The Couple in the Cave

The Couple in the Cave is the second episode of the sixth season of Bones
== Synopsis ==
When the remains of a couple are discovered in a cave at National Park, the team must piece together the identity of the man and the woman as well as solve the crime. Meanwhile, Booth’s girlfriend and Afghanistan war correspondent, Hannah Burley, makes a surprise visit. 
== Summary ==
A bickering young couple is on a hike through a National Park when it begins to rain. The man ducks into a cave, where he discovers two dead bodies. The woman screams and the man runs. Time to call Booth and Bones.
Sure enough, the crime-fighting team soon arrives at the scene. Bones asks if Booth has talked to his new girlfriend Hannah lately. Indeed, he has. "I didn't leave her behind," says Booth, who explains his lady remained in Afghanistan. "It was her decision to stay." They arrive at the bodies -- a man and a woman. "It appears they were bludgeoned," Bones observes. The dead man, meanwhile, appears to be holding the dead woman.
Later, Booth and Bones eat at the diner and talk about Hannah. Speak of the devil! Booth looks out the window and sees the blonde beauty approaching. Turns out the reporter put in a transfer for the Washington D.C. press corps. Booth and Hannah kiss and hug. Bones doesn't seem to like it at all. Bones then heads to the lab, where the team looks at the dead bodies. Bones denies she was ever in a "relationship" with Booth. "You were a couple," Angela says. "You just weren't having sex."
Hodgins, meanwhile, vacuums pollen from the dead woman's nose in hopes of matching it up with the pollen count kept by the forest service, establishing time of death. Pregnant Angela enters with an ID of the woman: Hillary Fuller. The man, however, had a "funky skull" and wasn't so easily identified via computer recreation.
Sweets wants to talk about his on-again, off-again relationship with Daisy. "I'm going to go try to solve a murder," says a dismissive Booth. Booth then interviews Hilary's former boss, who had a few dates with his former employee before she "put on the brakes." Could he have killed her and the mystery man in a jealous rage?
Hodgins, in the meantime, has determined time of death. The woman died two weeks ago. Booth then explains to Bones that a man with a history of mental illness, Winston Hinkle, was convicted of beating a camper to death about 10 years ago. Hinkle was released just days before the couple died. Naturally, Booth heads out to grill Hinkle, bringing Sweets along. Hannah calls and Booth is clearly uncomfortable sweet talking her in front of Sweets. "You could be self conscious because I know your history with Dr. Brennan," Sweets says. Booth denies it. "I'm happy, Sweets," he says.
Moments later, the boys arrive at Hinkle's trailer. The man, carrying an axe, is less than cooperative. Booth explains that a couple was recently found dead. "I deserve this, I know," says Hinkle, referring to his previous crime. "But I didn't kill anybody. I swear!" Later, Bones eats dinner with Hannah and Booth. Bones asks how the pair met, and Hannah explains she was working on the story when a sniper fired on her. Booth wounded the sniper and saved Hannah's life. Hodgins calls with news: eggs found in the man's body couldn't have existed in the cave. After checking wind patterns, Hodgins thinks the victims might have stayed in a series of cabins at a higher elevation. Sounds like a job for Booth and Bones. Booth and Hannah kiss each other goodbye...in front of Bones.
Cut to the cabins, where the two meet up with park ranger Gary Nesbitt, a fellow war veteran. Gary explains how he filled out an FBI application at Booth's suggestion. Booth then notices a heart-shaped carving in the cabin. It reads: "FV loves HF." "HF" is clearly Hilary Fuller. "Who's FV?" Booth asks. Good question. Back at the lab, Bones detects tobacco on the man's hands. "He was a migrant worker picking tobacco, which might be why we can't get a match for him," Bones says. But why would a marketing director be romantically linked with a migrant worker? At the diner, Booth defends the couple. "So it's not possible for two people to overcome their differences?" Booth asks. Bones notes, "We couldn't." Sweets' ears perk up. "You guys want to talk about this?" he asks.
Clark calls: the bones of both victims indicate they used to be alcoholics but gave up drinking (two years ago for her and just less than year ago for him). Booth and Bones then head to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. A woman named Jessie explains Hilary sponsored a man named Felix, and the two had become romantically involved. She also says their final resting place makes sense as Hilary would have taken Felix to the woods as a sponsor so they could "get in touch with themselves." Finally, Jessie says Felix had a jealous girlfriend at home. Bones wonders where they might find this woman.
Moments later, Lupe is in the hot seat. She complains she put up Felix for years before he got sober, and then he left for "that bitch." Lupe then decides it's best she doesn't say anything else. Booth smirks at the promising suspect. The next morning, Booth wakes up in bed with Hannah. "You and Brennan ... you two seem solid," Hannah says. "I'm a little jealous, actually." Booth dismisses the idea. Cut to the lab, where Hodgins prepares to examine Lupe's tires for signs that she drove to the forest.
Bones, meanwhile, is busy tearing into Clark for failing to find anything new after reexamining the remains of the victims. It's uncharacteristic behavior for our heroine, and Camille rightly observes it's about more than Clark's failings. "Your relationship with Booth has been altered," Camille says. Bones replies, "This is about nothing more than Dr. Edison's incompetence." Clark takes the insult in stride, theorizing the victims weren't beaten but fell on rocks. "And she broke his fall, which is why his injuries weren't as severe," Clark finishes. Felix had landed on top of Hilary.
Angela uses "topographical software" to determine the exact rocks the woman landed on. Booth and Bones quickly head back to the scene and look up at a high cliff from which the couple fell. "Usually only experienced hikers go up there," Gary observes. Bones comments it would be an easy place for someone to have pushed the couple off -- the area atop the ridge wouldn't be crawling with campers. Booth gets a call from Hodgins: Lupe lied. Her tires contain residue from the forest.
Back at the lab, Lupe admits she followed the couple to the forest, but then her allergies kicked in and she had to leave. Hodgins takes great delight in "testing" Lupe with a number of plants taken from the forest. When she smells the third plant, Lupe begins sneezing and coughing wildly. The woman is telling the truth. "She wouldn't have been able to continue following them up there," Bones notes. So who does that leave? Camille enters with news: flesh around the man's cheek contains pepper spray.
And who might be carrying pepper spray in a national park?
Booth and Bones head back to the park to question ranger Gary, who probably isn't going to get into the FBI now. It turns out Felix, back when he was drunk, bought liquor for a minor, who died in a car accident as a result. That minor was Gary's niece. Gary denies nothing. "They let him off with a slap on the wrist!" Gary exclaims. He refers to the death of Hilary as "collateral damage" and insists he "did the right thing." Booth and Bones respectfully disagree. Gary is going to go away for a long, long time. Case closed.
But not the episode. Booth and Bones share a drink at the bar and argue over the "logic" of love. Hannah soon arrives and steals Booth away for dinner. Bones is left alone at the bar with her drink. She looks quite sad.
== 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 ===
*Clark Edison - Eugene Byrd
=== Recurring Cast ===
*Hannah Burley - Katheryn Winnick
=== Guest Cast ===
*Gary Nesbitt - Scott Michael Campbell
*Lupe Rojas - Justina Machado
*Jerry Doroughty - Bobby Hosea
*Winston Hinkle - David Meunier
*Lorraine Allen - Karina Logue
*Michael - Jack Impellizzeri
*Tracey - Kristina Hayes
*Hank - Dave Buzzotta
*Hillary Fuller - Mae Sageti
== Featured Music ==
*"Everyday" by Toby Lightman
== Notes==
*It's odd for the Forest Service to be taking samples within a National Park. Generally the jurisdiction would lie with the Parks Service and their internal scientists. The Forest Service would be violating federal jurisdiction to claim any power on Parks lands. They are completely different organizations from seperate branches of government, the Forest Service within the Dept. of Agriculture, and the National Parks Service within the Dept. of the Interior.
*When Angela creates a sketch of the male victim and Hodgins comments that he looks like George Clooney, he says "Oh victim, who art thou?" This is a reference to the film O Brother, Where Art Thou?, starring George Clooney.
Category:Season 6
Category:Episodes