BONES Recap: ‘Big in the Philippines’

Hello BONES fans! How did you like this episode, “Big in the Philippines”? I really enjoyed it; it was a great blend of a case and the characters’ personal lives. I applaud David Boreanaz for his (once again) great directing and acting, and Emily Deschanel and Michael Grant Terry for their work as Brennan and Wendell in this episode. And any episode that ends with a B&B slow dance is good by me. There’s a lot to discuss, so let’s get to it!

THE CASE:

The Scene of the Crime: The episode opens at the crime scene with FBI techs everywhere. It is a somewhat run-down spot, and allegedly, the First Lady chose it for a new community garden. There are no security cameras, which might have been helpful in figuring out how the victim came to have severe trauma to his ribcage.

The team takes the body to the Jeffersonian and as Brennan and Wendell examine the skeleton for clues, Hodgins and Angela work with a napkin found in the victim’s pocket. They trace it to a nearby bar. Booth pays the place a visit, and a picture of the victim is recognized.

The Victim: Colin Haynes (played by Charlie Worsham), a singer/songwriter trying (and failing) to make his living with his music. The bar manager and waitress tell Booth that Colin didn’t have a band or a manager and while he had some regulars, he didn’t have issues with anyone in his usual audience.

The Case Progression: Booth and Sweets take a look at Colin’s apartment and speak with his landlord, a woman named Kara. She tells them Colin didn’t really cause any trouble or make much noise, except for his music. Booth and Sweets find some music — recorded and written —  as well as a torn up check.

They then pay a visit to Colin’s manager, Harriet. She is smarmy and admits that business is bad (with a Miley Cyrus dig included) and that most of her clients are upset with her, but that she is planning a comeback.

Later on, Angela and Sweets analyze Colin’s music, looking for themes to suggest his emotional state. Over the course of a couple of albums, his melodies and lyrics went from optimistic to melancholy. Sweets remembers the lyrics found on Colin’s typewriter. They are positive again, suggesting Colin was happy about something.

Brennan and Wendell continue examining the skeleton, and Wendell suggests damage to the ribs is cause of death, and that somehow the ribs were broken outward, as if a wrench was shoved in and yanked out. Brennan agrees with his assessment. Booth and Sweets return to Colin’s apartment; they find several cassette tapes of recorded songs. Kara tells them that his songs were getting a little old and annoying for her, having heard them over and over. Just then, a man rushes out of Colin’s apartment. Booth immediately goes on the chase and catches up with Adrian, a Filipino super-fan of Colin’s.

When Sweets and Booth bring him in for questioning, he insists he only wanted a piece of Colin’s personal effects for the museum in The Philippines — Colin’s music was hugely successful there.

Angela starts viewing Filipino videos of Colin’s music, and she comes across one where a fan is talking to him. It was geotagged, which gave Adrian Colin’s location. This makes him a suspect, but Sweets finds out that his alibi checks out. More importantly, they learn Colin was not receiving any of the royalties from his success in The Philippines. When Booth questions Harriet about this, she doesn’t deny it. He suggests that Colin came looking for her when he found out she was holding back on his money.

At the lab, Hodgins identifies several ingredients on the body, including lemon juice and eggs, possibly the combination of a cocktail drink. Brennan and Wendell try to figure out the murder weapon. The wound was too narrow for a shovel, but it’s possible a knife was used as a fulcrum.  They decide that the victim was stabbed near the heart. The blade got stuck, so the killer hit him on the head with a shovel to knock him out before digging around to find the blade. Nasty.

Sweets pulls up some of Colin’s lyrics. Some were in the trash and some were in a closet — they are all love songs. Sweets suggests he was really in love, but Kara says she didn’t know of anyone. Colin had several one night stands for a while, but then not really anyone over. When Booth finds out that Colin was seen with Kara on the night of his death, he questions her again. She admits she went on a date with him and threw a drink on him. She said he was bragging about some big success. She thought he was lying and told him to drop dead.

At the lab, Brennan, Angela and Cam discuss some trip tickets that Colin never received, and records reveal that the person who signed for the package was the bartender, presumably in a relationship with Kara.

The Verdict: Booth and Brennan visit the bar and find the bartender’s shovel is clean. But Brennan points out the bartender’s watch, which caused some markings on Colin’s bones, when he was trying to reclaim his knife blade. There is blood on the watch, and the bartender somewhat confesses to the murder.

THE SQUINTS:

A second (but major) plot in this episode revolved around Wendell and his broken arm. He received the injury when playing hockey, and as soon as Brennan watches the video, she becomes suspicious. We see her concern growing as she asks Wendell what seem like casual questions (is there pressure on the wound, heat or pain?). She (unethically?) gets Wendell’s x-rays, and her worst suspicions are confirmed — Wendell has lesions on his bones, suggesting bone cancer. At this point, Cam knows, and Brennan also tells Booth.

When B&B tell Wendell, we see that he has to reconcile his clinical, scientific knowledge of bone health with the personal shock anyone might feel when presented with cancer — and the decisions that come afterward, including treatment.  Michael Grant Terry was very convincing in his portrayal. It will be interesting to see if/how that storyline develops, especially since he is also close with Hodgins. Ultimately, I’m glad Wendell is still alive.

I liked the way Hodgins, Angela and Cam worked the case in the lab, and I thought it worked to have Sweets work the case with Booth. I also liked that (so far), B&B and Cam are really the only ones who know about Wendell. It is nice to think that the story could evolve as each character learns about his illness.

BOOTH AND BRENNAN:

It was cute at the beginning of the episode when Brennan teased Booth with gross stuff at the crime scene. But mostly I really loved how B&B talked with one another throughout this episode. To me, the conversations they had were a perfect example of how they have taken their work partnership and melded it with their romantic relationship (and married life).  It was the kind of give and take and support that they’ve been famous for all along, and I thought it really, really worked.
We also saw how each of them dealt with both Wendell’s diagnosis and the young man’s reaction to it. I like how Wendell went to Booth for advice, but we could also see that he tremendously values Brennan’s opinion.

I thought B&B were both in character in their reactions. Booth would be a fighter, the one to rely on hope (for better or worse), while Brennan’s agreement that the world is a beautiful place to be explored and enjoyed, even with a last breath, made sense to me. That both of their opinions were tinged with grief and sadness for Wendell made it special as well. I just loved, loved, loved the scene in the diner with all three of them and the scene at their home when B&B discussed what choice each would make in the same situation.

And I enjoyed the end scene, where Booth and Brennan welcomed Wendell to their home. The handshake from Booth and the hug from Brennan were both perfect, as was the slow dance B&B had once Wendell said his goodbyes for the evening.

Okay, enough from me. Did you like this episode? What worked for you, and what didn’t? The comments are open, so speak up!