by Kimberley Veart
After last week’s shocking twist, it’s time to say goodbye to Sweets. As promised by Bones producer Stephen Nathan, the death is handled respectfully and Sweets is still very much a part of this episode as the Jeffersonian team, together with a bitter Booth and the new Agent Aubrey, work desperately to solve the conspiracy and find who murdered Sweets.
It is a little disturbing that the team examine his remains, especially when Daisy (yes, she decides to come in and help too) refers to him as ‘Lance’ as she communicates her findings. Yet, it does make for some sweet and heart-breaking viewing as well. The Jeffersonian’s own power couple, Angela and Hodgins work together to decipher the notes Sweets had with him, which leads to the realisation that he wanted to name his child Seeley, after Booth. Brennan and Daisy analyse his bones together, not just for cause of death, but in a way that reveals the way he lived his life. Daisy tells Brennan that she’s “the only one who can see him the way I do” so in a way they can have “one last conversation.”
Back to the conspiracy, and the team have traced it back to J. Edgar Hoover and his files, even finding an old wire with voice recordings of JFK. They figure out that the files were not destroyed, but left to his aide Wilson, who just happens to be the stepfather of Durant, the doctor who had claimed to be a victim of blackmail last week. Aubrey (played by John Boyd) is still assisting Booth, and he’s turning out to be a great, quirky character, providing some much needed light relief in the episode.
Finally, they gain enough evidence to arrest Durant, after Booth punches him for his DNA which they find to be a match with some (rather unbelievably) found in the bone marrow of victim Cooper. They have a little help from Sweets too, as Brennan and Booth try and analyse the situation from a psychological point of view. It is a great little scene and a nod to the impact of Sweets and the growth of these characters. This leads them to the files, which were stunningly enough in the Jeffersonian the whole time, at the Hoover exhibit.
Now that it’s over, the team say goodbye to Sweets, who they recognise as one of the family. Brennan gives a speech that somehow makes maths and equations sentimental and also illustrates how Brennan has evolved over the series. Emily Deschanel really owns this episode again, managing to convey emotion with restraint and in her character’s own unique way.
The episode wraps up both the conspiracy storyline, and lays Sweets to rest, which is a lot to cover, but it is handled well and with more light and shade than last week’s brilliant but bleak show. Still, be prepared to shed a tear or two!
Review Score: FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Bones screens on Channel 7 in Australia.
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