The Beaver in the Otter

The Beaver in the Otter is the twenty-fourth episode of the fourth season of Bones.
==Summary ==
Booth and Brennan investigate the case of a fraternity brother named "Beaver", his body was found inside a rival school's mascot uniform. Meanwhile, Booth offers his brother help in finding a new job after he was dishonorably discharged from the Navy for actions related to saving Booth from the Gravedigger.
== Plot ==
We open at a pep rally the night before a big football game. The home team, the Middlesex Archers, hangs the opposing team's Otter mascot before setting it on fire via flaming arrows. The cheering crowd then unloads, throwing objects and even firing a canon at the supposedly empty costume. It's a pretty cool demonstration of school spirit -- until the Otter costume falls away to reveal a very real charred corpse inside. 
The next morning, Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and Booth (David Boreanaz) arrive on the scene. The dean (Rick Peters) theorizes it might be a fraternity prank. Turns out the cadaver of a 72-year-old man was recently stolen. Brennan takes one look at the victim's molars, however, and debunks the theory. "I'd be surprised if he was older than mid 20s," Brennan says. 
But before the team can get to cracking the big case, Booth meets Jared (Brendan Fehr) at the diner. Younger bro has been dishonorably discharged from the Navy for saving bigger bro from an "insane kidnapper." Brennan calls with news: the victim was a college-student and Beta Delta Sigma fraternity member named James, a.k.a. "Beaver."
Booth and Brennan head back to Middlesex to interview the student organizers of the rally: Greg (Nick Ballard), Gary (Jonathan Chesner) and Molly (Jaimie Alexander). The not-so-dynamic trio is hard at work on a parade float. They explain they stole the Otter suit from the rival college, but don't have any idea how it ended up stuffed with a fellow student. Booth and Sweets (John Francis Daley) then head to the frat house to interview a motley crew of scruffy looking college guys. The dudes explain Beaver was liked by everyone, especially a certain brunette named Molly. One frat bro explains if Molly's boyfriend Greg ever found out Beaver was "bouncing" Molly "he would kill him."
Back at the lab, Hodgins (T.J. Thyne) and Arastoo discover a bullet in the body. Even better, the bullet is consistent with ROTC small arms. And who do we know who is currently in ROTC? None other than cuckolded boyfriend Greg. Before you can say "cuckolded," Greg is sitting in the hot seat. B&B present Greg with an ROTC firearm last checked out by him. Ballistics has determined the gun fired the bullet found in Beaver's body. Greg admits to shooting at the costume, but still maintains he had no idea who was inside. "I had no reason to kill Beaver," he says. Booth breaks the news about the Beaver "bouncing" Molly -- but Greg doesn't believe it.In fact, Molly denies it too. 
So the pair decide to head back to Beta Delta Sigma to collect Beaver's bed sheets and run a DNA test (gross). Upon arriving, they find the boys of the house wearing bed sheets as togas and toasting to their brother's death. Brennan demands the bed sheets for questioning. Bad idea. All the lads strip down naked and toss the "pretty lady" their former garbs. Brennan, for once, is embarrassed.
Back at the lab, Hodgins has examined the sheets and discovered Molly's DNA is NOT on Beaver's sheets. HOWEVER, Hodgins did find estrogen cream. "A more plausible scenario has got Beaver sexing it up in a different location and then coming home to his own bed, naked," Hodgins says. So Beaver was likely having sex with a much older woman who used the cream. Hmm. Also: Cam (Tamara Taylor) says the bullet fired from Greg's gun didn't kill the victim, who had been dead for at least 12 hours before the rally.
Booth and Brennan head to Beaver's room at the frat house. They quickly discover a suitcase full of cash along with a notebook full of names. Brennan wonders if the victim was some "sort of spy." Worse, Booth explains. "He was some kind of bookie." 
Back at the lab, Angela (Michaela Conlin) examines the notebook and discovers Beaver had at least 50 clients. She has also discovered (from Beaver's PC) he hacked into the chemistry department's server three times to steal a test. The professor is an older woman named Marlene Twardosh (Lorna Raver). Have we found our cougar?
They head over to the chemistry department to interview Marlene. "Did you have sexual intercourse with Beaver?" Brennan asks. Booth winces. The professor seems amused and denies the charge. Brennan then examines her grade book and notes five students failed the last exam with a score of 37 percent. Oddly, those same five students scored well on the previous test. "I believe professor Twardosh realized that these students had stolen her tests in the past and, instead of informing the university, she planted a fake test online," Brennan concludes. Twardosh smirks. Bingo. Brennan admires the woman.
Back at the lab, Booth is mighty upset. Turns out Jared wants to travel across India on a motorcycle instead of taking a job in Pittsburgh big bro set up for him. "I'm going to suggest that you feel jealous of your brother's decision," Sweets says. "You feel trapped here." Booth isn't amused. In fact, he is disgusted. But that doesn't mean Sweets is wrong. 
Now it's time for a rare "Bones" montage a la "CSI." Brennan examines the skeleton of Beaver late into the night. One bone in particular catches her eye as the montage music fades. "I found the cause of death," she tells Cam. Beaver was stabbed in the chest with a very small instrument possibly an ice pick. Or maybe a nail gun?
Booth and Jared meet at the diner and little bro invites big bro to come with him to India. "The ball is in your court, brother," Jared says. Sweets, in the meantime, questions pledge Eli. The freshman quickly admits to hacking into the chemistry department Web page for his big (fraternity) brother Beaver. "He was going to get expelled if he didn't pass the Chem course!" Eli says. He then admits to placing photos from Beaver's hard drive on a USB drive at the frat guy's request. And wouldn't you know it? A damaged USB drive was among the shrapnel removed from the remains. Angela, Booth and Brennan check the USB drive and discover blurry photos of an older, blonde woman in the throes of passion. Ladies and gentleman, we have our cougar. But who is she? 
B&B head to Middlesex and show the photo to the dean. "She's my wife," he admits. Ouch. Before you can say "cuckolded," the dean sits in the hot seat. He explains his wife left town about a week ago "because the boy threatened to put the photos of them together all over the Internet." HOWEVER, the dean denies hurting Beaver in any way. Arastoo (Pej Vahdat) then arrives with news: he has found a nail of particular interest in the victim's body. Sure enough, a design on the head matches the decorative nails on the homecoming float being built by Greg, Gary and Molly. 
B&B plus Sweets quickly heads to Middlesex and discovers the nail gun. Sweets looks over the trio and settles on Molly. "She's the one you want," he says. Back in the interrogation room, Molly explains she shot Beaver with the nail gun after the frat bro forced himself on her. To hide the body, she put Beaver in the Otter (and thus an episode title was born). Case closed.
But not the episode. Booth meets Jared at a bar and breaks the bad news: "I think you should go alone." Actually, a long trip by his lonesome might be good for the youngster, who has always been a little too dependent on Booth. The pair hug (a bit awkwardly). B&B then adjourn to the bar for a drink. "Do you really think you have to be bad to be good?" Brennan asks. Yes, Booth assures her. "I've never done anything bad," Brennan says. Booth suggest the two "dine and dash." They run from the joint, Brennan laughing like a loon!
Naturally, Booth has left a pile of money behind -- but suddenly naughty Brennan doesn't need to know that.
==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===
*Arastoo Vaziri - Pej Vahdat
===Recurring Cast===
*Jared Booth - Brendan Fehr
===Guest Cast===
*Molly Briggs - Jaimie Alexander
*Greg Harmalard - Nick Ballard
*Dean Vernon Warner - Rick Peters
*Robert Hooper - Edwin Hodge
*Sheriff Tina Mullins - Michael Hyatt
*Professor Marlene Twardosh - Lorna Raver
*Gary Bacon - Jonathan Chesner
*Eli Rounder - Ryan Pinkston
*Dalton Abbot - James Ellis
==Featured Music==
* "Time Lapse Lifeline" - Maria Taylor
*"By & By" - Natalie Walker
*"Save You" - Mathew Perryman Jones
==Quotes==
*Bones: I think you'll find your missing medical school cadaver is over there.
**Booth: Where?
**Bones: Sitting on the bleachers. He hasn't moved since we got here.
**Cop: No, that's just campus security. They're always like that but I'll go check it out.
*Cam: Someone finally killed a mascot?
*Arastoo: I have never seen so many foreign objects in human remains. Arrows, marbles, jack, various coins and cutlery. My best guess is a nuclear explosion occurred just as the victim entered a 99 cent store.
**Angela: Well uh close. He was shot by a blunderbuss, pelted by an angry mob and then burned.
**Cam: Now that's what I call team spirit! (beat) I'm a wisecracking pathologist with a dark sense of humor.
*Booth: Sweets, stop psychoanalyzing frat life and just get on with the Beaver questions!
==Notes==
*The exterior of Middlesex College is actually the exterior of the Shatford Library at Pasadena City College in California.
==I don't know what that means==
*Bones: Beaver, otter, cougar, this case is like a day at the zoo!
*Booth: A cougar is an older woman who prefers younger men.
*Booth: Have you ever heard of dine-and-dash? It's where you leave without paying the bill!
*Bones: Booth, no, that's stealing!
Category:Season 4
Category:Episodes