Bones is always finding new and creative way to turn up bodies. A few weeks ago they found a skeleton being used as a prop in a metal band’s stage decor. This week, they find a dead body shoved into a mascot costume. Bones, is there any place you can’t find a corpse?

The mascot corpse had been mutilated during a pep rally by the students and at first its a little difficult to determine the cause of death. In particular, the students fired a canon filled with random junk at the mascot leaving perforations and random junk scattered throughout the body. Eventually though, the affable Muslim intern from a few weeks ago finds a bullet.

The victim was nicknamed “beaver” and was a member of a frat. The investigation first turns to the fraternity brothers first. The victim was a popular guy and regular party animal. He had however slept with another student;s girlfriend, this putting the jilted boyfriend in the crosshairs of the investigation.

Booth’s brother also reappears this week. After helping Booth in the gravedigger climax a few weeks ago, Jared received a discharge from the military. Booth decides its up to him to get his little brother back on track. Jared ignores his brother, buys a motorcycle and is set to take a trip to India. He even invites Booth along. Booth is going to be forced to let his little brother go on his own.

After some insane DNA tests involving the sheets from the frat house, they discover that Beaver had been sleeping with an older woman. While looking for evidence of his lover’s identity they also find evidence that the victim was acting as a campus bookie. All of these clues though still have uncovered a true cause of death.

At this point the writers have a lapse of creative mojo because in order to get a cause of death, the don’t set out any logical pattern. They simple have Bones star at the corpse with sappy pop music playing until she has a moment of revelation. That’s some pretty lame story telling.

After some more electronic wizardry, a few photos are found on the victim’s computer. One of which was a sexually explicit picture of the dean’s wife. Obviously, the dean now has a motive. Despite that, the dean as murderer just doesn’t add up.In the end, its not the jilted boyfriend but the girl he claimed to be involved with. The victim was trying to force himself on her and she shot him with a nail gun.

A pretty good episode overall for Bones. Aside from the fraternity sheet testing, this one seemed almost plausible. Plus, I’m pleased how Bones has treated the Muslim assistant. I had worried that they would turn him into a cartoon character, happily they’ve avoided that impulse so far.