I'm not going to lie, you guys; the penultimate episode of Bones had me on the edge of my seat. It's felt like a fairly tranquil season, and sometimes I just forget how gripping the show can be. But then there's an episode like "The Day in the Life."
Unlike most episodes, which span several days and tell a fairly chronological story, "The Day in the Life" focused on the same 24-hour period as it unfolded for individual characters. It started with Cam, then switched to Hodgins, then to Aubrey, and so on. I always love when they play with storytelling techniques, and I thought this was a particularly effective way to slowly ratchet up the tension until we hit the exploding point - and no, that's not a metaphor. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
PLOT
Rather than beginning with a grisly murder, this week began at Cam and Arastoo's wedding. Our characters are going through some big life events these days! Cam and Arastoo are off on a 6-month honeymoon (and for Cam, a possible departure from the Jeffersonian). Hodgins and Angela are waiting to hear from a doctor about an undisclosed issue. Brennan's dutifully tracking gifts. Aubrey's drinking heavily to avoid a difficult discussion with his girlfriend. Booth's looking a bit dazed.
The next morning, Cam and Arastoo get called into the Jeffersonian. Overnight, a body was discovered near a local prison - a prison that also used to contain Mark Kovak, son of a Bosnian warlord who Booth killed back in his sniper days. He escaped, and it looked like he had help from someone who stole a lot of explosives.
Evidence continued to trickle in during Zack's long-awaited appeal. Hodgins testified on his friend's behalf. Miss Julian worked some legal magic from the opposing side of the court. Brennan spoke to Zack's character. And although Zack wasn't a free man, his sentence was reduced from lifetime in prison to just 13 months. Whether or not Zack can contribute to the show's finale was left up in the air.
Aubrey had his awkward conversation with Jessica, and that relationship might be over, as she seemed unwilling to move across the country with him. Angela revealed to Brennan that she's pregnant, and despite some challenges, she seemed optimistic about how everything would turn out.
As the episode came to an end, we learned that Angela's psychically-inclined friend, Avalon (played by guest star Cyndi Lauper), left Booth with a dire warning on the night of the wedding. Brennan and Booth both seemed to think they were missing something big about the case, and in the final moments of the episode, we learned that the Jeffersonian lab had been rigged with explosives - likely the same ones that freed Kovak from prison. Hodgins, Angela, Brennan, and Booth didn't make it out before the lab locked down, and as the explosion began, we were greeted with the most dreaded words: "TO BE CONTINUED."
DISCUSSION
This cliffhanger episode got me really pumped for the finale. Did everyone make it out of the explosion unscathed? Did Brennan save the evidence she grabbed at the last moment, and will it solve the mystery that's hung over their heads for most of the season?
And is Mark Kovak the true culprit behind these attacks? I think not. In a previous review, I've suggested that it might be his mother who's truly behind this revenge plot. The finale will have to prove me right or wrong!
What thoughts raced through your mind during this episode, Boneheads? What questions do you hope the final episode will answer?
