Bones (TV Series) The Sense in the Sacrifice (2013) User Reviews

Horrible Episode

[jasonaddams · 7 October 2013]

My wife and I are hugs fans of the show, and have watched every episode from the beginning. With that said tonight was a huge disappointment (ep.9.4). The writing, directing, and plot were cheesy and quite honestly way below the standards for this show. I don't know if they are trying to write themselves out of a show or what, but this was pitiful. On top of that the show has been increasing the level of gratuitous violence that it portrays.

I have never been a proponent of violence being bad on TV, but I also have no urge to see someone get their face peeled off live in the middle of dinner. That was a few episodes back however, tonight it was just an autopsy complete with rib spreading and Quad splitting... Please stop with the gratuitous violence, it does not help the plot, and is simply in poor taste.

So for all who are huge Bones fans, you have to watch this episode because it deals with Polant, but don't expect to enjoy it. The beginning makes no sense and seems to come out of nowhere, the middle is lacking in anything resembling a puzzle, and the end is well... bad... like Monty Python bad. I loved Monty Python, but they were supposed to be funny... Bones is not a comedy.

One last thing. I don't want to give away too much, but from what I saw in tonight's episode they seem to be attempting to get an HBO level of realistic violence into the show, and yet tried to spin a fairy tale ending into a bad plot aimed at 7 year olds. Absolutely horrible.

Hate to disagree

[kols · 10/10 · 11 October 2013]

But I think this episode is every bit as good as any this season. And all of this season's installments have been very good, even the one that was 50's Frigidaire commercial sexist.

It is different in tone, style and pacing. Ironically, it shares some of those characteristics with the disaster of last season's finale, especially tone and pacing. But what was so wrong then is so right now.

The show's focus - getting Pelant - is tight, tense and sharp with everyone getting involved, fanatically, intensely. Angie's skills as a hacker are far from a 'new' manifestation of her computer skills and Pelant's demise in such a summary fashion is a climax well-earned: not simply to this episode but of every episode he's appeared in. So, rather than meandering through fields of character interaction as so many episodes do so successfully, we get a one note, totally directed straight line from the statement of intent to that intent's successful completion. Again, not the usual Bones but, again, just as well done within its parameters as any this season.

There is another aspect to the episode that answered a personal question: why I hate recurring villains.

In this episode, Pelant is not the Pelant Ante: he's lost the smirking, adolescent demeanor as well as the aura of omnipotence. In this episode he's a lost schoolboy with an almost touching crush on Brennan and an almost sympathy-inducing aura of vulnerability; like every evil thing he's done was just a cry for attention. Briefly, he resembled a human being. His threat to kill innocents suddenly becomes a pathetic attempt to reserve Brennan for himself, revealing a stunted personality unable to grow or relate to any kind of reality.

As for my problem with recurring villains: Pelant's sudden change, his sudden character development, revealed that most such villains don't. They stay forever the same, forever possessing the same characteristics without relief. For me, they're one-note plaster-boards who become more and more boring and irritating with each iteration. Evil Peter Pans unable to grow-up or develop. Liked Wendy but Peter himself left me cold.

Back to Pelant, hopefully he's dead and incapable of being resurrected. I certainly hope so and also hope not to see his like again. If the writers must invent more recurring villains, let them, like all of the other characters, develop and change.

And the episode did end with a brief bit of whimsy - Booth finally tells Brennan what Pelant had threatened and Brennan replies, 'Figured it had to be something like that'.

The writers have spent the entirety of this season offering solutions to the Problem: the sexist Stand By Your Man, then 'Let's make it an inside joke' and, then, 'well, it's not really that serious'. This week: 'Oh by the way . . . Thought so'. Right after putting a bullet through Pelant's throat.

Pelant's storyline makes complete sense.

[sumi-mishra-789 · 10/10 · 24 February 2023]

Lovely episode. Understated brilliance tbh.

At first I felt the ending didn't make sense. But after remembering the storyline it was very logical.

Pelant was invincible as long as it was just an impersonal game. The moment he got obsessed with bones, and I feel that moment was when bones proposed to booth in the middle of pelant's case.

After that there was a pivot. It wasn't a game anymore and he actually was emotionally invested.

He knew these people only on paper, and that ultimately caused his demise. Writer's did a wonderful job of show don't tell.

During the episode we see pelant bluffing, and in the same episode bones said based on past behaviour that pelant doesn't distract or bluff etc. But he did. Because he wanted something unattainable, namely bones.

At the compound too you can see his conflict. Logically pelant had set up a video feed and would have talked to brennon via video. But he couldn't resist being there physically.

Then he kept applying Booth's professional behaviour history and assumed it would be same even with brennon in danger. And that was a fatal flaw in his plan.

I believe this was a story of his brilliance becoming hindered by emotions and lack of plan.

If you think about it, he was never physically involved before. So basically it was a fight on paper based on people's information on paper.

But he got involved physically twice in this episode. Once at the lab then at the power station. Both times his confidence was based on paper and theories, and not actually knowing any of these people.

So I loved these crumbs and how it makes you think.

At the end, pelant died because he got involved physically based on virtual knowledge of these people.

A Great Ending

[briezey · 10/10 · 19 July 2022]

I have always loved the Pelant storyline because he made it feel like the team actually had a worthy opponent. I know that some of the things seemed far fetched, but the same argument can be made about some of the magical evidence that we have gotten from our team, so I am willing to suspend my belief.

I really liked the beginning plan of this episode, the team was going to set up a murder to lure in Pelant. But, of course, Pelant got to it first and put his own body.

This episode was super intense and got everyone from the team involved. I found it to be a satisfying ending to the Pelant storyline.

Overall, I think it was a great episode with a fantastic ending!

Best Part: Booth proposing to Bones!!!

Worst Part: creepy Christopher Pelant sneaking up on Bones in that warehouse.

Disappointing episode

[darth-birder · 3/10 · 8 October 2013]

I have watched the show from the pilot onwards, with its ups and downs, this is one goes downhill. The story arc involving unrealistic savant Pelant ends here, in the most stupid way. The episode starts quite well, with all the good forensic-related stuff we are used to and a great plan to catch the hacker-killer-genius-supernatural almighty omnipresent-whatever this Pelant is supposed to be (here writers are really testing one's intelligence.. anyway..). Angela went from forensic artist to mega hacker, how did this happen? dunno. Bones went from ultra rational, martial arts expert to damsel in distress entering the lion's den ¿what? Booth did everything wrong, as sloppy as possible from the tactical - procedural point of view at least; and ends Pelant's life in a non spectacular, non dramatic, non nothing way. What a waste! is this how you end a story arc that you have been stretching for so long? BANG. Guy died, the arch-villain at the very end was only in love, poor thing. Now, in the same location, seconds after executing a man, would you marry me? Disastrous, insulting my intellect (I say, and I really loved the show!)

At last!

[trevor-hemsley · 5/10 · 18 October 2013]

The best bit about this episode is that the ridiculous Palant storyline is finally finished. Why do these series feel the need to invent some Uber-villain with superpowers like a cross between all the DC Superheroes characters? It stretches the credibility of the show to breaking point and demeans the good stuff that went before. Get a grip guys, when a story line involves such complicated stuff then you should know it needs to be killed before it ever airs. It's unbelievable, it's stupid, just don't do it! Maybe now we can get back to Bones of old, good coherent story lines with good character development and some believability.

Really! That's It!?

[Hitchcoc · 4/10 · 25 February 2023]

OK. So this is just the setup for the appearance of the woman Pelant was talking about. Right? I can see no sense in him ending his life that way. And is he really dead? Or did he get hit in a non-vulnerable place? If that's not the case, I can't imaging a less interesting conclusion to a year and a half of waiting. A guy controls everything for this long. Brennan goes running off. Booth goes running off. The guy who can stop traffic on the streets of Washington, allows a place where Booth can squeeze his big butt through. So if that's the best he's got, I guess I'll just watch the next episode as if nothing happened. Or is there another supervillain out there?

Really? Pelant allmighty?

[mihmichael · 4/10 · 22 March 2021]

The whole Pelant thing is more than stupid, lazy writing at it's maximum. When you have no idea how to make something happen - Pelant did it! Hodgins accounts emptied and no living soul can do a thing about that? Pelant kills and kills with his 60kg and no muscles? Pelant hacks into anything, he even gets camera feeds where no living soul would put any cameras! Ridiculous! Bones was one of my favourite shows till all this Pelant stupidity, after that I stopped watching.

Ridiculous

[margaritavidal · 13 September 2023]

Why is nobody talking about how bones is now pathetic and more than willing to betray booth and her team by just blindingly trusting the serial killer? To the point of wanting to protect him from booth, WTF. This person who never believed anything unless there is solid, concrete evidence is now willing to believe that there is a serial killer that is a woman based solely on a one minute conversation with a sociopath.

I have rewatch bones several times, Pelant storyline is so embarrassing even after kind of starting strong, still unbelievable, but interesting at least. Bones had never been more annoying, it took her less to trust Pelant than to trust both and his reasons not to marry her. To me, that is the biggest plot hole, she doesn't even trust her father after repeatedly proving himself to her, but the sociopath she trusts to the point of saying the serial killer is a woman based on absolutely nothing, Pelant didn't even have to try to give her a reason, she just took his words. The site really went downhill.