Zack Addy

Dr. Zack Addy
First appearance	"Pilot"
Last appearance	"The End in the Beginning"
Created by	Hart Hanson
Portrayed by	Eric Millegan
In-universe information
Nickname	Zackaroni, King of the Lab/Loony-bin (The Perfect Pieces in the Purple Pond)
Gender	Male
Title	Doctor (PhD)
Occupation	(Former) Graduate student; (Former) Dr. Brennan's assistant; (Former) Forensic anthropologist; (Former) Gormogon's apprentice; Inmate
Family	3 brothers, 4 sisters

Dr. Zachary Uriah "Zack" Addy Ph.D is a fictional character in the television series, Bones. He is portrayed by Eric Millegan. The character was introduced as Dr. Temperance Brennan's brilliant young assistant at the beginning of the series before he received his doctorate in Forensic Anthropology in the series' second season and became a professional forensic anthropologist.

Character history

Coming from a large Michigan family (with three brothers and four sisters), Zack is a former child prodigy, a genius with an I.Q. well above 163 and a supposed photographic memory. As of the beginning of the show, he had started two doctorates—one in forensic anthropology, the completion of which is shown on-screen, and one in applied engineering, the completion of which is referred to in "The Killer in the Concrete."

His specialty, just like Dr. Brennan, is in the analysis of remains, especially identifying cause of death and weapons from marks remaining on skeletal remains. It is usually his task to remove the flesh from the bones, a process known as debriding. Because of his tremendous intellect, he has a strong broad-based knowledge of many of the specialties in the Jeffersonian lab.

Zack's best friend seems to be Jack Hodgins. Although it at first appears Hodgins and Zack are roommates, it is later revealed Zack rents the apartment over Hodgins's garage. Zack also carpools with Hodgins because he neither drives nor rides a bike. He once made a comment to Booth if he (Booth) had the same understanding of structural engineering, he would be afraid to drive as well. Season 1 "The Man on Death Row

Episodes towards the end of Season 1 of Bones reveal Zack's colleagues, especially Dr. Goodman, feel he has become too comfortable as Dr. Brennan's assistant and is therefore not completing any of his work towards his doctorate degrees to avoid having to move into a new position. Goodman and Hodgins conspire to make Zack less comfortable in his position to motivate him to complete his studies and assume a role above that of an assistant.

Right before he was about to complete his doctorate, Zack asks Dr. Saroyan if he could have a job working at the Jeffersonian. She replies she could not put him in front of a court to testify because people would not take him seriously. Zack then goes to ask Angela for fashion advice, and she gives him a complete makeover that includes a new haircut and suit. After completing his doctorate and getting the makeover from Angela, Zack again asks Dr. Camille Saroyan for a job, and she gives it to him.

At the end of Season 2, Zack receives a request from the office of the President to ship out to Iraq. What his duties there would be is not revealed, and he only tells Hodgins and Booth about it. He initially seems inclined to go, but after talking about the reality of war with Booth, he seems less sure, asking Booth for advice because he "knows more about duty and honor than anyone else" he knows. He also turns down the offer to be best man at Hodgins and Angela's wedding in case he decides to go to Iraq and is killed, because he doesn't want Hodgins's memories of the wedding to be tainted with sadness. It is revealed in the first episode of Season 3 Zack had just returned from a three-month stint in Iraq.

In "The Pain in the Heart," the final episode of Season 3, Zack receives third-degree burns and massive tissue damage (the cartilage on his left hand was destroyed, among other things) on both hands after an explosion in the lab. It is later revealed he was working as the apprentice of The Gormogon, and the explosion was designed as a distraction so the Gormogon could break into the lab and steal a skeleton. Zack's weaker personality was manipulated by the Gormogon (whom he referred to as "the Master") so completely Zack believed his belief system irrefutable, even going so far as to kill a lobbyist and dividing his bones among the Jeffersonian's storage units. However, Zack still maintained a loyalty to his friends, willing to injure himself to keep Hodgins safe, and giving up the location of Gormogon's house.

Zack's fall from grace was arguably foreshadowed in The Woman in the Car, during his security review with State Department Agent Samantha Pickering.

At the end of the episode, prosecutor Caroline Julian says while Zack has confessed to killing the lobbyist, she is willing to work out a deal to have him declared non compos mentis, a decision committing him to an asylum rather than prison. Zack will no longer be a regular character on the show, but series creator Hart Hanson said he may become a recurring character to provide consults to the team with "certain talents we can use in a 'Hannibal Lecter' kind of way."

The episode "The Perfect Pieces in the Purple Pond" reveals Zack is receiving psychological treatment from Sweets. It is also shown at least Hodgins and Angela have both been in contact with Zack during his imprisonment. Hodgins is shown bringing Zack a mathematical riddle to solve. In his session with Sweets, Zack admits to feeling guilty for killing the lobbyist, but claims he was not actually crazy, arguing he committed the crime for what had appeared to be perfectly logical reasons at the time. "I was wrong, not delusional," he says. Sweets believes Zack should feel more guilty about killing the lobbyist and less about having been taken in by Gormogon's rhetoric.

Towards the end of the episode, Zack escapes from the institution. It is revealed he could have escaped at any time but did not feel it was necessary to do so until that particular moment. After helping his former coworkers solve the case, Zack willingly returns to the institution with Sweets and Booth.

After Booth relinquishes Zack to Sweets' hands, Zack tells Sweets that while he had helped Gormogon find the lobbyist, he himself had not actually stabbed him. In other words, Zack believes he killed the lobbyist, but from a legal standpoint he is considered only an accessory or co-conspirator. Sweets insists Zack change his story, but Zack refuses. Zack fears if his secret were to come out, he will find himself in prison, where he is sure to do very poorly. He reminds Sweets as Zack's therapist, he must not reveal Zack's secret because if Sweets were to do so, he would be violating doctor-patient confidentiality. The episode closes with Zack behind bars and Sweets keeping Zack's secret.

In the season 4 finale, Zack is considered a suspect when a man is murdered in a popular nightclub owned by Booth and Dr. Brennan. Zack is described as a "moron who goes to jail for a murder he didn't commit" by Vincent, suggesting Booth (at least subconsciously) knows Zack is innocent. At the end of the episode, we learn the entire thing was a dream Booth had while unconscious and part of a new book Brennan was writing.

Characterization

Despite his intelligence, Zack is unsure of himself and though he has come up with crucial insights vital to some of the team's cases, he is unable to forcefully express his opinion to Dr. Brennan. This may be due to a hero worship and also to romantic feelings toward her. When he discovered Temperance's own Forensic Anthropology professor had become her lover, Zack repeatedly wondered aloud whether he might enter into a similar relationship with Dr. Brennan. He was quickly disabused of the notion by his colleagues.

Zack appears to have an on and off-again relationship with "Naomi in Paleontology," despite hints in the first season she was dissatisfied with his sexual prowess. In the third season, they accompany each other to the annual Jeffersonian Institute Halloween party, agreeing to dress as the front and back half of a cow ("The Mummy in the Maze"). Zack has no problem making inappropriate comments about others' personal lives, and asked Agent Booth for advice on sex and women, requests which Booth characteristically ignored. Angela answered his question once, and Hodgins gave him a book (Kama Sutra) to help him out ("The Pain in the Heart").

Very little is known about his childhood. In "The Wannabe in the Weeds" episode from the third season, it was discovered Zack was a singer during his childhood as a way for his parents to help integrate him socially. Though it did not appear to work, he demonstrates his talent when Hodgins doubted him. He has fond memories of receiving his first microscope ("The Girl with the Curl") and when he was six, he had a pirate eyepatch ("The Man with the Bone"). It is also known he attended a private high school ("A Boy in the Tree"). His interests include model airplanes ("The Killer in the Concrete"), watching basketball ("The Soldier on the Grave"), and science fiction: Firefly ("The Man in the Fallout Shelter"), Lord of the Rings ("The Woman at the Airport"), Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate, Battlestar Galactica ("The Superhero in the Alley"). He does not dance, because he's been told he "look[s] like a marionette in a windstorm" (The Man in the Wall).

According to Emily Deschanel, Zack "almost definitely has Asperger's syndrome," a condition on the autism spectrum. Although well-meaning, helpful, and friendly, when a situation calls for social interaction or intuition, he is often lost. Further evidence of his social ineptitude can be seen in the frequent, on-screen coaching in social matters he gets from Jack and Angela. He is very literal and is often confused by colloquial expressions or metaphor, despite his high intelligence. His attempts to use such expressions meet with mixed success, such as referring to a skull he'd cleaned as being "clean enough to eat off of." ("Two Bodies in the Lab")

In the episode "The Killer in the Concrete", Booth is on the phone with Zack and Dr. Brennan while looking for "Icepick" (real name, Hugh Kennedy) at a model airplane enthusiasts gathering. Unaware of Zack's interest in planes, Booth comments every "airplane freak" in the area was at the event, and Zack corrects him by saying the enthusiasts prefer to be called "pilots." Zack mentions forensic anthropology is only one of his doctorates, the other is in applied engineering, and he is extremely adept to practical aeronautics.

As seen in the episode "The Man in the Fallout Shelter" Zack has a large family and greatly values them, remarking the true meaning of Christmas is "Brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews; 40 people who love you and are happy to see you." Also in the first season, he reveals to Dr. Brennan he uses his vacation time to visit his family. While he does not necessarily enjoy these visits, he goes because they love him ("The Man in the Wall").