What happened to Dr. Brennan’s (Emily Deschanel) parents is the mystery which drove her into her field of study – anthropology.
When she was young, both of her parents disappeared. No trace of them. And it was right before Christmas (she even kept the unopened gifts). Temperance went into foster care for a while before her grandfather rescued her.
So, the question is, what happened to Dr. Brennan’s parents?
Well, the mystery is slowly being unravelled. The bones of her mother were found a few years back, but were not identified. With irony, luck or fate, they were in the Jeffersonian all this time. Her mother died from a brain injury, but it was not an immediate death. It’s suspected she was murdered, and did not return to her children for fear of their safety.
Why would she fear for their safety? Because, as it turns out, her parents were bank robbers (!!) and were a part of a bad gang in the 1970s.
Ok, so her mother is dead and they have her bones. But what about her father? Well, he’s alive, although he never showed himself. This is why Temperance, along with brother Russ, are now searching for him.
All of this, of course, has come as a shock to Temperance. I almost think that not knowing anything would have been better for her, but I suppose in the end we can hope she will find some peace of mind, and some acceptance, if she can find the answers to the questions which have been driving her since that awful Christmas.