By Faith McQuinn
Dr. Sweets (John Francis Daley) is back, as is this season’s most interesting bad guy The Widow’s Son, otherwise known as Gormogon.
The episode opens with Cam (Tamara Taylor) being called onto a murder scene instead of Bones (Emily Deschanel) because the body is still very much a body. When the team gets it back to lab, it turns out the victim is missing his kneecaps. A discovery made by Zach (Eric Millegan), finally making him king of the lab. Not a major story point, but still worth the mention.
The gooey victim with the missing kneecaps is a bishop. The bishop’s kneecaps, which are delivered to Bones, are the next piece in Gormogon’s unfinished skeleton sculpture. With the delivery to Brennan herself, it looks like Gormogon is finally taking a personal interest in the squints.
Week after week, I find myself with new things to love about BONES. I’m usually one for focusing on the relationship side of the story. Although, with continuing Widow’s Son arc, I’m getting very into the mystery aspect of the show as well. Finding out that Gormogon was once an apprentice who has now become the master is a bit creepy. The team isn’t just looking for one crazy cannibal; they’re searching for two.
Because Sweets comes up with this STAR WARS sith master/apprentice scenario, Booth (David Boreanaz) decides to bring him on the case. Brennan, mistrusting the non-scientific opinion of a psychologist, doesn’t want him there, but he keeps coming up with all the right answers.
At first, I was convinced that Sweets was Gormogon’s new apprentice; this guy is just too smart for his own good (plus he has the biggest teeth I have ever seen on a human). I’ve reneged on that idea, though. Just as Hodgins (TJ Thyne) fits the serial killer mold almost perfectly, Sweets fits it as well, and they’re both just extremely focused, weird guys. I think Sweets is just going to be the smart mind guy to play along with all the smart science geeks. You know, kind of like Angela (Michaela Conlin) is the smart art chick. BONES has already played the good guy is actually the bad guy scenario, and I don’t see them going there again.
No matter, Sweets’ deductions bring them closer to the killer and his next victim. Their search gets a little too close when Zach, still king of the lab, discovers Gormogon has had secret surveillance equipment in the vault all along. In an attempt to trap Gormogon, Booth and Brennan get blown up by a bag bomb containing, ew, Gormogon’s teeth. I guess he won’t be eating any more tough meat.
Even with all the juicy serial killer mystery, there is still time for plenty of relationship drama. Mostly it involves Brennan and her family. Her step-niece has cystic fibrosis, and her brother Russ (Loren Dean) is on the run. When he turns himself in, Booth immediately arrests him, as any good FBI agent would do. His characteristic softness gets the best of him, and Booth lets Russ see his stepdaughter. This kind jester leads to, I believe, the first actual kiss shared between Booth and Bones. Granted, it is on the cheek, but wait, do I see a little flushed face going on there with Booth? Is he a little giddy over a kiss on the cheek? I think so!
While I think it’s nice to see Booth doing kind things for Brennan and her family, I don’t really like Brennan’s family all that much. Well, OK, maybe I just don’t like her dad (Ryan O’Neal) all that much. The storyline feels done. Brennan is about as comfortable with her father as she ever will be. Every time she goes to prison to visit him, I tune out a little because it’s just the same old thing on a different day. Maybe now that her brother is back in the mix, the family dynamic will become more interesting, but I don’t think so.
Family things aside, it was a great episode. In fact, it gets bonus points for ending with Booth shooting the hell out of a target instead of the prerequisite Booth and Brennan heart-to-heart.