BONES Recap: ‘The Gunk in the Garage’
October 2, 2012 by Sarah Curtis
Hey, BONES fans! How did you like this episode, “The Gunk in the Garage”? I’m no squint, but Brennan wearing that trenchcoat again leads me to believe this is one of our four bonus episodes of the season. I thought it was more filler than bonus, but I did like a lot about the ep, and there is a lot to talk about. But first, please tell me I’m not the only one who got a little nervous seeing Brennan and Hodgins alone together in the parking garage. Right? It’s a good thing the Gravedigger is dead…that’s all I’m saying!
THE CASE:
The Scene of the Crime: It’s rare we see the murders take place (which is a good thing about BONES, in my opinion!), but this week, that is what happened, as the episode began with a man walking to his car in a hotel parking garage. He spots a random Big Gulp cup on the roof of his car and sheepishly reaches for it. But as his fingers wrap around the plastic, a bomb explodes, completely eviscerating his body throughout the parking garage. Ew!
The Victim: After Angela runs a report on the DMV data base, she thinks the victim is Robert Carlson, but when Sweets and new FBI agent Olivia Sparling arrive at his home to tell his wife, Gina, Robert shows up at his own home, alive. Later, Angela and Brennan realize Robert has a twin brother. Robert was not aware of this, but Angela (with Sweets’ help) narrows the search down to Jerry Langella as Robert’s long lost twin and the victim of the car bombing.
Potential Suspects/Motives: Sweets and Sparling visit a hotel manager, Drew Franklin. He denies involvement, but also refuses to give Sweets and Sparling the hotel’s camera footage. Sweets and Sparling also talk to Lisa, Jerry’s wife. She’s less than sad that Jerry is dead and automatically assumes someone killed him. But her alibi checks out.
Booth, who’s out of the field game because he got roped in to making a presentation of the department’s budget, encourages S&S to watch the security tapes and see if they notice anything else. Meanwhile, Brennan and Hodgins visit a manufacturing plant and meet Steve Keneally, who reports they had a recent break-in and some explosives are missing.
Lab Results: Brennan and Cam examine Jerry’s body and find bone breakage not synonymous with the explosion—suggesting was in trouble with a bookie or some other sort of mean person. Hodgins is able to use a cockroach egg from the detonator wire to determine how the explosive was made. Angela uses the hotel footage and notices Carlson and Langella were at the hotel at the same time. They were both there for a self-actualization seminar promising personal freedom.
The Verdict: Sweets and Sparling talk to Robert, asking him why he lied about being at the hotel. He admits he didn’t want Gina to know, because he was going to give the synergy leader all of his money and move to their compound in Colorado. S&S then talk to Gina, who admits she was furious with Robert for giving their money away and she paid someone to kill Robert. She claims it’s not her fault the hitman made a mistake. When she confesses that Robert isn’t dead “yet,” they know the hitman is still on the loose.
Brennan realizes Keneally has access to the missing explosives. She calls Booth, who abandons the budgetary presentation to take to the streets with Sparling and Sweets. They apprehend Keneally and arrest him for murder, keeping Robert alive.
THE SQUINTS:
I really liked all of the Jeffersonian squint action and LOVED the Brennan and Hodgins experiment in the lab. I like when Cam knows what she’s talking about (i.e. how a person’s bones might have been broken in the past), and I like when Cam and Booth’s friendship shows up in episodes. I’m not sure how I feel about Booth wanting Cam to make the budgetary presentation for him, but I guess as head of the lab, it sort of makes sense.
I thought Angela was at her best both professionally, with the work she did and personally with all of the intuitive work she did on Sweets re: Olivia.
Sweets — I don’t know sometimes. I liked that he had the lead on this case, and I thought that really worked. I also liked that he was pitted up against/with someone who is not in the regular J-team. I think Booth, etc. all care about Sweets and so they put up with his personality quirks. He’s not like a pet project or anything…he puts up with their quirks, too. I’m just saying it’s always interesting to put someone else in the mix and pairing that person with Sweets was a cool combo. BUT, for someone who is SO COMMITTED to Daisy (his words, my worst nightmare), he sure is easily swayed…that’s all. I loved when Booth said he was overcompensating and defensive, and I laughed when Angela said he was getting flustered, but I didn’t love that he *was*…does that make sense?
BOOTH and BRENNAN:
The beginning BB scene about the stroller made me laugh and reminded me of season four’s “The Princess and the Pear” when Brennan succumbed to Booth’s charm, and they both knew it. “You want some more?” Booth asked then, and it feels only fair that he now succumbs to Brennan’s pouty face. That Brennan USES a pouty face…well, that is sort of up for debate, I guess. I do think Brennan is normally above emotional manipulation, but she also likes winning, so…I guess it could go either way. What do you think?
What didn’t work for me:
- Starling’s character was just so over the top, which stinks. If it had been developed more, it might have really, really worked. And while I do hate Daisy, I also don’t really like women who go around kissing other women’s boyfriends. At work. After they shoot them. So… mixed feelings there.
- We only get a few episodes per season with Caroline, and this one felt a bit wasted. For the record though, I love when she comes on to Booth in her sassy way and how Booth just can’t deal, haha!
- Booth has been behind the desk for different reasons over the years and thankfully it’s usually only for one episode or so. I didn’t care much for that, but I did like that he got pretty anxious about it — that was in character. Crabby Booth is fun Booth!
What I loved:
- I liked this case and the way the story developed through the episode
- As much as I liked the stroller discussion in the SUV, I loved the end of the episode when Brennan got her way again and can buy stuff for Booth, including a grill for Christine. I hope that ends the money bickering between them once and for all. Not holding my breath, but I still hope!
- Loved, loved, loved Hodgins bragging about blowing up the multi-purpose room in the middle school science fair and being so proud that it put him on his first “watch list.” Hahahaha!
Enough from me — what did you think? Did you like Olivia Sparling? Did you like this case? How about the Booth and Brennan interactions? Thoughts? The comments are open — sound off!
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I’m pretty much right on par with you on this episode. I liked Sparling, but I agree that her kissing Sweets at the end wasn’t right. I do think it might be interesting to see Sparling interact with Booth at some point, too.
I enjoyed seeing Brennan process Booth’s reaction to Sweets and his news about the case. It was fun for us to be able to see what she sees, too – that Booth needs to be in on the action, and I liked her likening him behind a desk to being like a caged animal. In other words, I loved us being able to see how well she knows him and what she loves about him.
Kudos for the case in making me doubt the surviving twin for a bit. On the other hand, it still seemed obvious that the explosives guy was involved. I also loved the Brennan-Hodgins experimentation. So fun.
The end scene was great. I’m glad it veered off of the stroller (because really, shouldn’t the argument have been why would ANYONE spend $800 on a stroller and not the fact that is was expensive at all?) and the “can I buy you stuff” and her supposedly lying to make him feel better… and well the whole thing wrapped together because once again, it was them all around.
Lots of great lines/interactions. Another tightly written episode. Well done, Jonathan Collier.=
This episode was fun to watch for me especially after the first two of the new season. I LOVED the stroller discussion and having Brennan make the ‘face’ worked for me. She is a mum now and baby Christine has probably used that face to get her own way as well. Our children always know how to tug at the heart strings. Laughed the whole time. Sweets in the field on his own was ok – not mind blowing – probably because for me B&B are the best! Loved the case and knew that Booth would not take that promotion. He did tell Brennan in S7 that she was his partner always afterall. I loved the scene between B&B at the end. So intimate and funny! This new season has started off really well and I can’t fault the writers so far. Keep up the good work and continue entertaining us.
I cannot stand Daisy and I really wish that she were no longer on the show. But with that being said, I was really bothered with the fact that not only was Angela seemingly “okay” with Sweets having a little crush; she seemed to be happy for him and almost seemed to be nudging him on. Angela is way too good of a person to promote someone having an affair but it really seemed as if she wanted Sweets to begin something with Sparling.
I also LOVED the line where Hodgins was bragging about his first time being put on a “watch list” He makes me laugh!
I loved the episode overall, and I think this season is already better than season 7. I liked the fact Booth and Brennan’s relationship was not the central point of the episode. I understand they’re the main characters, but I’m tired that story line. My coworker at DISH said his favorite moment was watching the intestinal tract falling on Hodgins’ face. I have to admit: it made me squirm. My Hopper caught the show for me last night which I love too. Even after I forgot to set the timer for Bones the Hopper recorded it thanks to PrimeTime Anytime. It will record every show on the four major networks in prime time. I’m happy to see Daisy being written out, if that’s how it goes. I understand not liking Sparling for kissing Sweets because he has a girlfriend, but let’s not forget Daisy cheated on Sweets. Great episode, can’t wait until Monday.
First off, it must be noted that only three (four counting me, Ben the Dish network droid doesn’t count) people even want to take the time to post thoughts on these episodes. GMMR used to be a place where many regulars flocked to review this show. Times are changing.
Sweets is not my cup of anything, so I will withhold anything concerning him and the attempt to have him pull off an investigation in the field with a new female agent. I will comment that the writers are tending to strech the fiction a bit much with characters for the sake of the plot and making the crime work. I remember a time when it was not a “stretch”.
The new agent kissing Sweets at the end, and him accepting this affection after saying what he did about being “taken” was horrible. If a new romance angle was being sought after here it was tainted with that “dirty affiar” feel now. Not that I would have given two shakes about who is sleeping with who, unless it is the characters that I fell in love with seven years ago. And I might as well add a WTF concerning Angela and her pushing Sweets to dip his stick elsewhere. Perhaps this is the set up for her true colors to be shown this season, as there is a rumored possible affair episode with her and an artist “friend”.
The problem with showing fill in episodes is that continuity is often lost or mixed up. We have money issues being sweetly joked about after that hellish fight in the last episode. That would not have gone that way. It is a shame that no one knew when the episodes would air, and this had the feel of being “out of order”.
Caroline and Hodgins are the characters that shined for this fan. Caroline pushing Booth around can be funny. They shined for half of a rewatch and then I deleted the episode. I do NOT feel apolgetic to state that I am a BnB shipper and enjoy episodes that do not put them on the back burner. I had to laugh at the comment made else where about the show having to develop Sweets as a new investigative force because the FBI would never let Booth take Bones out with him in real life, now that they are seeing each other.
Pffffffttt. If Sweets, a shrink, can get a gun and play real FBI agent and go into interview rooms and do criminal investigative interviews all by himself, then Booth might as well have Bones with him 24/7. Make it all fantasy, drop the crimeody stuff.
Really, AJ?! Seven years ago….how ridiculous would this show be if these characters were same as Season 1?! Sweets doing FBI things Is happening so it has stretched into existence. Okay. Few comments means the show what exactly? Maybe people have more avenue to discuss the show…twitter, Facebook, tumbler, other sites, etc.
Did I miss where Angela told Sweets to stick his dip elsewhere? She acknowledges what a blind person could see…Sweets was attracted to Agent Starling. Bones is already fantasy…where in the world would an anthropologist be allowed to go in the field/ interrogation and ask any suspect a question outside her field of expertise. She would only speak to her findings and it would be as a partner to an FBI agent. So if you stretch to believe Brennan being in field, you might want to extend to Sweets…and other characters(because in what world would Brennan and Hodgins be allowed to go interrogation the plant manager?…my guess would be in a fantasy world called Bones.)
Alright let me stop.
Comment above submitted with IPhone so I hope it makes sense.
At least you made it through a rewatch AJ. I agree too with Tracie that Hodgins probably had the best line of the episode. Perhaps we can give the second place prize to Caroline, who was great as always.
I am going to be honest and say that I can’t get past my job when watching this show sometimes. Most always, I get the fact that this TV show is for entertainment value only. I have invested seven years in watching this show and become quite attached to the main characters of Booth and Brennan.
With that said, they lost me when Caroline, who is a AUSA (assistant U.S. attorney) takes charge of Booth, puts him behind a desk to do an inventory report…….of office products used by the FBI violent crime division. I hear that Booth gets Cam, who has nothing to do with the FBI in any budget capacity, to present the dry eraser report to a committee. I hear this was followed with Sweets getting shot, looks square in the chest, but it is a flesh wound an he is transported by ambulance later that night. Booth goes back to office to joke about it. This is the same Booth and Sweets that is supposed to be “partners” and gaining a new respect for each other. Ugh.
I have little info on the details of the last half of episode cause I hit the delete button 26 minutes into the episode.
I watched Star Gazer in the Puddle (2007 Bones) tonight and realized as I type this that there were extremely wonderful episodes written at one time. Where such huge license of reality was not needed in order to write a wonderful, emotional, relationship driven, episode. It had a crime, it had relationships explored and it had quality B&B moments.
A psychologist with a gun, an artist friend who apparently has magical super computer powers now that make Pelant look like a boy scout, and 1950s style funny haha moments of getting kicked in the ankles during an interview drove me to push the off button on the DVR. I get fiction, but refuse to sit in a WTF state for 42 minutes to get to one minute of relationship exploration.
Last week was emotional packed at least. So, I guess if you are in love with the Sweets character, then last night was swell. If you are a Daisy fan you feel betrayed (I hear there was a lip lock with the Barbie Agent). By the looks of the comment section here and elsewhere, you don’t really care.
Let’em fight.
Brennan and Hogins were not alone in the garage. Just wondering if anyone else noticed the picture of VNM on the wall in the lab? I win!
I just wanted to say that i absolutley LOVED this episode, and its the best bones ep i’ve seen in i dont know how long.
I really liked sparling, and the way her and sweets interacted. I also like that he came clean about being taken, and so didnt cheat on daisy. Having said that, i wouldnt be at all sad if it made him come to his senses and break up with her, and if sparling became a regular.
I loved booth being boothy and a man of action.
I loved brennan’s joking about buying him things, and little girls needing grills.
I loved booth psycho-analysing sweets, and the way he got all defensive.
i dont know exactly what it was, but this episode just felt right and natural in a way that the show hasnt felt at all lately..
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