I’ve returned with part 4 of this recap, as promised. There’s just one catch- I still haven’t quite nailed down my thoughts relative to THAT SCENE. If you’ve been following along (all three of you), then you know precisely the scene to which I am referring. Booth’s office. I don’t need to say any more than that. Call me crazy (I am), but until I can find an effective way of pouring everything I’m feeling into a post, I’d prefer it not be out in the wild. So after much consideration, I have decided to tack on an extra post next week, which will focus solely on the scene in Booth’s office. For now, this recap will cover the fourth act of the episode. Minus one scene.
It’s incredible to me that nearly six months after this episode aired, I’m still barely halfway through recapping it. But I am of the opinion that slow is good. What’s the rush? Also, I only just now realized, while writing this, that we are nearing the six month mark. Inconceivable. Some of the worst months of my life. But everything else aside, Bones is still there. It’s always there. And even though this particular episode marked the “end” of something, it’s not the end of everything. Bones continues to live on. So, rather than get off on a whining tangent that is better suited for my last post, I’ll just get right into this episode.
Jeannine Kovac is back in the interrogation room with Aubrey and a polygraph test. Upon initial viewing, it was difficult to determine how much of what she was saying held any truth. But now, her deliberate wording here seems so obvious. She switches off between referring to Kovac as either “Mark” or “my husband,” allowing her to easily maneuver through the test without actually telling a lie. She spoke to “Mark” that morning. She has no idea where her “husband” is. She claims she would tell Aubrey who has been helping her “husband” if she knew. I’ll wait to actually “spoil” the revelation, since it’s realized at the end of this act.
Photo Source: Bones, FOX (2017 Fox Broadcasting Co.)
On the other side of the mirror, Karen and Booth are watching the test. Karen notes that Jeannine has no tells to indicate she is lying (because she isn’t). Booth didn’t see anything either. He had really hoped the polygraph test would yield some helpful information they could use to find Kovak. He meets Aubrey out in the hall, and Aubrey has no good news for him. Jeannine passed the test with not even a gray area. Booth instructs Aubrey to hold her at the FBI anyway. “I don’t care how. Just keep digging.” He walks over to his office so he can check on his kids. Because he has kids. With Brennan. Booth and Brennan. They are married. With kids. That will never not be a thrill for me to think about. Aubrey receives a message from the Jeffersonian (I assume). They have an ID on the fake waiter who was spotted carrying Cam’s purse at the wedding. Karen will accompany Aubrey to the lab.
The following scene begins with a beautiful aerial shot of Brennan in the bone room. It’s a sight we’ve seen a million times before (excuse my hyperbole), but this time it’s tinged with sadness. And it’s not only due to the fact that we have grown quite accustomed to watching her work in a bright and in-tact room. Brennan is holding the bones. Feeling the bones. Waiting for them to figuratively speak to her. But they are saying nothing. Dead silent. What was once second nature is now seemingly impossible. She attempts to assemble the skeleton on the table. Something she was probably able to do with her eyes closed prior to this day. But as she hovers over the bones lying before her, she is uncertain. She doesn’t know whether the bone she’s holding belongs with this set of remains. And if it does, where does it go?
Photo Source: Bones, FOX (2017 Fox Broadcasting Co.)
Angela walks in, rolling some sort of contraption with her. She’s surprised to see that none of the interns are there helping Brennan. But Brennan figures that she may be able to make more progress if she was left alone with the bones. No such luck. “But I still can’t make sense of this.” Angela tells her to go easy on herself. “It’ll come back to you.” Brennan is not so sure anymore. She notices the x-ray machine in Angela’s possession and asks about it. Hodgins and Angela have just recalibrated it. They thought that Brennan could potentially use it to match the bones to the victim’s x-rays to ensure they’ve picked out the right ones. Angela sees the perplexed look on Brennan’s face immediately, and explains that it was just a crazy idea. “No. No, it was an obvious one. Fundamental, really. And I still couldn’t grasp it.” Have I mentioned a time or twenty that she destroys me in this episode? Brennan is starting to believe that this may be her new reality. And that she might never heal.
Aubrey and Karen deliver the identity of the waiter to Booth. He was a 28-year-old low-level drug dealer. Booth wants to know how long the man’s been dead. Aubrey responds that it’s been less than 48 hours. According to his file, he had no history of violence. And on top of that, Karen informs the men that he also flunked high school chemistry. Not exactly the most logical accomplice to aid in building an explosive device. Aubrey agrees. He doesn’t believe this man could have possibly been the bomber. Booth runs through what they know so far. “So, someone, someone actually working for Kovac hires this guy to steal Cam’s ID and killed him.” That “someone” is still out there. But Booth is no longer paying attention. Out of the corner of his eye he notices someone walking into his office. That someone happens to be his wife. While time is of the essence here, Brennan is still priority one. He needs to make sure she’s okay.
Skipping right to the next scene (don’t worry, the previous one will most certainly get the attention it deserves), Cam and Hodgins are huddled around a computer at the lab. Hodgins thinks they’ve found a DNA match in the system. But Cam notes that it’s only a partial match. Something on the screen suddenly piques Hodgins’ attention, and he asks Cam if he’s reading it correctly. Cam believes there must have been a mistake in the results, and wants to run the DNA again. But there’s no mistake. The music intensifies, and Hodgins and Cam exchange looks of shock and worry.
Photo Source: Bones, FOX (2017 Fox Broadcasting Co.)
Without even speaking, Cam dials Booth over at the FBI. Shout out to David’s mom in this scene. I love when the cast brings their loved ones onto the show. It’s fun to see the interactions, however brief. And what a nice memory for them to make together.
As the phone is ringing, the camera pans out to show Brennan in the corner of Booth’s office reading to her children. Hank is on her lap, and Christine is leaning over the side. It’s the most beautiful sight. This family is all too precious. Cam informs Booth that they were able to isolate the bomber’s DNA. He inquires as to whether there were any matches in the system. “Not exactly.” It turns out that the print was a partial match for Kovac, who didn’t escape until after the bombs were set. It couldn’t have been him. He must have a relative out there helping him. When Booth learns that the DNA is from a female, he immediately knows who it is. “It’s Jeannine.” He then realizes that Jeannine must have passed the polygraph test because she wasn’t lying. She really didn’t have any idea where her husband was. Because presumably, she doesn’t have one. Brennan walks over to Booth’s desk and cautiously asks him what’s going on. “It’s Jeannine. Kovac is not her husband. He’s her brother.”
Photo Source: Bones, FOX (2017 Fox Broadcasting Co.)
Without its defining scene, this act was devoted primarily to advancing the case. We are also obviously still following Brennan’s story here as well. It devastates me to watch this strong and magnificent woman begin to slowly crumble before our eyes. She’s losing herself. She’s actually starting to entertain the thought that she may be like this forever. And she’s unfamiliar with the person she’s become in the last 24 hours. She’s still the same Temperance Brennan, but at the same time, she’s not. At least, she doesn’t believe she is. To watch her struggle is a real struggle for me. I have to mention Emily yet again. Brennan has not been sharing all that’s been going on in her mind at this point. Not up until she goes to see Booth. But you can so easily discern the array of emotions running through her. The confusion, the pain, and the sadness. It’s heart-wrenching. And Emily does it so well. There aren’t even adjectives in the English language to accurately describe such a talent. Her face is just so expressive. She is just too good.
Now we have finally learned the identity of Kovac’s accomplice. Honestly, I thought it was a clever twist. I wasn’t necessarily expecting that particular type of reveal. I didn’t consider that the identity of that second person would mean anything significant. It would make sense that Jeannine would be just as invested as her brother in his cause. She lost a father too. I don’t know precisely why, I just thoroughly enjoyed this development.
Next post WILL be that scene. Followed by the rest of the recaps. Followed by – you’ll find out later.
