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Bones: Judas on a Pole

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Booth and Brennan are called to the scene where a man's body was found gutted, burned, and hung like a scarecrow on the roof of a Federal Building. Evidence left on the body re-opens a 30-year-old case and links back to Brennan's father. Meanwhile, Zack must defend his dissertation to obtain his doctorate, asking help from a colleague. Read full recap »

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Writers:: Hart Hanson

Director:: David Duchovny

Stars:: Tamara Taylor (Dr. Camille Saroyan (Season 2+)); Emily Deschanel (Dr. Temperance Brennan); Eric Millegan (Zack Addy); Michaela Conlin (Angela Montenegro); David Boreanaz (Special Agent Seeley Booth); T.J. Thyne (Dr. Jack Hodgins)

Guest Star:: Patricia Belcher (Asst. U.S. Attorney Patricia Belcher); Joseph E. Davis (Security Guard); Kathy Reichs (Professor Constance Wright); Joseph Ruskin (Professor William Grayson); Bryan Cuprill (Asst. U.S. Attorney Dan Burridge); Barbara Williams (Barbara Harper); Madison Mason (Judge Ted Kemper); Ryan Cutrona (FBI Dep. Director Kirby); Lou Beatty Jr. (Marvin Beckett); Loren Dean (Russ Brennan); Ryan O'Neal (Father Toby Coulter)

Goof: While Booth calls Caroline Julian to ask her for her help with the sniper list, we can see that she has a fur on her steering wheel. After the camera cuts back to her, the fur has disappeared. edit »
Although Brennan's father had drastically altered his appearance and aged 15 years since she'd seen him, she still should have been able to identify his voice, especially since she recognized his voice from the message he left on her answering machine in the last episode of season one (presumably only a few months earlier). edit »
Goof: When Max kills and burns his first victim we are told by Booth that he also gutted him. But when the shot cut to him on fire there is no sign of any trauma - his shirt is even still tucked in. edit »
When Russ is in Brennan's apartment talking to her about the girls and Booth enters with the file for Gus Harper, Booth hands over the list and it has Steve Beers' name on it. That's the name Vince McVicar went by in the Witness Protection Program. edit »
Goof: When Booth is at Bones' house talking with her and Russ about their parents, he hands a list of bank robbers and their code names to Bones and then starts to put some pictures on the coffee table. The last two pictures are from Cook and Columbus. After Bones says "All named after explorers.", Russ points at two pictures and says "That's mom and dad." But we never saw Booth taking out Ruth Keenan's picture from the file. It just appeared from nowhere..
And if you pay attention, you can see that when Booth is throwing the pictures on the table and is saying the third name, the camera angle changes to the table and there are more than three pictures there. Actually, five of them.
And when Ruth Keenan's picture appears out of the blue, there are fewer pictures than before. Maybe two or three.
Ruth Keenan aka Christine Brennan - Alias Fremont
Max Keenan aka Matthew Brennan - Alias Columbus edit »

In three different scenes throughout the episode the sound is compromised multiple times by feedback generated by electronic devices (for example, cell phones) near sound equipment. One such scene is when Brennan's father tells her and Booth to "back off." edit »
Actor David Duchovny (who starred as Mulder on The X-Files) directed this episode, which is interesting since Booth and Brennan's relationship has been compared to Mulder and Scully's relationship on The X-Files. edit »
International Air Dates:
Denmark: March 20th, 2007 on TV3
Spain: April 20th, 2007 on FOX TV Spain
Belgium: November 2nd, 2007 on RTL-TVI
Germany: November 8th, 2007 on RTL
Australia: January 3rd, 2008 on 7
Finland: July 18th, 2008 on Sub
India: August 20th, 2008 on Star World edit »
In the opening scenes, while Zack is being quizzed regarding his dissertation, Kathy Reichs (whose works this series is based on) herself is the blonde doctor on the panel. edit »
Featured Music:
"Sea Lion" by Sage Francis (during the opening scene)
"Running up that hill" by Placebo (when Deputy Director Kirby is burning on the roof) edit »

Russ: Me at work. Me and Amy. This is the day before yesterday. Dad was right. Someone's watching.
Booth: This is worse than watching.
Brennan: What do you mean?
Booth: This is hunting.
Russ: Hunting?
Booth: As in kill. You see these right here? These are ranges. He's picking out a spot from which to shoot at you.
Russ: So what do I do now?
Brennan: The hunter's dead. The hunt is over, right? edit »
Brennan: (upset) Columbus shot a man in the head, hung him from a pole, gutted him and set him on fire, and Columbus is our father. edit »
Coulter: You know, you're very much like him.
Brennan: I'm, I'm nothing like my father.
Coulter: Black and white. The two of you always saw the world in black and white. edit »
Brennan: Why didn't you tell me you had Father Coulter under surveillance?
Booth: It is my job to find your dad and put him in prison.
Brennan: And you don't think I'll help?
Booth: What? He's your father. I really don't think I should have to ask you to help.
Brennan: He abandoned me, Booth, and that's the best thing you can say about him.
Booth: Your father lives by a certain code and part of that code is defending his family by whatever means necessary.
Brennan: You mean killing people and setting their corpses on fire.
Booth: Any means necessary sort of covers that.
Brennan: You respect him?
Booth: I'm just saying in his world he's a very honorable man.
Brennan: That's ridiculous. There's only one world. It's this one.
Booth: Would that be the one world where you're mad at me for trying to catch your father or the other world where you actually want him caught.
Brennan: Neither.
Booth: Well, you gotta pick one.
Brennan: Either. Both. edit »
Booth: Bones, I take a stand-up crook over a crooked cop any day of the week. edit »

Booth: That's the Law of the Jungle.

The Law of the Jungle is generally thought to mean "survival of the fittest." But the verse from Numbers more closely resembles "blood vengeance," allowing the family of a murder victim to kill the murderer. As an anthropologist, Brennan would have understood this concept no matter the form of English. Also, the fact that Brennan asks what the Numbers verse means is out of place because many tribal laws have the concept of blood vengeance and she is constantly applying anthropological concepts to our culture. edit »
Title: Judas on a Pole

This is an allusion to Judas Iscariot, one of the 12 Apostles of Jesus as portrayed in the Catholic and Christian religions, among others. He is the one who betrays Jesus, signifying the "betrayers" in this episode that burn on the pole. edit »

9.9
00
eilien
member since: Jan 5, 2007
Judas on a Pole
The Bottom Line: "Character development"
There's more than one kind of family ...Continue »
03/05/08 10:15am | report abuse
9.5
00
alguna
member since: Jan 3, 2008
Judas on a Pole
The Bottom Line: "Adventurous"
Bones meets her dad again, Bones and Booth discover an FBI conspiracy, Booth almost looses his job, Zach finishes his doctorate and Cam decides that he's going to stay work with them. ...Continue »
02/14/08 01:49am | report abuse
10
00
Crazy4bones90
member since: Jul 15, 2007
Judas on a Pole
The Bottom Line: "Exactly why I watch this series"
One of the best episodes of Bones ...Continue »
07/14/07 05:43pm | report abuse
10
00
Christy1994
member since: Feb 5, 2007
Judas on a Pole
The Bottom Line: "Exactly why I watch this series"
So far this is the best season 2 episode. ...Continue »
07/12/07 06:26pm | report abuse
9.9
01
hotpinkcons21
member since: Jan 31, 2007
Judas on a Pole
The Bottom Line: "A very special episode"
And I will say it yet again:just who do those two think they are kidding!!! You like each other!!!! Do something about it!!! ...Continue »
03/23/07 11:12am | report abuse