5x21 ~ The Boy with the Answer ~ SHOW DISCUSSION

I really loved this episode minus the editing errors. Emily was outstanding and looked marvelous. Everyone was excellent in this episode even Taffet. Brennan showed so much emotion in this episode even telling Booth of her nightmares. This was my favorite episode of the season. I think Brennan can no longer work with Booth and keep it strictly professional. I think the sadness and pain she was talking to Booth about was their sadness and pain. I really don't know what to think about the last episode. I don't want this season to end, but I'm so looking forward to next week's episode. I just sorry that we do not get a little spoiled by the Canadans. I can not believe that Brennan would leave the Jeffersonian her 'house of reason.'

nati.cba wrote:I loved the episode, it was perfect, despite the editing mistakes (never seen so many in a single episode!).

Loved the B&B moments, I was shocked and heartbroken with the last scene, it reminded me of the 100th episode, when she leaves him in the cab.

But I was slightly dissappointed because Bones' letter wasn't even mentioned! I thought that it might show up among the paperwork that Caroline gav to Booth to check those numbers Haffet talked about.

Anyway, great episode, a 10/10 for me, top 5 list of this season (and probably of the entire show!) for sure!

i know! im so devo about what was written in the letter not being revealed!!! i was so sure we would find out!

I loved this episode as well.

Brennans comments outside the founding fathers, when she says
'I need more than a little time' then booth says something, and she says 'what I mean is....'
I have a feeling that she wanted to say so much more, and she wasn't actually talking about needing time, but needing something more fulfilling. I could be completely reading it wrong, but it was an amazing episode.

Brain&Heart wrote:...i know! im so devo about what was written in the letter not being revealed!!! i was so sure we would find out!

It wasn't really evidence regarding the case, more her feelings for Booth. Knowing Bones, she may have put it in her pocket and then realized later she still had it and thrown it away. She deleted the story in the End in the Beginning so she would be scared of keeping any evidence that might give away her feelings for Booth.

Ana_Flavia wrote:My thoughts on this episode aren't any different from what pretty much everyone is thinking.

...
- Angela got a stool!

When did Angela get a stool?

SJB wrote:I loved this episode as well.

Brennans comments outside the founding fathers, when she says
'I need more than a little time' then booth says something, and she says 'what I mean is....'
I have a feeling that she wanted to say so much more, and she wasn't actually talking about needing time, but needing something more fulfilling. I could be completely reading it wrong, but it was an amazing episode.

I was expecting her to say that she needed "space." The romantic in me would love for her to say she needed something more fulfilling. Especially after Booth supports her throughout the episode and maintains a positive outlook despite all the setbacks and she tells him that she envies his ability to be optimistic in light of the reality of the situation.

Reality is crashing down on her and she is desperately in need of an epiphany or a change of some kind. I never quite bought her "I can't change" line given how much of her life has been about change-- she's the queen of saying "entropy pulls apart everything at the subatomic level."

andreana22 wrote:

Ana_Flavia wrote:My thoughts on this episode aren't any different from what pretty much everyone is thinking.

...
- Angela got a stool!

When did Angela get a stool?

She is always standing when working, but this time she was sitting on a stool!

What were the editing errors? Aside from Brennan's hug with Booth I Didn't notice any and I usually notice at least one.

IDK, i know how bad this sound but the episode just didn't really have me, it was just not there for me. Admittedly i wasn't fully watching, so i am off to watch again, maybe or hopefully i will like it better second time around

A coule of minor things I think added to the episode. We finally found out where Angela went to college and that she does have computer as well as art credentials, even if no Masters or PhD.

And the fan fic writers may be dismayed but I was certainly glad to see that Brennan does, in fact, own a TV. She may only watch news programs or DVDs of old movies, but it's there.

I've now watched this episode 3 times and it's getting better each time.
Definitely the runner up to the best ep of the season (obviously 100th pulls first place) and most certainly one of the most powerful episodes of the whole series.
The whole mood of the episode felt different and it just took the show to a whole other level.

So scared of what's to come next week, obviously now I have some pretty strong suspicions of what that is...

Can I ask a question...why, when our three heros dropped their charges, dis the grave digger only get tried on the charges of kidnapping/ murder of the one boy? What about the brothers from "AitS" and all the other victims? I mean, she was kind of notorious, no? Didn't someone write a book about her?

I apologize if this was already addressed, I didn't read through everything yet...

That's a good question. I'm not sure about that one.

I do love that Booth had his charges dropped too, because of course he wasn't about to let her go up against it alone. I find it a bit interesting that even though she's the one who claims to have the ability to compartmentalize so well Brennan is the one who this case affected the most, given her reaction at the end.

MoonlightGardenias wrote:...I find it a bit interesting that even though she's the one who claims to have the ability to compartmentalize so well Brennan is the one who this case affected the most, given her reaction at the end.

I agree. She asked Booth a lot about his girlfriend in earlier episodes, so maybe she's feeling insecure about her relationship with him. Then this case comes up and she has nightmares about losing Booth and mentions that he was almost killed and she doesn't want him to die.

olivia wrote:Can I ask a question...why, when our three heros dropped their charges, dis the grave digger only get tried on the charges of kidnapping/ murder of the one boy? What about the brothers from "AitS" and all the other victims? I mean, she was kind of notorious, no? Didn't someone write a book about her?

I apologize if this was already addressed, I didn't read through everything yet...

Um, IMO the legal aspects of the case, were, well, awful. Just really awful. I LOVE the epi, don't get me wrong, it's in the top 5, but wow. So, it's my understanding that they sort of decided not to try the cases that were only tied to Taffet through the evidence locker as that evidence was excluded. That left the fresh case as the one most likely to win. It's up to the prosecution if they want to lump cases together or try them separately. So, even if this case lost (and boy, in real life no one the Jeffersonian would have been allowed near ANY of this evidence under any circumstances) the other cases may be tried at another time -- double jeporady only extends on a particular, individual charge.

I think that the strategy of prosecuting the Boy's case separately from the rest is a good move, but even the that the voice analysis was handled, the lack of a redirection after Taffet's attack on Brennan's pysch history, etc etc etc was really really bad.

But, it's not like this is Law and Order, right?

olivia wrote:Can I ask a question...why, when our three heros dropped their charges, dis the grave digger only get tried on the charges of kidnapping/ murder of the one boy? What about the brothers from "AitS" and all the other victims? I mean, she was kind of notorious, no? Didn't someone write a book about her?

I apologize if this was already addressed, I didn't read through everything yet...

I think it was just because of lack of evidence that she wasn't tried on the other murders.

Right now I am thankful for my complete ignorance regarding the legal process, as it allowed me to enjoy this episode immensely.

One pretty trivial question... anybody have any idea why everyone was wearing the same outfits at the beginning and the end of the episode? We know days passed... there's got to be some sort of significance, right?

Lyanna Stark wrote:Right now I am thankful for my complete ignorance regarding the legal process, as it allowed me to enjoy this episode immensely.

One pretty trivial question... anybody have any idea why everyone was wearing the same outfits at the beginning and the end of the episode? We know days passed... there's got to be some sort of significance, right?

I didn't think it had any signifigance, I figured it was just a mistake, but now that you mention it, maybe there is?

People you HAVE to check out this vid. It's amazing, like the episode itself. It made me cry!!

[Only admins are allowed to see this link]

andreana22 wrote:

MoonlightGardenias wrote:...I find it a bit interesting that even though she's the one who claims to have the ability to compartmentalize so well Brennan is the one who this case affected the most, given her reaction at the end.

I agree. She asked Booth a lot about his girlfriend in earlier episodes, so maybe she's feeling insecure about her relationship with him. Then this case comes up and she has nightmares about losing Booth and mentions that he was almost killed and she doesn't want him to die.

Brennan's ability to compartmentalize without leaks of emotions around the edges has pretty much flown out the window since Booth's declaration in the 100th.

While for most of the season she's been operating with the scenario of what Booth and she had in her novel and trying to help Booth recover, the 100th laid bare her feelings for Booth. When she talks of being tired of murders and victims and pain and sadness, it seems that she is talking about the pain and sadness that is inherent in not being able to be the woman Booth wants. She sees his pain and sadness-- Angela said that Booth wasn't his "happy go lucky" self since the weird dream/coma thing. It is very probable that Brennan, with her observations of Booth wearing odd (for him) clothes and using the wrong foot or hand, would also have some observations about his emotional state. She might not say it, but she knows it just as certainly as she recognizes his sadness when she turns him down. (And she seems to be reading him very handily in the previews for the finale.)

She may also be talking about her own pain and sadness. She had been anxious about Catherine, their partnership, his moving on. Her world is further complicated by Taffet and the threats that she makes against her. From a logical POV, Brennan is the target in her own kidnapping and in Booth's. She is the reason her father would risk further separation from her. She is the target of Taffet's ire and the best way to hurt her is to hurt the people around her. That's one of the reasons why she tells Booth that she doubts her abilities-- the people she had forged bonds with are forcing her rational self to combat her emotional self. And her emotional self is intruding on her with wicked nightmares and doubts about her abilities.

The emotions are threatening to overwhelm her. The evidence is not as compelling as it has been. Her nightmares are just plain awful-- the worst part is one she cannot even verbalize. She convinces Hodgins to take a radical step and forego justice for them to at least have a fighting chance against Taffet. And she does that by extolling rational thought over their emotional pain. When she is on the stand, she is barely keeping it together-- she lashes out at Taffet and admits to having been buried alive which Taffet tries to outmanuever her on. I think Taffet's a horrible attorney if she thinks that she hurt Brennan's case by suggesting that she was so traumatized by the circumstances that she is under psychiatric care. Brennan's admission and the business of seeing a shrink only support her claims of just how torturous the state of being buried alive is. But it takes its toll on Brennan who has to battle the emotional testimony she provided in the trial with what she truly values-- the facts. That is why her cries at the end that her conclusions are valid are devastating.

Taffet has shown her weakness. Her relationships are her weakness. The Gravedigger wins the skirmish, but loses the war. It will be the combination of evidence-- especially the DNA-- that will convict Taffet. Brennan, who usually has the winning piece of the puzzle, is made ordinary by comparison. And weak since her testimony is comprised of both the emotional and the rational and she values the rational.

She is feeling impotent. She cannot control the things around her and she is conscious of change. It is in Booth and their partnership and in the people around her.

And in herself.

Her suggestion of ending the partnership, even for a little time I did not see coming. She values the partnership over a relationship with Booth and tries to reassure herself that the partnership is important to Booth, but now she seems to want a break from murder and mayhem. She wants to retreat into her role as a researcher. She wants the relative safety of that rational world.

She retreated several times in the episode-- she told Sweets she was fine when she clearly wasn't; she ended a discussion with Booth about her connections with people by saying she wanted them to get back to work; she refused to go back into the bar with Booth. She does those things when the emotions of a situation get to be too much.

Overwhelmed, a person can be depressed and Brennan seemed so depressed when she was drinking with Booth before the closing arguments and after when she says she is tired and wants to go home. The emotions are such that she cannot simply ignore them and that is scaring her. She's not controlling them, they are threatening to control her.

That's why she will want to run. Whether she does or not is great conjecture on the spoiler blogs. I want to be surprised in the finale just as the 100th surprised me as did this past episode. As much as I ate up all the spoilers for the 100th, none of them could prepare me for the finale 3-4 minutes. I imagine the last few minutes of the finale will be similar.

Excellent analysis, AmandaFriend, I think you hit the nail straight on the head...

Wow amandafriend thats a GREAT analogy!!!!!!!!!!

jsgemini wrote:

flyersfan35 wrote:

treble21 wrote:

flyersfan35 wrote:

CanadianBones wrote:

In PA, you can buy guns at a gun show with no background check. I absolutely hate it.

there are actual gun shows??? I thought gun shows were a joke for a guy's biceps.

Haha, no, they are real. Actually, we just had one here a few weeks ago, and a man bought a shotgun, went out to his pickup and shot himself. I mean, I never heard of that happening before, but I guess you just never know.

LOL and all the Candians that read this just went REALLY??? it's just so unfathomable to most of us I guess.

I hate it. The people of this country have so twisted the Constitution to fit their needs...no wonder it's going to hell. Most people would probably like to kick me out of the country for saying this, but our Constitution and Articles of Confederation really need a modern day makeover. I'm sure our founding fathers are rolling over in their graves right now. I mean, seriously...when they wrote these documents, do you really think they could forsee what is happening now? *shakes head*

Okay sorry...I went way off topic. Suffice it to say, I don't like the fact that guns are that easy to get. And I was only making the point in case anyone found it hard to believe that Max could've gotten his hands on a weapon so easily...lol

I totally back you up Fly! I live in PA too! This country needs to grow up.

While I'm sure there are a lot of folks on the board who'd agree with you all, there are likely some with strongly held opinions in the other direction which is why we don't talk politics at the ABY. So if you want to have this discussion I'd suggest PMs because it won't take much before someone trots out their pocket constitution and we lose all control over this thread. Thanks.

RM

Love the discussions guys Just like to add (off topic) that I'm glad we finally found out how Angela, an artist, is such a computer/physics genius.

THX1138 wrote:

jsgemini wrote:

flyersfan35 wrote:

treble21 wrote:

flyersfan35 wrote:

CanadianBones wrote:

In PA, you can buy guns at a gun show with no background check. I absolutely hate it.

there are actual gun shows??? I thought gun shows were a joke for a guy's biceps.

Haha, no, they are real. Actually, we just had one here a few weeks ago, and a man bought a shotgun, went out to his pickup and shot himself. I mean, I never heard of that happening before, but I guess you just never know.

LOL and all the Candians that read this just went REALLY??? it's just so unfathomable to most of us I guess.

I hate it. The people of this country have so twisted the Constitution to fit their needs...no wonder it's going to hell. Most people would probably like to kick me out of the country for saying this, but our Constitution and Articles of Confederation really need a modern day makeover. I'm sure our founding fathers are rolling over in their graves right now. I mean, seriously...when they wrote these documents, do you really think they could forsee what is happening now? *shakes head*

Okay sorry...I went way off topic. Suffice it to say, I don't like the fact that guns are that easy to get. And I was only making the point in case anyone found it hard to believe that Max could've gotten his hands on a weapon so easily...lol

I totally back you up Fly! I live in PA too! This country needs to grow up.

While I'm sure there are a lot of folks on the board who'd agree with you all, there are likely some with strongly held opinions in the other direction which is why we don't talk politics at the ABY. So if you want to have this discussion I'd suggest PMs because it won't take much before someone trots out their pocket constitution and we lose all control over this thread. Thanks.

RM

We weren't talking politics...I brought it up to show that Max could easily have gotten the gun he tried to kill the Gravedigger with, for those fans who don't live in the US. Trust me, I would never talk politics here...I don't even talk politics at home. And this 'discussion', which was two or three posts, happened last Thursday, it's not ongoing. But don't worry, I won't post again.