While Bones Season 9 Episode 11 was definitely not a holiday episode, by the end of the hour Brennan was talking about angels, I had a lump in my throat and somehow it gave me more belief in the human spirit than many other series that set out to produce a holiday themed episode. 

How did they manage that?

First, let's address Cam and her identity theft problem. After discovering that her identity was stolen by a so-called friend, she was not only angry, but hurt. Her life was, essentially, destroyed. She's forced to rebuild what she spent a lifetime creating for herself from scratch because of an ingrate who wanted to jump on without any of the hard work Cam put into her life to get what she achieved.

And that was the crux of it. Cam learned that if she could prove malice went into the decision to steal her identity, she could up the charges to aggravated identity theft, which carried a higher penalty. While Cam was reveling in the news, Arastoo was not. 

Arastoo was trying to get Cam to let go of her anger and leave vengeance behind. It's always easier to see the right path when you've already traveled it, and I liked that he was willing to give Cam space to find her own way to her decision.

After Cam sat with the woman and listened to her hatred and ridiculous suggestion that they were somehow square since she was in jail orange and that made everything okay, she realized she didn't want to spend one more second of her time turning into the woman who got her into the mess. 

Cam and Arastoo are a sweet couple who give each other room to breathe, and it's nice to see relationships like that on television. 

Watch Bones Season 9 Episode 11 Online

The case of the week was important only insofar as it revolved around a unique father and daughter relationship. It's not very often that Brennan runs into another individual who shares so much with her, but in Professor Watters, she found a kindred spirit. He seemed borderline autistic, but in reality he was just socially inept -- even more than Brennan when we first met her.

It was a bit disappointing that Booth treated him so terribly, especially given what he knows about the woman he loves. The writing was a bit off in that area, because it wasn't true to character for him to be so blind to the similarities between the two. Sure, Brennan showing emotion isn't the norm on a case, but Booth wouldn't ordinarily slap it away just because he disagreed with her. That was my only sticking point.

Watching Brennan become so thoroughly engaged in the case on an emotional level was a nice change. Her ability to empathize with his loss of both a spouse and a child within a one year span, imagining herself burying her head in her work and considering taking her own life if she gave that work up made sense. 

Finally, when the case was solved and the professor was in the clear she and Booth were talking and they hadn't resolved their issues. How could they? Booth went above and beyond to be ignorant to the professor. The writing, again, made it seem as though he was doing it purposefully and it was stretching things beyond the limits.

But, encouraging Brennan to reach out to the professor in friendship was the perfect ending to the story. Nobody but Brennan could have understood what he had done with all of the equations, and as she read aloud what they signified -- his daughter's first steps, first bicycle ride, ride upon her father's shoulders, up until her final rest - it was the most moving mathematical moment I've ever encountered. 

I hate math. I really do. But the two of them, understanding it in a way that I never could - seeing beauty and rest in a jumbled up equation - was truly beautiful.

She flew through space in perfect arcs. Perhaps that's what people mean when they talk about angels.

Brennan

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Bones is on hiatus until 2014. Happy holidays everyone!

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.