Bones

Player Under Pressure

Season 3, Episode 11, Aired 4/21/08

Episode Summary

The team works to identify the bones of a college athlete who was crushed behind gym bleachers. After the body is identified as star player RJ Manning, they discover that he was murdered. Booth and Brennan follow several leads, at one point thinking there could have been multiple killers.moreless

9.0

EPISODE RATING: Superb

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Cast & Crew

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T.J. Thyne

Dr. Jack Hodgins
Michaela Conlin

Angela Montenegro
Eric Millegan

Zack Addy

Fan Episode Reviews (25)

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Much better in season 2 as it completes the story of how Brennan sees some of the men in her life.

9.0

"Superb"

By HurryUpSlowly, Sep 13, 2011 Report Abuse

It's really unfortunate that this episode didn't get aired in season 2 because it does a pretty good job of completing the story about how Brennan sees some of the men in her life.

In a previous episode, she goes to watch Sully play a game (basketball?) and since she had been instructed by Angela to at least try and act like a girl, she pelts the poor guy with compliments, including that he played like a warrior. The context makes it clear that this isn't serious - it's part of the 'I'm interested in you' dynamics and basically denotes that Brennan tells Sully what she thinks will impress him (and therefore acts like a girl, although she's clearly over the top - something that Sully does notice when he suggests that they can keep some topics to discuss at dinner).

In Player under Pressure we find out Brennan's real opinion about guys and games (fundamentally that guys play at being warriors) but then we have a twist at the end where she says to Booth that he doesn't play at being a warrior, he is a warrior. Since she says this quite seriously, I really think she doesn't try to be girly on this one but instead is honest. The implication is that one of the reasons that she didn't leave with Sully is that, at some level, she realised that he only played around (not that he wasn't serious about her but that he didn't have the intensity she finds attractive or otherwise desirable in an adult male). The key question is, of course, what does this all mean? This is what's interesting for me. On the one hand, poor Booth has no clue that he's being paid an even bigger compliment than he may think he is because of the implicit comparison with Sully (the latter being the perpetual adolescent). On the other hand, I suspect that, for Brennan to be in character, she must be uncomfortable with his being a warrior - after all, this is a very traditional gender role. My solution to this dilemma is for her to see herself as a warrior too - which may be the case since her relationship with Booth is predicated in equality. In any case, I would really like to find some further clarification of this in later episodes.

Since the whole episode is built around the metaphor of games and guys (and the various services of the cheerleaders - I found that more than a bit disgusting but then I never liked cheerleaders), I think this is a very coherent episode revolving around a pretty revealing character development moment. Again, I really wish this had been aired in its proper place, it makes so much more sense.moreless

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Great Brennan/Booth interactions carry an otherwise average show

8.5

"Great"

By karlmeszaros, Sep 13, 2011 Report Abuse

I felt the main storyline was OK, and the ending was a surprise as I never expected the killer to be the person it turned out to be, although in retrospect, one could see how they would do what they did under the circumstances. There, how's that for avoiding a spoiler. :)

A friend tells me that this episode was moved from Season 2 to 3 due to the Virginia Tech shootings and the Angela/Hodgins personal life in the workplace storyline was added to replace original content which didn't fit the storyline any more. Leave it to FOX to fill the way they did. This is a great show, one of the best currently airing I think, and it doesn't need to stoop to this level.

The B&B interactions were by far the best part of a show in which the gross body decomposition scenes were also over the top. Definitely not a show during which one would be having a snack.

The B&B dialog makes the episode worth watching again. I enjoyed the scene in the gym where Brennan really hurts Booth with her harsh comments about athletics and the men that watch them. She takes a shot at part of his identity while he is trying to show her how to shoot a free throw. Although it doesn't look like it, she is paying attention and makes a shot of her own after he leaves! The culmination of all this in the final scene when she calls him 'a great man' is sweet.

Lastly, I'm still chuckling over the skull through the grater test with the turkey and the ambrosia salad. Priceless!moreless

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3 0
Definitely dirtier than the usual college case.

9.5

"Superb"

By whiteraven2005, Sep 13, 2011 Report Abuse

Now that is a truly nasty crime scene, complete with baby rats. You would think Cam would know better than to stand nearby during a Zach/Hodgins experiment.

From a sexual point of view, this is certainly one of the dirtier cases. To find the girl who was with the victim when he died, they match saliva and lipstick. It's not much of a shock to find out it was the father, imagine seeing your child doing that. Even worse when you yourself were like RJ and played the field. Booth obviously was lying to Cutler, how many stories have we heard where Booth recalled his exploits and called every single one of the girls by name?

Very good episode.moreless

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1 0
Another good one

9.0

"Superb"

By vicky24c, Jun 09, 2011 Report Abuse

In this episode of Bones, the following happens. Bones and Booth are called in when a body is found crushed behind gym bleachers at a college. The body, or at least what's left of it, is quickly IDed as star player RJ Manning, who played basketball for the college. Soon the girl who found the victim becomes the prime suspect. Soon the evidence leads them to believe that the killer is actually on the cheerleading squad. Soon the murder weapon is found. Soon the murderer is revealed, and I can say that I was not surprised. When they go to question him, he pulls a gun and places it to his temple. Booth tries his best to talk him down, and as he is about to pull the trigger, Bones places her hand between the trigger and manages to pull the gun away.moreless

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1 0
It was interesting to watch..

9.0

"Superb"

By Bekahhh, Feb 08, 2011 Report Abuse

This was actually an amazing episode to watch. The end bit with the guy who was trying to kill himself and just crying and crying was really touching and all of his emotions were just really clearly portrayed, and the bit were Brennen takes the gun out of his hand and then says 'ow' just reminds me why i love her and why i love this show!
There were really funny parts in this episode, like Cam giving Angela the tape of Angela + Hodgins, and Angela then rewatching it and Cam telling her she should lower down the volume :')
The dialogue between Booth and Brennen alone would have been enough to keep me watching this whole episode, but to my delight there was so much more to keep me glued to my screen :)
I think the characters all learnt something from this episode and it was a great episode with a great plotlinemoreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
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- Goof: When Officer Cutler pulls out the gun to shoot himself, the first time he drops the gun accidentally and the camera pans up just a tiny bit. Then the camera goes back down to see Cutler pull out his gun the second time. The scene then continues as the camera pans up for the second time. Edit
- When Booth is talking to Eddie and Jimmy, Eddie says (referring to his gonorrhea), "Why worry? It's just a shot in the ass." This does not match up with what Cam stated in the scene before about the urine samples. She said the samples had traces of Cefixime in them, which meant that one of the athletes had gonorrhea ... but Cefixime is given orally, not in injection form. Edit
Notes
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- Featured Music: "Uprising Down Under" by Sam Roberts (during the last scene) Edit
- Emily Deschanel and Michelle Page shared an appearance in the season 3 Crossing Jordan episode "All the News Fit to Print." Edit
- International Air Dates: Spain: April 8th, 2008 on La Sexta Denmark: April 8th, 2008 on TV3 United Kingdom: May 1st, 2008 on Sky1 Sweden: August 10th, 2008 on TV3 The Netherlands: September 8th, 2008 on RTL 4 Norway: September 11th, 2008 on TV3 Australia: October 13th, 2008 on Channel 7 Belgium: November 10th, 2008 on 2BE Finland: February 13th, 2009 on Sub Czech Republic: November 18th, 2009 on Prima Edit
Quotes
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- Brennan: Of all the bad decisions you've made the one thing you're ashamed of is having sex with a not hot girl?! Edit
- Cam: So by gelatinous material you meant ambrosia salad? Hodgins: It sounded more scientific. Edit
- Brennan: Is she crying because she loved him, or because she lost a mansion? Booth: (mouths) The mansion. Edit
Allusions
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- Angela: Rah-rah, sis-boom-bah. Rah-rah (an abbreviation of hurrah), sis-boom-bah is a popular cheer for college sport teams, usually followed by the name of the university. Angela is using the cheer squad yell to explain the name of the lipstick - "Shock-Rah." Edit