Bones Season 10 Episode 5 Review: The Corpse at the Convention
Ashley Bissette Sumerel
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I have to say that I really enjoyed Bones Season 10 Episode 5.
Let me begin with one word that may not seem that important. Pancakes. Something that this season has managed to do really well is show us small, simple moments between Booth and Brennan. In nearly every episode since Booth has been out of prison, we've seen him with Brennan (and often Christine) having a normal morning together.
In this particular scene, he's made Brennan pancakes and was topping them with whipped cream, just before shooting some of the whipped cream directly into his mouth. This is just such a real, normal moment for a married couple. And I especially appreciate the details -- down to the fact that Booth makes Brennan pancakes.
Rather than beginning immediately with the finding of a dead body, this episode did something a bit different. Brennan was invited to be the keynote speaker at the forensic science convention, which she attended with Cam, Angela, and Hodgins. The group seemed to be having a great time, checking out various forensic science gadgets and getting bombarded by fans.
I'm glad that the episode began a bit differently, and even more, I thought it was fun and necessary to see the team outside of their Jeffersonian "bubble."
And in addition to the fans they found, there were a few rivals, too. Hodgins ran into a mysterious red-head from school who he was almost uncomfortably angry with. He's very secretive, and I find it hard to believe Angela didn't act a bit more jealous.
Brennan's publishing rival, Tess Brown, was also at the convention. And boy was she a character.
Just as Brennan was about to give her speech at the convention, the fire alarm sounded, and Tess yelled dramatically that there was a dead body on fire in the plumbing closet. Well, maybe dramatically isn't quite the right word. This is a character that is purposely supposed to ring false, and that's exactly what she did -- so much so that we almost had to assume she committed or staged a murder as a publicity stunt. Her new book title? Hotter Than My Heart.
As for the actual finding of the body... well, it wouldn't be Bones if the Jeffersonian team could go anywhere or do anything without happening upon a body to investigate. So, I'll accept it.
And Wendell is back!
I've been waiting ever so patiently for him to return, so I'm glad he finally found his way back as part of the squintern rotation. And it's happy news all around (because really, we can't take any more bad news right now) when he announced that he is in remission thanks to a trial that Dr. Brennan found for him.
I am, in fact, so glad that he was doing well, that I will let it pass that the clinical trial seems a bit too convenient. It's also a bit odd that his medical marijuana usage was mentioned as no longer necessary, and that's the reason he was able to return. Before, he was using medical marijuana to help him with chemo. And while that hindered his ability to work as an intern for a government job, he was allowed to stay on as a consultant.
Now, suddenly, all of that changed -- and it felt a little off. I think it would have been really interesting to see Wendell continue working as a consultant, fight through chemo, and come out the other side. But maybe it all felt too easy for a reason, and that's because we're all still emotionally scarred by the death of Sweets.
Back to the case, though. It turned out that the victim was Leona Saunders. Yep. She's the red-head that Hodgins was so angry at earlier. Naturally, he's a suspect, and the evidence was stacked against him. Poor Hodgins really can't seem to catch a break.
This is the third time I've been a murder suspect! That makes me want to kill someone so you don't waster your time.
Hodgins
I do like the way this was treated, though. Booth was very casual and insisted he knew Hodgins was innocent, but that he had to do this "by the books." And something really significant happened during that interrogation. Hodgins got upset with Aubrey because of the questions he was asking, and Booth defended Aubrey saying he was "just doing his job." It looks like Booth and Aubrey will make an okay pair after all.
But there's another pair that was a little more important. Wendell called Booth when he learned that a friend from his clinical trial passed away earlier that week. Wendell was worried that he will be next, even though he felt just fine.
Booth: I don't think you know what I'm talking about. And I don't think you appreciate what I'm telling you right now. What I'm telling you is that I saw twelve of my brothers killed in front of me. Twelve. You got dealt a bad hand. Deal with it.
Wendell: Sorry...
Booth: Enough with the apologies. Okay, Wendell? Stop feeling sorry for yourself and keep fighting. I don't need to see another brother die.
This is a friendship that has been a bit forgotten, and I think it might develop into something really significant. Of all the people Wendell could have called, he called Booth. This is someone he looks up to, and someone he is willing to open up to. What's especially nice about this moment wass that it placed Booth in the position of being a mentor -- something else that has been a bit forgotten what with all of the conspiracies and false imprisonments and such. I think this was an important moment for Booth's character, and more than that, an important piece of his own healing process.
Okay. So, of course, Hodgins wasn't the killer. The more obvious suspect then was the eccentric Tess Brown, who had made herself immediately available to the media following the murder. She's a hack who just wanted to sell her books, and she seemed like just the sort of character who might create a real murder scene just for that purpose. But no, that's too easy. It actually turned out to be the guy who was selling the special gloves.
My favorite part of this episode, though, was the final scene. After just 24 hours, the murder had been solved and the forensic science convention could resume. Brennan was finally able to give her speech, and she began with a joke. It was the joke about Schrodinger's cat she told Booth earlier in the episode and that he begged her not to tell. But she told the joke, and wouldn't you know it: everyone laughed.
I love this moment not only because it was a bit of vindication for Brennan (you could tell how pleased she was when everyone liked her joke) but also because it further reminds us of the differences between Booth and Brennan. Booth was pleasantly surprised at the reaction his wife received, and he looked at her in a bit of awe as she continued her speech.
It was a beautiful way to wrap up a really fun episode.
And for more fun episodes, don't forget that you can always watch Bones online via TV Fanatic!
Ashley Bissette Sumerel was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in September 2017. Follow her on Twitter and on Google+.
