Bones - The Price for the Past - Review

Finally, a story arc for season 12!

A lot of the episodes so far have been standalone stories, with just a dash or two of over-arching plot; there's whiffs of an upcoming trial for Zack, and Brennan's father is hiding some secret involving what looked like a medical ID bracelet.

But "The Price for the Past" opened up some storylines that we are bound to see more of in the weeks to come, and it's about darn time.

PLOT

This week, Brennan and Booth were personally connected to the victim in question: Aldo Clemens, a former war buddy of Booth's and the officiant at Booth and Brennan's wedding. He was a former chaplain who poured himself into helping the men in his unit, but eventually fell on hard times. Over the course of the episode, we learn that he pushed away the ones he loved with a terrible heroin habit and increasingly erratic behavior in attempt to get a fix. The show cast suspicion on Aldo's former boss, his drug dealer, and other members of his military unit.

In the final moments of the episode, though, it's revealed that Aldo's gruesome death (seriously, I don't even want to describe it) was the result of vicious torture and a final, defiant act of suicide. Booth is sure that Aldo was sacrificing his own life to protect him from the son of a Bosnian warlord who Booth killed in his sniper days. Booth is sure that this man won't stop until he gets to him.

So that's one story that will hopefully develop over the next few episodes. The other major plot development involved Aubrey's dad resurfacing after years of being on the lam for financial crimes. Aubrey was the one who originally turned him in, and seemed very confident that he'd do it again if his father made contact, but perhaps his guilt could end up getting the better of him?

Jessica Warren, intern at the Jeffersonian and Aubrey's girlfriend, certainly seemed worried about the relationship dynamics. She even sought Brennan's advice - as Brennan's father abandoned her at the age of 14, committed homicides to keep her and her brother safe, and was generally close to criminal activity when he re-entered her life in the earlier seasons of the show. Brennan admitted that she never expected to cultivate a healthy relationship with him, but over time realized that "his actions...were necessitated by events." At least if Aubrey ends up meeting his father, he's got a good friend to turn to for advice and understanding.

DISCUSSION

There wasn't much room for levity in the plot this week. No wacky experiments, no goofy closing scene. Not even Miss Caroline could lighten the mood. Which kind of Bones episodes do you guys prefer? Can you think of any other episodes with this heavier, more dramatic tone?

And what else caught your eye this week? I'm shockingly short on discussion points this week. Comment below!