The finale and what you think it means for next season

I agree with the sub par writing and someone suggested that it had more to do with HH in Chicago trying out a new pilot and thus not concentrating fully on the script. That sounds very plausible. Anyone who could write a scene with a ten-year-old child encouraging his father to go off to war for a year and risk death or dismemberment isn't really paying attention.

elyon wrote:I agree with the sub par writing and someone suggested that it had more to do with HH in Chicago trying out a new pilot and thus not concentrating fully on the script. That sounds very plausible. Anyone who could write a scene with a ten-year-old child encouraging his father to go off to war for a year and risk death or dismemberment isn't really paying attention.

elyon wrote:I agree with the sub par writing and someone suggested that it had more to do with HH in Chicago trying out a new pilot and thus not concentrating fully on the script. That sounds very plausible. Anyone who could write a scene with a ten-year-old child encouraging his father to go off to war for a year and risk death or dismemberment isn't really paying attention.

Just feel like I should mention this in case there are those that don't know this but HH cowrote the finale with SN ,so he is not completely to blame for it's sub-par writing...

treble21 wrote:

and while I agree with you that there are many that are angry about the finale and will stop watching if things don't change, the bulk of the anger is coming from internet fans, I have friends that watch that are not part of any online fan sites that had no issues with this season. So I don't think the internet is the best barometer for how many people will really stop watching the show.

I have a number of friends, work colleagues and family members who are NOT online, rabid, spoiler reading, speculating fans: some stopped watching after #100, others gave the show until the sf which they were not happy with and none are returning for the fall. I don't know what kind of barometer they are either, but I suspect they represent the "Audience" more than we do.

Lorna

Lorna Doone wrote:

treble21 wrote:

and while I agree with you that there are many that are angry about the finale and will stop watching if things don't change, the bulk of the anger is coming from internet fans, I have friends that watch that are not part of any online fan sites that had no issues with this season. So I don't think the internet is the best barometer for how many people will really stop watching the show.

I have a number of friends, work colleagues and family members who are NOT online, rabid, spoiler reading, speculating fans: some stopped watching after #100, others gave the show until the sf which they were not happy with and none are returning for the fall. I don't know what kind of barometer they are either, but I suspect they represent the "Audience" more than we do.

Lorna

The true barometer will be the ratings in the fall, otherwise it's all just speculation on everyone's behalf.

It's really interesting though because I have to wonder if they take into account the online fanbases. I'm not saying that in the sense of reading our theories and then using them, but I know of some actors/producers/etc who have at the least perused fansites to gauge fan reaction. In the age of twitter and the like there's an instant response.

I'm just trying to remain positive. To quit now would be like quitting in the middle of a book. You may hate or be frustrated with the current s/l but if you wait long enough there's a silver lining. I just hope that lining isn't too far off.

treble21 wrote:

Lorna Doone wrote:

treble21 wrote:

and while I agree with you that there are many that are angry about the finale and will stop watching if things don't change, the bulk of the anger is coming from internet fans, I have friends that watch that are not part of any online fan sites that had no issues with this season. So I don't think the internet is the best barometer for how many people will really stop watching the show.

I have a number of friends, work colleagues and family members who are NOT online, rabid, spoiler reading, speculating fans: some stopped watching after #100, others gave the show until the sf which they were not happy with and none are returning for the fall. I don't know what kind of barometer they are either, but I suspect they represent the "Audience" more than we do.

Lorna

The true barometer will be the ratings in the fall, otherwise it's all just speculation on everyone's behalf.

True, treble21. I do find this interesting though.

I have 2 friends who have heard me obsess over Bones and decided to see what the fuss was about. They borrowed my DVDs and I'm not joking, they got through S1-3 quicker than I ever thought possible. Completely addicted. So much so, that I got a late night panicky text message about S4 - 'tell me it gets better'. Admittedly, this was after Yanks in the UK, which sucked so badly. But their addiction level has dropped right off.

This has been like some sort of weird experiment for me. Because they are not online fans, they don't obsess over every little detail. They don't read spoilers. They've watched them in order. They don't roll around in fanfic. They just really enjoyed S1-3. I have to get them to the end of S4 before I can get their opinions on S5 though. They even asked me if the writers had changed in S4. One of them is a total shipper, the other loves the cases. I guess neither of them are going to be particularly happy by the end of S4...

Most people don't come online to make themselves feel better about an episode, as I know a lot of people had to after the last few of S5. They just stop watching. I've said it before, but I'm fascinated to see how the ratings play out for the first few episodes. Fascinated.

well..my husband has watched the show from the beginning, is not an online fan, and likes it just as much now as he did. He doesn't have alot of time to watch TV so just the fact that it's still on his DVR record list says alot.

Season 4 obviously was awesome enough for me to bring me in... I did NOT watch Bones season 1-3... I caught it season 4 and loved it, went and bought back seasons to watch on dvd... So it was definitely doing something RIGHT for me as the casual viewer I was back then! (Pre-addiction and online spoiler junkie status! LOL)

gordongordonfan wrote:Season 4 obviously was awesome enough for me to bring me in... I did NOT watch Bones season 1-3... I caught it season 4 and loved it, went and bought back seasons to watch on dvd... So it was definitely doing something RIGHT for me as the casual viewer I was back then! (Pre-addiction and online spoiler junkie status! LOL)

Ditto for me, only with season five. And I find myself rewatching Season 4 more than the others on DVD.

While I agree that the logic of Booth's decision to go back into the Army escaped me, and I dislike the brainiac kid plot device in which the child on the show is a miniature Buddha with all the answers, most everything else in the episode worked okay for me. Yes, Brennan is going to want to be in on one of the biggest finds of the century. I buy that. I buy that things are too emotionally fraught with her for her to want to stick around. I think we needed more exposition for Booth's decision. We needed to know that he was going back to close the book on that part of his life, to give something back to the original Parker, to right the cosmic balance sheet-- something. Even Caroline's comment about them running away from each other could have been done in such a way as to say, yes, this is why we are doing this.

We were missing a scene to help make his decision more logical.

It was a very subtle episode following a very dramatic episode. I think it makes a difference. We got the set-up for why Brennan would leave, but we got very little for why Booth would leave.

I know that Booth's re-entry into the Army gives the writers more fuel for his character. He can come back with 1] a significant other he's connected with over there; 2] trauma-riddled memories of his time overseas; 3] a strong detachment from Brennan and his life in DC; 4] a big change in his personality given his experiences; 5] more guilt for what he does in Afghanistan. Or any combination of these things. I get that.

I know that Brennan, too, could come back with changes. I expect her to be changed. I would imagine that if the find is significant that it could pull her away from cases and create some conflict between the partners especially if Booth or his circumstances are changed.

I like the possibilities, especially if the writers dive in and really try to rip the partnership apart with more than just a significant other to be the wrench in the works. If Brennan has to step it up and be the someone who can help put Booth or the partnership back together, it could show her what she has to offer Booth. If that is the case, then I will really want to keep watching.

As long as the stories/characters are compelling, I'm in this for the long haul. Even if the episode has holes in the story, the characters generally are pretty interesting. I'd love to see the conflicts play out. Clearly the writers can create some pretty memorable moments as well as some classic episodes. If they start out of the box with something that really says, Whoa, things are VERY different and someone has to step up to fix this, I'm in. I'd love to think that network politics won't color the season 6 premiere like it seemed to have affected the season 5 finale. But as someone said earlier, giving up on the show now because B&B didn't do this or that is like giving up on a book right in the middle. There's more stories to be told.

I'm not buying this 'they will be very different but the same' line that SN is peddling. And there will be BIG changes. The show is built on the interaction of B&B and their solving of cases. The writers can't take it very far from that dynamic and keep it the same show. And how big can the changes in B&B's characters be? DB really steps it up in the acting category when the whole military anguish storyline comes into play so that may have been one of the deciders as to why they writers chose the military option instead of sending Booth back to Japan for year or some other plot device.

And Brennan already thinks she's the best in the world as a forensic anthropologist so I'm not sure how different that could get unless suddenly she has started to have doubts about her own ability or her field. What if the find of the century turned out to be wrong or a miscall? What if the two species didn't actually reproduce and it was all a storm in a teapot and she threw Booth under the bus for nothing?

I agree there are a lot of stories left and I would like to see them get back to the whole screwball comedy atmosphere that worked so well. Drama is great but a bit lighter heart for a while would be such a relief after the last eight episodes.

elyon wrote:I'm not buying this 'they will be very different but the same' line that SN is peddling. And there will be BIG changes. The show is built on the interaction of B&B and their solving of cases. The writers can't take it very far from that dynamic and keep it the same show. And how big can the changes in B&B's characters be? DB really steps it up in the acting category when the whole military anguish storyline comes into play so that may have been one of the deciders as to why they writers chose the military option instead of sending Booth back to Japan for year or some other plot device.

And Brennan already thinks she's the best in the world as a forensic anthropologist so I'm not sure how different that could get unless suddenly she has started to have doubts about her own ability or her field. What if the find of the century turned out to be wrong or a miscall? What if the two species didn't actually reproduce and it was all a storm in a teapot and she threw Booth under the bus for nothing?

I agree there are a lot of stories left and I would like to see them get back to the whole screwball comedy atmosphere that worked so well. Drama is great but a bit lighter heart for a while would be such a relief after the last eight episodes.

Oh I so agree. I miss the light heartedness. Last season started out that way and then after 100 it seemed to have become so depressing.
I want some laughter, wierd looks at each other, a touch here and there, hell, even them in the interogation room together again.
I hate that they won't be doing the film noir show this season. I think that would have been a great show for Bones. I think DB is a remake wanting to happen of an old time Philip Marlowe kinda guy and Brennan could so pull off his "chickie". I think after Fringe did it and it didn't go over so well, HH said no or got a bit concerned. But they could have hit that one out of the park from the cheap seats.
Maybe they'll change their minds.

You are right about her find. Maybe it would be interesting if she traveled all that way and put her future with Booth in jeopardy to come across nothing, or next to nothing.

Who needs Bones writers when they have all of us!!!!!!!!!!!