BONES: ‘The Sin in the Sisterhood’
February 4, 2011 by Sarah Curtis
Hello, my BONES friends! I hope you are having a great week. I must say that it feels great to have so many episodes in a row, doesn’t it? It’s nice when storylines have time to develop. Once again there is a lot to talk about, so we should get on with it!
THE CASE:
Booth and Brennan are called to a cornfield, and it’s literally a maze of maize. In a cute moment, Booth offers to hitch Brennan up on his hands for her to be the periscope. She looks around from the new vantage point and sees the crime scene clearly.
Several feet away lies a dead body, and Brennan quickly ascertains that it’s a homicide (bullet wound to the chest) and a male, early 40s.
It’s then Booth and the FBI’s job to try to find a bullet in the cornfield. As his team attempts to do that (with no luck), they are at least able to identify the victim, Ed Samuel. B&B go to his home and meet his wife, Maryann, and her father Dan as well as her two sisters, Beth and Carol. Brennan remarks that there are many children in the house, and what was the reply? “Children are a blessing.” Yikes! What this episode’s corpse lacked in grotesqueness, it made up for in creepy suspects!
Brennan figures out very quickly that it was not possible for Ed to have all of those children with one woman, and she realizes that Maryann, Beth and Carol are not just sisters…they are sister wives.
Booth figures that Dan might be upset about that, and the sisters’ dad admits that he was at first. But he then suggests that Booth interrogate a nearby pecan farmer, Pete Mill. Sweets questions him, and Pete is very passionate about sanctity of marriage, making him a clear suspect in Ed’s murder.
But Booth is not willing to rule out any of the wives, convinced as a matter of principle that there is no way all three of them could be happy. He does a little more research and finds out that Maryann had privately filed for divorce. When he interrogates her, she admits that it was because Ed was having an affair.
Yep, woman #4 is Heather Lakefish, though she was not aware that Ed had two other wives in addition to Maryann. But when Brennan and the team determine that Ed was poisoned, and that it came from Heather’s college lab, she is also a suspect.
She claims the poison was stolen from the lab, and when B&B search the Samuel homestead, they find the radioactive material. And Beth, the youngest sister, admits to poisoning Ed. However, she didn’t poison him enough to kill him: rather, she just wanted to make him sick enough to need her care as a nurse.
Seemingly back to square one (or three…or four!), Hodgins saves the day by producing a scenario involving a digested pecan through turkey feces, and it’s just practical enough that we all just shrug and say “Yep.” He also provides a list of people in the area who raise turkeys, and Dan, the sisters’ father’s name, is on the list. He searches Dan’s barn and finds the bullet, leading Booth to accuse Dan of murder. He admits it, saying he did it to keep his daughters’ honor.
THE SQUINTS:
Sweets: It was kind of interesting to me how Sweets was sort of coming between B&B in this episode (vs. acting as a go-between). Did anyone else feel that way? I’m talking specifically about the scene at the diner. He also did a good job interrogating in this case.
Wendell: Haha! He had the best lines of the night, by far. From “We’re dealing with a horny farmer…yes we are” to “Oh, one of those” regarding Brennan’s experiment. After tonight, I say “More Wendell, please!”
Angela: It is kind of sweet how she could care less about science now that she’s a mom-to-be. And her conversation with Cam was good and felt like old-school Ange, right?
Hodgins: I loved him, as always. I had to laugh when he sort of teased Cam about her personal life, and I loved when he was amused that Wendell was NOT interested in helping with a feces experiment.
Cam: Oh, yay for Elon Gold as Paul! The entire Cam storyline was just wonderful, and the vulnerability from both of them was palpable and beautiful. It was great to see BOTH Cam and Paul admit that they need to work on their relationship if they really want to give it a shot. And the honesty in the idea that it’s a risk, but it’s worth it, was very refreshing.
BOOTH & BRENNAN:
You know, when this season started, Marisa Roffman and I were talking about how there was going to be a VERY fine line for the writers and characters to keep Booth honorable. We agreed that it would NOT be good to have Booth in a relationship with someone and have him also gazing with adoration toward Brennan all of the time. And it’s been good. We might not all agree with everything Booth has done this season, but I think we can agree that he hasn’t cheated on anyone.
In this episode? Still no cheating…but I’d say we’re pretty close to that line, wouldn’t you? I felt a little uncomfortable about it in the final scene, if I’m being honest. And what makes it so real is that Brennan is completely aware. And she’s still asking him questions about “the one.” Look, I mean it when I say that I liked this episode, and I really liked the end scene. I’m just also saying that there was a tiny twinge there. That’s all.
Likewise, I thought the scene where Booth and Brennan were laughing with one another in Brennan’s Toyota felt forced. And then I realized it was probably supposed to be forced. Brennan and Booth were sharing a moment, and they sort of tried to stretch it out themselves. It was as if they’d given themselves permission to enjoy each other’s company and they didn’t want it to end. They kept calling themselves terrible and bad, and I thought (paging Dr. Sweets!) that was sort of an indication that they were feeling a modicum of guilt at having so much fun together. Did anyone else think so?
Separately, Booth and Brennan were really great in this episode, so I don’t want to just pin this whole section on their B&B-ness. I loved Booth’s conversations with Cam; good, true friendship. And I liked Brennan’s work in the lab, particularly her scenes with Angela and Cam, and later when she experimented with Wendell.
But what I really loved was the scene at the diner, when Booth was bragging about being right, and then Brennan’s reaction to him. That just felt very real and natural to me. It was the kind of scene that proves to me that even when (yeah, WHEN!) B&B do get together, they will still have chemistry. There is a lot of room for them to grow as a couple and bicker and fight and win and concede defeat. I love that.
But enough from me. I want to hear what you have to say. What were your thoughts on this episode? Did you have a favorite moment? A favorite line? Let’s discuss!
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Hi, Sarah! I’m a relatively new Bones fan and a very new GMMR reader. Just wanted to say that I absolutely *love* your reviews! I really appreciate your positiveness and optimism – I like reading reviews, but I find it so discouraging when the reviewer just trashes the episode instead of really analyzing it. You’ve got a talent. And it’s so obvious how much you genuinely love this show!
I’m a huge Cam fan so I have to say I really liked this ep. I’m so happy to see Paul back! Cam so deserves a good partner, and I was a little discouraged that he seemed to disappear after “Rocker in the Rinse Cycle”. Like you said, it was great to see Cam’s vulnerability. We don’t get to see that side of her too often.
I thought the scene in the car was cute. Yes, a little forced, but it was nice to see B&B interacting without discussing Hannah — to see them being “normal”. And yet, it also showed that “normal” is still so difficult for them, that they’re both trying a little too hard, and I appreciated seeing that too.
(And by the way – what’s with the Prius product placement? Was there actually any point to Brennan’s pointing out the cool features of her car, or was it actually just an embedded Toyota ad?)
The only part I didn’t like was one line from the ending B&B convo, when Brennan asks, “What if you let that person get away?” I found that line odd. I’d expected that she would take Booth’s previous statement (“There’s only one person that you love the most”) as a reference to Hannah and then clam up. Since her breakdown in “Doctor” it seems that she’s been trying to avoid going back to that conversation. What happened to trying too hard to make everything seem “normal”? For Brennan to bring that up so casually seemed odd to me.
As for Booth, I completely agree that he’s toeing that line. No one can mistake the looks he’s giving Brennan in the bar. When she turns to watch Cam and Paul for a moment, he never takes his eyes off of her. And when she asks about “the one” getting away, he tells her “That one isn’t going anywhere” — talk about mixed messages! If he’s trying to tell Brennan that he’ll always be there for her as a friend and partner, I think the message was a little too muddy. That statement + all the looks = clearly still in love with Brennan, and leading her on. He was so clear in “Doctor” that he’d moved on and that he loves Hannah now, so why is he messing with Brennan like this? I’m not sure I’m okay with it.
There was an element of Booth being a bit dishonourable and sending out mixed messages, but as a fan I have to admit I prefer that to earlier s6 episodes where they just weren’t getting along at all. Even though we all know Booth would never cheat etc etc, I think it would be equally unrealistic for him to never show a glimpse of his real feelings for Brennan, because we all know they’re still simmering under the surface and he’s a heart-on-his-sleeve kinda guy. And the fangirl in me LOVED how he led her into the bar and when he said “can we get the usual?”
The car scene – oh god. I knew as soon as I saw the shot of the little blue car (as opposed to Booth’s car) that some awful product placement was coming up, and blocked my ears.
I thought it was cute, and quite funny, when Brennan called the vic a nitwit, but I felt like it dragged on a bit too long. Reading Sarah’s points, I think maybe it was funny for the first bit, but after they went back to the serious discussion, it seemed forced for them to go back to the mocking again. I definitely agree that they were trying to force the fun moment.
I was thinking earlier that I really don’t want B&B to get together straight after he breaks up with Hannah because all they’ve been doing is pining and that’s not the OTP we love. But this ep confirmed it for me – they really need to learn to relax and have fun and appreciate each other’s company as two single people again before they can be a couple.
Also, was it just me or was Brennan really super-keen when she was talking to Wendell and Booth rang? It was the scene on the platform when she did the..uh..thrusting motion, and when her phone beeped she was like “IT’S BOOTH!” with a little too much enthusiasm.
Good episode, though. I loved Cam, loved Paul, loved Hodgela, and ADORED Wendell. The “Oh, one of those” when he realised why Brennan wanted him on the floor was hilarious.
One more thing – I loved that when Pete Mill the farmer guy was talking about the sanctity of marriage and being all homophobic and stuff, Sweets’ face hardened and he was like “Yep you’re gonna need a lawyer.” Fairly subtle but still…he wasn’t happy. Go Lancelot.
@Jocelyn Do you really believe Booth when he said that he has moved on and that loves Hannah now? He loves Hannah and said no to Brennan because he’s a honourable man, but this episode shows that she’s not “the one” and he hasn’t moved on. He is not messing with Brennan, he just can’t help himself being lured to her. He is trying to move on and it trying to convince himself and others that he has, but next week will probably show that he was only kidding himself.
Christ. I’ve been waiting for you to post this review so I can comment on it. Mainly I just want to talk about the final scene. Booth says, “You can love a lot of people in this world, but there’s only one person that you love the most.” Bones response, of “How do you know who you love the most?” Booth, “You just do.” They both appear to look towards Cam and Paul, but the look Booth has for Bones, while she looks at Cam and he is really looking at her. I’ve seen that look a thousand times on my own face in photos. That is love. DB did an amazing job of portraying it. Bones asks, “What if you let that person get away?” Booth’s reply of “That person’s not going anywhere,” tells me that he still loves her. It is obvious. And it is totally true. Once you love someone, and you never have that person, you never stop loving that person. It does not matter if someone else comes into your life. You really can love multiple people. The readers here who follow the comments and have read mine in the past know what I’m talking about. I will always, always, love the one that got away. The one that I let marry someone else. The one that, by the time I said something, it was too late.
Now then, on to things besides me. The preview for next week. Holy $#I+ My Dad Says! This will he or won’t he proposal they teased for next week. I have to assume he wont. But he might, just to have a storyline about calling off the engagement later. An engagement could open up several story arcs about how Bones deals with it, Booth regretting it, it eventually getting called off, etc. Personally, I hope they don’t go this way with the show.
I found this episode quite enjoyable until that end scene with B&B that was overly cheesy and really creeped me out with that conversation. Overly cheesey because they both knew what they were talking about and creepy because both of them were toeing the line with their relationship with Hannah….not just Booth. Add into the creepy part is that Booth will go home and sleep with Hannah. IMO, not very honorable.
Next weeks episode is going to feel out of place with tonite’s ending scene especially if Booth even thinks about asking Hannah to marry him. It seems to me that they will misuse Sweets once again to force Booth to do something he is not ready to do.
4 wives and 1 girlfriend. But since the man spend an extra day with wife#1, he “lover her the most.” That’s really the basis for Booth’s lecture on true love?! Really Mr. Super Committed? And Bones eats it up?! She really has lost the capacity to reason.
Do the writers think starving the viewers of BB eye sex for 10 episodes will make us grateful for any kind of scene? I’m insulted. It’s not that the anvil was so anvilicious. It’s that it was complete nonsense.
I have discovered that if you pretend Hannah doesnt exsist this episode is way better.
Booth talking about giving people Chances, Booth and Brennan trying to maintain some banter like old times, Brennan being excited about his call. Cute episode. Especially the end scene if you take away the Hannah referance you are left with a B/B moment worthy of season 5 prior to the 100th.
So my plan is obliviousness to Hannah.
Cam’s story line was good showing the problems of being a succsessful female and dating.
Hodgins was being his usual funny self and ANgela has some of her old pizzaz about relationnships back- Pitty we havent seen it in relation to her Best friend….
Sweets was finall told to shut up by Booth in the diner so that he could listen to Brennan view un-translated (god I hate it when Sweets translates for Brennan).
Wendall is my officail favourate squintern
overall good filler episode.
Loved that Cam got the nice speeches she deserved from Angela and the doctor. She has such feline grace that she wears those bondage style dresses and still looks classy. Also liked Angela’s cute baby bump.
I call BS on
-Cam going to Booth for romantic advice, at this time in his life. For two reasons. 1. She seems like the type to call him on his crap, so no way does she think he’s the go to guy for romantic advice right now. 2. Along similar lines, I don’t buy that she’s all hunky dory with his behavior toward the Lab. They may be long time friends, but she’s always been fiercely protective of the squints, even when she wasn’t as likable as she is now. So for her to gloss over his recent behavior tells me the writers are glossing over it and I don’t buy it. (Kinda of how HH or SN absolutely denied any changes in Booth’s interaction with the Lab despite some hardcore evidence from fans.)
– That last scene made no sense. Don’t care how much we missed the eye sex. As @Eve points out above, you need to ignore Hannah’s existence to appreciate that scene. Plus, it’s so typical of Booth’s preachy ways to rag on the polygamist victim’s life choices all episode long, then use the victim to make a point about true love. That wasn’t romantic, and Brennan continues her streak as a simpering doormat.
I get what’s being said about the line being uh, walked when coming to Booth’s honor but it didn’t even come up for me. It’s still not a problem for me. Maybe it should be. But it’s not. I really liked the end scene. We saw even more that he truly still loves Brennan. I feel like I can’t think straight so I can’t even come up with a decent response about Booth and Bones and Hannah right now. Except that ever since The Doctor in the Photo Booth has been going through a lot (yes, Brennan has too). Now, he knows that Bones wants to give them a shot (or did) but he’s in a serious relationship with Hannah. I would say he may actually be having a personal war inside. Brennan was/is after all Booth’s first choice. She’s the one he loves the most and besides 7 months way too soon to move on like he did or thinks he did or thought he did. Dang, I am confused.
I absolutely believe it’s possible to love more than one person at a time. And yes, you are going to love one person more than the other. Now, I am not all for polygamy. I think you go with the person you love the most and make a life with them. Besides, that one is more than enough or the one should be.
And I am going to be nitpicky here about the fact that there were 3 wives not 4 as Sara said. 3 wives and one girlfriend/fling or whatever.
Bones in her trench coat needs a Fug Girls treatment. ED looks beautiful with her hair up and in her lab coat, it’s Fugging with love.
As a bonus, the Fug Girls really know their drama, from Dynasty to 902010, especially with regards to fabulous b*tches. I bet they would have some choice words for formerly kickass Bones playing second fiddle to Hannah Banana.
Also, I agree with lots of the responses here. Booth and Bones are toeing the line. Yes, a man can love more than one woman. But using a polygamist to drive that point home didn’t work for me. No personal judgment against polygamy, but Booth disagreed with it earlier, then uses the polygamist as someone who stayed true to his first love. Whatever. Seriously, Booth could use some logic.
All right so, I think this is a good read. She gives her take mostly on the BB. Go there. I say this because I think she’s saying what I meant to say in my last post. Plus, she brought something else to light for me that I hadn’t actually thought about. http://everythinghappenseventually.blogspot.com/
Anyone think that end scene and the laughter scene in the car were re-shoots? The ending scene especially just does not fit with what is supposed to happen next week.
So last night’s episode made me laugh & squee with enjoyment.
The Good:
Brennan & Booth in the car. Yes it was product placement. And even though I can not look at a Prius without thinking of Jeff Dunham, it wasn’t too over the top. I loved the fact that they were giggling about the names they were saying. I don’t think it seemed forced, maybe a tad bit awkward because maybe, as someone pointed out, they shouldn’t be laughing together. It had been a long time since we saw that. The end, we know Booth is looking at Brennan and we know that he is talking about her when he says that one person you love the most. I think he is beginning to doubt himself, because as much as he says he loves Hannah, another part of him brings him back to where he truly belongs and that is with Brennan.
Angela & Hodgins, can I say are just too adorable for words. I loved how Angela zoned out when she felt the baby kick. Hodgins called the baby a HE and she didn’t correct him. So does that mean that she’s having a boy, or was she still zoned out.
Cam & Paul: Aww, I am so happy that she didn’t stand him up. They want to make it work. I really am pulling for them. They are sweet.
Wendall: He rocks. He cracked me up when Brennan wanted to use him as a part of her expirament.
The iffy: I can’t say the episode was bad, because it wasn’t, IMO. The iffy part about it, Cam talking to Booth about relationships. Yes, I know they’ve been friends for a long time, but Cam has to know that Booth is conflicted, even if he is not being verbal about it. But nonetheless, I am glad they were able to talk about her relationship. But I would still love to see her call BS about his true feelings for Brennan.
Next week:
I’m not worried, probably because in my mind he won’t do it. I think what I am most curious about is how Brennan will react.
Thought the episode was good compared to Season 6 standards.
The tone of the episode was so “light” after all of the previous episodes. It almost seemed like nothing had happened between them. Everything just seemed forced to me. I just don’t think that B & B have that same chemistry anymore.
The end scene was off for me too. I just don’t like that Booth was sort of saying that he may go to “others” but he will come back to the one he loves the most. Will he give up the others? Just too much.
Now next week he considers proposing. They caved in their SL and are trying to bring fans back. I just buy how they are doing it. The promo with the three of them together is just too much. Does Brennan know he buys the ring and is “happy” for them. I just can’t buy this whole SL.
to me this show could of been a lot better/the prius car ride said they forgot there script/booth is the wrong guy to give adviced on relationships/and next week it does showed him buying the ring to me thats enough said but sweets saying dude thats sound more liked jack/maybe the writers need to wake-up and gives us shows as good as seasons5.
I actually disagree with you about the car scene. I thought it was hilarious and I thought it was a moment where they finally DID feel comfortable to enjoy each other’s company so it was really the opposite of forced for me. It just seemed like a very honest, real moment between two people who have been friends for years.
But I can understand where you come from–I just got the completely opposite impression.
I thought the car scene was so force and weird, I didn’t get around to reacting to the product placement.
Count me in as another one not believing Cam would go to Booth for relationship advice right now in the story. At least, not without calling him out on his own BS, both as a caring friend and as mother hen of the Lab. Also agree this not a character choice, but the writers banging us over the head over and over that Booth-Lab dynamic change earlier in the season was all in the imagination.
I like the lighthearted mysteries (I actually like the funeral farce episode), but this mystery was bad. Booth makes assumptions about everyone based on stereotypes and everyone turns out exactly as he thought, including the murderer who just wanted to protect his daughters. Seriously, if everyone acts as predicted, where does that leave the mystery plot?
@re-shoot.
I think they were reshoots or rewrites. Booth’s hot/cold/confused/epiphany reactions have been all over the place the last few episodes. And because there’s no organic unfolding of the story, rather a frenetic effort to overturn the damage from the Hannah arc, the reaction to the BB scenes have been mixed. Some are just relieved it’s back, some say it’s “off.”
First, the car scene was really bad. I like the idea that it was supposed to feel forced, I’m going to tell myself that now because I love this show, but I didn’t see that at all when I was watching. I just winced. They should consider where they dump the product placements in the scenes because I think that took me out of the story and into a more critical state of mind also.
Second, I agree that the scene at the end felt like it was tacked on to tease/please shippers. Watching the scenes for next week right after completely confused me. I sense a Starbuck marries what’s-his-name moment coming up and I hated that twist.
I love this show; I think about it way more than I should; but they have really stumbled with the Hannah storyline. Every time her character enters the story the writing is just terrible. And these are great writers! I feel like the introduced her because they felt like they need to and not because they were inspired about the character or storyline – and it shows.
This epi IS a continuation of the last scene of the last epi, and of all the B&B action since the Doctor in the Photo. Let me explain.
Also, VERY IMPORTANTLY, consider the role Sweets has had in telling the story of B&B. Continuously through the series, Booth’s dialog with Sweets is really a SUBSTITUTE for the monologue Booth is having in his head with the insecure, dark Booth. Sweets constantly reminds him of his abusive, violent childhood, his compartmentalization of his sniper days, his gambling, and his insecurity at being unconditionally loved by Brennan.
As for last season, think of Sweets with the brain scans. That is what kept Booth from telling Brennan that he loved her without adding an atta-boy.
Think of the goading during the 100th epi, where Sweets tells Booth he is the gambler. So Booth gambled with their hearts, without a thought out plan. Again, Sweets is the voice of the insecure, flawed, dark Booth.
Booth now knows Brennan loves him. He is tore up with guilt with continuing his relationship with Hannah. When he approaches Sweets at the gym he is talking about guilt. Key point here, Sweets goads him into telling Hannah, when he just wants relief from the guilt with maybe a little blue pill he asks.
At the end of the sniper epi, we see Booth looking longing at Brennan when she isn’t noticing. That love is still there, even if to prove to Sweets he told Hannah it wasn’t in the previous epi.
This epi has them close and friendly. Booth looks initially surprised and in awe at Brennan at her silliness in the nitwit car scene. It is a glimpse of the awe that we know he is feeling at the end of the sniper epi. Then he forces the continuation of the silliness to keep the moment from becoming tooooo emotional for him. He doesn’t need to face that he is still madly in love with her. Thus the scene seems forced. He is forcing himself to tamper it down.
The diner scene is precious, and shows how well they are still there with each other.
Then during the FF scene, his heart is on his sleeve again, and I think it surprises him. The words pop out. He is catching up to his own reality. It is in his eyes. Sweets isn’t around to goad him, and he has time to process it. (In reality, Booth and Brennan are very much alike emotionally.)
Next week, of course we have Sweets goading him again. He will bring back all of Booth’s insecurities.
Sweets really is either the catalyst for the movement forward of the B&B love story, or the stumbling block. Either way, he is the dark part of Booth’s thoughts. He brings up all of Booth’s hidden depths and throws them back in his face, when he would rather not think of them.
I think the bridge gives Booth time to think and he will make the right decision. (Anyone for a Sound of Music break-up?)
On a side note: Earlier, he may have told Brennan that he is getting something special for Hannah when he goes shopping with Sweets, thus the looks Brennan and Hannah exchange at the diner.
@JO Exactly. With the exception of the first episode back, which I guess they couldn’t do anything with and since the break, when I surmise TPTB had a bit of a panic over the Hannah storyline, we’ve gone from Booth not having a single regret about Hannah to longing looks and veiled statements. And shipper heavy BB promos, interviews and spoilers.
I guess there’s not much they could do with the trainwreck of the proposal storyline either, but it all feels very mixed up, now they’ve chopped and changed the episodes. And some things are just glaring, like that ‘you only love one person’, followed immediately by a proposal trailer.
(BTW, I *hate* that whole idea. I don’t care if Booth is goaded into it by Sweets, I absolutely hate the idea of Booth buying a ring for Hannah, drunk or not. I won’t watch next week, even though I know she’s more than likely to be buying a one way ticket back to Afghanistan to find some other soldier to ‘thank’).
Oh, I absolutely agree with the review that there’s room to grow for both BB, now and after they get together. (Never understood why UST was an issue with this couple, they would probably bicker even more once they got together.)
However, I see no sign of mutual growth in the show and no interest from the writers in exploring mutual growth.
There may be no way to measure the exact response, but the sense of Bones being made pathetic is out there, and Booth ‘choosing’ Bones in the end isn’t going to change that the show spent the first half of the season punishing her. Now it seems like they’re just going to move on and not acknowledge this. Also, the criticism I’ve seen, here at least, about Booth isn’t that he’s not allowed to move on or be happy with Hannah. It’s that he’s obviously flawed and acting out, but no one, not on the show, not the writers in the press, is calling him out on it.
Plus, including this episode, I really don’t see Booth adjusting and learning from Bones. Letting her finish her anthropological analysis at the diner was being polite/understanding/interested/condescending, but there’s no personal growth there. Again, the episode just shows Booth as the wise one on the murder case and on matters of love. (And he didn’t even make sense- as pointed out.)
Chiming in to say: yep. Still forced. The acting, the storylines, the writing.
The scene with Cam and Booth felt very forced to me, not only because I don’t see her coming for advice to him, but also because Booth’s lines were completely unnatural. Who talks like that? Season 2 Booth would have made fun of her, and then they would have had some nice exchange. Season 6 Booth is a bore who goes on and on about how if the guy ‘is the one’ then you need to give them nine (?) chances. I don’t know, but the dialogue was just terrible.
The scene in the car – product placement or not, it was also extremey forced.
The scene at the bar – yuck. I am uncomfortable. I wish the writers wouldn’t have made Booth insist so much that Hannah’s not a consolation prize. It would havemade the tag for this episode feel a lot less yucky than it did.
Booth as Brennan’s guide in matters of the heart? WTF does she still accept him in this role? Meekly, I might add. He really does get preachy sometimes, and Brennan’s passive acceptance of all he has to say really irks me.
The case? it was a repetition of season 2’s The Truth in the Lye, except tyhat it had three instead of two wives and it was a lot less funny.
Nope. Bones ain’t back. Not for me. Not yet. Not sure if it’ll ever be back, the writers must be too busy with the spinoff.
Oh well. *Sigh*.
@Fl- Season 2 Booth probably would have better lines than the “if he’s the one” speech recycled from last season’s 30 Rock. But then again, Season 2 Cam handled a secret relationship with Booth with grace, so she would not need any help handling this doctor. Really, what is with the regression of Bones, now Cam into Bridget Jones/SatC stereotypes? Thankfully, I loved Angela’s support for Cam.
Like the fine line with Booth’s honor this season, I think the show has been toeing a fine line with Booth as alpha male throughout the entirety of the show’s run. I appreciate Booth as alpha male (and on a shallow note, I appreciate DB in those fitted suits). However, I never saw the perfect specimen of masculinity that HH/show is insisting on. It was always a characteristic that made Booth stand out as a character, not the actual sign of a perfect hero. And it was a necessary strong balance to the equally strong Bones.
But now, I’m finding the character more and more offensive for several reasons.
– Bones is no longer the strong counterpart. There’s no balance, no fun give&take.
– HH and SN canonizing Booth as the ‘most moral man on tv’ (this one’s on me, for reading PR flack.)
– While Bones has been changing, Booth has not.
– The story lines are only supporting Booth’s preconceived notions about human interactions. The sniper arc’s purpose is to show Booth as “utterly heroic” (from HH, but this was clear from the episode itself).
I love the characters fiercely, but the writers need to step up.
To add, because I thought BB had a mutual, balanced relationship, I thought the failure to get together last season was both their responsibilities (don’t want to say faults). Personally, the show suggesting Booth is faultless and the Greek Chorus of blame and regret heaped on Bones this season came as a huge shock, as shocking as the Gormagon resolution.
I double the recommendation of the above mentioned blogspot.
http://everythinghappenseventually.blogspot.com/
I think that Judy is right on target with her remarks and analysis of the Booth/Sweets characters playing off of each other-goading each other-I think that
Booth seems to be trying to prove Sweets’ theories about him and Brennan wrong and he subconsciously does the opposite of what Sweets says. I know a lot of fans are annoyed because they think the writing is convoluted and forced, but I don’t agree. I think the chemistry between Booth and Brennan is still there and the car scene with the exception of the product placement was classic B &B. I also thought the ending scene was Booth realizing that he still loves Brennan the most and Brennan understanding exactly what he meant. I don’t think Brennan is a doormat either as another poster said, I just think that she is realizing that she wants more out of her life. She’s been a “lab rat” for ten years. She’s been angry and unable to process her emotions for years. I think she’s now trying to be happy and relaxed with herself and her friends and that is progress. Next week is being dreaded but I think everything will work out at the right time.
I HAVE had another thought what if hannah and bones are really friends and our booth dont really liked that remember he said bones was to be jealous/think of it liked that.
Well, ratings are down as expected. Since renewal is certain anyway and I’m not talking schadenfreude, I can say it’s a well deserved decrease.
CSI and Grey’s Anatomy have strong ratings because they deliver- CSI on its proven formula and GA is -committed- to its insane melodrama. If Bones owned the trite melodrama of the love triangle with similar enthusiasm, who knows…
The NBC comedies get the critics’ love, and aside from personal preferences on humor, Community, P&R, 30Rock, Office do brilliant jobs on tight plot construction and overturning TV cliches. If Bones had made good on the promise of a fresh take of the triangle, who knows…
Put me down on ‘Brennan is a doormat’ side. Some see romance. I get Jesus and disciple vibes from Booth constantly being the one to teach Bones about life. And agree 100% it wouldn’t be a problem if we had a balance of Booth adapting to Bones’ way of seeing things.
Ok, I have to say – some of the things you pointed out here I didn’t really catch, because I was to busy just looking at THEM (B&B)! Together! They were talking – like real conversations not just exchanging informations, laughing, bickering… Oh my God, I missed that so much! 🙂
I’ve only watched episode one time – and I promise that the next time I will be more careful, but first impression is just – “want that back”! And I think they want that too… They are both aware that some things are changed but the mail thing isn’t, and (sorry Hannah) I’m glad for that. Even if I maybe realize later that you are correct, right now I don’t feel that Booth was doing all that toeing on purpose – in my opinion he was just surprised as we were with both words and looks that followed this, seemingly ‘safe’, case related conversation… Personally I didn’t get the vibe “I want to have other women on Tuesdays and Fridays but I love you” – I just think that he poured up his “you just do” (he pointed with his eyes there to Cam and Paul, to give an example) and then realized that HE just DOES… Maybe I just want to believe in all of this but the excitement in me after the end of episode was genuine, it was like before and I kinda don’t want to ruin it. Blame me but we didn’t get this open showed emotions in a while…
All of this talking made me wish to see it once again more, I’m going to that straight away,just want to thank you Sarah and everybody else for your wonderful reviews – they only make me love bones more!
@Canuck21 — No, I don’t believe that Booth has really moved on. But HE seems to believe that he has. But it just seems un-Boothy that he would be, for lack of a better word, flirting with Brennan when he’s trying to convince himself (and others) that he loves Hannah and only Hannah. And it also wouldn’t feel right to me for him to break up with Hannah and immediately turn to Brennan.
Maybe I was too harsh… I did really like this ep, don’t get me wrong. I’m still processing the scene, I need to watch it a couple more times.
This was the first episode I’ve have actually enjoyed from beginning to end this season. Probably out of nostalgia for the earlier seasons & earlier B&B..
Booth is finally not acting like a douche towards Brennan and I’m sorry but I’d take this Booth over the Douche!Booth he was any day. Although he did come off a little opinionated about the case and love/life. I agree with most of the people here on that .. But I think Brennan is still a little off-kilter about everything and she’s still seeking her way. Brennan maybe a very strong woman but in that tough shell she has is a soft interior.. She’s just always known how to keep up the shell, Booth broke that shell and eventhough he hurt her he’s still the person she’s taken all her social clues from for years and for the most part it’s worked.. I think she wasn’t trying to get a confession out of Booth or trying anything dishonorable, she was just trying to find her way again. By saying things like: ‘there’s one person you love the most’ Booth was the old Booth again and I think she took that as a hint that she could ask him for advice again, like they used to do on this matter. As for Booth, I hope he’s finally seen the light..
In this storyline someone was bound to get hurt and I prefer it not to be Brennan. I think sometimes the writers forget that the show is called Bones and that it’s about a Forensic Anthropologist. Sure Booth is most definitely an important character but he isn’t and shouldn’t be more important than Brennan and I feel like they’ve been portraying that the entire season.. I don’t know why but they’ve been trying to pin everything that went wrong between B&B on Brennan and I’m hoping that this is the beginning of the end for all that.
Quote:
I just think that she is realizing that she wants more out of her life. She’s been a “lab rat” for ten years. She’s been angry and unable to process her emotions for years. I think she’s now trying to be happy and relaxed with herself and her friends
This seems like the positive interpretation of Brennan’s arc- the message the show was trying sending out. Admittedly, I’m a fan of the earlier Brennan. I would argue that the so-called “lab rat” lived a wider life then than she is now. She may not have been as good at accessing her emotions (but no way near the disfunction later seen), but she channeled that energy into so many admirable outlets.
For example, earlier, her travels made her more empathetic to various victims. I remember when she resisted Booth’s order to threaten a witness about deportation because she had seen dictators do the same. (Yeah, so to the question of Booth learning from Bones, we have to go back to season 1.)
Now, her travels are depicted as her running away from Booth, the coma dream and the 100th episode events.
Instead of seeing a woman dedicated to seeking the truth inside and outside the lab, she now looks for and sees parallels to her love life in the cases. I can think of many other examples where Bones switches from caring about the big picture to being lovelorn and hanging onto Booth for dear life.
This is not progress to me. I will admit she has every right to personal happiness. I’m just disappointed it comes with a more self-involved and narrow perspective. I don’t think her happiness and living wide were mutually exclusive, but the show seems to think it’s necessary to shove her into a conventional box to give her happiness.
I think the writers of the show is telling us two important things here…
1. Booth is just human. He can’t be expected to always do the “right” / “honorable” thing. Him sending mixed signals to Bones at the end of the episode just shows the “restrained’ S6 booth getting loose. So i really do believe that Booth went home that night scolding himself for not being in control of his emotions that day.
2. We are to expect a shift or big change/s on the next episodes. From the start of this ep, you can see that something was different by having the cute periscope thingy, moving on to B&B banter in the diner (i might add, Bones was very good in reading Booth’s reaction here), the agonizing/enjoyable/squeee worthy car laughing and the cheezy lines at the end of the ep. It seems that we are to now say goodbye to the distant B&B relationship and booth being a jerk to bones. yipeeeeee!!!!
JK- following the “Bullet in the Brain” the ratings of Bones were higher than they’ve been in four years-over 10 million. Possibly some of this is due to the American Idol lead in, however those added viewers are staying with the show the entire hour. Prior to the new time change, the ratings ranged from over 8 million to over 9 million viewers weekly. So despite the Booth/Hannah/Brennan arc, fans are still watching-though many were upset with what was going on in the first half of the season.
Jenny your assessment about Brennan being really a soft hearted person
behind a hard shell is right on-I agree with you 100%. Brennan for this reason is not a doormat-she’s still the same strong woman but she’s not hiding her feelings and emotions and coming off so cold anymore. She is off kilter for this reason and yes in last night’s episode she did ask Booth’s opinion at the end about what would happen if someone let “that person go”. I don’t agree with people who say that this season what happened between Booth and Brennan from the writer’s point of view was solely Brennan’s “fault”. They both didn’t fight for/wait for the other. Sort of like what happened between Hodgins and Angela in season 4 when they let each other go (when Angela was a bit jealous when Cam slept with her ex-husband).
The thing that I don’t get though is why Cam went to Booth for advice on her love life. I know that they have a past together-Booth went to her for advice in the Harbingers in a Fountain on what he should do with his feelings about Brennan-but I think that Cam seems to know her own mind. She is the boss after all-she knows what she needs to do about Paul! But okay, I can buy it. I don’t think however that she and Paul are a cute couple. I think that they are knid of awkward and I just don’t see chemistry between them. I mean Cam is so beautiful and confident and Paul is kind of gawky and not really cute at all-my opinion. It seems that she would go with a hotter guy. But I guess opposites attract as all of the couples in Bones. No couple seems the obvious choice for each other, but it seems to work (ie Angela and Hodgins, Booth and Brennan, Daisy and Sweets-now Cam and Paul).
I liked the writers direction in the episode. I thought the whole point of the episode was to point out that people should give each other chances to try again and not give up on something positive in their life just because it was complicated. Cam going to Booth made perfect sense to me, he is a friend and not an employee or co-worker. She can be honest with him about her personal life and get real advice. That seemed to be a re-connection of their relationship. Which male in her office would give her a man’s perspective? It just felt right.
The car scene worked, just like the cornfield because they are having to give each other chances again and this is a whole new dynamic where they have both been honest to each other about their feelings. Now, Brennan is eager to move past opening up to Booth and Booth is juggling a new feeling of hope between them. The writers did an excellent job to me of giving the actors interactions that allowed them to explore this new dynamic between them. Both of the actors did an excellent job of trying to show characters exploring an unknown territory between them. It is a messy and confusing process and I was glad to see the writers express this in the car scene and the bar scene.
The bar scene and the conversation was interesting. The writers had Booth talking about how he felt about multiple partners but not hearing himself admitting that he still had feelings and wasn’t going anywhere. That whole scene was the perfect disconnect people have between what they say and how they feel. It sets up the characters for an epiphany that should come in the next few episodes. Are they being true to the Booth character they have set? Maybe they are in the sense that Booth often hides things that he feels are too revealing until he is compelled to express them. I agree with the poster that pointed out that Sweets is a catalyst character that pushes the Booth character when necessary to confront something that is apparent to everyone.
Finally, I love what the writers do with the “B” stories. I liked that Cam is feeling the stress of a relationship that she can’t decide if she wants. She speaks for so many women having to decide whether to enter the dating arena again. Kudos to the actors in those scenes for getting the most out of their lines. Well done!
@Jenny, I agree with your honest response too. No defense of Booth’s honor necessary- I just want him to be nice to Bones. I think Bones the show and character have regressed in quality and Booth has gotten preachier, no doubt. But I still like all the characters, and am just waiting for Hannah to be over so I can at least enjoy the show for what it is now.
I’m kinda embarrassed by how much time I have for TV analysis, but I meant Bones ratings decreased from last week, decreased during the actual show (CSI and GA don’t lose viewers midway), and did not come out #1 in the competition.
I’ll stand by my other points- the other shows have stayed true to their identity and delivered. Like I said, Bones isn’t in any trouble so I mean no ill will, but even with Idols, there’s no groundswell surge from viewers and critics the way there used to be.
I think that the final scene was nice, and that what Booth said was dead on. I don’t think it makes him dishonourable, because no ones perfect and we can’t always control our thoughts (which were clearly shown on his face) but we can control our actions and its what we do that counts- and Booth didn’t cheat on anyone.
Liz,
“I think the show has been toeing a fine line with Booth as alpha male throughout”
I hadn’t thought of this, but your entire post explains my own love/hate relationship with Booth so well. And why it’s been on the wrong side of that line this season.
Whoever referenced the Fug Girls above, I snorted just thinking about them getting their hands on Bones. They actually did feature Emily Deschanel for one of her outfits but ended up telling her to get on the horse, Booth-wise. It was definitely, Bones, take control kind of message. Tilda Swinton, Helen Mirren, even JLo- they like their women strong. Forget the trench coat, they would positively rip her a new one for letting Booth treat her that way. They’d cut through the crap of whose fault/human flaws/character growth/etc. in a jiffy.
Finally some people realizing the double standard on the show.
It’s all about Brennan being inadequate about everything, being wrong about everything, her system belief based on anthropology, science, proof, evidence, research, studies being, faith in reason, being wrong (while she is asked to believe in psychology, go figure) in comparison to Booth’s revealed truth based on his feelings always right cause signals from the universe or God *sigh*
Only answer Booth ever has is: I just know.
Booth’s faith is the right one, Brennan’s is the wrong one *sigh*
It’s all about the heart is always right and reason always wrong *sigh*
Everytime something happen you should feel something, it’s wrong/bad to rationalize a situation, you should suffer blah blah blah. *sigh*
I thought they were supposed to complete each other, not that Brennan was supposed to do a 180° turn and become like Booth, like everybody else…
They are changing all the things about Brennan that made me watch the show in the first place. I liked her because she was different, so of course I don’t want her to become like everybody else. Especially since Booth doesn’t change, doesn’t learn anything form her. It’s all about Brennan needing Booth directly, but Booth only needing her to need him so that he can feel like a man, not needing anyone or anything, just needing to be needed because of his white knight syndrome that apparently he is not asked to heal from, but Brennan is asked to overcome her childhood issues… Because supposedly his issues make him a good man, but Brennan’s make her a robot because she is missing the link to humanity *sigh*
I liked that she didn’t have the same needs in the emotional department, that she was rational, like she didn’t feel the need to talk to headstone to make her feel better about someone’s death, she just accepted it, it’s a fact (change what you can, and accept what you can’t change), but since the funeral episode we know that now she would have this need.
I’m not saying it’s bad to have this need, I understand it, it’s just there are people who don’t have it and there is nothing wrong about it,they are not less human, but it’s generally not what it is shown on tv, so I was glad to see this different character on tv for once that dealt with life in a different way, but like always they felt the need to change her, like they are saying it is wrong to be rational and not hurt over every bad thing in life even the one you can’t change, bad to be strong, and that it just one example…
I would like for Brennan to rebel sometime and tell every preacher one the show to go to hell and stop telling her what is right to feel, do, be! Stop telling her to act like normal people! Etc!
Isabel,
I think most here agree Booth is human, and you’re right. No one can control their thoughts. In fact, the response seems to be that it’s about time he finally accessed the confusion in his own head. But then he acted on it by flirting with Bones.
I think this is perfectly understandable and wouldn’t be a problem except that the writers have been pushing the Booth Is Perfect, Not to Blame, the Most Moral Man. Thus, the fans hold him to a higher standard of honorable behavior.
(I think he’s always sent mixed signals, and this is nothing new. But I never bought the Booth is faultless line this season.)
While watching this episode, I kept thinking, I’ve seen this episode before. Wow was I right. Thanks Snowflake for the reminder (The Truth in the Lye). The episode itself was not solid, and it suffered from many a rewrites over the winter break. Clearly, HH was told by the powers at Fox to end the SO Storyline and to start throwing the shippers a bone or two. If it were not for someone at Fox interfering in the storyline, how can anyone explain the car scene or the end scene.
Also, yes the show is called Bones, but it was supposed to last 2 or 3 seasons, and after that they started to insinuate that Booth was just as damaged as Brennan. And even before S4 it was insinuated in regard of his past as a sniper that Booth’s was messed up feeling guilty, and in S4 they added his abusive childhood cause for his white knight syndrome… So why only Brennan is asked to overcome her past and change? Why can’t Booth learn from her? I mean really learn, the rare time he takes advices form her, she is just reminding him of his own advices that he can’t follow when the situation is too close to home, ie Jared-wise, but she never makes him see things in another valid light, she never makes him pondering and then changing his mind, she never gives him a new perspective on things, in the end of the episode it’s always Brennan who is proven wrong Booth right… That’s so one-sided 🙁
I agree with whomever said that the S1 Brennan was better (not perfectly which is fine, nobody is perfect except Booth apparently lol) balanced between her reasons and her emotions. And I too was expecting that they would promote her different way to be happy: rational and living wide. On one hand they are all about there’s more than ONE kind of family, but one the other they are all about there’s only ONE way to be happy, and that’s it to be all about feelings and heart and blind faith…
apologies to FL…meant to thank you reminder.
I don’t know about the rest of you but in life I have fallen in love many times. I remember my mother told me when I was a young woman that I would love many men in my life but there would be one I would choose to spend my life with. How right she was. Over the years, I loved and lost when I realized I could not make a life with that certain someone (similar to Cam, needed to give up my time or my space and didn’t) then we ended the relationship. Then one day through work I met a man who needed to decide over time what he wanted: the woman he loved the most or the one that he loved and could live with. Eventually, (2 yrs of denying feelings or because the timing was off) we both realized we needed to learn to adapt and change so that we could be together as partners in love and life not just work.
I believe Booth is an honorable man and Brennan loves him enough to let him go but NEEDS him to remain a friend. Nobody ever said love was easy and I think DB and ED do a fantastic job of portraying the minutia of facial expressions and longing looks which draw us in and cause us to hold our breaths and sign at what ifs or get frustrated and angry at what seem to be the lost moments.
I think it may be Hannah that realizes the love between Booth and Brennan is so strongly forged (although B&B may be in denial). I am of the opinion that she may realize that although Booth may love her (Hannah) and may have indicated he wants to spend his life with her (ie proposal); she may may realize “the one he loves the most” is Brennan and because she loves Booth and loves and respects Brennan she will decide she’s the one that needs to leave. The question is how would this story line be developed? It has been a long while since Booth has truly needed to save Brennan from an enemy, maybe the sniper arch will come into play here?
Of course I don’t find Booth is perfect, and I certainly don’t want him to be, I also don’t want him to be a hero. But that is not what is shown on the show.
On the show, even though he is as damage as Brennan, he is shown as perfect because of his issues while Brennan is shown as inadequate because of hers.
His white knight syndrome, aftermath of his abusive childhood, makes him appear a selfless man (= a hero) while Brennan issues make her appear selfish, and needy. Now people should check what the white knight syndrome is and realize it is not selfless at all, they feel obligated to help people, they do it to feel good about themselves and worth of love, but that is never touched on the show as something Booth should overcome and realize he can be loved even if he is not perfect/strong all the times, or if he is weak/needy sometimes, that his loved won’t run away when he needs to be taken care of etc… No the writers stay on the top layer of it, which is, Booth is a very good everything, the real alpha male cause he selflessly puts other first… My ass! lol
Lonely Snowflake,
you’re right when you said that in the early seasons Brennan lived wider because she used her travels to channel her energies into “admirable outlets”. I didn’t mean to imply anything negative when I called her a “lab rat”-in fact she used that term to characterize herself. I also liked the Brennan of earlier seasons. Yes she was a very different character than she is depicted now. However, I”m trying not to compare that Brennan to the Brennan of these later seasons. I’m just watching and enjoying each season for its own message and stories. (It’s easier this way-otherwise I’d probably go crazy analyzing how the show “used to be” and where it is now). I still love the show and it seems that you do to. Your “argument” is very valid and I’m inclined to agree with it. There’s so many interesting opinions and viewpoints on this site-every post that I have read has aspects that I agree with and really shows me that Bones fans put so much consideration and thought into how they feel about this show-which is pretty amazing!
Why don’t we all cool off and wait what will happen. I just can’t see that the show will be so stupidly done, after 5 good Seasons before. I think this whole season is done differently, with lots of twists and turns and a lot of clues and I think it is very exiting not to know what will be the end product. (Of course there can only be one – Bones and Booth forever!) But we have to wait until later to see the light at the end of the tunnel and then we all say:”Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!
P.S. That does not mean I am a bit anxious about next episode, but I have trust in the writers and HH, they will not shoot themselves in the foot, they just like to give us “angst” (a nice German word).
All I have to say is that I really enjoyed the episode,and cannot wait for the next and the next, etc. For me this is just a great imperfect show with an amazing
cast. I am not going to psychoanalyse the episode,[what he/she said.how he/she reacts and looks], I just enjoy watching.
I have only watched NCIS @the MENTALISt twice,and I must admit I would rather watch mold grow,[PLASTIC PERFORMERS,ESPECIALLY SB]’
Bones just has this special something something.I am hoping for more seasons.
Booth saved Brennan twice in a row: S5 harbingers and S6 doctor in the photo. Last time Brennan saved Booth was in S4 hero in the hold. I thought they were supposed to save each other’s life one after the other…
Booth was so adamant about polygamy being awful that it perked my would-be psychologist ears. It’s entirely possible that it’s because of Booth’s religious background, but I wonder if it wasn’t rooted in something else. Like, say, maybe that errant thought that keeps wandering around in Booth’s brain.
He has two beautiful women who get along fabulously, who understand that each has a unique relationship with Booth, and do their respective bests to respect that. I’d be surprised if the idea of being in a relationship with both women at the same time hadn’t occurred to him. Maybe once he started thinking about it, he could see ways it could work, which would clash horribly with his understanding of the world. So he uses this case to prove to himself that it couldn’t POSSIBLY work, to scrub that little thought out of his brain.
It could explain why he gets so mad at Brennan for trying to rationalize it with anthropology. He doesn’t want there to be evidence of it making sense or successfully working. I got the feeling that Booth was rubbing the first wife’s divorce in her face, as if trumpeting as evidence that this whole polygamy scheme is all a sham.
I’d be willing to argue that Booth HAS undergone some change and growth since the first season. It’s just that his is more subtle; less explosive than Brennan’s. His big realization came off-screen: it’s what led him to take that big gamble in the 100th episode. Brennan’s growth had to come out of left-field and take her by surprise: otherwise, she would’ve rationalized it, or filed it away, and completely ignored it.
Sorry, I posted my response on the wrong Forum. I don’t know how to delete it.
It was suppose to go on a negative weside.
Booth was totally inappropriate at the end, but it’s about damn time! If you really, really love someone you can’t just shut those feelings down and love someone else, and jerk Booth this year really made me question how much he actually loves her. The only problem now is, from the way he was acting throughout this episode anyway, he definitely knows he loves her and wants to be with her. And this is a very different situation now because she’s told him she’s not scared any more and she wants a chance. So, he’s a good guy (or at least, he believes he’s a good guy) so he won’t hurt Hannah, but this means he needs to make sure his relationship with her doesn’t move forward at all, so he’s really quite stuck, and it’ll be interesting to see how he digs himself out.
At the end of the day, he’s a big romantic, and he’s a gambler, and I don’t think he could ever pass up on a prize as incredible as Bones, so we just have to wait it out, and be thankful that when he finally gets rid of Hannah we won’t have to feel sad for her or guilty because she’s completely insufferable!
I have been wondering that too. It’s not because Booth thinks/feels something is wrong, that he wouldn’t love it. Booth will probably be faithful to Brennan, but why? Because he is a monogamist at heart, and really feels this way? Or just because he thinks it’s the right thing to do based on his feelings based on his upbringing based on the Bible?
Also about the diner scene when he was so proud to be “right”, Brennan could have easily argue that monogamists get divorced too, how’s that about happiness?
That’s another annoying thing, in order to prove Brennan wrong they never go at the bottom of the argument, they make Brennan speechless even though there is plenty of valid counter-arguments and based on logic not just feelings.
Agree with what many have stated above — why is Brennan the only one questioning and changing, when both characters are damaged? And why does Brennan’s realization that she needs a greater connection to her emotions, and to the world, and to Booth, mean that she needs to give up the things that make her interesting and unique? What I loved most about this relationship is that they were saving and changing and healing each other; that their qualities were complimentary and made them a wonderful team, personally and professionally. It’s a very strange and regressive notion — that the woman has to change to get her man; that her beliefs must be abandoned or subsumed by his. And you couple that with Angela being less than interested in work because she’s pregnant — wow, what a message. How about a woman who can be excited and enthusiastic and challenged by her job while she’s pregnant? Not really an “out-there” concept. This kind of old school, traditional, conservative view of what women want, of gender roles, of male-female relationships, is a bummer for me.
And yet…I still turned to mush when I saw the way he looked at her in the final scene. I do think his feelings are finally bubbling up to the surface, and coming out of his mouth in an uncalculated way. But setting aside how they’re going to deal with Hannah (and that’s a big question), I really hope that if these two ever do get together, some kind of balance or equity returns to their relationship first. Booth fell in love with an independent and fierce spirit, and so did we. He deserves that. And so do we.
It’s interesting that no one is commenting about what struck me as the real core of the episode: the fact that Booth and Hannah are not making time for each other, while Cam storyline is all about how important that is for a happy and functioning relationship. In the bar, at the end, Booth tells Bones that Hannah can’t join them because is working late (a recurring theme, by now), and then he asks “the usual” for himself and Bones. It made me wonder if he and Hannah spend enough time together to even have a usual at a local.
Maybe is just a little thing, but for me speaks volumes about their relationship.
Does anyone else thing so?
I’m really loving these comments, especially the ones that are calling out the imbalance in the partnership (that the show is obviously denying) but still love the show enough to remind us of how good it can be.
@Clare, that’s good fanwanking (I’m not being sarcastic, tone is hard online). But if it were true, I think we should have gotten more of a reaction from Booth about Hannah working late. Instead, it seems like a guest star thing, and also, it’s sweeps week and think there was pandering to the shippers involved to fit that last scene.
@JK, your comparison of Bones to the wide variety of other Thu shows is really persuasive. It shows how lost Bones seems to be about its “identity” and why Hannah backfired. It wasn’t just a small pocket of fans. They really didn’t commit to the triangle enough, either like GA or by giving a fresh take.
Connected to that, it’s no coincidence that the most interesting comments don’t bother analyzing Hannah or the Hannah plotline in depth.
In regards to Hannah-no offense to Kathryn Winnick-she’s an okay actress. I’ve seen her in episodes of House and CSI:NY-I just don’t think she’s strong enough as an actress and that her character is interesting enough to have been successful on Bones. Maybe the character wasn’t written well enough or had any really unique quirks that made her stand out.
When Tamara Taylor first appeared on Bones in season 2, there was a lot of backlash from the fans, but Tamara is such an amazing actress and used the snarkiness/sarcasm that’s Cam’s trademark to really establish herself as a very much needed member of the ensemble. Kathryn just hasn’t been able to convince Bones fans that Hannah is no more than a plot device and not a well developed, three dimensional character!
I think that last year’s very short introduction of the marine biologist that Booth dated (also named Catherine) played by Rena Sofer was a much better choice if they had to have a love interest for Booth other than Brennan. I don’t know why the character was so short lived-maybe Rena was busy with another show (I think NCIS) or didn’t want to deal with all of the angry fans, but H&H should have used her character for a longer time instead of introducing Hannah. To me, she had a lot more chemistry, was very believable and seemed to be closer in age to Booth. This is as close as I will come to “analyzing” Hannah’s plotline in “depth! I wish no ill will to Kathryn Winnick, I just don’t think the character was necessary to the story especially for this length of time. I think Hart Hanson kept Katherine Winnick on because he liked her, she’s pretty and she’s Canadian like him-my opinion!
I agree Andrea! Rena didn’t piss me off anywhere near the level Hannah does, but that may have been just because we never thought that’d be serious, we weren’t told over and over by Hart & Co how “AMAZING AND LOVABLE!” she was, and because she was kinda Brennan-lite!
The Hannah character is just so awful, I genuinely find her toxic, she reminds me of one of those cocky young doctors/police officers from the million shows out there who are all
“I’m so tough and beautiful, damn I’m awesome!” but then as soon as something really bad or scary happens they break down and wet their pants and hide in the corner, and then they can start to become fully-realised characters and stop being asses. Hannah’s never going to get that, she’s always going to be an ass, why the hell would Brennan want to be friends with her, it baffles me! Her getting shot was the end of any hope I had of liking her, god she was an obnoxious little troll, and that thing of trying to be cute by stealing Brennans sunglasses? I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to actually punch someone in the face so bad.
I constantly complain about the ridiculous drawing out of the B/B relationship, yet I hate Hannah so much I’d happily accept another year of them not together if it was because the sniper got Hannah! I feel really evil, but seriously, when Brennan asked Booth about Hannah joining them at the end I got an actual pain in my chest at the thought of her crashing in!
The informal, very unscientific discussion of Hannah I had pretty much agreed with everything said above. Actress was pretty but the character went back and forth between ‘meh’ and obnoxious. (Other gossipy nonsense was mentioned too, but not appropriate here except that even that coming up in conversation is casting and writing failure.)
By contrast, even friends who stopped watching Grey’s mentioned Addison Montgomery’s awesome introduction as the 3rd wheel. More seriously, the Fringe alternative world triangle was voted most innovative and heart breaking. (For people who watch, Fringe is really running on all cylinders so this is no surprise.)
It’s clear from the comments that people are still attached to all the characters, I just hope the story recovers. And it will just further piss people off if the writers don’t acknowledge their mistakes (within the story, not some public announcement).
Yes, I can see the ‘love between Booth and Brennan, but what I really see is a love between a Big Brother and a little sister that Booth never had. He protects her both physically and also cleans up after her socially inept comments. and he has done the same for his own brother.
Booth’s sexual partners, including Cam, have very different personalities from Brennan. To see Booth and Brennan in bed together would like seeing an act in incest.
yes, fans still want to see good episodes of bones they had to sat thru A.I. STILL for me fox should moved BONES BACK TO 8 .
i think that we’re tiptoeing that line you’re talking about precisely because we are SO SO VERY NEAR the end of the hannah arc. booth is in this muddlepuddle so very deep, and for all the effort he’s put in— it’s starting to sho.w like, REALLY show.
even booth’s love for hannah (and i do acknowledge that it’s there) can get in the way of B & B. after all, like he himself says: “there’s only one person you love the most”
Huge fan of the show. But I think it hit a fork in the road in season four with Booth’s tumor. The show then took on a more whimsical tone with less emphasis on cases and an almost robotic Bones. This combined with ill timed confessions of love first by Booth then Bones have really dampened the chemistry and flow of the show that really made it amazing in the earlier seasons (especially season two). The show is still good but it has not been great in a long time- just my opionion.
@Andrea Diaz. Not entirely true. The viewership after the AI lead-in has dropped by about 1.5 – 2 million at the half hour mark. Not everybody sticks with it. This is in contrast to the previous trend, where Bones would pick up viewers in the second half. The demo is pretty good though, thanks to the AI lead-in and that’s all TPTB care about.
Peej,
yes viewership has dropped a bit in the second half but it’s still pretty strong. And is does seem that is what TPTB want-of course-as do we in the aspect that Bones fans do want the show to continue. In earlier seasons it is true the show just wanted to tell the stories and present unique characters, but a drawback of a show becoming popular is all the bigwigs want in and then big money and sponsorship is involved and things invariably change. Of course long time Bones fans such as myself and you and I’m assuming the majority of posters on this site, look towards the earlier seasons when the show was new and wasn’t trying to set viewership records it was just trying to survive-so Bones was more true to itself. And I do miss season 1-3 Bones. But I’m trying not to compare these past seasons to previous ones, I’m just trying to enjoy it as it is now! I do think the Hannah arc shouldn’t have gone on for this long though-and I’m glad to see if finally come to an end. I want to see future episodes become stronger and more dramatic. I really enjoyed the Bullet in the Brain and hope to see more episodes like this one. Things will start to turn around and the season should finish on a strong note!
Whoops! I meant to say “I’m trying not to compare past seasons to current ones”…
I agree with a lot of the posts. Specially @Liz and @Delph, thanks for your great posts that is how i have felt too, just can´t put it in writing as good as you do. I hated this season from the first episode and i hate what they are doing with the characters, mostly Brennan.Booth i can hardly stand to see him anymore.
It started out as “Everybody loves Hannah” and continued as “Booth Almighty”. Whats with “Bones” thats the show and characters i loved.
Marple, your last comments are so in line with my thoughts. I just add that Brennan has been viewed as more of a “Michael Scott” in Bones. She is almost like a joke this season. I want the return of a strong Brennan, and not lonely, pathetic Brennan. I just hope they don’t have her only purpose this season is to “be there” to support Booth and her friend Hannah. I really want to see Brennan tell Booth off at some point, but the writers don’t seem to think he has any faults, so it will probably be Booth telling Brennan off because everything seems to be her fault.
@Minority, @marple, thanks!
I loved reading all the posts here and like how people discuss things w/o getting all defensive or attacking. (Sorry, off topic)
I did enjoy Angela’s advice to Cam- it felt like a realpolitik approach to dating (thus realistic and not cloying like Booth’s advice) and was very supportive of Cam. It’s weird that I haven’t liked Angela’s romantic storylines but think she’s always been a staunch gal pal. She convinced Bones to do that science show, and Bones’ reaction (“I am jazzed”) to her work in some other episode were bright spots on a bad season. (Watch me jinx it and the show will put Angela in some hilarious! wacky! pregnancy situation.)
Between the Michelle college admissions fiasco and this week’s stereotypical girl behavior, I’m putting Cam on ‘alert’ list, but at least we got to see more of her.
Booth, you’ve got the smirk, the charm. So lets see you step up to the challenge of being *equal partners* with Bones.
@Eve2, yeah Bones has reached Michael Sott levels of bizarre and ridiculous characterization. But it’s even worse, at least Michael Scott has some power through his position. Bones is a joke and a doormat.
And I started thinking of comparative examples for Booth, but I can’t think of a single guy on TV right now who is so worshipped by the show.
ok. liz. ur an idiot. 1st of all. we all know how bones is. shell preend that she dnt care about booth marrying hannah. its up to booth now to save what he and bones have. like always. bones wont bc she never does. and we all know booth loves bones the most bc he. we all saw that look he gave her wen she was lookin at cam. so there. and for all u others. just friggen wait till nxt thurs. we’ll see wat happenes. then we can all talka again(: have a good week.
WOW. I have never seen so much Booth hate all in one place before. Just WOW. Brennan as a victim, a doormat, really? Are you all watching the same show I am?
She is dealing with the results of her actions, letting her true love, Booth “get away”
Life sucks, then it sucks some more sometimes when you make the “big” decisions without thinking it through, or over thinking it. I have been there and it is not a pretty picture. The way they are presenting it is very true to life and it hurts to the core of who you are.
Booth has not changed while Bren does? What?
I can’t name all the episodes where he has quoted her, learned from her and changed his way of thinking because of her. There are too many.
The White Night deal, that IS Booth. Would we want him another way? It seems to those here, the writers are damned if they do, damed of they don’t.
Look at this season. We all lamented Hanna, Booth not being true to Bones and his feelings to her, now Hanna is going away, (I hope, oh please) and we bitch about Booth not being true to her. What do you people want???
I would be confused as hell trying to write this show to fan demands because it will never be what anyone wants.
Trill, your comments are right on. I agree. I definitely don’t think Brennan is a doormat. It takes strength of character to live your life and deal with it when you know that you made a mistake. But what can you do? If she were crying and pining away about her decision, then I would say yes Brennan is being weak, pathetic and lonely. Like she said in the Doctor in the Photo ” everyone assumes just because you are alone, you are lonely”. She’s busy, she’s working, and living her life the best that she knows how under the circumstances. She supports Booth and his decision to be with Hannah because she loves him enough to sacrifice her own happiness for someone else. That is not the actions of someone who is weak. Brennan has the power to decide how she is going to react to this situation and she’s using that power. Also, I think Booth respects the classy way that she has handled herself. She’s not acting like an immature, bitchy person and being mean to Booth or Hannah. Of course she’s really not happy with the situation, but being a practical, logical person, she accepts the outcome of the decision that she’s made.
I also think that Booth has used a lot of what he has learned from Brennan- searching for the truth no matter how much it may hurt is one example and there are others where he has questioned his thinking or beliefs because Brennan is always questioning accepted belief systems. Booth is a flawed, yet heroic person who just wants to be loved (don’t we all!) So let’s all keep watching and discussing and enjoy the ride!
@andrea Diaz, this is embarrassing but since you singled out my post, thanks. It especially means a lot since you disagree with me on the interpretation of current Brennan.
Perhaps “acts like a doormat” is better than the straightforward statement. But even if it seems harsh, I can certainly see where that perception comes from. Part of it is Bones just accepting Booth’s derisive mood this season. And everything else that’s been hashed out already about this season seeming to lay the blame on her.
But for me, and for a lot of other posters it seems, is the longer simmering problem of BB imbalance and that Bones is no longer challenging Booth. @Delph pointed out- Bones could easily come up with logical, reasonable counterarguments to Booth’s more conservative viewpoints. But she doesn’t. Love means compromises and concessions. Yes, but it also means engaging in a debate and keep questioning and learning. It does Booth no favors if he’s right because she stops arguing.
Quote:
what he has learned from Brennan- searching for the truth no matter
That’s such a broad, general belief and one I think BB shared from the beginning. I don’t see how that’s something he learned from Bones’ perspective. In fact, the story always proves Booth’s gut/heart perception is the “Truth,” and science just helps prove him right. Booth is phenomenally nice to her, does listen to her (especially when as someone pointed out, she’s repeating something she learned from him), and lets her be who she is. But I still can’t think how he’s transformed his perspective to include Reason and Logic. And since the show denies there’s an imbalance, it doesn’t seem likely we’ll see this, hence the desire to at least point it out.
I never posted this extensively before finding this site because it’s frustrating to try to discuss the show critically, only to have everything reduced to “Booth hate.”
Hope I wasn’t rambling. Just came home from dinner and was sad that I couldn’t even discuss Bones because all the other girls got fed up with Bones not being kickass anthropologist anymore. (But we are an opinionated, liberal bunch so in all fairness, I know it’s not a representative view)
BTW, @andrea, I don’t spend a lot of time/effort analyzing the show. These are just impressions I get and I think sometimes the showrunners get the wrong idea of fan reaction because people like me don’t take the time to write out the longer responses. I like to rewatch when the show’s funny though.
I liked this episode. I didn’t cringe once this time, No Hannah. It was good to have Booth back, (oh that smile) he was nicer to Brennan then he has been all season. I loved the scene in the car with them joking & laughing about what an idiot the victim was. They were being silly and having fun together, learning to relax with each other again. Once they started laughing it felt so good between them they didn’t want to let the moment go. I think the more Booth is around Brennan the harder it is for him to keep his feelings about her buried. After all he loved her first and he does love her the most. It will be a dificult struggle for him to reconcile his feelings for Brennan and his responsibility to Hannah. I don’t think he’s honor bound to Hannah, the honorable thing will be for him to be honest with her. Booth will suffer not wanting to hurt her but better to hurt her now then later. Then I see the promo for next week him buying the ring, will he or won’t he? Of course I think he won’t give Hannah the ring but dam HH is so good at getting our hopes up and then turns everthing upside down. Remember Hannah was only going to be around a couple months. So I will keep my fingers crossed.
I loved the interaction between everyone. Cam frustrated over Paul, shooting the gun “yelling fire in the hole” everyone wearing ear plugs, just another working day at the Jeffersonian. Overall this was Bones at it’s best.
watch this show online and for me it was a lot better then what fox tv showed/yes prius car ride is them talking about the case/
Lonely Snowflake,
I don’t think your post was rambling-it was very well written and made me think about what you said, and though Brennan still does challenge Booth on his beliefs she does seem to end up siding with his views as “The Truth” somewhat more than before. I guess there is some imbalance on Brennan’s part, but unfortunately that seems the case that women in love seem to give up more of themselves than the man does. I mean take show for instance, Hannah moved her entire life to be with Booth-she didn’t even have a place to stay or a job-though she later got one with the Washington Press Corp–Angela doesn’t seem as interested in the cases as she once was now that she’s married and pregnant-okay she has a good “excuse” for being a bit distracted-
and Cam is sitting around waiting for Paul when before she’d be the one to make the first move. Yes they each made these decisions on their own, no one forced them to, but they just seem to be giving up more initially than the men in their lives. So there seems to be imbalance all around. This is just my opinion-though.
Also critically discussing this show, for me anyway, doesn’t reduce posters to “Booth hate”. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I appreciate that even though you disagree, you are respectful about it. On some sites, posters who disagree end up calling each other names which isn’t respectful at all. Thanks for all of your thoughts.
I personally like the evolution of the characters. Going back and watching some of the earlier seasons, you can definitely see how far they have come. I think it would be unrealistic to expect the characters to remain the same and not be affected by their interpersonal relationships with each other. A good book will explore many aspects of their personalities and show growth. I believe that this is what the writers are doing with these characters and I think it’s great. The Brennen of season 1 was harsh and blunt (and hilarious all at the same time) and Booth was a lot less accepting of science and any perspective other than his own. These two characters have had a positive influence over each other and watching how they learn and grow and connect is why this show is so much more than another CSI. Does this make Brennen appear weak? No. More empathetic and vulnerable? Yes. Does this make her a doormat? Absolutely not–just more well-rounded and better for it.
Oh and the Toyota “commercial” in the middle of the car scene…..I thought it was great!! This may have been ED’s way of promoting what is important to her. Prius’ are great for the environment and an excellent choice for anyone who might want to reduce their carbon footprint. Wanting to give a subtle shout out for a good cause is admirable and I applaud the effort.
I usually skulk around at another site (TWOP) where the Bones interest has been declining since season 4- they were early resenters of all the problems people have posted. But apparently TNT ran the pilot recently, and people have been remarking on the difference. There’s natural evolution. Then there’s the change from abrasive, yet snarky, even sophisticated Bones to current, doesn’t speak English or understand social cues Bones. People are also calling BS on the explanation that it’s a retreat into science or such.
Lurker,
I know what you mean about the first part of Season 6 and how awkward Bones was behaving—even made me feel uncomfortable watching it—and to be honest, I haven’t gone back to revisit any of the first 8 episodes. In my opinion, it all was because of the introduction of Hannah. Her presence changed the dynamics of the BB relationship in a way that sucked all the life out of them. I am happy to see them working to fix it. I understand what they were trying to do—use her as a device to bring about growth—but honestly, I don’t think it worked—at least not with that character. She just zapped the energy and life out of the show. We are seeing some life return in the last few episodes and I am excited for the change.
To those who continue that Booth is just a big tool not capable of real emotions walk with me through the 100th episode.
He barred his soul to her and got smacked down, hard and brutal for both of them. But he got the big bad and was so hurt by her.
Everything got real weird then, because that is what happens in life when you tell a best friend you are in love with them. He moved on, and we hated him for it. Brennan moved on in her mind as seen in her directing, awsome eppy, and we now call her weak
Now that it is all out there in the open, you can’t un-ring a bell, they are so afraid of eachother. It is too powerful the feelings they have. When they got the giggles in the car saying silly words ( I have no idea why It makes me laugh hearing Booth say ‘Asshat, but it does) it was a bit stupid, but I was right there with them, the tension broke and they were B&B again.
Criticism about Brennan’s passive attitude and the “imbalance” people are talking about isn’t going to be answered by defending Booth’s troubles with love. It goes beyond the shipper issues and the romantic drama. I’ve been reading all the comments, and for all the different opinions, I didn’t see any that blamed Booth for being confused or anything about the triangle. The review brings up the question of actually acting on the confusion, “toeing the line,” but otherwise, everyone seems to agree the triangle puts all three characters in difficult positions. It’s a lousy situation for all three, but it’s also a lousy storyline, or it plays out lousy on the screen. In any case, no one is blaming anyone, only the writers. But after that, there’s not much to debate either.
I love the episode of Sin in the Sisterhood, In the midst of the state of relationship in this world today, with so many sleeping around and people beliefs of marriage dropping to almost zero. Booth and Brennan give me hope that love exist and Angela and her relationship is magical and its so nice to see, the only thing now to do is to get rid of Hannah!
Yeah, some of these problems with Booth have nothing to with the shipper stuff. Also at TWOP, posters who were going to forget and move on from the Zack plot got really disgusted with Booth in the London episodes and there are talks about how judgmental Booth can be. I know this isn’t proof of anything, but I wanted to mention it because sometimes HH and SN sound like they are only responding to the shipper fans, and not all shippers but the ones who have their eyes on the prize and the prize is BB romance at all costs.
It drives me crazy when fans just nod along while the show refuses to acknowledge inconsistencies. But out of respect to the more Zen like attitude of others like @andrea, I also add positive notes to my comments too. For example, though I was disappointed by Cam earlier in the episode, I thought she had a mature conversation with the boyfriend. I also thought the boyfriend was too lightweight for her at first, but making him a workaholic made him a better match for her. At the same time, his being kind of a goofy, non-tortured, non-stereotypical workaholic made the character really click for me.
Just a few responses if anyone is still reading….
1. Others have already clarified, but when I criticize the fine line between alpha male Booth 🙂 and judgy beans Booth who makes assumptions and is then always proven right by the show 🙁 it’s not about the romantic stuff. Like I said, I’m still recovering from the shock of how 1/2 the season was spent ‘getting back’ at Bones instead of looking at how both were responsible. I just completely misinterpreted last season’s ending according to the current show. But the criticism of Booth’s narrow mindedness is longer running.
2. For the poster who said there were countless examples of Booth changing for Bones, I’m politely skeptical. I suspect it’s a natural, generic assumption like-BB are great partners, therefore, of course, they both learn from each other. When actually, at best Booth is more accepting of science than before. But the overwhelming response that Booth usually has is either ‘Sure, let the squints have their science, but we all know my everyman instincts matter most’ or ‘Gee, science is really useful in proving me right.’ Compare that the seismic shift Bones has gone through. (And this got lost in the shuffle, but @Lonely Snowflake, that was a really great explanation of how early Bones used to be. Too bad it was more of a eulogy.) Sometimes, like @Delph, I just want Bones to throw an epic rant at everyone on the importance of the Brain.
3. The overall gender imbalance definitely adds to the inequality, but I would have the same problems with the Brain & Heart if the genders were reversed. If Booth were King of Deductive Reasoning at the FBI and changed while Bones’ opinions about human nature were always right, I’d have the same problems.
This episode really hit a nerve and I’m obviously not the only one (seems like a really active thread here). After all this time and the mess Booth’s romantic life has become, the show STILL pushed the ‘Booth as expert on Matters of the Human Heart and Bones as Faithful Student.” Plus, the introduction of the sniper arc that seems to set Booth up as the Savior figure was too much for me. I would love to be wrong about it, but all the morality and hero prizes HH and SN have been handing out to Booth lately doesn’t give me much hope. I’m guessing next week we’ll have to deal with Hannah again, so I really enjoyed the chance this week to see people’s thoughts on the other issues.
I’m re-watching season 1, and there are so many instances in which Booth’s instincts and assumptions end up being contradicted by science — and he learns from Brennan when that happens. There are just as many instances in which Brennan learns lessons about the importance of interpersonal relationships and emotions and sensitivity to others from Booth. It’s mutual. It involves reciprocity.
When has this happened lately? I’m not seeing it. And I’m not a hater. I’m still watching and hoping things will change. And I’m not really a shipper either. I’d like them to find love, and I’d like it to be romantic love, but I can foresee a satisfying conclusion in which that love is not romantic. My issue is –I just need the relationship to be a relationship of equals — two strong characters, both of whom are flawed and damaged, and who help each other heal and become better people.
@ Lurker I completely agree. The Brennan of season one was definitely a strong, complex and sophisticated character (fairly certain she drove a mercedes which is by no means a sign of sophistication but definitely not a sign of someone completely oblivious to social patterns and trends) She chose to keep social interactions at bay (due in part to her painful past and intelligence) not because she was completely unable to understand them, needing simple events like a friend trying to blow you off explained to her like a six year old child. This is the change I don’t like the most. For me, they have taken a really complex character with depth and replaced it with a satirically simple one, and for that reason, also taken away a lot of the chemistry not just between Booth and Brennan but also with the rest of the cast.
@ MB, satire I could tolerate. It’s more like lampoon or spoof at this point. I not only miss the character, but as you said, it affects the chemistry of the whole cast too.
In theory, I agree with the people who have been trying to stand up for Bones. I agree that making yourself vulnerable, living with regret, and standing by someone even when you’ve been hurt does not make you weak. I just don’t see it on screen. I’ve seen a few episodes of The Good Wife, and I think the Alicia character would be a good example of what people are describing. I just don’t see it in Bones, not even in the Doctor in the Photo episode.
@ Beth, agree. The thing is, this is a mystery show too, and the mysteries are better when there’s tension then reciprocity between Booth’s assumptions and Bones’ science. This week’s mystery was a complete dud because everyone was so stereotypically predictable.
Well said minority!