BONES Recap: ‘The High in the Low’

Hey BONES fans! How did you like this episode, “The High in the Low”? We had the returning Wendell, controversy in the lab over medical marijuana, some B&B banter, and a gross, gross body! Let’s discuss!

THE CASE:

The Scene of the Crime:  An escaped convict is being chased by law officials and dogs. He finds a hollow log and crawls into it, only to find that it is already occupied by human remains and about a bajillion bugs. I hate swarms!

Booth and Brennan and Hodgins uncover the top of the log and have the remains shipped to the Jeffersonian. Even there, the body is encased in plastic to keep the bugs from escaping into the lab. It’s hard to get DNA when the bugs are eating the remains, but eventually Angela is able to run a virtual representation of a possible victim and run it through the missing persons database.

The Victim:  Abby Briggs, a young art student who suffered from lupus. Abby worked at a medical marijuana dispensary, and she also benefited from using medical marijuana.

Primary Suspects:
•    Mallory Briggs, Abby’s sister. They didn’t stay in touch sometimes for weeks at a time. Mallory is the person who reported Abby missing.
•    Dr. Richard Burke, Abby’s boss. When it’s determined that Abby was growing her own marijuana strains at the dispensary, it’s possible Burke had to get rid of her…permanently.
•    Carl Collins, a security guard at the dispensary. Abby’s artwork shows him constantly staring at her in a threatening way. He admits that he thought they liked one another but that he read the signals incorrectly. But his flashlight is a possible match for the murder weapon.
•    Adam Caputo, a customer of the dispensary. Abby was angry with him for coming in with a fake medical marijuana card. Their argument is caught on the security footage, and Carl is seen carting him out of the store.

The Case Progression:

Hodgins and Wendell discuss the case, with Wendell noting that Abby wrote many articles about the self-medicating use of marijuana. Hodgins also notices a southern pine beetle, and he wonders where it came from and how it got into the log.
Wendell and Brennan examine the skeleton, and find that Carl’s flashlight is no longer a perfect match for the murder weapon. Brennan finds additional wounds on the victim.

Booth and Sweets discuss the case, and Booth tells Sweets that he examined Abby’s credit card statements, finding that she recently purchased a lot of camping equipment. They aren’t sure why, but when Hodgins and Angela are about to trace the southern pine beetle and a purple flower back to where Abby was killed, the team finds Abby’s camping tent and equipment. They also find traces of her blood on a nearby rock and tree and find her marijuana plants.

Hodgins examines the plants and realizes they are a different strain — they provide the medical benefits without causing the user to get high. This is good for Abby, but not good for the dispensary. Angela watches more security footage of Dr. Burke’s establishment and realizes that Abby was selling her strain of marijuana on the side.

Booth and Brennan discuss the case, and Booth tells her that Dr. Burke has an alibi for the time Abby was killed. Wendell provides Brennan with his case notes, and she discovers that he found an additional wound on Abby’s body — a small and very precise incision.

Cam and Brennan discuss the injury, and Cam points out that the amount of blood spatter that occurred suggests a carotid artery injury. Brennan concurs, and it is up to Angela to figure out what the weapon could be. They are able to narrow it down to a trophy with a sphere on top of a pyramid shaped object. And Adam Caputo owns such a trophy.

The Verdict: Booth and Brennan bring him back in to the FBI. He figures they don’t have proof that he killed Abby, but Brennan finds blood under the trophy’s metal plate. He admits he wanted to knock her out, not kill her.

THE SQUINTS:

A secondary plot revolved around Wendell and his recovery during chemotherapy. The team is grateful to see him back in the lab, and it was a nice welcome all around. During the course of the case, Wendell admits to Hodgins that he took his doctor’s advice to self-medicate with medical marijuana to combat reactions to chemotherapy. Hodgins doesn’t have an issue with it and figures no one else will either.

Wendell confides in Brennan as well, and then also Cam. Brennan has no issue, but Cam tells Wendell that he could compromise legal cases and that he must no longer work at the Jeffersonian. Hodgins, Angela and Brennan are unhappy with this decision.

It was an interesting dynamic, and I could see that Cam was upset. The scene between her and Hodgins and Angela where they found the actual crime scene was intense and well-acted, even if it was a little uncomfortable to see the characters upset with one another.

In the end, B&B arrived at Wendell’s apartment with a compromise. With Caroline Julian’s help, the lab can hire him as a consultant as long as he doesn’t touch evidence. He agrees to the job.

As far as Sweets goes, he mostly worked with Booth as he tried to figure out how to score higher on the written portion of his annual FBI exam. It was fun to see their back and forth arguments.

BOOTH AND BRENNAN:

I really liked all of the B&B scenes in this episode, from the beginning at the gun range to the end on the park bench. I liked how, while they didn’t always agree, they were both equally joking/teasing and also still respected one another. I also liked how they reconciled by seeing the other person’s point of view. It reminded me of some season 4 episodes, where B&B were sort of circling one another more and testing their relationship. Now of course, they are married and together, so the resolution is even sweeter. I thought the entire storyline of Booth shrugging off the mental portion of his exam, but then wanting to do well in Brennan’s eyes was very realistic to both characters.

She challenges him, and even though a lot of times he’ll act dumber than he is, he likes rising to the challenge. And he likes succeeding, even if he does trust his gut most of the time.

Individually, I also liked how each one responded to Wendell without really compromising their personal opinions. It was a win for everyone all around, in my opinion. And it was pretty funny when Wendell made a pot brownies joke and neither of them laughed. Classic.  Wendell is getting the Sweets treatment — that’s how he should know he’s really made it.

Okay, enough from me. What did you like about this episode? What didn’t work for you? The comments are open, so sound off!