in, and hopefully they have closed the door on Zack replacements.

The state police send Trooper Brian Walcox to ask that Booth refrain from mentioning that the body was found during police training. Booth has been working with the state police on the Rico case but refuses to cover up for that, instead suggesting they try telling the truth, a move that will come back to haunt him later in the episode. With a group of predictable suspects they solve the crime relatively quickly, but not without incident. Brennan is shot in the arm when they go to take down the corrupt sheriff.

THE SECONDARY STORYLINE: It is Seely’s birthday and The Brothers Booth took center stage and I finally met Booth's younger brother - Jared Booth, who is now working at the pentagon. When Brennan agrees to take Cams place as Jared’s date for a cocktail party, Jared gives her his take on Booths career. “I don’t mean he’s incapable…my brother's very, very capable. Its like Seely’s afraid of success, he stays in his comfort zone.”

The fact that Brennan took his words seriously and believed him, really disappointed me because I was under the impression that their relationship was stronger than that. Jared proceeds to show how he Is different from his coward brother by kissing her.

Booth is called away from the investigation when his brother is arrested for drunk driving and the arresting officer is the state trooper Booth had refused to help, earlier in the episode. To save his brother's career he agrees to give the state police full credit for the Rico case, exchanging his career boost to keep his brother out of Jail.

When Brennan realizes that he didn’t get credit and he appears to not care, she attributes it to what Jared said. Angela advises her against pursuing a relationship with Jared, and Cam, with the help of Sweets, tries to explain the dark childhood of the brothers, and Booth’s role as protector of his Jared. This storyline comes to a head when Brennan tells Booth what Jared told her and couldn’t say no when he asked if she thought he was the type of man who sabotaged himself, a loser. The tension between Brennan and Booth was overpowering and I honestly felt like yelling at the TV. Why did Brennan have to be so……so bones? She redeemed herself when she confronted Jared about being the reason behind Booth's sacrifice and in a classic move, after making her exit, returned to push him off his bar stool.

The episode ended with the entire team (including Clark!) celebrating Booth's birthday. Brennan gives a lovely speech that is one part apology and one part praise, she tells Booth he needs to let his brother learn from his own mistakes. He realizes that he isn’t doing his brother any favors and tells Jared he won't bail him out again and he needs to stop drinking. The younger Booth brushes him off and the show ends with Booth and Brennan sitting side by side and Booth confiding in her that his father was an abusive alcoholic.

The GOOD: The entire episode was first rate. I especially liked seeing Cam's long history with the Booth Brothers, Clark's interaction with Hodgins and Angela, Brendan Fehr as Jared Booth, I was uneasy when I heard of the casting choice, but he was perfect for the part, and last but not least, the further developments in the Booth/Brennan relationship. They are perfect together but the tension is this episode was sorely needed and the ending was the perfect touch.

The BAD: I feel that the cases in the past two episodes have been lacking due to the extensive focus on character developments, and while I love the Bones team, I also like the crime aspect of it and hopefully well rounded cases will return next week.

All in all this was one of the best episodes to date, I believe Brendan Fehr is in two episodes this season, so I am sure his charismatic, alcoholic character will pop up again.

Bones: The Skull in the Sculpture

Temperance and Booth continue to creak toward each other at a snail’s pace. It’s a good thing I have Angela’s sex life to titillate me in the meantime (and when are they going to give Cam another lover? Poor Hodgins, too!). Maybe I need to include Sweets and Wick (the reversal of their names absolutely kills me — hilarious!) in the titillation category as well, though it didn’t really do anything for me personally….

There has been a lot of girl-on-girl action lately. Here’s a question: Why not have Temperance have a female lover? She always talks about being open-minded sexually. In fact, did anyone else pick up on a little tension between Temperance and Angela in this episode, while they were discussing Angela’s past with Roxy? It would be interesting to see that relationship explored a bit more.

The murder was interesting in this episode. I knew the death must have been murder due to the nature of the show. However, I did think it was kind of beautiful to have an artist who would potentially integrate himself into his art in the most literal and symbolic of ways. It was great to see Vicki Lewis, formerly of NewsRadio, appearing as the white-powdered gallery owner. It was kind of obvious that Lewis’s character was the killer just because they were focusing so much on the other suspects (especially Roxy).

I had the sense that this show was a bit out of order as well as the last episode show. For one thing, Sweets got together with Wick by calling her after her first episode and sympathizing with her being fired. Then, suddenly, she is back “in the rotation,” according to Cam. And yet … Sweets has to fire her. So, shouldn’t there have been a bit more consistency? Although the approach is altogether different for finding a replacement for Zack, as different replacements for Zack keep showing up. It’s not amusing as much as it is distracting. It would be fairer to me as viewer to just give me a replacement and be done with it.

I’m also getting sick of the squints praising Sweets constantly for being really good at his job when Sweets is just making ordinary observations that anybody with common sense and perhaps Psych 101 under their belts could make. It just makes Sweets seem incompetent — or the Squints look like they haven’t ever been to college. Is any group of people "this" clueless about human relations? Angela especially has had great instincts and even served as a bit of a consultant on human affairs before Sweets showed up. It’s wonderful that they are trying to give John Francis Daley constant work to do — but it’s wearing thin. Give him something that will really show his chops — or that will really show his lack of life experience and shake his arrogance a bit.

All in all, though, a solid episode, moving some things forward, and the case itself was interesting enough to mitigate my minor annoyances about certain plot points. I just really want Angela and Hodgins to get back together, so I’m cranky.

Bones: The He In The She

I liked this episode, but I am getting tired of the show setting up a crime, and then pulling out a surprise wild card of a murderer at the end. I’ve said before, I don’t mind being surprised, but, I feel like lately, it’s been like ‘hey, here’s an episode…and, oh yeah, we need a murderer…hmmm…who could it be? How about that guy”. But I did like this episode. Bones takes risks, and I thought they handled the idea of transgenderism pretty realistically and tastefully.

The Case…
An upper half of body is found in the water, with breast implants, but when the lower half of the body is found later, it is the body of a male, or, the body of a woman who was once a man. This is tricky for the lab, but they get it worked out.

The Squints…

New Guy: ‘Mr.’ Vincent Nigel-Murray. Brennan, from the get go, tells him he is not invited in the field, and he responds with randomness. This guy was funny but not memorable to me. And you know it can’t be good if even the script has you quitting, right? I did love the part where Angela and Hodgins kind of tag teamed him about Angela being WAY too much car for old Vinny.

Hodgins: Good, smart, funny. Basically, Hodgins. Hopefully he doesn’t have to talk about Zack every week. That’s all over, right?

Angela was great. And she used her art, and her sweet, picture checking out, asking Booth questions technique that I also love.

Cam was fine. I liked her actions with Vino. I also don’t mind when she is out in the field. I don’t like that she has to babysit these interns every week, but I guess she has to have someone to talk to.

Sweets! I loved his bet with Booth, and that he won. I would have liked to have seen a scene where he got his money from Brennan, the bank. That would be funny. I feel like I’ve seen them act out sitting silently through a session too many times, though.

Booth and Brennan…
The whole ‘aiming’ bit at the beginning made me laugh, but they didn’t really run with it. I liked how Brennan was in the lab a lot, and Booth was in the interrogation room. That is the good stuff, I think. I also like how the case is a foil for their own religious discussions. Interesting…either way, I LOVED the way he was holding his poker chip at the church meeting. And I liked, and understood what Brennan meant about swimming with a buddy. That made sense to me.

Favorite Line of the Night…

Hodgins: “The remains show traces of freshwater and pelagic sediment common to Chesapeake Bay.” Kidding. Probably something more like this….

Ryan: “Do you believe in redemption?”

Booth: “Yes, I do”

Bones: The Crank in the Shaft

This episode dealt with one of my many transportation fears - Elevators. The episode opens with a group of co-workers in an elevator. Their ride comes to a grinding halt when a dead body gums up the works. Patty Hoyle - office manager, frog fanatic, and all around bitch, is the unlucky victim and Booth and Brennan must shift through the hive of office drones to uncover the killer. The suspects include Ted the pothead, Christine the receptionist, and Chip the nice guy.

While they uncovered the affair between Christine and Chip, and the circumstances under which they killed Patty Hoyle, Booth obsessed with getting the office chair of a recently deceased Agent. He begged for a false doctors notice from Brennan, Cam, and even Sweets. In the end he got his chair, but it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

The latest Zack replacement is the depressing Colin Fisher, played to perfection by Joel David Moore. He’s a dopey guy who sees the bad in everything and despite Cam’s best efforts to produce a smile, in the end she recommended he up his dosage of Prozac because he was bringing her down.

After four episodes with no significant Angela/Hodgins developments the writers finally decided to devote a few scenes to them. Angela sought advise from both Sweets and Brennan, and Hodgins tried to connect with Cam. My favorite bit came when Angela was complaining about how hard it was working with Hodgins and Brennan said she liked Hodgins but because Angela was her best friend, she would fire him.

Finally they are addressing the tension between Hodgins and Angela, after abruptly ending their relationship. They should have dealt with the fallout sooner, but overall it was handled well. I especially like how Angela dealt with it. Their relationship was special, terribly sweet, and for better or worse she wanted to accept it, remember it, and embrace their new relationship. I still hope they get back together but for now, I am a happy fan.

Joel David Moore as the Zack Replacement - he is such a great actor. I wouldn’t want Colin Fisher to stick around but as a one shot, it was good.

Booth/Bones subplot: I loved the whole ‘drones in a hive’, ‘best chair in the office’ banter. Unlike the last episode, this storyline blended perfectly with the main plot. My favorite scene had to be Booth trying to open the elevator doors, I nearly died laughing.

I can't think of anything bad, except the Angela/Hodgins scene didn’t last as long as I would have liked. I shouldn’t be surprised after such an lackluster breakup.

The Crank in the Shaft didn’t blow my mind but it was a solid episode.

Bones: The Perfect Pieces in the Purple Pond

THE SEASON SO FAR:
Zack is gone, leaving a huge hole in the team. The premier was set in London with Booth and Bones cracking jokes and flirting with their British counterparts. While in America, Angela’s husband showed up to win back her hand but in the end granted her the divorce, slept with Cam, and broke her and Hodgins up. Each episode has featured a Zack replacement who points out how strange their work relationships are and promptly quits.

THIS EPIDOSE IN A NUTSHELL:
A dismembered body is found in twelve parts, with the head missing. The victim is Jared Addison an Obsessive Compulsive Science fiction writer, who lived with his mother. He was dating a women 28 years his senior, he recently overcame his disorder, had confrontations with his publisher, his coffee man, and his girlfriends son. As they investigate, Booth is having back pains and Bones gets to drive the car.

Meanwhile the latest Zack replacement worries that Bones wants him to be her boy toy and Hodgins is butting head with Cam over moving into Zack’s working space. We see him visit his best bud in the hospital and giving him the file in case he can find something they overlooked.

At the very end after Zack strolls out of the Mental Institution and pinpoints the mother as the murderer, he admits to Sweets that he did not stab anyone. I feel so much better about the whole thing. He refused to allow Sweets to tell his friends, because he feels that given the order he would have killed him. Kudos to the writers for revealing that Zack would never kill anyone but it was possible he could be persuaded to a certain way of thinking.

THE GOOD:
Zack!!! I was pissed when he was revealed to be Gormogon’s apprentice, but this episode soothed my aching heart. I loved how he switched the barcode strip on Sweets ID with the one on his library card. Absolutely awesome. How sad was it to see Hodgins visiting his best friend in a mental institution?

The scene with Zack, Cam, Angela, and Hodgins in the restaurant. It was bittersweet as they will probably never get to hang out like that again. It’s too bad Bones wasn’t there to complete the team.

Sweets on the Case. In this episode he actually had something to do, instead of tagging along and making remarks about Booth and Bones relationship. When he analyzed the victims room I burst into laughter, I don’t know what it is about that character but he just cracks me up.

THE BAD:
I really didn’t like the Bones/Booth subplot. The whole ‘you’re always defending me’ and ‘I’m a man, its what I do.” just fell flat. And I am really tired of Sweets sticking his puny little head into their conversations to say.. “This is an interesting development….”

THE UGLY:
I was so happy to see Zack but please. Zack escaped from the hospital and just walked into the Jeffersonian? I mean c’mon, he helped them out, went to dinner, and then strolled back into the Institution..... A little too easy.

QUOTES:
Sweets: "What if he overpowers me?"
Bones: "Zack? I think you can take him."
Zack: "I’m stronger than I look."

Zack to Sweets: “Hodgins assured me I would not do well in prison."

Bones: The Finger in the Nest

The Case: Starts out when Parker (yay!) and Booth are playing football. Nice moments. Parker finds a human finger in a birds’ nest. He thinks it’s cool. Booth thinks he’s scarred for life. When the body previously attached to the finger is figured to be veterinarian Seth Elliott, the gang gets involved in figuring out how he could have been killed by a dog. Quite a few suspects, and once again, I was surprised by the outcome. And…for the time in a row, Bren figured out the murderer before Booth.

The Squints: LOVED the new guy. Sad he’s not going to be around (I assume). I think the J-team could use a ‘Dad’ like figure around to help them talk things through.

• Cam: Meh, she was good, but, nothing new.
• Angela: Kind of the same, and I totally got how she wanted to quit that job and move to somewhere glorious with her art. I get that. Her moment with Hodgins was sad and nice…which brings me too…
• Hodgins: Stole the show. Hands down. Loved him. Love his hate and anger and broken heartedness (is that even a word?), and I loved his butting in to say the answer first on the phone. I especially loved his end session with Sweets….which brings me to
• Sweets: Hmmm…I like Sweets. I just feel that when he’s in his office, or even the FBI building, then he is in the zone. His work with and about Parker was great, and his conversation with Hodgins was terrific. But when he’s at the Jeff? He annoys me and everyone else there, too. Don’t know if it’s on purpose. Thoughts?

Booth and Brennan: I love compassionate Brennan. She does have a big heart. This time she displayed it toward the dogs, and that was nice. Her end speech was great. People should take a lesson about seeing the good in others. I felt sorry for her that she opened her heart toward Ripley and planned to give him a home, only to have that taken out of her hands. I think Ripley represents Zack. That explains why Booth felt so much compassion for her…which brings me to….

I love Booth. I especially love casual dad Booth and kind, dog grave digging Booth. He is good. Not much more I can say but this….this blog was brought to you by his warm, reassuring, brown eyes…

Fave line of the night: “I’d say ‘King of the Lab’, but that just depresses me.” Holler, Hodgins, holler.

Bones: Yanks in the UK

Welcome to the fourth series premiere of Bones. It has been a summer of anger and anticipation for me as a fan of the show. Anger, as I felt creator Hart Hanson bollixed the whole thing up by making Zack Addy a bit potty. Anticipation, because I was curious to see how Hanson and his writers would fill the gap and how the rest of the blokes at the Jeffersonian will adjust. And, of course, there's also the unanswered question as to the state of Bones and Booth's relationship: will they shag or not this season?

None of those questions were answered in this two-hour series premiere, althouth Zack's fate was briefly mentioned. What I did get was a trip to Londontown by Temperance and Seeley (hence, the British slang), and some significant relationship changes amongst the Squints. So, grab a pint, some fish n' chips, and your favorite duck, and let's begin.

Premiering a new season with a two-hour episode is always a gamble in television. It either runs the risk of filling the episode with too much information for the viewer to take in, too little information to keep the viewer interested, or is uneven in its presentation. The season premiere of Bones fell under the title of uneven, at least with the London story line. While the second hour of the premiere felt more like a regular episode, the first hour felt a tad uncomfortable.

That could be due to Booth's portrayal during those first 60 minutes. I know that Seeley is a pretty bright person (that's why he's a Special FBI Agent and not just a FBI Agent), but in the the first segment of the show he looked pretty dim. Understandably it could have been the adjustment of being away from his home base and feeling both unwelcomed by some and unwanted by others. Without a gun, the resources of his agency behind him, and no good coffee, Booth probably felt a bit impotent...in the figurative sense.

It doesn't mean that his awkwardness didn't give me some interesting moments. His tiny breakdown in the middle of a London traffic roundabout was one good example of how his uneasiness worked to my favor. Sure, stereotypical American driving on the wrong side of the road is always amusing. It was just the way that Booth handled it that made it funnier. That big, strapping guy in that tiny little car, screaming at the top of his lungs about the deficiencies of England. It's probably something that everyone who has been to another country has thought of doing one time or another and I speak from experience since I just returned a few hours ago from spending two weeks in Germany.

Perhaps the other reason that the first hour of the premiere felt off was the case Bones and Booth were involved with. Frankly, it wasn't that interesting. So it involved an American who was a huge entrepreneur in England. I've seen that all before. That, and the oh-so-regal royal family that tries to hide their dirty laundry behind their titles. The only good thing about it was Booth's no-nonsense approach to interviewing the family and getting them to spill the beans. Blue blood or not, Seeley doesn't stop at anything to get the truth out.

The second hour of the premiere was much better as Bones and Booth became more involved with the case. Perhaps the interest was there because of the death of a character I was just introduced to an hour before. Dr. Ian Wexler was a charming, intelligent professor of anthropology. He was also a horndog. Throughout the first hour he continually tried to add Temperance as another notch on his belt which, if he really knew Brennan, he wouldn't have tried in the first place. He was also a tad bit pompous and looked down on Booth as just another American "cowboy". This probably placed him down a step on the likable chart.

When he was found dead it wasn't a total loss. Still, it did add additional drama to the case. It also gave a more human face to Inspector Cate Pritchard -- Booth's counterpart in England. During the first hour, Pritchard showed a good deal of cooperation with their American partners in trying to solve the murder of the expatriate daughter of a real estate mogul. Once Wexler was killed that all changed. Being close to Ian, and I mean close, she doled out her help in smaller portions. As the investigation progressed she realized that holding information back would not solve the case any quicker. By the end of the episode there was a new found respect on both sides.

Time to turn my attention back to the Squints of the Jeffersonian and, perhaps, the more interesting storyline of the episode. First, Clark Edison was back in Zack's position. Unfortunately, it was only for a short time. Hart Hanson has mentioned that Bones and the team would have a series of assistants this season in Addy's slot. That's too bad, since Clark was interesting and presented a stable front in the soap opera that is the Squints.

Which is something that wasn't realized until this week's episode. For the most part the lives of Hodgins, Angela and Cam have that soap opera element to them. Well, more Angela and Hodgins as I saw in this installment. No, really, think about it. A longing love that would not be reciprocated; a marriage that never was; the mysterious "other man"; the loss of trust between the two. Take all of those plot points out and they could have been part of the new 90210 except, well, they would be better acted on Bones.

Despite the disappointment, the breakup of Angela and Hodgins was a good thing. Workplace romance on television is always a risk because it can go stale at a moment's notice. Angela and Hodgins looked to be heading down that path anyway. Now, instead of having a multi-episode arc where there relationship breaks down into constant snipping between each other, new storyline avenues can be opened up for both of these characters.

This episode was also a big one for the young Dr. Sweets. After being on the periphery of the Squints for most of last season, Lance really became fully intertwined with the group. Thing is, the fit is off. Where Booth actually fits pretty snugly with the team now, there doesn't seem to be a place for Sweets amidst this group. Oh, helping Bones and Booth profile a potential killer...absolutely. Sitting there while one of Bones' assistants of the week talks about stress fractures in the fourth and fifth thoracic vertebrae is another story.

Whew! That was a lot to talk about concerning the season premiere of Bones.

Bones: The Pain in the Heart

Holy. Frikkin. Frak!

I have speculated on it, but I couldn't believe it was true. I have got to hand it to the folks who put Bones together -- they really kept me on the edge of my seat for most of this episode. It could have been either Hodgins or Sweets who were either Gormogon himself or his apprentice. And, the writers emphasized that point as much as they could with the mounting evidence against them.

For example, where was Sweets when the lab explosion occurred? And, was it Hodgin's house that was the secret residence for Gormogon? It really made you go back and forth in thought: it could be Sweets, but Hodgins seems to be more of a candidate because of his interest in secret societies. Yet, Sweets is big at manipulating people for his own needs. So, he could have been the one who stole the silver skeleton (especially since he mentioned it to Bones and Booth in a joking manner). Of course, Hodgins may actually be the person since it looked like he gave Zack pain medicine right before he was going to reveal something important.

These were great distractions to pull me away from the person who actually did it -- Dr. Zack Addy. Wow. Who would've thunk it? I mean, I speculated but thought that it was a long shot. The thought was either Gormogon or his apprentice would be totally outside of the Jeffersonian. Never did I think that Zack would have the balls to become Gormogon's helper, let alone kill someone for him? Wasn't he sent home from Iraq because he never really fit in amongst all of the mayhem taking place over there?

It's probably not all that far-fetched that Zack was the apprentice just by thinking back to all of his appearances this past season. Zack became so unemotional this past year that he made Mr. Spock look emotionally-balanced. As he stepped further and further away from his emotions, he tightened his grip on his logic--to the point that his logic became flawed. Is this what happens when emotions are stripped away to be replaced by an almost mechanized reaction to everything? Something for my philosopher friends to ponder.

When it was revealed that Zack was the apprentice, and the murderer of the lobbyist, it was shocking. And, very sad. Not only to me, but to all of the people in Zack's life. Particularly the women, who were all just devastated about this. Cam and Bones were hurt the most. The look on Cam's face when she realized that Zack was the apprentice. The stock market hasn't fallen that fast in recent memory. Then, watching Cam, Angela and Bones at the ICU window as they took one of the last glances they would have of the Zack that they knew. It was heart-breaking.

And, how about the identity of Gormogon himself? A nobody -- just like all other serial killers. Just another person who believes that they are more superior to others. Except, this time around, he got several people to join him in his beliefs. The death of this person was a bit underwhelming. Personally, this was the right ending for this serial killer; he was born a no one and died a no one.

Man, that episode took quite a bit out of me.

This was a big-time Squint episode. Their finest moment was when they were all crowded around the mandible throwing out ideas of its origins. Now that we know that Zack was the apprentice it was a poignant scene as it will probably be the last time we see all of them together.

Booth's funeral was one of the weaker moments in this very strong episode. While the events leading up to the funeral were good, the funeral scene itself seemed a bit disjointed. Still, it provided an avenue for some serious emotions from Temperance Brennan and her feelings towards Booth.

Bones punching Booth: he certainly had it coming -- not telling his partner of three years that he wasn't quite dead. National Security, Shmational Blecurity, I say! By the way, who was that guy that Booth brought down at the funeral?

The scene of David Boreanaz in his bathtub was the highlight of the episode, especially when he stood up. Temperance's reaction wasn't too surprising. Gosh, I'm sure she seen her share of bats and balls in her day.

Limbo. Have I seen that room at all this year? Other than in the credits, that is. Still, it was good place to see all of Bones' graduate students gathered in one place. Maybe one of them will be the newest member of the Squints in the next season.

While I have found Sweets enduring over the last few episodes, I found him to a bit manipulative this time around. Keeping Bones out of the know about Booth's fake death was a bit mean. Now that he's out of the loop as either Gormogon or his apprentice it looks like I will be seeing a good bit of him in the fourth season.

Bones: The Wannabe in the Weeds

This was a very lighthearted and playful episode, particularly after the gravitas of last episode's trial. Not only was it a great send-up of FOX's sister show, American Idol, making light fun of the show and its contestants, but there was also a lot of joking around and funny moments, reminiscent of the best of Bones' first two seasons with the Squint Squad. It was nice to see them back in full force this episode. Simultaneously, there were plenty of clues from the beginning of the episode about what was going to happen.

I had all of the pieces of the crime very quickly (except the head, ha ha). Before I get into the clues, let's talk for a minute about the humor from the beginning: Cam says she has brain matter, so the victim must have had a head, which is funny because presumably he had a head because he was a person, and not just because there is brain matter at the scene. Brennan's glee at finding the head in the mower's grille just exemplifies that fact that this is not a heavy-duty crime. The victim was an ass who stole money, disturbed his neighbors, made fun of his clients, and had delusions of grandeur. Even his name was funny: Tommy Sour. Nobody really seemed to care that he was dead: Except Pam.

From the minute they interview the artist, they have motive (the noise) and method (Bones makes a big show of admiring the artist's sculpture, which is held together with the same kind of wire that was used to kill the victim alter). So, even though I don't know yet that I have all of the pieces, the rest of the episode is window dressing, used to introduce us to Pam, the catalyst for the climax of the episode. So to speak.

Here is where Dr. Sweets comes in handy. His analysis identifies Pam as both manipulative and dangerous. He warns Booth openly about Pam, and Booth is dismissive. Booth even laughs off Pam's socks gift later, when, as an FBI agent investigating her in a murder, I am pretty sure he cannot accept gifts. For Booth, who reads people like books usually, it was unusual for him not to see Pam more clearly when she wanted to see him without Bones. However, it is plausible that Bones tends to make people uncomfortable.

There were so many nice moments in the episode: Zach talking about how buff he is. Zach breaking out into song in the lab. Booth busting the fake talent agent, who was drawing cartoons in his notebook. And probably the best part of all, when Brennan got up and sang, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." Wait. Temperance Brennan did what? She spent a lot of time talking about the open mic night and the need for people to have affirmation. Was her singing, as Sweets would put it, Presentational (ego-driven) or Relational (trying to make the audience feel something)? Cold, rational Temperance Brennan got up and belted at an open mic? Is this true to her character, or is the show starting to jump the shark?

Actually, I would love to have seen the open mic become a showcase for Zach, and have that become a new sub-plot, even though they established that Brennan's mother had a high opinion of her performance of that song. Perhaps that set up was enough, paired with Brennan's obliviousness about other people's perceptions of her, to make her performance believable. Believability aside, even though part of my brain was sounding alarm bells, I still enjoyed it.

And, of course, the real reason for Temperance to sing was revealed when Pam The Stalker showed up to see her new true love Booth. "Who will love me now?" Booth's placing his hand on her shoulder was an answering response, and Sweets was absolutely right to mutter, "No, don't touch her." Perhaps Pam should have been Tommy's killer, considering how easily and fast she was willing to fire that gun. She was trying to eliminate Brennan, and Booth took the bullet for her. Whoa! Even though I knew Pam was scary and dangerous, I didn't expect that. And how BAD-ASS was it when Brennan picked up Booth's gun and shot and killed Scary Pam? Nobody messes with her man. Nobody.

In some ways, it's a rip-off because they aren't going to kill off Booth. Of course he is still alive. So, I hope there is a purpose behind this, like this makes Brennan realize the depth of her feelings for Booth. I can bet my bottom dollar Sweets is going to have a lot to say about the fact that Booth stepped in front of a bullet for Brennan-- and then Brennan shot Pam without hesitation. I'm sure Booth will say that it was a combination of training, instinct, her protecting his partner, and Brennan will say that Pam still had the gun so it was self-defense. None of it had anything to do with deeper feelings they might harbor for each other... Yeah, riiiiiiight. But I'll see. I could be completely wrong.

Bones: The Verdict in the Story

"Friends don't let friends' fathers go to the electric chair." -- Angela, on why she wouldn't testify against Bones' dad

Doubt. A word that many of I use in some context at least once a day. We don't doubt it, we doubt it happened or, used in a positive manner, we prove that there isn't any doubt about it. In the legal world the word has a much more powerful connotation. Should a shred of doubt exist during a criminal trial, there is always that slim chance that the judge or jury will see past the crime of the defendant and rule in the opposite manner.

Sometimes, the physical evidence that the prosecution provides is the reason for doubt. Other times, it is the testimony of the witnesses that causes the judge or jury to think. Then, there are those times where doubt is seeded by the team of lawyers who are trying to get their client off.

Finally, there are those very rare occasions where the doubt is provided by the client's daughter. Guess which type of doubt was used in this episode of Bones?

What an interesting development in the case of Max Keenan. I knew that he was the one who murder the Deputy FBI director -- heck, even the evidence (once the actual murder weapon was found) showed that Max was the killer. And, it seemed almost a certainty that he was going to find a spot on Death Row. Yet, Bones came through with a ploy that cast the smallest bit of doubt onto her father. It was enough for the jury to render a 'Not Guilty' verdict that set Max free.

The ploy was interesting: get the jury to believe that Bones could have potentially been the one performed the murder, disemboweled the corpse and lit it on fire. Look, I know Temperance, Booth knows Bones, and the Squints know Dr. Brennan. While she can be cold and analytical she is definitely not a Dexter. Yet, the jury didn't know that. And, with that tiny seed of doubt planted in their minds, the absolute guilt of Max Keenan wasn't as absolute any more.

She could probably thank Booth for giving her the idea in the first place. He was the one who told her that Max's story could be embellished (without perjuring herself) to the point where reasonable doubt could be established. Granted, he told Bones to shutdown her brain and use her heart as the motivator; however, this is Bones I'm talking about. When has Temperance ever been able to totally shutdown her brain? If she did that for her father, the results may not have been as positive.

This surprise ending was one of many strange and wonderful things that took place in this change-of-pace episode of Bones. It was almost a certainty that the weekly mystery element was going to be pushed aside for this pretty important event in Bones' life. No issues here, since Bones is one of those shows that can have an one-off episode without throwing the whole rhythm. It was actually refreshing to get away from some of the blood and gore that are common for this show.

Also interesting was the dynamic that this week's installment provided. Instead of Bones working together with Booth, her fellow Squints, and Sweets, she was working against them as they were all witnesses for the prosecution. Not willing witnesses, mind you, but expert witnesses nonetheless. The most unwilling of witnesses was Angela, who decided outright not to testify against Max. A decision that landed her in jail for the rest of the episode.

The best thing about this episode is that it featured the entire immediate and secondary members of the Bones family. In addition to the Squints, who had a different look to them outside of the lab, there was Max, Tempy's brother Russ, Caroline Julian in all of her grumpy glory, and even Ernie Hudson, reprising his role as David Barron.

Even Sweets had a bigger role than normal this week, and really exhibited some of his more immature tendencies by answering a number of questions with 'Totally.' It looks like Sweets will have a bigger role next season as he becomes a backup interrogator for Booth and Bones. Sweets is a good fit into the Bones cast and works well with Booth and Brennan. Plus, they like him.

Bones: The Baby in the Bough

"Dancing Phalanges!" -- Bones playing with Baby Andy

Anyhoo, I finally had a chance to see the episode, and it was all good. How could it not be -- this installment prominently featured a baby. Whenever you have a newborn as the focus of an episode the whole mood changes. Sometimes, the mood is quite somber when it comes to the baby's mother being murdered. But, this is Bones, so the mood wasn't nearly as grim. Fact is, having a baby around really softened up most of the major characters.

Well, all except Bones. Being her usual self, Temperance initially took on the task of taking care of baby Andy in the clinical fashion that she takes on when examining a rotting corpse. As the episode continued she warmed up to Andy enough to start having fun with him rather than fearing every cry that emanated from his mouth. By the time that she gave Andy to the dead mother's friends (a hanky moment if there ever was one) she was truly sad that she would no longer be watching the little boy.

Brennan also softened up when it came to the economic plight of Huntsville, West Virginia, which must have been right over the Maryland border because Booth and Bones were traipsing back-and-forth to the town several times (no high gas prices in the Bones universe, it seems). At first, she was of the belief that when it's time for a town to die, it's time for a town to die. This didn't make some of the citizens of Huntsville too happy with her. Like her attitude with Andy, Temperance eventually softened up and realized that there are some causes to be saved. Thus, the reason that she used a good portion of the seven-figure advancement on her next book to help pay for a new bridge that would return the city back into a stretch of road open to tourists.

One more thing about Bones: there was one scene where I really saw the fury and anger that Dr. Brennan could express when provoked. It was when she encountered the murderer of baby Andy's mom. After giving his little explanation of why he did what he did, Bones grabbed him by his shirt, slammed him against a chain link fence, and growled that he was a son of a bitch. It's very rare that I see this side of the mild-mannered, analytical Dr. Brennan. When it does rise up, it can be a bit surprising to viewers.

Over to Special Agent Seely Booth. Booth is so cute, isn't he? He's all macho on one hand, but he'll turn away in embarrassment when someone (Bones) mentions breast feeding or teets. To him, and apparently other men that surround Booth, this talk is a bit awkward coming from a woman. Nevertheless, that didn't stop him from helping out with the care of baby Andy. Fact is, Bones went to him quite frequently at first to have him change a diaper and other routine baby tasks. He also became quite attached to the orphaned child, even going so far as to say that the baby was 'our Andy' to Bones instead of just saying 'Andy'.

Moving on to the Squints. The only interaction this week was between Angela and Jack amidst a discussion about having babies. Angela mentioned that she wanted to have a million of them (uh, better start now and take a lot of fertility drugs). Jack wasn't so sure he wanted a million children at first -- maybe one or two -- but then decided that he would be more than willing to have as many children as Angela wanted. It didn't matter if she became one huge pile of goo after having all of those children because he would still find her sexy. And, if she got wide that would just be more of her to love. Of course, that little smirk of his told the audience that he was just joking.

Now to this week's mystery. Poor Biff Tannen! First Marty McFly knocks him down to size, and then he embezzles money from the tire recycling plant and kills Andy's mom to cover it up. Didn't he learn anything after running into that manure truck? It was pretty much a given that he would be the murderer since he was a pretty familiar face. But, it was still an interesting mystery since Bones, Booth and the Squints had very little to go on at the start other than the safety desposit key.

Ank, that's the one nitpick I had with this episode: Andy swallowing the safety-deposit key. That was the fastest swallow done by a newborn that I have ever seen, which made the mystery a little less plausible. Would a newborn be able to swallow something like that when they could barely grasp it in their hands? And, wouldn't the sharp edges of the key have torn up his little baby parts as they scraped along the sides of Andy's throat and intestines? I could see it being much more of a problem than they made it to be.

Bones: Player Under Pressure

Brennan: "I don't know what that means."Angela: "Are you serious?" - When Cam reveals that both seminal fluid and saliva were found in the basketball player's shorts...

This episode Booth and Brennan teamed up (get it?) to find out how a college basketball player, who was found squashed into an accordion under the bleachers, was killed. First things first: Find out whether his skull experienced "powdering" as Zack called it from strikes to the head or from being mashed through a grate. See? A little gross. So, in classic Squint Squad format, Hodgins and Zack set up a little experiment. They stuff a turkey carcass with a skull mockup and some ambrosia salad and push it through a grate. Of course, they and Cam, who has come to see what experiments they are doing now, end up covered in the salad.

It seemed that the lab served mostly as comic relief in more extreme ways than it has in the past. First, there is the ambrosia salad. Then, there is the deliberately obtuse Hodgins mashing up maggots in Cam's personal blender. Cam exacted her revenge not on Hodgins but on Angela: First, she treated Angela like a secretary; then, she made her point about Angela and Hodgins being too demonstrative in the workplace by giving Angela a DVD of sex in the storage area. Naturally, as much as Angela is horrified, she also thinks it's pretty cool to have her own Hodgins sex tape.

The major tension between Booth and Brennan was about the inside glimpse they get into collegiate athletics. Brennan has been boning up on her Chomsky: She finds sports to be, anthropologically, a way that boys pretend to be warriors; it is a way that stunts their development. Booth, who is a consummate athlete and sports fan, takes offense. Where was Sweets to mediate this disaster this week? I bet Sweets would have agreed with Brennan about sports, but Zack and Hodgins were front and center with the basketball stats when it turned out that the victim was one of the season's highest rising stars.

Of course, the case unfolded much like an accordion itself. The show seems to be moving away from what the actual bones in the lab report about the body, though, in favor of the investigation in the field and the relationship between Booth and Brennan. Naturally, this relationship is a central focus of the show, but I am just geeky enough to really like what the bones can say about the crime, so I hope this isn't a continuing trend.

What I learned from the bones this week was that R.J. was struck and killed by a 25-pound weight. However, the crime was essentially solved with the discovery of seminal fluid, a "loogie," saliva, blue lipstick, and a case of the clap. Steroids and an over-involved alumnus were red herrings.

Booth is usually absolutely stellar about reading people. This week, though, he actually had the murderer aiding in the investigation and playing good cop/bad cop with him in investigating "other" people for the murder. The murderer was a cop, and he was obstructing the investigation and trying to pin the murder on someone else. The fact that he was a stellar college athlete before he turned cop was the only thing Booth seemed to care about, even after Cutler confessed.

Granted, I will cut Booth some slack because he was trying to keep Cutler from killing himself, and you pretty much have to say what you need to say in those situations.I was surprised that Brennan didn't nail Booth for that pretty serious lapse in judgment; instead, she stroked his ego by telling him he really is a warrior. That might be true, but she doesn't usually bolster him like that. It must be love.

Bones: The Man in the Mud

Rejoice! New episodes of Bones have finally returned to the FOX schedule. And, despite what others think, this girl, this chick, this sexy dame, is very glad for its return. Not happy that FOX is screwing with the schedule of this show, mind you, but glad there are new episodes nevertheless.

Bones is one of those unique dramas that can mix gruesome, terrible death with humor and light-heartedness. It is really a story about relationships, friendly or romantic, and the connections that are established by two totally opposite sets of people.

Plus, I get to see maggots crawling around a person's skull. So, it's all good.

This episode is a good example of what makes Bones work so well. In addition to the murder investigation (which was fairly predictable, more on that later) there was also the ongoing story of FBI Special Agent Seely Booth and Temperance "Bones" Brennan and their adventures in the office of one Dr. Lance Sweets. Actually, the story wasn't about Bones and Booth all that much but the character development of Sweets himself, who was added as a regular cast member last season.

I know Sweets is young. Incredibly young. Near the point of still being in the womb young. Yet, when he leads the therapy sessions with Bones and Booth he is the man under control. There has been more than one occurrence when the doctor has dressed down Booth for his attitude towards him or the mandatory therapy sessions he was dragged into. And, while Booth has tried to get the best of Sweets, many times it bounces off of the therapist and back to the FBI agent.

This was different as I saw Sweets outside of his normal element. Away from his office, and together with his girlfriend April, Sweets is, well, a 23-year-old guy who really doesn't know about women. Especially if the woman is stronger than he is. In this case April was definitely the stronger of the two outside of the therapy world.

It didn't seem like it at first -- she seemed a bit ditsy at the beginning. But, as the double date between Sweets-April and Booth-Bones continued it was clear that she was the stronger person of the two in the relationship. It certainly didn't help that Sweets was trying to impress Bones and Booth with his supposed relationship prowess. Every guy knows that when they try to puff up their chest and show that they are the big man on campus they usually get deflated.

When I looked at the ceramics scene a bit closer I could actually see that Lance and April were a younger version of Seely and Temperance. Okay, April wasn't nearly as smart as Bones was, but there was that fire in her eyes and that hatred of having someone else tell people how she feels or that she apologized for something she didn't do. But, when she began to talk about her fish she had the same passion that I have seen Bones portray when talking about her skeletons. Sweets, like Booth, had that awkward streak in him where he would tell a joke or make a statement that, either would fall flat or would be attacked by Bones on its merits. So, it wasn't surprising that Bones sided with April and Booth with Sweets in their car ride the next morning.

I think the best scene of the episode took place at the ceramics class. Not only did I see Seely and Temperance dress like way too old hippies, but the best gag of the night occurred during this time. I know that Booth is a man's man when it comes to his life and the way he holds his cards tight to his chest. So, when I saw him being so artistic, in such a short period of time, it's both interesting and funny. I mean, I would have to be a very adept sculptor to take a pile of clay and mold it to be a horse in about five minutes time. And, such detail on the horse!

There were other things going other than Sweet's romantic life crashing around him. There was also some action involving the Squints over at the Jeffersonian. I don't know if this whole 'King of the Lab' thing was taking place last season, but it has become a prominent feature this season as Hodgins and Zack compete to find that one clue that will push the investigation ahead. Both of them thought they were King this time around; however, in reality, they didn't have anything to provide Cam with. I wonder if this whole contest has to do with Zack's new emotional stance after spending a number of months in Iraq.

Speaking about Cam, I've been thinking about the relationship between her and Zack lately. It seems that every episode this season has had one scene where she and Zack going back and forth about the current murder mystery and what the evidence may mean. I feel the reason Cam has taken the young Mr. Addy under her wing is to take the place of Bones, who was Zack's mentor and sponsor during his doctorate days. And, while Temperance bestowed upon him the scientific skills he needed, Cam is giving him the investigative, or speculative, skills needed when it comes to criminal acts.

Moving on to this week's criminal act...it was pretty standard as mysteries go on Bones: a body, or part of a body, is found, Bones and Booth tell the family, they investigate, they may or may not pull in the wrong person, and then they finally get the right one. Many times the interest level of the mystery depends on the suspects, and this time around the suspects were a bit flat. The only one who wasn't was the lawyer of the family (who was played by the guy who plays Mr. Friendly on LOST). As he appeared on screen more and more I thought that it was going to be him who murdered the two motorcycle racers. Turns out, it was the daughter of the racing team owner who ended up killing their top racer and her own twin brother.

Bones: Santa in the Slush

"Christmas and skeletons do not go together." -- Both Max Keenan and Seeley Booth, but not at the same time.

No, this isn't a photo taken from a dream sequence of either Bones or Booth. It is actually Seeley and Temperance locking lips. The kiss was performed under duress and a bit of blackmail due to the puckish nature of Caroline Julian. So, it wasn't as intense as I thought their eventual first kiss would be.

Then again, Booth ended up with the gum Bones was chewing right before the kiss. So, maybe this was the kiss that would lead to the eventually blissful relationship of the FBI Agent and the forensic anthropologist.. Only time and several other successful season will tell.

After the last pretty intense episode I was treated to a whimsical installment of Bones, which fit with the 'holiday magic' theme of this episode. Of course, Bones being Bones the magic began after finding a dead Santa in the sewer. They really had fun with the, ahem, myth of Santa in this episode as everything that they discovered about the dead jolly man pointed to the fact that he really was the true Santa Claus.

Everyone, including Bones and Zack, were getting into it. I wouldn't think that would be the case from two of the most analytical members of the Squint Squad. Yet, Zack was starting to believe a bit when they found out that the guy's name was Kris Kringle and that he was kicked by a reindeer. And, Bones was like a little kid when she and Booth went to the Santa's apartment (above a toy store, no less) and saw all the cool, yet creepy, stuff this Santa had. Personally, I loved the holiday train set in the middle of the room.

Unfortunately, not everything was pure and innocent (and weird) about this Santa. Booth found a whole bunch of money hidden away in one of his dresser drawers. Now, this is where I got confused about the mystery...was it this particular Santa who was the pick pocket, or was it David DeLuise. I seemed to think that it was Kris, but it was implied that Mr. Kringle confronted the other Santa about his habits.

Either way, DeLuise's Santa was arrested for the murder of Kris. This didn't make the other temporary Santas happy at all. I don't believe I have ever heard a more menacing version of Santa Claus is Coming to Town before. I will always hear that song in a different light from now on.

Even though the Squints and Dr. Sweets (who is now named in the opening credits and said 'Was there tongue involved?' after Bones told him he and Booth kissed) were seen in this episode it was pretty much all Bones and Booth. They were both a bit miserable about the upcoming Christmas holiday, and not just because they found a dead Santa. Seeley was grumpy because his son was going to Vermont to spend the holiday with his mother, while Temperance was upset that she could not get her criminal family together for a Christmas celebration.

I knew that things would turn out okay for my favorite non-couple because the heart of the show is, well, heart. Booth got to spend Christmas day with his son after Parker came to find him and, thanks to the mistletoe kiss, Bones got her family together. I really enjoyed the musical montage showing how everyone was celebrating the holiday. There were the festively-dressed Squints smiling and hugging and passing around gifts, followed by Max looking at a barren trailer interior, followed by a very sad Booth. As the music continued the scenes switched and, all of a sudden, Max and Russ were being festive, and Seeley was reunited with his son. It was very heartwarming.

And, I'll admit it, I teared up a bit when Booth appeared outside with a Christmas tree.

Bones: The Knight on the Grid

I am now a third of the way through the third season of Bones (or, if the strike doesn't end soon, 3/4 of the way through) and so far so good. This episode continued the trend of good stories by taking the Widow's Son case up a notch and tying up some loose ends in Temperance's life.

I have to say that this was the most dramatic I have seen Booth, Bones and the Squints in a long time. Even the season premiere where they first discovered the silver skeleton had more lighter moments than this episode. Oh, there were a few smiles here and there, but for the most part it was non-stop action from beginning to end. I have no problem with this since I have had plenty of episodes this season that contained a giant dollop of dark humor (Pony Play, anyone?).

At first, I really didn't think they would be moving that far ahead with the Widow's Son case this week. But, as the episode progressed and they discovered more and more about Gormogon and what he was all about I was really hooked. What cinched it for me was the discovery of a true bone skeleton in the mausoleum and the revelation that there was more than one Gormogon running around. That, and the pattern that Gormogon is following in his methodical killings.

When I think about it, the Widow's Son storyline is very Indiana Jones-like in theme. Think about it: ancient secret society out to kill and eat members of good organizations like the Masons and the Knights of Columbus. Bones and the rest of the Squints comprise the intellect of Dr. Jones, while Booth is the brawn. I wouldn't be surprised if one episode finds Seeley in a fedora carrying a bullwhip.

The person who is really helping out in the case, who I thought would not do so, is Lance Sweets. He has an extremely good insight into the mind(s) of Gormogon to the point that he was able to determine that there was more than one killer and there was a pattern to the killings. I think that Sweets personifies the young innocence that Zack once had. Mr. Addy has grown up considerably since becoming a full-fledged member of the Jeffersonian and has lost some of the youthfulness that he had in the first season. Sweets, who may be just as smart as Zack but in a different way, has taken his place. This is probably the reason why John Francis Daley was made a regular.

The thing that got me in the end, even though I knew something was coming, was the final fate of the lobbyist who was deemed 'The Corrupter' by Gormogon. Since he was shown in the last scene montage it was certain that he wouldn't be long for the world. I just didn't know how it would happen. The guy coming at him from the closet was a great ending because it made me go 'What the hell happened?' while rewinding the VCR and then pausing to get a good glimpse of the killer. I guess I won't find out until later in the season what happened to the poor man.

Over to Temperance and her messed-up family. I was wondering when I would finally get to see Russ again, I just didn't know when. Luckily, it was sooner than later and it tied up some loose ends about Bones' family. For too long Temperance's back story has been in limbo. Now, as the third season chugs along, I am beginning to see a bit of stability in her life. Granted, both of the men in her life are in jail right now, but at least she knows where they are.

I have to mention this one thing about Booth -- he must have the best arrest record in the FBI. It seems that fugitives of justice just walk in his door and get handcuffed. Max Brennan did it last season (albeit, in Bones' office) and Russ did it in this episode. The way that his luck is going Osama bin Laden is going to walk up to Seeley one day, put his hands in back of him and say 'Eh, I'm done hiding. Just put me in jail now. At least I'll be sleeping on a cot and not a cave floor anymore'.

I can't end this review of Bones without a mention of the kiss. Was that the first time that Temperance's lips ever touched Seeley anywhere? Yes, it was a peck on the cheek, but it was a meaningful peck on the cheek. One full of gratitude for letting Russ see his 'step-daughter'. That was a very big emotional deal for Bones and I was a bit surprised when it happened.

Bones: Boy in the Time Capsule

That Guy. You knew him in high school. He was loved by all the women (and some of the men), the teachers, and a good portion of the student body. He was probably very popular, maybe a member of the student governing body, and he pretty much had the school in the palm of his hand. Which meant he could do things that faculty and students alike would turn their heads and look away at.

Special FBI Agent Seeley Booth was That Guy.

For argument's sake he's still That Guy now. Yes, he isn't laughing while someone dangles a squint off of a stairwell (although I could see that happening) but he still has the essence of Big Man on Campus surrounding him. Look at the way he treats the squints as well as Dr. Sweets. He's constantly picking at them for all of their faults. Yet, as Sweets told him in therapy, Seeley still feels that he's the Golden Boy.

As a fan of the show I know that this is just a clever facade that Booth puts up in his role as FBI agent. When he is with people he loves (his son), and cares about (Bones) he can be a different person. Take the example of this week's ending scene between Bones and Booth. After telling Temperance a fairly humiliating story about his teenage years Booth dropped his 'I Am Man' persona and got pretty deep with Bones. The end of the conversation was so quiet, so close, so deep that you thought that these crazy kids were a couple. It was so full of sexual tension that I was ready for Booth and Bones to smooch it up.

This episode of Bones was a dedication to the high school class of 1987. There were so many classic 80's references that it was hard to keep up. Some of the ones I remember them mentioning or showing were: acid-wash jeans, 10,000 Maniacs, doc martins, floppy disks, Rubik's Cube, and ghetto blasters.

My favorite reference, and one that I'm sure many people pointed at the screen and exclaimed about, was the Commodore Amiga that Angela used to read the floppy disc of the murder victim. Personally, I owned a PC Jr., but I could certainly relate when she shoved that 5.25 floppy disk into the external drive. My, how far we have come!

Most of the action was with Booth and Bones this week, but there was still plenty going on at the Jeffersonian. Through conversations about their high school years we found out that Cam broke a bunch of house rules -- not really a surprise in my eyes -- and that Zack got bullied quite a bit in school. Again, Zack's revelation wasn't a big surprise either. What they all had in common was that they knew a That Guy in high school.

Booth and Bones did quite a bit of investigating this week trying to find out who the murderer was. They really didn't need to since a good portion of us already knew that Gil, the victim's best friend, was the killer from the first time he was questioned. I was surprised that the victim impregnated the cheerleader. I didn't really notice the resemblance until Bones looked at the boy questioningly while at the cheerleader's home. When I saw that I immediately thought that the boy was the victim's son.