Fox is only tugging at our heartstrings by giving us a special two hour feature of Bones' Season 8's two finale episodes, "The Pathos in the Pathogens" and "The Secret in the Siege." No doubt tonight's feature is preparing us (and adding more anticipation!) for the season 9 premiere next Monday at 8pm.
If you missed the last couple episodes of last season or if you just need a friendly reminder, you are certainly in the right place.
The Pathos in the Pathogens, unlike other Bones episodes, begins not with Booth's and Brennan's uncovering of a body, but rather with a body a body being wheeled into the lab; however, this is no ordinary dead body. This particular body is infected with a deadly pathogen. As expected, everyone in the lab is dressed from head to toe in protective lab suits.
After the arrival of Dr. Jacobs of Center for Disease Control (CDC) arrives, we learn that the victim is none other than blogger and aspiring writer, Mia Garrett.
We later discover that Garrett was researching pharmaceuticals before she died. Sweets speaks to both Ben Carr, Garrett's boyfriend and Dr. Burke, who despite her annoyance with interrogation, offers her assistance in anyway necessary.
Meanwhile at the lab, despite the detailed protocol of the CDC, Arastoo is punctured with a needle, cleverly hidden inside the corpse's body. The team has to now observe his symptoms and identify the virus if he is to survive.
The virus is a mutated strain of the a Chikungunya virus, CHICV.
Angela discovers that Mia's most recent project was writing a story about performance enhancing drugs for horses, which leads to the team to Byron Fuller. Booth interrogates him, but after being confronted with his and Garrett's affair, he refuses to speak without a lawyer.
Sweets calls Garrett's boyfriend in for questioning once more in light of recent news of Garrett's affair. However, Angela uncovers that Dr. Burke had previously worked for (but was terminated) a level four lab, capable of multiplying viruses, making her the primary suspect.
Due to Arastoo's worsening condition, Hodgins turns to folk remedies. Dr Jacobs does not approve, but due to the situation, Cam overrules his decision, and they proceed. They alleviate his systems slightly.
Booth and Sweets discover that Dr. Burke was released due to stolen cultures of the CHICV virus from her previous supervisor, Leonard Thorne.
Back at the lab, Bones, Cam, and Dr. Jacobs discover that a prokaryotic virus was used to mutate the CHICV virus.
After this discovery, Booth and Sweets interrogate Dr. Burke, but discover that she was in fact telling the truth, making Thorne the liar. He denies everything, and Booth gets violent. He brings Thorne to the lab, forcing him to view his handy work, getting him dangerously close to the infected corpse. He continually claims himself innocent, even after Cam's lovely profession of love for Arastoo. Brennan has to infect him (but not really-she uses a fake) herself in order to save Arastoo's life.
Arastoo lives. (And thank goodness. Could you imagine the death of yet another squidtern!)
I don't know if it's the threat of bioterrorism or if it's the emotional depth, particularly between Cam and Arastoo, that make this episode so great, but it is definitely an episode worth watching.
We continue now into the second part of tonight's special double feature with Season 8's finale, "The Secret in the Siege."
This episode begins with non other than cyber genius Christopher Pelant, observing Brennan at the grocery store with multiple surveillance cameras with his half-deformed face, courtesy of Booth's sniper skills. At this point it is obvious to the viewer that Pelant is to strike yet again.
The scene transitions into a much lighter tone with Booth and Brennan in their sweet abode, teasing of engagement,little white lies about jerky, and hula goddess.
Booth says, "Marriage is starting to look good on you."
Brennan responds swiftly with, "I'm not going to propose to you if that's what you're thinking!"
Apparently cycles of attractions will only last to raise a child for three or four years. Oh Bones.
The adorable moment is interrupted when a yet another murder call sends the couple to a crime scene.
The crime scene is Hamilton State Park. There is a body, with multiple puncture (12 in fact) wounds, pulled on a picnic table. Further investigation leads the team to suspect the killer was an experienced hitman. Sweets suspects Pelant.
When Angela calls and confirms the victim as Alan Freidlander, Booth's former partner, the tension rises.
Brennan's team finds 10 year old remodeling on Freidlander's bone, from a dog attack, it becomes clear that Pelant hacked the medical records.
Meanwhile, Booth, Sweets, and Caroline discover that Pelant had also hacked Sweet's files to retrieve his unpublished doctorate dissertation. Another body is found.
The body is of another FBI agent, Jeff Stone. There is a witness, Alison Taylor, a young girl. She describes a tattooed man who knocked her over and murdered Stone. Pelant calls Booth. The rules of his game have changed. Clearly, he isn't too pleased that Booth shot him.
Further examination of his body reveals multiple punctures (as with the previous body) and more dog attack remodeled wound from ten years ago, which unsurprisingly do not appear in his medical records. There's a connection between the men: they were FBI agents involved with the Crystal Creek raid a decade ago, even Booth!
Sweet believes, as stated in his dissertation, that Pelant is using a surrogate. With the witness's description, Pelant's idea of justice, and particulates, the team was able to find a match in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Zane Reynolds. However, he has an alibi.
Sweet's then resolves that Pelant is acting through an FBI Agent.
Then, BONES AND BRENNAN GET ENGAGED. You know, just casually. Check out their conversation below!
Bones: “I want you to be happy, that’s all I want.”
Booth: “What’s this about? Okay look, I’m going to be fine.”
Bones: “I know. I mean, I don’t know. And neither of us know. We hope. I mean I could be the target or you could die of a heart attack or I could get hit by a bus.”
Booth: “Okay, slow down. Will you just slow down?”
Bones: “The point is, I want to marry you. Will you marry me, Booth?”
Booth: “Are you serious?”
Bones: “Yes. I’ve been afraid. I’ve been stubborn. And I’ve been in love. And marriage would make you so happy.”
Booth: “Are you sure? You’re not just saying this because of Pelant and everything that’s going on here?”
Bones: “Positive. All of this just made me see things more clearly. I love you. I want you to be my husband. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Say something.”
Booth: “Yes. Of course. Yes.”
Back in the lab, after the news of Booth and Brennan's engagement is shared, Brennan discovers that each victim was deliberately shot 11 times, not 12. What ties the number 11, Crystal Creek, and the FBI? Harris Samuels.
Samuels was a single father, and his daughter Anna was sent to foster care after his death. She was institutionalized for Complex Grief Disorder. Pelant takes advantage of her by appearing to her as Samuels in edited videos. Anna Samuels has been acting under a fake persona, Alison Taylor, our witness. Pelant has sent her on a mission, and she's armed.
Pelant has made her path clear by hacking the traffic lights, causing a buildup in traffic. Angela discovered that Booth was only a decoy. Pelant sent Anna after Sweets. Luckily, she is apprehended before she can strike.
Though all should be well with Sweet's survival and upcoming nuptials, Pelant wastes no time in trying to ruin it. He gives Booth and ultimatum. Either call off the engagement with Brennan or watch five innocents die. Honorably, Booth chooses the lives of the innocent over his own happiness, and calls of the engagement with Brennan. Check it out below.
Bones: “I don’t understand why all these women are wearing white dresses. There’s no way they are all virgins … Is something the matter?”
Booth: “We need to talk.”
Bones: “Okay.”
Booth: “About the wedding, about us getting married …”
Bones: “Oh the ceremony doesn’t matter to me. And I won’t be wearing white.”
Booth: “I don’t think we should do it. I should have thought this through before.”
Bones: “But this is what you want.”
Booth: “But you didn’t.”
Bones: “But I do now. I love you. I want to marry you.”
Booth: “Because we’ve been under so much pressure. I mean that’s what’s really going on here. Like you said, it’s just a piece of paper. What we have already is enough.”
Bones: “You’re right. You’re right. It’s been a stressful time. I’m impressed that you’re finally seeing things from my perspective.”
What do you think is going to happen between Booth and Brennan? Can their love survive Pelant? Will he ever be captured? One things for sure, we'll have answers next week.
Catch the Season 9 Premiere of Bones Monday September 16th at 8pm.