Human remains are found buried in concrete. The ensuing investigation leads the team to examine the cut-off leg of a hardened criminal known as Ice Pick, and determine that he could still be alive. The case coincides with the anniversary of the belated burial of Christine Brennan, which leads to an awkward reunion with Max Brennan.
Tropes:
- An Arm and a Leg: When Kennedy wanted out of the game, he forced a bounty hunter to hack his leg off below the hip to fake his death.
- Diegetic Switch: A subversion. Poco's "Keep on Tryin'" (brought up earlier as Brennan's favourite song as a child) plays over the rescue scene, then is discussed in the after-action scene.
- Distinction Without a Difference: Brennan claims it's not like she gave her father the keys to her car, she just informed him that they were still in the ignition.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Ice Pick was a hired killer but doesn't kill for fun and would prefer to not kill even in self defence if he doesn't have to. As such when he gets the jump on Booth he leaves him alive, tied up in his hotel room to be found soon enough when the management comes to collect rent. He even leaves Booth his gun (unloaded), since he's aware FBI agents get in trouble for losing their weapons and there's no reason to make this any harder on Booth than necessary. If Ice Pick's former employer hadn't tracked Booth he'd have been in no danger.
- Insistent Terminology: Brennan insists that the body is buried in concrete, not cement.
- Karma Houdini: Ice Pick gets away clean. Although he is certainly the lesser of two evils to the still active McKenna and his sadistic lieutenant.
- Retired Badass: Ice Pick is a one legged old man and just wants to be left alone but he's still good enough to get the jump on Booth.
- Shout-Out: Bones and Booth discuss Poco's "Keep on Tryin'".
- Stealth Hi/Bye:
- Max shows up out of nowhere right after Angela leaves without having seen him approach.
- Kennedy, aka Ice Pick, also shows up quite suddenly in the motel hallway, despite wearing a prosthetic leg.
