BONES: ‘The Finder’ Recap
April 22, 2011 by Sarah Curtis
Hello, hello!
I’m interested to hear your thoughts on this episode. I think it’s fair to say that despite the opening credits & the happy clinks of beer bottles at the end–this was not an episode of BONES. If I’m being honest, I expected the whole thing to be really cringeworthy, so it was a pleasant surprise that I enjoyed the ep as much as I did. I didn’t really laugh or cry or feel the need to watch it immediately again to analyze certain looks or words, but I liked it well enough.
It just wasn’t BONES.
At least, not to me. Not to get all Plato (or Play-DOH, as Booth might joke) on you, but each of us has our own “ideal state” of what BONES should look like (the show — not just the character), and yet it doesn’t matter what my ideals are, the reality of what occurs in the episodes IS the reality, if that makes sense. It doesn’t matter how much I wish an episode will turn out, or how I’d wish the writers/directors/actors would “manage” their allotted weekly minutes on screen, I have to accept what they deliver. At that point, I can choose whether I like it or don’t like it, but that’s on me.
Yet this hour felt different, as it should have. There’s a new “ideal state” in the equation with new standards. When the episode is held up to the standard of a BONES ep, it doesn’t match up. When it’s judged for what it is, I think it measures up fairly well.
Having said that, instead of using the complete format we normally would for BONES eps, let’s examine the case and then each “half” (a term I use loosely considering the plot-minutes allotted to each) and discuss what worked, what didn’t, and what I want to see more of.
THE CASE
The Scene of the Crime: Deep in the Florida Everglades, B&B are called down to investigate a set of remains. The location makes it FBI (therefore Booth’s) jurisdiction, and the bones make it Brennan’s jurisdiction. I liked that. The body includes a glass eye, and Brennan determines the serial number is discernable. The victim, Sam Nozik, worked as a security guard for a local museum and video footage captures him handling an 18th century treasure map from the Santa Esperanza. With the victim identified, Booth calls on an old rival, Walter Sherman, to help them find the map. Brennan is quick to point out that because it’s regarding water, it’s really a chart. Maps = Land, Charts = Water. Got it! Walter agrees to use his magic “Finder powers” (Booth’s words) to find the map, also offering to prove his skill to Brennan by finding something she has lost. She tosses out a suggestion — a 7th grade science fair medal she won but lost. Walter will find the map, but B&B are on their own to catch the killer. When Walter also takes a liking to Brennan (notably AFTER he senses Booth’s interest, I believe), Booth is quick to get Brennan out of there and back to the lab.
Walter enlists the help of his associates, Leo, his legal counsel, and Ike, his pilot/bartender/friend of sorts to help him find the map (and later), the killer. They weave their way through a pawn shop, a tattoo parlor, a marina, a church and the museum as they try to determine who killed Sam and Brittany Stephenson.
Potential Suspects & Motives: There was not the usual line-up of suspects in this case, as the trail of the treasure chart led Walter, Leo and Ike more toward interesting characters than “suspects.” And the motive was clear as soon as the chart was revealed — treasure!
The Lab Results: Brennan investigates Sam’s remains but ends up looking like second best when Walter has already come to the conclusions she has. When Cam performs an autopsy on the second victim, Brittany Stephenson, they discover more of the treasure chart and part of a human finger–most likely that of the killer. Angela designs graphics to determine the possible location of the treasure based on the images she was able to pull from the chart fragments. And Jack “Totally a 10 in our book” Hodgins identified the religious symbolism on the images.
The Interrogation Room: Can a tattoo parlor serve as an interrogation room? Haha, possible, if Leo is the one doing the “interrogating.” And by interrogating, I mean completely demolishing a huge, scary dude. Though he did ask nicely first!
The Verdict: The map was embedded with special ink that revealed critical information when it came into contact with bodily fluids such as blood, and…well, you can guess the rest! In this case, the killer’s blood did the trick, both identifying where the treasure would be and also providing DNA of the killer. When Leo and Walter return to the museum and see the curator has a bandaged hand, they know they’ve “found” (haha, sorry!) their guy.
MY Verdict: While I understand that the writers were wanting to make sure Walter, Leo and Ike were meaningful in this ep, I think it was a misstep to have them solve so much of the crime, if only because it was difficult to get to know their characters AND keep up with the disjointed case at the same time. Considering the ep didn’t really end with the Florida Three deciding to solve cases together, I think it would have been better off having at least Booth or Brennan around with Walter and his team to help reconcile the new characters with a BONES case.
And now, the two “shows.” Let’s start with THE FINDER:
What worked: It seems tacky to lead this section off with “shirtless Walter,” but hey, it worked. And considering they were selling it at every opportunity, I’d say it was deliberate. I also liked Walter’s infinite web of connections description and his near obsession with reconciling those connections. If shows have mission statements, that was the statement for FINDER and the moment I thought I could possibly be interested enough to tune in for more of this potential series.
What didn’t work: I really did NOT like the character of Ike and how she was portrayed. Based on Hart Hanson’s history of writing for incredibly smart and amazing female characters (Amy Gray, Joan Girardi, Brennan, Cam, Angela, Caroline, etc, etc), I was surprised how clichéd her dim-witted moral conscience & feminine influence for Walter played out–not to mention the awful, awful malapropisms. A big no for me.
What I want to see more of: I wouldn’t mind seeing more Leo as well as more of the motivation behind why and how Walter obtained his Finder powers! I liked the sense of “burden” he felt, which usually makes for good character growth.
BONES:
What worked: I liked Booth’s edginess toward Walter, particularly regarding Brennan. I also loved and adored the moment when Brennan received her medal and saw the picture of her mother. To me, that felt like the one “true, dedicated to BONES” moment in the entire episode. It was one of the best Brennan moments of the season.
What didn’t: The idea that Booth was still in the service when Parker was born. If Parker was three when B&B met for the first time, that means that is the amount of time it took for Booth to be done with the Army (for that time!), join the FBI and become a special agent and meet Brennan. BONES is often WAY too casual about their characters’ timelines/histories, and in this case, I just can’t get my mind around the math. Considering it’s unlikely that either show will carry on that plot thread, it seemed like a waste.
What I want to see more of: I would have preferred to have Booth see Brennan react to the newspaper article, but the way he put the medal over her head at the end of the episode made up for it. I want to see more comfortable ‘touching’ between Brennan and Booth. Their body language in the last bar scene was incredibly open and different than we’ve really seen before. I want more of that.
Thoughts from you? Would you be likely to tune into FINDER? Would you welcome more of Walter’s involvement on a case with Booth and Brennan? Was the 7th grade science fair medal story wasted on this episode? Did you like the way the two “shows” were interlocked together, or would you have preferred two separate episodes? Let’s discuss!
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I’m not really sure what to say about this episode…because it wasn’t an episode of Bones…which is disappointing because I really needed my weekly fix! As for the episode of “The Finder,” it was ok. It has potential. Walter is a hottie, that didn’t hurt. But Ike’s accent has got to go. I couldn’t understand a word she was saying!
OK the finder parts of the episode were kinda weird to me. I liked the character of walter. He is a very intersting character and I would like to learn more about him. The chemistry between him and the other characters seemed forced to me. To me it felt like they were trying to recreate the chemistry that b and b have. Now the best part of the episode was the ending bar scene. I loved it so much. I feel like now that we are ending the season soon. B and B are going back to the way things use to be. I think these epsiodes leading up to the season finale are setting up for a great end to a rollercoaster of a season.
I feel kinda cheated, yes I know it was a spin off, but it felt like they used and abused the Bones cast to promote this ep. I would have preferred a Bones preemption and let this either stand or fail or its own. Wally, to me, was uncouth and crass, hope they make him more appealing if this goes to series, other than eye candy, the character does not have much going for him, IMO. Leo was interesting, Ike, I couldn’t understand, she needs to drop the heavy accent. Would I watch? Depends what its competition was, would not go out of my way at this point.
REally liked the character of Walter. Definately his scene with Brennan and the medal was one of the best Brennan scenes of the season. Could not understand the Ike character and her accent was just too much. Leo was fine.
This has been the worst Bones season IMO, but I like the Bones scenes in this episode. Brennan was Brennan, and not some incredibly giddy or robotic Brennan and I have missed that.
He put the end scene in for shippers. HH knows that all the shippers want is an end scene like this. I still don’t think they have chemistry (UST) anymore but their friendship is back. I actually think Emily showed more chemistry with Walter in that one scene than in scenes with Booth this season.
I gave up on B & B a while ago. I just don’t feel them anymore but HH knows his little tricks keep the fans interested.
I personally think he should focus on the entire show. I DVR and watch later and will continue to do so.
By the way, the Office was wonderful. These writers have been brilliant this season. HH should study them to see how they mix comedy with their character development. It has been quite touching.
Well, I’m disappointed that I didn’t get my weekly Bones episode. During this whole thing I was only paying attention when the real Bones cast was on screen, and that was like 5 minutes. I wanted to die from that accent, I muted my TV once, cause I couldn’t stand it anymore. I feel like I have been tricked to watch the first episode of a new series. Cause this had almost noting to to with Bones. At the beginning I was waiting when the real team would appear, and then I realized that this is all about The Finder. Haven’t enjoyed even a little bit. The only thing worth seeing was the last scene with B&B. I hope next week we will be compensated.
I loved this episode. There are no words….totally loved it 😀
I understand that some people are disappointed with the lack of B/B/Bones cast but that isn’t and wasn’t an issue for me. It was made clear from the beginning that this episode was going to be Bones light and Finder heavy. If you expected anything else you were only ever going to be disappointed.
I really really really like Walter! He is so very hot and that always gets my attention! LOL. Plus he’s complex…there’s a lot of room for character growth there and, when (note i said when and not if!!) it gets picked up i will be intrigued to watch that.
Plus…i loved Leo. I mean, MCD is awesome to begin with and as Leo he was in his element! The friendship between him and Walter has me intrigued and i would love to know more about it. I want to know what Walter did to deserve such loyalty! 🙂
Ike….her i can do without. I’m English…i know English…and that god damn accent wound me up completely! Just………..arghhhhhhhhhhhh! Completely overplayed it and i can do without it 😀
One thing i didn’t like….NO SWEETS!! I missed him. I love him. And i want him back!!!! LOL
Side note- If Brennan doesn’t jump Walter at some point (and she should!!) i will. Just putting that out there! 😉
I liked the Finder characters, other than the girl (trying way to hard to be likable and cool), and the overall plot. I’d watch it if it becomes it’s own show.
But I’d have liked it more if they had aired it IN ADDITION to a regular Bones episode. It was a little annoying to have a show within a show because it felt like a Finder episode, not a Bones episode, and it meant we didn’t really get a Bones episode this week. And that’s annoying with only a few weeks left in the season
I was really keen to read your reaction to the episode and surprise, surprise, it lined up very closely with what I thought.
I was very excited for this episode. I did not go into it expecting a Bones episode. Knowing that it was a backdoor pilot, I expected a “The Finder” episode with cameos from the Bones characters, and that is essentially what we got. That is not where I had the problem. My problem was that the chemistry between the three main “the Finder” characters felt forced. There were glimpses of potential in the scenes with Walter and Leo, but I did not buy Ike at all. I personally think that The Finder would be better as buddy show between these two characters, with Leo having an almost equal role – I could see them having a similar dynamic to Callan & Sam on NCISLA.
I really enjoyed Saffron Burrows’ work on Boston Legal, and was sorely disappointed with her work last night. Her acting came across as very wooden and some of the mannerisms she affected for the character seemed really over acted. It was a shame because I expected more from her.
Pilots are difficult enough to establish characters and tone and motivations, and I imagine in this case it was made even more difficult by having to devote even such a small proportion of screen time to the parent show. So while I would have liked to see more of the history and motivations of Leo and Walter, there seemed to be enough potential there that would make me interested in a spinoff. However the character of Ike annoyed me so much that I was impatient for the scene to change to someone else. Unfortunately I think this had more to do with Saffron’s portrayal of her than of the character itself, so I am not convinced that providing me with more of the character’s background would entice me to watch. She was enough to make me not interested in seeing the spinoff and I generally give most shows a few episodes before making a decision.
As for Bones itself, I too was hoping for Booth & Brennan to discuss the photo of her mother, even if it was in the context of Brennan defending Walter as she did re Parker. I did however like the last bar scene and agree with you about their openness.
No it didn’t feel like a Bones ep. so that was disappointing. Whilst I knew it was going to be about the Finder I didn’t expect it to be so Bones light. Having said that I think would like The Finder as a stand alone show. I enjoyed Stults, MCD & Burrows together. We can’t expect instant chemistry between the cast from just one episode but I think there is the basis for a good show. I would give it a go.
Big Ehh.
I like the concept and might like the characters on paper, but the execution was so lame. The dialogue actually gave me 2nd hand embarrassment for the writers.
Agree with above, the end BB scenes feel like pandering, which I suppose was always the case, but now everyone can tell how artificial it is. Chemistry is subjective, but their situation is just too contrived now to feel natural.
I agree with laffers18, I’m English too but I hated her accent. It made me cringe every time she opened her mouth, she was definitely the weakest link.
The rest of it I totally loved! I wasn’t hugely keen on the lack of actual Bones people as I was expecting more of a mix, but the Finder characters (Ike excepted) kept me watching. I’d never seen Geoff Stults in anything before, so I didn’t know what to expect, but I was impressed enough to say I’d watch if it was made into a full series. I think the half undressed scenes definitely contributed to that!!
I loved the scene with the medal and her mother’s picture, that was a true Bones moment and Brennan is rarely so speechless. I’m also glad they didn’t try and force more of a thing between Brennan and Walter as things seem to be revving up nicely again between B&B just in time for the season finale.
I am curious about the fate of the pilot though. Lots of pilot episodes are awkward with too much exposition- it takes a really skilled writer to jump right in like Mad Men or House, or to use the exposition self consciously like Arrested Development. So I can look past that, but the cast and characters’ chemistry is either there or not. And all the new characters already felt like caricatures instead of real characters interacting with each other.
I was also disappointed with last night’s episode. It wasn’t “Bones” for me. I was actually tempted to just turn it off at a certain point because I wasn’t interested in the new characters at all and I missed B&B & the Squints too much. I did like Brennan getting her science medal back and watching her get so emotional when she saw the picture of her with her mom. That felt like genuine “Bones” stuff to me. Also, the last scene between Brennan & Booth was nice because it showcased the state of their relationship right now: there’s an openness & level of honesty that was missing for quite some time. I’m glad to see it back & even stronger than it ever was before the whole Hannah debacle.
In regards to The Finder, I’m not sure how I feel about that situation. It didn’t capture my interest, like I said earlier, so maybe that’s all I need to say about that. I’m not sure that I would watch this show when it premieres for real in the fall. Maybe I’ll give it another shot, but it’s probably not going to be Must See TV for me.
I’m glad next week we’ll get back to our regularly scheduled Bones business.
I was pleased to read your review of the show, because honestly I wondered if I was being too harsh in my own judgement. I see now that we agreed on several points. I also did not care for Ike. I couldn’t quite figure out why, but she just rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe it was the accent, which was way to heavy and over the top, or many it was something about how she was over-obsessed with “fixing” Walter’s brain damage. Why? It wasn’t like he was disabled in any way, other than being socially awkward. So is Brennen. Does she need to be fixed?
I also jumped on the timeline issues with Booth and the Army. I hate sloppy, disjointed writing! Booth has supposedly been an FBI agent for 14-15 years, and Parker is only nine – and don’t even try to tell me that he was born during some reserve-duty weekend and he counldn’t get a pass for that! Besides that, I’m pretty sure that the Army would not have to rely on someone with psychic powers to find and AWOL solier who has a pregnant girlfriend in labor. Please.
And, like you said, this episode was just too Finder-heavy and too Bones-light. I am axiously awaiting next week for my BONES fix.
“I’ll risk it” No thank you. Seriously, the writing was bad, it’s like the writers have forgotten the “show don’t tell” rule. I’m not talking about the exposition since pilots can’t help that, but about the the whole forced quirkiness of the characters. And for a pilot that’s supposed to set up another procedural, I thought the mystery itself was weak.
I’m ok with playing fast and loose with the timeline on Booth’s service. But I don’t buy hierarchy loving Booth’s recently revealed habit of going AWOL. That it goes unremarked in an army/FBI career like he’s some rogue superhero agent is too much. It’s just too much suspension of disbelief.
I really liked this episode, yes it was light on the Bones portion but I really enjoyed the Finder part, except Walter on the toilet talking on the phone, just eww (that drives me nuts in real life!!).
I will definitely give The Finder a chance when it airs. I enjoyed all the characters. Yes, I thought Ike’s accent and her mispronunciation of words was over done but whatever. I like Geoff Stults, he was really good as moody, paranoid and a little bit off, but hey, he was good at what he does!! And he was so cute on 7th heaven, so I liked seeing him more grown up 😀 And who doesn’t like Michael Clark Duncan :D!!
As for the Bones portion, I didn’t like how Booth reacted to Brennan when he said he knew someone who had magic powers and she started to tell him about someone she knew and he was like “I am not trying to have a conversation with you”. I just thought that was uncalled for. I want to tell him to get the stick out of his butt!!
I did notice that both Booth and Brennan’s reaction to Wally asking if they were sleeping together was a little different then previous seasons. Previously, Brennan always seemed very matter of fact in her no, where this time, she was a little more unsure and looked at Booth. Maybe I am projecting!! I will have to re-watch.
Hodgins is so a 10, that man is fine!! And the end scene made me smile. So overall, a good episode. Not totally Bones but still enjoyable!
Looking forward to next week 😀
I actually like the concept of the Finder, and thought it was a great idea to have a non-legal/ non-crime centered procedural. But agree that the writing was the problem. What’s with the cheesy lines on Bones this season? I thought it was only the shipper scenes that had the lame dialogue, but not so this episode. And the silent Brennan photograph moment was the only genuine moment. The plot wasn’t snappy enough and the above mentioned “I’ll risk it” was already old within 42 minutes. I’m pretty sure the toilet humor scene was setting the tone on how quirky and offbeat the characters are.
Michael Clark Duncan is really likable though.
I don’t understand the comments about it being Bones-lite. Unless it’s a matter of principle that people think it was a cheap ploy to use a popular show to try to launch another, like being duped into watching something.
Bones works with a movable timeline so that part was ok for me. I don’t but the AWOL story though. Booth is no Jack Bauer.
I tune in every week to watch Bones & the gang entertain & sometimes teach me something. This ep did not achieve either of these criteria, very disappointing.
I agree with a commenter that “I felt like I was being tricked into watching a new pilot show.”
I think the introduction of 3 new characters muddled up the flow of the show & they’re riding on the laurels of the wonderfully successful show Bones. One would be enough.
A question on Ike’s accent. Is that her natural (cockney I think) accent or is she mimicking? If it is indeed her natural way of speaking, she might think of taking elocution lessons. If she is mimicking, she should consider taking elocution lessons.
You know Walter & Brennan will end up in the sack together.
This just didn’t “feel” like a Bones show. It felt like a different show with the Bones gang making cameo appearances.
Hopefully next week will be better. If they just brought Zach back I’d be a happy camper.
I was very disappointed in this episode. I am a new fan of Bones. I fell into watching and got hooked. Since then I have purchased all five seasons and been a faithful watcher of season six (season five is by far my favorite). I have been somewhat disappointed in the relationship between Booth and Bones. Things seem to have really stalled. I am hoping this can be redeemed by the season finale.
The Finder was okay, but, as has been said, it definelty wasn’t Bones! I wanted my weekly Bones episode and definetly feel cheated. I might be willing to give The Finder another go in the fall, admitting I was prejudiced against it because it totally took over what I was hoping was going to be a new episode in the Bones saga.
I liked the conept of The Finder, but would like to also see a strong female lead included in the show. That type of chemistry really draws me in and pulls me back week after week. The eternal question of “Will they or won’t they?” That’s how I got hooked on Bones and many other series. I agree Ike’s accent was annoying. I did like Walter.
Bottom line though I hope H&H do better next week. I want my weekly fix. I don’t want to be tricked into watching a new show. I want BONES!
hated last nights “Not Bones” episode……gave it thirty minutes and turned it off…..corny, corny, corny!
Finder = bleh, although it did make me want to take a tropical vacation.
And what’s with introducing Bones-Walter chemistry – are we just going to keep flopping back and forth on which B is keeping B&B from getting together? The whole end scene was a set up for Booth being jealous of Walter. Sheesh. Hook Walter up with Hannah and scoot them both on their merry way.
@Laffers18
Oh, Brennan should totally hook up with Walter “I-like-to-take-a-dump-while-talking-to-women” Sherman! Cause a jackass shirtless Walter with a 7 month pregnant Brennan/Emily will be soooo sexxxy! Or maybe later when she’ll be lactating, right?
Thank God Emily’s pregnancy will shut down any imature/spiteful/schadenfreude ideas for next season at least!
“Corny” is right. I think the three new characters and the criticisms about how “lame” and “forced” the quirkiness is sort of expose how weak the writing and characterization for this show has become. Unless you’re constantly drawing from the reserve of earlier seasons, the Bones characters have been written in similar ways this season.
The show has “hijinks!!!” all over it and I guess it could appeal to viewers who came to Bones late. But I really don’t understand what all the fuss was about. I mean, this is such a great opportunity. You would think they would pull out all the stops for a possible pilot airing. The plot seemed badly paced and wasn’t really special. Love it or hate it, shouldn’t it have been more impressive?
I agree with the idea that this was NOT a Bones episode. I just couldn’t get into “The Finder” aspect of the episode either. I probably won’t be watching it if it ever manifests. I did love the “Bones” aspect, what with the medal and the photo and all, but everything else was just…thown together and…well… blah.
Looking forward to a REAL episode next week.
“Love it or hate it, shouldn’t it have been more impressive?”
Yeah, it’s a weak sauce, poor man’s Burn Notice.
It doesn’t seem to be generating any buzz outside of Bones fans who are using it as another exhibit in how bad the writing has become. The dialog was forced and the pacing was so boring. It just proved, to me at least, that if fans didn’t have previous seasons of Bones affection built up and this season had to stand on its own, the show Bones would have been a failure.
I feel like it should work on paper, nice easy procedural, and I love Saffron Burrows. But the episode was just Blah. If it gets picked up on the power of Bones ratings, I might watch the first episode just to see how they retool it.
I’ve been tired of the pandering and auto-pilot BB tags at the end of the episode since season 4, but now it seems even more forced than ever before. I don’t know if the reference to the “new” body language is in context of this season or not, but the show has been shooting them in open body stances since season 1. I remember especially in the season 2 opener, because I rolled my eyes at how thick they were laying on the UST. And to think that was 4 seasons ago!
I would rather have seen more of the rest of the Bones team in the end, or even a hint of howthey intend to sustain the Finder plots on a weekly basis- are plotlines just going to arbitrarily drop into his lap every time? Or will there be some agent/agency bringing him something to find every week? May have missed that part.
This was not a Bones episode and shouldn’t have been billed as one. The 7 new ones we were promised are really 6. It was boring in my opinion and I probably won’t watch it. Cannot stand the character that Saffron Burrows is playing. She is a much better actress than the material they gave her to work with and she should tell them to rewrite it for her. I spent most of the show reading a magazine and only paying attention when the Bones characters were on screen. Cannot wait for a real Bones episode next week.
All that promo and hype and this is what we get? I was expecting Bones “lite”, and as this has been such a lack-luster season, that didn’t bother me. But, at least give me something interesting in The Finder. Cheesy dialogue, people who are caricatures, boring story. I was certainly expecting a bit more “wow”, but upon further thought, why?
So this is the first time in a long while where we got Brennan 1.0- the human version. I thought the last scene with putting the medal around her neck was embarrassing– like burning the dates in the elevator episode, it seems like something a middle school girl would come up with for her journal. But it was so very nice to see Bones act natural again and disagree with Booth without him turning into a judgmental teacher.
But this episode wasn’t focused on her or BB’s relationship. Which leads me to conclude that the weird socially disabled version of Bones (as opposed to earlier socially awkward or intentionally defiant of social conventions versions) is a writing choice. In which case, WTF?!
I like the concept of the Finder, but it’s still a copy of Monk + Psych. With lamer writing. Dialogue and caricatures were both bad. (Esp not surprised by the weak female characterization, considering what HH has done to Bones this season, and Angela and Cam on various occasions. And judging by former Bones writers’ works, the nuanced, strong female characterization comes from them and the origins of Brennan in Kathy Reichs.)
But aside from personal hangups, I was pretty underwhelmed. Thought it would more special in terms of plotting, witty lines, spectacle. It’s just hard to see any effort in this episode as opposed to other ones.
@Shelley, ” I was certainly expecting a bit more “wow””
Exactly. Unlike some here who felt tricked, I watched because I heard it was a backdoor pilot. Been disinterested this season but I actually had better hopes that this episode would aim to wow.
Hmm. This was a weird episode. I understand that they were starting a spin-off or whatever, but I still feel like they used the Bones characters in a sense. But what can you expect, it’s very 6th season-ish, doesn’t feel like our little homey Bones show, it feels like some suave psych or law and order show.
I did kind of enjoy the episode for what it was though. Walter was an interesting (and hot) character. Didn’t like Ike. Liked the other dude though.
I think brennan was quite good in this one, not too robotic for most of it. I felt like she was more her old good-seasons self when she was talking to walter. The B&B stuff is so forced now. It seems like anything they do, they just can’t make it feel natural.
I just want to say, I really DON’T WANT THIS TO BE THE LAST SEASON OF BONES. I can see they’re running out of stuff to write about, but please end this amazing show on a good note, not after this rather terrible season. Please give us a creative and quirky season 7.
Also, I’m a Monk fan even before I’m a Bones fan, and this Finder show is nowhere near comparable. I get that he has a weird thing where he’s good at finding stuff and observing, but it doesn’t hold a candle to Monk. Monk is pure genius. Comparable to Psych, definitely.
I LOVE the show Bones but for this one with the “Finder” I have 2 words…BOR ING. They spent way to much time trying to fill you in on background of the characters from the new show….which I hope is a whole lot better than this predicts.
The Ike accent has got to go-not only clearly faked but down right stupid. Walter was too much like Psych lead character, but Leo character was very clever. The show is too similar to many others on television today. It especially reminded me of the new show Breaking In; it was all running in fast forward too quick to understand the dialogue and like watching a magic show but never even seeing the rabbit. If this thing is allowed to leave the hangar it is sure to crash.
Argh! Can’t handle this season anymore. HOW did they manage to make Booth & Brennan so… awkward and not natural/right together? They were so perfectly balanced. Heart and brain. He admired and respected her, and she him. It was reciprocal and beautiful… I really wish that they could’ve kept that going. The writers desire to make Booth look PERFECT and Brennan so in need of changing is driving me nuts this season and has broken down the very foundation they built themselves on. If the writers can’t present Brennan as an appealing woman, and Booth barely acts interested anymore too, how are we supposed to continue to root for them?
It’s just frustrating to stick with them.
I really hope they end the season on a high and then go and do a SPECTACULAR season 7 (final season) that really raises the bar and redeems everything, and pays off for our patience to this point.
As for the Finder… okay premise, Ike’s accent has to go, and Walter was pretty hot. I wish this episode aired earlier in season 6 when Booth was still being an ass when he was with Hannah, to Brennan. Because I would have enjoyed, during that awful arc, to see him jealous a little over Brennan possibly finding someone too. The writers seem to have an awful sense of timing.
I don’t know why everyone’s bashing on the Ike’s accent, I mean I didn’t really like the character and hopes that if it’s another show she’s not on it but I personally love a good accent.
I was really intrigued by the way that they left the show with Walter pondering over Brennan. While I do love Booth and Bones, they’ve become a dry and stale realtionship which has just taken too much time that to get them together now would be forced. I kinda want them to further a Walter and Bones relationship even if only for an episode because I think it would be a nice humorous break.
Loved Walter getting practically naked, and while I think I might watch his show for his quirkiness, they shouldn’t have had them completely control this Bones episode.
The Finder part ~ I ended up liking the characters. I would be interested in seeing what it’s like on it’s own.
Knowing that this was a backdoor pilot didn’t help with my wishing it were an actual Bones episode. In all honesty, I didn’t even realize how much it was going to bother me that there was less Booth and Brennan and everyone else. I just wanted to extract the finder characters so they could go and have their own show and I could have my show back.
I loved the end scene between Booth and Bones. Enjoyed all the parts where we had Bones cast. And yes, Hodgins is a 10. Oh and no Walter, Brennan can’t be the one for you because you see she already has her soul mate.
So, that’s that. 😀
I thought the Finder part of this episode was alright. It was much better than I expected. But I really don’t find the character of Ike to be that interesting, tbh. As far as being a BONES spin-off, I hardly see any resemblance between the two shows. Not that it’s a bad thing (we wouldn’t want two BONES do we?) but putting them together in one episode was a bit weird (I guess that’s why the Finder took up most of the air-time). I really did like Walter’s character (the nickname Wally should definitely stay!) and Leo. I also like the little quirks that was thrown in (Walter’s flip down sunglasses, pink boxers, the rogue-ness of the entire team….and also the “imma risk it” phrase)….Will probably see a couple more episodes if it’s picked up.
We missed all of the “Bones” characters on the last show – resented being presented with an entirely different cast – couldn’t understand Ike’s accent, and felt sorry for everyone in the cast when the show stooped to showing Walter on the toilet. A new low for our prime time viewing.
Accent was terrible. Saffron Burrows trying to do a cockney accent embarrassing. I don’t see why she couldn’t do her usual English accent unless they though it was a bit too posh for the character. Maybe they think the us viewers won’t notice or mind – after all Daphne in Frasier had a useless Lancashire accent but that certainly didn’t affect that show!
I don’t see how “The Finder” can even be considered a spin-off, they have nothing in common aside from Walter and Booth knowing one another- it reminds me much more of “Burn Notice”, but without the benefit of Bruce Campbell. The new characters aren’t terribly likable (to me) and even worse, I found them annoying. I doubt I’ll ever watch it.
I didn’t quite like the end because once more we got Brennan teaching Booth back his own lesson, she is just here to keep him honest when the situation hits home too close (Jared and his travel to India, Jared and Padme), she doesn’t make him see things in a new perspective/her perspective anymore, she is just here to remind him his own values/beliefs when he can’t be rational about the situation. And this time she wasn’t even able to make him change his mind when she usually does change her mind…
Booth is their moral compass and Brennan is there to keep them honest in regard to Booth’s moral, she doesn’t bring any moral of her own anymore…
I liked this episode and felt myself giggling a LOT. I liked the vulnerable Brennan, although I would have liked to have wow’d Walter with her skills the same way he wow’d her. Kick ass, super smart Brennan is always a pleasure to watch.
Booth was great. I thought the “fighting with Walter” scene was going to be cringe-worthy, but instead I loved the goofiness. I think Booth was having a bit too much fun beating the crap out of him without letting it devolve into an actual fist-fight. I always love to see Booth letting himself be influenced by Brennan — in this case letting the finder-friends go and ditching his vendetta against Walter. Very sweet, and highlights his priority: her.
Booth’s last two scenes… he looked very nice. 🙂 I definitely picked up on a “heading towards the end of the season” vibe as they amped up the attraction level. Although I have to disagree on the “comfortable touching.” It is very nice, and always sigh-worthy, but I don’t want to see it any more… too friend-like! The first season they created a lot of chemistry simply by having Booth standing just a BIT too close to Brennan at all times, just enough to ruffle our comfort level and sense of personal space. I’d like to see some of that return… no more comfortable touching or comfortable hugs (those seem to have disappeared actually). Gotta get out of the comfort zone. 🙂
I liked the Finder both more and less than I thought I would. I didn’t really get why the three of them were together, and at first I thought Walters craziness was an act. It wasn’t towards then end, when they put a little darkness int o the character during his discussion with the priest and later with Ike, that I realized he had real mental issues due to actual brain damage, and it wasn’t just an act to keep people at a distance. I am interested to watch an actual episode to see if those bumps smooth out.
What I really did like was Walter’s understated white knight syndrome. Very reminiscent of Booth, both in the desire to save and avenge, and in the unswerving persistence. Once meth-chick became involved (and especially when she died) Booth, Brennan and the team became tools that allowed him to get what he wanted, instead of vis versa, and you felt a real focus to the character that wasn’t there before. I think the Finder could be a really great show as these little hints of personality are explored.
To Vorpaks
You got to be kidding… the Finder was one of the worst if not the worst
episodes this season.
The acting (Stults) was forced and unbelievable.
The writing was weak .
Wasted one hour of my life watching a poorly written and acted episode of a
once great but now struggling show.
hated it.i won’t watch the spin off.
I felt ripped off. Figured it out right away that it wasn’t a Bones episode when they spent time introducing the Finder and his sidekicks. Interesting characters though.
Plot issues. Since when does someone else solve the crime? What was Booth doing during the show? Wouldn’t he want to do his job? Did he just hand it off and go drink beer?
And in regards to the medal – Come on! Lame as can be. She tells him she lost it and that’s all he needs. The search barely gets serviced with a phone call in his fake German and then he delivers it and an article to Bones? If it was that easy how did he take so long to solve the murder? Just lame.
Is it just me, or is Bones getting more un-realistic as the season goes on?
I used to the love the way they managed to mix forensics and humour. Yes, it used to be quite silly. Like when Hodgins dropped a frozen turkey off a balcony and it hit Angela in the face (hilarious, but unlikely to happen in the real world).
But now, it seems like the writers have run out of ideas and are just using this spin-off to compensate. I loved the fact they had a British girl in it. I just didn’t like how UN-REALISTIC it was!
A few episodes ago in this series, they had to power the Jefforsionian or something with POTATOES?! Thats not real!
As for this episode, I was really disappointed. I tune in to watch BONES, not whatever that was meant to be… :'(
This show makes me so mad. ITS JUST A COPY OF PSYCH!! (yes, I know Psych is like Monk, but I haven’t wathced Monk yet, so yeah). Psych is one of my favorite shows, so this makes me really mad. There are so many things I can relate to Psych. And Psych was started in 2006, so don’t say that Psych was copied off of The Finder.
1- There a white guy and a black guy
2- The white guy had short hair and his beard is just a little (I don’t know how to say this, it’s like, stubble, I guess)
3- The black guy is bald
4- They do things unconventionally
5- Walter observes things and finds things, therefore, the “Finder”
6- This is really specific, but at a motel, a room exploded on the second floor and in there was a pool just under the rail
7- It’s also a comedy/drama/crime show
8- It’s “funny”. Psych is, but The Finder isn’t
9- Walter doesn’t have a gun, and neither does Shawn
There’s probably much more, but I’ve only watch half an hour of one episode before I switched it off. It’s poorly written and not funny at all. Apparently, it’s a spin-off of Bones, but I don’t see it. I’m also a big fan of Bones, but I don’t get it. Maybe it’s because I’ve watched so little of The Finder. In my opinion, I think it’s a terrible show and it deserves to get cut. There are a lot of drama and crime shows and only the best make it. The Finder just isn’t one of them.