I was expecting to end up sniffling over Max's death when I watched "The Grief and the Girl", but what I didn't expect was a genuine exploration of the complexities of grief. Maybe I should have, given that Bones has always been a particularly thoughtful show when it comes to its characters' emotions. Brennan turned to an unexpected source of comfort during this episode that might've put some Booth + Brennan shippers ill at ease, but by the end of the episode we saw them back in each others' arms, braced for whatever comes in the last few episodes of our beloved procedural.
PLOT
This week's mystery centered around Sarah Abbott, a young American woman who washed up on the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. Although the death originally looked to be an accident, or perhaps the cover-up of an ancient historical discovery, Sarah's life was taken by an overly-ambitious (and underskilled) bow hunter poaching on private lands.
Back at the lab, Brennan got an unexpected visit from her old boyfriend, Sully, a former FBI agent who fancied himself "the one who got away". While he did end up consoling Brennan (who pushed Booth away while grieving for her recently-deceased father), their reunion was entirely platonic and seemed to provide both characters with some closure and confirmation of the steps they took in their lives.
Clark Edison was this week's Jeffersonian intern, and he shared some fun scenes with Hodgins as they pursued, from a distance, the possibility of an ancient Viking excavation on the property where Sarah Abbott was killed. While they didn't dwell much on the historical significance of ancient Vikings sailing across the Atlantic, Hodgins and Edison were clearly excited by the prospect. I found their enthusiasm fairly infectious.
The closing scene took place at Max's funeral. Brennan likened Max to a Viking, whose bravest battle was re-entering her life after abandoning her, and spending years of his life convincing her of his love and earning her trust. And yes, I was sniffling by the end.
DISCUSSION
As I mentioned in my intro, I was a bit surprised by the exploration of Brennan's grief. She was prickly and distant from Booth in the opening scene. She dove into work. She sent Booth packing for Canada so she could be alone, but then she was off having a cozy dinner with Sully. I thought the show might build up some sexual tension there, but then Brennan acknowledged that she KNEW she should be talking to her husband about things. The show managed to show Brennan grieving while keeping her emotions and intelligence in balance. I thought the script did a beautiful job of paying tribute to Brennan while she grieved. What do you think?
This will probably be the last time we see Clark. At the end of the episode, he heads off to join the Viking excavation up in Canada. With only 4 episodes remaining, I'm starting to realize that I may not see some of these amazing ancillary characters again, and I'm a little sad that they might not ALL get the wonderful send off that I think they deserve. Who else, aside from the core cast, do you hope to see at least once more before the series ends?
