The landmark 200th episode of "Bones" has come and gone, and if you're anything like me, you find yourself grinning a little bit...it's an achievement of which very few television shows can boast, and it was celebrated in a beautiful fashion: as an homage to the legacy of Alfred Hitchcock.
And while I have to admit, the episode reached Hitchcockian levels of intensity only twice (once in the opening scene, as Booth and Brennan prowled the palacial home, and again in the climactic fight scene - which took place on an un-piloted plane), I still thought it was a fitting tribute to good television, regardless of the era.
Here's a recap of the plot:
A brief opening scene presented Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz as 50's Hollywood stars celebrating their 10th motion picture together. The black-and-white entertainment news segment then gave way to what was, ostensibly, their latest movie...
In a twist of their typical roles, Bones played an LAPD detective on the hunt for Booth, a renowned jewel thief who was notorious for leaving no evidence. Their paths cross just as the body of Eva Braga, an affluent socialite, was discovered in her own safe by her maid (Camille).
While many suspected Booth was behind the murder, Bones knew better. She went to her police chief father to explain her theory, but was suspended. As a result, she partnered with Booth; if they worked together, they could clear him of the murder AND prove she had the chops to be a detective...during a time when women were more often relegated to the stenography pool.
Angela and Wendall (a secretary and an up-and-coming reporter, respectively) pursued a fence (Arastoo) who might have purchased the victim's stolen goods, and Booth and Brennan visited Hodgins (an eccentric paleontologist) to see if he could use his powers of deduction on a recent corpse, instead of one from the Cretaceous Era.
Hodgins and Edison then discovered that the body found in the safe was not Eva Braga at all - it was her maid's. Booth and Brennan confirmed this suspicion with James Aubrey, a former trust-fund sucker who spent time with her down in Rio.
Booth and Brennan then went to confront Camille (the real Eva Braga), only to be held up at gunpoint. Brennan was taken hostage, and loaded onto a plane...which Booth then chased down, fought for, and landed...after an airplane ride into the sunset.
Here's what I loved this week:
Basically, I loved everything this week.
Even though there are whiffs of Hitchcock in this story, the heart and soul is still stamped with "Bones" style; it's right there in the unfolding of the plot and the characters' interactions with each other.
For example, Hodgins and Angela are thrown together to create a sketch of the victim, and then share a truly sweet moment in which he calls her beautiful, and she asks him to confirm it. It's one of many examples of Angela and Hodgins' timeless romance - the attraction of opposites.
Speaking of Hodgins...can I spend a minute geeking out about how much I LOVED this version of him? Everything from the costumes and hairdo to the slight lilt in speech and manic look in his eye screamed "madcap scientist" to me! His new persona was far and away my favorite alternate characterization.
Not that I didn't love the many, many guest appearances that this episode offered: Angela's dad (finally given a name - Sarge), Max Keenan, Wendall Bray, Daisy Wick, Jessica Warren, Rodolfo Fuentes, Caroline Julian, and even former villain Christopher Pelant...there were so many faces cast in a wonderful new light!
Here's a few more things I observed (and would love to hear your thoughts regarding):
I think most of us were hoping we'd come across a recently-lost face during this episode: Lance Sweets. His absence from this episode (and for me, his absence from every episode this season, apart from the first) is a noteworthy one. While I understand that perhaps it's better to bury the past, I did think that seeing this character in an alternate world would somewhat cushion the blow of his death. Was anyone else really sad that Sweets wasn't included?
The script for this episode was rife with 50's catchphrases and nicknames: "doll", "darling", "cub reporter", "chump", "bombastic twit", "old sport" etc... The writing was true to the period, and a delight to listen to. However, there was something off about the delivery sometimes...words given the wrong inflection, or phrases punched in the wrong places. Did anyone else feel that way? Or was it just the nature of hearing the long-forgotten cadences of the era?
