‘Bones’ season 8, episode 6 review: Heroes, squinterns, and tears

“Bones” season 8 aired one of their standalone episodes on Monday night in “The Patriot in Purgatory,” and it was one that combined a little bit of humor with what may have been the show’s most moving story of the year. With the show airing the day after Veterans’ Day, this was a tribute in many ways to the heroes who lost their lives on 9/11.

When it comes to the primary mystery this episode, it revolved around this: how did a man who was in many ways a hero at the Pentagon end up dead one week later? This was a cold case for the ages, and just about everyone was on the case. The squinterns were all grouped together in a way to try and uncover just what the secret to this death was, and Booth and Brennan were sent out to work together.

Really, the squinterns discovered that what we were looking at when it came to this strange case was not murder by any means; rather, it was a result of this man trying to save people’s lives on that fateful day. In lifting up piles of concrete that were far too heavy for him, he ended up puncturing his lung and slowly died over the course of several days, without really anyone knowing who he was. In the end, this man without a home was buried a hero, and even in full military fashion with Booth in his military uniform.

What really made this episode work was not necessarily just the subject matter, but that it was handled with respect while at the same time still in true “Bones” fashion. The funeral scene was a tear-jerker, but it then ended with a lovely scene with Booth and Brennan at home as she explained her own experience on September 11 at the Twin Towers on a rescue mission.

What do you think about this episode?