Bones | 1x10
Added 2025-07-08 01:00:05 +0000 UTCno spoilers in comments pls :)
Comments
It's not my favorite episode of the season -- I'll talk about those as we get to them, lol -- but this one is still one that gives plenty of food for thought. The girl who had so much plastic surgery that Brennan had trouble identifying her.... definitely a fascinating premise and a good question to bring up on a show like this, given Brennan's expertise in identifying bodies, and for L.A. where they make it seem like all the "beautiful people" want to keep looking young forever. And this is the line that says it all: "It's as if she completely removed her own identity." That's the core issue of this episode. It does bring up a serious question. If anything were to happen to you, and you'd had all that plastic surgery, how would they find you or be able to identify you? If your body parts are fake (and don't have serial numbers on them like the implants) and your face is altered... it's a little disturbing, I guess. I never thought about such a thing, that it would erase who you are underneath, until I saw this episode. Plus, it's such a slippery slope. You change one thing, and the rest may become off balanced, so you change another thing, and then something else is out of balance... and thus the cycle continues... you're never happy with how you look and you keep messing with it in forever attempts to "fix" it. Like with poor Susan / Rachel in this episode. She was never happy with how she looked. At some point, it's more about how she feels about herself psychologically and less about wanting to tweak something here and there. What's especially sad is that if they hadn't found a newspaper article about a missing girl that fit her backstory, this girl might not have ever been truly identified. She could have had family who desperately cared to know where their daughter or sister ran away to... but because she's altered herself too much, it's difficult for the examiners to know who or what her real identity is. That's really sad, and kind of terrifying. This whole conversation between Booth and Brennan about image is really interesting and shows the heart of the episode: BOOTH: Yeah, by now I usually have a feel for the person. What they wanted. How they felt. What was going on in their lives. With this girl... nothing. BRENNAN: She thought she was ugly. She did everything she could to make herself beautiful and all she did was make herself more invisible. BOOTH: Everybody in this city thinks they're ugly, huh, and nobody is. I'm starting to get why you hate anonymous death so much. BRENNAN: We were born unique. Our experiences mold and change us. We become someone, all of us, and to have that taken away by murder, to be erased from existence against our will, it's just... BOOTH: Evil? BRENNAN: Unacceptable. These bones you bring me, I give them a face. I say their names out loud. I return them to their loved ones and you arrest the bad guy. I like that. BOOTH: So do I. It's all about one of the foundations of what Brennan does, and what makes their partnership so unique and strong. That's why I like this episode. Again, not my favorite, but good questions stirred up. Good story, in that it shows how Brennan and Booth can't do their jobs the way they usually can, because what that girl did to herself complicated everything. And I imagine most people don't think about what altering their bodies in this way might mean. I never would have thought of such a thing if I hadn't seen this show. Moving on to the sub-plot of the episode... Dr. Goodman and one very stubborn Jack Hodgins. :D Hodgins and Goodman butting heads is always entertaining and funny, but underneath it all, I think there's a lot of respect there and Hodgins is just trying to challenge Goodman to think outside the box. Hodgins does push very hard (too hard) and at times he's too stubborn and needs to compromise and think outside his own parameters as well, but the thing I like best about their argument is that they both have good points. Hodgins is right -- they should try to remain as logical and clear about the facts and the research as possible. Their work needs to be uncluttered and (in a way) "unsentimental." As he says so hilariously, "Science is no country for storytellers, baby." (On a side note, I think this shows why Hodgins and Brennan work well together. He may have a different personality than she does, but they both share a love of science and a respect for doing the research in the same rational way.) Meanwhile, Dr. Goodman is also right. There are so many factors involved, questions that need to be considered, a picture needs to be formed to better understand (especially as an archeologist) where this person may have come from and why. And most importantly, the skeleton was laid to rest respectfully by his loved ones; to destroy his body in the process of examining it is disrespectful. Plus, what good is a discovery like this (one with helpful information for modern society) if the body or artifact is destroyed in the process of authenticating it? I love their final compromise: "You could be totally rational and say you were waiting for imaging technology to improve to the point where it wasn’t necessary to disassemble him." Not only is the exchange funny... HODGINS: Are you willing to admit you bailed on the authentication? GOODMAN: Yes. HODGINS: (stunned) Seriously? ... but the scene also shows how they're both right. And I love that. It's written really nicely. I like when the writers present good arguments for both characters involved. Plus, by now we know that Hodgins is secretly very very rich and kind of in charge of the Jeffersonian because of the company owned by his family, so he can afford to mouth off and dare someone to fire him. Not nice of him to challenge Goodman in the way he does, also not surprising, given his (in a way) "free pass" to do so. Naughty Hodgins. ;) And -- as someone with a bit of a crush on TJ Thyne, who plays Hodgins, lol -- I'd like to add that I think TJ does an amazing job of showing the warring emotions that Hodgins goes through. Not just the defiance and frustration and anger, but also the softened moments when he's considering Goodman more thoroughly and openly. Side note: I like that Angela's able to call out Brennan when she's being testy. Signs of a good, strong friendship. The entertaining visual of Brennan stabbing things, to test various potential murder weapons, is also pretty cool. I like when she does this, showing the kind of work that goes into finding the evidence to catch and prosecute a killer. I like when they do it in the lab too, though there it's usually Hodgins doing it to poor Zack. "That all you got, burly boy?" ;) Last but not least, Booth doesn't like the L.A. FBI agent who's helping with the case. With good reason, because she doesn't take their profession seriously. Brennan has a great monologue about the victim and about image and identity, but this episode also shows Booth's passion for his work: "This is a proud and noble job but you're using it to get to something else. My advice? Write your script, get an agent, hell, have a little plastic surgery, but quit using my Federal Bureau of Investigation as a stepping stool into something that you think is better. Because in my book, there is nothing better. " Although... Booth, you know she's going to use your speech in her screenplay. It's too good to waste. ;) Overall, it's a solid episode with a very interesting way to make a point about the Hollywood scene and body image issues. They did it in a really thoughtful, thought-provoking way.
Sherry Sink
2025-08-07 04:26:38 +0000 UTCYes, surgery is someone's choice but cosmetic surgeons take an oath to do no harm. Totally unethical to do repeat cosmetic surgeries on someone with body dysmorphia. She needed psychiatric help, not another surgery. This episode felt a bit slow and they relied too much on random crowd/party/beautiful people shots IMO.
JennaB
2025-07-10 06:21:23 +0000 UTC
