Review: Bones, Season 7, Ep. 704 “The Male in the Mail”
Air Date: Thursday, December 1, 2011 9/8c on Fox
Rating:
“The Male in the Mail” begins in a very (gulp) gross way. When mail goes unclaimed, it ends up in the “dead letter office” where employees open the packages and either trash or repurpose the items. But upon discovering the dismembered remains of an employee of a local “Ship-n-Print”… well, some things just can’t be repurposed.
[singlepic id=2502 w=320 h=240 float=left] I highly recommend you not eat anything for the first…scratch that. Don’t eat while watching Bones…the studio/producers/creators truly up the ante on realistic human remains this season. And though the crime is serious in nature, I love how the writers blend in comedic elements. While examining the remains still inside the packaging at the dead letter office, the exchange between Cam (Tamara Taylor) and Bones (Emily Deschanel) is hilarious!
Cam: “This is certainly a first for me.”
Bones: “Me, too! I have never seen this part of the post office before.”
Cam (bewildered): “Yes, I thought they sent the dismembered bodies to a completely different place.”
Sadly, the case isn’t all that intriguing. A group of employees go in on a lottery ticket together and win the jackpot; three of them are in a love triangle – Hugh (Ben Savage), his wife Shelia (Briana Lane), and her lover Ronald (Brian Jones), our victim. The only interesting part is Ronald isn’t murdered by either Hugh or Shelia, but by a newer employee, Tony (Jesse Head); but why? It seems Tony is illegally shipping mushrooms and other hallucinogenic drugs and Ronald was a reformed addict. (Snooze-fest).
[singlepic id=2496 w=320 h=240 float=right] What makes me laugh my butt off are the exchanges between Bones and intern Clark Edison (Eugene Byrd). We all know Bones is in her third trimester and has … filled out, shall we say? When Bones walks in adjusting her breasts, Clark is obviously distracted.
Bones: “Mr. Edison, is there a problem? You’re staring at my breasts.”
Clark (flustered): “Oh! Oh, no, no, no, I’m sorry Dr. Brennan. Uh, uh, but, you were, uh, look – there was a lot of activity going on there (points to her breasts) and I was just thinking maybe I could help you out. Not meaning like that because I would never…”
Bones: “Tender and swollen breasts are common in the third trimester.”
Clark: “Of course.”
Bones: “It’s very uncomfortable. My bra size has increased by two cup sizes.”
Clark (deflecting): “I hadn’t noticed.”
Bones: “It’s quite obvious. You should be more observant, Dr. Edison.”
Clark (befuddled): “Yes, I’m sorry. Oh, I see now…they’re much larger…ahem, could I just focus on the remains?”
Bones wanders out—still adjusting her boobs—mentioning perhaps an ice pack would help while Clark starts reciting non-stimulating things like “dental x-rays, weapons… ice packs?” It’s hysterical!
[singlepic id=2499 w=320 h=240 float=left] Meanwhile, Booth (David Boreanaz) gets an unexpected visit from his grandfather, Pops (Ralph Waite), who is the bearer of unpleasant tidings – Booth’s father passed away. While we know from previous seasons that Booth’s father was an abusive alcoholic parent, he was still someone’s child. Booth seems oblivious to how much pain Pops is in because he’s so immersed in his own feelings. Despite the tumultuous relationship Booth may have had with his father, Pops has lost his son. The pain Booth pretends not to be feeling is obvious. I love the way Bones helps him realize he mustn’t continue to linger on the bad memories but try to focus on the good ones. The whole reason he bought those stadium seats last season was because of the one perfect day he had with his father.
While there are other comedic moments in “The Male in the Mail,” I think it detracts from the subtle plotlines of the episode. One: Booth’s father passing away. Losing a parent isn’t easy. Both Bones and Booth are expectant parents, each with their own issues regarding parenting. Two, Booth’s new assistant Agent Shaw (Tina Majorino) has a skewed view of how she thinks cases are solved. More importantly, she brings to light how she thinks Booth would handle things. While she is to be commended for being proactive, she should focus less on obtaining evidence and try to shed light on what the evidence actually reveals.
Overall, I am entertained by the episode but I think too many points become blurred. And again, the unappealing back stories for these cases seem contradictorily mundane when they’re using such high-tech methods to solve them. I’m ready for some juicy back stories worthy of Hodgins (TJ Thyne) signing out lasers and medieval weapons from the Jeffersonian to help solve the mysteries of how our victims are killed.
Tune into Bones, Thursdays at 9/8c only on FOX.
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Photos © 2011 FOX Broadcasting Co., All Rights Reserved.
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Judy Manning
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