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Episode Recap: "The Verdict in the Story"
Sometimes you think you know a show, and then it goes and throws you for a loop. I always thought that if ever I had a reason to type those words about this show, they'd be about the science blowing my mind, and not the humanity of it all. I mean, we all like it when episodes delve a little further into the spark that keeps Brennan going, right? With this episode, I realized that spark was not quite where I thought it was hidden in her. And maybe that makes her even better for it.
We all knew it was coming: Brennan's father's (Ryan O'Neal) trial for the murder of deputy FBI director Kirby. It sure took the series long enough (as it happened way back in the middle of Season 2) to get back to this storyline and create a little closure, but I suppose it's closer to reality this way. Though the man claims he was innocent, he is actually innocent only in his own terms -- defending himself and his family against a really evil man. For all intents and purposes, Max is indeed guilty of killing Kirby and everyone knows it, including his children. Not very good for your own defense.
It also didn't help that the smartest minds at the Jeffersonian, sans Brennan and Angela, were all working against him, testifying for the prosecution at his trial. It takes some guts to do what Angela did, choosing a) to be in contempt of court, b) not help send her best friend's father to death row rather than follow the law that she believed was wrong. What an activist she is, pleading the 1st Amendment. I loved it. I want her to be my BFF. "Like, totally," as Sweets would say.
The prosecution's case weighed heavily on connecting the murder weapon and the debris found at the monastery, apartment and rooftop to Max Brennan. With a little help from good old Jeffersonian forensic temp Clark (Eugene Byrd)(see how much he came in handy!), it was found that the murder weapon was actually a misericord that Brennan owned. Unfortunately, the murder weapon swap did nothing to improve Max's case.
The one that did help though, was Bones' concoction of a possibility that since both she and Booth also tracked the same debris to the same areas and had access to the murder weapon, any of them could be guilty. The jury couldn't prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Max had done it, and he was set free.
I like it when episodes point out how odd a character Bones is. Seeing her every week and being charmed by her, I feel like we've come to understand her foibles and her unshakable logic, and by so doing, forget that real people can't survive very well that way. It must be a hard thing to reconcile that you've become the person you always strove to be, only to see that you gave up on your humanity along the way. This whole episode was about Bones' friends (including Dr. Sweets Geeks) trying to get her to understand that, and I think a part of her really did.
From the beginning when we saw Bones laughing uncontrollably over Booth's not understanding the mechanism of decomposition, it was clear what kind of person we were dealing with. For her, things are black and white. For her, there is always an empirical solution. And for her, it must be ironic to sit back and feel for your incarcerated father when all the empirical evidence you lean on says he's a murderer.
It's funny, too, how I so wanted Max to go free despite knowing the truth. And that I wanted the Jeffersonian team to fail. Fail! Any other case and I would never want that for those folks. And yet in this situation, I wanted them to get it wrong because I do have a heart. Funny how even television can create these gray ethical areas. In the end, it was Bones' logic, fueled by her emotions, that helped free her father.
It's also easy to forget that Max was on the run from the law before Kirby was killed, and he chose to turn himself in so that he could finally be near his only daughter and make up for what his life on crime on the lam had done to their relationship. She loved that he had loved her enough to sacrifice himself in such a way, but can you imagine what devastation she might have actually felt if her father was successfully prosecuted, possibly executed, all because he chose time with her over his own freedom? I don't think there's much science that can make that wound heal.
I'm still trying to figure out what the hog-tied-looking skeleton in the beginning of the episode had to do with anything. Perhaps it'll be relevant to next week's case? I had also been wondering whether Dr. Sweets' involvement in cases was going to get old, and now I see the clever plan behind it all — Sweets is sticking around on the grounds that he's researching B&B for a project and in return they get him to do psych profiles on their killers. Brilliant, guys. Now just find a way to keep Clark around full-time and we're probably set with ensemble castmates for life.
Quotes of particular awesomeness
• "I did not know she could laugh." — prosecutor Caroline Julian on Bones
• "You are not fine." — Dr. Sweets
• "Ugly up a little. The plain women on the jury will hate you." — Caroline to Angela
• Angela: "The first amendment protects freedom of association, right? Which means that it protects friendship. So I’m taking the first, which is even better than taking the fifth." Judge: "There is no friendship in a homicide trial." Angela: "Sweetie, this is one of those times when I know I’m right and everyone else is confused."
• "A country full of unscrupulous lawyers and you find the one guy with scruples?" — Max to Bones and Russ
• "Friends don’t send friends’ fathers to the electric chair." — Angela
• "That’s a lot of heart, Bones." — Booth
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May 5, 2008 11:50 PM
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This was hands down one of my all-time favorite Bones episode ever. I mean, they had me rooting for the murderer in this one!!! I was so happy when he was set free. I loved that Booth and Bones had to be seperated like school children ("He's right, you do whisper kind of loud." "You started it.") lol Everyone was just so great in this episode.
I really hope Dr. Sweets sticks around, LOVE HIM! "Mega-Dangerous. I mean, Indubitably." lol 
One of the things I love about this show is that I'm not anxious for Booth and Bones to get together, I enjoy their long looks at eachother and their words to one another with hidden meaning. I look forward to seeing how the writers are going to make me sigh every episode. This episode had the "sometimes I think you're from another planet" scene and the ending, it was a tie. 
This is definitely one of the best shows on TV right now.
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May 6, 2008 12:09 AM
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This is a pretty good episode ... I wish they had gotten the court setting correctly because in real life witnesses are not allowed to sit in the courtroom while the other witnesses are testifying. Bones made this same mistake in an episode in a previous season.
I loved that the show started with the weird skeleton and that we got to see Bones laughing at Booth and then having these bones snatched out from under her. I hope that we never get back to this skeleton. It served its purpose and if her team is any good, they'll have figure it all out already.
Angela ROCKS! I need a BFF like her. And Booth. He knew what Bones was going to do, to set herself up as reasonable doubt, and he knew she had to do it, and he just supported her ... even though he knew that Max was guilty. Even though he testified, Booth was just as good a friend as Angela.
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May 6, 2008 2:43 AM
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Hands down one of the best Bones episodes ever. They truly did reveal the humanity of everyone in this episode. Dr. Addy is so much like Dr. Brennan and his attitude reflected that. What I love most is that Booth and Brennan never let what they have to do affect their friendship.
Bones figured out the murder weapon before they came to search and she could have gotten rid of it, but I would imagine that it never occured to her. The same for Booth, he knows that she is a rational, but human being and when he told her to put her brain aside and think with her heart - he was doing her a huge favor.
At the end -- that hug between Brennan and Max? That was for me the culmination of her orphaning at 15 -- her father WAS finally home, not just physically for Bones but emotionally.
I can't wait to see more Max in the future.
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May 6, 2008 6:45 AM
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I really can't add to this, but, HVLong, I too, hope Max come back as ,maybe a recurring regular.
But I have to way I loved how Sweets showed his age, Booth's surprise at his litany of degrees, but I think his best moments (yes, plural) were a) in the diner when he was so dejected after B/B's rejection of him and b) his reaction to B/B's saying how he liked him back and forth. Letting slip on the stand how he was a 23 year old in an Expert Witness' body, didn't hurt either.
This whole episode I felt shined brightly on Booth, Bones, Angela and Sweets.
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May 6, 2008 8:26 AM
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I love this show!
I had wondered how they could handle the whole Max thing, they just couldn't let him be executed after he stayed and allowed himself to be caught to be closer to his daughter.
All of the relationships on this show are just so well done, they change, they grow, they just get better and better.
There were so many great moments in this episode. Unfortunatley my digital box was messing up and I missed that opening scene with Brennan laughing. I had to run upstairs to my tv without the digital box...just plain old cable...to watch the show. I'll have to rewatch online to see that.
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May 6, 2008 8:46 AM
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I LOVED the "Dr. Geeks" nickname. In addition to fitting Dr. Sweets' personality, it's also a nice little shout-out to John Francis Daley's previous work on "Freaks and Geeks".
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May 6, 2008 8:58 AM
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I loved this episode. I think that skeleton at the begining will be part of the serial killer story line they have going on.
I thought we were in for a cliff hanger when Bones and Booth were standing outside the courthouse as the verdict was read. But then Max came out all free. Good stuff. This is by the far my favorite show on tv.
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May 6, 2008 9:08 AM
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I L O V E D this episode. Everything from start to finish was just so well done. I think it's my favorite episode so far regarding B & B's relationship. Near the end with Booth on the stand with his "that's a lot of heart Bone's" was awesome! He so loves her. He knows exactly what she is going to do.
The writers do an outstanding job on this show. It's like it has everything all rolled up into one - comedy, romance, drama. You name it BONES has it.
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May 6, 2008 9:53 AM
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Just a theory - but does anyone else think Clark could be gormogon?
I cracked up when Sweets said "indubitably" - flashed back to my Saturday morning Schoolhouse Rock lessons
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May 6, 2008 10:17 AM
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WOW! To the whole episode. Just plain great. WOW!
It nearly broke my heart when booth said, "that's a lot of heart Bone's" To me, it seemed he was surprised at how far she'd go. I think he thought she would take a different track rather then possible setting herself up as a possible suspect. And even though he already loves her I think what she did there made him fall even more. He once told her that Max did it, but he did it because of his (Max's) code of ethics. Saying what Max did was wrong, but he did it for the right reasons. Booth seems to have3 a lot of respect for Max, even though as an agent, he shouldn't. And I think Max respect Booth as well. As long as Max stay's clean him and Booth should be good, so we know there won't be a problem with future in-laws.
After the verdict was read, and Booth and Brennen were talking on the steps and her father came up, and Brennen hugged him, her eyes never left Booth's, it should a lot of gratitude, admiration, and love. There is so moch there.
All in all, I'd have to say, one of the best episodes EVER! Not just from this show, but any. Ranks right up there with the best Television has to offer. I don't know if anyone from the show ever reads these blogs, but if they do, I just want to say thanks for this hour of TV. I really appreciate the stelalr effort.
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May 6, 2008 11:20 AM
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So, the moral of this story is - if the murderer is a loved one, then it's ok if they get away with it. Well, I think a new section needs to be added to every episode where Booth and Brennan get together with the family of the murderer and let them decide if they should go to jail. Seems only logical, right???
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May 6, 2008 11:36 AM
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the_ok... It's a show, don't take it too personally.
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May 6, 2008 11:43 AM
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It's not a matter of taking it personally. I understand it's only a show but I still don't think it's right to preach that vigilante justice is appropriate when it's a family member.
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May 6, 2008 11:56 AM
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So, the moral of this story is - if the murderer is a loved one, then it's ok if they get away with it. Well, I think a new section needs to be added to every episode where Booth and Brennan get together with the family of the murderer and let them decide if they should go to jail. Seems only logical, right???
Wow you completely missed it. So I guess that it's ok that that FBI Deputy Director was trying to have Max's family killed. Everything is not black and white. That was the moral of the story.
I love Sweets and his slang. He might be a geek but he's still "hip". LOL.
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May 6, 2008 11:59 AM
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