The Superhero in the Alley

"The Superhero in the Alley" is the 12th episode of the first season of the television series Bones. Originally aired on February 8, 2006 on FOX, the episode is written by Elizabeth Benjamin and directed by James Whitmore Jr. In this episode, forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan and FBI agent Seeley Booth investigate the origins of a decomposed body found in a local alley dressed in a superhero costume.

Summary

A 17-year-old boy is discovered dead in a superhero suit, having apparently fallen from a nearby roof. Brennan and her team soon realize that the victim was dropped after he was killed, with the killer attempting to stage the scene to look like suicide. Booth and Brennan visit the family of the victim, Warren Granger, to discover that he had been missing for almost a year, presumed a runaway. They learn that the boy was a fan of comic books and was himself writing a comic, Citizen 14--his alter-ego. Following the trail of Warren's interest, they find the Karma Comic Book Store and learn about its "Doomsday group", a role-playing hero group that may blur the lines between fantasy and reality. The last time Warren was with the group, they're told, he got angry and left, calling them poseurs. One of the members, a girl who calls herself "Blue Minnow", says that Warren was her friend, but the other members of the group suggest their relationship was more than friendship.

Back at the lab, Angela and Dr. Goodman search for clues in Warren's comic, and Dr. Goodman concludes that Warren was in actual physical pain and fear of death, not just normal teenage angst. It seems that Warren may have wanted to rescue a luminous blue female, "The Opalescence", from a dark character called "The Twisted". While Brennan and Booth set out to question The Blue Minnow and then to explore Warren's workplace, Zack realizes from the state of Warren's remains that Warren had been ill when he died and would have died of his illness had he not been murdered. Warren's parents reveal that their son suffered leukemia, which they believed had been in remission since he was 11.

It is the discovery of a piece of bone among the remains that doesn't belong to Warren that leads to significant advance in the case. Brennan speculates that this could be from a second victim. During the visit to the bowling alley, Brennan had noticed that the manager's wife, Lucy, was injured. Returning, she tries to question Lucy, but Lucy makes excuses for what Brennan realizes is abuse from her husband, Ted.

Once the bone is analyzed, Brennan realizes that it is in fact from a male, quite probably the manager Ted. Aware of the domestic abuse, Warren had wanted to protect Lucy from her husband. Returning to the bowling alley, Booth and Brennan find Ted and Lucy fighting. They locate the murder weapon - a bevel knife - and disclose the wound on Ted that corresponds to the lost bone. Lucy confirms that Warren had seen Ted strike her and wanted to save her. They tell her that Warren had challenged her husband and lost.

At the cemetery music is playing over a montage of Angela finishing the comic book, and Warren’s funeral that it's being attended by Lucy, "the Doomsday group", Booth and Brennan, and "Blue Minnow". Booth leaves his sharpshooter medal on Warren’s casket, and Angela arrives, giving the finished comic book to Lucy. It shows that Warren saved "The Opalescence"(Lucy) after all. Lucy leaves the comic book on the casket.

References

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External links

• "The Superhero in the Alley" at Fox.com
• "The Superhero in the Alley" at the Internet Movie Database
• "The Superhero in the Alley" at TV.com