The Part In The Sum Of The Whole - Season 5, Episode 16
In BONES' 100th episode, Brennan and Booth recount the first case they worked on together for Sweets' nearly-finished book: A young and rebellious Booth seeks the help of a team of anthropological scientists and a street artist; although in unfamiliar territory, Dr. Brennan, her grad student Zack, and Hodgins get right to work, impressing Booth with their knack for uncovering new leads, and substantiating his theory about a well-connected district judge.
After reading the manuscript for Sweets' book, Brennan and Booth inform him that their first case together was not the murder of Cleo Eller. Sweets begins to panic. They have to tell him about their first case so he can determine if his theories hold up. A year before the Cleo case, Booth and Brennan worked the murder of Gemma Arrington. She was last seen in DC, but her body was found in a New York landfill...
Booth, who had a gambling problem, is pulled away from a game of pool by a phone call from the FBI. Jocelyn Arrington, a New York coroner, is releasing her daughter's remains for burial. Jocelyn can't accept that the case has gone cold. She begs Booth to find Gemma's murderer. Booth meets with Cam, at that time also a coroner in New York. Cam suggests that Booth ask for the help of Temperance Brennan, a forensic anthropologist who solved a 4000-year-old murder. Booth drops in on her lecture at American University, and inquires as to whether or not removing the flesh destroys evidence. Brennan says that all the important indicators are in the bones.
The FBI hires the Jeffersonian team, led by Brennan, to identify the victim. Zack reviews important details: the victim is a female who has never given birth; eruption of the third molar signifies adolescence; she received a blow to the forehead that may have caused unconsciousness, but not death. Hodgins stumbles onto the platform. His interest is piqued when he learns they are identifying a victim from this century. He grabs the clothing to search for particulates. Zack notices symmetrical trauma to the right and left temporals.
Brennan approaches Angela Montenegro in Urban Square, where she is drawing caricatures for $10. She has a proposition for her friend. Brennan produces a skull, and asks Angela to draw an accurate likeness. Angela is grossed out, but decides to help because Brennan will pay (and she is saving to return to Paris). At the FBI, Cam drops off evidence: transcripts, interviews, phone logs, etc. Booth thanks her, but Cam replies that nobody wants this case. On her way out, Cam bumps into Brennan. She apologizes, and reminds Brennan that they met at a conference on decapitation. Brennan simply walks away. Later, Brennan tells Booth her findings: the victim was a 16-year-old African-American. Her body was in a landfill for roughly one year, but she died between three and four years ago. Her ribcage indicates she was a swimmer or a singer. She even presents a preliminary sketch of the victim. Booth is quite impressed. Booth shows Brennan a tape of the victim: Gemma Arrington, a talented singer. Booth admits he withheld her identity to test the Squints. Booth is convinced that Gemma's murderer is Federal Judge Myles Hasty. He needs Brennan to get enough proof to arrest the bastard. Brennan only agrees to help find the truth.
Brennan tells Sweets it was Hodgins who determined that the remains were in a landfill for a year. Previously she had only had limited interaction with him, and believed him to be an unpleasant authority on ancient spores and insects. Zack places bones in a boiler as Hodgins flaunts his discovery: a sliver of maple wood on the victim's clothing. Zack calls the find meaningless, and Hodgins gets angry. Brennan believes Hodgins has an anger management problem. Hodgins says he's in a program. He snaps his rubber band when he gets angry. Brennan realizes that Gemma's boyfriend was in town the day she disappeared. He was trying out for a minor-league baseball team. Bats are made of maple. Brennan instructs Hodgins and Zack to design an experiment to see if a bat would splinter. They are not keen on the idea of working together. Meanwhile, to assuage Brennan's concerns, Booth questions Gemma's boyfriend Tucker Henry, who describes how he fell apart after Gemma's death. Not only does Tucker have an alibi, but anthropologically speaking, he considers himself the protector of his mate. Brennan is satisfied that Tucker is innocent. Back at the lab, Hodgins prepares to hit Zack with a bat. Zack is outfitted with protective gear, but is still apprehensive. Hodgins swings and hits Zack, but there are no slivers left behind. Brennan arrives and takes her turn, striking Zack in the soft tissue with a mighty blow that knocks Zack to the ground. They would have noticed if the bat had struck bone. Still, there are no slivers, so Brennan stops the experiment. Later, Zack finds that the victim's inner-ear bones are missing. They may have been extracted during the assault. They examine the skeleton under a UV light source, and find repeated bone bruising all the way down the body.
Booth and Brennan go to the opera house, where Gemma sang with her choir at 6:30PM the day she disappeared. Judge Myles Hasty was in attendance. A reception began at 9PM, and Gemma disappeared shortly after. Brennan says they need to find the source of the bone bruising. It occurred shortly before her death, and spans from forehead to mid femur. They begin to search for a bookcase or a ladder, something made of maple. During the search Brennan sees Booth's shiny shoes. She notes that while military organizations tend to constrain individuality, free thinkers find ways to declare their distinctiveness. She wonders if Booth is dating. Booth admits he is, but it's casual. In fact, if it weren't against regulations, he would ask Brennan out. They find a maple staircase. The bruises could have been caused when the victim fell down the stairs. The proximity to the exit means the killer could have loaded the body into a car without being seen.
At the FBI, Caroline Julian isn't impressed by Angela's flipbook reconstruction of Gemma being pursued by Judge Hasty. He tackles Gemma, grabbing her ankles so she falls down the stairs. Caroline says they don't have enough for a warrant. Booth and Brennan return to the opera house and confront Judge Hasty with their evidence, but he isn't rattled. He calls Brennan ridiculous, and says she's making Booth look like a fool. Brennan punches Judge Hasty... twice. "You are HOT," Booth marvels. Caroline, however, is not happy. Brennan assaulted a federal judge, so Caroline orders Booth to fire her.
Zack finds that the damage to the skull was caused by 250 pounds of force. Angela finds that the victim's head was slammed with something that has a protuberance. Brennan hypothesizes a car trunk with a catch and a latch. Zack determines that would generate 260 pounds of force. It fits. Brennan rushes to meet Booth. The two drink shots at the pool hall. She tells him that they have to search Judge Hasty's cars. Booth turns talk from the case by showing her his new rebellious tie. It has a scantily clad woman on one side. After another shot, Booth tells Brennan she is fired. Brennan is upset, but then suggests they have sex. Booth hails a cab, and confesses to Brennan that he has a gambling problem. He thinks this thing with her might be going somewhere. They kiss, but Brennan gets into the cab alone, believing they are too drunk to spend the night together.
The next morning, Brennan has a hangover. Hodgins found particulates on the bones: steel and lubricating oil. They matched them to a '57 Bel Air, a vehicle Hasty owns. Brennan informs the group they've been fired. She instructs Zack to take everything to the FBI so they can get back to their normal jobs. Angela laments that she won't make it to Paris, but Brennan assures her she can stay on at the Jeffersonian reconstructing ancient remains. Zack brings the evidence to the FBI, saying that Booth was stupid to fire them: they found proof that Judge Myles Hasty killed Gemma Arrington. Cam arrives moments later, and Booth gives her the files to interpret. Cam confirms it: They’ve got the Judge. Cam and Booth bring the evidence to Caroline Julian: Gemma's head was smashed in by the locking mechanism of a '57 Bel Air. Caroline hopes they are right; otherwise, her career is dead. She'll have a warrant for them in an hour.
At the Jeffersonian, Booth finds Brennan, and gives her the good news: she is rehired. Brennan is no longer interested. She has moved on to another project. Booth insists that she join him for the search of the cars. Brennan reluctantly acquiesces. As the cars are searched, Brennan admits she is annoyed with Booth. He got her drunk to fire her and have sex with her. Booth defends himself. He got drunk to make it easier to fire her, and she turned him down for sex. Brennan has no regrets about that. An FBI Tech informs them that the car has been cleaned. They found nothing. Brennan takes it upon herself to look at the locking mechanism. She wants it removed. She insults Booth and the FBI Tech, who finally locates something. Brennan confirms that it's an inner-ear bone. Booth arrests Judge Myles Hasty.
Back in the present, Sweets takes deep breaths as Booth hands him a glass of water. He feels that the partners missed their moment, and he is paying the price. Even so, the story must continue…
Booth interrogates Judge Myles Hasty, who is crumbling. Gemma was in his car, and a valet saw him drive into the alley. Booth just isn't sure why. Brennan notices the way Hasty touches his nose. He had his septum replaced. Gemma must have seen him snorting something. She ran, and the Judge tackled her. He thought he killed her, but she regained consciousness while he loaded her into his car, so he panicked and slammed the trunk closed… accidentally killing her. He had planned to simply keep her quiet long enough to offer her a bribe. He didn't mean to kill her. Judge Hasty will be eligible for parole in ten years.
Though they solved the case, Brennan and Booth begin to argue in front of Jocelyn Arrington. Booth escorts Brennan out of the room, and she slaps him, calling him a bully. Booth believes Brennan makes everyone around her feel stupid. She hates Booth. He scoffs, saying he isn't her father. Brennan storms out, saying she'll never work with Booth again.
Sweets is beside himself. He will have to start his book from scratch. He says that they're obviously in love, and points out that neither of them has had a serious long-term relationship since meeting each other. They've put their lives on hold for each other. Booth is the gambler. For once, he should make that work for him. He should take a chance. Outside, Booth confesses that he wants a relationship with Brennan... and he kisses her. She responds, but then pushes him away, beginning to cry. She doesn't have an open heart like Booth does. Ultimately Booth will get hurt because Brennan can't change. Booth is heartbroken, but Brennan still wants to work with him. Booth agrees, but says he has to move on. He has to find someone that will love him. Brennan says she understands. They walk away arm in arm.
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