Bones Season Finale Review: The Nightmare Within the Nightmare (Season 11 Episode 22)
I’m not sure that I’ve ever been this excited about a cliffhanger.
The season finale of Bones, “The Nightmare Within the Nightmare,” is full of suspense as Brennan finds herself in immediate danger, and it includes a surprise ending that has me both terrified and full of joy.
Because this big bad isn’t just ANY big bad. He’s a character we’ve wanted back for a long time now, and he’s one who was beloved.
It’s Zack Addy, and his arrival is perfect.
But let me back up a bit.
This episode is dark, upsetting, and very, very creepy. Not only does it deal with one of the most twisted serial killers we’ve seen, but it also leaves us feeling unsettled as we never know what’s real or what’s another one of Brennan’s nightmares.
It’s clear that the serial killer is obsessed with Brennan, and he’s coming after her next. And that danger is affecting her psyche in a whole new way.
She’s not sleeping, and she’s unbalanced. It’s getting to her in a way that makes her less of the logical Brennan we know, and when she finally becomes desperate, she turns to psychology — something that generally goes against her beliefs.
It gives us a chance to see a different side of Brennan — a vulnerable side that doesn’t come out often, at least not in this way. Add to that the fact that she feels guilty for ever leaving her job in the first place, blaming herself for not having caught the puppeteer serial killer soon.
I appreciate that her guilt keeps coming back up, reminding us that there was a time with Booth and Brennan left their jobs, and that it wasn’t all that long ago. It also makes it even more poetic that the killer turns out to be Brennan’s apprentice.
I had to watch this episode more than once, because once I figured out it was Zack (which was only a few moments before Booth did) I couldn’t believe I didn’t see it coming.
The clues are there, from the emphasis on the burnt hands in the opening scene, to all the discussion of how smart the killer is, to the way Wendell speaks to Brennan in her dream.
Wendell: Everything’s gonna to be okay, Dr. Brennan. You’ll figure it out. And if you knew what I knew, you’d be so proud of me.
He doesn’t sound quite like Wendell in that scene, but rather, someone else — someone familiar. And someone who always wanted Brennan’s approval. The affect in his voice is just like Zack’s.
When Brennan goes missing and Booth realizes she’s been taken, the team assembles to go through everything they know. When they do, it’s almost blatantly obvious.
The looks on their faces, especially for Booth and Hodgins, reveals so much more than fear.
We’re heading into what will be the final season of Bones, and we’ve been promised something satisfying. We’re already off to a hell of a start bringing back a character we sometimes wondered if we would never see again, but to bring him back like this?
I’m beyond thrilled.
Because we know with the way things were left with Zack that he was capable of worse. He’d been seeing Sweets secretly, and his moral code was clearly skewed.
Now, with Sweets gone, who knows what has been going on with Zack off-screen to make him go off the deep end entirely. Granted, there’s still some room for interpretation here, and Zack may not be working alone, but it sure looks like Brennan is in danger.
More than anything, I appreciate that a storyline from several seasons ago is being paid off in such a big way.
It’s going to make the show feel that much more complete when it ends, and it’s going to bring with it a lot of opportunities to bring things full-circle.
Unfortunately, we’ll be waiting a while before we get that final season, but it least it means there’s time to re-watch old episodes in preparation.
Other Thoughts:
- It bugged me in “The Jewel in the Crown” to see that Hodgins was going to have this miraculous sort of recovery, but this episode shows the pain he’s going through during that process, which makes me start to re-think that.
- That puppeteer birthday party still has me upset. Those poor kids are going to be scarred for life.
- I’m glad we get to see Max in this episode, who despite his faults, always seems to show up when his daughter needs him these days.
- I was missing Sweets more than ever when Brennan found herself in need of a psychologist, weren’t you?
What did you think of the season finale of Bones? How do you feel about Zack’s return? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!
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More photos from “The Nightmare Within the Nightmare”
Bones returns next year for its final season on Fox.
Ashley Bissette Sumerel
Ashley Bissette Sumerel is a television and film critic living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV as well as Eulalie Magazine. Ashley has also written for outlets such as Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and Insider. Ashley has been a member of the Critics Choice Association since 2017 and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. In addition to her work as an editor and critic, Ashley teaches Entertainment Journalism, Composition, and Literature at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
2 comments
Read the interview by the actor who plays Zack on TVGuide.com. It will totally change your idea of what is happening.
Wow! I see what you mean! At first I was totally shocked by the big reveal at the end of the episode but the more I thought about it, it didn’t quite make sense. I can’t wait until January to see if some of what I’m thinking is right!
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