The Diamond in the Rough

The Diamond in the Rough is the tenth episode of the eighth season of Bones.
==Synopsis==
The Jeffersonian team investigates the death of a professional ballroom dancer who was murdered three days before her audition on a popular dancing competition show. In order to solve the case, Brennan and Booth go undercover as dance competitors to see if they can find potential suspects. 
==Summary==
Sweets watches a ghost hunting "reality" show on television when the host, Palmer, appears to discover an honest-to-ghoul apparition. Upon further inspection, it is a glittering skeleton, seemingly made of jewels. "What is that?!" Sweets yells at the screen. The next day, Bones and Angela eat at the diner where Angela expresses regret that she gave up on her art.
The team then examines the glittering remains. Hodgins determines that the woman, found in a quarry, has been covered in crystals due to water runoff. Unfortunately, determining cause of death will be impossible until all the crystals -- hundreds of them -- are removed. Bones examines the female victim's feet, which have multiple breaks and fractures. The good doctor theorizes that the injuries are consistent with an athlete, perhaps a dancer.
Sure enough, a young dancer recently went missing. Sweets interviews her dancing partner, Kendrick, who explains that the victim moved to this country from Germany to dance with him. He's just that good. Now that the victim is gone, however, Kendrick has already secured another partner for an upcoming tryout for a ballroom dancing TV show. Her name: Blossom. Later, Booth confesses to Sweets that he helped pay for college by being a dance instructor. Booth's mom taught him how to dance. It's what they did together.
So Sweets suggests that Booth and Bones go undercover as ballroom dancers, as he theorizes that the murderer killed off one-half of the competition's odds-on-favorite team. Bones is excited. Booth reluctantly agrees. So they head to the rehearsal hall, sign up and begin to practice while scouting the competition/potential suspects. Back at the lab, Wendell is struggling to remove the crystals from the victim's bones. He begs for Hodgins' help. So the pair soak the victim in ammonia and detergent .. and the solution successfully de-crystallizes the bones. Bones will be pleased.
But right now she is busy. Bones takes a break from dancing to chat with Laila, a young woman whose stage mom is very aggressive and very rude. Did mom do the deed? At the moment, she is the number one suspect. Bones then returns to the lab and learns that the victim's neck was twisted until it broke. Wendell also discovers heavy traces of lead. "In doses that indicate it could not have been accidental," the longtime intern explains. Sweets theorizes that the killer was inexperienced. He or she tried to slowly poison the victim, but eventually lost patience and did it a more violent way. Interesting.
Angela, growing more and more unhappy that she is not working in the arts, looks into the victim's email and finds that she made an appointment with a neurologist before her death. The poison was probably affecting her dancing. Sweets then informs Bones and Brennan that the lead was consistent with a paint commonly used in costumes. Of course, ALL the dancers have costumes. Bones clips a piece of Laila's costume and tests it in the dressing room. The result: huge traces of lead. Soon after, the competition starts and Laila dances wonderfully. Booth then flashes his badge and takes mother and daughter backstage. Laila claims that her mother is innocent. "I just wanted to get Katarina sick!" the young woman says. So she poisoned the victim.
But, as we know, the poison didn't kill the victim. So who broke her neck? Booth theorizes that it must have been the boyfriend that Laila also confesses that she loves -- a low level TV show assistant named Tommy. When approached, Tommy makes a run for it. The chase heads backstage until Booth, Bones and Tommy run onto the stage during Kendrick's performance. Booth knocks out Tommy with a right hook. Later, Tommy explains that he wanted Laila to win so she could be free of her mother. "I did it for us!" Tommy yells. Case closed, but not the episode. Bones and Booth are called to dance.
Back at the lab, Angela tells Hodgins that she is tired of so much "ugliness" in her life. Hodgins talks to Camille and Camille volunteers to cut Angela's hours. "A little of you is better than a lot of unhappiness," Camille explains. Angela is grateful. Now she will have plenty of time for her art. The episode closes as "Wanda" and "Buck" (Booth and Brennan) waltz. Bones is absolutely terrible, but clearly very happy. So all is well.
==Cast==
===Main Cast ===
*Temperance Brennan - Emily Deschanel
*Seeley Booth - David Boreanaz
*Jack Hodgins - T.J Thyne
*Angela Montenegro - Michaela Conlin
*Camille Saroyan - Tamara Taylor
*Lance Sweets - John Francis Daley
===Intern of the Week===
*Wendell Bray - Michael Grant Terry
===Guest Cast ===
*Laila Serrano - Sarah Scott
*Maureen Serrano - Marta DuBois
*Palmer Heston - Vince Corazza
*Kendrick Mann - Dmitry Chaplin
*Registrar - Alison White
*Herself - Mary Murphy
*Himself - Tyce Diorio
*Tommy Kentner - Andres Perez-Molina
*Blossom - Vai Tiare
*Rocko - Chehon Wespi-Tschopp
*Janitor - Harrison White
*Katarina Wirz - Eliana Girard
==Featured Music==
* "Babe I Like Your Walk" by NEVILLE IVEY
* "Sos Vos" by ALEJANDRO ROMERO
* "My World" by MISS AMANI
* "Pixel Party" by CUT ONE (EXTREME MUSIC)
* "Milonga De Flama" by DAVIDE RAVASIO
* "Dirty Love" by GIN WIGMORE
*"When The Morning Comes" by Jon Allen
==Notes==
Category:Season 8
Category:Episodes