Bones 9.12 Review: Not Being Able to Let Go

This is my friendly reminder for all those that have yet to watch Friday night’s episode of Bones, entitled ‘The Ghost in the Killer’, then now would be your last chance to do so before proceeding ahead into spoiler waters. For this is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

Well, that was a thoroughly enjoyable episode. I always enjoy the episodes of Bones that include a lot of genuine feeling emotions and drama to it; it does have its fair share of quality comedy to it, but I prefer the drama. The way Brennan was so focused on finding the female serial killer that it was causing drama between her and the ones she loves was masterfully done. I especially enjoyed her arguments with Booth, and how, by the end, he’d made his decision to believe in his wife.

The part I think I liked most about this episode was how well crafter the characters were this week, and the way they interacted with each other. It was so on key to have Cam not want to know what personal issues Clark was having, and how flabbergasted he was by it. Just the way he was rocked by the end of such a long relationship in his life was also phenomenally well done. And how Hodgins showed what growing up wealthy had facilitated his childhood, and still how he was able to interact with the other family. And, like I said, how much I enjoyed Brennan’s genuine interactions with Booth in the beginning, that also nicely bookended the episode. Plus, getting to see Hodgins and Sweets being somewhat buddy-buddy, while not as good as the Hodgins and Zach friendship, was nicely done. Also, that nice little moment between Brennan and Clark, where she asks him to call her by her first name was beautiful.

My one issue with this episode would definitely have to do with how Hodgins was still able to work on a case that he had affiliation with the possible suicide victim. Didn’t we go through this a few seasons back, where his evidence was found in contempt because he hid his relations with the victim’s family? Why would this be any different then that? It seems a bit like there would be a lack of continuity with the last episode where Hodgins knew the victim.

Anyways, for the most part this was an incredibly well done episode, particularly for one that has come after season six – which I believe was the last great season. I especially liked the quality of that nightmare it opened up with. Also, I’m glad that, despite Booth and Brennan being married, they are able to keep juicy, interesting episodes going forward. I just hope the next episode is at least nearly as good, given that it won’t have to do with the Ghost Killer.

My rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“As long as a person has enough, they don’t need more; and I’ve got more than enough.” – Hodgins shares his wisdom with Sweets.

“I thought I was explaining?” – Clark questions. “You are, very slowly.” – Brennan remarks.

Okay, so I’m going to go review last week’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. now, and then probably Trophy Wife from last week, and then this week. See, I may be able to catch up after all.

Bones 9.04 Review: Down the Rabbit Hole

This is your only warning. All those that have yet to watch last night’s episode of Bones, titled ‘The Sense in the Sacrifice’, then now would be a good time to do so. This is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

So Pelant’s dead now. Not as great an ending to his killing spree as I would’ve liked. Yes, this was a good episode compared to what this series has been putting out for the last few years, but it wasn’t a good enough ending to Pelant’s chapter. It felt like most of the tense parts were thrown in in the last third of the hour, I almost expected them to continue on into next week’s episode, but Bones rarely does two-part episodes. For someone they’d spent a good year and a half, two years hunting, he was taken down pretty easily. And by feelings.

There were some interesting components to the episode. Them finding out the body they’d excellently staged was not in fact the body they themselves had staged, but Flynn the way Pelant had staged him. The very beginning when they’re rolling in the body that had been donated to the Jeffersonian, and then they go about creating a murdered body, almost like we were seeing what the effects people do for the series. I also liked the whole confusion with the toy bomb, and Pelant toying with Brennan.

I’m still really disappointed with the way they went with Flynn. The first time he comes in and Pelant is captured but manages to create a new identity to get out of prison, implied Flynn would have something to do with Pelant. But then he goes and saves Booth’s life, and gets killed by Pelant, and so grieved by the Jeffersonian team. I wasn’t so unhappy about their grief part, but justifying the implication he’s involved in the murders by saying Pelant was using him without his knowledge was disrespectful to the audience. It’s quite disappointing the writers thought they could do that to us.

Both Booth and Brennan did well enough in this episode, and everyone was good at the part where they learn Flynn is the victim on the table. But I didn’t really feel the great acting for Sweets this week, like I did last week. It was all more or less the same as every episode before.

The writing for this episode felt rushed. They bring Sweets back in when he really wasn’t given any time off from viewers’ eyes, and kind of rush this idea he came up with to try and lure Pelant out. It felt very quickly put together, and not at all explained well enough for the audience. For the first five minutes of the episode I was extremely confused by what the hell was actually going on. It almost felt to me like the showrunners were trying to rush getting Brennan and Booth down the altar, and so skimmed through this Pelant story’s ending. But then again, this series has never been great about resolving prolonged storylines with complex but appropriate conclusions. The conclusions for stories like Pelant, and the Gravedigger have always been rushed. Though that could also be because they throw conclusions randomly into seasons, and not at the end of a season like I prefer.

My rating: 7 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“We can have sex.” – Brennan suggests to Booth, in her logic voice.

“What? I don’t- That’s not a thing.” – Sweets flabbergasted by Booth’s rendition of what he came in to define Pelant’s condition as.

Okay, I’m off to go watch The Blacklist now, and hopefully review that next. But it’s looking like I’m going to be too exhausted to get to Sleepy Hollow tonight, so expect that tomorrow evening.