Zack Addy
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Dr. Zack Addy is a fictional character in the television series Bones. He is portrayed by Eric Millegan.
[edit] Biography
Zack Addy is Dr. Brennan's brilliant young assistant. Coming from a large Michigan family, he is a former child prodigy, a genius with an I.Q. well above 163 and a supposed photographic memory. He has started two doctorates, one in Forensic Anthropology, which he has completed, and one in Engineering, which he has yet to finish.
Despite his brilliance, he is unsure of himself, and, although he has come up with crucial insights vital to some of the team's cases, he is unable to forcefully express his opinion to Dr. Brennan. This may be due to hero worship and also to romantic or sexual feelings toward her. When he discovered that Temperance's own Forensic Anthropology professor had become her lover, Zack repeatedly wondered aloud whether he might enter into a similar relationship with Dr. Brennan. He was quickly disabused of the notion by his colleagues, however.
His specialty, like Dr. Brennan, is in the analysis of remains, especially identifying cause of death and weapons from marks remaining on skeletal remains. It is usually his task to remove the flesh from the bones, a process known as debriding. Because of his tremendous intellect, he has a strong broad-based knowledge of many of the specialties in the Jeffersonian lab.
Zack is as close to the stereotypical geek as anyone else on the team. Although well-meaning, helpful, and friendly, when a situation calls for social interaction or intuition, he is often lost. Further evidence of his social ineptitude can be seen in the frequent, on-screen coaching in social matters he gets from Jack and Angela.
Zack's only friend seems to be Jack, with whom it was once thought he was roommates. In fact, he rents from and also carpools with Jack, since he can't drive. The reason that he can't drive is that he refuses to learn. He once stated that the number of gruesome car crashes that he has seen have caused him to be afraid of even the idea of driving.
Episodes towards the end of the first season of Bones reveal that Zack's colleagues, especially Dr. Goodman, feel he has become too comfortable as Dr. Brennan's assistant and is therefore not completing any of his Doctorates to avoid having to grow into a new position. Goodman and Hodgins have conspired to make Zack less comfortable in his position to motivate him to complete his studies and assume a role above that of an assistant.
Right before he was about to complete his doctorate, Zack asks Dr. Saroyan if he could have a job working at the Jeffersonian, but she replies that she could not put him in front of a court to testify because people would not take him seriously. Zack then goes to ask Angela for fashion advice and she completely redoes his look including a new haircut and suit. After completing his doctorate, and getting a makeover from Angela, Zack again asks Dr. Camille Saroyan for a job, and she gives it to him.
