Bones - The Tutor in the Tussle and The Flaw in the Saw - Review

After the heavy, heavy tone struck in "The Price for the Past", the last two episodes of Bones have returned to a lighter, more balanced tone - or as light as a show about murder can be, I guess.

In "The Tutor in the Tussle," we discovered the culprit who shot an upscale school tutor, learned about Cam's (totally justified) dislike of spiders, found out there IS something in this world that brings Fischer the intern joy, and that Aubrey's lack of appetite gives him away every time.

Next, in "The Flaw in the Saw", Booth and Brennan settled an argument by log rolling (as all good couples do), chainsaw experiments rocked the Jeffersonian, we hit a snag in reversing Zack's conviction in the death of a lobbyist, and we learned just how splintered life can be for a lesbian lumberjill who plays pranks on food truck owners.

Let's dive in.

PLOT

The titular tutor was named Austin Wilson. He was a brilliant kid who grew up in the foster system and sold his tutoring services at Bryan Achievement Academy. Although he had a few ties to the less-savory side, and his tutoring services extended a good deal further than they legally should have, it was a snubbed student who ultimately ended Austin's life.

Meanwhile, Aubrey was tussling with what to do with his felonious father, who came looking for funds to support a new family he'd made while abroad. Although Aubrey clearly struggled about how to handle the situation (and lost his rapacious appetite in the process), in the end he turned his dad over to the authorities. He's still not able to confirm the truth of his father's tale, but at the end of the episode, his conscience seems clear.

In the lab, Hodgins earned the ire of Cam by accidentally unleashing a spider swarm in her office. Although we've yet to see any major retaliation from Cam, it was super fun to watch her mess with his head near the end of the episode. That was almost as much fun as discovering that Fischer, the morose and unflappable intern, secretly harbors affection for Brennan's writing...and maybe Brennan herself, or at least he did at one point in time.

"The Flaw in the Saw" took us to a lumberjack competition, where competitors' displays of raw strength and skill were at odds with Phyllis Paul's meticulous, calculated approach. While competitors clearly possessed the skill to dismember her, hardcore fans disliked her style, and a hidden affair might've ended everything, it was actually the escalated pranks between her and the food truck guy that brought about her death. I was rooting for him, too, until he confessed; how can a man who puts bacon in pancake batter be anything but a saint?

The competition also provided Booth and Brennan ample space to work out an argument about how to teach Christine to ride her bike. Intuitive Booth had a "just do it" approach, while Brennan insisted on teaching the physics of the experience. Although we didn't see the outcome of the argument, it's a classic example of the two disparate personalities finding a way to work alongside each other & produce good results. Always a good lesson, right?

Intern Rodolpho Fuentes revealed a love for chainsaws that culminated in a truly excellent scene featuring a roaring chainsaw experiment, a saucy Cam cameo, and a truly kickass song that I've always loved but never knew the name of until now (Tomoyasu Hotei's "Battle Without Honor or Humanity").

And in one of the few over-arching stories that either episode touched on, Hodgins and Angela discovered some evidence that could exonerate Zack Addy of the lobbyist's murder. When Hodgins presented the information to Cam, however, she expressed concern about the possibility of evidence being doctored. Hodgins left crestfallen...but Cam opened up the file to review the results again after he left.

DISCUSSION

You might remember how hard I was on the dramatic tone of "The Price for the Past"; a few of you commented on how it made sense for the storyline and paid the right sort of tribute to Aldo. When I sat down to watch "The Tutor in the Tussle", it was almost like watching a different show. Bubbly dialogue, snappier storylines, more character exploration. For me, those are the preferable episodes. The only exception I can think of is episode 2.09, "Aliens in a Spaceship", when Hodgins and Brennan get buried alive and the team races to find them. As much as I love this show, I think it's been several seasons since we saw something quite as riveting or heartfelt. What episodes stick out for you when you think back on your years of Bones viewing?

And looking ahead, we've got only 6 more episodes to look forward to, friends. What can we expect in the last few storylines? Zack's trial seems to be looming on the horizon. Brennan's dad has some 'splainin' to do. Booth's old blood feud will likely rear its ugly head. What other storylines are you hoping to see wrapped up happily - or not-so-happily?