TV Review: Bones Episode 1.18

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

From FOX: When a dead body is found clutching a 300-year-old finger bone, Booth and Brennan’s investigation leads them to a dive site off the coast of Assateague Island where a pirate treasure may be buried. Hodgins is excited to get out of the lab and participates in a dive that uncovers more skeletal remains, which are authentic but prove that some of the bones found were actually stolen from the Jeffersonian collection. The investigation uncovers the possibility that the skeletal remains were placed at the dive site by a surprising culprit with a selfish motivation. But when the suspect is found murdered, a new lead sends the duo on the search for the owner of the dig shaft. Hodgins, excited to get involved in the case, volunteers for another dive in the shaft, but Brennan and Booth must race to save him from an underwater death when they discover who’s behind it all in “The Man with the Bone.”

My Rating: 3 out of 4

Booth brings Bones to the FBI morgue, and she is immediately curious as to why because there is a body with skin. However, it is quickly apparent that she is not there for the body, but something the victim held in his hand, a finger bone that is hundreds of years old. After some speculation and fun on the part of the team, the group believes the bone might actually belong to a man that helped bury the infamous treasure of Black beard the pirate. So this might not have been an accidental death, but a murder. Whatever the man found someone didn't want him to. This case certainly interests the men as anything regarding pirates and treasure does.

Bones brings in the man from the morgue, who has already compromised evidence once in this case. This time he is carrying water and soil samples from inside the man's body. This leads Hodgins to want to dive down to get even more samples. He lists his experience, and Bones finally allows him to make the dive. Hodgins is risking himself by making this dive. Because of how tight the shaft is, he can't even wear an oxygen tank when he goes down. He has to have an oxygen line. He travels down two hundred feet which shocks those watching. At the bottom, he finds a complete skeleton, also three hundred years old and male.

He brings the bones up top, and Bones goes to work analyzing it with her team. She does admit it could be a pirate and the possibility of treasure does become more a reality. However, the man that is in charge of the dig is quite upset that the bones have been removed because they and anything else found on the property belongs to him. The FBI makes it clear though that once a murder has taken place on the property, anything on it becomes evidence.

Booth goes back to the dig site, and he talks to one of the men. He learns the victim had been having an affair with the mayor's wife, which of course makes the mayor a possible suspect now. We then return to the lab, where Bones finds the skeleton has been stolen. This puts Brennan on edge, and everyone else is trying to calm her down. The team and staff of the Jeffersonian are trying to find out what happened to the skeleton, but whoever took them didn't get everything. Zach had the original finger bone in his room.

Booth continues to investigate by interviewing the mayor's wife. She gives Booth another possible suspect and motive. Meanwhile, the team is trying to figure out what is with the bones that would want someone to take them. After interviewing the morgue examiner again, Bones has an epiphany. The skeleton hadn't been originally died there, but had been placed there after the fact to help the treasure story gain credibility. Also in an interesting twist, the skeleton originally came from one of the Jeffersonian's own pirate exhibits. The Jeffersonian wants the case resolved because the man in charge of the dig wants the dig to be back on.

Bones and Brennan go back to work investigating. Their main suspect is the man's partner. Meanwhile, Angela and Goodman go to work investigating the stealing of the bones from the lab. They find out the security camera was turned off by someone, and this leads Goodman to suspect one of the security staff. They find the officer involved, and when they return to the dig site they find their main suspect dead.

This leads Bones and Booth back to the morgue, and they both find out both men were killed in the same manner, using a move used by special service personnel. They next interview the man running the dig, but it turns up a dead end. However, back at the dig site Hodgins is going back down the shaft with the help of one of the crew and no one else around. This isn't good at all, especially when it comes out the man he has asked to help him turns out to the be killer. Bones and Booth are on their way to the site, but he has already gone down by the time they arrive on scene.

Bones makes the mistake of telling him they know he killed the men, but this is before Booth realizes someone is down in the shaft. After a few tense moments where Hodgins finds a gold coin, the man finally brings Hodgins up. The case is solved.

I really enjoyed this episode. The pirate angle added some more fun and lightheartedness than some of the recent episodes had. I also liked seeing Hodgins take more of a role. No new Bones next week. The series will return in two weeks with an all new episode.