Bones episode 422
I didn’t write about 420 and 421 because they weren’t particularly fascinating, but 422 was one of the best episodes in a long time.
My rule for determining the killer didn’t apply. The mystery wasn’t gripping but definitely interesting, not giving anything away till the end (with a clever reveal) and faking me out several times (and Brennan made the final leap this time!). No intern this week, but we didn’t need one (the undertaker took on that duty to some extent). Above all else, though, this episode was hilarious beyond measure.
Unlike every other episode this season, this one was basically a comedy of errors, with the added constraint that the team had to steal the body from the dead guy’s wake. There were tons of subtle, tiny moments of comedy, which is exactly what makes this show great. It’s like they saved up these moments all season long and used them all now. The codeword “translation” for murder. Hodgins giving the dead guy 20 bucks and Booth taking it. Booth showing Brennan how to make a sad face. The undertaker getting it on in the bathroom. Brennan’s hand gesture for getting it on. Hodgins’ toast coming unhinged as he saw the body being stolen. The body being stolen, rather incompetently. Hodgins, Angela and the dead guy’s assistant having their three-way awkward moment. Angela’s awful excuses for not being able to look at the body (“his hair like Hitler”). The undertaker repeatedly losing it as he was put under stress (“I did acid in high school, it’s probably why I’m not a doctor”). “We’re encountering some fluid seepage”. Sweets’ oblivious conversation with the undertaker (who loses it again). The list goes on and on, but the last thing I have to mention is Cam fretting about whether the dead guy is smiling too much and then putting her sunglasses on him in a panic.
I don’t have much more to say about this episode. I just had to write something, since it was such a fantastic episode and maybe a sign that things are looking up at the end of a lackluster season (which should be ending any time now; I think either episode 23 or 24 will be the last of season 4).
PS: I know there was a super-good “Chuck” on Monday, and I want to write about it; I just haven’t gotten around to it yet.
