Directed by David Boreanaz
Written by Karyn Usher, Dean Lopata, Michael Peterson, & Pat Charles
Heather Taffet aka "The Gravedigger" (Deirdre Lovejoy) is killed on the steps of the courthouse by an unknown sniper shortly before her last appeal. Although Bones' father Max is the initial suspect, evidence soon points to an old Army friend/mentor of Booth's who may have gone rogue.
Tropes
- Asshole Victim: The Gravedigger is probably the best example In-Universe when Broadsky killed her. No one was too upset to see a serial killer killed.
- Back for the Dead: The Gravedigger/Heather Taffet comes back for the first few minutes of the episode before being sniped by Broadsky.
- Boom, Headshot!: The Gravedigger meets her end when Broadsky uses a high-caliber rifle to invoke this trope, and we get to see her head explode, on screen, in glorious high def.
- Break Them by Talking: Taffet manages to get under Sweets' skin by playing on his insecurities, seemingly to undermine his ability to testify effectively and help her appeal succeed. Whether this would have worked we don't know, given as she is shot dead moments later, but Sweets does spend the rest of the episode having a serious crisis of confidence.
- Bring My Brown Pants: Caroline confesses to Sweets that "I messed myself" when Taffet was shot, bonding with him to help him overcome Taffet's head games.
- Did Not Think This Through: Broadsky steals fellow former teammates' identities in order to buy things, including the land hés hiding on. He bought that land by stealing Booth's identity, and Booth is the one hunting him for killing Taffet, meaning he has the right to enter the property without permission.
- Killed Off for Real: The Gravedigger, head-shotted by Booth's ex-sniper teammate.
- The Killer Becomes the Killed: Heather Taffet, the serial killer known as the Gravedigger, is Jacob Broadsky’s first victim.
- Mid-Season Twist: The "Gravedigger", the woman that buried Hodgins and Bones alive four seasons prior, is killed outside the courthouse before her final appeal by a sniper that is later revealed to be on par or even beyond Booth's skill, with implied history with the FBI agent as well.
- Oh, Crap!: Broadsky, the evil sniper, the Dark Booth, killing people not on orders, but as "the hand of God". Part of his games is that he steals other snipers' identities for his work, including Booth's to buy the land he's hiding on. When Booth tracks him down and they confront each other across the gate leading onto Broadsky's land, they make it clear that Booth is constrained by the law, and entering without a warrant would make any arrest worthless.Booth: I don't need a warrant. [hops the fence] This land belongs to Seeley Booth.Broadsky: Beat [runs]
- Papa Wolf: The father of two of The Gravedigger's victims was approached by a sniper with an offer that he'd kill her for two million dollars. He gladly paid the money to have the murderer of his sons killed.
- Your Head Asplode: Heather Taffet, aka the Gravedigger, when Broadsky obliterates her head with his sniper round.
