Bones - The Corpse at the Convention - Review

As the title might suggest, this week's episode took place at a convention.

I've been to a few conferences and conventions, and the showrunners captured the environment perfectly; devotees of a common interest gather to discover what's new, rub shoulders with well-known figures, and sell exciting and innovative products to a targeted audience.

Okay, so the National Forensic Science Convention wasn't Comic Con, but it did have a lot going in its favor. Drama. Romance. Familiar faces. New faces.

Oh, and murder.

Here's a recap of the plot:

Brennan is stressing the keynote speech she was scheduled to give at the forensic conference. When she gets there, she and her Jeffersonian team members were approached by people looking for autographs, internships, product sales, and, in Hodgins's case, hatchet-burying.

Hodgins has two tense moments involving a woman named Dr. Leona Saunders, a fellow entomologist who, as it turns out, stole an idea he had back in his school days.

Also looking to bury the hatchet is fellow forensic author, Tess Brown, with whom Brennan has dealt before; she's quick to point out that Brown is a forensic novelist "with no comprehension of forensics." Brown is there researching a new book, titled "Hotter Than My Heart."

Just as Brennan begins her speech with a killer Erwin Schrödinger joke, fire alarms blare to life in the convention hall, and Tess Brown points out a burning body in a utility room nearby. The fire only worsens when Brennan uses a standard extinguisher, so firefighters have to use a special class of extinguisher to put out the fire...which leaves a crust of chemicals on top of the body.

Conventioners clamor for the Jeffersonian team to use their new products to solve the murder: specially-designed gloves that leave no residue, LED head lamps, a Thermocouple with data storage, evidence sifters, concrete saws.

By the time the body reaches the lab, they've learned that the victim was Dr. Saunders, with whom Hodgins had been arguing shortly before her death. Although Aubrey presses Hodgins for details, Booth is quick to discount him as the killer; he briefly references his recent experience being falsely accused and allows Hodgins to continue working on the case.

A hotel employee becomes an early suspect, as well as the author, Tess Brown, but as the Jeffersonian team looks closer at the evidence, it becomes obvious that the killer had thorough knowledge of how to obfuscate forensic evidence.

Several conventioners - including the director - are then under suspicion, but the killer turns out to be the man selling non-trace gloves and LED head lamps; he confesses that Dr. Saunders maintained a relationship with him only to steal his ideas. Outsmarted by the Jeffersonian's team, he surrenders, saying "This has been a worthy defeat," and promising Brennan that he'll continue working on forensic gear during his prison sentence. She admits she's eager to see his new work.

Here's what I loved this week:

Angela compares walking into the convention with the Jeffersonian team to walking backstage with her rock-n-roll father. Adoring fans flock to Brennan, Cam, Hodgins and herself to praise them, seek their sway, sell their merchandise. It was a great reminder for me that this show, unlike many crime shows, allows the laboratory nerds to shine; Bones is definitely unique in its celebration of smarts over swagger.

And like the conventioners, I found myself squealing "eeee!" at the introduction of several of its guest stars:

- Tess Brown (played by Nora Dunn) is a great foil to Brennan in terms of intentions as authors; Brown is in it for the fame, while Brennan is in it for the forensics. Their polar opposite personalities make for interesting conversation, often pithy and thought-provoking.

- Dr. Edward Harkness (played by True Blood veteran John Billingsly) has always been an interesting-looking fellow, and does a great job of being both totally harmless- and somehow-suspicious-looking. I enjoyed trying to figure out if he was the murderer.

- Dr. Howard Fitch (played by Sean Gunn, of Gilmore Girls fame) played a seemingly well-meaning conventioner with several goods to sell. I was thrilled every moment he was on screen, and got genuinely frustrated when his scene with Hodgins at the lab was cut short by the last guy on my list...

- Aldus Carter (played by Gabriel Tigerman, who also portrayed my absolute FAVORITE guest star on Supernatural), conventioner-turned-murderer who hoped that he could hide evidence of his ex's death with some obsidian, magnesium, and other chemicals. His confession scene was spectacularly understated, and the signature of an actor who should really get some longer-lasting roles! (Fingers crossed.)

Here's a few more things I observed (and would love to hear your thoughts regarding):

Wendall the intern returned to the show this week, after a somewhat long absence. Last season, he was diagnosed with cancer and was taking medical cannabis to deal with the side effects of chemotherapy. His cannabis use could be used against him when testifying, and so he was forced away from crime solving. Thanks to a clinical trial, he was finally back to the work he loved, but then halfway through he completely gave up on his job because a fellow patient in his trial passed away. Over beers, Booth tells Wendall a war story about watching 12 of his comrades get picked off by insurgents, and tells Wendall to keep fighting, because he can't watch another brother die.

While I've enjoyed many of Wendall's storylines, and the character, I have to admit that the cancer storyline still feels really hollow to me. Maybe it's just that I've never been that close to someone with cancer, but to me, Wendall's cancer development seems out of place and overly-sappy for this show. Am I alone in this? Does Wendall's storyline strike a chord with you? Why or why not?

About halfway through the episode, Brennan expresses some doubt that she'll be able to solve the crime, which would look really bad to the conventioners; the keynote forensics speaker who can't solve the crime? But by the end of the episode, she's praised for solving the crime in a single day. This self doubt that Brennan expressed seemed really uncharacteristic. Brennan has always shown supreme confidence in her forensic skills, and described herself as the best in the world. Do you think this fit Brennan's personality?

The jokes at the beginning and end of this episode were precious. Booth and Brennan's relationship has always been a unique one with two very different personalities, and the two jokes are a great representation of how their differences are strengths...especially when Brennan tells both of them at the end. It's likely that she knew that her hubby would be the only one who laughed at the "atmosphere" joke, and that she told it exclusively to make him happy. It's one of many seemingly-small instances of compromise and sacrifice that make B-B so compelling to watch. Like many of these instances, it made me smile brightly, and ended the episode on a beautiful note. Who remembers some other moments like this? Gush with me.

About the Author - entropyki

Ki (aka entropyki) is a UX Researcher, roller derby enthusiast, Star Wars nerd, and road tripper. When she's not at a computer, she's driving, singing, watching TV, and generally being a badass, plus-sized twentysomething.

Favorite shows include Supernatural, Bones, Party Down, Futurama, Orange is the New Black, and the Big Bang Theory.