Bones: “The Plain in the Prodigy” Review

Human remains are found strewn along railroad tracks, and Brennan determines the body was dead before being hit by the train. Though the victim appears to have been in his teens, his bones show no markers of modern life, leading Brennan to conclude he was Amish.

Identified as Levi Yoder, the boy is found to have been a gifted pianist who practiced in secret because the Amish forbid the playing of musical instruments. Levi had reached the age for Rumspringa—when he had to choose between the Amish community and the outside world—and the episode threw into doubt which choice he’d made. That Levi’s remains were scattered across several miles of track was a good additional obstacle.

Levi’s musical teacher shows Brennan and Booth a video of him practicing with two other students, all of whom were competing for acceptance to an elite music program. One of the students, Karen, reveals Levi was living with her while in Washington, DC. She recalls passing an Amish man on his way to see Levi. Quite plausibly, Levi’s father or Levi’s girlfriend’s brother could have come to convince him to return home and killed him when things got out of hand. Karen or her boyfriend might also have killed Levi to eliminate the competition. In light of the many good suspects and motives, I was a bit let down by the mystery’s random resolution.

The B story involved Cam and the possibility that her adopted daughter Michelle was about to lose her virginity. Tamara Taylor played a good flustered Cam and Michelle rebuffed her advice, but eventually they made up. I thought their reconciliation was quick considering how upset Michelle was to begin. Then again, I don’t think Cam and Michelle’s relationship flows well with the rest of the show in general.

The tone of this week’s episode was more serious, foregoing the usual cute ending. It was respectful, I thought, of the Amish and the passing of a great musical talent.

About Gerald So

Gerald So covers THE BIG BANG THEORY, BONES, BURN NOTICE, NCIS, NCIS: LOS ANGELES, and PSYCH each week for BSCreview. His personal blog is If You Want to Know About My Life.