BONES Recap: ‘The Signs in the Silence’
May 6, 2011 by Sarah Curtis
Hey, BONES pals! How did you like this episode? I really liked it. I think it’s my favorite episode of the season, and I say that because, in my opinion, it was actually an episode of BONES. I have liked other eps this year, but for non-episode reasons, if that makes sense. A big Brennan moment, an intense Booth revelation here and there, etc. are very memorable. But in “The Signs in the Silence,” the case was intriguing, the squints were squinty, and Booth and Brennan were professional and personal. All of that combined makes for a terrific episode. Let’s get to it!
The Scene of the Crime: A police officer is patrolling his area, when he spots a body near an alley. When he investigates, he sees a lot of blood, but when he gets even closer, the body’s eyes open and it’s a girl, wielding a knife in his direction. Most BONES eps open with the dead body; beginning this one with the killer was a fresh take, in my opinion.
The Victim: The person murdered is Duvall Price, but while he is the body found in a pool of his own blood, in this episode, the killer is the real victim. At first called Jane Doe, the killer is young, 15 years old, bloody, and resistant to the team trying to get information from her–both motive and physical evidence. Her social worker assists with sign language, but it’s not until Sweets arrives to the lab and convinces Brennan and her team to be more compassionate that they all work with the girl. It is revealed her name is Amy, and Booth finds her parents, Mike and Denise Shenfield. Meanwhile, Brennan examines Amy’s x-rays — first her wrist for angle of the murder weapon and then her entire body — and discovers evidence of years of physical abuse. When Booth brings the Shenfields to the FBI building, Brennan figures out that they are not Amy’s parents, but her kidnappers. This means Amy is not really Amy, and it’s up to the team to find her birth parents.
Potential Suspects & Motives: Different than a typical case, this episode started out with the killer and then motive was determined, eliminating other suspects. I liked the way it played out.
The Lab Results: Hodgins examines Price’s door and is able to confirm that there is no way Amy could have broken it down without severe bruising. Angela and Brennan use video footage in comparison to Amy’s signing to determine where she’s from, and later Brennan uses one of Amy’s wisdom teeth to pinpoint her identity.
The Interrogation Room: Sweets and Booth do most of the questioning, and I liked the way Sweets manipulated a near-confession out of Mike and Denise. Also, props to him for NOT spinning it around toward Booth’s personal life. I loved the way Brennan communicated with Amy and when Amy “confessed,” I cried, but also smiled. It was very beautiful.
The Verdict: Booth and Brennan figure out that Mike Shenfield called Duvall Price and had him grab Amy when she arrived to the city. He forced her to his apartment and tried to tie her up. When she fought back, he fell on her, and she stabbed him in self defense. While we don’t see an official verdict, it seems clear the Shenfields will be brought up on charges — the very least, kidnapping.
MY Verdict: Like I said before, it was my favorite all around episode this season. Each character seemed “in character” as much as he or she has been for a long time, and when that happens, it works for me.
Thoughts from you?
THE SQUINTS:
The Angela and Hodgins “false labor test run” sideplot didn’t do much for me (and that’s sort of where Cam’s character fit in within this ep), but that’s probably more because I was just really enjoying the case. One major plus — we learned that Angela is 8 months pregnant, which puts us at a definitive-ish spot on the ever so slippery BONES timeline. If Angela came back from Paris pregnant, then we know it’s been less than eight months since the season premiere, right?
While I thought that the way Vasiri and Sweets each confronted Brennan was a little heavy-handed as far as Brennan’s character goes, I did like that each of the men was compassionate toward Amy from the outset.
What did you think of the Booth and Brennan, Sweets and Caroline diner meal exchange? I’m not sure what I think yet. It’s not like Sweets to apologize like that, but he was genuine, I think. I’m most intrigued with Booth’s reaction, maybe? Thoughts from you?
Probably my favorite squint moment was when none of the squints were actually around. It happened at the FBI building, when Caroline was just a little too excited about Booth’s successful fact finding ways, and she called him squinty. Loved it!
BOOTH & BRENNAN:
Like I mentioned before, I thought it was a little heavy-handed of the writers to have Brennan continue to insist she wasn’t cold. Regarding her convo with Vasiri, I was not aware that she DID feel as if she could not express her feelings. I thought she was expressing a lot this season. That’s the only thing that really felt off to me, but even within that, there was a very genuine Brennan storyline in this episode. Brennan’s work with Amy in the interrogation room, and later in her office, was not heavy-handed at all. Brennan’s emotional expressions at her own childhood experiences — good and bad — were very beautiful. I liked that the more open she was, the more Amy was comfortable also being open. And I really liked that Brennan’s success on the case was filled with moments in the lab and moments out of it.
As for Booth, I think I gasped out loud when he landed that punch on Mike Shenfield and then sort of stared darkly in his angsty ways. Yes! I liked that though the writers could have OVER-used Booth’s past (and Brennan’s), that they didn’t, and just used a muted spotlight on them. What did you think of the way Booth stopped himself from talking to Brennan about his dad at the end? I don’t see Booth as the type to passive aggressively try to talk about it — I think he genuinely doesn’t like talking about it, as if admitting it is also a weakness or loss of control. Cheers to Brennan for just saying it out loud. “He hit you, I know,” and good for Booth to then admit that he wants to be sure and be in control, especially around Parker.
What did you think about Booth’s comment that he wants it (love, is my interpretation) to be more than just about luck? Was it just regarding being a father, or was there more to it?
Okay, enough from me. I feel like I barely scratched the surface on this episode, and I’m curious to know what you think. Did you like the way the case was sort of inverted? Did you like Hodgins running around screaming for his keys? Did you like that B&B settled on a stuffed bunny as a gift? Do you count this episode as one of the best in season six? How about the title? Did it have significance beyond the events of the plot?
One quick note: Here at GMMR, we’ve got a discussion going about the promo for next week’s episode. In the interest of helping people be spoiler free, if you want to talk about the promo, scoot on over here and chat away, and we’ll leave the below comments section for THIS episode. Thanks!
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I don’t know if it’s my pregnancy hormones or not but I cried watching. It just seemed so emotional but it wasn’t forced on us, it just seemed like natural reactions based on past experience. Not something we do see a lot of as such but it really worked tonight.
As an 8 months pregnant woman myself, I laughed so hard at Hodgin’s reaction to Angela’s BH’s. The running around like a headless chicken in a panic was pretty accurate for a first time dad, although the rushing to hospital and the reaction to the pain not so much.
Definitely one of the best episodes this season, although I’ve missed Cam. She just seems underused which is a shame.
It was also my favourite ep from this season. Characters behaved like themselves, and the plot was also very good. I lile how in this ep Brennan looked like areal human being, and not that robotic thing she looked to me during almost the whole season. She had feelings, and sh expressed them as much as she could. It was cute how Bren and Booth discussed what to buy for Angela’s baby at the beginning. This was a very emotional ep for me. I gasped when Booth attacked Mike Shenfield, and cried at the end when Amy and her real parens reconnected. Hodgins was very funny, I was laughing so hard as he was running around like a crazy, not knowing what to do. it was soo Hodgins. Booth seemed to be his old self too, when he didn’t want to talk about his childhood, because he felt it would make him weak, and Brennan reassured him, that even though he does’nt want to discuss it, she knew what happenned, and that he can trust her. So I felt like in this episode everyone did well. The characters were their old-selves and the case was intriguing. Good job!
last night epispdes was one of the better episodes for this seasons.
I really enjoyed this episode also. I just thought pretty much all of it was really good. There is one thing I am still wondering though, why did the Amy’s fake parents kidnap her in the first place?
In boy in a bush or boy in a shroud, Brennan didn’t need to be told to be compassionate, she was. And that is what I’m talking about when I said she was better balanced back then. Yes she was impervious to a lot of things regular people are pervious to, but when it was actually useful to use her heart, she did it and on her own.
After going through a rough time, you realize there are a lot of things that don’t deserve a reaction, especially if they are facts you can’t change, and you become impervious to them, I don’t see what is wrong with that, as long as you don’t become impervious to everything, and Brennan clearly wasn’t even back then, she just had different priorities, a different POV.
Imperviousness might not be being strong per se, but it is still a strength.
So if “strong Brennan” = “S6 Brennan” and “impervious Brennan” = “S1 Brennan”, well then, give me “impervious Brennan” any day.
It was a strong episode. All the things that make Bones so good: the balance of drama and humor, the characters and their individual histories, strengths and weaknesses coming into play. Sweets was useful and an actual character instead of the expositionary device or Greek chorus he is often used as.
I think Booth’s comment at the end – it needs to be about more than luck – fits right in with the season long theme of both he and Brennan needed to reconsider the way they view the world. If Brennan is willing to take risk and Booth is considering logic and reason over luck and fate, they will have solved the pesky dilemma raised in the 100th – he’s a gambler, she’s a scientist and neither of them can change.
Last night’s epsidoe was good, made me laugh and made me cry.
Hodgins absolutely cracked me up. He was on panic mode, very cliche, but he was able to pull it off. I don’t remember my contractions being that painful that I was screaming as loud as Angela was, but then again, everything is different on TV.
Booth was on fire on last night’s episode. I’ll admit I cheered when he hit that guy after he hit his wife. I think it brought up painful memories for Booth. I am glad that Sweets didn’t say anything. Booth started to bring it up to Brennan but stopped. It is painful for him to talk about, but I do think that it was a step in the right direction for them.
I like how Brennan connected with the “suspect” She was able to share a piece of her past which is always nice to see. I sometimes wonder how things would have been different for her if her parents had been in the picture. Brennan is a product of her environment. Foster care forced her to become closed off & not trust anyone. Booth & the others have brought her out of her shell.
Might I add, I love Caroline. She is great! I love seeing her & Booth working together.
I thought this was a REALLY good episode. REALLY sweet and emotional.
My own question is why didn’t Booth interrogate the Fake Parents separately. It was obvious that the Husband was controlling the Wife. I’m surprised he didn’t put them in different rooms and talk with them individually.
Best episode of the season, one of the best in several seasons. I am glad Brennan finally defended herself with Sweets and Arastoo. I really would like to see some acknowledgement from the Squints as to Brennan caring about other people. I have not liked how they talk about her this season.
Liked everyone in the episode. Still not feeling any B & B chemistry beyond friendship. I wish the last scene had Booth acknowledging Brennan’s feelings about the case as well. However, great episode.
Oh, and one more thing: My favorite scene had to be the part in which Brennan confronts the Fake Parents with the X-Rays. That was so intense.
I loved this ep!!!!
You’re right it felt like the oldfashion Bones ep and I love it!
Although Sweets was a little harsh with Brennan I love their first interaction when he remind her that they suffer the same situation.
I loved this episode!
We had a strong case, victims to care about, Bones doing her stuff at the lab, Booth kicking ass, the Squints having fun.
On the other hand, this episode saw a return to compassionate and empathetic Brennan and redid the reassuring Booth he’s a good father. In fact, this episode fits in better with earlier season, which illustrating people’s criticism about character evolution in fact just being a way to recover the original nuance of the characters.
But if we get more episodes like this one, I’d gladly retread old ground and waiting for BB to get together doesn’t bother me at all.
I agree 1000% with your comment on how this was the best episode of the season. That’s exactly what I told my co worker this morning!! It felt like the Bones I love. Great interaction between Booth and Brennan. I absolutely loved how the case played out. I have not been this interested in a case for a LONG time. I also liked how they finally had Booth confronting one of his issues. It’s been all about Brennan and her faults lately. It’s about time they showed Booth is not perfect either. I thought it was sweet that Booth and Brennan were talking about getting a gift for Hodgens and Angela together.
Oh, and Hodgens freaking out in the lab: PRICELESS!!!! My family and I cracked up.
BTW, I look forward to your recaps every week!
I couldn’t agree with you more! After the episode ended, I was just like “I really liked that episode, it felt so Bones-y!” It is truly one of the best of the season in my opinion, even though the evidence and body were alive, which is unusual for Bones, it really worked.
I thought Hodgins running around like a crazy person was hilarious, but probably because I am pregnant too. My husband will likely not do that, but who knows, Your wife going into a labor is rare moment nothing can prepare you for. So I thought it was cute.
The fact that Brennan has to keep telling people, specifically in the lab, that she is not cold seems to be a running theme in the last few episodes. She told Wendell that too in the last episode. It saddens me that the people she works with can’t see her compassion or the fact that to protect herself from the very hard reality of her work, she has to compartmentalize and be all fact and logic. I think that proves she is very compassionate and that they are all missing it is a reflection of them more than her!! Sweets questioning was a big surprise, I thought he would have known better. I did like that he apologize but it felt a little sheepish. Like he is the big psycologist and should always be listened too, here, he was clearly wrong and should have given a better apology!
I LOVED that he slugged the guy, that dude totally deserved and frankly, if he hadn’t have hit him, I would have thought something was wrong. I mean, this is a man who you know has been seriously abusing a child and then just hit a woman, dude, you should be slugging! I loved the look afterwards, very Angel!!
Was it just me, or did Booth and Brennan seem to be getting ONE present for Angela and Hodgins? That seems odd for two people who are not a couple!!
Oveall, loved the episode, and I can’t wait for next week. I seriously squeeled when I saw the promo. I am scared of who the might be killing, I think it will be Cam or Sweets. It can’t be Angela because I have read we will see her giving birth and to kill Hodgins would just ruin it for me :(. And obviously it isn’t Booth. But I am super excited to see whatever is going on between B&B. Another poster said this and I agree, I doubt they would give away something that big in a promo – but maybe they are trying to make up for the crap most of this season has been! Super excited!!
Great episode! I really feel more for Bones and all the characters when they are focused on a strong case.
Yes, the recurring ad nauseum moral of the week on Bones needing to learn/prove her compassion is sad and annoying. But at least this week, we saw her return to the season 1~3 mode of being abrasive on the surface, but capable of showing great compassion for the victims. It was such a welcome relief, I don’t even care that it proves the so called growth for Brennan this season is propaganda. Just more of this Bones.
Also, the Booth fatherhood issues seemed like a retread. They should have done more with the “more than luck” idea if they really wanted to distinguish this from earlier seasons.
The diner talk about Booth and Bones getting a gift “together” was the only part that rang false to me. It felt like pandering and forcing in a happy moment. Based on their history and this season’s angst, I can’t believe that Bones & baby talk would be a natural and humorous topic for them. Maybe really awkward jokes, but really, I’d think they’d both avoid it.
It felt like the actors breaking character for an in-joke.
One problem with the episode was using the wisdom tooth to determine where the girl was born.
She was kidnapped at around 3 years old and wisdom teeth don’t start forming until 9 years old. Examining the tooth would have just shown southern PA.
And maybe Brennan isn’t cold, but until Sweets spoke to her Brennan treated the girl with as much concern as she would a piece of physical evidence found at a crime scene.
And why does the show have the team deflesh the bones all the time? I am certain that is not standard procedure with a murder victim. You could determine the angle of the wound with the body intact.
@John “And maybe Brennan isn’t cold, but until Sweets spoke to her Brennan treated the girl with as much concern as she would a piece of physical evidence found at a crime scene.”
But that’s exactly part of the problem that people are pointing out about Brennan’s regression. Earlier seasons, we had many, many examples of her being the empathetic one to voiceless victims. Then they turned her into the pod version, just to have everyone dump on her and Booth swoop in and make her human again.
Whatever, I don’t care because this episode was great! The chemistry of the whole cast is so much more believable when there’s a good case. Though I agree with @Donut about the baby talk. It was far too “natural” to fit with the timeline and history. Compassionate Bones + solid forensic magic + Booth’s fatherhood issues + Squints being squinty = feels like a script pulled from the archives.
Finally, a good Bones episode this season. Halfway through I found myself wondering if they had fired the writers who had written this season’s episodes so far and rehired the writers who wrote season’s 1-3. Brennan was not acting like a Stepford wife, Booth was great, and I loved Hodgins losing his cool when he though Angela was in labor. ALL of the characters were great and for the first time this entire season, I enjoyed watching Bones. I agree with someone who already said this that if we could have episodes like this all the time, it wouldn’t matter whether B&B ever became a couple. I hope someone associated with the show reads these forums so that they will know they hit a home run last night and fans want more of the same.
Yessss this is by far the best episode in a very long time. Sarah agree with most of your thoughts.
The only thing i didn´t like was Sweets toward Brennan at the diner. Really where did that one come from.
The case was great and i loved this Brennan. My fav bit was when she talked with the girl and shared about her past. Very strong emotional scene.
About any B&B don´t really care much with an episode like this. Didn´t really see any chemistry but they are friends again at least.
It was fun, emotional and we get to care about the characters. Well done.
Got to add also even though i thought Hodgins was a bit over the top when he couldn´t find the keys, he was great. He´s been by far the character i´ve loved the most this season.
Ahh what a fantastic episode!!! Finally! This is Bones. This was the pure genius of the earlier seasons, but it was totally new and creative. It felt so natural, and the case was incredible, and it made me cry at the end when the girl met her parents. Bones hasn’t made me cry in a really long time.
And the Booth and Brennan stuff felt so natural. It wasn’t forced, and it left me wanting more.
After I saw the Bullet in the Brain the first thing that came to mind was, “Bones is back, baby!” I’ve learned my lesson. I’m not gonna expect this high quality from now on, but I’m just so relieved and grateful to know that the actors and writers still have this stuff in them. Good job, Bones crew.
Also: Bones is renewed for a 7th season! In case anyone hadn’t heard. Stoooked that it’s not going to end on a bad note (or at least, not on a 6th season bad note.) Come on writers, make next season great!
I liked the episode I guess, but I’m getting distracted by the science. So much of what they’ve done in the last couple of seasons regarding the “science” seems so out there for me that it takes away from the show. How does Brennan know sign language? How did Angela sort out the dialect? How could a wisdom tooth not yet formed in a 3 year old (as mentioned above) tell us about the victim? I guess they get props for thinking outside the box, but some of this seems so obviously wrong that the show suffers from it, in my opinion anyway.
However, Caroline Julian is still the bomb.
@Distracted, everything they do on this show is pulled from actual forensic science in one form or the other, they don’t make stuff up.
the stuff with the teeth, the isotope test is all factual, same as the sign language, it is a language in and of itself and does have regional tones etc.. just like actual spoken word…
Kathy Reichs is also one of the shows producers and scientific advisers
From what I read, kathy Reichs was really involved during S1 and way less since then.
Great, Bones-y episode. It was truly back to the characters. Does anyone else notice that all the great episodes have Caroline in them?
This was the most chemistry I saw between Booth and Bones (going in that direction) for awhile. Like he was appreciating her expertise and where she has come from her neglected childhood all over again.
The only disappointment was the portrayal of Angela’s false labor. As a physician AND a mother who has gone through labor, the intensity of her reaction (pain?) was Hollywood. I mean, Braxton-Hicks contractions can take your breath away, and make you feel like you have aliens inside you, and make new mothers panic, but she wouldn’t have been in pain. Hodgin’s reaction was hilarious, though. If any pregnant women out there are interested in natural childbirth, read up on the Bradley method.
Can’t wait for next week’s ep!
Great episode! I really loved it. In response to some posters. it was explained how wisdom teeth although not erupted in a three year old are under the surface of the baby teeth and are still affected by isotopes in the environment. The only thing I didn’t understand was why the abusive couple would kidnap Samantha/Amy from Los Angeles, take her all the way to Pennsylvania, continue teaching her sign language just to abuse her!
Also in response to Elizabeth and Braxton-Hicks “labor”-every woman is different. I too had these contractions with my first child and they were so painful I had to be taken to the hospital! (Though my doctor proceeding to tell me actual labor was a lot worse!) So Angela’s reaction was definitely believable to me.
Ooops! I meant to say “proceeded to tell me”.
For the science of Bones checkout the ‘Bone Girl’ blog. It is a great read.
I loved loved LOVED this episode!! I laughed so hard at Hodgins’ reaction, I HAD to show my husband and he thought it was hilarious too. I cried at the end when “Amy” was reunited with her parents. There were just so many great elements to it, lots of highs and lows, and don’t forget angsty Booth! Grrrr… 🙂
Definitely the best episode of the season. Let’s hope this is a sign of things to come!