“The Pathos in the Pathogens” has nonstop action from beginning to end. It focuses on one story, which means there is more time to tell that story, however the episodes feels like it moves a bit too quickly, like everything is all over the place. This is one of those times where a cliffhanger ending may have helped and also where the scientific terms went way over my head.
Unidentifiable Virus
A woman’s body has been infected with a deadly virus, one that can’t be identified. She’s even too difficult to ID at first because of the lack of tissue or teeth. Whoever killed her knew what he/she was doing.
Because of her virus and not knowing how extreme it is, the Jeffersonian treats it as a biohazard. They’re wearing huge suits and masks; the CDC is called in.
The woman is Mia, a journalist/blogger whose focus was on medical research, doping and other drugs. Her boyfriend is also a journalist who covers travel. It doesn’t seem plausible that he’s the killer because the virus seems too scientific for any regular person to get a hold of.
Few Hours to Live
The virus turns out not to be airborne, which is great news. Arastoo, Brennan and the CDC guy prepare to move the body when all of a sudden, Arastoo lets out a yelp. It turns out something from the body poked his finger — and he’s bleeding.
He’s immediately isolated into another room despite Cam’s resistance at first — Arastoo himself didn’t want to go to the hospital for fear or infecting others and he wanted the Jeffersonian team to be able to observe him. Watching Arastoo’s condition get worse is difficult to watch, especially Cam. I felt her struggle of trying to keep her emotions inside — after all, she’s at work.
The CDC serum that gets injected into Arastoo causes him to have a seizure, and things are looking worse for him. Meanwhile, Hodgins is trying to find an herbal remedy that might work. He looks somewhat scared when Brennan catches him. After all, scientists relying on plant and maggots to find a remedy for their colleague? But Brennan is completely on board.
The remedy stabilizes Arastoo, but the bad news is he only has four hours to live.
Brennan Saves the Day
All along, Angela has been looking through Mia’s computer, specifically her emails. She finds out the victim’s boyfriend knew Mia was cheating on her with who she was investigating. Neither pan out as possible suspects so focus turns to the last person who saw Mia, who works at a lab that deals with viruses.
While her lab is clean for any type of tiny infection, it turns out she was fired from her old job for stealing research — and an experimental virus. But she swears it isn’t her but must be her boss, who’s obsessed with getting money for his own lab.
They’re able to find out lab was certified for the toxin this year, which means the woman had no way of accessing it.
The real killer won’t give up the antivirus, even as Booth drags him through the Jeffersonian and makes him get close with Mia’s bones and Arastoo’s slowly dying body. Brennan does something brilliant — she injects the killer with a form of the virus, which forces him to give up the antivirus since he himself wants to live.
But of course, Brennan’s syringe did not have anything that could kill anyone, but at the end of the day, everyone is safe.
Bones is back next week with a David Boreanaz-directed season finale! Pelant is back with half his face burned, and it looks like he’s coming after Booth.
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(Image courtesy of FOX)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
