BONES Recap: ‘The Prisoner in the Pipe’
April 2, 2012 by Sarah Curtis
Hello, BONES fans — long time, no talk! If you’re like me, you have mixed reactions to this episode. Some moments made me laugh, some left me cold, and some filled me with fury. And while I am glad that the B&B baby has arrived, I can’t help but wish they’d spent a little more time on that in this episode. More on that later, but first…
THE CASE:
The Scene of the Crime: A young dad tries to convince his pre-school aged daughter that it’s cool to go to the bathroom all by herself — there’s nothing to be afraid of. She finally wheedles him in to promising her a kitten and enters the bathroom. When the dad hears a blood-curdling scream, he rushes inside to where his daughter is standing over the toilet bowl. To their, and our, horror, small body parts (including an eyeball!) are in the water, seemingly rising up from the pipes.
The Victim: When the previously mentioned eyeball is revealed to have a lens implant, the team is able to pull the serial number and identify the victim as Rob Lezebnik, a middle aged man who had recently escaped from prison for embezzlement. Rob had few friends, and even his own wife wasn’t sad to hear about his death.
Potential Suspects and Motives: Booth interrogates Mrs. Lezebnik, especially when she admits she would have killed Rob if he’d tried to contact her. But the main interrogations take place at the Jamestown Federal Prison, where Rob was previously held. Booth grows concerned about Brennan’s presence there, and he questions an inmate, Haze. Haze informs him that he last saw Rob entering the warden’s office. When Booth and Brennan question her, she tells them Rob was punished for embezzling the prison financial records. After Angela is able to recreate a possible murder weapon, Booth and Brennan ask the warden to see any recently collected handmade weapons. Booth suggests taking them (and Brennan) back to the lab, but Brennan insists she is fine where she is. She identifies a match for the shiv Angela created, and realizes it was made of hardened paper.
While Hodgins and Daisy and Cam determine how Rob’s body was dismembered and placed in the sewer, Angela is able to pull an image from the paper weapon. She identifies it as a cookbook and it is traced back to the prison kitchen collection. Meanwhile, Hodgins and team discover that the body decomposed with the help of vinegar that turned to acetic acid — vinegar also found in the prison kitchen.
The Verdict: Brennan uses cocoa in the prison’s kitchen to pull fingerprints and identify Haze as the person who tore the pages out of the cookbook to use as a weapon. This is cause for suspicion, but it’s not until Brennan enters the prison cafeteria in search of Haze that they are able to get a confession. She insists she will not be harmed, and Haze, sensing he will be caught, starts a fight. Inmates part like an orange sea for the determined Brennan while Booth chases after her in horror. He catches up to her just as Haze appears to be starting to strike her. Booth takes him down and gets a confession as Brennan goes into labor.
THE SQUINTS:
Outside of the case, (and with the exception of Hodgins’ awesome sewer bot!) most of the squint action in this episode made me want to tear my hair out.
While I liked that Brennan confided in Angela about the argument she was having with Booth about a home vs. hospital birth, the scene where Angela and Cam tried to pressure Brennan into declaring the murder was a stabbing was frustrating. I hated that Angela and Cam used middle-school level peer pressure tactics, I hated that Brennan felt “less than cool” and even cared about being cool, and I mostly hated, when after Brennan was not willing to give in, Angela gave her condescending, “It’s okay, honey. We still love you just the same” garbage. Whatever.
I have a longstanding hatred for Daisy, so I’m not sure if she was more offensive in this episode (particularly sitting at Brennan’s desk and then starting to have sex with Sweets beneath it) or if it’s just been awhile, and I’d forgotten how terrible of a person she is. The only good moments with her occurred when Hodgins was dissing her doula ridiculousness and when Brennan dissed her by saying “You aren’t getting anywhere near my cervix, Ms. Wick.” Good one, Brennan. Good one. (Once again, I feel it necessary to point out that Carla Gallo is incredible as Daisy — this is no personal reflection on her!)
Speaking of Sweets, he initially took the high road for the first time ever by telling Booth he is not supposed to take sides in a co-worker’s personal life. Good times. But of course, when Booth lies and says he’s coming from a friend POV and not a co-worker POV, Sweets eats that up and agrees to try to help him convince Brennan from a professional standpoint that it’s in her best interest to have the baby in a hospital. Not that Booth isn’t to blame for this scheme too, but when they are caught, and Brennan goes off on them, Sweets is more concerned that his budding buddyhood with Booth is doomed. Oh, and as already mentioned, he also tries to have sex with Daisy beneath Brennan’s desk. The guy’s a pro!
BOOTH & BRENNAN:
After the season premiere, I said I wasn’t sure if Booth and Brennan were in love, that I needed more evidence to know for sure, and I’m still not sure. I don’t expect declarations of love between them in every episode, because that is not their personality necessarily. They’d always had an intimacy that transcended what us normal people say and do for love.
But now that they are “together” this season, I feel like that intimacy is lacking at times. After the season six finale, a lot of people suggested it was smart of the show not to have B&B kiss after the pregnancy declaration — to do so would have given the audience the feeling that B&B were truly together and happy and thus possibly given people a reason to stop watching. I can agree with that, but I can’t help but wonder if that tactic is still happening. “Yes, B&B are living together, yes they have had a baby, but they can’t really get along” — not because it doesn’t make sense for the characters at this point in their lives, but because drama attracts viewers. It’s a disappointing move, in my opinion. Not that B&B have to be fairy tale happy; I’m not saying that! I just think it’s a major cop-out to keep the fans strung along by recycling old issues between them. This episode’s issues featured religion, Booth’s overprotectiveness, and Brennan’s tendency to do things like rush full speed ahead into a prison fight while having contractions, but it could have been money or family or any other issue. There’s been a historically comfortable B&B balance between sickeningly sweet and what we have now, and I wish the show would move more back toward that middle (especially since season 8 has officially been announced).
The other major cop-out, and one I never imagined would be, was the end shared moment with the J-team. I normally like J-team moments, but I do not want Christine to become the Squint Squad mascot. She is Booth and Brennan’s baby! I understand that one major theme of the show is “there’s more than one kind of family,” and I appreciated three elements of that in this episode:
- When, after Christine was born, Brennan told Booth, “We’re a family.”
- When, at the end, Brennan told the team Christine was lucky to have all of them in her life.
- When, at the end, Brennan announced that Christine’s middle name was Angela.
But…I’m a selfish person, because I want more B&B&C as a family. I loved most of what we got, I really did, and I loved Booth coaching Brennan and wiping her forehead during the birth. But I wanted more of those first family moments between just the three of them. And if that isn’t possible, and it has to be the entire team, I want more than just the group standing in a room while a song does all the hard work of explaining that we need one another — total cop-out! I want more than just Booth putting his arm around Brennan and them sharing a smile. I want Booth and Brennan to actually share their feelings verbally, with one another (the mystery of life “debate” was so trite and rushed and bad, it doesn’t count) and with the group, if necessary. I want B&B to be more than Two Partners and a Baby. Again, I don’t need tons of kissing or make-out sessions or declarations of love. But I need more than declarations made under duress or annoyance.
I know it’s been happening for years and been said many times, but this episode is another example that somehow, somewhere, BONES cashed in quality character work for poop jokes and hijinks. (“Baby worthy of a manger,” anyone?) Maybe it’s the nature of showbiz and ratings, maybe it really is the direction all of the cast and writers wanted to go with it, who knows? What keeps me coming back is the possibility that the show could deal with something potentially amazing (e.g. Booth and Brennan had a baby, y’all!) and do it justice. But in the end, this was just one more in a long string of “pretty good, not great” episodes, which is too bad.
Okay, enough from me. Thoughts from you? How did you like the case? Were you surprised at the location for Christine’s birth? How did you feel about the end scene? What moments made you laugh, cry, and/or think? The comments are open; sound off!
I thought the episode was wonderful.
@Sarah I’m sorry that you don’t feel that B&B are in love, but I don’t understand what you want. You say that you don’t want B&B to make out and have sex in every episode, but then you say that you want more than just Booth putting her arm around Brennan and smiling. Anything more than that would be them making out in every episode. That’s NEVER going to be B&B. They will NEVER just announce their feelings with each other and with the group. They already know how they feel about each other and the team already knows how they feel about each other, so why would they just declare their love to each other and the rest of the team? An “I love you” is all we are ever going to get.
In my opinion…B&B are totally in love and happy together. Just because they don’t make out or make declarations of love doesn’t mean that they aren’t in love.
And, we will see B&B&C family moments in the next episode.
I just kept wondering what the horse’s name was. He/she was a better doula than Daisy would have been. Seems like they could have given the baby a second middle name, since the horse was so supportive… but hay.
😀
First off, I watch this episode with a woman who was a doula (sp?) and is a seminarian, who was the perfect person to watch this episode with. Apparently she’s also grossed people out about hospitals, too (I love my mother).
I had a hard time looking for theme in this one. Maybe once I rewatch it’ll piece together more nicely.
Cam and Angela badgering Brennan into making a guess (and what they said! AH!) really REALLY bothered me. Also, Daisy’s actions in Brennan’s office really bothered me, too, as well as the Booth and Sweets moments. There wasn’t enough Hodgins, and I could have done without the riot scene.
BUT… after all that, I really liked most of the episode. The case was pretty good, and I actually didn’t figure out the whodunnit until the end, which was nice. I don’t mind Booth and Brennan arguing about the hospital vs home birth, because it made sense to me, as did the talk about the christening in the car. Actually, I really liked Booth and Brennan yet again talking about faith as she’s giving birth… because it seems to happen at every significant moment for them. I also love the not-so-subtle allusions when it came to baby Christine (look at those first six letters!) being born in a stable because there was no room in the inn (and then, of course, there was the moment where they were met at home by the wise men… I mean squints… bearing gifts (Biblical wise men didn’t appear until over a year afterwards!)). I mean, they overemphasized it a bit… but it was fun. I wish the tone was a bit more consistent.
The best parts? “We’re a family.” and “Welcome Stapes!” I so want that to be her nickname.
Overall… I think I liked it. Did I laugh? Yes. I also grinned foolishly. Did I cry? No…. Did I think? Yes. I did.
I think one of the smartest moves I made this evening was that I simply watched the episode to enjoy it. Now Sarah, you know I blog and I review but i went to my moms, and I sat with her and my sister and we just watched it. We stuffed our faces with sushi & guac and we just watched it to enjoy it and we did.
Reading your review, it’s so in depth and you’ve got so much going in on in there that it’s so hard not to appreciate what you’re doing but it makes me (as a fellow reviewer) wonder if you’re putting so much thought into it, that you’re not appreciating it as much as you could be.
I completely get where you’re coming from with feeling that the birth was “rushed.” And looking at it from the standpoint of “this episode is about the birth of Booth & brennan’s baby” it is rushed. But the one thing that I have seen SN mention ad nauseum is that at the end of the day, Bones is a murder show. They needed to put that much time into solving the murder to make it believable. Therefore, I totally get the timing.
I 100% disagree with you on the believing they’re in love point, but I’m going to address my take on that on my own blog for one reason: I think tonight’s episode gave us one of the most perfect in love moments that I have ever seen on the show. If anything, it convinced me that they are.
I’m with you on Daisy. I wasn’t offended per se simply because of the fact that I’m not letting her offend me, but I do hate her and I did yell at the tv. In Brennan’s office no less! Tramp biscuit!
As far as the J team moment at the end, it wasn’t a cop out at all in my opinion. They all came together when baby Michael was born. It’s the same thing, as far as I’m concerned.
Alright, I need to write my own review before I leave all my good stuff over here! 🙂
I think the J team party cop out was necessary because BB haven’t had chemistry between the two of them since the lukewarm way they got together. It’s a stark contrast to all the intimate scenes they shared in previous seasons even when they weren’t officially a couple. I could buy that they were in lover then. Someone dozing a bus passing by could tell back then. Now, there’s just no spark. It’s no wonder they ended with a family party scene.
I agree wholeheartedly with you. From Daisy, to the episode, to everything. It’s not so much that there isn’t enough B&B (though I’m sure the anti-shippers will point out fan unrest being just another case of shippers being single minded), it’s that it’s sterile. For a show that prides itself on chemistry, they’re doing a lot of talking and not a lot of showing. For starters: every time Booth tells her he loves her, I can’t really buy into his words. I miss the time when Booth would sit with her on the steps after a case and just be. There were more “love” during those years, more protectiveness and genuine emotion there than the late nagging and sterile words. Same goes for Brennan. I still remember her hugging him when she got scared (thinking that her brother has been murdered)—those two set a lot in store for one another and that to me is the biggest thing missing, only to be replaced by empty promises.
It’s not all negative, I still enjoy moments and I thought the montage at the end was great.
B&B definitely still have a spark. Just their chemistry is more realistic and has evolved with their relationship. They don’t have that same sexy, angsty “I want you right now” chemistry like in previous seasons, but they still love each other and they are still attracted to each other. That was clearly evident in the very last scene of the Crack in the Code and this episode too.
I think that the writers were just trying to get “This is more than one kind of family” with the family scene at the end. I always thought that this show wasn’t just about B&B, but also about the squints too. I loved how they brought everything together. B&B had their “moment” with their arms around each other smiling at each other and the squints passing around and holding the baby. It was just brilliant. I Also, how is the baby going to be their mascott? What does that even mean? Usually, I agree with you, Sarah, and I haven’t been all that impressed with their intimacy this season either, but I can’t why you didn’t love this episode.
Sarah, While I agree with you and understand your dislike of Daisy, I am just glad that the show is not playing out the same way that you wanted it to, at least with respect to Booth and Brennan’s relationship. You see, I think that verbal declaration of love is not as important, for love manifests itself some other ways. I see the love and intimacy between them — when Brennan was just by Booth’s side when he was grieving his father’s death; Booth’s protectiveness; in fact in episode 7 the “Hey, look at me.” got to me more than the “I love you.” did. And I was really moved by the fact that Brennan was holding on to Booth’s hand while she was giving birth. I found it very touching.
I agree with Jillian on her point regarding the scene with the squints. It was my favorite scene in the episode. While I am happy that Booth, Brennan and Christine are now a family, I was really more moved by the presence of the squints in their house to welcome them back home. This is the show that taught us THERE IS MORE THAN ONE KIND OF FAMILY. It was just fitting that they were there. They are Brennan’s family, too. And now, by extension, they are Booth’s and Christine’s too. How did you feel about the hospital scene with the squints and Booth and Sweets after Michael was born? How does this scene at the Mighty Hut differ from that that made you feel this was a cop-out?
Not everyone needs to see what you want to see happen between Booth and Brennan. By showing those scenes that you want, the show *may* also alienate viewers like me.
I don’t enjoy this new Booth and Brennan relationship. I feel like they were closer emotionally in earlier seasons. I don’t see the closeness anymore. I see two people together because they are having a baby and nothing more.
Once again, I find it difficult to agree with you on most of your points. I don’t like Daisy, either, and I thought the birth scene was a bit rushed, but that’s it. They’re in love, I know that without even the slightest doubt, and this episode showed that. The little moment after the baby’s born and Booth gives her to Brennan and they look at each other and the baby is perfect and you can see the love shining in their eyes. And it’s not just their love for the baby, it’s their love for each other as well.
I really enjoyed this episode. Booth and Brennan and their give/take along with their push/shove felt like B/B that I’ve always known and loved.
I did not have a problem with the Brennan-Angela-Cam scene mostly because Brennan did not cave.
I laughed out loud at Sweets’ bungling up the hospital thing. Should Booth and Sweets have even conspired to do such a thing? Probably not… but I don’t know – Brennan was just enough annoyed to make it balanced and the end result with Booth saying “no soccer” and Sweets looking on dejectedly at the glass was just right amusing.
The disagreements B/B had about hospital vs home and Brennan’s compromise with baptism and home birth – liked it all. All those debates felt like a resurrection of the disagreements these two HAVE had – which feels appropriate, because even though they’re in love, these “old” issues have to come back. Liked the scene with Booth convincing Brennan to go home – but also liked how when they were given new evidence that she charged right back in with Booth complaining “what did I just say?” – it was exactly as they’ve been before.
Would prisoners do as they did when Brennan charged through them? I have no idea, but it was actually kind of cute. Booth charging through and arguing that he was simply being overprotective was good, too.
Did NOT like Sweets and Daisy in Brennan’s office. Enough with office sex, please. Never liked it with Hodgins and Angela, either. Wouldn’t even like it with Booth and Brennan.
Was the idea that the birth took birth in a barn cheesy? Totally, but the bigger scenario was that the birth was just the 2… 3 of them and that, I loved. Loved the directorial images in that scene.
Is it shallow to admit that I expected them to kiss each other while holding the baby? Or later while they are looking on as their friends and colleagues are holding the baby? I don’t think so. Those are the things that I believe Sarah is talking about with wanting to see them in love – that kind of intimacy.
This was one of those episodes where ultimately, the case gets a little lost (which can’t be helped when you know what is going to happen at the end) – but I will say it had its moments, and with how shifty the guard was acting in the kitchen scene, I did think for a moment that it could have been him.
And probably still one of the cutest lines? “Stupid stupid road!”
Thank you for this review, Sarah – I was beginning to feel like I was the only one going “meh” among the squeeing masses. I keep hoping for the old Booth-Brennan magic to come back, but it’s just not happening. As it is now, it seems to me that they’re only together because they accidentally made a baby and now feel they have to make the best of it. It’s not only that I don’t see the two of them being in love, most of the time they don’t even seem to like each other all that much. Just once, I’d like to hear Booth tell Brennan he loves her when he’s not using it to make her do something he wants her to do! During earlier season, the attraction between them was tangible, but it has evaporated completely.
I agree about the poop jokes and hijinks as well. I’ve always loved the somewhat odd ‘Bones’ humor because it was witty and clever, but what we’re getting instead this season seems to be targeted at an audience of twelve year-olds.
At the end of Season 6, I “cooled” towards this show a bit. I was a little disappointed about how TPTB handled eventually and unfortunately, no episode in season 7 made me change my mind. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed them but the usual fervor with which I used to watch this show was gone. But then a few weeks ago I saw the commercial for last night’s episode and the song, “Crazy” by Stars Go Dim, and the scenes they compiled were perfect. It really brought me back to a pre-100 state of mind and I was super excited to watch this episode.
And while there were some lovely moments, the birth, and the last scene, I couldn’t help but squirm with embarrassment at other scenes — Brennan barreling through the crowd was so awful, I wanted to hide behind my couch. And the Swwets and Daisy
Sorry! prematurely hit submit. Anyway:
And the Sweets and Daisy scene in Brennan’s office was COMPLETELY horrific and unnecessary. I wish they would’ve had more Hodgins scenes!
Anyway… You’re not alone in this Sarah, I have the same sense of unease with this episode as you do. I hate to say it but the teaser for the episode was much more satisfying than the actual episode!
Nonetheless, I’ll continue watching – mostly because this show is like an old friend who is going thought a bit of a mid life crisis and I hold out hope that she’ll come to her senses eventually.
I love this episode if only for that fact that Baby Bones is here! I am a new mom, so it made me remember my daughter being born (of course Olivia was born in a hospital about 6 months ago)!
I thought the case was interesting and I like that they are not overshadowing the cases because of B&B’s personal stuff. The fact that Brennan is 9 months pregnant is in there, but it isn’t the main part. She wants to keep working on the case.
At first I thought Booth trying to get Sweets to convince Brennan to have the baby in the hospital was wrong, but I realized he is only concerned for his girls (and I say that plurally) safety. My husband would have used any means necessary if I said I wanted a home birth.
I totally agree on the dislike of Daisy. I used to think hating her was a little over the top, but this episode made me sour on her. Being a doula, why? Trying to have sex on the floor of Dr. Brennan’s off, tacky! Spreading rose water to relax Dr. Brennan’s uterus, creepy! And the fact that she was there at the end was also bothersome, but whatever.
Other than Daisy, the only thing that I questioned was the fact that they came right home with the baby, I mean, maybe that is how a home birth works, but what about all the tests and stuff that need to be done?
And, my only wish for this episode was that Booth and Brennan would have kissed, either when they were laying there holding their new daughter or when they were looking on watching others hold her. It would have completed the episode for me. Plus, after our daughter was born, my husband’s first reaction was to kiss me, although it was on the forehead 😀
I look forward to how having a baby changes Brennan and having a daughter changes Booth!!
I really don’t understand what the negative viewers want from this show. It’s tv guys, you’re supposed to enjoy it, and if you don’t anymore,there are plenty of other shows that can offer what you want…Yes, I felt like there should have been a kiss either at the barn or at the Mighty Hut, but those looks between them were enough to keep me satisfied until next week and after all this time, I’m really curious to see how they deal with all that has been shoved into them. I feel like people are still complaining about being left out for 5 months in a way, their relationship has evolved guys, my parent don’t snog each other or even kiss all that much and that doesn’t mean I don’t see their love, which they show for each other in many different ways, so I don’t think the B&B spark is gone, more like it evolved, and sadly we didn’t get to see it, but I think we have to get over it and enjoy this show that so many people work hard for
I think that’s mostly what I disagree with Sarah (and many others) here, you guys are looking and digging way too much into this one episode/season (hey,we’ve only had 7 episodes) and haven’t considered the shortness of the season to remember to ENJOY the show, like Shep said. Just relax and enjoy, don’t over think it. Were this a regular season, I think we would have seen many of the things a lot of you are complaining about being co oped of.
I do agree on the whole Sweets-Daisy scenario, I think their spark is just sex and Daisy wanting to fix the major screw up of dumping Sweets for Maluku and now she wants to fill the tension with sex and baby innuendo. The Sweets-Booth part was pretty funny, where he finally admitted (sort of) that he wants to be Booth’s friend A LOT.
Not enough Hodgins on this one, always a sad event.
And I really hope they picked a blue eyed baby to play Christine, that would be so cute
also, remember that SN cut himself out at the end as DR Weismen, so that means that at some point doctors were on the scene and cleaned and helped, it was just cut off the episode for whatever reason. But it was thought of, just because we didn’t see it, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
Also, to the people complaining about them coming home too soon without going to the hospital, remember that SN cut himself out at the end as DOCTOR Weismen, so that means that at some point doctors were on the scene and cleaned and helped, it was just cut off the episode for whatever reason. But it was thought of, just because we didn’t see it, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
“their relationship has evolved guys, my parent don’t snog each other or even kiss all that much and that doesn’t mean I don’t see their love, which they show for each other in many different ways”
–> Oh, I buy that evolution, I just think it’s crap to skip over all the fluttering romantic parts and jump into ‘our parents’ stage. Because that’s exactly the kind of vibe I’m getting from BB and it’s not why I invested in BB.
It’s like if The Notebook left out the middle 30 minutes of the movie.
I think that all of the shippers are in heaven right now. All they wanted was them together. They have filled in their own blanks and interpret this great love. Not everyone can do this. For me their spark has been on and off (mostly off) since season 5 . Is Booth just happy because he now has a family? For me that great love story has fizzled.
I still love Brennan but do not like how she s portrayed. I do think ED likes it that way. She always talks about how she loved the circus episode. Up until season 6′ it was my least favorite. DB likes to be over the top as well. I just do not think he pulls it off well.
I enjoy reading these reviews because I think ths site covers many points of view, not just the shippers. I enjoy their honesty.
I dd not watch live but dvr. I watch because sometimes we get episodes like he deaf girl last season, which remind me why I used to be obsessed with the show.
I honestly do not think the actors, producers plan on a lot of PDA. Yes it Is not them in public, but most couples privately share some affection, and I do not mean sex. For me the same arguments and themes are just repeated. I think the writers focus more on the comedy now. I think the shippers accept everything as long as B & B are together.
Bones is still entertaining, but nothing compared to what it once was. (for the record I do not think NCIS has slipped at all nd it has been on longer, bu that s my opinion). I wonder what ratings will be like going forward, since the baby birth was a big drawer. The CBS comedies will return and they do well in the viewers and
the demo.
I personally look forward to the bonus episodes because I think they will be classic Bones. I also look forward to Brennan and Angela scenes.
This episode was what I expected and I am glad it is done.
Thanks for an honest review.
Sarah,
In an earlier post I substitued your word “cop-out” with my term “Disney-esc”, but we are in the same ball park. Season seven is the “fairytale season”, where the fans must buy into the “fairytale of this is really how the creators of Bones pictures a Booth and Brennan relationship.” The true meaning of fairytale was just taken alittle too far for most discerning Bones fans in an episode that should have had the verbal connection forefront- along with the labor pains.
I had the fortune(??) of knowing the details of this episode from a friend who attended Paley. We are both ‘slightly’ older (lol) and not really the squeeing fans, more like; the give me the pie with the dash of obsurd TV licence, just make sure it tastes like pie, kind of fan. I said it then and repeat it now, I feared for the fall out from the build up and let down of the episode.
Shipper of B&B, YES. But I did not get the feeling of these two connecting, again. I couldn’t tell you much about the crime part of the show, except it involved a sewer pipe, I was just too busy clinging to hope of seeing Booth and Brennan have a conversation instead of an arguement. It has all boiled down to bickering. Even as Booth is hiking her leg up on his shoulder so he can deliver his child, they bicker. Over religion. Again. I. Am. Over. THIS. ISSUE. I will repeat myself again, but this relationship is being told through the eyes of a couple of men who are petrified of the “moonlighting” curse. Still. The whole away in the manger scene lacked creativity really. Too much “license” taken with what will go down in this series as possibly the most important relationship episode ever of Bones- her having his baby. Combine no meaningful conversation, with having a baby in a barn at 4:47 (supposedly) and home at dark to drink bubbly with the co-workers, with skipping other key relationship plot moments from the end of S6, you have fans who are complaining, because they are tired of waiting.
It seems at this point that Monday night will be a trip to Disney land, where no matter what, a crime will be solved by Snow White and Prince Charming, but there will be no emotional payoff. Just that annoying bickering song “it’s a small world after all” playing over and over and over and
That baby in this episode did eclipse the cuteness of the Hodgins baby actors, grape jelly and all. Good casting call there.
Are you for real? I seriously question the sanity of anyone who suggests that BB aren’t in love with each other. Booth said ‘I love you’ to her this episode, no beating around the bush, but obviously that still isn’t enough for the incessant whingers. Have you watched any of season 7? There has been plenty of love, and I for one am glad that BB aren’t like Hodgela! BB have never been the traditional/sappy type, why should that change now. People haven’t watched all these years for them to suddenly become different characters. I love that HH has remained true to his characters and just because they are a couple now, why should they stop bickering. Bickering is a part of who they are.
The only thing lacking in their romantic relationship is sex and ffs Emily was pregnant and just had a baby, I doubt she wants to be rolling around in bed just yet. And i imagine physical intimacy is a lot harder to carry out when you’re in your third trimester or have recently given birth.
urgh, I’ve honestly had it with people who are never happy with the show. No one’s forcing you to watch it.
Hmmmm, all the other reviews I’ve read online have been extremely positive about BB’s relationship.
I really don’t understand any of your arguments and I don’t usually read your reviews but I was pointed in the direction of this review because it was so ‘awful’ and ‘ill-informed’ and unfortunately I have to agree.
I find it very hard to take any of the things you’ve written seriously, when you STILL question the nature of BB’s feelings towards each other. It annoys me when people completely overlook the physical intimacy (because seemingly that is all you care about) we have, gotten this season. Sex does not equal love. I bet if they showed BB shacking it up in bed every episode, you would be convinced of their ‘love’.
*rollseyes*
I think you should stop watching the show if you wanted somthing more decidedly ‘sappy’ because BB have never been like that and will never be like that.
Maria, what Kool Aid are you sipping? Reputable media has been lukewarm at best, and Bones has mostly lost its edge with the hipper sites. There are tons of reviews, but mostly sites that are obviously PR repetition machines (wetpaint, etc) without in depth analysis.
TV Guide is having a cover week for Bones, but I’d bet Roger Sterling $50 that has more to do with FOX than anything else. Bones is their only real drama after House ends. This isn’t a major site, but that someone like Sarah who has been so patient through season 5~7 and goes so in depth would become negative says a lot.
I don’t understand how people interpret ‘missing the chemistry and intimacy’ as ‘wanting sex scenes.’ The examples given by those nostalgic for the BB spark are all from previous seasons when they didn’t even kiss. And plenty believed in the love then. It’s NOT about sex scenes or kisses. It’s about going from UST to “my parents.”
The Notebook analogy really works, because we have the beginning where boy and girl have a bickering romantic relationship that shouldn’t work but does. Then there’s this big hardship/romance, then the older couple who have weathered all and are settled but still going strong in their love.
Except Bones skipped the fireworks.
JJDiners
When you say ‘fireworks’ you mean sex.
Ok, let’s say they weren’t having a baby, but were a couple. What do you think they would have shown that we aren’t gettin gnow. Sex, right? So that’s why people interpret ‘missing the chemistry and intimacy’ as ‘wanting sex scenes.’
This really pisses me off because apparently after 6 years everyone was getting tired of the UST/ will they’won’t they, but now they’ve changed their relationship, people want the old status quo back. urgh, people are so fickle.
And why do people forget that they had NO CHOICE but to skip out the beginning of the relationship but I don’t think that’s a huge loss. Again, like I said earlier, what would they have shown? Sex scenes, probably. Them going on dates?? I doubt many people would be too interested in that seeing as they’ve been spending time/ having dinner for years.
And please show me a review which has been anywhere near negative as this one has been.
Did people even watch the episode last night. The intimacy/ chemistry wasn not missing at all!
Did no one see the birth scene??? They were both physically and emotionally intimate.
Bones has been renewed for an 8th season so they must be doing something right!
I honestly can’t bo bothered to deal with the naysayers. Be as negativeas you want, it’s not going to affect my enjoymnet of the show!
Well 2 1/2 Men keeps on going and going…. never seen ratings used as proof of quality.
Likewise, I don’t care how much the powers that be shove down the BB as a couple, it’s not convincing.
Enjoyed the episode; enjoyed the “married, but not” chemistry, enjoyed the team’s surprise and the surprise of a real home for B and B.
Love the show – and have loved it for seven seasons, through all the changes (except for Everything Hannah), and love it now.
B and B are growing up….especially Brennan…and that changes the chemistry; it doesn’t erase it.
If you want sex, try cable TV or the CW….
Quid Pro Quo will not work with Booth and Brennan. It is not what the show was based on, or how the feelings evolved with these two characters. It IS the dance that the show creators is dancing currently as an avoidance.
Most of all, Quid Pro Quo will NEVER satisfy a fan base that “ships” or “shipped” Booth and Brennan. Reason: because the fan base has been prepped, but also verbally promised by the producers, creators, actors, and the list goes on that Booth and Brennan will always betogether; that the fun of season seven is seeing how Booth and Brennan manage a relationship, the professional life and now having a baby together.
To bluntly answer all the fangirls who are bitching about “negative” or better known to many as “honest” reviews being given this show; What the hell else SHOULD we expect. They are in a relationship, supposedly. The social norm shows them to be in an arrangement, and that is all. Quid Pro Quo means simply: This for That. Example, what you got last night in the SUV with B&B, you can baptize the kid if I can have her at home. How about about another example, first epsiode of season seven; Brennan tells Booth that she sees his being handy for certain things so therefore she will agree to getting a place of their own with him.
I can give you plenty more of these.
It is not sitting well with Bones fans of old, because, this is not the show’s theme in the past. Negotiation for tangibles is ruining Bones. Brennan toasted Booth in a bar and told all present at one time, that she understood what Love is, because she has seen this through Booth’s eyes, and through the person he is. Brennan cried to Booth that she felt that she missed her chance and she didn’t want that regret, that she heard the universe and she wanted to try for a differenct outcome with him. Now we know what episodes those are from and the outcomes, and there are hundreds more, literally. There is no Quid Pro Quo in the Bones season 1-5 and yes most of six. There is Brodsky is Bad and Booth is Good.
Now thru bickering, we have come to negotiation of tangibles for the relationship to continue or either of them to get what they want in life. Sensless drivel not by the writers who churn out crimes to be solved. By a couple of guys that want to avoide the “curse” so bad, that they will create drama in issues that Booth and Brennan have already tackled and in walls they have already started breaking through. Let me make it more simple for the “don’t you talk bad about my show children”, it’s about LOVE. Not creating drama at every cotton pickin’ thing to be decided. It’s about two people makeing each other happy, because they WANT to. Get past the sex, I am not seeing any grown ups here ask for sex scenes, they want to see these two remember something that they discovered together in the other 120+ episodes. It’s about not making Brennan dumber, and not making Booth a teacher or a guy who has to consistantly tell her why it is that she should be concerned about having a /his baby. She knows what LOVE is. She not being written that way. She is not the daughter who saved her father from prison for murder by planting the seed of doubt. Remember her???? That’s a lot of heart, Bones.
Many people didn’t want to hear a symphony during the birth scene, many people, many FANS wanted Booth to take it to the next level. NOT about RELIGION, or making jokes about how they are in a manger cause there is no room at the Inn. Don’t just ask her why she can’t accept there are mysteries in life that you can’t understand, ask her to allow her heart to have and cherish his baby because it is a PART OF HIM. That having a part of him forever is different than producing his prodgeny and him having these protective feelings. The crux of their problem is they say the word Family, and they don’t act like it. I was never much of a Booth fan, always loved Brennan, but for once, I think I see Booth wondering what the hell he has gotten himself into. In the end she got what she wanted, but she has never told him that he is the ONE. Booth isn’t the one to give This for just That.
So fangirls, move on to your sites of pure bliss, ignorant bliss. The place you go where no one can say a bad word about this TV show. The rest of us will pray that we get to more dialog, more conversation, and just maybe two people who love each other, and want each other to be happy, down deep happy. The rest of us will write an honest review and say what WE feel. Last I checked, I still have the right to watch what ever I want to and comment on it. HONESTLY.
TVGuide is owned by News Corp. who also owns Fox TV and all Fox affillates.
When you say ‘fireworks’ you mean sex.
That’s exactly what I said I didn’t mean:
I don’t understand how people interpret ‘missing the chemistry and intimacy’ as ‘wanting sex scenes.’ The examples given by those nostalgic for the BB spark are all from previous seasons when they didn’t even kiss. And plenty believed in the love then. It’s NOT about sex scenes or kisses. It’s about going from UST to “my parents.”
I admit entirely that chemistry is subjective but you obviously need to deliberately misunderstand. I’d rather have no touching chemistry from seasons back than this baby nonsense.
And AJ, ha, now will collect from Roger Sterling’s cash rich wallet. (Seriously, what is the man thinking, after getting mugged too.:))
Poignant Prose, preach!
Honestly, this review and your comment give me more hope for BB than the actual show.
Poignant Prose: Yes.
I don’t understand what all you people want. Do you want B&B to make out or have sex in every episode? Do want them to declare their love in every episode? Really, that’s what it seems like what you guys want. Seriously, if you really want that, then go watch a show on the CW or ABC Family. Because that’s NEVER going to be Booth and Brennan. That sparkle in their eyes when they look at each other and Booth has her arm around her or when their baby was born. That’s Booth and Brennan.
Also, if they made B&B say “I love you” every 5 seconds, I’m sure the ratings would drop so fast. The writers can’t cater to every shippers needs. They have to think about what the whole audience wants to see…and not all of them are shippers.
People should either get used to it or go watch a show on the CW or ABC family.
“Because that’s NEVER going to be Booth and Brennan. That sparkle in their eyes when they look at each other and Booth has her arm around her or when their baby was born. That’s Booth and Brennan. ”
I didn’t watch the episode, but this thought process boggles my mind. No matter how atypical Booth and Brennan are, they just had a child. They are supposedly in love. I don’t care how atypical Booth and Brennan are. The act of kissing ONE time…not a sexfest, not ILY every six seconds, not a marriage proposal or anything that heavy…ONE kiss is not an unreasonable request. It’s just not, and if they can’t manage a kiss after the birth of their child, when exactly will they EVER be able to manage it?
Also, I have read over and over and over again how some viewers didn’t need a kiss. Last season, I read that they didn’t need to see anything resembling sex. So, I want to ask, in that same vein, do those viewers need an actual baby? Would Brennan staring down at a prop doll also be OK because with no kissing, or even a hint of an actual sexual relationship, that’s what “not needing” kissing or some reference to adult intimacy reduces this series to, IMO. If you are in an adult relationship and have created a child with someone, you have kissed him/her and touched him/her intimately. I don’t care how atypical you are.
Sarah, you keep writing EXACTLY what you think and feel! The critics of BONES seem to always be accused of wanting a cable porn show. The current watchers of the show seem to want the total Disney version.
Poignant Prose, Great post! And I think we both know the show caters to a wide range of viewers who watch the show for different reasons and not exactly for Booth and Brennan. So, how do you propose the show balance what (MANY of) you want that they show regarding Booth and Brennan with what (MANY) viewers like me (who do not need to be shown what you’re asking them to) want? As I have mentioned in my previous post, by showing those what you and Sarah want seen, the show *may* also alienate viewers like me (btw, I am one of those you call Bones fans of old, but I do not have the same view that you have of the show now. I see the love and intimacy between them and I am content in the small and subtle doses that they are being given. I consider Brennan’s compromising as gesture of love).
@WTM Have you even watched any episodes this season? They kiss all the time. They kissed in the very last episode when they found their house. Just because they don’t kiss one time doesn’t mean that they don’t love each other.
And the writers and actors even said that there will be many more kissing scenes in upcoming episodes…
Also, I consider what I have seen in previous episodes this season too. If B&B are totally in love in one episode and then in the next episode, their chemistry is kind of off, I don’t just assume that they aren’t in love just because their chemistry is off in one freakin’ episode. In Crack in the Code, they had a wonderful kissing scene when they found their house to raise their family (and I specifically remember Sarah raving about that scene) but just because we don’t get a kiss in this episode doesn’t mean that they don’t love each other. The actors has already confirmed that there will be a specific make out scene in an upcoming episode, so I think it’s totally not fair and ridiculous to assume that they aren’t in love just because they don’t kiss in one episode.
Jilian, you’re the one talking about sex and make out sessions. I have to believe you’re bringing in another discussion from somewhere else or twisting the comments on purpose. Seriously, read the other comments, it’s NOT about seeing anything explicit.
I think the people criticizing Sarah’s recap didn’t read it through. But thankfully AJ and Poignant Prose saved the masses with…unironically poignant truth.
The more I think about it, the more I come to believe that what is missing on Bones isn’t chemistry or affection, it’s emotion. It’s the moments when Brennan falls apart in the car because she’s missed her chance. It’s her being glad that he’s won a boxing match and lived, it’s all the other examples we can all site. Now we have a semblance of emotion, but it’s again sterile and are often told, rather than shown.
@Poignant Prose, Jem, AJ
Thank you. You said it better than I could have.
Reviews are just opinions. They are great for reading but they don’t add/subtract anything to/from the show. HH and Bones writers will continue to write their show/characters based on what they feel is appropriate for them. Opinions only matters when you’re at the writers table.
I personally don’t understand watching and getting caught up in what you felt should’ve happened because the episodes are already written/edit/ready to view….so opinions on what should’ve happened are futile. But if watching and stating what you think should’ve happen help add to your viewing pleasure, more power to you.
If you hate the show, think it’s trash, and watch it weekly just to trash it, find a more enjoyable hobby…being bitter can’t possibly add to your life or health. You have to enjoy something about the show…why spend time watching and and writing comments on various “fan” sites (because some of you change your name but you’re writing the same message over and over on different stes).
*last paragraph is not for those with criticism but those that weekly state the show has no quality and has been totally ruined since Season 1,2,3,4,5, and 6. It’s for those that seem to stay around so that when Bones ends, they can say I told this show would be over soon*
I also agree with Poignant Prose. Yes, yes, and YES!
That is exactly it. I hope the writers take it there.
Also…with all this unnecessary talk of sex scenes or the lack of sex scenes it’s made me wonder…why DO they make us endure TONS of that from Sweets/Daisy? Is it supposed to be funny or is it supposed to make you cringe? I just don’t get it.
@Jillian
Since you asked, I have watched BONES very sparingly since S6 because I thought (and still think) that it’s unfortunate that B&B had a baby after not truly dealing with what occurred in S6. So, I’ve peeked a little and probably read more than I’ve peeked, but I’m happy to hear that a kiss came along with the house.
Big moments in a relationship like the first time you’re with a partner (which I did watch live) and the birth of a child (which I did not) are IMO, the times when the physicality of a relationship should be represented. Physicality does not mean “making out” or kissing 24/7. It is, however, to me, an action that shows that you are sharing a major moment with someone that you supposedly love. From what I have seen, Hart has tended to miss the major moments, but he apparently remembered when it came to the house, so that’s a good thing.
I don’t know when I’ll come back to Bones full-time, but if there is more affection ahead, I think that’s a good thing whether I’m watching or not because part of a relationship is being affectionate to your partner. It can be atypical or unique to your coupling, but if a couple is truly a couple on TV, affection needs to be a consistent piece of the puzzle.
@Jillian.
Just so you (and everyone else) doesn’t the wrong idea, the initials WTM apparently are linked to Twitter in some way. I am not that person or connected to that organization in any way, so I will no longer use those initials when posting here. (I did before with no problem, but they now must be an official name.)
Hi Sarah!! I’m glad Bones is back and so are your reviews!!
I saw where one of your readers could not figure out the theme for this episode but, to me, it was obvious and also set up the rest of the season. Throughout the episode we saw constant BETRAYAL by almost everyone. The little girl at the start feels her father betrayed her, the crime was commited because the murderer felt betrayed by the victim, Booth using Sweets and Sweets betraying his profession for friendship and Daisy’s betrayal to everyone around her except for her overly loyalty to Dr. Brennan (walking out on Lance to satisfy Brennan). And you can’t talk BETRAYAL without mentioning the opposite, which is LOYALTY. Brennan was loyal to her beliefs in home birthing but also her not betraying her belief in guessing (she wanted to be cool but would remain loyal to herself). The last scene showed us also loyalty by the J-team not only to B&B but to BB&C. It takes a village…..
The rest of the season will test alot about Brennan and her loyalty to her beliefs as she is a new mother but also her loyalty to her relationship with Booth. It will be about Brennan discovering that love can last forever no matter what happens. An example may be that Christine may well break a 3000 year old vase of Brennan but Brennan will discover that she still loves her no matter what her child does. She is finding evidence that love can last forever and Christine is just the start. Parker and Angela will also have a hand in this matter. IMO, I can see Booth possibly doing something along the lines of betraying Brennan but that she finds out that he/she still love each other.
I just read an interview from HH/SN also stating that Pops Booth will also return but not in a good way. This still leads back to the open arc of when does Brennan tell Booth about his father?
Brennan does love Booth and vice versa. Brennan is quite capable of love as she loves her parents, Russ and Angela. She also told Booth in the S5 premiere that she loves him, in an atta girl kind of way. Brennan is now free to openly admit that she loves Booth doesn’t mean that she thinks that love will last or is forever. I think a good example that will take place is similar to S1’s “Girl in the Fridge” where Brennan did love her lover/college professor til he betrayed her and her profession. What would happen if Booth did something along this same line? Would she drop him like a ton of bricks like she did that guy or will she stick around?
I agree that I don’t feel the love between B&B like we saw during earlier seasons BUT there is a very good reason behind it. In those seasons, Brennan could hide behind not telling Booth that she loved him. Now that that cat is out of the bag, Brennan has recended in protecting herself in the relationship she now has with him. She could open up more when they were just friends/partners but now she is more closed off with one foot out the door waiting for her personal/romantic relationship with Booth to crumble so she is more protective of herself now that she is in a romantic relationship with him.
Personally, I feel that Bones has gotten somewhat back on track and is enjoyable once more. This is mostly due to the producers/writers embracing what made them a super couple in the first place vice their mentality of S4-6 where their mentality was ‘how long can we keep them apart’. I am liking the new season for what it is. I’m afraid we will never see the chemistry we saw during the first 3 seasons brought back into the series. The ‘friend’ ship has sailed and they are in a whole new different type of relationship now which they are still navigating including having a child together. IMO, they are handling their personal relationship on a more mature and cautious level than any of the other personal relationships they have been in. They want to make it work but there are alot of obstacles that are still in the way until they find true happiness with each other which is different than true love together.
I just want to know when Booth had time to transform the wreck they looked at in the previous episode to the fantastic place they have in the next episode.
I thought Brennan was crazy to run into the melee of fighting prisonsers. Her assumption that her pregnancy would protect her was not rational, and even if none of the prisoners would deliberately break their own code and harm a nine-month pregnant woman, an accident was all too likely.
Perhaps the hormones were really clouding her judgment, but it was particularly irrational.
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