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"The Suit on the Set" is episode twelve of season seven of Bones, the forensic drama television series loosely based on the novels and life of anthropologist Kathy Reichs. In this episode, Brennan and Booth are on the set of the film based on Brennan's book when a fake body turns out to be a real one.
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A Trailer for a Film
This episode opens at the Pyramids at Giza with many explosions, gun fire, fighter jets and the Sphinx being destroyed by a missile as a man and woman stand in front of it shooting wildly. This a trailer for the upcoming film, Bone of Contention (so, it's a show based on a book series shot at a film based on a book written in the television program that is based on a book). The actor and actress are being interviewed on a talk show. Hodgins, Cam, Sweets and Angela are actually watching this at the Jeffersonian - Hodgins is upset because they don't get to see the actors playing the other scientists. Such as fictional him, perhaps.
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On the Set of the Film
Booth and Brennan are on set and Brennan is reading the script and asking why her book has been changed so much. Including the name of the Jeffersonian. Brennan is also concerned because there are mistakes in the science. The VP of production is not that interested. The shoot goes ahead, rife with inaccuracies, so Brennan halts shooting. The director is not interested in her opinion. The VP of production says that they have an expert consultant - Dr. Douglas Filmore, the Canadian podiatrist seen in "The Feet on the Beach". He explains that it isn't his fault, the director, Jocko, just wants things that look good on screen. Filmore says he was upset about the scientific inaccuracies. Until he got his first pay check.
Not a Fake Body
A new body is brought out on the set for a reshoot of the scene. Both Booth and Brennan recognise the smell. The new fake body isn't fake, it's a real one. Hodgins wants them to solve the crime, because then their fictional versions might get a bigger role in the film. Cam points out it's not their jurisdiction, but Brennan begs Booth into taking over.
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Not Just a Pretty Face
Filmore and Brennan are examining the body when one of the actors, the Hodgins-one, comes for some stuff. Said actor, Barry Scott, identifies some foliage by looking at it. It turns out he has doctorates in botany and microbiology and dabbled in entomology. Given Scott's background, Brennan recruits him for help. Booth talks to the head of security - a former FBI agent who extols the virtue of the job (which Booth looks to be considering). Hodgins is upset about Scott being involved in the case, and is not convinced by his scientific bona fides (to start with). When Angela does a facial reconstruction of the victim, Scott recognises him immediately, as he's the head of the studio.
The Victim Had a Habit of Vanishing
The man, Hanson Stevens, hasn't been reported missing and his assistant says that he is busy in his office. Which is not true. Unless it's busy being dead. The man is still not in the office though. He apparently had a habit of disappearing a few times per year with an actress and the assistant would cover for him. Hanson was also very unpopular.
What is Reality?
Booth and Brennan end up dealing with people with a fairly stereotypical tenuous grasp on the differences between fiction and reality.
A Blast From the Past
Thanks to Barry Scott, a cinematic episode from Cam's past comes to light. A fairly embarrassing one.
Bones - The Suit on the Set Trailer
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