The Cold in the Case (9×21)

Directed by: Milan Cheylov 

Written by: Emily Silver 

Well, Camastoo is still happening. 

ARASTOO: My parents are coming to town. They want to meet you.  

CAM: Okay, uh, the way you said that sounds horrifying.  

ARASTOO: No, no, no. It’ll be fun. They’re gonna love you.  

As they investigate a crime, Booth is being given extra work duties. 

BOOTH: Another agent’s bringing him in.  

BRENNAN: Because you’re still working on other agents’ cases?  

BOOTH: Look, every time I say no, the assistant director says he can’t get along without me.  

BRENNAN: What if they promote you to a desk job? Are they gonna give me another partner?  

BOOTH: Look, I am not gonna be promoted to a desk job, okay? Plus, you’re not gonna get a new partner. 

BRENNAN: They’re not gonna promote you and leave you in the same position.  

BOOTH: Look, everyone is just getting way ahead of themselves right now, all right? I’m just doing this guy a favor.  

Booth finds out the FBI is opening a new office in Germany and he’s in the running. 

BRENNAN: That’s more than a regular promotion, Booth. That sounds like a big honor. Well, how long would the tour be?  

BOOTH: I heard two years. I’m not leaving you and Christine, so it’s not gonna happen.  

BRENNAN: You’ve clearly excelled at your job, Booth. You should allow yourself to be recognized in that way. 

Dating your subordinate makes it awkward at work. 

CAM: This may not be the time or the place, but I think it’s better if I didn’t go to dinner with you and your parents.  

ARASTOO: How would that be better? I love you. I want them to meet you.  

CAM: Well, you love your parents, too. And what they think means a lot to you. But I don’t want to be there when you’re forced to choose between them or me.  

ARASTOO: Have a little faith in me.  

Dinner gets awkward when Arastoo gets defensive. 

ARMIN: You are a surgeon, Dr. Saroyan?  

CAM: Oh, please, call me Cam.  

ARASTOO: I told you, she’s a coroner, which is a very respected profession, Baba.  

CAM: I can speak for myself, Arastoo.  

The victim was killed over a cryogenic freezing disagreement. 

BRENNAN: Being left-handed, you’re the only one at CryoNova who knots each suture on the left side as opposed to the right as well as using a surgical knot instead of a simple reef. Quite distinctive.  

BOOTH: Like I said, you killed her.  

SUSPECT: She wasn’t dead. I would never kill her.  

BOOTH: Right, you just wanted to keep her really cold. Your wife found out when those new clients came in. She dumped her in that swamp.  

SUSPECT: Michelle killed her. I loved Maddie. She understood my work, we spent every day together writing grants.  I-I could have revived her. And her daughter. Maybe it would have taken ten years or so, but… when she came back, she would’ve grown to love me. She just needed time. 

Arastoo misunderstood his parents who are actually very progressive Muslim parents. 

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AZITA: You have good judgment, Arastoo. And excellent taste. You’re not a teenager anymore. Let us be proud of you. Let us be happy for you.  

ARASTOO: I’m sorry.  

ARMIN: You should be.  

AZITA: You look very comfortable in those clothes. I imagine you spend a lot of time here.  

ARMIN: Azita, it’s none of our business.  

AZITA: And she’s wearing Arastoo’s shirt. I cannot accept everything, Armin. 

B&B wrap it up! 

BRENNAN: Sweets said that now the deputy director is reviewing you for the promotion.  

BOOTH: Yeah, that’s what he told me, too.  

BRENNAN: Why wouldn’t you mention that?  

BOOTH: Because nothing’s definite yet, Bones, that’s why.  

BRENNAN: Booth, you don’t have to worry about me. We can do this. There are many places I could work over there. In two years, Christine could be bilingual.  

BOOTH: Wait a second. Now you’re just, you’re getting way ahead of yourself here.  

BRENNAN: You always tell me that I’m too rational, that dreaming is good.  

BOOTH: I’m not sure this is such a good dream. I mean, from the military angle, them having me review all these shootings and they’ve been looking at my skill sets…  

BRENNAN: Your gut is telling you something, isn’t it?  

BOOTH: Yeah. The base over there… it’s a staging ground for counterterrorism activity and covert operations. 

BRENNAN: You think they might be asking you to be a sniper again?  

BOOTH: I won’t do it. I have a new life. I have a family. They can’t make me do that again.  

Thoughts: 

*This episode is not a favorite for me, as I am not a Camastoo fan. I don’t think the actors have chemistry, and it is so unrealistic. Cam should not be sleeping with a subordinate that she is in power over. One of them should move to a new institution to work. 

*Booth and Brennan have been written like a really good match in the last couple of episodes here. They have problems, and talk through them together. They’ve been supportive and caring of each other. It’s been very refreshing!!
 

The High in the Low (9×20)

Directed by: Anne Renton 

Written by: Keith Foglesong 

We start with some B&B chatting! 

BOOTH: I’m gonna ace this Bureau’s competency test.  

BRENNAN: Are you been preparing for the mental portion of the exam, too?  

BOOTH: I know what I’m doing. Okay? Look. They’re gonna ask me some stupid questions. And I’ll score in the 90th percentile, like I always do, every year.  

BRENNAN: I assume you wanted to score higher than the 90th percentile. There are games and applications to help hone your critical thinking skills.  

BOOTH: I got my gut.  

BRENNAN: You’re very set in your ways.   

BOOTH: I’m not set in my ways. I never have been, I never will be.  

Wendell returns. 

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BRENNAN: Mr. Bray, very good to have you back.  

HODGINS: This guy, rocking the naked noggin.  

WENDELL: Sorry, let’s not make this about me.  

ANGELA: I actually think you’re kind of making the cancer thing very sexy, Wendell.  

BRENNAN: Ewing’s sarcoma has an 80% mortality rate, Angela. That’s not sexy.  

WENDELL: Thanks for the reminder, Dr. B.  

BRENNAN: My pleasure.  

The victim was passionate about medical marijuana. So now we find the real reason of this episode. 

WENDELL: People like her made sure that people like me could get help.  

HODGINS: You have a card?  

WENDELL: I never smoked before the cancer. I was strictly a beer guy. But during the chemo, my doctor suggested it, to help with the nausea and the weight loss.  

HODGINS: And? It helped?  

WENDELL: Yeah. And early research from Israel shows that cannabis may also be effective in fighting the growth of cancer cells.  

HODGINS: Plus, with a 80% mortality rate, why wouldn’t you try anything that looks promising?  

WENDELL: Listen, man, I just want you to know why I’m doing it, and I would never do it when I’m working.  

HODGINS: Hey, man, you don’t have to make excuses on my account. If I were in your shoes, I’d be doing the exact same thing.  

WENDELL: I-I would never use it at work.  

BRENNAN: Mr. Bray, we’re scientists. Hopefully, we’re not ruled by hysteria, fueled by ignorance. You’re fighting for your life.  

WENDELL: Yeah, but while I’m here, I want you to think that I’m living it well.  

BRENNAN: I do. As a matter of fact, I think that you’re an example to us all. Is there anything else?  

WENDELL: No.  

BRENNAN: Then I noticed a fracture to the superior aspect of the left clavicle.  

Cam is stuck being the villain of the episode when Wendell confesses to her. 

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CAM: This is a federal institution, Mr. Bray. And federally, there’s no such thing as legal marijuana use.  

WENDELL: Well, yeah, I’m… I’m not using it at work.  

CAM: Well, it doesn’t matter. In the eyes of the law, your use of a Schedule One drug could call into question every piece of evidence you handle. Even if we did catch the killer, he could walk because of you.  

WENDELL: What are you… what are you saying?  

CAM: I’m saying…that as long as you’re using marijuana, I-I can’t allow you to work here.  

WENDELL: You’re firing me?  

CAM: There are rules that I have to follow, Mr. Bray, as much as I hate them.  

WENDELL: I understand.  

BRENNAN: Do you find that his getting fired changes your stance on medicinal marijuana?  

BOOTH: Come on, I don’t have that luxury. The law is the law. You know that, Bones.  

BRENNAN: Well, in Virginia, it’s illegal for children to trick-or-treat on Halloween. Premarital sex is also illegal there. We had sex before we were married in Virginia.  

BOOTH: Wait a second. That’s different.  

Booth joins Wendell for a man-to-man chat. 

BOOTH: You know, Cam really didn’t really have a choice. Neither would I.  

WENDELL: Yeah, I get that, but… just… it makes no sense that I’m being punished. I’m just fighting the cancer any way that I can, just like you told me to.  

BOOTH: No, look, I understand that, but Wendell, I, you know… I work in the law.

Another accidental death. 

STUDENT: I didn’t mean for her to die. I… I just wanted to knock her out.  

B&B help their new ducking. They are so proud.

BOOTH: Caroline said that Cam can rehire you as a freelance case consultant.  

WENDELL: Okay, now I don’t think I understand.  

BRENNAN: Caroline said that as long as you have no physical contact with evidence and are paid as an independent contractor, we can continue working together.  

WENDELL: And I don’t have to stop my treatment? You did this for me?  

BOOTH: I’d do anything for my friend, especially if it’s gonna get you better.  Hey, and now, guess what? You get a, uh, consultant’s office.  

BRENNAN: Mm-hmm.  

BOOTH: Yeah, and you get to do, uh, squinty things.  

WENDELL: What’s that? 

BRENNAN: Review X-rays, forensic reports, and in return, you give me your expert analysis.

WENDELL: I don’t know what to say.  

BRENNAN: If you say yes, I would love you to start by organizing these.  

WENDELL: Already?  

BRENNAN: Yes.  

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Booth shares his test results with Brennan after he took her advice to study. 

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BRENNAN: Well, 97th percentile?!  

BOOTH: My personal best.  

BRENNAN: That is incredible!  

BOOTH: Don’t act so surprised.  

BRENNAN: I just… I meant…  

BOOTH: I know, I know, all right? Next year, I’m gonna go for 99%.  

BRENNAN: Very ambitious.  

BOOTH: You turned me into a monster. I’ll tell you what. Why don’t we race around the park here, huh? 

BRENNAN: In these boots? 

 

Rats, they are back already haha!

BOOTH: So you concede?  

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Thoughts: 

*Definitely interesting to watch this years later, when medical marijuana is widely accepted. 

*A bit heavy-handed in the pushing of this issue though, but this will quite often be the case here in the last few seasons. 

*Was Cam wrong to fire Wendell? Or was she acting appropriately in her role as boss with the laws at that time? 
*A nice B&B ending and good relationship “issue” in this episode. Brennan nudged Booth to want to improve and not stay with the status quo, but she didn’t force him or demean him. Booth followed her advice and did study and prepare. They both celebrated his success. It was well done this episode. 

The Turn in the Urn (9×19)

Written by: Pat Charles 

Directed by: Tim Southam 
 

Brennan and Booth attend a funeral but the deceased shows up alive and well. 

BRENNAN: Booth, if Todd is here, then… who is in the urn? 

BOOTH: How would I know who’s in the urn?  

Call back to the hot sauce squintern. 

CAM: Michelle showed me the bracelet you bought her, Finn. A little extravagant, don’t you think?  

FINN: I’ve never been able to buy anybody a real gift before. I’m just sharing the wealth.  

CAM: Well, that’s very sweet, but don’t go overboard. It can disappear as quickly as it came.  

FINN: Not so sure. Opie and Thurston’s Hot Sauce is going national. I got a check for $19,000 the other day. That’s more money than my family’s made in a year.  

Hodgins is skeptical about using ashes from an urn to identify the victim. 

HODGINS: I think Angie’s going to have trouble doing the facial reconstruction.  

As they investigate, Finn and Michelle are a bit off-kilter. 

FINN: Where’s your bracelet? You’re still wearing the rope one that I made you.  

MICHELLE: I love it. It was the first one you gave me. And the other one… I’m afraid I’ll lose it at school. 

Booth is annoyed at a wealthy suspect.  

BRENNAN: Booth, you shouldn’t hate all rich people. They’re a fact of life, like the corpuscular theory of light.  

BOOTH: I don’t hate rich people. I just… I don’t like entitled people. Big difference. This guy Todd, he feels entitled to get tax breaks for him and his friends.  

BRENNAN: That’s not illegal.  

BOOTH: I don’t care. It’s still wrong, isn’t it? What?  

BRENNAN: You’re a good man, Booth.  

BOOTH: No, that’s it. See, it’s not that I’m a good man or a special man. I’m just a normal person, that’s all.  

                                                                                     

BOOTH: The guy acts like he doesn’t have to play by the rules.  

BRENNAN: Because he usually doesn’t. Plutocrats and oligarchs are always afforded special treatment. 

BOOTH: Well, not this time, okay? I’m not letting him buy his way out of this.  

BRENNAN: Booth, we have no proof that Todd was in the country, let alone that he killed Daniel.  

BOOTH: You’re gonna find something; you always find something, okay? You don’t want people getting away with murder, and neither do I. 

Michelle decides to tell Finn she’s met someone else but she pretends its other things. 

MICHELLE: I tried to tell you yesterday. School’s changed me, I guess. I’m not the same person I was even a year ago.  

FINN: Is there someone else?  

MICHELLE: My mom tried to tell me I was too young to make a commitment. I hate it that she was right. 

FINN: Who is he?  

MICHELLE: It doesn’t matter. It’s not even that serious.  

The killer was the rich guy’s girlfriend, who killed a junkie to “save” her man. 

SARAH: I love Todd. I don’t care about the money. I just knew that if he could get himself clean, he’d be so much happier. We fought about the drugs. And then I hit him with it.  

Cam gives Finn the nice break up speech that Michelle should have. 

CAM: I want to tell you how much you mean to me. And how much you helped Michelle grow. I know it’s probably not what you want to hear right now, but it’s the truth. She is a better person because of knowing you. And so am I.  

FINN: You know what the funny thing is? I don’t blame her.  

CAM: I don’t understand.  

FINN:  I had money for the first time in my life, a wonderful girl, who just happened to have a great mama to boot. I had everything. But the truth is, nobody gets everything.  

B&B wrap it up with Booth trying to get Brennan to take a selfie with an ancient museum piece (that was also the murder weapon).

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Thoughts:

*Much better episode this week. The ending reminded me of Booth teaching Brennan how to “dine and dash”.

*The one thing that has always been consistent with is their inability to organically break up a couple. The writers, whoever they happen to be just go “PLOT TWIST” in the writer’s room and just say, well, this is over. They have no foreshadowing, no hints of something, no drama actually happens, and then BOOM. It’s done. Angela and Hodgins was the same way. Sweets and Daisy. Cam and Paul.

*Probably the “best” break up that was well developed was Brennan and Sully to be honest. We knew enough and saw enough to feel invested when it happened and we could know something was coming.

*Bonus Buffy reunion BTS set picture!

(Which leading lady should he choose? How about both!)

Bonus attractive couple pics. No sign of BOOTS OR BLAZERS!

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The Carrot in the Kudzu (9×18)

Directed by: Rob Hardy

Written by: Sanford Golden

Brennan is once again being a downer as Booth wants to plan a party.

BOOTH: I got it, why don’t we rent a bouncy house for Christine’s birthday party? She’ll love that. Kids love to bounce up and down.

BRENNAN: A recent study showed that over the past 10 years, approximately 65,000 children were treated for injuries received on bouncy houses.

She drops a detail that she has apparently never told her partner/husband before.

BOOTH: I mean, don’t you remember your birthday party when you were a little girl?

BRENNAN: I never had one.

BOOTH: What?! Wait a second, you-you never had a birthday party?

BRENNAN: That is correct and I didn’t miss anything.

Max has the dumbest reason for denying his children parties.

BRENNAN: Booth thinks I was deprived, because you never gave me any birthday parties as a child.

MAX: Well, you didn’t have birthday parties, because that would draw attention to us and with the police looking for us, that’s not a good thing.

As they investigate another body, Sweets weighs in.

SWEETS: Max was a criminal on the run, so Dr. Brennan’s probably just sublimated those feelings as a way to cope. And now she’s just trying to justify it all by saying that a kid’s birthday party isn’t important.

BOOTH: But it is.

SWEETS: I would imagine so. I’ve never been thrown a party either, so…

BOOTH: You too?

SWEETS: Yeah.

BOOTH: My dad was a drunk, and he threw me a birthday party every year. The only time I ever saw him really sober.

SWEETS: It’s probably why birthdays are so meaningful to you.

BOOTH: Tell you what, why don’t you just, you know, shrink the photos.

The investigation leads Brennan to a party idea.

BOOTH: DNA said the victim is Joe Starkel. So the victim’s brother works for Merryvale Productions– they make TV shows. Apparently, the victim used to work there too.

BRENNAN: What about a storyteller for the children? I have the number of an excellent one to call.

BOOTH: That sounds promising.

BRENNAN: Yeah. He tells environmental tales about species who are dying on the Great Barrier Reef.

BOOTH: What? No. No. No. No. No. That sounds awful.

BRENNAN: It’s educational and poignant. What’s awful about that?

BOOTH: The words “educational” and “poignant.”

Brennan and Max chat.

MAX: It’s so nice to have coffee with you. We never to do this.

BRENNAN: I know.

MAX: But something tells me this is about more than coffee.

BRENNAN: It’s Christine’s party. Booth is taking care of it and that makes me uncomfortable, because I have no frame of reference for an important event in my daughter’s life.

MAX: Oh, honey… it wasn’t that bad. I mean, your mother and I did all we could.

BRENNAN: You could have lived an honest life, Dad.

We go back to the “accidental murder” ending. A woman was stalking a man with a medical condition.

DEBRA: I just wanted to surprise him. So I honked my horn. But he just dropped. And-and-and he hit his head on-on the parking block. So I got out and I-I ran to him and I tried to help him. But… he was just… I… I just wanted to get his attention, okay? I-I just wanted him to see how good I look. ‘Cause that was all because of him.

BOOTH: He died the instant you honked your horn. So you put him in your car and you dumped his body.

DEBRA: I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t want anybody to think it was my fault.

Booth and Brennan end up having a fun birthday party for their daughter.

BOOTH: Bones. Bones! Bones, Bones, Bones! Come here, come here.

BRENNAN: Why are you wearing that?

BOOTH: Well, Ronnie, Ronnie. Look at him. He’s passed out, and I don’t want him drooling all over the kids.

BRENNAN: Well, you can’t play that.

BOOTH: What-what do you mean I can’t? Pops, you know, he taught me how to play the harmonica. Listen. Look, all right, I don’t want to disappoint Christine. I promised my little girl that I would get her the one-man band. And that’s what she’s gonna get.

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Thoughts:

*I call BS on a lot of the episode. BS that Brennan NEVER HAD A BIRTHDAY. It’s also BS to not have parties because you’re running from the law. I would wager that having normal birthdays for your kids would be actually more normal and would help a family blend in. The police are not coming for a kid’s small birthday party. I would argue it would be weirder if Russ and Temperance as kids never had their friends over for a b-day party.

*It’s also BS that Brennan is SO CLUELESS that she has never been to a birthday party, seen one, read about one…in her life. How could she possibly be a mega-popular author and ANTHROPOLOGIST if she doesn’t understand basic human events?

*I just find it so hard to believe that B&B could maintain such a happy marriage and relationship if she is constantly not letting Christine do things and puts down Booth’s ideas for fun. She is always so negative and spouting statistics and grim historical references. I wouldn’t know how to cultivate a relationship with that.

*Also, Christine is not a baby anymore….did this never come up before now!??!?!?!

*And Sweets never had a birthday party?? So Sweets’ adoptive parents and Brennan’s foster parents also never gave birthday parties? None of them, ever? Not buying it.

*Looking at the writing/directing team on this one, I don’t recognize seeing either name on a Bones episode before so that probably led to the weird vibes on this episode.

*Booth in the costume at the end, best part of the show. 🙂