From the first moment I heard about The Cowboy in the Contest, I knew I there was nothing the show could possibly do to prevent me from falling head-over-heels in love with this episode. And it most definitely did not disappoint. I continue to watch this one over and over again since its initial airing because it was just a perfectly stellar installment. Yes, we have seen many undercover episodes on this show over the years, but none like this. That is certainly not to say I don’t worship the undercover episodes of the past. I love every second of them. But there was something so new and exciting about this particular one. I think it has to do with the fresh approach, and the new dynamic between Buck and Wanda. Jon Collier and Michael Peterson are just completely blowing me away this season. I could not be happier with the wonderful energy packed into every episode. I know the actors love a good undercover operation, but David and Emily were flawless here. You could tell it was not possible for them to be loving it more. They were so into it, and clearly having the time of their lives. Just the series of looks we get from them throughout the hour were almost overwhelmingly mesmerizing. I could say more, but I tend to ramble on. So here we go!
Source: Bones on FOX Network
You Are In My Robe
The episode opens with Cam waking up in her bed. And as it turns out, she is not alone. Her new love interest, Sebastian, has apparently stayed the night. And he brings her coffee clad in her own bathrobe. Cam appears to be appreciative, yet somewhat apprehensive. There is something that seems to be weighing on her. I can only assume she is either not sure about this guy, or is just having feelings of guilt or sadness about Arastoo. Perhaps I’m reading too much into her facial expressions and tone. But I like to think I know Cam pretty well by this point. Something is a bit off. That said, she still seems attracted to him. Their calm morning is interrupted by a call about a body. Nice to see it happens to other people, and not just Booth and Brennan. Sebastian wants to see Cam later. But again, Cam just gives him a nervous smile. He tells her not to worry, and that he “simply” likes her.
How Do You Feel About Cauliflower?
Booth is driving Brennan to work (insert an “aw” from me here), and she has decided to make the drive a bit more productive. This includes meal planning, scheduling, and basically checking off any and all items on her to-do list. Some may think a scene like this is boring, but there is nothing I love more than MARRIED Booth and Brennan talking about their lives outside of crime-solving. Even the mention of Baby Hank’s doctor’s appointment or Christine’s field trip makes me so happy. I know many “outsiders” wouldn’t get it. It is just always incredible to me that these two characters got to this point. Some may see that as boring, I see it as a wonderful miracle. Booth directs Brennan to his glove compartment in order to obtain Christine’s permission slip. But she actually discovers a listing for a motorcycle. She asks Booth if he’s been looking at bikes. And he says he’s just doing it “for fun.” Brennan is still concerned. I do not believe she is trying to be a wet blanket and “forbidding” her husband from having fun. But their jobs are risky enough. “I accept the inherent risks of our jobs. Why take on additional ones?” He tells her he would wear a helmet. But she responds with a list of injuries he could sustain while riding a motorcycle. She is merely concerned for his safety and well-being.
At Least He Died With His Boots On
Back at the lab, Cam, Hodgins, and Daisy (YAY, she’s back!) are examining the body. They have determined the victim was male in his mid-30s. He has been dead for approximately 26 days, and died from multiple gunshot wounds to the torso. What is strange about the gunshot wounds is that there was black gunpowder found within them. Hodgins explains that this is a very rare find, and that this powder was more commonly used in the early 1900s. Hodgins has also extracted horse hair from the body. Basically everything is pointing to this man being some sort of a cowboy. Brennan has now ascended the platform and seems to be baffled as to why Daisy is preparing to leave. Cam tells her that Dr. Hodgins wants a new toy, and in order to make that work, she has to cut back on intern hours. Brennan concedes, and adds that she understands the importance of functional equipment. The group finds even more strange injuries that point to a cowboy lifestyle. Except Angela has arrived with news that the victim was actually an accountant.
Slow Burn Stanley?
The Body of Stanley Belridge was “generously” turned over to the FBI by the local police, as the body was not found in their jurisdiction. Booth and Aubrey are on the case. But before Aubrey goes to speak to Stanley’s supervisor, he notices the same motorcycle listing from earlier that day. “Dr. Brennan is letting you get a motorcycle?” Booth is unamused, and shoos Aubrey out of his office.
Aubrey is interviewing Stanley’s supervisor in the FBI conference room. He waited to report the victim missing since he didn’t know him very well. He figured someone else would have done it. He also informs Aubrey that the FBI will need a warrant before they can search through the “sensitive” data on Stanley’s computer.
Meanwhile, Hodgins has discovered that the victim’s body was dumped. And Angela has found the last place the victim visited before he was murdered: The Frontier Games. “It’s a weekend-long, role-playing, Old-West style shooting competition. The Games are held once a month, and are run by Francine and Luke Nichols. Normally I don’t pay that much attention to everyone’s names, but there were just so many characters floating around this episode. It’s far easier to just give them names to keep the case facts straight. The victim’s “cowboy” name was “Slow Burn Stanley,” and he came in first place at the last competition held. The grand prize was $10,000, which presents a clear motive for murder. Hodgins realizes that if the victim died almost a month ago, then the next competition should be coming up during the next weekend. “Why do I have a feeling Booth already knows this?” Cam knows her friend all too well.
Giddy-up
Cam is right. Booth is already talking about going overcover while eating at the diner with Brennan and Aubrey. Booth offers up some reasonably sufficient reason as to why an undercover operation may be necessary, and I have no problem going with it. But Aubrey interjects with “you just want to dress up and play cowboy for the weekend.” Of course he does. “Who wouldn’t want to do that?” I love big-kid Booth. Not only is Aubrey supportive, he too wants to go undercover and “hit the trails.” “It’s not a dude ranch, Aubrey. It’s a shooting competition.” But Aubrey continues on about playing “a great cowboy song” on his guitar. Booth doesn’t quite see the value in this, and tells him to stay in DC. Brennan chimes in and tells them both that she will also be staying behind. She doesn’t have an intern for the weekend, and needs to be in the lab. “Fine, then I’ll do it alone, Wanda.” Aw. Aubrey is surprised that they would “split up,” which I think is a poor choice of words on his part. But he is still relatively new to this dynamic. Brennan tells him it is “hardly splitting up.” Because it is. “And if Agent Booth feels that is the best way to solve the case, then he should do it.” And Booth, being the loveable man child he is, is definitely ready to do this.
At the lab, Angela confronts Brennan in the bone room. She is perplexed as to why Brennan would allow Booth to go undercover without her. Brennan admits that she finds it strange. “But then again, I find a lot of Booth’s behavior strange these days.” She goes on to talk about his desire for a jet ski, and now his interest in motorcycles. “He’s only recently recovered from being shot, and he wants to put his life in danger for…I don’t know what.” Brennan has known Booth a long time. At this point in their relationship, she can generally understand the motives behind his behavior. But this is new to her. Angela postulates that perhaps Booth is looking for “excitement.” “Basically you’re saying that our life together has become routine, and Booth needs to have some fun.” Angela corrects her by saying that both of them need to have some fun. For a moment I’m a bit unnerved by this statement. But only for a moment. Because the look of intrigue on Brennan’s face is enough to get me completely on board for what’s to come.
Booth, or should I say “Big River Buck,” is riding around at the Frontier Games on a horse named “Nugget.” He meets up with one of the founders of the competition, “Fancy Pants Franny.” Her husband, “High Card Luke,” also comes over to introduce himself. Booth plays down his shooting skills, and casually mentions that the victim seems like the person to beat. Franny tells Booth that he may be in luck, as she doesn’t believe Stanley is coming to the competition this month. Booth appears to be startled by a gunshot, and Luke and Franny laugh at his “jumpy” state. “Don’t worry about me, Luke. I can handle myself.”
Angela breaks the sad news to Hodgins that he will not be getting his new equipment this month, as she has convinced Daisy to come in for “double time” over the weekend. As an added bonus, they will be taking Christine and Hank. Booth and Brennan’s two children. I wish I could gloss over that like it’s nothing. But it gets me every time. Even if it’s old news. Hodgins asks if Hanks sleeps through the night yet. Angela doesn’t think so, but tells him to consider it practice. She leaves a very confused Hodgins behind her.
We are back at the Frontier Games, and Booth is scoping out the scene at the saloon. At that moment, a vaguely familiar woman enters. Booth seems a bit stunned to see his wife all dressed up in her cowgirl ensemble. But she just tips her hat to him.
And Solving A Murder, Of Course
I’m pretty sure that Brennan may possibly be the last person Booth expected to see walk through those swinging saloon doors. But Brennan seemed to want to play it cool, so he keeps his distance. She is approached by the “Marshal,” Glen Gold Dust. And old Glen seems to like what he sees. Brennan introduces herself as “Wild Card Wanda, quickest draw in all of Boney Ridge.” That earns her a laugh from Booth. Well, I mean Buck. She asks him who he is, which sets up the whole “strangers” scenario. Booth tells them that he is “Big River Buck, notorious highwayman.” Glen calls them natural enemies, but then asks if there’s anything he can get the two newcomers. “Especially you, Wanda.” Looks like Glen wants to get to know Brennan a bit better. She sends him off to fetch her a root beer, and the partners/spouses/faux-strangers can speak candidly for the first time.
Booth asks her what she is doing at the Frontier Games. “Being unexpected and exciting! And solving a murder, of course.” Have I mentioned yet how much I adore undercover-Brennan. She is always so exuberant. Booth, however, is concerned that she introduced the pair as strangers. Brennan doesn’t seem to see this as much of an issue, and tells him that they will figure it out. “There’s not much that’s routine about this situation, is there?” And she’s right. Every “undercover” mission has been an instance during which Booth and Brennan have played some sort of a couple. This is completely out of the ordinary. And without having seen the episode, I knew from the description that it was going to be a joy watching them try to act like strangers. Glen comes back with a root beer for Brennan (excuse me for interchanging Brennan and Wanda during this recap), and we meet some of the other competitors, and/or suspects. Sweet Rose Sadie seems to be a little too happy that Stanley isn’t at the competition, so now someone else has a chance to win. And Kentucky Loco Beau has had some recent trouble with money and custody of his children.
He Was In The Area
At the lab, Cam is checking in on Daisy’s progress in examining the bones. They notice what appears to be a nick from a through-and-through gunshot wound, which could provide clues about the murder site. Angela comes in to inform Cam that Sebastian left some “stuff” on her porch because he was “in the area.” Apparently Sebastian lives nowhere near Angela, but Cam does. “Which means the reason that he was in my area is because he had just been in your area.” I’m going to leave that one alone for the most part, but ooh la la. Daisy is a bit surprised that Cam is seeing someone, but Cam tries to convince the two that it “means nothing.”
The Great Bank Robbery
It’s time for the first competition at the Frontier Games. Buck is up, and only hits two out of the five targets. He also hits the bank teller he was trying to “save.” Brennan’s look seems to be a mix of disgust and confusion, and then finally disappointment. While Agent Booth is a sharp-shooting sniper, Big River Buck may be more of an amateur. Booth gets a phone call from Aubrey about Kentucky Loco Beau (aka Robert Macintosh), who recently paid off $6,000 in delinquent child support in cash. If the cash prize for the Frontier Games is $10,000, that could certainly be a motive for murder. Wild Card Wanda is up next. I have to say, I love the “cues” used for each of these challenges. Booth does a more subdued reciting, while Brennan, of course, screams out her cues with gusto. “You’re surrounded by rangers, you yellow-bellied coward!” Wanda actually does very well, as Brennan is both competitive and a decent shot. She hits five out of five targets, and everyone is impressed. Not least of which is Glen, who mentions to Booth that he thinks he’s falling in love. Well, that is a bit of a startling statement to hear from another man about your wife.
Angela tells Hodgins that there’s not much in the way of useful documents on Stanley’s computer, so she’s going to rearrange car seats instead. Hodgins confronts her, as he believes she may be pregnant. She tells him she’s not, but is a bit concerned that he seems relieved in that moment. She wants more kids. She tells him to think about it.
Franny approaches Brennan at the bar, and points out that Wanda has made the leaderboard. She’s 14th, which I guess may be relatively impressive for a newcomer. Brennan asks about Franny’s limp, and learns that she actually fell off a horse a month earlier. Brennan goes into anthropologist-mode and recommends an anterior hip replacement. Franny guesses that she is a doctor in the outside world, but Brennan denies it. I always find it interesting to see who “recognizes” Brennan as a famous author and anthropologist and who has no idea who she is. I guess I personally don’t know what every author looks like. I’ll let it slide. After Franny walks away, Booth comes over to update Brennan on the case. She tells him that he is not doing very well, and that he didn’t even make the board. But of course, Booth isn’t even trying. Glen interrupts the pair to invite “Miss Wanda” to the BBQ with him. She accepts, and Booth looks mildly perplexed by the whole exchange.
Aubrey calls Cam to inform her that an abandoned car found at a bus stop belonged to the victim, but there was no sign of forced entry or struggle. Additionally the prize money that the victim won was still in his bag. So the robbery motive is now out the window. Additionally, Hodgins found particulates from a Douglas Fir tree, which wouldn’t typically be found in that area of Virginia. It actually may be slivers of painted plywood. Aubrey will call Booth with the new information, but first he sits down to have a BBQ feast. He tells Cam he was both jealous and inspired by the barbecue held at the Games, and is now eating what looks like a meal for four. I’m glad we are seeing more of Aubrey’s insanely gluttonous eating habits. I missed them in the first few episodes of the season.
Wild Card Wanda, Baby
Brennan meets Booth over by some extra flats, which could be the painted plywood they are looking for. One of the victim’s gunshot wounds was a through and through. Meaning that if he was shot against these flats, the bullet should still be there. Brennan uses her ALS to search for blood, and she has discovered the murder site. She is absolutely giddy, and it is absolutely charming. Booth changes the subject to Brennan attending the barbecue with Glen. He asks if she is trying to make him jealous. “No, I’m just, I’m behaving in a non-routine manner.” There’s the word “routine” again. I’m surprised he didn’t pick up on it early in the episode. Booth asks her why, and she responds in perhaps one of the most adorably goofy moments I’ve seen from Brennan. Maybe ever. “Because. Hello, I’m a wild card. I’m full of fun and surprises. I’m Wild Card Wanda, baby!” Before Booth can respond, he spots Franny. And he thinks she has been following the two of them. Also of note here, Brennan cannot refrain from touching Booth. The amount of times they do not act like strangers in this episode is laughable. But also expected and lovely.
Aubrey brings over some evidence from the victim’s car that makes Franny look just a bit guiltier. Apparently Stanley wanted to start his own version of the Frontier Games. Aubrey thinks that Beau Macintosh may have been Franny’s accomplice, and that would explain how he was able to pay off his child support. Hodgins and Angela then enter the lab decorated in some elaborate face paint. Christine found the paint and the group lost track of time. And Hodgins isn’t sure about having more kids? This is just so sweet. I want to go play at their home. It is also reminiscent of that time Angela and Parker did some face painting back in The Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. The four of them examine the contents of Stan’s car. They are picking up the guns to transport them to Cam’s autopsy room, when Sebastian walks in. It’s actually quite the hilarious sight to behold. He asks Cam to take a “stroll” with him around the reflecting pool later that night. Cam is a hesitant. She tells him she’s having fun with him, but she’s not interested in “a walk.” He gets the picture and leaves.
So Foolish!
Brennan has had a costume change, and is video chatting with Daisy behind one of the buildings. Long story short, the victim was punched. Booth finds Brennan, and tells her that Franny has been giving Beau all the money. Brennan informs him about Daisy and her new discovery. She pauses for a brief moment, and then tells Booth that she feels “so foolish.” “All of this, all of it. It’s so irrational. I mean, how could I think flirting with another man and besting you at a game of skill would have a positive effect on our relationship.” Booth chuckles at her admission. He is not worried about her flirting with “doughy” Glen Gold Dust. He’s more astounded that she believes she is “besting” him. Those two love a good competition, especially with each other. He tells her he could win this competition blindfolded. He just didn’t want to draw attention to himself. Brennan is not so sure about his assessment, as cowboy shooting is not the same as what he is used to. “You really think you can beat me in this competition?” “Oh, I am beating you, Booth.” I really truly loved this moment. While I am sure he isn’t thrilled with another man setting his sights on his wife, Booth is not at all concerned. They are solid. And they both know it. They have been with other people in the past. It clearly did not work out. This is not one of those couples where you fear that one of them is going to suddenly run off with someone else. They are both in this. They are both so completely and utterly invested for life. So Booth barely touches on the fact that she is even pretending to flirt. He is only a little confused by her reasoning behind it. He has no fear that she is actually interested in any other man. I love the security there. And I also get excited whenever these two get competitive with each other. They have a certain fire in them, and it is so much fun to see it play out.
Another touch by Brennan alerts Booth to the scene she sees. She has spotted Franny and Beau walking off somewhere together. Booth asks if Brennan is coming along with him. “No no, we’re together too much. It’s getting suspicious.” Sure. “Getting” suspicious. Those two cannot stay away from each other. Booth takes this to mean that she wants to stay and work on her lasso. “Well guess what, Wild Card Wanda, You’re going down.” I’ll say it again, I love when the two of them go head to head. SO MUCH FUN!
Sweet Rose Sadie sees Booth over by the horses. She tells him she has wanted one since she was a kid. And Franny lets her ride them when she’s there. Rose tells him Franny is probably off sneaking a cigarette somewhere. That’s most likely why the proprietor has been slinking around.
Cam brings Aubrey the murder weapon, which actually belonged to the victim. And everyone has had access to it since the everyone staying on the property is so trusting. The plot thickens.
Watch and Learn, Wanda
Booth finds Brennan again to tell her that Franny wasn’t following them. She smells smoke on his breath, and he claims he was just investigating and didn’t inhale. Booth’s gut tells him that Franny and Beau are not the murderers. “Based on evidence or some nicotine-fueled flash of insight?” Booth thinks the two are just smoking buddies. To top it all off, Stanley wasn’t planning to open a rival business. Franny was actually just looking to expand. Franny mentioned that Stanley had been “smoking like a chimney” last month, and that it had to do with work. What could have been bothering him this much?
It’s time for the next competition, and Buck is up. He channels his sniper skills, and wows everyone there. Including his lovely wife. Erm, competitor.
Angela is struggling to figure out why none of the documents found in the victim’s car were on his hard drive. But Hodgins has found traces of venice turpentine where the victim was punched. It is primarily used on horses to repair cracked hooves, but Angela has also used it for painting. Angela finally recovers the documents, and it turns out they were deleted from the hard drive after the victim was murdered. Aubrey brings in the victim’s boss again, who admitted to deleting the files. He was trying to hide the fact that he was forcing Stanley to do his work for him. He definitely didn’t kill him. He just wanted to write his novel.
The Name’s Wild Card Wanda Now, Ms. Wick
Brennan is once again chatting with Daisy about the large number of microfractures on the victim while she gets ready for the next event. She’s “preparing to outshoot Agent Booth at High Noon.” That is something I never quite thought I would hear coming out of Brennan’s mouth ever. But I love it. She recommends a course of action for Daisy. And Daisy tells her to “go get ‘em.” Girl power.
Angela is going to do some more digging into the victim’s documents while at the FBI. Apparently all the documents Stanley had been looking at were related to a company called Clementine Construction. In a rather bizarre moment, Aubrey picks up a guitar and begins talking about the beauty of riding a horse. It’s a bit surreal. But clearly Aubrey wants to join in on the Old-West fun. Angela interrupts him with a discovery that the social security number on one of the documents is fake, and that the person who founded the company doesn’t exist. Clementine Construction is a front.
Daisy has taken Brennan’s advice to study the bones in micro slices, but is having a bit of trouble drawing any sort of conclusions from it all. Cam suggests that Daisy talk to Angela about helping her, and Daisy is relieved. She stops Cam before she can leave the room to tell her that she accidentally overheard the conversation with Sebastian. Daisy knows it’s none of her business but she also knows what it takes to “open your heart again after a loss.” Bones has been expertly bringing up key moments from the show’s past during this season. Sweets is not someone we are ever likely to forget, but it is nice to see this subtle acknowledgment of him and what his loss still means. Daisy continues on. “It takes time, and it takes courage, but at some point you have to risk it. If you don’t, you just shrink a little inside.” Cam thanks her. “That means a lot coming from you.” This was really a beautiful moment. Those two don’t usually get a lot of meaningful scenes together, and this one was very quick. But who better to talk about such a great loss than Daisy. It’s not quite the same situation, but Daisy lets Cam know that the feelings are still comparable. I think she really was able to get through to Cam in this moment.
He’s Cheating!
Glen lets Brennan know that Wanda is in 10th place. She is actually tied with Buck. And the competition between the partners is heating up. Booth and Brennan give each other a series of looks in this scene. And I cannot tell if they are turned on, pumped up, or ready to attack. Or all of the above. Brennan performs the next challenge, and does it quite well. She hits all the targets in an impressive amount of time. Brennan and Booth eye each other when he steps up for his turn. All of the looks in this episode are amazing, by the way. I could stare at gifs of every one of the nonverbal moments for hours. Booth does just a bit better than Brennan, and in record time too. Glen yells that it is impossible and that Buck is cheating. But Brennan answers that “he’s not.” It’s such a short sentence. But that moment keeps sticking out for me. She didn’t have to defend him. But she knows Booth is a near-perfect shot. He is not and would never cheat. And she is proud of his impressive skills. They proceed to look at each other with so much love, so much fire, and so much passion (And Booth has a little cocky smirk to boot). All the same time. It’s overwhelming. I may actually faint.
Aubrey is relaying some new discoveries to Cam. Clementine Construction only had one client- Frontier Games Ltd. That is why Stanley was so interested. Aubrey is headed to the Games to check everything out. He claims he has a bad feeling and thinks he should be nearby. Cam thinks it’s more that Aubrey is a little jealous that he is not a part of all the undercover fun. He scoffs at the remark, but also admits to wearing a poncho in that moment.
Why Do Birds Fly, Bones?
Time for some sort of dance or reception at the saloon. Brennan has had another costume change, and is greeted by Glen. He congratulates her for being third place. Which I do think is rather impressive, considering she was up against her super-sniper husband. Glen gives her a painting to remember the weekend, as he saw her admiring it when she first arrived. It was painted by Franny’s husband, Luke. Brennan thanks him for his thoughtfulness, and he asks if he can call her sometime. I think she’s starting to realize that this guy really is interested in her. She seems to notice something on the painting. Luke and Franny then announce that the next song will be a partner dance. As Brennan is wandering the floor, Booth turns her around. She seems genuinely delighted to see him. They begin to dance, and of course, talk about the case. Multitasking. Brennan tells Booth that whoever punched the victim had turpentine on his hands. If Luke did all the paintings showcased at the Frontier Games, he is a likely suspect. Meanwhile, Glen is starting to eye the pair dancing from his place at the bar.
Booth notices that the song playing is My Darling Clementine. Coincidence? Clementine Construction has to be how Luke was embezzling money from his wife. If Stanley threatened to expose him, that is a clear motive for murder. Brennan tells Booth that they should go. But Booth pulls her back. He says that they make a great team, and then asks her if she thinks she can still take him in target shooting. Brennan answers that she could, with practice. “Booth, do you still think that our life together is routine?” But Booth would never think that. Brennan is confused. Then why would he want a motorcycle? “Why do birds fly, Bones? Because it’s cool.” She tries to tell him that is not why birds fly, but he pulls her in for a sweet kiss. Moment to relish in this, please. Okay. We are not able to enjoy it for long because Glen is furious, and pulls Booth off of Brennan. He punches Booth in the face, and tells him that he had his eye on her. Brennan announces that she has free will, so she cannot be fought over. Still, the two men begin to scuffle and it turns into a full-on bar brawl. Brennan hits a man with a bottle for Booth, and even Aubrey enters to join in on the fighting. Luke halts the fighting with a shot from his gun. The Frontier Games has a zero-tolerance policy on fighting, and Buck and Glen are disqualified. But Booth reveals his true identity, and tells Luke he’s under arrest for murder. Brennan informs everyone that she is not Wanda. “I’m also the mother of his children, sorry.” YES YES YES. I so enjoy Booth’s “that’s right” in this moment. Any line that reminds me that these two have this wonderfully beautiful life together makes me weak at the knees, metaphorically speaking. Or maybe a bit literally as well. And it also looks like Wanda wins the weekend by default.
Aubrey is questioning Luke, but he claims he did not kill Stanley. All he did was hit him. He admits to stealing from his wife, but he wants a lawyer if he is going to talk anymore. The gang at the lab has discovered that Stanley was hit repeatedly with something. But they can’t quite figure out what.
Brennan is so sweetly attempting to get Booth to put ice on his face, when Aubrey rides over to them on a horse for really no reason whatsoever. Brennan tells them that the lab discovered that Stanley was struck on the forehead by a heavy object 2,047 times. That’s quite the number. Brennan has an epiphany, and realizes it was a horse. All the evidence points to the victim being dragged to the dump site by a horse. The heavy object was a stirrup. And Brennan finds blood on one of the stirrups on Aubrey’s horse. I guess his whim did serve a purpose. But the saddle does not belong to Luke. It belongs to Franny, whose hip injury would definitely not allow her to ride a horse. All eyes are now on Ms Rose. It turns out that Luke gave her the money to buy a horse because the two of them were having an affair. Stanley found out and threatened to tell Franny. But Rose couldn’t let that happen. Her horse would be taken from her. That was the most important thing in her life. She admits to the murder. Another job well down by our favorite crime-solving gang. I know it has been mentioned before, but it just thrills me so much. Booth and Brennan clearly rushed to the FBI because they did not have time to change out of their Old-West attire. But they did put on their wedding rings. It was THAT important to them to display the one object that represents their complete and unwavering commitment to each other. They had to pretend they were strangers for a weekend. While it was new and fun and exciting, they do not want to act like strangers. They love each other. They want the world to know. They want each other to know. And they made sure to put those rings on just as soon as they could. I love that so much.
I’m Not Ready
Hodgins confronts Angela about her desire to have another child in the near future. He is just not ready. He knows there will be more love as more children come into the world. But he is so happy with their little unit. There is no division between parents and kid. It’s just the three of them together. It hurts me to see Angela sad, but I can completely understand what Hodgins is saying. Though I will admit, it took me a minute to figure out where he was going with his explanation. He is not saying “never.” He’s just telling her that he’s not ready now. He wants to be honest with her. And I think she can appreciate that.
But someone who is ready is Cam. She meets up with Sebastian and wants to go on that walk with him. They head down the street hand in hand.
I Love Routine
Booth and Brennan are back to being Booth and Brennan. Booth is praising the “routine” aspects of their lives. She thinks he is making fun of her, but really, he’s not. He loves their routine. For so long, he never thought this life was attainable. He loves every day. He loves even the seemingly mundane aspects of their life together. Excitement is great, but this has always been his dream. Living some kind of “normal” life together with this one woman. She is his dream. Their children are his dream. And as long as they are together, routine can never be a bad thing. Especially with this pair and everything they have been through. I would imagine routine feels pretty great to him after their sometimes-tumultuous past. They are routinely sharing a beer and discussing their life together. Booth tells her how much he loves the routine of “bath, lotion, story, snuggles” with their little ones. He loves it. How close have they come, a dozen times over, to not having this life. I imagine they are both so thankful everyday for what they have together. What they have created together.
Brennan announces to him that she got him a gift. She tells him that it is something he wants. She is so excited to give it to him too. But we can clearly see it’s a bicycle. Can anyone really see Booth riding around on a bicycle? Booth goes wearing a huge smile on his face to a completely confused look. He asks her what it is. She claims that she has purchased him a motorcycle because it has both a motor and a cycle. She also got him a helmet. But he is not having it. Booth appreciates the gesture, but it’s not a motorcycle and he is not going to be seen on that thing. I love that she thinks the helmet is “very cool.” Bless you, sweet Brennan. She decides she may keep the bike for herself since she won the contest and deserves “something special.” They bicker about who actually won because of technicalities. “Rules are rules, Booth.” She gets on the bike and starts riding around the house. Did this scene actually happen? Sometimes I am so shocked by the completely domestic and fun scenes we get. The ones that simply scream “married.”
Source: Bones on FOX Network
While I love each and every Bones episode (and I do mean EVERY last one), there was not one single thing I didn’t absolutely adore about this one. Every moment was fun and amazing and sweet for me. Though we have seen the undercover thing done several times in several different ways, this just felt new and fresh. It was really just a perfect episode to me. I am only sorry that it had to be overshadowed by the one after it. But I will forever treasure it.
Look for an 11×10 recap soon! I do believe these two had to be done separately, as I could never talk about the frivolity of episode 9 in the same breath as the crushing blows from episode 10. It just wouldn’t be fair to either episode. Until next time!
