Although the Jeffersonian is wrecked from the bomb blast, Booth and the others manage to survive thanks to Booth quickly disarming the most pressing explosive. However, Brennan now suffers minor brain damage that prevents her from understanding complex concepts and remembering a vital clue she discovered on the body of Kovac's latest victim before the blast. With Brennan incapacitated, the interns must step up to the plate and use everything Brennan taught them to figure out what Brennan had discovered. At the same time, Hodgins and Cam examine the bomb Booth disarmed and find the DNA of the bomb maker: Jeannine Kovac, Mark Kovac's supposed wife who is really his sister and has been working with him to avenge their father's death. Using the information gathered by the interns, Booth, Brennan, and Aubrey lead a SWAT team to Kovac's hideout, where Kovac attacks with a machine gun. Booth suffers an injury to his hand and Brennan's brain heals in time for her to fix it, allowing Booth to kill Kovac. With Kovac dead, the team clears out the lab in preparation for its reconstruction. Hodgins is left in charge of the Jeffersonian while Cam and Arastoo go on a leave of absence to pick up their three adopted sons in Mississippi.
Tropes
- Agent Scully: Lampshaded (somewhat) by Booth in a Callback to the Premiere, saying they're "better than Mulder and Scully" (Brennan still has no idea who they are).
- And the Adventure Continues: The episode implies this; declaring that the lab will be rebuilt with Hodgins ("KING OF THE LAB!!!") becoming interim leader while Cam is away on her honeymoon.
- Arc Number: 447, which is revealed to mean times of change for Booth and Brennan.
- Boom, Headshot!: Booth takes down Kovac.
- Brought Down to Normal: Both Booth and Brennan, temporarily. Brennan gets head trauma from the explosion that ended the last episode, temporarily costing her her skills as a forensic anthropologist. At the end of this episode, Booth hurts his hand in the fight against Kovac and can't shoot. However, that's when Brennan recalls some of her knowledge and fixes his hand, allowing him to take out Kovac.
- Call-Back: The episode’s last scene is a shout out to the pilot’s last scene in the way Booth and Brennan are shown walking off together.
- Cerebus Call-Back: "I don't know what that means", one of Brennan's recurring lines since the pilot, gets this treatment in the episode. Brennan says "I don't know what that means" when confronted with bone evidence because she has a serious contusion that compromises her ability to work thanks to Mark Kovac's bombing.
- Inverted with "King of the Lab", also in the episode: While Cam's away from the Jeffersonian for a few months, Hodgins will be in charge. So he'll literally be the king of the lab!
- Continuity Cavalcade: The episode is the best example; fitting for a finale. Among the things and events brought up or seen one way or another are: a photo of Hodgins and Zack from season 1, the plaque in memory of Vincent Nigel-Murray, Sweets's book on Booth and Brennan (finally published!), a photo of Max with Brennan at her wedding, many mentions of the B&B moments over the years, and a few of Brennan's memories of her interns.
- Easy Amnesia: Brennan recovers from her amnesia awfully quickly.
- Every Car Is a Pinto: Serial killer Kovac is shot by Booth while driving and the vehicle runs off a nearby ridge and promptly explodes on hitting the ground.
- Grand Finale: The episode features a Continuity Cavalcade as well as several major changes for the characters. Notably, We see the aftermath of the bombing of the Jeffersonian, including Booth trying to be a hero, Brennan temporarily losing her ability for complex thoughts, the five most recurring interns chipping in to solve the case, the season's antagonist eventually hunted down and killed, the revelation that Cam and Arastoo are leaving for 6 months because they are going to adopt 3 kids from Mississippi, and a resolution to the 447 mystery. Oh and while Cam is gone, Hodgins will finally actually be "King of the Lab". Almost everything is wrapped up, though the series ultimately ends on a And the Adventure Continues note, as the Jeffersonian will be rebuilt.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: Brennan gets caught in an explosion and loses her "technical memory": she has no idea what anything related to bones means and becomes distressed at the thought of living without her knowledge (it returns when Booth injures his hand and she remembers how to fix it).
- Stuff Blowing Up: The entire lab.
- Trash the Set:
- Wham Line: Brennan’s “I don’t know what that means” after the explosion in the lab leaves her unable to process job related information.
