Press Reactions to Pain in the Heart - Has BONES become a hottie?

Posted 23/05/2008 01:37:39 PM
marymageli

I have been thinking of creating a topic of the finale reactions for days since there have been unbelievably many from press. It seems indifference towards BONES and its assigned mediocrity have quickly disappeared and made the show one of the hottest issue of the week. TV Guide, for example, had interviews with Emily, Hart Hanson, and of course, Eric about what went on and why - especially on HH's part. Also, the most read articles or reviews were of BONES for days! I hope curiosity and tension and our love for BONES will survive the summer hiatus, and at the end of August more viewers will watch the show after the controversial season finale. Also, if we take into account the figures on viewings and DVR recordings, we are not bad at all.

So I intend to copy all articles that has anything to do with BONES. Feel free to add as many of your findings as you want to.

Posted 23/05/2008 01:50:05 PM
marymageli

Here is my first take by TV Squad. The writer of the article talks about what TV has taught him this year. Have a look at his 5th point. I only name the first four, so if you are interested in the whole article, go to [Only admins are allowed to see this link]

Five things I learned from TV this week (extract)

Posted May 22nd 2008 4:41PM by Bob Sassone

Who says you can't learn anything from television? We talk about a lot of things here on TV Squad each week, and it's amazing what TV Squad and TV in general can teach you about life.

TV ... it's like the Bible!

1. America likes making a point rather than rewarding talent.

2. Moonlight fans are, um, "passionate."

3. Everybody loves to swear.

4. Wishes do come true.

5. Anyone can be a killer on a TV show, even the good guy. I haven't watched Bones regularly in a while, but even I was shocked that they made (SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER) Zach the apprentice to a serial killer and a killer himself. I think this proves that anyone can be a killer on a TV show. So don't be surprised if they do another Brady Bunch reunion movie and we find out that Peter has been killing hookers since the early 80s.

Posted 23/05/2008 01:56:07 PM
marymageli

Next one by Matt Roush. I like him by the way, he is a genuine BONES-fan. A rare sight among gossip columnists. Even if he doesn't agree with some parts of the finale - we all know what part -, he hasn't lost faith in the show. Bless him. He makes a good advocate for BONES.

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Did Bones' Twist Betray Fans?
Friday, May 23, 2008

Question: I bet this is neither the first nor last Bones-related e-mail you're going to get. What do you think of the reveal that lovable squint Zack was revealed to be Gormogon's apprentice? I think I would have prefered him to be a victim of Gormogon or some other serial killer if they were determined to write the actor out of the show. For me, the best part of Bones is the interaction between the group. I like these characters, and they make me happy. The show makes me smile, and Zack was a big part of that. I have no doubt that the show will still theoretically make me happy next season, but I feel like this really did a lot to damage my feelings towards other seasons. I just can't imagine popping first season DVDs into the player and watching sweet lovable Zack, knowing what will be revealed about him later on in the series. I'm sad we are losing Eric Millegan, sad that the chemistry between the group is going to be missing that ingredient and mostly sad that it was done in such a random way at the very end of the last episode of the season. There was no build-up and that was a huge reveal to spring on people. I hope Hart Hanson know what he's doing with this one, but it doesn't feel that way to me right now. — Brandy
Matt Roush: Next to the eternal anguish of Moonlight fans, this was the hottest topic in my mailbag on another very busy week. I have yet to read a defense of the way this story played out, and my own Dispatch echoes these complaints. It was a very clumsy, unsatisfying way to wrap up the season, the Gormogon arc (which never interested me) and especially the fate of Zack, who deserved a much more "logical" — his favorite word — and dramatically coherent exit. I like how Brandy says this show and its characters make her "happy." That's why I like Bones as well, and why most weeks it's far and away my favorite crime drama. The reason this twist leaves a particularly bitter aftertaste is because it's so out of character — not just for the characters, but for the show. Not that Bones shouldn't cross over to the dark side from time to time, but if it goes there, it needs to do so with the wit and heart and smarts that typically distinguish it from the pack.

Question: Why is it that TV producers think that we as fans need/want to see cast shake-ups in our shows? After watching the pretty much unbelievable (and not in a good way) finale of Bones, I have to ask: Do the writers/producers understand that most people watch these shows because of the characters and how they interact with each other? Changing characters may work on shows like Law & Order where is it a lot more story-driven, but on shows like Bones, the stories are character-driven. Removing a key person from the dynamics doesn't make me enjoy the show more — it's quite the opposite, actually. To me it seems like getting rid of a major character would drive down viewership, not increase it. I don't know many people who think, "Oh, they killed a character in the season finale, I'll have to start watching that show now." Killing people on Lost or The Unit I understand, but having an extremely smart lab rat get seduced into being a serial killer? Not so much. — Jon S.
Matt Roush: Generally, I defend the right of a show and its producers to shake things up from time to time. Without question, many of these shows are watched for the comfort level of following characters we like as they solve crimes or save lives, etc. That's why formulas exist and why they're successful, especially in the weekly grind of series TV. But formulas also grow stale, and shows occasionally want to make noise — alas, too many choose this time of year to do it, so it seems like contrived overload, as it does this spring. And one of the best ways to make noise is to put members of an ensemble in peril, and to bring just a bit of realism into the world of a show that typically allows its regulars to survive close shaves with death each week and walk away unscathed. Sacrificing a character for the greater good of the show is a concept I can embrace as long as the twist has dramatic impact and makes sense. Bones failed that test this week big time. Whereas the House episode that directly followed had one of its best episodes ever, as Amber died of her injuries. Her agonizingly emotional final scene with Wilson is something no one is likely ever to forget. And I'd just as soon forget that Bones episode ever happened.

And the following is just a little reminder how he finished his said dispatch on the finale: "Still, kudos to the rest of the cast for keeping it as real as possible as they grieved for their fallen-from-grace comrade. They’re why I wouldn’t give up on Bones just yet." Good words.

Posted 23/05/2008 02:16:46 PM
Eviaded

Great idea Mary. I sincerely hope it has broken through! The surprises and chatter all around seem to point that way.Don't forget the link about the 'surprise' that Bones took a spot that should belong to some other buzz-worthy show.

Posted 23/05/2008 02:39:20 PM
marymageli

You are right, Eva. The Tv Squad article I provided earlier in the NEWS thread regards BONES as a surprise in terms of the number of DVR recordings. Below is an excerpt.

[Only admins are allowed to see this link]

What are the most recorded TV shows?

Posted May 21st 2008 3:27PM by Bob Sassone

Anyway, the list of the top 15 recorded shows for the past year has been released, and there are little or no surprises on it. Grey's Anatomy tops this list with 3.78 million viewers, while the Tuesday edition of American Idol comes in a close second with 3.73 million. Full list after the jump!

1. Grey's Anatomy (+3.78 million)
2. American Idol - Tues (+3.73 million)
3. House - Tues (+3.49 million)
4. House - Mon (+3.45 million)
5. Lost (+3.42 million)
6. American Idol - Weds (+3.38 million)
7. Heroes (+2.91 million)
8. CSI (+2.80 million)
9. Desperate Housewives (+2.69 million)
10. The Office (+2.52 million)
11. Survivor: China (+2.35 million)
12. Survivor: Micronesia (+2.28 million)
13. Criminal Minds (+1.97 million)
14. Private Practice (+1.95 million)
15. Bones - Mon (+1.90 million)

(The + denotes how many viewers each show gained from DVR recording.)

I guess I do see one surprise, the fact that Bones is in the top 15. I would have thought that some other buzz-worthy show would make it's way into the usual American Idol / House / Grey's Anatomy / Survivor mix.

Posted 23/05/2008 03:05:12 PM
marymageli

A brand-new piece I found on EW's Popwatch Blog. It's actually very funny how a sleep deprived fan reacts to the shocking events of the BONES finale and other shows.

[Only admins are allowed to see this link]

Warning: Sleep-deprivation and TV do not mix

May 23, 2008, 09:52 AM | by Mandi Bierly

Have you ever been watching TV, had a serious emotional breakdown over a plot twist, and blamed it on the fact that you were "sleep-deprived?" This just in: You are not full of s---.

Let me take you back seven days: Alynda Wheat sent me her rough cut of the Bones season finale so that Abby West and I could watch it together in the office. Even though I'd had approximately five hours of sleep on each of the three previous nights, we decided to stay late anyway and have our screening... in Dave Karger's office. (He has a love seat, and is so nice that he won't mind if/when he reads this.) Fifty seconds in, when Sweets said, "It's Agent Booth's funeral, Dr. Brennan," Abby had to press pause because I told her to. A minute later, when Caroline started delivering her graveside eulogy, I slid off the love seat onto my knees, turned my back to the television, hugged the seat cushion, looked up at Abby, and said something to the effect of, "What?... Wait. What?... What?" It wasn't that I thought Booth (David Boreanaz) could actually be dead. (And no one should've, which is why I didn't use a spoiler alert.) It was that my mind was too mushy to process anything unexpected and remotely upsetting. Right?

Right! I just Googled sleep-deprivation and emotional, and the first link was this: "Sleep-deprivation causes an emotional brain 'disconnect."' It says, "Without sleep, the emotional centers of the brain dramatically overreact to negative experiences, reveals a new brain imaging study.... The reason for that hyperactive emotional response in sleep-deprived people stems from a shutdown of the prefrontal lobe — a region that normally keeps emotions under control."

That makes perfect sense. So now, while I Google which of my lobes insisted that Abby rewind Booth's bathtub scene (embedded below, because I can't let go of that beer helmet issue I have), share what TV moments you've overreacted to due to sleep-deprivation. I know I was pooped when I phoned a friend after that Miranda-chokes-home-alone episode of Sex and the City and left an urgent message saying I would tap out a code if I ever needed her to call an ambulance but couldn't speak. A tuckered Slezak admits that he was "emotionally wobbly" throughout Wednesday's American Idol finale. Your turn.