Season 4 ick/meh episodes

I'm not trying to start a bash-all, negative thread about Bones, honestly!

I'm re-watching s4 though and there are just some I can't bring myself to watch again. Various reasons, I guess. I think I should give them a second chance, but at the same time, I don't want to.

I'll start with
Skull in the Sculpture and
Bones that Foam.

I can't remember why I didn't really like Skull. I should watch it again. I didn't like Bones that Foam because of the lapdancer scene and the way Booth was with Bones at the end. Plus, she can drive a car like that. Grr.

That's assuming I've got the right episode there. It would be quite embarrassing if I haven't.

Which are yours? Would be interesting to see if we've got the same ones

Also feel free to say that you loved every one. No-one will shout at you. Promise.

You've got the right epi in Bones that Foam, although I found the lap dancer scene to be freakin' hilarious - especially since Brennan paid for it, that was just too damn funny. I did hate the fact that they had her not being able to drive a stick, I mean she's got a sports car so WTF?

My list of episodes I'll not watch again includes:

Cinderella in the Cardboard - Booth is an asshole to Brennan for most of the episode. If I'd been there I'd have smacked him in the head for 1) Calling her "Dr Burn in Hell", 2) again for running her down the entire time on whether or not she should tell Sweets about Daisy - I'm sorry, she was right and everyone else was wrong, and finally 3) for the ending where she's basically wearing her heart on her sleeve all but begging him to tell her that he feels something more than friendship for her, and what's he give her? A rehash of the someone/eventually speech. He doesn't deserve her after that, in fact my exact recomendation was that she leave his apartment immediately, head to the nearest bar and start picking up mean to sleep with. When, in the fullness of time, Booth asks her why she's sleeping with a different man every night she can say "I'm tired of waiting for eventually, I figured I might as well start looking for my someone now." Bastard.

Double Death of the Dearly Departed - could there be an episode that is LESS what this show is about than this one? Not only does Booth rehash his "Bones is socially retarded" schtick in this one (to a lesser degree, to be sure) but we get slapstick involving the body - we no longer seem to respect human remains anymore do we, oh for the days of previous seasons, instead we got a combination of "Weekend at Bernie's" and "The Trouble with Harry". You know what that show was missing? Midgets. I mean we already had a rehashed three stooges script to begin with, get some midgets in there and round out the farce.

There are a few more episodes I'm not happy with, The Science in the Physicist, The End in the Beginning (for obvious reasons), but those two are the ones I freakin' hate.

RM

I thought most of the season was not up to snuff (with a handful of exceptions). Wild inconsistencies, humor of a lower level than in S1-3, levels of interaction and knowledge and abilities fluctuating madly...

What I can absolutely tell you is that I will NEVER, NEVER, NEVER rewatch Double Death. Should they stick a commentary for it on the DVD, I'll probably listen to that, and not the show. Too bad I can't black the screen... Just too many things wrong--I agree with His Maj above for the most part.

Hero in the Hold was horribly over-hyped. I didn't mind the ghost aspect, and there were some sweet moments in it. But... Among other things: the recorded voice was NOT the same one as in Aliens, I could tell that right off the bat and that's something Angela or Cam even should have picked up on; and I don't buy that Taffett was the sole operator behind it--she wouldn't have the strength to haul Booth around like that, esp when wounded herself. No sign of that Janine, either , and if GD was tying up loose ends, she should have been on the list, too. Much as I love Hodgins, he should have faced some disciplinary action; after all, Fisher was in the trouble in the very next epi,when he slept with a suspect. Oh, and Booth can too pick locks! (see Skull in the Sculpture)

Yeah, but if we started down the continuity/consistency path there's not more than three or four episodes in S4 that make the grade. S4 was pretty much the writers' WTF season. "Continuity? We don't need no stinkin' continuity!" Although I agree with you on HitH, overhyped and unsettling with the whole Parker thing, not that i'm opposed to the idea but was that really the best they could do? Couldn't they have Booth just relying on his wits, training, and things he'd learned from the squints to escape on his own? That would have been more interesting to me than 'Parker the annoying ghost'.


RM

I only had problems with two epis all season.

Con Man in the Meth Lab..most of the episode was ok, but Brennan's treatment of Booth and her instant belief in Jared still gnaws at me when I watch the episode.

The Final episode...I don't even remember the name of it and I won't begin to list all the crap that was wrong in it, but it was horrendous. And that's being kind.

All the others, I enjoyed tremendously.

Con Man - hated that one SO bad! The way Brennan treated Booth was really bad.

The Critic - hated that one too. I mean, the case was crap, too focused on the 'Brennan wants a baby' and not that case.

THX1138 wrote:You've got the right epi in Bones that Foam, although I found the lap dancer scene to be freakin' hilarious - especially since Brennan paid for it, that was just too damn funny. I did hate the fact that they had her not being able to drive a stick, I mean she's got a sports car so WTF?

My list of episodes I'll not watch again includes:

Cinderella in the Cardboard - Booth is an asshole to Brennan for most of the episode. If I'd been there I'd have smacked him in the head for 1) Calling her "Dr Burn in Hell", 2) again for running her down the entire time on whether or not she should tell Sweets about Daisy - I'm sorry, she was right and everyone else was wrong, and finally 3) for the ending where she's basically wearing her heart on her sleeve all but begging him to tell her that he feels something more than friendship for her, and what's he give her? A rehash of the someone/eventually speech. He doesn't deserve her after that, in fact my exact recomendation was that she leave his apartment immediately, head to the nearest bar and start picking up mean to sleep with. When, in the fullness of time, Booth asks her why she's sleeping with a different man every night she can say "I'm tired of waiting for eventually, I figured I might as well start looking for my someone now." Bastard.

Double Death of the Dearly Departed - could there be an episode that is LESS what this show is about than this one? Not only does Booth rehash his "Bones is socially retarded" schtick in this one (to a lesser degree, to be sure) but we get slapstick involving the body - we no longer seem to respect human remains anymore do we, oh for the days of previous seasons, instead we got a combination of "Weekend at Bernie's" and "The Trouble with Harry". You know what that show was missing? Midgets. I mean we already had a rehashed three stooges script to begin with, get some midgets in there and round out the farce.

There are a few more episodes I'm not happy with, The Science in the Physicist, The End in the Beginning (for obvious reasons), but those two are the ones I freakin' hate.

RM

It really bothered me how everyone thought that Brennan shouldn't tell Sweets that she saw Daisy with another man in Cinderella in the Cardboard. I mean, c'mon! If Booth or Angela found out that their girlfriend or boyfriend was cheating on them and someone knew and didn't tell them, I am sure they'd be angry. It was nice that she was actually somewhat worried for Sweets. If I were her, I'd have assumed that Daisy was cheating as well. I mean...what fiance goes and sees his soon to be wife's wedding dress with the bride's cousin? Even Booth thought that she was cheating.



Double Death was just...odd.

Double Death was really the only one I couldn't stand. It was a farce and everything this show used to be against. I just...didn't like it.

Bones That Foam. See, I want to like it because David directed and all. But I have issues with the ending. Booth leaving her with the car like that. Sorry, I just don't see him doing that.

MoonlightGardenias wrote:Double Death was really the only one I couldn't stand. It was a farce and everything this show used to be against. I just...didn't like it.

Thank you! It's an absolute travesty for a variety of reasons. Starting with the way they treat the body. UGH. This is what happens when you let writers lift ideas from Weekend at Bernies'.

Bones That Foam. See, I want to like it because David directed and all. But I have issues with the ending. Booth leaving her with the car like that. Sorry, I just don't see him doing that.

I actually do like it up until the end. The ending suckd because he leaves her. Booth wouldn't leave her, he just wouldn't. Ugh again. S4 sucked as far as consistency and continuity.

RM

Exactly. Brennan used to have so much care about handling remains and then Double Death happens and they're carting his body around and basically making fun of themselves.

Yeah, I didn't really mind Bones That Foam all too much except the end. He never would have left her. Booth might have acted like he would, but he wouldn't have gone so far as to actually jump in the taxi and drive off. In fact, in my mind I have extended that ending by like thirty seconds. Booth starts to ride away but he hears her call his name (in an eerily similar way to WitW), and tells the cabbie to stop. He runs back, and she's mad fo a while but basically he doesn't leave her.

Season four wasn't completely horrible, but it did feel a little off. I actually loved Con Man despite her not trusting Booth. I saw that as Brennan realizing there was so much she still didn't know about Booth, and so seeing as he wouldn't let her in, she kind of got caught up momentarily with this opportunity of someone like him opening up that window to things that happened.

Oh and...Perfect Pieces in the Purple Pond. Okay, I loved seeing Zack as much as the next person, but I highly doubt he'd be allowed to escape, spend all that time with the squints, then actually eat a meal with them at the diner...all without the mental institution NOT checking to see if the lab is where he went. Oh, and also Sweets has yet to even try bringing up the fact that Zack did not kill those people.

MoonlightGardenias wrote:Exactly. Brennan used to have so much care about handling remains and then Double Death happens and they're carting his body around and basically making fun of themselves.

Yeah, I didn't really mind Bones That Foam all too much except the end. He never would have left her. Booth might have acted like he would, but he wouldn't have gone so far as to actually jump in the taxi and drive off. In fact, in my mind I have extended that ending by like thirty seconds. Booth starts to ride away but he hears her call his name (in an eerily similar way to WitW), and tells the cabbie to stop. He runs back, and she's mad fo a while but basically he doesn't leave her.

Season four wasn't completely horrible, but it did feel a little off. I actually loved Con Man despite her not trusting Booth. I saw that as Brennan realizing there was so much she still didn't know about Booth, and so seeing as he wouldn't let her in, she kind of got caught up momentarily with this opportunity of someone like him opening up that window to things that happened.

Oh and...Perfect Pieces in the Purple Pond. Okay, I loved seeing Zack as much as the next person, but I highly doubt he'd be allowed to escape, spend all that time with the squints, then actually eat a meal with them at the diner...all without the mental institution NOT checking to see if the lab is where he went. Oh, and also Sweets has yet to even try bringing up the fact that Zack did not kill those people.

It's so stupid that Sweets hasn't even attempted to tell anyone that Zach didn't kill anyone. Does he have any idea how everyone will react if he doesn't tell them and then they find out he knew? Or he admits that he knows that Zach didn't kill anyone then they find out that he's known for months? He saw the reactions everyone had in PITH.

MoonlightGardenias wrote:Yeah, I didn't really mind Bones That Foam all too much except the end. He never would have left her. Booth might have acted like he would, but he wouldn't have gone so far as to actually jump in the taxi and drive off. In fact, in my mind I have extended that ending by like thirty seconds. Booth starts to ride away but he hears her call his name (in an eerily similar way to WitW), and tells the cabbie to stop. He runs back, and she's mad fo a while but basically he doesn't leave her.

That is exactly how I felt about it. It never did bother me because I always felt that we didn't see the end of it ... because we didn't see the taxi take off. In all honesty if you didn't see it happen then you can't be 100% sure that it did, even if that's what they lead you to believe.

The Bones that Foam ending seemed more playful to me. But I suppose everyone takes it differently.

i also appreciated the change up from having all those sentimental or shipper moments at the end, with Bones that Foam it was refreshing light-hearted change

Oooh. I so have an opinion here....
Okay...
The MAn in the Outhouse....I don't know if I could ever watch that episode again. Not that is was bad per se, but the scene where they're analyzing the barrells of...how do I put this delicately...waste, absolutley made me sick to my stomach. Can you imagine the smell of that? Whoo. nasty.
The Science in the physicist, I thought, was one of the most pointless episodes ever. Easily forgettable.
Hero in the Hold, while I enjoyed it, I thought it was really, really rushed. I don't think that Bones has ever done a 'to be continued' episode before, but this one would have been better if it was two hours. They could have played out some emotions better.
I was also terribly nervous to see The critic in the cabernet, and I thought the scenes with Stewie were the most realistic of the entire show. Brennan wants a baby was dealt with badly, but I have no idea what would have made it better in my mind. ?!? Probably about another season or two later....

I know I'm probably in the minority here, but I think the whole "Brennan wants a baby" thing actually could have worked. I don't really see it as a conclusion she would have come to on her own, but I don't know if she would have actually thought of it during a simple word game. I know a lot of people are against the idea and I'm not saying I want them to have a baby right now per se, but I do think the whole storyline could have worked better.

MoonlightGardenias wrote:I know I'm probably in the minority here, but I think the whole "Brennan wants a baby" thing actually could have worked. I don't really see it as a conclusion she would have come to on her own, but I don't know if she would have actually thought of it during a simple word game. I know a lot of people are against the idea and I'm not saying I want them to have a baby right now per se, but I do think the whole storyline could have worked better.

Not so much the minority, I can see it working too. My thought is that it wasn't 'revealed' during the word association game, not really. Brennan wanted this for some time, was working up to telling Booth, when Sweets proposed the game. She simply used the game to further her already firm plans to get Booth to father her child SO she could make sure she'd always have him with her. Convoluted, yes. But she is a freakin' genius and when did they ever do anything the easy way?

RM

The way I see it, they were building up to something happening all season long. Granted the "bread crumbs" weren't exactly placed often and when they were it was like we were hit over the head with them. But with Booth had his "There's someone out there for you, Bones. You just have to be looking close enough." speech(es), and what happened with Ripley (and arguably, Zack as well), and with...it was Nakumura (sp?), right? When Brennan had the conversation about whether or not love was worth it, which I think is what kind of propelled her to start writing the story in the first place.

All of those anti-BB baby, be glad this isn't a soap. Because, well, *technically*, something happened to Booth. And we all know how literal Brennan is.

My biggest disappointment with this season (aside from maybe THE LIE), would be the fact that they conmpletely dropped the whole Booth's fake death thing. I didn't expect them to go that in depth with it and I know in the end Brennan was glad he was alive at all, but I would have liked to see at least a session with Sweets or an argument after a case or something, getting all those feelings out. I think in a way that was what the whole baby thing was about, because what she really wants whether there is a child or not (which, P.S., if they ever do have a kid, it's so gonna be a girl), is a connection to Booth.

Oh and...Perfect Pieces in the Purple Pond. Okay, I loved seeing Zack as much as the next person, but I highly doubt he'd be allowed to escape, spend all that time with the squints, then actually eat a meal with them at the diner...all without the mental institution NOT checking to see if the lab is where he went. Oh, and also Sweets has yet to even try bringing up the fact that Zack did not kill those people.

And all I could wonder was how he had the dexterity to fiddle with the magnetic strips, much less the time... (and don't forget he & Hodgins talking about how it was possible to create a fake security card in Two Bodies)

And the standard explanation for Sweets not saying anything is the whole dr-patient confidentiality thing that Zack invokes. And despite his game with Brennan, Sweets does seem to take that seriously.

MoonlightGardenias wrote:The way I see it, they were building up to something happening all season long. Granted the "bread crumbs" weren't exactly placed often and when they were it was like we were hit over the head with them. But with Booth had his "There's someone out there for you, Bones. You just have to be looking close enough." speech(es), and what happened with Ripley (and arguably, Zack as well), and with...it was Nakumura (sp?), right? When Brennan had the conversation about whether or not love was worth it, which I think is what kind of propelled her to start writing the story in the first place.

I agree, the little B for B&B has been in the works all season, actually the seed was planted in Season 3 with baby Andy. Zach was Brennan's surrogate son. Recall how crushed she was to find out he was the apprentice? How overjoyed she was to see him at the lab when he escaped? Re:Brennan's convo with Nak, I think her question about it being worth it (directed at Nak) was her way of working through her feelings toward Booth and dealing with his 'death'. His death devastated her, those two weeks were hell for her. Her feelings for him are even stronger now than they were then so she's really worried about what would happen if they took that next step and she lost him.

All of those anti-BB baby, be glad this isn't a soap. Because, well, *technically*, something happened to Booth. And we all know how literal Brennan is.

Hehe. I wouldn't put it past her in the future to use it either. It's out there now, hanging over everyone's head, it's the sperm Damocles.

My biggest disappointment with this season (aside from maybe THE LIE), would be the fact that they completely dropped the whole Booth's fake death thing. I didn't expect them to go that in depth with it and I know in the end Brennan was glad he was alive at all, but I would have liked to see at least a session with Sweets or an argument after a case or something, getting all those feelings out. I think in a way that was what the whole baby thing was about, because what she really wants whether there is a child or not (which, P.S., if they ever do have a kid, it's so gonna be a girl), is a connection to Booth.

Heh, well you've hit on most of my pet peeves: continuity, consistency, and THE LIE. I'd go one farther though re: the baby. The baby isn't just a connection to Booth, it's a way for her to always have a piece of Booth. Having his baby serves as a guarantee that Booth will always be in her life, never leave her. Even if Booth dies the baby would serve as a connection to him, a piece of him that would live on with her, a bit of him she could love forever. It's a testament to how much Brennan really loves Booth, she wants him in her life so much she's willing to have his baby just to assure his presence even after death. It's sweet in a creepy, weird, Frankenstein sorta way.

RM

BTW, not only will the kid be a girl but she'll be as beautiful and brilliant as Brennan, as charming and instinctual as Booth, and a holy terror when she hits her teenage years. I pity them both - she'll be able to out argue them both and charm smile her way out of trouble.

I agree, the little B for B&B has been in the works all season, actually the seed was planted in Season 3 with baby Andy. Zach was Brennan's surrogate son. Recall how crushed she was to find out he was the apprentice? How overjoyed she was to see him at the lab when he escaped?

That's a good point. As OOC as I found the majority of the stuff with Zack, I think Brennan's reaction was pretty much spot on. In a way he kind of was like her son, she trained him and helped him hone his skills.

Re:Brennan's convo with Nak, I think her question about it being worth it (directed at Nak) was her way of working through her feelings toward Booth and dealing with his 'death'. His death devastated her, those two weeks were hell for her. Her feelings for him are even stronger now than they were then so she's really worried about what would happen if they took that next step and she lost him.

That's kind of true, too. I think that was pretty much as close as they were going to get to actually discussing Booth's fake death. I wish we could have seen or heard some of them speaking about the missing two weeks, because you know how horrible they were for her. I do think that conversation stemmed because of Booth and her burgeoning feelings for him. Realizing how much she cared for him after he was gone was sort of a shock, and asking Nak was kind of her way of slowly coming to terms with the way she felt.

The baby isn't just a connection to Booth, it's a way for her to always have a piece of Booth. Having his baby serves as a guarantee that Booth will always be in her life, never leave her.

Cam hit the nail on the head when she said that, IMO. "A piece of you."...Which I know is probably most people's problem with the idea. It's not a baby she wants, it's Booth. Honestly, I think maybe now she does want both, but she's not really sure how to cope with and understand that.

Wow, we work so well together when we share the brain.

RM

Hee. ...yeah, well I won't complain.

Also, it was Outhouse I believe (the one where Cesar Milan guest-starred), and how he got the dogs to all be quiet in like...less than two seconds. That was because he brought all of the dogs there in the barn with him. Kind of cheapened that moment for me.

Honestly, I can't remember which episodes I liked in this season because none of them were particularly memorable. (Harsh, I know!) But really, where was the Woman in Limbo or Judas on a Pole?

I felt this whole season was kind of meh. There were certain eps I liked above others. But overall, I wasn't crazy about the whole season. I hope next season gets better.

I guess my big thing with this season was how they kept screwing with the characters and bringing back character stereotypes that should have died in Season 1.

Examples:

1. Booth is stupid. Yea, this is ridiculous. I hate how the character of Booth has gone from serious but funny FBI agent to goofy FBI agent. I don't know who's decision that was but it seems like there's too many pratfalls and gags rather than the subtle humour that the show used to employ.

2. Brennan doesn't know culture/is an emotional robot. Yes, maybe she doesn't know everything about pop culture but at the same time that doesn't make her stupid or unemotional. I loved seeing the growth of the character and this season at times it was like they were just throwing that in for that hell of it.

3. Brennan is no longer a scientist. This annoys me the most. I love this show for the characters but I actually really love it for the science as well. I loved seeing Brennan be truly passionate about science and now she barely does it at all. I find this pretty disappointing.

4. Angela. That's pretty much all there is to say. I feel they have screwed up Angela's character completely. The whole Roxie thing was a mess as was the Hodgins thing and I just feel like they are wasting her character.

5. Zack being back. Yea, okay this was the dumbest thing they ever did on the show. First of all, they shouldn't have brought him back at all, but definitely not the way he did. Talk about wrecking characters!! I can't believe that he would just bust out of the mental hospital then Booth (hello, FBI agent!) and Brennan would just let him work on the case! And then Zack comes off as smarter then them. ARGH! That diner scene drove me up the wall.

I'm sure I could go on and on about this! lol!

Anyway, that's my thoughts!

They never did deal with Booth's fake death/Brennan shooting Pam in self-defense in season four did they? I mean...did Brennan even get the chance to deal with it considering all the drama that went on in PITH? It can't be healthy for Brennan and Booth to not have talked about it. Honestly, it's a real wonder that she hasn't snapped yet considering.

4. Angela. That's pretty much all there is to say. I feel they have screwed up Angela's character completely. The whole Roxie thing was a mess as was the Hodgins thing and I just feel like they are wasting her character.

I have to second that. Had the thing with Roxie been dealt with properly, I don't think it would have been that big of a deal. We only got to see small glimpses. I mean, supposedly Angela was the reason Roxie stopped painting and all that, which had to have meant there was some really strong emotions there. What we got on screen was really dull and lifeless.

What I miss is the Angela of season one and two, only a bit more secure in her position and in her job. Sure, she still talked about sex and made references from time to time, but she was a deep and passionate person. One of my favorite episodes of this show was The Skull In The Desert, and she was amazing in that. I love her and Hodgins and I know it's got to be hard working with someone you used to (and maybe still are) in love with, but if there's no plans to ever return to that in the near future, they should really stop the referencing and awkward moments that hit us over the head. They're second string OTP, I get that, so either put them back together or give her a steady person to be with.

3. Brennan is no longer a scientist. This annoys me the most. I love this show for the characters but I actually really love it for the science as well. I loved seeing Brennan be truly passionate about science and now she barely does it at all. I find this pretty disappointing.

I had read somewhere the plan was to get her out in the field more and be spending more time with Booth, "to further their relationship", but clearly they didn't exactly follow through. I don't mind her being out and trying to dabble in the investigation aspect of their job, but then there's the whole thing with her interns. We got to see a few of them go with her (including that field trip with Wendell), but we never really saw her teaching them very much. The other thing that bugged me about her was that in some episodes (it's early and I don't feel like looking up specifics) she actually dealt really well in the interrogation room, but in others she completely effed up. It's like they don't know how to soften up her edges without making the whole package fall apart.

And...I can't believe I'm saying this...but the whole situation with Perotta. In the end she obviously wasn't that big of a threat, but if their intention was to bring her on as a possible love interest for Booth while also making Brennan a bit insecure and jealous at the same time, why didn't we ever really see the three of them interacting very much? I know she saw BB bickering a few times, but unless she's been talking with the Jeffersonian's resident BB shipper, she's supposed to derive from that that Booth's in love with his partner? She didn't seem like a worthy opponent IMO, and also if we're supposed to believe he's really starting to fall for Brennan can we make the next woman they try to bring in um...not tall and leggy and blond? Of course there was Cam, but she doesn't count. Tessa, Becca...that stripper (which, yes, doesn't count but still)...I don't know, just my opinion. Sort of like he's actually trying to substitute.