Margaret Whitesell

Margaret Whitesell
Additional Information
Gender	Female
Age	35
Date of Birth	1976
Status	Alive
Family/Relatives
Relatives	Temperance Brennan (2nd cousin) Max Keenan/Matthew Brennan (1st cousin once removed by marriage) Ruth Keenan/Christine Brennan (1st cousin once removed) Kyle Keenan/Russ Brennan (2nd cousin) Amy Hollister(2nd cousin by marriage) Christine Booth (2nd cousin once removed) Hank Booth II (2nd cousin once removed) Seeley Booth (2nd cousin by marriage)
Show Information
Portrayed by	Zooey Deschanel
Episode	The Goop on the Girl

Margaret Whitesell is a distant cousin of Temperance Brennan on her mother's side whom Brennan's father Max Keenan invited to spend Christmas with them in the episode "The Goop on the Girl."

Season 5

Initially, Dr. Brennan dislikes Margaret, which Dr.Sweets would tell her is because Margaret's off-putting personality is too similar to Dr. Brennan's own social difficulties. Booth notes a striking physical similarity between Dr. Brennan and Margaret, suggesting that they could easily pass for sisters (which the actresses are in real life). During Christmas dinner, Dra. Brennan finally expresses her irritation with Margaret's habit of quoting Benjamin Franklin, explaining that it is not really communication and that she would prefer to hear what Margaret has to say herself (without using Franklin as a proxy). Margaret replies, "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me."

Notes

• Margeret was portrayed by Emily Deschanel's real life sister Zooey Deschanel.
  • Max and Booth separately make hidden references to this when they state that she and Brennan look like they could be sisters.