A Boy in a Tree

Season 1, Episode 3, Aired
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Episode Summary

When the decaying corpse of the Venezuelan Ambassador's son is found hanging from a tree on the campus of an exclusive private school, a simple suicide case quickly turns into a web of lies, sex and scandal, involving the school's staff and students.
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Fan Episode Reviews (29)

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  • A god episode

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By vicky24c, May 16, 2011 Report Abuse
    In this episode of Bones, the following happens. Bones, Booth and Zach go to a prep school, when the body of a student is found hanging from a tree. Soon the head falls off of the body, which Bones manages to catch and then the rest of the body falls form the tree. We soon learn that the victim died between 10 and 14 days ago. We also learn that the victim was a Venezuelan Ambassador's son. When searching his room, they discover a hidden sex tape, of the victim and a girl. The girl is soon IDed, and is shocked to see the tape, as she had no idea about it. We soon learn that there are many more sex tapes, all with different people. Soon we learn that the girl, who made the sex tape with the victim, killed him.moreless

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    1 0

  • It just wasnt anything to write much about. It was OK until the weird sex rectangle thing then it quickly deteriorated.

    4.0
    "Poor"
    By dj6killa, Dec 26, 2010 Report Abuse
    It just wasnt anything to write much about. It was OK until the weird sex rectangle thing then it quickly deteriorated. James Bond is the only character cool enough to use one-liners regularly, this Temperance Character just can't cut it. Boone is also struggling, there isn't any chemistry between them just physics, they are like opposite poles, they repel each other. The dude seems to be waiting for her to get drunk so that he can do his thing, maybe later on a shared mishap or near death experience may pull them together but at the moment it looks like the guy is at the same level as the supposed fans of her book, like the Charlie character from the next episode.

    All in all, it was a good attempt, hope things get bettermoreless

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    0 3

  • this was a really good ep i thought

    8.5
    "Great"
    By cube2k8, May 09, 2010 Report Abuse
    in this ep bones gets called to the case that involes a really weathly private school. with a boy that is hung up in the tree dead and the school keeps saying its a suiside but the fbi agent keeps saying he does not agree with the explanation and bones and him must figure it out which it involes a web of lies and a huge sex scandal of sex tapes and staff that were involved. this was a really good ep can they figure it out or does it fall under the word suicide. i really enjoyed this ep alotmoreless

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  • A genuinely tragic case.

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By garbocats, Sep 19, 2009 Report Abuse
    A well-rounded episode. The case involves the mysterious death of a teenage boy at a super-posh prep school. The school is terrified of how the potential shame a homicide investigation would besmirch their reputation, and are keen that this boy's death is treated as suicide. A substantial part of Bones and Booth's investigation here is centred on proving, once and for all, just how the boy wound up hanging from a tree. The case for suicide is heightened by the boy's sense of isolation: Venezuelan, seemingly friendless and deaf. However, Booth is determined to prove this is murder, in large part because of his own deep-seated, working-class prejudice against privileged folks and posh schools. Once a case for murder has been established, the plot resolution comes thick and fast, and is a little disappointing - a case of high school jinks and cheap blackmail gone wrong.

    The best aspects of this episode are undoubtedly the character' interactions; sharp, witty and comic throughout. The ensemble cast come to the fore here, most particularly Zack (Eric Millegan) in his pursuit for sexual knowledge. Booth's barely repressed intolerance of Zack and Brennan's all-encompassing 'squintiness' is similarly hilarious.moreless

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  • Very interesting episode.

    8.5
    "Great"
    By whiteraven2005, Jul 20, 2009 Report Abuse
    This episode achieved what the previous episode did not, the political stuff in the background.

    I actually feel sorry for Booth, having to simultaneously deal with both Brennan and Zack's personality quirks. Zack is such a sweetie, he's like a big puppy, I'm surprised women aren't attracted to that.

    The headmaster is too political he seems to think if he repeats it's a suicide enough times then it makes it true. Loved Brennan: "You're basically just the principal of a high school."

    The Ambassador's video of Nestor is very touching. You can feel her desperation, she sent him to a very secure private school so he will be safe and he gets murdered. I would have done the same thing try to prove their security is flawed.

    Very good, the writers did a much better balance here of what's interesting and what's not.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • Booth gets his ID card at the very end of this episode, but in the previous episode, The Man In The SUV, he used one to enter a secure area in the Jeffersonian. This happened because The Man In The SUV was originally supposed to air after A Boy In A Tree. Edit
    • Booth: So, uh, what part of "this is mine" did you not understand? What? Do you want me to say it in Latin? Brennan: Absit invidia. "Absit invidia" means "no ill will," which in this situation is more or less "no offense". Brennan never actually translated "this is mine" (which would roughly translate to "id meum est") which is what Booth implied he was going to say in Latin. She instead just apologized in Latin for not listening to him. Edit
    • Goof: At the beginning of the episode, when Brennan, Booth and Zack are in the car, Zack goes from leaning forward to sitting back on his seat between shots. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • Featured Music: "Miles From Monterey (Bernie Remix)" by West Indian Girl (while Booth and Brennan drive to Nestor's parents' house) "The City Streets" off the Can You Feel It album by Positive Flow featuring Donna Gardier (at Wong Foo's) "Sunshine Everywhere" off the Digital Poetry album by Deep Audio "Cold Hands (Warm Heart)" off the Alternative to Love album by Brendan Benson (at the end at Wong Foo's) Edit
    • Soon after this episode aired, Fox ordered a full season of Bones due to the fact that the first three episodes of the show consistently ranked #1 among key demographics in the Tuesday 8:00 p.m. timeslot. Edit
    • David Boreanaz's Angel to Bones connection: actress Kavita Patil went from a nurse on the Angel episode "Dead End" to a doctor on this episode of Bones. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Zack: We're crime fighters. Edit
    • (Brennan talks to the Ambassador while Booth stands further away, listening) Brennan: Ambassador Olivos, you told me that all a mother wants is to know that she's raised her child well. That your biggest regret is that you will never know if Nestor would have grown up to be a good man, but he was a good man. He died because he was trying to do the right thing. (The Ambassador looks thankful and leaves while Booth walks over to Brennan) Booth: Very impressive Temperance. You got that one right. (He smiles and she smiles back) Edit
    • Booth: Thank you. Brennan: For what? Booth: For going with my instincts in there. Brennan: I did not back up your instincts. I bought time to find the facts I need to tell me what happened to Nester Olivos. What's with you and the private school? Booth: I thought we understood each other. Brennan: Oh, that's bad, understanding each other? Booth: I don't like people who think they're better than other people. Brennan: Some people are better than other people. Booth: You know, what you said right there, that is so Un-American. All men are created equal, either you believe that or you don't. Brennan: Some people are smarter than others, there's no use being offended by the fact. (pause) What are we going to tell Nester's parents? Booth: We tell them that their son was found dead. We're looking into it. Sorry for your loss. And we are. Brennan: What? Booth: Sorry for their loss. It's sad. Try to remember that. Brennan: Uh, I'm not a sociopath. Booth: You're bad with people, okay. No use being offended by the fact. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • In the movie "Excalibur" (1981), late in the film, the knight Percival (Played by Paul Geoffrey) is searching for his fellow knights and comes across a tree where several men are hanging dead. In that scene a crow is seen pecking at one of the dead knights in a similar manner to the the crow that pecked at Nestor Olivos' body while it was hanging from a tree. Edit
    • "Tucker was all 'Stacy's Mom' about it." "Stacy's Mom" is a reference to a Fountains of Wayne song, which is about a boy who is attracted to his friend's mom. Edit

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