Serial killer Howard Epps escapes from prison. He murders his ex wife and leaves clues for Brennan in and on the body.
Tropes:
- Abusive Parents: Epps's mother made him bathe in ammonia to "clean" him of impure thoughts. She feels she should have beaten him more.
- Better to Die than Be Killed: Epps escaped from death row only to end up committing suicide by jumping off Bones's balcony.
- Call-Back: Howard Epps shows up again.
- Death Faked for You: The FBI puts out a fake death report on Zack in order to make Epps overly confident so he'll make a mistake.
- Faking the Dead: Epps tries to convince the authorities he died in the fire by breaking a fireman's wrist in the place that Bones once broke Epps's wrist, killing him and leavind his charred remains for them to find.
- Fat Bastard: Epp's mother is obese and the characters draw attention to this. She is also an awful person.
- Finger in the Mail: Caroline Epps' severed head is found stuffed in a fridge where her serial killer husband placed it.
- Freudian Excuse: They put pressure on Epps by locking up his (abusive) mother.
- Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: Played with. Epps's mother doesn't think her abuse of him is a good enough reason for him to become a serial killer, which is true. What she doesn't get is that she is still guilty of abusing him and that Epps probably wouldn't have become a serial killer if she hadn't done so, which Brennan and Booth rightfully blame her for.
- Killed Off for Real: Howard Epps falls to his death. Nobody mourns the wretch but the circumstances of his death will have psychological consequences for Booth going forward.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Inverted. Zack realizes they have assumed Epps is a lot more intelligent than he is.
