Bess Wohl

After construction workers find the body of an archbishop whose kneecaps were surgically removed, the team is back on the case of the Widow’s Son serial killer. When Angela discovers what appears to be a victim tree in the evidence vault, the team realizes the killer employs a systematic pattern in selecting victims. With a musician and an archbishop the first to go, the team tries to predict who might be next and how they can stop the killer before he strikes again. Brennan and Booth continue to see Dr. Lance Sweets (John Francis Daley), who has some helpful psychological insights into the Widow’s Son’s motives. Meanwhile, Brennan’s brother, Russ, comes out of hiding when he finds out that his girlfriend’s daughter is extremely sick, but his appearance causes Booth to intervene with Brennan’s family once again.

The body of a man with a white beard and a tailor-made Santa costume is discovered in the sewer near a D.C. mall just three days before Christmas. As the team gathers forensic evidence, the victim seems to match the legend more closely each step of the way. Booth and Brennan discover the man, whose legal name was Kristopher Kringle, was a well respected Santa Claus impersonator, employed by a local “Rent-A-Santa” business. When Booth and Brennan inspect Kris’ apartment, not only do they find his place decked out with holiday cheer, but they also find thousands of dollars stashed in a dresser drawer. As Christmas Day approaches, the Jeffersonian team works to find out who would have wanted this true-to-myth Santa dead. Meanwhile, Brennan visits her father in jail and plots a not-so-traditional Christmas reunion, and Booth and Brennan find themselves in close quarters with the mistletoe just overhead.

Addison treats two pregnant women who don't realise that they share a husband, and Violet confronts Charlotte over her affair with Cooper.

When evidence of a pipe bomb is found in a suburban home during renovations, Rush reopens the case of a married couple killed in 1981 in what was termed an accidental gas leak explosion at the time. As she digs into the history of the couple and their friends, Rush learns that, ten years earlier, they had all been linked by their opposition to the Vietnam War.

Melinda and Jim's camping trip is interrupted as Melinda helps the ghost of a woman who left her husband and daughter.