BONES Review: A Race Against The Clock In “The Brother in the Basement”

The Tale of the Two Missing Partners

The episode opens with a flashback to the immediate aftermath of the heist, the team of thieves, O’Donnell (guest star Roger Cross) at the helm, about to burn down the van along with Jared’s lifeless body. None of them planned to lose one of their own during the heist, but in order to continue with their plan, they have to get rid of the body. In a poignant gesture, Booth volunteers to be the one to set fire to the van, thus saying goodbye to his brother for good. Back in present time, Booth’s wound looks worse by the minute, but he is determined to stick around for the second part of the plan – using the 2 million obtained in the robbery to buy a mysterious ‘list’ and sell it to the highest bidder. Booth finds silver nitrate in the basement and uses it to cauterize the wound in order to stop the bleeding.

Meanwhile, Brennan, Caroline and Aubrey confront Agent Miller about her partner, Bannerman, who went missing two days before Booth. Miller reluctantly shares that Bannerman downloaded a list of all undercover agents and went off grid together with his fiancé Chloe. If he sells the list to the wrong people, many agents may lose their lives in the field. Searching Bannerman’s apartment, Brennan makes a gruesome discovery – a severed finger in the fridge, which turns out to be Chloe’s. The team conclude that Chloe must have been kidnapped in an attempt to blackmail Bannerman into stealing the top secret list, and that her finger was sent to him as proof of life. Catching wind of the upcoming sale of the list, Booth most likely joined Jared’s crew in order to intercept it.

L-R: John Boyd, Emily Deschanel, guest star Patricia Belcher and guest star Kim Raver in the “The Brother in the Basement”
Co. Cr: Patrick McElhenney/FOX

FBI Agent Metzger, a digital forensics expert, shows up at the Jeffersonian to show Angela the surveillance video of Bannerman being followed (which led to a wild goose chase) – and photos of Bannerman and Agent Miller that prove their romantic involvement. Metzger is all charm, boasting about running track, and joking about his occupational hazard – his carpal tunnel syndrome.

Over the course of the investigation, Brennan learns that after her departure, the Jeffersonian stopped being the leading forensics lab in the country due to a series of mistakes and unsolved cases.  She questions Arastoo’s competence as the best candidate to replace her and persuades Cam that Arastoo is not ready to take over as the Head of the Forensic Anthropology department, which leads to friction and a subsequent break-up between Arastoo and Cam. Brennan asks Cam for her old job back, admitting that leaving the Jeffersonian was a mistake and that she needs to be around friends if Booth does not make it. She is right to worry for Booth – the ring leader, O’Donnell, gets a text message that Booth cannot be trusted, and an order to kill him before the deal can be made.

The investigation leads to an abandoned recycling factory, where the bodies of Chloe and Bannerman are discovered, and Miller becomes the prime suspect. She admits that Bannerman left her for Chloe, but tries to convince Aubrey and Caroline that she would never kill her. Subsequently it is revealed in a ballistics report that Miller’s gun is not the murder weapon. Examining Bannerman’s skull, Brennan and Arastoo discover that he was killed with brass knuckles, and the strength of the impact means that the murderer has likely suffered a hand injury. Connecting the dots, they realize that Metzger was the kidnapper and the murderer all along, and is now planning to sell the list to the thieves in addition to throwing the FBI off track by pointing the investigation towards Miller. Moreover, he has probably already alerted the crew that Booth is a traitor.

Out of loyalty to Jared, O’Donnell refuses to kill Booth and proposes to split the $2M instead, which results in a rebellion, one of the thugs pursuing Booth with a shotgun. Back at the FBI, in a badass attempt to find out Booth’s whereabouts, Brennan twists Metzger’s injured arm – literally! – and arrives just in time to see Booth make it out of the basement alive, having tricked and decked the thug. Following a very touching reunion with Brennan, Booth is rushed into surgery, and we all breathe a sigh of relief finding out that it was successful. Angela and Hodgins volunteer to watch Christine and baby Hank while Brennan is visiting Booth. Brennan tells Booth that she asked for her job back, and he should do the same – risking his life for the sake of others is who he is, and she does not want him to change. Booth is grateful Brennan understands his calling, whereas she adds that he is not allowed to be reckless or ‘die on her.’ In a very Booth & Brennan manner, they banter about the exact amount of blood he had lost, which definitely was not one half. One thing is for sure, we cannot wait to see these two in action as partners again!

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