The Verdict in the Story-REVIEWS by willgirl posted 05/05/2008

Posted 05/05/2008 00:27:05 AM
by willgirl

Reviews will be posted here!

Posted 06/05/2008 02:00:49 AM
by marymageli

So far so good. A very positive review I am bringing here from TVSquad.

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"Friends don't let friends' fathers go to the electric chair." -- Angela, on why she wouldn't testify against Bones' dad.

Doubt. A word that many of us use in some context at least once a day. We don't doubt it, we doubt it happened or, used in a positive manner, we prove that there isn't any doubt about it. In the legal world the word has a much more powerful connotation. Because, should a shred of doubt exist during a criminal trial, there is always that slim chance that the judge or jury will see past the crime of the defendant and rule in the opposite manner.

Sometimes, the physical evidence that the prosecution provides is the reason for doubt. Other times, it is the testimony of the witnesses that causes the judge or jury to think. Then, there are those times where doubt is seeded by the team of lawyers who are trying to get their client off.

Finally, there are those very rare occasions where the doubt is provided by the client's daughter. Guess which type of doubt was used in this week's episode of Bones?

What an interesting development in the case of Max Keenan. We all knew that he was the one who murder the Deputy FBI director -- heck, even the evidence (once the actual murder weapon was found) showed that Max was the killer. And, it seemed almost a certainty that he was going to find a spot on Death Row. Yet, Bones came through with a ploy that cast the smallest bit of doubt onto her father. It was enough for the jury to render a 'Not Guilty' verdict that set Max free.

The ploy was interesting: get the jury to believe that Bones could have potentially been the one performed the murder, disemboweled the corpse and lit it on fire. Look, we know Temperance, Booth knows Bones, and the Squints know Dr. Brennan. While she can be cold and analytical she is definitely not a Dexter. Yet, the jury didn't know that. And, with that tiny seed of doubt planted in their minds, the absolute guilt of Max Keenan wasn't as absolute any more.

She could probably thank Booth for giving her the idea in the first place. He was the one who told her that Max's story could be embellished (without perjuring herself) to the point where reasonable doubt could be established. Granted, he told Bones to shutdown her brain and use her heart as the motivator; however, this is Bones we're talking about. When has Temperance ever been able to totally shutdown her brain? If she did that for her father the results may not have been as positive.

This surprise (to some) ending was one of many strange and wonderful things that took place in this change-of-pace episode of Bones. It was almost a certainty that the weekly mystery element was going to be pushed aside for this pretty important event in Bones' life. No issues here, since Bones is one of those shows that can have an one-off episode without throwing the whole rhythm. It was actually refreshing to get away from some of the blood and gore that are common for this show.

Also interesting was the dynamic that this week's installment provided. Instead of Bones working together with Booth, her fellow Squints, and Sweets, she was working against them as they were all witnesses for the prosecution. Not willing witnesses, mind you, but expert witnesses nonetheless. The most unwilling of witnesses was Angela, who decided outright not to testify against Max. A decision that landed her in jail for the rest of the episode.

The best thing about this episode is that it featured the entire immediate and secondary members of the Bones family. In addition to the Squints, who had a different look to them outside of the lab, there was Max, Tempy's brother Russ, Caroline Julian in all of her grumpy glory, and even Ernie Hudson, reprising his role as David Barron.

Even Sweets had a bigger role than normal this week, and really exhibited some of his more immature tendencies by answering a number of questions with 'Totally.' It looks like Sweets will have a bigger role next season as he becomes a backup interrogator for Booth and Bones. Sweets is a good fit into the Bones cast and works well with Boot and Brennan. Plus, they like him.

Next time -- A veiled advertisement for American Idol wrapped around a murder mystery.

--Last edited by marymageli on 2008-05-06 02:11:24 --

Posted 06/05/2008 02:05:48 AM
by marymageli

...and another recap by TVGuide.

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Episode Recap: "The Verdict in the Story"

Sometimes you think you know a show, and then it goes and throws you for a loop. I always thought that if ever I had a reason to type those words about this show, they'd be about the science blowing my mind, and not the humanity of it all. I mean, we all like it when episodes delve a little further into the spark that keeps Brennan going, right? With this episode, I realized that spark was not quite where I thought it was hidden in her. And maybe that makes her even better for it.

We all knew it was coming: Brennan's father's (Ryan O'Neal) trial for the murder of deputy FBI director Kirby. It sure took the series long enough (as it happened way back in the middle of Season 2) to get back to this storyline and create a little closure, but I suppose it's closer to reality this way. Though the man claims he was innocent, he is actually innocent only in his own terms -- defending himself and his family against a really evil man. For all intents and purposes, Max is indeed guilty of killing Kirby and everyone knows it, including his children. Not very good for your own defense.

It also didn't help that the smartest minds at the Jeffersonian, sans Brennan and Angela, were all working against him, testifying for the prosecution at his trial. It takes some guts to do what Angela did, choosing a) to be in contempt of court, b) not help send her best friend's father to death row rather than follow the law that she believed was wrong. What an activist she is, pleading the 1st Amendment. I loved it. I want her to be my BFF. "Like, totally," as Sweets would say.

The prosecution's case weighed heavily on connecting the murder weapon and the debris found at the monastery, apartment and rooftop to Max Brennan. With a little help from good old Jeffersonian forensic temp Clark (Eugene Byrd)(see how much he came in handy!), it was found that the murder weapon was actually a misericord that Brennan owned. Unfortunately, the murder weapon swap did nothing to improve Max's case.

The one that did help though, was Bones' concoction of a possibility that since both she and Booth also tracked the same debris to the same areas and had access to the murder weapon, any of them could be guilty. The jury couldn't prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Max had done it, and he was set free.

I like it when episodes point out how odd a character Bones is. Seeing her every week and being charmed by her, I feel like we've come to understand her foibles and her unshakable logic, and by so doing, forget that real people can't survive very well that way. It must be a hard thing to reconcile that you've become the person you always strove to be, only to see that you gave up on your humanity along the way. This whole episode was about Bones' friends (including Dr. Sweets Geeks) trying to get her to understand that, and I think a part of her really did.

From the beginning when we saw Bones laughing uncontrollably over Booth's not understanding the mechanism of decomposition, it was clear what kind of person we were dealing with. For her, things are black and white. For her, there is always an empirical solution. And for her, it must be ironic to sit back and feel for your incarcerated father when all the empirical evidence you lean on says he's a murderer.

It's funny, too, how I so wanted Max to go free despite knowing the truth. And that I wanted the Jeffersonian team to fail. Fail! Any other case and I would never want that for those folks. And yet in this situation, I wanted them to get it wrong because I do have a heart. Funny how even television can create these gray ethical areas. In the end, it was Bones' logic, fueled by her emotions, that helped free her father.

It's also easy to forget that Max was on the run from the law before Kirby was killed, and he chose to turn himself in so that he could finally be near his only daughter and make up for what his life on crime on the lam had done to their relationship. She loved that he had loved her enough to sacrifice himself in such a way, but can you imagine what devastation she might have actually felt if her father was successfully prosecuted, possibly executed, all because he chose time with her over his own freedom? I don't think there's much science that can make that wound heal.

I'm still trying to figure out what the hog-tied-looking skeleton in the beginning of the episode had to do with anything. Perhaps it'll be relevant to next week's case? I had also been wondering whether Dr. Sweets' involvement in cases was going to get old, and now I see the clever plan behind it all — Sweets is sticking around on the grounds that he's researching B&B for a project and in return they get him to do psych profiles on their killers. Brilliant, guys. Now just find a way to keep Clark around full-time and we're probably set with ensemble castmates for life.

Quotes of particular awesomeness

• "I did not know she could laugh." — prosecutor Caroline Julian on Bones
• "You are not fine." — Dr. Sweets
• "Ugly up a little. The plain women on the jury will hate you." — Caroline to Angela
• Angela: "The first amendment protects freedom of association, right? Which means that it protects friendship. So I’m taking the first, which is even better than taking the fifth." Judge: "There is no friendship in a homicide trial." Angela: "Sweetie, this is one of those times when I know I’m right and everyone else is confused."
• "A country full of unscrupulous lawyers and you find the one guy with scruples?" — Max to Bones and Russ
• "Friends don’t send friends’ fathers to the electric chair." — Angela
• "That’s a lot of heart, Bones." — Booth

--Last edited by marymageli on 2008-05-06 02:12:05 --

Posted 06/05/2008 06:31:39 AM
by flyersfan35

Ah, mary, that's great! It seems like almost everyone is really loving this episode, myself included!

Posted 06/05/2008 09:17:05 AM
by magicstar

almost everyone...who isn't ? lol

Posted 06/05/2008 09:38:36 AM
by marymageli

Another positive one coming from Zap2it.

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The State of Maryland vs. 'Bones'

By Sarah Jersild

May 05, 07:04 PM

We're presented with an intriguing mystery on Bones, but we're not going to find out what happened. Instead, Brennan watches her team try to convict her dad of a murder she's pretty darn sure he committed. Sounds heavy, right? Actually, it was a hell of a lot of fun, with a tear-jerker ending.

I swear to tell the spoiler, the whole spoiler and nothing but the spoiler.

Prosecutor Caroline Julian interrupts our regularly scheduled murder investigation with the news that Brennan's dad is ready to go on trial for the murder of FBI Deputy Director Kirby -- no more talking! Yeah, right... Brennan gets here dad a (dryly funny) substitute forensic anthropologist, because everyone she knows will be testifying for the prosecution. Awkward!

Except Brennan doesn't feel that way. Hey, it's just a murder trial, you're just doing your job, what's the big deal? Angela announces she won't be testifying, no way, no how, and Hodgins asks Brennan's permission to take the stand, but everyone else proceeds like this is a standard case.

And the case does look pretty airtight: The murder weapon found on the scene matches Max's M.O., Sweets' psychological profile shows that Max is just the sort of personality who would commit such a murder without remorse, and oh yeah, both Brennan and Russ are pretty sure Max did it. The defense lawyer won't even put Max on the stand, because Brennan and Russ can't keep a straight face when Max says he's innocent.

Then there's a break -- Clark, the defense's bone guy, figures out that the weapon found at the scene, the weapon so closely associated with Max, wasn't actually the weapon used to kill Kirby. Aha! Unfortunately, Booth and Zack soon find the real weapon -- a copper ceremonial dagger in Brennan's apartment, which Max easily could have used and returned. Oh well...

The only thing left to do is give the jury an alternate story they can buy -- and Brennan basically offers herself up as an alternate suspect. She was at all of the places the trace evidence came from, she owned the weapon, she could have been trying to protect her brother... Booth protests that the woman he knows could never commit the crime, but has to admit that she did have the opportunity. Max is acquitted.

Booth and Brennan
This episode was all about the bond and grace notes in the Booth/Brennan relationship. Booth knew he had to do his job -- he knew that Brennan wouldn't take it if he didn't -- but he made sure throughout the process that Brennan was getting the support that she needed. Even when he was searching her apartment for the weapon that killed Kirby, he was able to talk Brennan through the war going on between brain and heart. He's funny and sweet and goofy, and just what Brennan needs: "Sometimes I think you're from another planet," she says. "And sometimes I think you're very nice."

Brennan turns to Booth when she's coming up with her hail-Mary plan -- yes, she knows she's not supposed to talk to him about the case, but he's the one she bounces things off. He's the other half of her. She can't let her heart take the lead without Booth to bolster her.

The shot at the end, when Booth leaves the trial before the verdict is read to be with Brennan outside, says it all. They respect each other, but what's more, they complete each other and would do anything for each other. Even if this never turns into a romantic relationship, Booth and Brennan are one of the most real and organic pairings on TV today.

Highlights, thoughts and odds and ends

* Caroline, when she finds Brennan cracking up at the crime scene: "I did not know she could laugh." Then she tells Brennan she's off the case. "For laughing at Booth?" Brennan asks. "That doesn't really bother me," Booth adds.
* Am I the only one a bit peevish that we'll probably never find out what happened to definitely-not-wrapped-in-a-carpet, possibly-from-Cirque-du-Soleil skeleton?
* Max thinks Clark, the forensic anthropologist that Brennan brings in to compete with her team, looks a bit young (evidently he never met Sweets). Clark responds: "I shave, sir. I have a driver's license, I've won a couple of fistfights. I've saved a life, I have lain with a woman, I've been hustled at pool, I've defied my father's wishes, I have broken hearts and I've had my heart broken. So by all the markers of this society, I am a grown man." He says it with such gravity while still sort of making fun of himself. I like him!
* Booth and Brennan have to break up with Sweets, since they're no longer partners and therefore don't need partner therapy. Sweets is devastated. Later, Sweets approaches Booth and Brennan and asks his he can study them for a book he's writing. Booth and Brennan enjoy the moment: "Do you liiiiiiiike us?" Hee! Poor Sweets.
* I love Caroline. Here's her instructions to the team at a pre-trial meeting: "Here's what's not different: [To Booth] Lose the 'Cocky' belt buckle. [To Hodgins] No badges saying 'resist authority' or 'the truth is out there'. [To Zack] Do not cut your own hair the day before a trial. [To Angela] Ugly up a little -- the plain women in the jury hate you. [To Sweets] Use your fully grown-up words. [To Cam] Eat! Last time your stomach was growling louder than your testimony."
* Later at the meeting, Sweets gives his opinion: "Dr. Brennan does seem to have an enviable, if somewhat disturbing, ability to compartmentalize. [To Caroline] Hey, how's that for grown-up vocab, huh?"
* Max tries to reassure Brennan: "In this case, my conscience is clear." "That's not the same thing as being innocent," Brennan replies. Yeah, that's the problem...
* Angela refuses to testify and gets thrown in jail for contempt of court. Brennan asks why Angela did it: "Friends don't send friends fathers to the electric chair," Angela replies. "Maryland uses lethal injection," Brennan points out. "Well, the principle still stands."
* Booth and Brennan keep whispering to each other during the trial, until the judge makes them switch seats. Hee!
* The defense lawyer spins the tale of how Max might not be guilty. Caroline responds: "Objection! It's just rude to accuse me of murder."
* Booth realizes what Bones is doing when he's up on the stand. "That's a lot of heart there, Bones," he whispers. It's almost unbearably sweet.

Posted 06/05/2008 11:37:25 AM
by willgirl

Thanks for the posts Mary! You rock!

Posted 06/05/2008 01:43:12 PM
by willgirl

Here's EW's Popwatch review:

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Okay, let's just get this out of the way: I cried during this episode. I know, I know. We're all aware this show is all about the chemistry between Booth and Brennan (pictured; just see Mandi's post on the subject for a refresher) but it was all dialed up to 11 last night during the trial of Brennan's father, Max Keenan (Ryan O'Neal), for killing the FBI director who was stalking his children. The case, with it's own ups and downs that kept you unsure of whether Max would go free, ended up spotlighting Booth and Brennan's special connection in unique and touching ways. By the time her father was released, it was fitting that Booth was hugging her other man outside while waiting to hear the verdict.

What made the show so much better was that they weren't limited to the really heavy emotions but were able to be playful and light with one another and show how in sync they are, like Booth telling Special Prosecutor Caroline Julian that he didn't mind Brennan laughing herself to tears at his hypothesis for the oddly positioned skeleton in the beginning of the episode, or their teasing of Sweets when he asked to continue meeting with them. (The two of them singing "He really liiiikes us" in unison was genius.)


Brennan had such a difficult time reconciling her emotional desire to see her father go free with her rational belief that what she does is put bad guys away, no matter who they are. "This is very confusing for me," she said. No kidding. Booth had to explain that sometimes, you have to put the brain away and pop the heart into overdrive. Of course he then proceeded to vroom, vroom the rest of his analogy, prompting an even more confused look from Brennan, followed by a loving stare when she said, "Sometimes, I think you're very nice." Those long looks they share are a thing of beauty. From the simple (his look when she said he's the person she talks to "about things like this" while formulating her reasonable doubt scenario) to the intense (again, his look while explaining under oath that Brennan is not capable of murder), they convey so much about their feelings for one another without becoming too heavy-handed. And that hug at the end... No hesitation on her part. And he knew to go looking for her when the verdict was coming in.

I can't always decide if Angela's "insight" is really Brennan as she is or a more emotional, Angela-like version, but the artist's decision not to testify and help send her best friend's father to the electric chair (it's actually lethal injection) made complete sense to me. But I would think there would be some long-term ramification for Angela, and she wouldn't be standing outside of the courthouse with everyone else at the conclusion of the trial. Aw, I've watched way too many Law & Orders. But it was a great callback to have Dr. Clark Edison (Eugene Byrd), who was kicked to the curb when Zack returned from Iraq, be the defense forensic anthropologist. And having him catch Zack, his nemesis, in a mistake was even better. And it goes without saying that it was a treat to see Ernie Hudson as the defense attorney.

O'Neal more than lived up to my hopes for him on the show with his portrayal of a man who did what he thought was right, with no room for remorse. That included his staying to stand trial so as not to further abandon his daughter. When he told her that he'd do it all again just to spend that time with each other, my heart broke for Brennan.

Were the rest of the crew wrong to testify? Do you think that Sweets was way off base to think that Brennan's hyperrationalization meant she could be capable of such a murder? Who do you think is getting shot next week? And does anyone know the title of the song that played at the end of the episode this week?

Posted 06/05/2008 09:13:38 PM
by bertie456

marymageli wrote :
* Later at the meeting, Sweets gives his opinion: "Dr. Brennan does seem to have an enviable, if somewhat disturbing, ability to compartmentalize.

Sweets talks how I write! 'Somewhat' is probably my favourite word ever and I use it way more than is healthy...

(Yes, I know this is off topic but it's 2am and I can't sleep. Damn f*cked up body clock.)

Posted 07/05/2008 03:19:47 AM
by marymageli

I have found another article - this time by TVFan- which is actually talking high of the eppie. Hurray!

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The Father Set Free
By Allimuffin , 05/06/2008


Last night's episode of Bones was awesomely brave. This isn't the first time Bones didn't solve a case, but it is the first time th show focused almost entirely on our character's lives outside the lab. I can't think of another procedural on TV right now that has done that. If they have, and I missed it, I'm sure Bones did it better anyway.

Brennen's father finally got his trial for the murder of the Deputy Director of the FBI which occured in last season's episode "Judas On A Pole". Having seen it recently, I was confused at the idea of making an episode out of his trial because, well, you know...what Brennen kept saying all along was very true.

But Bones deserves our trust because the writers and actors turned out a fantastic and emotional episode. The B&B bonding moments in this episode went from cute (B&B whispering their trial comments in across the courtroom loud enough for the judge to hear and have to separate them), brave (Booth bringing Brennen a cup of coffee so he could secretly talk to her about the trial), to tender (the scene that culminated with Brennen telling Booth, "Sometimes I think you're nice.") And my lord, Booth's testimony against his better half was heart wrenching. David Boreanaz did a phenomenal job of conveying Booth's conflicted emotions.

Conflicted emotions were also rife in the Squint Squad's reaction to testifying against their friend's father. Angela, however, wasn't conflicted and ended up in jail for refusing to testify.

I could go on and on about the 'heart' in this episode because, well, I found myself in tears of happiness as the gang met outside the courtroom and exchanged big hugs over their victory. But this episode had some other great, hankie-free elements too.

A rundown:

--Prosecutor Caroline Julian coaching the Squints and Booth on how to dress for the trial (and Booth's "cocky" belt buckle).

--Zak's adorable testimony outfit and banter with the defense's expert witness (could he become the newest employee at the Jeffersonian?)

--Sweets' (aka "Geeks") hero worship of B&B and the continuation of their therapy sessions. I'm so glad he's back!

Who else loved this episode? Am I the only one that cried? And are you excited for next week's American Idol tie in episode?

A fine review it is! I cannot remember an episode being praised so much! Another hurray for BONES!

--Last edited by marymageli on 2008-05-07 03:21:21 --

Posted 07/05/2008 01:55:04 PM
by starbuck1974

And my lord, Booth's testimony against his better half was heart wrenching

Quoted for truth!

I am totally blown away by all this positive reviews. Thanks for posting them.