Wow, Bones fans, I think my universe has now officially and completely shattered as a result of last night’s season finale, “The Change in the Game.” They really couldn’t have picked a more appropriate title, could they?
But, before I say too much, I must warn and urge those who haven’t seen the episode yet to not read any further and come back when you have watched the episode because there will be major spoilers below.
Alright, now, because I’m about ready to burst with excitement, let’s get this show on the road!
A Deadly Competition
Who knew the world of recreational team bowling could be so cutthroat? Well, this is a lesson Booth and Bones learn the hard way as they go undercover in order to solve the murder of a man found dead and lodged in the automatic pinsetter of a bowling lane.
This man turns out to be Jeff Fowler, an accomplished bowler who plays on the same team as Brennan’s dad: the Thunderballs.
Upon initially inspecting the remains, Brennan discovers that Jeff was killed before he was stuffed in the pinsetter, and back at the Jeffersonian, returning Squintern Wendell Bray discovers that the cause of death was a broken nose.
Or, to be more specific, Jeff was struck with an object in the face, and when the object hit his nose, the fragments from inside his skull literally flew into his brain and killed him. Just lovely, right?
So now the only thing left to do is figure out who did it, and to do this, Booth and Brennan rather hilariously become Buck and Wanda.
Brennan introduces herself as Buck’s fiancee, and Booth gears up to bowl for the Thunderballs in the hopes that Jeff’s former teammates and competitors will let something valuable slip.
Now, while these people certainly are unique and include Amber the “horrible child” and Allison the old lady who keeps hitting on Booth, none of them are the killers.
In fact, the only one guilty of anything would be Amber, the 12-year-old bowling prodigy, who purposely rigged lane 12 so that the pins would reset closer together and it would be easier to bowl strikes and get splits. She really was awful, wasn’t she?
The real killer is actually the shoe guy, and they link him to the murder thanks to the discovery of the murder weapon: a motorcycle helmet with red sparkles which he just so happens to possess and which has traces of blood on it.
As it turns out, Jeff was very superstitious and always rented his lucky pair of shoes, but whenever he did, he never washed his feet, and as a result, the shoe guy lost all of his fingernails. So gross!
What’s more, he lost his girlfriend to the tournament director, and so, in a moment of rage, even though he didn’t set out to kill Jeff, what he meant to only be a tap had fatal consequences.
The Return of Max
Last night we saw Max like we’ve never seen him before: in a wheelchair. Now, “Why was he in a wheelchair?” you might ask.
Well, to put it delicately, he fell out of bed after sleeping with a much younger woman. Classic Max right there.
Of course, I can’t give him too much grief as he’s the one who suggested that Booth and Bones go undercover in the first place, and that did provide so many laughs. I mean really, did you see their outfits?
Also, he realized a change in the relationship between Booth and Brennan and was the one encouraging them to act more like a couple at the bowling alley. Way to go, Max!
On a more somber note, though, did any of you immediately miss Vincent like I did upon seeing Wendell?
Don’t get me wrong, Wendell is great and he did have his humorous moments during this episode like when he couldn’t figure out how to run Angela’s program and stumbled upon a very private video of her and Hodgins, but still, to me at least, he’s no Vincent Nigel-Murray.
It’s a Boy!
Finally! The moment we’ve all been so eagerly awaiting came last night as Angela gave birth to her baby, and she and Hodgins became the proud parents of Michael Staccato Vincent Hodgins.
Sure, it wasn’t easy, but perhaps if it had been, we wouldn’t have been able to see the hilarious scenes that led up to Michael’s birth such as Angela calling her doctor a “rotten old bat” and then telling Hodgins that his voice is incredibly annoying and he sounds like a “quacking duck.”
Nevertheless, Hodgins remained by her side the entire time and did whatever he could to help her.
Of course, since Angela denied an epidural, this proved to be a lot more painful than he thought. Now, I don’t know about you, but I laughed so hard when she grabbed him by the front of his shirt and he yelled out in pain.
Still, in addition to these hilarious moments, there were also very tender ones like the one in which Angela says Hodgins’ voice is like hot tea and honey, and he tells her how good she smells, how soft her skin is, and how every time she takes his hand, he feels her whole life vibrating with his. How sweet is that!
The doctor overhears this conversation and says that they will make great parents no matter if their baby is born blind or not, but fortunately for them, they don’t need to worry as Michael is born with perfectly normal vision.
So, despite all of that pain and all of that waiting, Angela later describes it to Brennan as wonderful and beautiful and says it was a dream.
I couldn’t be happier for Angela and Hodgins, and I can’t wait to see what next season has in store for them as new parents.
A Shocking Confession
At the conclusion of last night’s episode, I found myself wondering one thing: Did that really just happen?
Well, yes, it really did. But for those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, brace yourselves for this.
Alright, are you ready? Here it goes: Brennan is pregnant with Booth’s baby.
Yes, you read that right. Everyone still with me after that? Good, because now we’ve got some things to discuss.
First of all, it is now clear that Booth and Brennan did in fact sleep with each other in last week’s episode, and now one of my biggest dreams is coming true: we’re going to get a Baby Bones.
Ever since the issue of Brennan and a baby was brought up in “The Critic in the Cabernet,” I couldn’t think of anything greater than the possibility of Booth and Bones one day having a baby.
Moreover, when it was addressed again at the end of “The End in the Beginning,” I so longed for the day when that would finally happen or if it would ever happen.
And now that it’s finally here, I almost can’t wrap my head around it. It most definitely feels surreal, but even more so, I also find myself feeling conflicted.
I mean, of course I’m ecstatic about the fact that Booth and Brennan are having a baby together, but is it so much to ask to have gotten an official date or at least a real kiss maybe before this?
I do understand that Booth and Brennan have essentially been together in their own way for years now, but after waiting so long for them to get together for real, I guess I just expected we’d see a slower progression of their relationship rather than just jumping straight to a baby.
At the same time though, I can understand why Hart Hanson and Stephen Nathan would want to avoid this, and I see why it makes sense, especially given Emily Deschanel‘s real-life pregnancy.
What’s more, in terms of wanting to see more of the Booth and Brennan relationship, I don’t think anything could move this along better than a baby.
Now, we’re faced with a whole new set of questions. Do they move in together? Do they get married? What happens next?
I just know this is going to be so great watching this all play out, and I anticipate some hilarious moments in which Booth and Brennan will disagree on how to raise their child or things of that nature.
Perhaps what I love most about this baby is the fact that this means that Booth and Brennan really are together now and are a real couple permanently bonded by this life that they’ve created together.
Yes, it’s Bones, and it’s still Booth and Brennan, so you know that there is going to be conflict and murder and everything isn’t always going to be smooth-sailing, but I’m really looking forward to season 7 and seeing an entirely new Booth/Brennan dynamic.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that I don’t still have several questions that I’d like answered, and if you’re at all like me, I bet you’ve got some too.
But leave it to Stephen Nathan to save the day! Click here to see what he has to say about the season finale, where Booth and Bones go from here, and what to expect in season 7.
Alright, so now that I’ve shared my thoughts, I want to hear yours. What did you think of this year’s season finale? How do you feel about Brennan being pregnant? Be sure to leave a comment below!
(Image courtesy of FOX)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
