VICTIM: Charlie McCord

SCENE OF THE CRIME: Off the side of a cliff

SQUIDTERN: Dr. Oliver Wells

The episode begins with Booth and Bones discussing their wedding plans, while rock climbing to observe remains. A body, wrapped in climbing gear, has been thrown over the slide of a cliff. A bird nearby is shown to have evidence inside its beak.

Back in the office, Booth has confidential news for Sweets, back for the long haul. It’s not about the wedding. He shows him VAL, a virtual criminal profiling machine, which could potentially replace Sweets.

Hodgins is retrieving evidence from the bird, and Dr. Wells is his classic know-it-all self, which infuriates everyone. Evidence suggests that the victim was bludgeoned to death and then thrown over the cliff.

Meanwhile, Sweets continues to criticize VAL. Sweets thinks the victim was an amateur climber, led astray by one of his trusted colleagues. VAL agrees.

Back in the lab, it is discovered that the victim had terminal cancer. Dr. Wells interrupts everyone’s sentences with his unwelcomed opinion and fact, continually being disrespectful to the rest of the lab. Angela identifies the victim as Charlie McCord. They find videos that he recorded of himself. He was well aware of his impending death, and sought to live out the rest of his life by making inspirational videos and completing his bucket list.

Hodgins examines the ear canal of the victim to determine McCord’s activity before he was murdered.

Booth summons McCord’s wife to inform her of her husband’s death. He wanted to write a book to aid his family. The success of his videos was assisting this process.

Angela recovered videos from victims cell phone. There was one of particular interest. Just five days before his death, he punched Chuck, “The Iceman” Liddel and quickly drove off.

Booth then interviews “The Iceman”. Apparently, punching Liddel was on McCord’s bucket list.

With all of the talk of bucket lists, everyone is inspired to think about their own. In attempt to “send him a message,” Angela makes Dr. Wells a bucket list, about not being a “douche.” Cam wants to live in a Tuscan villa to drink and make love; Hodgins wants to be shot out of a cannon, and jump off a building in a flying squirrel suit (Oh, Hodgins).

Sweets continues to complain about VAL’s computer profiling. Unsurprisingly, Brennan, with her distaste of psychology disagrees. Sweets points out that McCord was not acting out of weakness (as VAL had indicated), but was simply trying to realize his full potential before his death.

The team discovers that Martin Procter is the victim’s emergency contact, not his wife.

Bones makes Angela her “matron of honor.” Angela gently corrects her.

Booth interrogates Procter. He was helping Charlie with his bucket list. He claims to have been at a movie theater, when McCord was murdered. He even had a movie stub.

According to VAL, Lina Silver is the prime suspect, the bookkeeper for the school, she embezzled 6000 dollars, and Charlie put her in jail. Evidence leads to a tire recycling facility.

McCord’s videos are becoming much more popular after his death. His wife is making a lot of profit, which is motive.

Brennan and Bones talk more about wedding while visiting Silver’s home. She answers the door with a weapon, violating her parole. They take her in.

In the interrogation room, Linda admits that she used to want to kill him, but after watching his videos she had a change of heart. Sweets has a hard time believing this.

Bones shows Angela her wedding dress.

Booth reveals to Sweets that he trusts him over some lousy computer . Charlie was splitting his earnings between Silver and his wife.

Bones and Booth interrogate McCord’s wife. She had been poisoning him slowly with Arsenic, but someone murdered him before he could die from both that and cancer.

He was struck with a bank bag full of quarters. Evidence leads back to Procter. The team discovers that he, in fact, did not buy the movie ticket; he dug the stub out of the trash to form an alibi. He struck McCord on the head because he was not included in the video’s profits, though he admits it was an accident.

The FBI gets rid of VAL, which pleases Sweets, but Dr. Wells gets attached, as it is the only “person” he’s been able to connect with.

Next week on Bones Bones and Booth finally get married!

You can watch Bones Mondays at 8pm on FOX.

Photo is courtesy of FOX.