BONES Recap: ‘The Pathos in the Pathogens’
April 23, 2013 by Sarah Curtis
Hey BONES fans! How did you like this episode, “The Pathos in the Pathogens”? It was definitely intense, and I really enjoyed the way Chad Lowe directed this episode, using unique camera angles. It gave the episode a frantic air, which was in line with the case and the subsequent situation at the Jeffersonian.
THE CASE:
The Scene of the Crime: We don’t see the scene, but instead, the episode begins at the Jeffersonian, with the team and building preparing for a biohazard lockdown. They have word that the Center for Disease Control (CDC) will be bringing a body found at a bio-hazard facility. The CDC arrives, and Dr. Jacobs (played by Mackenzie Astin) assists Brennan, Cam, Hodgins, Angela and Arastoo with examining the remains. They are decomposing rapidly, indicating a possible airborne virus.
The Victim: The victim is Mia Garrett, a blogger who was researching pharmaceuticals. As the team examines her remains, Arastoo is stabbed with a needle, infecting him with the same virus that killed Mia.
The Case Progression: The team must race against the clock to save Arastoo, who insists on staying at the lab for research over going to the hospital for treatment. Jacobs and Brennan agree with Arastoo; only Cam is hesitant. She finally relents and they put together a hospital room of sorts in the bone storage, monitoring Arastoo’s decline from the deadly virus.
Sweets and Booth work the case from outside the lab. Sweets first questions Ben Carr, Mia’s boyfriend. He insists he wouldn’t harm her and that they were to be married, and he also admits that Mia didn’t tell him about her most recent writing project.
Angela is able to access Mia’s computer and finds research from a Dr. Tessa Burke. Sweets questions her and she is shocked at Mia’s death. She is annoyed at Sweets’ questioning and offers her support to the CDC and Jeffersonian.
The team narrows down the virus to the Chikungunya virus (aka CHIKV) and continues to watch Arastoo. Brennan posits that the killer would have an antidote — after all, if they were to accidentally be infected, they would want a cure. They just need to find Mia’s killer to save Arastoo.
Hodgins warns Angela to stay away from him, and she tells him Mia was also working on a story about performance enhancing drugs for horses, the primary suspect being Byron Fuller. To complicate things, Mia and Byron were sleeping together.
Booth questions him, but he lawyers up. Time is running out for Arastoo, and Booth and Sweets feel as if they have nothing to go on. The CDC’s possible anti-serum doesn’t work, so Hodgins begins crafting one of his own. Brennan questions him, but eventually assists him.
Dr. Jacobs is resistant to their “folk” medicine, but Cam overrules and allows Brennan and Hodgins to administer the medicine to Arastoo. It works, but only temporarily. Dr. Jacobs tells Cam that Arastoo likely only has a few hours to live.
When Angela tells Sweets that Mia accidentally sent a message for Byron to Ben, Sweets questions Mia’s boyfriend again. He admits they had some issues, but he would never kill her. He had syringes, but Hodgins later states the gauges aren’t the same as those used to kill Mia. Angela suggests Dr. Burke is to blame, telling Booth she was previously employed at a level-4 facility.
Booth questions her previous employer, Leonard Thorne, who states Tessa was fired because she likely stole some bacteria samples. Tessa filed a lawsuit against the company but lost. Booth interrogates her, and she is horrified to realize Thorne accused her. She insists Thorne set her up to get her research notes.
The Verdict: Booth arrests Thorne, and when he won’t provide the antidote, he takes him to the lab, forcibly showing him Mia’s body and Arastoo’s body. Thorne continues to request only a lawyer, causing Booth to grow angry and Cam to plead with Thorne to help save Arastoo. Knowing it will implicate him, Thorne refuses, until Brennan stabs him in the neck with a needle. Thorne, thinking he has been infected with the virus, agrees to provide the antidote. Brennan reveals later that she did not infect him with any virus — it was a ploy, and it worked!
THE SQUINTS:
The Cam/Arastoo storyline really just does nothing for me, something that was confirmed with this episode, in that I really didn’t care what happened. Maybe it’s because Cam has had some awful moments this season; maybe it’s because the show has already killed off an intern in an penultimate episode, or maybe it’s because Cam herself has already been a victim to a very similar scenario in season two. I honestly felt sadder at Hodgins’ reaction to Arastoo’s suffering, even though Tamara Taylor did a great job portraying Cam. I loved Hodgins and how he used stuff around the lab to develop an antidote for Arastoo.
I liked the work Angela did in this episode, especially the way she was confident in her work, but not rude to Brennan, when she assisted with the identification.
Whenever David Boreanaz is directing an episode, there’s a definite lack of Booth scenes in the episode before it. It makes sense that Sweets would do a lot of the interrogations in this episode, and he did a good job questioning Burke and Carr.
BOOTH & BRENNAN:
I liked the way B&B stayed connected throughout this episode, even if they weren’t physically together at all until the very end. It shows how solid they are, and they each also expressed concern for the other. I really enjoyed the way Brennan worked with Dr. Jacobs in the episode. The only moment that bothered me was at the end, when Dr. Jacobs complimented Brennan and then told Booth he was a lucky man.
Something about that just rubbed me the wrong way and as unprofessional…sort of condescending to Brennan, and almost like locker-room talk. It was weird, even if it did lead to the sweet end scene between B&B.
Okay, enough from me. What did you like about this episode, and what frustrated you? The comments are open, so sound off!
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Overall, a good episode. But still could care less about Cam and Arastoo. Just do not feel the chemistry. I agree, too much like Cam sl in season 2.
As far as the last scene with Jacobs and Brennan. My feeling was that Jacobs was just a bit infatuated with Brennan (what’s not to like?). But when he heard Brennan and Booth exchanging “I love yous” earlier he got the hint. That’s what I took from his “you’re a lucky man” comment to Booth.
Enjoyed the episode very much and really have no Camstoo issues.
I actually thought the Cam/Arastoo interactions went a long way to making me not hate them together. I’m still not on board, but it wasn’t the worst thing ever.
Brennan is a badass, and Booth totally wanted to jump her after she made the suspect give up the antidote. Frankly, so did I.
As far as the last scene, I thought Jacobs was just infatuated with Brennan. He looked a little crestfallen when he overheard the ‘I love you’s near the beginning, and he simply wanted to concede to the luckier (better) man. I didn’t find it all that unprofessional considering the situation of the episode.
Great recap as usual, Sarah!
Meh for me, still dont see why Cam/Arastoo are together, just dont feel any chemistry between them. Getting increasingly annoyed at each ep where the team breaks the rules, protocols, just because they can. Brennan certainly assaulted the Doctor and Cam does not have authority over the CDC in her lab or any other lab in the US. A wasted ep for me.
Maybe I am too much of a romantic but I like Cam and Arastoo together and Tamara’s performance brought me to tears. Are they different, sure, but every couple in the show is. Booth and Brennan are total opposites, Angela and Hodgins also opposites! I think it shows that anyone can fall for one another. And I like that. Plus as someone who met my husband at work, I know how it can happen!
I wasn’t bothered by the end, in fact, I liked that Jacobs told Booth how lucky he is and I like that Booth empahatically agreed! I loved that Brennan bluffed, was it legal, probably not, but this man was going to release a deadly virus, you think if our government found out something like that, they would go to some extremes to find the cure??
A realy good episode in my book 😀 It was fully of suspense and moved at a really good pace. I am confused as to why Thorne killed Mia in the end, but maybe I will watch it again and find the reason!
LOVED IT when Bones slam dunked that needle it to the guys neck! My house was laughing and cheering at the same time! Such a BONES move!
Honestly, small annoyances are getting huge on this show now. I find Cam to be the most annoying character on TV. The tightest clothes-wearing, condescending, “I’m the boss” repeating, holier-than-thou, arrogant, egotistical, self-important unlikable character on television!
The whole “Jesus Myth” thing is really getting old too…I just can’t see Booth being able to be with Bones with this huge wedge between them.
As these small things become so annoying it probably means the show has run it’s course in my mind…
Pretty much agree with what you said. Cam/Arastoo does nothing for me, so I never felt the sense of urgency that the writers were trying for. Like you, I was more moved by Hodgins’ reaction, considering he works very closely with the squinterns. Dr Jacobs’ crush on Brennan was evident imo, so his comment in the end was warranted and I also thought it was about time someone made that comment out loud, on-screen. Most fans and even the writers tend to both implicitly and explicitly state that Brennan is very lucky to have the ‘good, perfect’ Booth, so to showcase an episode that once again reminds everyone that there’s a reason Brennan is the best at what she does and to have someone give her that professional respect and courtesy? Always welcomed for me.
As always, Brennan and Hodgins made the episode good for me (why did those two never have a thing?). Giving us back a glimpse of the kickass Brennan from seasons past was another plus, so thank you for that HH.
Thank you for your review.
This was my favorite episode of this season. The camera work directed by Chad Lowe I thought really added to the episode. I saw some complaints on Twitter and other sites that it was dizzying. Compared to how the cinematography is usually done on Bones, yeah, it was different, but compared to 24 or CSI (or even The Following), I thought he was more subtle with the effect. He did a great job creating a frantic effect without being obnoxious with the shaky cameras and rapid closeups. His direction was wonderful, as usual, and I hope he comes back in S9 to direct another episode.
I really liked the montage towards the beginning where it showed each member of the team working on their part to figure out what happened to the woman. It really highlighted how important every member of the team is. I loved when Brennan and Hodgins were working together, and when she agreed with and then defended Hodgins’s decision to try herbal remedies.
I didn’t know before watching the episode that Mackenzie Astin was cast as Dr. Jacobs. I’ve always liked him, even back in his Facts of Life days. I thought he did a great job, and it was refreshing for a change to have an outside expert come into the Jeffersonian and to not have a conflict of some sort with Brennan. There was mutual respect and a little bit of harmless attraction, Brennan was not the obnoxious caricature that some of the Bones writers like to play up, and the guest doctor wasn’t offended by Brennan, nor did the writers resort to having the character insult Brennan and make her learn some lesson in social interaction. And Booth even agreed with Jacobs’s assessment that he was a lucky man. Yay Booth!
I agree with Alex Indigo’s assessment of being moved more by Hodgins’ reaction to watching Cam and Arastoo. TJ Thyne was amazing in that scene. It was so simple – just Hodgins standing in the doorway watching Cam care for Arastoo. A lesser actor would’ve overplayed that, but TJ acted it so perfectly. Great direction from Chad Lowe there.
As for Cam/Arastoo – while it was touching to see how deeply Cam felt for Arastoo as she was with him, and I was really moved when Cam said, “I’m sorry I was too busy last weekend,” there were moments where, despite the evidence to the contrary, I could see them as a mother mourning for a son. The near-death experience didn’t sell them as a couple to me.
By the way – shout out to the makeup department on Bones! Arastoo really looked like he was on the verge of death!
Thanks for the recap, Sarah!
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