Bones 3.9 Review

Bones

FOX Tuesday's at 8 pm EST

Episode 3.9 "The Santa In The Slush"

Grade: A+

Previously on Bones ....: Angela and Hodgins are not married. Brennan's father and brother are both in jail together. Booth had a son named Parker out of wedlock.

General Summary: A corpse is found in the sewer system, and it seems to be ... Santa Claus? No, it is a man named Kris Kringle (yes, his real name) who looks exactly like Santa, is completely obsessed with Christmas, and works at a temp agency as the leader of an army of fake Santa's. As the case goes on, they realize one of the Santa's was a pickpocket, and killed Kris. In other news, Brennan learns that lying to children is not always morally wrong, and finds a way to make her father's Christmas wish come true: the entire family together on Christmas. Booth is miserable because he will not have Parker on Christmas, but Parker takes things into his own hands and makes sure he is with his father.

What was good: Sweets with the giant ears. The Brennan Family Christmas. Parker and Booth. The general joking around about Kris being the real Santa Claus. THE KISS! Max's face when he sees the tree at the end. The tree. The montage of the Squints all having a party together. Killing Santa Claus. Hodgins left in the trash can. Pretty much everything about this entire episode.

What was bad: The Santa's singing 'Santa Claus is coming to town.' Too weird, guys.

Comments: Thank you, Bones. Thank you for reminding me that sometimes cheesy can be okay, and why exactly I love this show. It has to be the only show that can do something this heartwarming, and I don't roll my eyes. It probably is because they temper the sweetness with KILLING SANTA CLAUS. I could not laugh enough whenever snide Santa Claus references were made, and the playful/mildly serious reference that the murder victim may actually be the real deal. So considering they killed the spirit of Christmas, while making me teary eyed over the best parts of the holiday, they get a pass for the sappiness.

First thing to note is that Sweets the therapist is now a regular on the show, as he is in the credits. I did not notice this before, but I certainly noticed this time. A secondary note is that I love the theme; it never fails to make me dance a little, and be psyched for the episode to start. Sweets is played by John Francis Daley, who I recognized from Freaks and Geeks. That made me squeal a little. I was not aware he'd be made a regular, but I am glad for it. Great character, and great actor.

Second and more important thing: BRENNAN AND BOOTH KISSED! Okay, it was completely contrived and a little unusual a request from the district attorney. I admit kissing under the mistletoe to get something was a little forced, but I do not care, because they kissed. Yes, sometimes the fangirl in me is brought out, and I do not bother to hide it. The awkwardness between them was perfect, and I doubt this is the end of it. Which I am glad for. Eeee! Fangirl moment over.

I complained before that they were not showing the squints as a team as much, and this fact was even stronger when I saw them together for Christmas. The Squints were all together, hugging and taking pictures and exchanging gifts. It warmed my heart, but made me a little sad that the family aspect of their group has been missing as of late. I hope they get right back on that, because it was a really sweet sequence of shots.

I will admit I choked up when Booth is outside with the tree, and it is because of the look on Max's face. The actor had this amazing expression of sorrow and happiness, mingled with regret and a touch of hope; it was beautifully acted, and made me love him all over again. He may be a crazy criminal murderer, but he's one hell of a guy too. This episode overall was just beautiful, and although the crime itself was kind of obvious (the bad Santa having a freaking black eye when the cop said he punched the pickpocket), I loved watching every minute.

For all of you B&B fans, if you go to www.fox.com/bones they have an extended version of the kiss. It is quite a bit more passionate, and involves tongue ... I think they went more chaste for the actual show which makes sense as the two of them are still in denial. But if you want to see them really kiss, watch that.

Questions I'm Left With: When is Daddy Brennan's trial? How much longer is Russ in jail? Will Booth and Brennan discuss the kiss? Will Sweets let it go? When are Angela and Hodgins getting married, damnit?

Spoilers/News: It seems the next episode is not airing until January 4th. Before the strike, they finished 12 episodes, which means there will be three more. Word on the street is that Bones will be moving to Friday night in 2008, although I did not find anything to make it official on Fox. We'll find out next year!