Bones - The Mutilation of the Master Manipulator - Review

In the penultimate episode leading up to the mid-season finale (and the landmark 200th episode), we're treated to an interesting whodunit and a blossoming romance. Not bad for a penultimate episode, which could easily be forgotten in a couple of days.

I don't think this episode is particularly epic, by any means, but it's solid, both in its mystery-of-the-week and its internal drama. It's definitely one of the strongest episodes this season, anyway.

Here's a recap of the plot:

I'd like to start with the internal story arc this week, so here goes: Wendall is still in remission, and facing the final day of his clinical trial. His out-patient survey with an attractive nurse named Andie results in a lunch date, which results in a midday romp - bow chicka bow-wow! As they're walking back to their respective jobs and discussing where the relationship is headed, though, Wendall seems to wall up.

He broods in front of a few colleagues, who can see he's struggling with something, but Andie finally shows up at the lab and forces an explanation out of him: he doesn't want to get close to her, only to die of cancer sometime in the future and cause her pain. As a nurse, though, Andie has a pretty healthy outlook on death, and manages to quell his fears by the end of the episode. So that's pretty cute.

Now to the murder of the week: the Jeffersonian Team is working with bits and pieces of a victim named Randall Fairbanks, a professor on sabbatical who's known for his work on particularly grueling experiments in "blind obedience." In the experiment, participants are placed in a room and told that a person in another room is answering questions, and each time they answer a question incorrectly, the participant is to administer an electrical shock - which increases in strength with each incorrect answer. The strength goes all the way up to a lethal level. No one is actually shocked in these studies; participants are listening to pre-recorded tapes. The experiment is designed to test how humans react to authority, even in the face of causing others distress.

This type of experiment is based on a real set of studies that raised ethical flags in the 1960s for traumatizing its participants; many felt pressured to deliver the shocks, and were wracked with guilt, remorse, distress, and many other disquieting emotions as a result of the experiment's circumstances.

So naturally, the victim has plenty of enemies; he's scarred the psyches of dozens - perhaps hundreds - of undergraduate and graduate students by administering these experiments over the years. One of the primary suspects, Alex Heck, was an average college kid until the experiments revealed the "monster" inside himself; after taking part, he grew agitated and vengeful toward Fairbanks.

In addition, Fairbanks formed romantic relationships with both current and former graduate students: Tabitha, the current girlfriend, is seen at Fairbanks's home mere hours before his death, and Victoria, an ex of his, created a yard sculpture that ultimately became the murder weapon.

However, the murderer turns out to be a bird-lover living next door to Professor Fairbanks; it's discovered near the end of the episode that she was poisoning Fairbanks's cat to save an endangered bird species. Fairbanks caught her in the act, a fight ensued, and the neighbor cut up and disposed of his body. No master manipulation at work here...just a woman taking her hobby way too seriously.

Here's what I loved this week:

Something this show tends to nail is romantic chemistry, whether it's with main characters or single-episode ones. Wendall's new love interest, Andie, may have come on a tad strong, but their date in the park elicited a pleasant "aww" moment for me, and his insecurities about getting involved with her rang very true to character. Her fearless attitude toward those insecurities made me really happy; I like the idea of Wendall ending up with someone who understands what he went through, and knows the challenges he'll continue to face as he fights to stay cancer-free. Here's hoping Andie and Wendall will be another couple we get to watch grow over time!

The episode also did a great job at misdirecting our suspicion this week. Because the title included "Master Manipulator," I thought for sure that the murderer would be someone who was affected by the Professor's manipulative experiments. In the end, however, it was the impassioned act of a bird lover who lived next door.

And finally, I felt like Aubrey earned some good will this week! Both Brennan and Hodgins praised his chemistry knowledge, and he finally got what he's been wanting from Booth - a little more trust. Good for him. I've spent a fair bit of time discussing Aubrey's awkward placement in the cast, but this week he felt more like part of the team than he has before; like a swollen thumb that's finally returning to normal size.

Here's a few more things I observed (and would love to hear your thoughts regarding):

This week's episode opened on a scene we usually see after the opening credits: discussing the facts of the case in the lab, with fresh remains in front of the team. There was no "body discovery" scene, no "couple (usually B&B) getting ready" scene; instead, we are thrown into the thick of things. I found this a bit jarring, and it took me a moment to actually absorb the details being presented. Does this trouble you, Boneheads? Or are you ok with a few details slipping through the cracks? Do you rewind that moment to make sure you've caught everything, or just let the episode keep playing?

Booth was stuck answering traffic school questions this week, and at one point, Brennan has the wrong answer about a traffic sign. Brennan isn't wrong very often, and tends to be a little belligerent when her intellect is questioned, but she conceded pretty easily on the point. I think it's one of those little ways in which Booth has made her a softer individual, but the argument could also be made that she behaved out of character. What say you, internet land? Is she behaving true to character?

And finally, WHO IS READY FOR THE 200TH EPISODE? Are we hoping for another alternate-reality episode like "The End in the Beginning"? A prequel-type situation? Tell me all your hopes and dreams!

About the Author - entropyki

Ki (aka entropyki) is a UX Researcher, roller derby enthusiast, Star Wars nerd, and road tripper. When she's not at a computer, she's driving, singing, watching TV, and generally being a badass, plus-sized twentysomething.

Favorite shows include Supernatural, Bones, Party Down, Futurama, Orange is the New Black, and the Big Bang Theory.