In This Section
TV Guide Spotlight
Also on TVGuide.com
|
« Bones
Episode Recap: "The Boy in the Time Capsule"
It's true, everyone seems to have belonged to a specific group during high school. Some people spent all their time studying like Bones, some embraced grunge like Hodgins, and some had dashing looks, could throw a perfect spiral, and always had a pretty lady on their arm like Booth (or That Guy as we get to know him). I love episodes in which we find out a little bit more about the history of our characters, the way they were before this chunk of life we're witnessing them go through now. And realizing that Bones didn't know who The Cure were in the 1980s makes me wish she'd put those books down a few more times, though it made for one of the most humorous lines of the night: "The cure? Was he sick?"
A 1987 time-capsule unveiling intended to unearth only Rubik's Cubes and acid-washed jeans yielded those exact things... floating with the remains of a decomposed body instead. Good job, Bones producers, at subsequently grossing us out more week after week. The body belonged to a fellow classmate, übersmartypants Roger Dillon. Other classmates Terry Stinson, former class president, his wife Janelle Stinson, former head cheerleader, and Gil Bates, former dork, were all at the unveiling and became suspects in the murder.
Roger's murder led us down several paths that seemed promising, and I have to hand it to the writers of this show for knowing how to twist the details convincingly. In the end, it was mostly the scientific details that led the crew to their discovery of the murderer, but in the meantime our leads were pretty convincing. Roger was an amazing computer programmer. Was he killed for having a brilliant mind that could have made him rich? He had a watch with a secret compartment filled with cocaine. A drug deal gone wrong? B&B questioned suspects including Roger's best friend, Gil, Roger's abusive father, a former teacher with a rap sheet for drug possession, and most convincingly John Adamson, a former classmate with a cocaine habit who paid Roger to take the SATs for him. That seemed like a clear motive — until Dr. Sweets discredited him as a suspect in his psychiatric profile.
So Dr. Sweets is back! Sweets has definitely grown on me. I wasn't sure how the young doc was going to fit in with the show's storylines now that he's a regular, but I think this time around he added something satisfying to the show in his eagerness to help with the case. Not to mention he had a few of the funniest lines. His inclusion also means we dig deeper into B&B's relationship and what makes their screws turn. Bones spends much of the ep angry at Booth for snorting at her story of high-school humiliation (publicly receiving a Brainy Smurf doll as a Secret Santa gift in high school from her popular-guy crush, when all she wanted was pretty Smurfette), which Booth unsuccessfully tries to match in sheer embarrassment. But it seems humiliation didn't really follow That Guy around back then. (Bones: "Dr. Hodgins, do boys change after high school?" Hodgins: "Only on the outside.") But Sweets accuses Booth of being a poor listener, to which Bones rebukes, "Booth is a great listener," even though he hurt her feelings. She didn't have to stick up for him, but she did.
The killer in the end was Roger's BFF Gil Bates, whom Sweets pretty much profiled exactly. It's always sad when the death ends up being an accident but nevertheless ruins lives. Gil never intended to kill Roger, but he did and finally must pay the price.
And in the end, B&B ended up back at the Royal Diner just like old times. This scene was actually one of my favorites of the season so far, as Booth gifted Bones a Brainy Smurf figurine and explained, "Smurfette was the stupid shallow Smurf that only had her looks. You're better than Smurfette. You have your looks and a whole lot more." Their faces ended up way too teasingly close together for my taste in such a sweet moment. I felt used. But I love that That Guy ended up being such a good guy.
Missed any Bones episodes? Check out our Online Video Guide to catch up.
|
TVGuide Links:
|
|
|
|
Nov 14, 2007 8:07 AM
|
Wasn't it Cam, not Booth, who asked Hodgins if boys change after high school?
Anyway, I liked this episode--the time capsule angle gave us more glimpses of what the squints were like 20 years ago (although, aside from a few fashion fads, not much has changed).
I noticed the nose-to-nose (and lip-to-lip)proximity of Brennan and Booth in the diner, too. But I didn't feel used. I just wondered how those two could have that conversation without planting a big one on each other. Talk about self-restraint! But then I've always thought that Emily Deschanel is too drop-dead gorgeous to resist.
|
|
Nov 14, 2007 8:48 AM
|
|
It was Bones that asked Dr. Hodgins if boys ever change after high school. This was right after Dr. Sweets left her office and Hodgin's went into this explanation about how he is a guy and Roger wasn't just "tutoring" the head cheerleader.
|
|
Nov 14, 2007 9:02 AM
|
Fun episode, which of course totally grossed me out in the beginning. And Hodgins had the best line of the day, which I have to paraphrase because I don't remember it exactly: "If you have to serve him up with a ladle, he doesn't qualify as a person anymore." I give that a rousing Ha Ha followed by an EWWW.
And normally squeamish Angela is fishing memorabilia out of the sludge in the container without so much as a squirm? I was doing all the squirming for her.
I like Dr Sweets and his enthusiasm at finally being out of his office, which qualifies as 'the field'. I do find it a little odd that Bones doesn't stick up for Dr. Sweets when Booth is picking on him - I get her loyalty to Booth, of course, but wouldn't it strike uncomfortably home for her to have the big That Guy picking on the little Smart Guy?
And I liked his profiling. It sounded fresh to me. I like his enthusiasm and the way he seems a little hurt when Booth starts picking on him.
Did anybody actually have CDs in 1987? I didn't buy my first CD until 1992 (but I may have been behind the technology curve too, I realize that's a possibility); in 1987 I was still in cassette tape land. Anybody else?
|
|
Nov 14, 2007 9:15 AM
|
I love this show, but the nitpick I keep going back to is that they play too fast and loose with dates. (I know Bones is a genius who probably went through school faster than the average student, but last season there were a lot of holes in terms of when she was born, when she was in college, how old she is now, when she was doing her research, etc. It just didn't add up well.)
This episode my problem was with the son of the head cheerleader, Janelle. It's been 20 years since Janelle graduated from high school, and it was revealed that she was 2 months pregnant when she graduated. Meaning that in January of 2008, her son will turn 20. Yet at the beginning of the episode they say that he is a senior at the high school. Did I miss something?
|
|
Nov 14, 2007 9:20 AM
|
Did anybody actually have CDs in 1987
I got my first in 1985, so yes, some people had one. It was basically an early adapter thing at that point, I believe.
her son will turn 20. Yet at the beginning of the episode they say that he is a senior at the high school. Did I miss something?
Even if his intelligence level was inherited from his bio-father, his 'adoptive' [FLOBT] father my have raised him to believe sports, fun, wine and women were more important than school work and the kid stayed back a grade or two.
|
|
Nov 14, 2007 9:43 AM
|
|
CDs hit the market in 1983--I was working in a record store at the time, so that was a big deal for us. It took a while for them to become commonplace, of course.
|
|
Nov 14, 2007 10:23 AM
|
Another great episode. I've really like the last few, hope the strike doesn't mess up the momemtum to much.
I loved the smurf scene!
|
|
Nov 14, 2007 10:43 AM
|
Great recap as usual, although I can't believe you didn't point out their little "Bill Gates" joke. 
|
|
Nov 14, 2007 11:34 AM
|
|
Great episode. Loved the end. The B/B relationship continues to "evolve"!
|
|
Nov 14, 2007 12:48 PM
|
|
Thanks, guys, for pointing out my flub on Bones' high school quote (it's been fixed now). It was definitely Bones, not Booth, who asked that of Hodgins. If I had prizes, I'd give them to you all.
|
|
Nov 14, 2007 1:00 PM
|
ADunn524
I caught that, too. In fact, I was distracted it by it because I was mentally trying to figure out the kid's age because Imissed when they did say he was a senior in high schoolhis age. Also, some of the "students" looked too old to be just in their late 30's. But maybe that's just my perception.
|
|
Nov 14, 2007 1:01 PM
|
|
Sorry for the typos in my last post! I clicked the wrong box!!
|
|
Nov 14, 2007 1:02 PM
|
I thought it was so sweet that Booth bought her brainy smurf at the end and gave her that little bit about have brains and looks. <3 ahh... lol
To me there was so many sparks flying, how could they have not kissed? I'm glad they didn't though, maybe at the end of therapy they will?
I noticed that, Bones usually stands up for Dr Sweets even if she doesn't believe in psyciatry. But Booth was sooo That Guy!
There were a few good comments from the gang, they still need to do something about Zach though. Send him to some personality courses, the poor guy.
I didn't figure out the motive/killer til the end. I thought Gil killed Roger for another reason (to put out that game) or that is was the Adamson guy with his cheating and watch full of coke.
I want more gormagon!!
|
|
Nov 14, 2007 1:20 PM
|
There were so many great lines in this episode. I found myself laughing out loud, especially at how NOT humiliating Brennan was finding Booth's stories!
"That's merely another story of victory and sexual conquest...you're bragging.
"You don't even know what public humiliation is."
The ending was very sweet. I'm glad they didn't kiss, though...it would have ruined the moment. Let's hold out a little longer. I have to admit that I, too, felt a bit used at that moment, the way the camera zoomed in really close to make it seem like Booth and Brennan were centimeters apart. But just loved the evolution discussion. "It takes hundreds of years," meaning that Booth will need Brennan for that long, and her "thousands of years" correction meaning that she'll need him for even longer. Loved it! This is why we need the writers, and David & Emily really make them look good!
|
|
Nov 14, 2007 2:05 PM
|
|
|
