Numb3rs

Bones of Contention

Season 2, Episode 10, Aired 12/9/05

Episode Summary

When a researcher who specializes in Native American antiquities is killed at the museum where she works, the FBI is called in because the museum is on federal land.

8.6

EPISODE RATING: Great

197 votes

Your Rating: 10

"Perfect"
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"Superb"
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"Great"
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"Good"
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"Mediocre"
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"Bad"
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Cast & Crew

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Rob Morrow

Don Eppes
Peter MacNicol

Dr. Larry Fleinhardt
Navi Rawat

Amita Ramanujan

Fan Episode Reviews (11)

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10

"Perfect"

By gopink, Jun 23, 2011 Report Abuse

This episode is okay and it's good. But it keep audience boring but we don't want that! But I love Eppes's Plot in this episode. Their plot were about their dad hides their mother's clothes and stuff. He was supposed to give them away to charity and Donate. Charlie think Dad is not ready let his wife go. It is so funny that Amita knew Charlie don't organize his office!! But Charlie said he organize enough! It is so funny! I love Eppes scenes but not case! Case is boring, it should make people exciting and more action from FBI! Great episode!moreless

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0 1
moving on

10

"Perfect"

By ferriswheel01, Mar 11, 2008 Report Abuse

Although I gave this episode a ten I was basing that solely on the Eppes scenes. I liked the parts where Charlie found out that Alan was supposed to have taken his deceased wives belongings to a charity shop but instead he hid them in the garage. I liked the friendly confrontation that Charlie and Don had with Alan over it. The ending was definitely the best part when Charlie was trying to hug Don. I enjoyed the case in this episode but felt a little disappointed when I compare it to other episodes of Numb3rs. Hopefully there is better to come.moreless

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Review

7.1

"Good"

By cavanagh15, Feb 28, 2007 Report Abuse

Lets break this episode down into two parts - the case and the personal character devolopment part. The case in question was one of the most boring in series history. The pace of the entire episode was slow and overall I didnt think the math connected it was used enough. Charlie used math twice in this episode, but nothing amazing that I could actually understand. The dinner party was a little less dramatic then I thought it could have been. I thought after the end of the last episode it would have been really cool to see Megan invited over for the dinner party. I thought the case was really boring, the math was pretty boring, and the personal lives of the characters pretty boring as well. Not one of the bext this series has been able to come up with.moreless

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The episode was good, but needed more explanation.

8.5

"Great"

By kateyvic, Aug 14, 2006 Report Abuse

I had no trouble with the episode "Bones of Contention." But that is because I actually have some familiarity with archaeology and the Kennewick man controversy (on which this episode was based).

They never properly explained the controversy that the skull being classified as "caucasian" caused. It doesn't effect Native American land rights, but rather causes issues with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act or NAGPRA (which basically says that all native remains and grave goods found on public land must be returned to the tribe they originated from). Granted, NAGPRA isn't the most exciting topic in the universe, but without explaining it the controversy seems to be over Native American land rights, thus getting people up in arms over nothing.

However, I did enjoy the episode (if not the fan reaction to it), and I thought that the team interaction was very good. And there were quite a few good lines ("Someone needs to circulate that memo.").moreless

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It was okay, nothing exciting happened. I thought that the guy at the end would have put up more of a fight. It was good for character developement.

8.8

"Great"

By Scully656, Dec 12, 2005 Report Abuse

This episode was okay, there wasn't a lot of anything in this episode. It is an interesting topic, it just didn't come out exciting. It was a good episode for character development. It was good that they're bringing up the mom's death and the family's reaction to it. I wonder what the ice cream tasted like?!

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
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- The image of the skull that is reproduced and pictured throughout looks very strange largely because the eye orbits are completely filled in by bone. Real orbits have other bits like the lachrymal bone and hollows that allow the optical nerves into the brain. Edit
- Larry has sold his restored 1877 Victorian house. Edit
- The MATH in this episode included: Exponential decay and Voronoi diagram. Edit
Notes
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- International Episode Titles: Czech Republic: Spor o kosti (Contention About Bones) Edit
- International Airdates: Czech Republic: May 29, 2009 on TV Nova Slovakia: November 10, 2009 on JOJ Edit
- Graham Greene also played in 5 episodes of Northern Exposure with Rob Morrow. Edit
Quotes
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- Larry: (About the ancient skull) Yeah, did his family wonder what happened? Anybody cry for him?... Real faith cannot transcend knowledge. It has to adapt to it and embrace it. And bones?... Charlie: They don't make the man. Larry: And they sure don't make the soul. Edit
- Alan: You're gonna help with the dishes? We should eat at someone else's house more often. Edit
- Charlie: The math always works. Edit
Allusions
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- Don: Carbon dating uses radiation, right? The technique of radiocarbon dating was discovered by Willard Frank Libby and his colleagues in 1949. In 1960, Libby was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for radiocarbon dating. Edit
- The 'Professor Kepler' whose class Amita teaches is named after Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), an astronomer who determined the laws governing planetary motion. Edit