Bones

10 Best Episodes of Bones - Season 5

Dr. Temperance Brennan and her colleagues at the Jeffersonian's Medico-Legal Lab assist Special Agent Seeley Booth with murder investigations when the remains are so badly decomposed, burned or destroyed that the standard identification methods are useless.

Written by Sophie and last updated on feb 04, 2023.

PS: The following content contains spoilers!

PPS: I will admit that parts of this page was written with the help of AI - it makes my work so much easier to not start from a blank page!

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Bones - S5E9

#15 - The Gamer in the Grease (Season 5 - Episode 9)

When the remains of a competitive gamer are discovered in a grease truck, Brennan and Booth are called to investigate the case. The victim, Steve Rifton, is the only active player known in the gaming community to have received a perfect score on a famous video game. Steve turned his success into a lucrative partnership with a gaming referee and charged fans to play on the very machine that gave him the perfect score. But between sour business deals and bitter competitors, the team at the Jeffersonian must work to narrow down the many suspects with motive for ending Rifton’s reign as gaming king. Meanwhile, Hodgins, Sweets and Jeffersonian intern Colin Fischer take turns camping out for tickets to a movie premiere.

The episode was rated 7.82 from 458 votes.

Bones - S5E11

#14 - The X in the File (Season 5 - Episode 11)

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Booth and Brennan go to New Mexico to investigate when a body is found in the desert near Roswell. Meanwhile, when Angela's new relationship is revealed to the rest of the lab, Hodgins has a hard time coping.

The episode was rated 7.82 from 477 votes.

Bones - S5E5

#13 - A Night at the Bones Museum (Season 5 - Episode 5)

Brennan and Booth are called to investigate what appears to be charred human remains on an electrical fence. The mysterious corpse is later determined to be a mummified Egyptian royal on loan to the Jeffersonian. The anthropological mystery has Brennan in a tizzy, and when the Jeffersonian curator prepping the mummy for exhibition is murdered, the team suspects foul play. Brennan’s investigation of the curator sheds new light on the life of the Egyptian royal, turning their case into one of historic proportions. Meanwhile, Brennan goes on a date with Booth’s supervisor and former intern, and Sweets’ girlfriend Daisy Wick returns to the Jeffersonian.

The episode was rated 7.83 from 475 votes.

Bones - S5E18

#12 - The Predator in the Pool (Season 5 - Episode 18)

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When human remains are discovered in the belly of a shark, Brennan and Booth are brought in to identify the missing person. Evidence suggesting the victim had been the prey of several fish directs the team’s investigation to The Aquarium of the Atlantic, where a guest lecturer and notorious self-help guru preaching the healing power of the ocean has gone missing. Meanwhile, both Brennan and Booth navigate their own relationship when a marine biologist shows interest in Booth.

The episode was rated 7.83 from 441 votes.

Bones - S5E20

#11 - The Witch in the Wardrobe (Season 5 - Episode 20)

A cabin burns down in the woods revealing two bodies, one of a modern-day witch and one from the days of the Salem Witch Trials leading Booth and Brennan into the world of Wicca to find a killer. Meanwhile, when Hodgins' reckless driving gets him and Angela arrested and thrown in jail, Sweets and intern Clark Edison step into unfamiliar territory to help out the team.

The episode was rated 7.84 from 467 votes.

Bones - S5E2

#10 - The Bond in the Boot (Season 5 - Episode 2)

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Brennan and Booth are asked to investigate the death of a man who was murdered for the secret contents of his briefcase. They suspect that secret operatives are at work, and their theory is proven correct when they find the liquefied remains of a CIA agent in the trunk of a car. Meanwhile, Brennan's new best-selling book causes tension between her and Booth, and Wendell loses his scholarship.

The episode was rated 7.85 from 519 votes.

Bones - S5E1

#9 - Harbingers in the Fountain (Season 5 - Episode 1)

It's been six weeks since Booth and Brennan have seen each other. Booth has been recovering from brain surgery, and Brennan has been on a dig in Guatemala. Angela's psychic, Avalon Harmonia reveals while reading Angela's tarot cards that there are multiple bodies buried under a Washington,DC fountain. Angela shares the information with Brennan and Booth, but they're both a little skeptical. The lead pans out, and the duo find the remains of 11 bodies exactly where the psychic said they would be. Meanwhile, Sweets has certified Booth mentally fit to return to duty after his brain surgery, but Booth is still experiencing some side effects from the coma.

The episode was rated 7.85 from 551 votes.

Bones - S5E8

#8 - The Foot in the Foreclosure (Season 5 - Episode 8)

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Booth’s grandfather comes to live with him and tags along as Brennan and Booth investigate human remains that were found by a real estate agent while showing a property to prospective buyers.

The episode was rated 7.87 from 463 votes.

Bones - S5E7

#7 - The Dwarf in the Dirt (Season 5 - Episode 7)

Stephen Fry returns as Dr. Gordon Wyatt. Booth, still suffering some lingering effects from his brain surgery, has to get re-certified for FBI marksmanship, but is not the accurate shot he was before going under the knife. Meanwhile, Booth and Brennan delve into the murder of a dwarf who used to be a wrestling star.

The episode was rated 7.88 from 466 votes.

Bones - S5E17

#6 - The Death of the Queen Bee (Season 5 - Episode 17)

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The team’s latest case takes Brennan back to her alma mater, Burtonsville High School, where she and Booth investigate the discovery of an unidentified skull and upper torso. With Angela’s help, they identify the victim as one of Brennan’s classmates, and notice a possible connection to a second murder committed 15 years prior. Brennan and Booth go undercover as a married couple at her class reunion to interrogate a set of suspects, where even as an adult, Brennan is still predictably misunderstood and her only friend lies in a strangely dark and offbeat janitor. Meanwhile, Hodgins spills a lab secret.

The episode was rated 7.91 from 467 votes.

Bones - S5E10

#5 - The Goop on the Girl (Season 5 - Episode 10)

When a man dressed as Santa Claus blows himself up during a botched bank robbery, Brennan and Booth work to identify the bomber and determine his motives. Meanwhile, Brennan makes plans to spend Christmas in El Salvador, but her father convinces her to spend the holidays with him and Margaret Whitesell, a newly discovered distant relative.

The episode was rated 7.93 from 465 votes.

Bones - S5E12

#4 - The Proof in the Pudding (Season 5 - Episode 12)

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Mr. White and his team of government agents put the Jeffersonian Lab on lock down and demand that Brennan and her forensics team determine a cause of death for an unidentified, but highly classified set of remains. As the team gets to work, their findings lead them to suspect they are investigating one of the most famous presidential assassinations in history. Meanwhile, Booth's boss, Andrew Hacker, helps him break into the lab and determine the motive behind the mystery investigation, and a frustrated Cam worries that Michelle may be keeping a big secret from her.

The episode was rated 7.99 from 487 votes.

Bones - S5E21

#3 - The Boy with the Answer (Season 5 - Episode 21)

The trial of The Gravedigger hits close to home for members of the team, and everyone at the Jeffersonian must work overtime to uncover the forensic evidence to elicit a conviction.

The episode was rated 8.10 from 480 votes.

Bones - S5E16

#2 - The Parts in the Sum of the Whole (Season 5 - Episode 16)

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In the 100th episode, Booth and Brennan tell Sweets about a mistake in his book. Sweets is shocked to learn of this mistake, and asks Booth and Brennan to reveal the truth. They agree, and flash back to the first time they worked on a case together. The formation and evolution of their relationship, as well as the relationships of the other Jeffersonian workers, is examined.

The episode was rated 8.15 from 520 votes.

Bones - S5E22

#1 - The Beginning in the End (Season 5 - Episode 22)

The team works to uncover clues buried under a life’s worth of possessions saved by a hoarder in order to solve the mystery of his death. Meanwhile, Angela’s father has a specific purpose for his most recent visit, and Brennan and Booth are confronted with unique opportunities.

The episode was rated 8.16 from 469 votes.

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