The He in the She is the seventh episode of the fourth season of Bones.
Synopsis[]
When skeletal remains are found in the Chesapeake Bay, Brennan and Booth are on the case to investigate. With only the upper torso of the victim intact, the team has little to work from besides the remnants of the victim's breast implants. Brennan and Booth are led to a small church community in Maryland where the victim was a pastor, but they have no record of her existence prior to moving to the small town five years prior.
Summary[]
Two 'hippies' are sitting on the beach, stoned, fishing, and discussing global warming and being 'toasted'. One of the guys looks in the water and pulls out a skeleton. Booth, playing with a slinky, and Bones are sitting in a silent session with Sweets when they get the call. They happily go to work.
Booth and Bones arrive at the beach and are met by Camille and Vincent Nigel-Murray, a graduate student of Bones' who has a penchant for uttering tangents that are often suggestive in nature. Bones tells Vincent he should be back at the lab, but Camille insists he stay.
Camille guesses the victim died about 2 to 3 weeks ago. The bottom half of the skeleton is missing, so the team is missing a clue about the victim’s sex, but there is part of a bathing suit and breast implants that indicate the victim was female. Bones then notices that there is trauma to the hand of the skeleton, suggesting foul play.
The team heads back to the lab and examine the remains further. Vincent notices that the eye sockets have been ground down which would suggest plastic surgery. Camille traces the serial number from the implant to a doctor in Baltimore. He tells her that a woman named Patricia Ludmuller came in to see him to repair a leak. Hodgins comes back with an analysis of the water from the bones and finds that the victim died in the same body of water where she was found.
Booth and Bones head to Patricia's house and find it vacant. They wonder why someone would spend so much money on cosmetic surgery only to move to a place where no one will see them. They look around the house and see books on different religions. While arguing about religion, they discover that Patricia was a pastor. They listen to a message on her answering machine from a man named JP who said he was sorry, missed her, and needed to see her.
The rest of the body is found and Vincent and Camille examine it. Vincent points out that the shape of the pelvis indicates the victim was male, but Camille points out the presence of a vulva and vaginal canal, which would indicate the victim was female. They realize that the victim was transgender.
Booth and Bones talk to Sweets about transgender people. Sweets suggests that if a guy who was intimate with Patricia found out about her sex assigned at birth, it could give him a motive for murder. A picture of Bruins player Terry O'Reilly can be seen in the background behind his desk.
Booth and Bones attend a memorial service for Patricia on the beach put on by the church members. Booth and Bones question two members, Wade Schmidt and Chuck Kennedy, who tell them that they figured out that the body pulled from the water was their pastor since she went missing after going for a swim a few weeks ago. Wade points out JP. Booth brings JP in for questioning.
With Angela behind the glass giving pointers, Booth questions JP about his relationship with Patricia. He said he had a drinking problem that landed him in jail and cost him his wife, but Patricia was helping him get his life back. He said he knew about Patricia's past, but was okay with it. Angela and Booth believe he's telling the truth.
The crew further examines the remains and discover that Patricia had been on hormone replacement therapy, was healthy, and had received vaccines for diseases that someone who is about to travel to the Far East would need. Vincent suggests that she went to Asia to have her gender affirming surgery.
Vincent asks Hodgins what happened to the guy he's replacing. Hodgins tells him that he's in jail for cannibalistic murder. Angela interrupts with her artistic rendering of the victim. She first shows Patricia as herself, then a makes the features more masculine, then adds a beard. The final drawing looks like a famous evangelical preacher.
The team watches old video of Patrick Stephenson, the person Patricia was pre-transition. They see that she had a wife and a son. Booth and Bones talk to Mrs. Cecilia Stephenson. She says she was told that Patricia went missing and was presumed killed in Thailand while on a mission. They show her pictures of Patricia and canceled checks Patricia sent to her old church. Cecilia figures she was paying back the church for the money she took before she left. Cecilia tells them that their son Ryan took over the Church, but left to California after having a crisis of faith. She also tells them about Arthur Ford, a man who beat Patricia after Arthur's son donated his $5 million trust fund to the church.
Booth finds out that Arthur Ford died from pancreatic cancer three years ago, so he can't be the killer. Booth and Bones talk about the wife's negative reaction to Patricia transitioning.
The gang then watches video of Patricia's son Ryan delivering a fiery sermon condemning homosexuality. Then they see a video of him quitting the church because he wants to do God's work, not bilk people out of their money like his parents did.
Booth and Bones ask Sweets for his thoughts on the son. Sweets says he thinks they should look for him in jails, rehab centers, or halfway houses because he's probably seeking a means to heal people. Booth says the mother said he went to California and the two make a $20 bet on who's right
They find Ryan in a shelter, making Sweets the winner of the bet. Booth questions Ryan who has adopted a new, edgier lifestyle. Ryan sees pictures of Patricia and says he wished he could have known her as Patricia. Ryan says he now preaches that it's not about what people look like on the outside, but what's in their inside that matters. Ryan asks for Patricia’s Bible. Booth says it's still evidence, but when they find out who the killer is, he'll make sure he gets it.
Vincent determines that the victim was hit on the head and in the back while still alive. Hodgins sees fiberglass resin that indicates a boat, specifically a wooden hulled boat, hit the victim. They think it could have just been an accident, but Bones comes in and says it was murder. She points out that the boat hit the head from behind and the back from the side, meaning it had turned around to finish the job. They figure the hand injury came when Patricia tried to grab onto the boat and the killer smashed her fingers to get her to release her grip.
After the means of the murder was solved, Vincent tells Camille he's going to leave the team so he can develop into his own person, not be modeled after them. She says goodbye and that they'll look for another intern to replace him.
Bones and Booth go to the marina and find a wooden hulled boat, which belongs to JP. JP says he didn't kill Patricia and that they never slept together. Hodgins finds a fire extinguisher in the boat that he believes was used to smash Patricia's hand. Booth notices the seat is adjustable and asks Bones how tall JP is. Realizing JP is too tall to sit in the boat, Booth then asks how tall JP's wife is. JP's wife Rita Gratton starts to yell at JP for spending so much time with Patricia. Booth and Bones arrest Rita for the murder.
Ryan takes over as the new pastor of Patricia’s church. where he preaches tolerance and forgiveness, just as his parent once did. Booth and Bones attend his first sermon, but Bones is still unconvinced that God is real.
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[]
- Vincent Nigel-Murray - Ryan Cartwright
Guest Cast[]
- Ryan Stephenson - David Gallagher
- JP Gratton - Bruce Thomas
- Chuck Kennedy - Blake Shields
- Cecilia Stephenson - Nancy Youngblut
- Wade Schmidt - John Livingston
- Rita Gratton - Sylva Kelegian
- Patrick Stephenson - Mark Doerr
Featured Music[]
- "River of Sorrow" - Antony and Johnsons
- "Share" - Robert Tait
Notes[]
I don't know what that means[]
| Previous Story: The Crank in the Shaft |
Next Story: The Skull in the Sculpture |
| Episodes: Season 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12 Characters: Season 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12 Categories: Main Characters · Relationships | |