The Radioactive Panthers in the Party (12×10)

 

Directed by: Michael Lange

Written by: Keith Foglesong

Brennan’s bummerness cannot exist in the presence of the wonderful Betty White. 


 
BRENNAN: Oh, Dr. Mayer, it’s so nice to see you again. 
MAYER: Oh, Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth. What a treat. Please, join me. 

But don’t worry, she saves it for her staff. 

 
WENDELL: Um, sorry, I’m trying to decide what to write my dissertation about. 
BRENNAN: I recommend you choose wisely, as it will be one of the most important decisions of your professional career. 
WENDELL: Thanks. As if I wasn’t already stressing enough. 
BRENNAN: What is it that excites you about the field of anthropology? 
WENDELL: I don’t know. Uh, lots of things. Your dissertation on the effects of tribalism within ancient Karakorum was certainly an early inspiration for me. 
BRENNAN: Oh, as it should have been. It’s an exceptional paper, as are the other four I’ve written. 
WENDELL: You wrote five dissertations??? 

Meanwhile, Aubrey is still being an adorable Booth sidekick. 


 
BOOTH: Hey, uh, I checked with the local hospitals, found a patient matching our victim’s description. Uh, victim’s name is Ronald Bergman, but you may know him better as the “mattress king of Southeast Baltimore”. 
AUBREY: This sounds like a good case for James Aubrey, the murder solving king of Washington D.C
BOOTH: What? 
 

AUBREY: Hold on a second. Are you giving me lead on this? 
BOOTH: You know what, Aubrey, if you want to be a Supervisory Special Agent, you got to get a little experience under your belt. 
AUBREY: Wow, thank you, Booth. So does this mean that, like, I’m your boss now? 
BOOTH: Listen, Aubrey, if you have to ask if you’re my boss, you’re not my boss. 
AUBREY: Okay. 

The victim was making a silly sci-fi movie. Brennan cannot comprehend the idea of entertainment. (Even though her own book was turned into a movie but….) 

 
WENDELL: Zombies!!? Come on, you had to have heard of Sharknado.  

BRENNAN: Those are all scientifically implausible. 
WENDELL: Oh, completely. But I think that’s part of the appeal of B movies– they offer a mindless escape. 
BRENNAN: So people enjoy these movies because they don’t require them to think? 

WENDELL: After a long day at work, don’t you ever just want to go home and turn it off? 
BRENNAN: No. I enjoy using my mind, and so should you. 

(But she used to go home and turn it off!) 

We meet an actor from the show Married with Children who is playing himself.  

(On which show David appeared once!) 

 
BOOTH: According to the Internet, you got kicked off your last movie for fighting with the director. 
DAVID: Okay, dude, I’ve auditioned to play cops before. 
BOOTH: Okay? 
DAVID: I know the drill. Just get to your point. 

(David Faustino aka Bud Bundy)

BOOTH: You got a history of violence towards directors, you threaten to kill your current director, and now he’s dead. 

Brennan seeks out advice from Betty…I mean Dr. Mayer. 

 
 
BRENNAN: How do you know? 
MAYER: How do I know what, dear? 
BRENNAN: When you’ve lost your passion for your work. You said that you woke up one morning and realized that it was gone. 
MAYER: If you’re used to that electricity dancing through your veins and suddenly it’s not there, you notice. 
BRENNAN: What if you’re not that in tune with yourself? Is it possible to lose your drive and not know? 
MAYER: Absolutely. In fact, that’s what usually happens. 


 
Brennan asks for job contentment advice from the person who has wanted to, and actually left, this profession a number of times! 

 
BRENNAN: Angela, do you believe in passion in the workplace? 
ANGELA: Well, given that Hodgins and I have been caught in the Egyptian room a few times… 
BRENNAN: I-I meant professionally. How important do you think it is for us to love what we do? 
ANGELA: Uh, well, it, it’s important, but it’s not everything. Most people don’t love their jobs. They don’t even like them. They do them because they have to. 
BRENNAN: What if they didn’t have to? 
ANGELA: If you can afford to leave an unfulfilling job, why wouldn’t you? Are you… 
BRENNAN: Just curious. That’s all. 


 
Guess what? Accidental murder! 
 

 
LINDA: He said the movie was a mistake and he was coming back to work. And I was working so hard. I couldn’t go back to being his sidekick again, and it just happened. I just… pushed him. 

Wrap up time! First up, Aubrey gets promoted. 
 

 
BOOTH: Look, the L.A. field office has been enquiring about you, so I said to myself, what better way to show them that you’re qualified to do this by… 
AUBREY: ….giving me my own case. 
BOOTH: Boom. They’re gonna offer you the job. 
AUBREY: Oh, my God. Booth, I’ve never even been to Los Angeles. 
BOOTH: You’re gonna love it. It’s a place full of schemes and dreams and pros and cons– all about the show. I hear, uh, it’s a little bit lacking in the pizza department. 
AUBREY: Yeah, their pizza’s really bad. 
BOOTH: You know what, you shouldn’t take the job. 
AUBREY: Thanks, Booth. 

 
 
Brennan takes the job contentment advice to kick out Wendell. Who literally survived cancer to come back to work, and loved it so much the team gave him a scholarship to stay once, but ok. 

 
WENDELL: Are you firing me? 
BRENNAN: No. No, I wouldn’t fire you. But you should know that you are too smart to waste your life doing something that your heart isn’t in. 
WENDELL: I mean, you’re not wrong. I like my job, but compared with you and the other interns…There’s something bigger out there. 
BRENNAN: You need to go after it while you still can. 
WENDELL: You guys are like my family here. 
BRENNAN: That will not change. 
WENDELL: Wow. This is not how I saw my day ending. 

 
 
Thoughts: 

*I know this episode was Booth-lite as he prepares for directing the finale, but we didn’t even get a B&B wrap up!! And we only have a couple episodes left!!!! DB couldn’t pop in and just hug his TV wife or something?! 

*What do you think about sending away Wendell and Aubrey? Aubrey is still so new to the team and has only run lead on this one case for a promotion (?), and Wendell’s seems VERY far-fetched. He previously loved this job so much and they gave him a scholarship to continue…and just because he’s not sure what to write about for his dissertation (WHICH BRENNAN COULDN’T DECIDE EITHER—SHE WROTE FIVE!) that means that Wendell should find a new passion. Say what?? 

*This seems like a terrible time to make a filler episode so close to the end of a 12-year series! And why bring in the celeb cameos now? I mean, I love Betty always, but how about more Bones characters coming back instead?

Two proud Bones moments (1/24/23)

Part 1:

Hart Hanson tweeted some love towards DB this week with some stats:

Congrats to DB! He truly is a successful, constantly working actor! I wonder what he will do next?

Part 2:

I took classes of students to the library today to choose books. I successfully steered some who enjoyed crime shows/TV into Kathy Reichs books!! So that made me happy 🙂

The Steal in the Wheels (12×9)

Written by: Hilary Weisman Graham 

Directed by: Robert Reed Altman 

We return to the Zack saga. Brennan and Hodgins get snappy with each other. 


BRENNAN: Dr. Hodgins, you’re here earlier than usual. 
HODGINS: What? Oh, wait. Don’t tell me it’s morning already. Angela is going to kill me. 
BRENNAN: You’ve been up working all night on Zack’s case, haven’t you? 
HODGINS: Well, yeah. What choice do I have? His hearing is in two weeks. You and Cam threw out the only evidence we have that would exonerate him. 
BRENNAN: Well, we threw it out because your evidence was suspect. 
HODGINS: Do you really think that I would falsify my work? 
BRENNAN: For a friend… yes. 
HODGINS: Yeah. Well, at least I’m doing something, so. 
BRENNAN: I see. You’re implying that in the weeks since my father’s death, I have not committed myself… 
HODGINS: No, no, no, no. Dr. Brennan, wait, please. That… that’s not what I meant. 

We revisit another blast from the past to help Zack! 

BOOTH: Double-G. Glad you could make it. 
GORDON: Agent Booth. Anything for an old friend. 
AUBREY: Well, I got to say it’s an honor to finally meet the Dr. Gordon Wyatt. Booth says you’re one hell of a shrink, maybe an even a better cook. 
GORDON: Agent Booth, um, while I’m absolutely delighted to be freed from the, uh, sweltering confines of a kitchen, you do know that I-I haven’t really practiced any psychiatry for some time. 

BOOTH: Oh, come on. It’s just like riding a bike. All right? Plus, I need you, all right?  
 
They investigate the death of a young man. Brennan is still cranky. 
 
 
CAM: He’s also got quite the record. Multiple accounts of breaking and entering, petty theft, burglary. 
BRENNAN: I see. So because of his past, you don’t think that he’s worthy of a proper investigation. 
CAM: What? No. I’m just saying that he had a checkered past. 
BRENNAN: And I’m saying that just because somebody has a record it shouldn’t define who they are. 
CAM: Dr. Brennan, just to be clear, you know that I’m not talking about your father here, right? 
BRENNAN: I never said that you were. 
 

Hodgins and Gordon Gordon come up with an idea. 
 


 
HODGINS: Wait, hold on a second, your-your gray cells are getting me a little lost here. 
GORDON: Well… in order to exonerate Dr. Addy, we need to find the previous apprentice and examine his body for whatever evidence it may yield up. 
HODGINS: The previous apprentice? Who was murder and disposed of God knows where almost ten years ago. 


 
The squintern sideplot is that Fuentes is given his doctorate but is sad about it. 

 
 
CAM: Dr. Fuentes, I can’t help but notice that you’re not wearing your new jacket. Did I get the wrong size? 
FUENTES: No, no, it’s perfect. Thank you again for that. 
CAM: You don’t think you’re getting out of this room without an explanation, do you? As I’m sure you’re aware, there are very few jobs in the D.C. area for a forensic anthropologist. 
FUENTES: A fact that Arastoo reminds me of on a daily basis. Getting my doctorate means that it’s time to move on. And wearing the jacket just makes it a little too real for me. And the fact that I’ll soon have to leave all of you. 
CAM: I understand. But you’re still coming to my wedding, right? 
FUENTES: Of course. We’re family. And I love to party. 

 
Brennan hasn’t been too bummer-y yet, but don’t worry, Brennan the Bummer returns! 


 
GORDAN: I know I might lose my James Beard Award if I say this, but I honestly think the simple appeal of diner food is… timeless. 
BOOTH: I’ll tell you, I couldn’t agree more, Doc. 
BRENNAN: Well, unfortunately, both of your meals are filled with saturated fats, which have been linked to heart disease, high cholesterol and stroke. 


BOOTH: Bones, come on, we’re trying to eat here. 
BRENNAN: I’m just stating a fact. 
BOOTH: I understand that you’re stating a fact, but we haven’t seen Gordon Gordon in a while here. 
BRENNAN: We may never see him again if he dies of a heart attack. 
BOOTH: She doesn’t mean that. 
BRENNAN: Yes, I do. I’d appreciate if you didn’t speak for me. 

She even turns down going undercover, in a demolition derby this time, even though she used to LOVE undercover. 


 
GORDON: Why don’t you both go undercover and compete? 
BOOTH: What do you say, Bones? 
BRENNAN: No! No, it’s too dangerous. Especially with your back ailment. 
BOOTH: I’ll be fine. I’ll get over it. 
BRENNAN: I have no interest in those childish antics. 
BOOTH: Fine. I’ll just go by myself. I didn’t think you’d want to drive one of those cars, anyway. 
BRENNAN: Why? Because I’m a woman? 
BOOTH: I didn’t say that. 

GGW of course has to step in. 

 
GORDON: Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, no. On second thought, I order you both to participate. On the one hand, you’ll get a better handle on who Dustin’s accomplice was if you’re on the inside, and on the other hand, I think the aggression of the derby will be rather therapeutic for you, Dr. Brennan. 

Meanwhile, Hodgins almost miraculously, makes some leaps and assumptions to solve Zack’s case. 


HODGINS: The acacia tree surely symbolizes, uh, the immortality of the soul. It does that, but also the acacia itself is inedible and poisonous, which is the perfect symbol for a poisonous, outcast apprentice. So if we can identify all the acacia trees in the local area, then it’s possible that the apprentice will be buried in close proximity……Angie’s plotting all the acacia trees in D.C. in case the apprentice is buried underneath. 
 


Another accidental murder because most murders are just oopses.

 
BANK TELLER: None of this would have happened if my idiot boss had just followed the manual. Everybody knows you’re not supposed to say how much was stolen. You’re supposed to say “an undisclosed amount.” If he’d just done his st-stupid job…I didn’t mean for this to happen. 

Hodgins finds the apprentice. 

 
HODGINS: Dr. Brennan, want to make sure you know that Cam is right here next to me– I don’t want there to be any chance you think I’ve falsified evidence. 
BRENNAN: I don’t understand. 
CAM: He found the apprentice. 


BRENNAN: I can’t believe it. Zack might actually be coming home. 
BOOTH: Yeah, Zack could be back. 
WYATT: I’ll drink to that. 

Thoughts:

*I guess Brennan is allowed to be bummery in this episode based on her dad’s passing…but it just is another example of her being a wet blanket so it’s hard to feel different about it.

*Booth again shows he is like the best husband ever because he called in GGW to help get his wife out of her funk.

*So if Hodgins could lead this investigation to save Zack now…why did it take him so long? Why didn’t he try to solve this weird issue of his best friend long ago?

*Does anyone care that Fuentes is sad? Has he been here enough to feel that connected to the lab?

*Loved having Stephen Fry back! Too bad we couldn’t get more of him!!

Bonus Boreanazes

The Grief and the Girl (12×8)

Directed by: Anton Cropper 

Written by: Karine Rosenthal (Sadly)

Brennan is grieving but still forgets she has a husband who loves her. 

BOOTH: Bones, you okay? Can I– can I make you something? 
 
BRENNAN: You bought cream soda? My dad was the only one who drank it– we don’t need it anymore. I heard back from the cemetery. 11:00 on Friday will work. They said that they’ll do their best to clean my mother’s headstone before then. 
 
BOOTH: I’m sorry.  

BRENNAN: For what? For not noticing that my father was the only one in this house who ever drank cream soda? 
 
BOOTH: Look, you’re not alone here. Remember that. I love you. Just tell me what you need. 


 
They get a case. 


BOOTH: You want me to drive you? 
 
BRENNAN: No. I’m perfectly capable of driving myself. 

Me:

In the midst of all this, a blast from the past enters the scene. 

ANGELA: The only guy besides Booth who ever stood a chance. 


 
BRENNAN: Why are you here? Not just on the East Coast, I mean… here. 
 
SULLY: I found out what happened with your dad, and I wanted to check on you. 


 
**Where has he been through all the other bad times?? And how exactly did he hear about this? **

Brennan turns on her usual charms.  

BRENNAN: You’ve aged. 
 
SULLY: Uh, yes. Thank you? 

Clark reads my mind. 

CLARK: Let’s talk about this Sully character. Exactly how long were he and Dr. Brennan together? 
 
CAM: Not very long. I’m surprised, Dr. Edison. I didn’t take you for a workplace gossip type of guy. 
 
CLARK: I’m not, I’m just concerned. Dr. Brennan is in a vulnerable place right now, and I think the timing of this visit seems awfully convenient. 

Booth is asked to go to Canada to investigate. Brennan shoots him down yet again. I am eternally frustrated. 


BRENNAN: When… When do you leave? 
 
BOOTH: I’m not going. 
 
BRENNAN: But you’re the lead on the case. 
 
BOOTH: You’re about to bury your dad. I want to be here for you. 
 
BRENNAN: Booth, you asked what you could do, how you could help. I think it would be good for me to be alone for a few days. 
 
BOOTH: Okay. Yeah, um…You want me to go, I’ll go. 

At least we get to see Booth looking great in Canada 🙂

As they investigate, they stumble on a potential find. Brennan shows kindness to Clark. 

 
CLARK: Possibility of an undiscovered Viking settlement is certainly exciting. 
 
BRENNAN: I suppose so. You have my approval to pursue an investigation, as long as you can assure me that your work on this case will not suffer. 
 
CLARK: You serious? Thank you, Dr. Brennan. 

 
So instead of confiding in her HUSBAND who LOVES HER, Brennan opens up to her ex. 

 
SULLY: So… feel like telling me about your dad? I’m… I’m happy to listen. 
 
BRENNAN: Max was a criminal who did terrible things, but he was also sweet and…silly. He abandoned me, and…made me…made it difficult for me to ever trust another man, and yet… 
 
SULLY: He loved you. 
 
BRENNAN: Yes. I don’t know why I’m crying…I don’t know… why I’m crying with you. Booth’s the one I’ve… built my life with, so why am I… letting you in when he feels so far away? 
 
SULLY: Grief, it’s… it does things. It mixes you up. 

(Doesn’t sound mixed up. Sounds like Brennan is aware of what she is doing. ) 
 

aka Booth

SULLY: Look, you’re gonna get through this. I mean, yeah, it’s gonna hurt for a while, but just give yourself some time. You know, Booth’s not going anywhere. 

Russ gets a shout out! 


 ANGELA: Is your brother gonna be there? 
 
BRENNAN: Russ can’t make it. He and Amy and the girls are coming to visit us this summer, and… we’ll do something nice for my dad then. 
 

Angela gets SO CLOSE to good advice and then drops the ball. 

Me:


The murder, yet again, is an accident that was then covered up. Typical.  

KATHLEEN (suspect): We were in the blind, and Adam saw movement… and he just took a shot. And it was Sarah. It was awful. He said there was no way authorities would believe it was just an accident. 

Sully leaves. Bye!!!  


Booth finally rejoins his family. And they discuss Sully. 

 
BOOTH: He’s important to you. 
 
BRENNAN: I want you to understand why he’s important. It’s because without Sully I don’t think I would’ve been ready for you, for this… and because of that, will always be grateful to him, because… 
I love this. I love you. 


BOOTH: I love you, Bones… always. 

Brennan says goodbye to Max. 

BRENNAN: To me, the bravest battle Max Keenan ever fought was the one he began over ten years ago when he reentered my life. Since then, every day… he has fought to show me how much he loves me…and to make me believe that I could trust him again. And he won that fight… but I do believe I was truly blessed to have a father like Max Keenan, a father who loved me so very much. Good-bye, Dad. 

Thoughts: 

*Brennan again shows Clark insight and care that she doesn’t give to most others, including her husband. Why do you think she has this connection with Clark? 
*Do you think it was appropriate to bring Sully back in this particular situation? Where was he for all the other important events in B&B’s life? Like when they were shot/hurt/in the hospital/being attacked by the FBI? Or their wedding or births of the kids? Why did he suddenly think Brennan needed him now? How did he hear about Max and not the other events? 

*Booth has completely replaced Hodgins in the doormat category. Hodgins let Angela walk all over him with other men, let her set the pace for everything, etc. Now it’s Booth’s turn, I guess.  

*Didn’t Brennan already learn to trust people, aka men? Supposedly Max and Sully taught her this, and Booth had no hand in it (according to this episode). She would rather confide in a man she has not seen or contact in literal YEARS, than the father of her children and the man she loved enough to marry.  

*Booth loses his father-in-law, one he had grown close to, and gets kicked out away from his wife and kids…BY his wife…while she hangs with her ex. No one paid any mind to what Booth was feeling or experiencing.  

*They throw one line in there that Brennan didn’t want to worry about Booth…but she should. She should worry/care about her husband and not push him away every darn time. I know she’s supposedly grieving but it’s still a bit self-centered to say “I don’t want to worry about him”…when somebody should! Poor Booth rarely has anyone looking out for him and his own grief and feelings. 

*Finally, everyone kept harping on why Sully was “the one that got away” and “important”…but honestly, they didn’t date that long. There was the slimmest of chances Brennan would have thrown away her career to ride on a boat for anyone. He has been gone, presumably without any communication, for YEARS….at least 10. So…..how is he anywhere near Booth’s league? I just don’t see it.

The Scare in the Score (12×7)

12×07 The Scare in the Score 

Written by: Joe Hortua 

Directed by: Randy Zisk 

 
We begin with B&B talking about Max. Not-so-subtle foreshadowing here. 


BOOTH: Come on, people can change later in life, Bones. 
BRENNAN: Actually, neurological studies show how difficult it is for an elderly person to alter their basal ganglia. 
BOOTH: Basal… gangamaly? What are you talking about? 
BRENNAN: It’s a part of the forebrain that is responsible for routine behavior and deeply ingrained habits. 
MAX: Good morning, everyone. The, uh, kiddos ready for drop-off? 
BRENNAN: They are. Everything all right, Dad? 
MAX: Absolutely. Why wouldn’t it be? 

 
BRENNAN: Why would you hide a significant medical issue from your own daughter? 
BOOTH: Well, ’cause he didn’t want to worry you. 
BRENNAN: Well, I want to be worried. 
BOOTH: What, you want to– Why? 
BRENNAN: Because I want to be involved in his life. At his age, I only have so much time with him. 

The latest victim has a tie to Booth. 


ANGELA: Yeah. Uh, her shipping receipts show that the packages were delivered by one employee. Michael Reiss. 
BOOTH: Wait a second, Michael L. Reiss? 
ANGELA: Yeah. How did you know? 
BOOTH: He served with me in my Ranger unit. I just saw him at Aldo’s funeral. 

Caroline wants to protect her favorite guy. 


 
CAROLINE: I’m not taking any chances, Cher. I’m putting you and your family into the highest level of safe house. Even I won’t know where to find you. 
BOOTH: Make sure that Max and the kids get there, ’cause I’m not giving up on this case. 
CAROLINE: Why did I know you would say that? 

Luckily for the team, the killer left multiple important and specific clues all over the crime scene! 

 
BRENNAN: Well, it’s a high-end billiard chalk called Blue Lightning. 
CAM: Well, Margaret Kwan was a shut-in, not a pool shark. 
BRENNAN: It must have been from the killer. 
ANGELA: Well, I’ve been running a search for bars and pool halls within the D.C. area that use this Blue Lightning. I’ve found 37, so far. 
CAM: Now, Hodgins said the killer had border collie hair on him. Can you help us with that? 
ANGELA: Yeah, I can run a search for dog licenses. There was a license filed for a border collie by a Javor Nicovic. And the address is Eastland Bar. 
BRENNAN: One of the locations that uses Blue Lightning chalk. 


 
Oh wait, the team finds more very specific special evidence! 

 
CAM: Any luck figuring out what Margaret Kwan was strapped down with? 
HODGINS: Duct tape. Also, I found particulates of a discontinued old talcum powder. 
CAM: How do you know it was discontinued? 
HODGINS: Well, because it used to have two percent asbestos in its makeup. And it’s been banned for the past two decades because of its link to cancer. 
CAM: So, we should be looking for a place that has old talc sitting around? 
HODGINS: That, as well as resilite vinyl. Cam, didn’t the killer use an abandoned recording studio for Aldo’s murder? 

The “safe” house was attacked. Max fought them.  


BOOTH: These guys are well-trained. 
AUBREY: They weren’t expecting your father-in-law. 


 
Max’s pacemaker apparently was infiltrated. 

 
ANGELA: Wait, Brennan said that Max recently had a pacemaker implanted. Pacemakers send GPS signals to their doctors. 
CAM: Max was a patient at the St. Francis Medical Center. 
ANGELA: I can get on their server. 
CAM: The pacemaker was the link. 

Max unfortunately, doesn’t make it, and that ends the episode. 

Thoughts:  

*It is an intriguing idea that Booth’s sniper story from the beginning of the series comes back like this, but I wish they would have written it better. Besides the slaughter of Aldo and Max, there are other issues: 

1. Why did the Serbians need to torture and kill multiple people to get to Booth? He is a public figure and probably has been in the news and is on the Internet. It seems like a criminal gang wouldn’t need to work so hard to get to Booth. They could’ve sent him a letter or package to his work or home. They could have Googled Booth or Brennan, who is also a prominent figure.  

2. The writing could have been WAY MORE subtle. It’s been clear from multiple episodes besides this one that Max was the next target, and they had Brennan talk about that she wouldn’t have her dad for much longer?? You don’t have to hit us over the head with it! Seriously!! 

3. How bad is the FBI at creating a safe house? An elderly Max had to fight off the baddies himself and save his own grandkids.  

4. The team finding inexplicably lucky evidence is nothing new…but this one was ridiculous! There were at least 3 very specific traces left, the dog hair, the cue chalk, and the expired talcum powder. Terrible hit men. I guess it’s good that both the FBI and the Serbians were all so incompetent?? 

Happy 2023!!!!

Hey all! Christmas break is officially over, and the transcript website is back up and running! Woo hoooo!!!

New post will be up Saturday!!! Although, spoiler alert, it is not going to be your favorite episode of all time.

Hope you all had a safe and happy holiday season and let’s finish out Season 12!! 🙂

PS. Bones is now streaming on Hulu and can be found on the TV channel Cozi.