The Inkslingers - The Season 5 Showdown!

dawnsfire wrote:where are you, Rob? I'm fending off the hordes alone here!

As our fair chancellor pointed out my radiant Queen, you were doin' just fine without me. But now that I'm here I'll add my .02

Brennan's awkwardness has nothing to do with her profession--it has more to do with her natural reserve/shyness (at least as a child) and the emotional suppression she appears to have developed while in foster care. And since she found no real reason to follow pop culture, she slipped further and further away from that as well. All of which adds up to my mind that she would have some difficulty expressing what we laughingly call normal human relationships and interactions.

My Queen is, of course, correct. Brennan is a genius, and has been a genius her entire life. As a child she was quiet, taciturn, and shy. Her closest relationships were with her parents and brother. She idolized her father, lionized her brother, and adored her mother - but outside of the close family unit where she felt safe to be herself, she had few friends and rarely spoke at all.

Recall what Brennan herself said from The Woman in Limbo:

Brennan: I worshipped him. You know? God, he was so cool. Everyone knew I was Russ Brennan's little sister. I wasn't cool or pretty, so being his sister ... . You know that game, Marco Polo? I'd be sitting in class, and I'd hear out the window, "Marco!" It'd be Russ, checking in on me and letting everyone know that I was his little sister.

Angela: Did you "Polo"?

Brennan: Yeah, sometimes it'd be the only word I said all day. "Polo." And then mom and dad disappeared and Russ took off. Suddenly, no one cared where I was. I miss that. Someone caring where I am all the time. [edit]

So Brennan's baseline was the quiet child, but her family abandonment, her brother's leaving her, traumatized her - shattering her faith in the most basic, most elemental of relationships. Things only got worse when she went into the system -it was like they thought you were garbage, isn't that what she called the feeling? Add to the impersonal nature of the Foster care system that taught her to rely on herself, to trust no one else, the abuse she suffered, both physical and emotional, all of it served only to reinforce her own natural tendency to withdraw. Her sole solace was in School, where her intellect gave her a sense of accomplishment and opportunities she wouldn't have otherwise. So as my Queen has said, all this compounds until we've got a Brennan who's awkward and unsure of how to act in a relationship. Not because she's detatched, but because she's no real frame of reference for how to act.

And I don't know--I always had the impression Angela knew more about the ms than Booth did in Woman in Limbo. I would swear she was going to answer him and he just kept talking. (Actually I'm not the only one--the person who transcribed this seems to think so as well)

BOOTH: Angela, I might send Russ in to describe some people to you.

ANGELA: Okay. What people?

BOOTH: Some people a seven year old boy might remember.

ANGELA: That’s a little vague there, Booth.

BOOTH: The drawing – I mean, that’s important. It’s more that I trust your instincts.

ANGELA: When it comes to men? (she laughs)

BOOTH: (laughs then gets serious) When it comes to suspects. (he starts to leave but stops and turns back to Angela) Why do you think that Bones asked her boyfriend you know, to uh, read her book and not me? (Angela goes to answer but Booth cuts her off) You know, maybe…maybe because there was just too much of me in the story. Oh, she was embarrassed. You think? May--Maybe? (Cell phone rings – he answers it) Booth. Yeah, I’m on my way. Thanks. (to angela) Uh, the family car just arrived.

Excellent point here as well - Angela was obviously ready to say something, but Booth steamrolled her - our intuitive gut reading hero is often a little too self centered to notice what's right in front of his eyes.

RM

Thank you for clearing that up. I feel better about it with you'alls explanations.

empiricist wrote:Two things:

Kathy Reichs is a scientist and a successful novelist.

Honestly, while I like Kathy Reich's novels, I don't think she's a fantastic fiction writer. She is very heavy on the forensics and a bit light on the emotion. Also, I think her plot formula is a bit predictable. Usually someone close to her gets pulled into the case she's working on, they find themselves in trouble, her life is endangered, and in the end it's the guy/girl that was played off as most innocent and unrelated in the beginning. Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to flame K.R. what so ever. I find her books enjoyable to read, and I like her very much. But is she a master at the art of story telling? I'm not sure I think so. And this is exactly what I would expect from Brennan. Good, of course, because she is so intelligent and she could never really fail at anything, but maybe not gifted at it like she is at the science side of life. Maybe K.R. could use a friend or two to fluff her stuff up a bit as well!

Coming this weekend, a look back at both the Pilot and the Hundredth episode, how the Pilot stacks up in the light of 5 seasons and 99 more episodes, what has changed and how, plus our usual Inkslinger. Stay tuned!

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InkSlinger - Season 5, Episode 17

Now with 100% fewer Spoilers!

The Death of the Queen Bee

Our first post-100 episode and it was actually quite fun. This is very similar in tone to last seasons Double Death of the Dearly Departed, only here they got the tone and interaction right. Instead of slapstick it was bitter sweet and dark humor. The only things that really stuck out for me were the casting of Andy Pfleuger (no way he played varsity Lacrosse), the retconning of the Brennan/Andy relationship, and Brennan having a pet snake (she's Ophidiophobic). Other than that it was a fun show, and I really enjoyed it.

The Case
Two young girls about to start a nice innocent make-out session (thank you Katy Perry) are interrupted whena racoon wearing a decomposing skull smacks one of the girls in the face (and on behalf of my Lesbian sisters I would like to demand a 30 second girl on girl kiss next episode to fix that grave injustics). The discovery of the skull brings Booth & Bones to the area and the manner in which the woman was found is evocative of the legendary of the "Butcher of Burtonsville High". When Booth discovers (from Sheriff Becky Conway) that the 1994 class of Burtonsville High is having a reunion he and Brennan go undercover as husband and wife.

The victim is ID'd as Evelyn Sims (Evelyn Benson) who was married to Brad Benson, and who Brennan recognized because she'd broken her jaw with a tennis racket. The suspects inlcude the husband, Brad Benson, who's business is failing, Andy Pfleuger, the nebish shop teacher and perpetual virgin, Carrie Turner, the caterer who lost her business because of the victim, and Ray Buxley who was also suspected in a similar murder in 1994. As they work through the macabre scene of the HS reunion (anyone else think that Burtonville HS was build over a toxic waste dump?), B&B slowly relive scenes from Brennan's school life.

Wendell discovers the angle of the weapon, and Brennan's keen sight determines that the cut metal stars used to decorate for the dance, were the murder weapon. Quetioning her old friend, Mr Buxley, Brenann discovers that Julie Coyle, best friend of Evelyn Benson (Simms), was the one who made them all and is in fact the murdere. What comes out is a twisted story of covetous love, with Julie recounting how she and Evelyn had made a pact to share Brad and even went so far as to kill his HS girlfriend in 1994 to make sure they could have him all to themselves. Evelyn had to die, according to Julie, because she refused to give him up. A sad story of how love left unrequited goes bad, becoming a poison.


The Characters
There was a lot of character interaction here, a lot to build on and a lot of development that begs dissection so let's begin:

Angela - the chickens have come home to roost for Angela who's role this time around is almost entirely personal as she explores her relationship with Wendell and how it compares to the one she had with Hodgins. When finally telling Wendell about her pregnancy scare she realizes that her boyfriend is kind, generous, honorable, good and just not the man for her. He'll do out of duty what Hodgins would do out of love - and that convinces Angela of the need to end their relationship.

Hodgins - His interplay with Wendell shows that all is forgiven as far as the latter dating Angela, they're back to best friends and friendly banter complete with Hodgins mortification when he realizes he accidentally told Wendell something that Angela should have. On the forensics side, he and Wendell compete relentlessly to outdo one another in discovering invormation on their victim, with Hodgins once again resuming that playful banter over being "King of the Lab" that he once had with Zack.

Cam - Herding cats at her best, Cam had precious little flesh to work with but still managed to make her presence felt because, "She is the Boss". I also enjoyed how they had her omnipresent even when she wasn't needed - her touch was everywhere, and it was good.

Sweets - A brave appearance from the Duckling, who's goose should be cooked for pushing Booth the way he did, still B&B seem to have papered over any issues they have with him just as they've managed to ignore the growing divide between them.

Wendell Bray - Mr Bray's skills in the lab were on par with any we've seen from a Squintern, discovering the saw, the particulates, helping isolate the murder weapon, and the cause of death. His light hearted challenge to Hodgins for "king of the lab" begs the question if he's the one to replace Zack finally. On the personal side the Squintory between Wendell, Hodgins, and Angela was resolved amicably because, as I've long held, Wendell was far more worldly than Hodgins was despite his age - the younger man never really considered Angela as a long term investment, it was always only about fun for him.

Ray Buxley - Ably played by Robert Englund, was suitably creepy if a bit over the top in the skeeve factor. His fascination with Brennan seemed like genuine affection most of the time, but a few times bordered on perv-ville. Still he provided a nice contrasting creepy-comedic element to the episode.


Booth
Last week he gave his heart to Brennan, this week he was acting as if nothing was wrong...or was he? At first blush I thought Booth was too compartmentalized, too normal, for what he went through last week. But on the third and fourth re-watching I slowly came around to a different point of view. It's subtle, but his criticisms of Brennan, his snarky little asides, his comments (calling her Wednesday Adams), his less than gentle teasing are all throwbacks to how he treated her in seasons past, but there's a difference now. Prior to the 100th he was always careful to make sure she knew it was teasing, but now his cutting remarks are left there for her to interpret. Was it just their normal banter? I think not, because when he starts in on his "psychoanalyzing" of her attack on Evelyn Simms the change becomes evident:

Brennan: Everyone loved Evelyn
Booth: A lot of people hated her too, for being so popular. I mean you're the one who decked her with the tennis racket.
Brennan: I-I-I never enjoyed playing doubles, someone is always in your way. Though my classmates thought I hit her on purpose.
Booth: Well perhaps subconsciously you did. I mean, a girl like yourself with marginal social standing takes out her hostility by striking the popular girl. I mean it is quite common.
Brennan: Okay, that sounded clinical but felt very insulting.

Booth has never pushed his intelligence out there, but here he's obviously comfortable in playing junior psychologist and picking her apart as adeptly as Sweets ever could, and what makes it all the more telling, is that Brennan trusts Booth, so she's no defense for his words - she doesn't think she needs any. Two weeks ago, can anyone say that they'd see Booth talking like that to Brennan?

Brennan
This was a very Brennan-centric episode and I loved it. One week after breaking Booth's heart and, lets be honest, striking a blow that will probably end their relationship forever (in its current form anyway), Brennan is doing her level best to assure herslef that nothing has changed between them - in fact we see her acting more open with him than we have since Goop. She is utterly without pretense in this episode, and the Brennan we see is a childlike woman, intelligent and confident, but vulnerable and in need of her best friend - Booth. Yet she can tell that there's a barrier between them now that wasn't there before and I think it's that feeling that drives her to be more open and unguarded with him than ever before. It's the irony that really gets me, her reason for saying no to him last week was that she wasn't capable of being open hearted like he was, and yet through out this episode her heart is naked, her feelings lain open for all to see. When she asks Booth to dance to the Seal song "Kiss from a Rose" it finally dawns on her that she's changed things irrevocably. Booth's lame comment about opening a door neither of them was willing to go through was so transparent even Brennan could see past it. It was obvious that the only one unwilling to take that plunge was Brennan - and now she knows that in doing so she's created a breach in their relationship that wasn't there before. When Booth saw the tears he put his own heart in a box and pulled her into his arms, the realization on her face that he was willing to sacrifice his heart for hers was writ large on her face, ED's expressive eyes, the way she smiled as she settled into his arms, yet furtively glanced toward him, spoke to how well she knew what he was doing for her. What's more surprising is I'm sure she will chalk this up to friendship, when in fact for Booth this was an act of love.


Scene of Note
Wendell and Angela Pt1 - the "telling him" scene was uncomfortable in the extreme and was the first time in a long time I've gotten that "Hot for Teacher" vibe, Angela totally came across as a cougar here and that's how you know they're not gonna last the episode.

Wendell and Angela Pt2 - the break-up scene was notable to me for what it lacked, fire. There was no passion there, only resignation. Wendell knew this was coming sooner or later, as evidenced by his comment that she was only on loan. As I said, he'd never really committed himself to her, because he knew not to.

Brennan and Buxley - The bizarre juxtaposition of Brennan and Buxley was such that it wouldn't take a genius to realize he was probably her only real friend but what made their first scene together was the utter look of joy on her face at the sight of him standing there looking every but the spree killer with a platter of what I'm still not convinced aren't human ribs.

Booth and Brennan dancing to Seal - anyone who didn't recognize Booth's attempt to save himself when Brennan all but begged him to dance to one of the sappiest love songs of the last 50 years, has never been on the short end of the love stick. The man's still hurting, doing his damndest to both protect his heart and her feelings, when she asks the near impossible of him. And yet when the stars fell and Brennan started to tear up, he didn't hesitate to throw himself on the metaphorical emotional grenade. Anyone who's heart didn't leap into their throat when he pulled her into his arms has never been in love period.


Cutting Moments

• The two teens making out (almost) in the secluded and creepy barn...classic slasher flick setup.
  
• Mr Buxley's closet office - all those sharp bladed implements make it look like Freddy, Jason, and Michael had a clubhouse.
  
• Andy Pfleuger in the wood shop? Yep, totally slasher flick.
  
• The dance in the gym? The creepy girl getting picked on? Stars falling from the ceiling? Anyone flashing back to Carrie?
  

Quotable Quotes - The Nightmare Edition
Becky: Two girls were out here rolling around...
Booth: Two girls?
Becky: Yeah, it's the 21st century sweetheart, get with the program.

Hodgins: So you've been through the Baby-Daddy scare before?
Wendell: Before? Before what?
Hodgins: Oh no...

Fred: So do you two have kids yet?
Booth: Oh no not yet, but we want a house full.
Brennan: Yes, we have intercourse every chance we get.
Booth: Wow. Uh, yeah, all over the place.

Booth: You have quite the collection of blades around here.
Buxley: Yeah, well a man never knows when he might need to cut.

Booth: (the stars come down) That is so cool. Bones you're tearing up.
Brennan: This is the prom I never got to go to.

Becky: They're a freakin' love story and I'm feeding cats.


Fun Facts
The first true slasher film was "Black Christmas" from 1974, though this episode was more akin to a cross between Carrie and Prom Night.

Robert Englund has appeared in nine "Nightmare on Elm Street" movies as either himself or his alter-ego Freddy Kreuger, but he's done more than 20 other horror films and is a fixture in the horror/fangoria community.

Shameless Product Plug Award
Goes to Sheriff Becky Conway for her blatant shout out to Booth's Sequoia. What the hell folks, why not just have a "Bones Mystery Hour brought to you by Toyota"? That way you can maximize exposure and we'd get another 5 minutes of show. Yeesh.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The GOOD - Brennan's reaction to going back to highschool was priceless - with the ever faithful Booth at her side

The BAD - The casting and writing for Andy Pfleuger. Does anyone honestly believe that guy was captain of the varsity Lacrosse team let alone someone a young Temperance Brennan would have been crushing on? He's not attractive enough, smart enough, or self assured enough to be in her league back then, in fact if that is really Andy Pfleuger then...words fail me. Yes, it is that bad.

The UGLY - The maggot covered skull hitting the girl in the face. Oh good God people, that was worse than the whole eyeball fixation they had for a couple episodes earlier in the season. *shudder* I'm still getting the wiggins from those maggots.

The case work was solid, Wendell was worthwhile, Brennan was lovely but the Partners were too compartmentalized after last weeks episode:
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Continuity took a hit with the introduction of Andy Pfleuger, and Brennan's pet snake - two glaring issues IMO:
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Overall watchability? Above par actually, despite the leftover issues from the 100th Episode and the continuity issues:
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This was a fun, light hearted (despite the thematic elements) episode that managed a few touching B&B moments as well as a few Awwww's for Brennan. This is what they were shooting for when they produced the execrable Double Death last season. Those who still think DDotDD was a good episode - wait two weeks. pull it up, pull this one up, watch back to back and compare - there is no comparison. DDotDD is utter crap compared to TDotQB, which is a fun, sad, bitter sweet, light hearted romp.


RM

This was a very Brennan-centric episode and I loved it. One week after breaking Booth's heart and, lets be honest, striking a blow that will probably end their relationship forever (in its current form anyway), Brennan is doing her level best to assure herslef that nothing has changed between them - in fact we see her acting more open with him than we have since Goop. She is utterly without pretense in this episode, and the Brennan we see is a childlike woman, intelligent and confident, but vulnerable and in need of her best friend - Booth. Yet she can tell that there's a barrier between them now that wasn't there before and I think it's that feeling that drives her to be more open and unguarded with him than ever before. It's the irony that really gets me, her reason for saying no to him last week was that she wasn't capable of being open hearted like he was, and yet through out this episode her heart is naked, her feelings lain open for all to see. When she asks Booth to dance to the Seal song "Kiss from a Rose" it finally dawns on her that she's changed things irrevocably. Booth's lame comment about opening a door neither of them was willing to go through was so transparent even Brennan could see past it. It was obvious that the only one unwilling to take that plunge was Brennan - and now she knows that in doing so she's created a breach in their relationship that wasn't there before. When Booth saw the tears he put his own heart in a box and pulled her into his arms, the realization on her face that he was willing to sacrifice his heart for hers was writ large on her face, ED's expressive eyes, the way she smiled as she settled into his arms, yet furtively glanced toward him, spoke to how well she knew what he was doing for her. What's more surprising is I'm sure she will chalk this up to friendship, when in fact for Booth this was an act of love.

Thank you! I totally agree with you on this. There are a lot of people very unhappy about how she was portrayed this episode however the only problem I had with Brennan's actions in the whole episode, was her line " I'm sorry is that to difficult for you?", IMO it was needlessly clueless.

I get the issues about continuity that you had last week, because honestly I was screaming at my TV about Andy, it made me so angry.
The snake thing not so much because they had already retconned that, The man in the morgue = not afraid of snakes, The mummy in the maze= afraid of snakes, The death of the queen bee= not afraid of snakes. My theory after Mummy was that one on one snakes don't scare her, but in large quantities they freak her out ( kind of like birds for me ) and her genuine surprise that she was scared of the snakes in Mummy sort of supports this.

treble21 wrote:

This was a very Brennan-centric episode and I loved it. One week after breaking Booth's heart and, lets be honest, striking a blow that will probably end their relationship forever (in its current form anyway), Brennan is doing her level best to assure herslef that nothing has changed between them - in fact we see her acting more open with him than we have since Goop. She is utterly without pretense in this episode, and the Brennan we see is a childlike woman, intelligent and confident, but vulnerable and in need of her best friend - Booth. Yet she can tell that there's a barrier between them now that wasn't there before and I think it's that feeling that drives her to be more open and unguarded with him than ever before. It's the irony that really gets me, her reason for saying no to him last week was that she wasn't capable of being open hearted like he was, and yet through out this episode her heart is naked, her feelings lain open for all to see. When she asks Booth to dance to the Seal song "Kiss from a Rose" it finally dawns on her that she's changed things irrevocably. Booth's lame comment about opening a door neither of them was willing to go through was so transparent even Brennan could see past it. It was obvious that the only one unwilling to take that plunge was Brennan - and now she knows that in doing so she's created a breach in their relationship that wasn't there before. When Booth saw the tears he put his own heart in a box and pulled her into his arms, the realization on her face that he was willing to sacrifice his heart for hers was writ large on her face, ED's expressive eyes, the way she smiled as she settled into his arms, yet furtively glanced toward him, spoke to how well she knew what he was doing for her. What's more surprising is I'm sure she will chalk this up to friendship, when in fact for Booth this was an act of love.

Thank you! I totally agree with you on this. There are a lot of people very unhappy about how she was portrayed this episode however the only problem I had with Brennan's actions in the whole episode, was her line " I'm sorry is that to difficult for you?", IMO it was needlessly clueless.

I agree. When Brennan uttered that line I damn near did a spit take. I was like, "Are you f*cking kidding me?" Still the follow up comment from Booth about leaving room for the Holy Ghost, when she asked why he was so far away from her, was almost worth her cluelessness. Her behaviour does beg the question though, does she know what she's done? I think she's only just now beginning to realize how she's hurt him but not how she's hurt herself.

I get the issues about continuity that you had last week, because honestly I was screaming at my TV about Andy, it made me so angry.

Oh sweet vindication. See, all y'all keep poo-poo'ing the king's obsession with continuity but you let HH and SN get by with enough crap and they pull a Pfleuger on ya'. Seriously, the only real weak spot in this episode was Pfleuger - he should have been cast as a some-what handsome, obviosly washed-up, semi-intelligent jock who was desperate to relive his glory days...at least that's what a decent writer would have done. Instead we got this...whatever he was.

The snake thing not so much because they had already retconned that, The man in the morgue = not afraid of snakes, The mummy in the maze= afraid of snakes, The death of the queen bee= not afraid of snakes. My theory after Mummy was that one on one snakes don't scare her, but in large quantities they freak her out ( kind of like birds for me ) and her genuine surprise that she was scared of the snakes in Mummy sort of supports this.

I like your explanation and it works for me - gives me a logical out to the whole issue. And in re-watching the scene from Mummy I noted that she was in fact shocked at her fear of snakes. Good catch Treb.

Sort of like me with my fear of roaches. Seeing a single roach will skeeve me to the point I'll tear the room apart cleaning, and they're not uncommon (living in a wooded area we get the odd wood roach clinging to a box now and then). Thing is I can handle bugs in general - in fact the annual ant wars are upon me again with two freakin' colonies of the bastards trying to invade my house this year - just not roaches.

Oh, and the ants? You go organic for the planet and they breed like...well ants I guess. But this year? Harsh toxic chems baby. I'm talking dead small animal strength.

RM

I always enjoy reading your takes on the eps, guys, so thanks again!

IMO this ep hit all the right notes after 100(reminds self to go over and comment on that thread soon). It was appropriately awkward between B&B- you never know what they're going to sweep under the carpet- and gave us a little more insight into Brennan's childhood.

Flugar(or however you spell it) was the only real fail, IMO. Dang, the lacrosse capt really let himself go, didn't he? Whatever, they got it right on the bigger B&B picture so I'll just let this go.

As Brennan was constantly belittled by her classmates I kept wanting to scream at Booth to say more to back her up and lift her spirits, but I think this was deliberate. He's trying so hard this ep to back off- barely touching her, leaving room for the Holy Spirit, etc. The thing I thought most telling was that Cocky the beltbuckle was nowhere to be seen.

That being said, Booth showed just how NOT over her he is by allowing her to talk him into the dance and then, when she teared up, he did what came naturally and held her close; eventually just giving into the whole dance. It was the perfect song for them too.

Oh, and I'm glad the whole Wendgela thing is finally over and done with and wasn't awkward at all. Yeah. That needed to happen and it needed to be non-awkward b/c I really like Wendell and want him to stay and play hockey with Booth and be Hodgins' friend. My love for Hodgins went through the roof again too, because he's just one of the most adult men on this show and w/the compare and contrast last week we can see how far he's come. Angela's really not good enough for him, but he loves her so much I find myself ok with shipping them again. She needs him and he is head over heels for her and seems to not really care who knows now.

Ok, well, see you back here again next week.

Gum

Thanks, y'all. I love reading what you thought of, what you liked and didn't during the show. Rob is quite the historian with the slasher flicks, and Dawn knows plenty o' plenty o' details. (Hint: I think it's about time for another trivia show. )

It's time for me to go to the Links thread and watch this one again, and again maybe. I didn't get the chance to properly focus while I was watching.

Gum, I gotta say, "Good job!" on catching the No Cocky Belt Buckle. I didn't notice, and no telling when I would have managed to either. Maybe that was what made his suit look "off."

...and one last thing, regarding the product placement. Rarely does it ever bother me, since I see brand names everywhere I look. And I don't think it will bother me until I see something so bold as Brennan with a cup of coffee, looking all rumpled, with Booth lying beside her nibbling on her neck, and her saying, "the best part of waking up, is Folgers in my cup!"

Totally did not notice the missing belt buckle, now I must rewatch LOL

DBCrazy wrote: And I don't think it will bother me until I see something so bold as Brennan with a cup of coffee, looking all rumpled, with Booth lying beside her nibbling on her neck, and her saying, "the best part of waking up, is Folgers in my cup!"

Great, like I need another song after Seal's to get stuck in my head. Though, you know, if that's what it takes to get a morning-after scene I just MIGHT be willing to sit through it Heh, I'm more like you in that I really don't care what they put up there b/c I buy Starbucks coffee and see plenty of Toyota's so *shrugs* if it gets the show ad revenue and keeps it on the air, I'm good.

Gum, I gotta say, "Good job!" on catching the No Cocky Belt Buckle. I didn't notice, and no telling when I would have managed to either. Maybe that was what made his suit look "off."

HA! Beauty of the internet is that there are tons of observant people and someone else asked if Cocky had been present. I just did the research to confirm. Yup, really took one for the team there

Ok, I'm ready for Thursday now. Bring. It. On!

InkSlinger - Season 5, Episode 18

Now with 100% fewer Spoilers!

The Predator in the Pool

I will apologize - I was set to post this hours ago and the browser ate my post so I ended up retyping it all. I'm rather miffed by that.

Well the long awaited episode that has had Mereva and others on suicide watch has come and gone, and we finally get to see what it would be like if B&B really do move on, with Brennan dating and Booth bangin' ... I don't really like it. It smacks of them regressing, not moving on, and I found there to be no chemistry between Bryar and Booth, and though that pairing was not as painful to watch as Brennan and Hacker, it was still plenty painful to watch. This was not my favorite episode. Not by far. In fact I didn't hate it, but only just. It was...dissapointing, to say the list.

The Case
Human remains found in the belly of a shark are brought into the Jeffersonian for Brennan & the squints to ID. When a skull is found at the Aquarium of the Atlantic, and proof of foul play is discovered, Booth & Brennan are brought in to solve the missing person's murder. It doesn't take the FBI (via Hacker of all people) long to determine that the victim is one "Jazz Gunn", a guest lecturer/motivational speaker/ self-help guru who preached the healing power of facing one's fears and talked at length about how swimming with sharks in the ocean healed him.

The suspect list is long, Teacher Grace Redmon who was there with her class of 4th graders, the Russian mobster Dimitri Vladov who was using the Aquarium's filters to help smuggle Vodka into the United States, an Aquarium employee named Peter Marcus who was helping the Mobster smuggle the vodka, and Tad Benedict the assistant to the victim. Questioning Grace Redmon gives Booth his first lead, every child in the class had a camera of some sort so claiming those cameras Booth & Sweets were able to get Angela enough photos to help narrow down the time of death.

Particulates proved to be the key to the murder, with Clark Edison discovering the Blue Shark embryonic cells and Hodgins discovering the broken spine of a lion fish, and Brennan connected the dots, realizing that the murder weapon was in fact a lion fish named "Bob". With a veritible orgy of evidence Booth was able to corner the Teacher who was scarily unrepentent due to the fact that Gunn wasn't cured by his swim in the ocean, but by injections of Shark Embryo cells. As detestable as the victim was, I can only imagine what it'd be like to have Bob right in your face like that and then to get eaten alive...what a way to go.


The Characters
There was a lot of character interaction here, a lot to build on and a lot of development that begs dissection so let's begin:

Angela - Angela continues her journey back to the sweet, good natured, well meaning woman we saw the first few seasons (as opposed to the sex possessed harpy of last season), and while her programming tech remains impressive I really had a problem with the way she was able to find Tad Benedict's image through the water. She made a great case as to why cleaning up the image was going to be almost impossible, so to pull the wave algorithm out of thin air - sure it's possible, but it was just a little too Angela Ex Machina for me.

Hodgins - Hodgins was amazing, as always. His particulates and scuba diving skills garnered us the most useful evidence, but it was his knowledge about the smuggling of Vodka from Russia that is example of just how multi-faceted the man is. Even though that wasn't a vital clue it was impressive as hell. In retrospect I think he's provided the key element to solving the case as often, if not more so, than Brennan.

Cam - Cam's role was notably reduced, though her cat-herding skills were still evident, Cam's role seemed to be more along the lines of a facilitator in tonight's episode, and yet it was a role she played all too well.

Sweets - Duckling had a small but important part in tonight's ep, with his analysis of the victim as well as his insight into the psyche of children. That was actually rather entertaining, and true IMO. Kids are practically psychopaths.

Clark Edison - Clark had a heady one-two punch, first offering Hodgins some sage advice, and second locating the embryonic cells of the Blue Shark but the real bonus was seeing Brennan give him a fish tank swirly.

Dr Catherine Bryar - The overly chirpy, broad smiling, Brennan wannabe was...annoying. Her knowledge of ocean denizens was on par with Brennan's knowledge of Bones but she fell far short in every other category.

Hacker - You know every time I see this guy I want to hate him, but damn him Bader keeps making the man into a likeable rogue. Sure he's a smarmy ass but he's aware of his limitations and he plays the cards he's dealt - the fact that he actually seems concerned about Booth as the man's getting ready to interview the infamous Dimitri Vladov.

Booth
Booth the cop was on the ball, as good as ever. Fearless, even in the face of a Russian Mafioso, and the stare down between Booth and Vladov was impressive - the mobster was so used to seeing lesser men fall apart under his gaze that when he meets a man who won't it genuinely stumps him. You could even see the glimmer of understanding that if he came at Booth like anyone else it was likely to backfire horribly. That's the Booth that took on a sitting Senator in the first season, arrested the Deputy Director of the Secret Service, and investigated the DD of the CIA. He doesn't scare. So exactly how do we manage to reconcile that fearless man of action with the bumbling hormonal display we got at the beginning of the show? Or the ham fisted manner in which he flirted with her? He's a handsome man, charming, and even if it's been three years since he had a real date he's not that rusty. See my rant for more.

Brennan
Brennan was...GAH! Smiling and fawning over Hacker? Talking about having sex with the man to Booth? Trying to get advice from Angela in dealing with "Hacker and Sex"? Forensically the woman was amazing, matching, even besting, Bryar when it came to ID'ng the bone damage done by the Aquarium's denizens. Pointing Booth in the right direction again and again, her science was strong, her methodology impeccable, but her interpersonal skills with Booth seemed...lacking. There were flashes of regret, hints of jealousy, and yet there were also signs that she was already gamely compartmentalizing and preparing to have sex with Hacker in hopes of pushing Booth out of her mind, if not her heart. This bothers me even more than Booth's behaviour did. See my rant for more.

**RANT**
Climbs onto my soap box So Booth's been in love with Brennan for six years and this is how he handles things? I call Bullshit! No way a man who is that in love with a woman for six years, a man who takes all his fears and insecurities, takes all the damage and trauma he's suffered as the child of an alcoholic, a victim of abuse, a suicide survivor, a guilt ridden former sniper and a former POW manages to push all that aside, stuffs them all in the bottom of his rucksack and offer the woman of his dreams his heart, battered and torn as it is, and watch placidly as she crushes it under heel with the stated intent of "saving him from pain" and in less than two weeks becomes a fumbling, fawning, hormonal schoolboy. BULL.SHIT. If he was serious about moving on he'd be genuine and sincere, not some joke of a character. No, not at all. This was Booth putting on some sort of sham act, trying to convince himself that things will get better if he just pretends long enough - how is that any different from what he's done for the last five years? Honestly the only time his behaviour, relationship-wise, seems genuine is when he asks Bryar out in the end, and that only happens after Brennan all but tells Booth she plans to have sex with Hacker.

And speaking of Brennan - she's just as bad as Booth. Her "happy face, I'm glad for you" act may fool some but not me. Her comment that she belongs to no one - how telling - she genuinely believes that she's not worthy of the kind of love Booth offers her, and yet she wants him to be happy so she pretends to be happy with moving on. The scene at the elevators was almost convincing until the doors were about to close and the mask slipped, her eyes dropped to the floor and you could tell that Booth dating Bryar was killing her. It's the case of star crossed lovers, and I HATE star crossed lovers. I can't wait for this to be over - it's killing me to watch this Hart, fix it NOW!Climbs down off soap box


Scene of Note
Booth and Vladov - Booth wasn't afraid of the Russian mobster and the realization that blossomed in that man's face when he comes to the conclusion that Booth can't be intimidated is priceless.

Booth and Brennan at the Founding Fathers at the end of the show - no passion, no spark, no...anything. Sad, sad, sad.


Quotable Quotes - The Fishfry Edition
Bryar: Oh my God, a Hammerhead.
Hacker: What? This sounds good...
Bryar: Hammerheads are tropical, it's unlikely you'd find one this far north.
Brennan: Where's the nearest place a Hammerhead, a Tigershark, and a Red Snapper could co-exist?
Hacker: How about the Aquarium? (off looks from Brennan and Bryar) Hey, you don't get to be Deputy Director of the FBI by just dressing well and kissing ass. *laughs* Okay that's most of it, but I'm probably right about the aquarium.

Hacker: Dimitri Vladov?
Booth: Yeah.
Hacker: Vladov the Impaler paid for a hit with a check?
Booth: Yeah, I mean why would Vladov hire an amateur.
Hacker: Pay by Check. That's not a good sign for law enforcement, that's not a good sign for culture as a whole. You know what we ought to do? Pool our money and buy a buffalo ranch in Alberta.

Hacker: What's the Russian word for Teflon?
Booth: I don't know. Teflofistan?

Brennan: She's easily as pretty as I am...I mean, using me as a standard.
Booth: Well Bones, you are the standard.


Fun Facts
NOAA - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is a federal agency focused on monitoring the condition of the oceans and the atmosphere.

Shark Embryonic cells have been transplanted into humans to repair spinal cord injuries in experimental surgeries uger, but he's done more than 20 other horror films and is a fixture in the horror/fangoria community.


The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The GOOD - Brennan nearly drowning Clark Eddison in the fish tank - Poor Clark, every case Brennan comes up with a new way to off him. In that way he really is a Zack replacement.

The BAD - Sofer's acting. It wasn't acting. I'm amazed that she wasn't hospitalized for styrofoam poisoning the way she chewed threw the scenery. Honestly, she's a professional actress so unless the director's instructions were to act like a ham this was not her best work.

The UGLY - The whole Hacker-Brennan-Bryant-Booth love quadrangle. Not a fan. Not even interested in being a fan. Get rid of and already!

The case work was solid, Clark had a nice moment or two, but the parthers were weird and Bryar was freaking me out!
[Only admins are allowed to see this image]

Continuity took a hit but honestly since HH doesn't care why should I? Welcome to Ennui, population: ME
[Only admins are allowed to see this image]

Overall watchability? Mediocre. The case was okay, the secondary story sucked, and Sofer's acting was horrid:
[Only admins are allowed to see this image]

This was not what I'd hoped for. The case work was, well it was good and the show could have been great really, but the way Booth handled things, the way Brennan continued with her stupid plan to date Hacker, just left me thinking "KILL HART HANSON!" and not, aww, look at the heart break. Seriously, why should I believe they're going to get together at the end of the season? Why should I believe HH has any sort of plan for them at all? Not loving this epi, bring on Rock and Roll, I need something to clean my palate from this garbage.


RM

dawnsfire wrote:Predator in the Pool


So this was the episode everyone was panicking about . I have to say it wasn’t as bad as expected. Case was pretty straightforward, and I honestly thought, except for a bit of quibble over time (as in how much has passed since that truamatic moment?), that they seem to be handling some of this fairly well considering the limits.

Yeah, I didn't care for it as much as some - in fact I think they weren't handling it all that well, sublimating instead of dealing would be my take. I even wrote a rant about it.

Case
The discovery of embryonic cells in the water/fish lead Brennan to realize that the vic was getting specialized treatment in Brazil to reverse the effects of an accident he had suffered years ago. An additional discovery is that of a lionfish spine in the filter. Neither animal is in the tank, although there is a lionfish in the aquarium (named Bob ). Its defense mechanism includes the very toxin found earlier and the spine; and the tank it swims alone in is damaged in such a way as to reflect the skull trauma. The records of the adults present that night are re-examined and one of them went to Brazil, to the same place Gunn got his treatments--the teacher. Completely out of nowhere. She confesses--his lectures had been false, she had lost money, and when she confronted him, he gave her more the same, which prompted her to attack and slam his face down into the lionfish’s tank.

Yeah, BOB doesn't really sound like the name you'd give a deadly fish like that...and the teacher's sudden confession? Even the way they tied her to it all? It was solid enough but it just seemed so rushed, something we really haven't seen that much of since Prodigy.

Characters

I’m actually finding it harder and harder to write about either Booth or Brennan…

Booth--maybe he’s forcing himself to move on. While it was so nice to see a smiling Booth for once, the way he initially fumbled made me wonder if he was always that way or simply out of practice when it comes to doing anything with an interested woman besides give her the brush-off; probably the latter given that in the flashback and S1 he was much smoother. I don’t have any serious experience with rebounds (I curl up at home with a good book and pretend men don’t exist ), so I leave it to others to tell me if this is typical rebound behavior. Once again, I wish we were given some sort of timeline! He was definitely checking her out, though.

I'd think there would be a period of mourning given how he feels about her. I mean, it's not as if they were ever together so there's no "downward spiral" in their relationship that serves as an "adjuster", what there is, is a lot of unresolved feelings on both sides and they're not dealing so much as ignoring.

Top form in the interrogation room, though, and I loved the scene with the mobster! Meet the incorruptible FBI Agent! He doesn’t back down from mobsters, Russians, or any combination thereof.

Yep, I loved this, in fact it's inspired a quick tag for the episode that I'm hoping to have up sometime after I get any of my half dozen other fics updated...crap.

Brennan--she lets her mask a slip a few times, but there is serious doubt that Booth even saw it except maybe when they were comparing Hacker & Catherine to each other. And even then I doubt it. Something about Catherine brings out her competitive side. Whether it’s because the woman is attractive and intelligent or just that Booth checked her out in the beginning, who knows. Personally, I thought she was forcing it a bit with Hacker, and while she might have worried about sex-codes before (anyone want to fill me in a standard set?), she’s never truly worried about her clothes to a social event before. But she is the one who pulls all of the forensic clues together, makes that jump she used to do, and hands Booth what he needs to make the arrest.

I saw her acting around Bryar as being barely concealed jealousy a few times, and her behaviour toward Hacker was obviously forced. Like Booth I got the distinct feeling she's putting on a show of moving on so she can convince herself, as well as him, that this is the right thing to do.

It’s taken me three episodes to decide this must be what’s going on--I know it’s also pretty fan-ficcy, but then, most of the season has been in one way or another. Booth and Brennan--their true tragedy is that neither of them thinks they’re good enough for the other; which we have said before, somewhere. They love each other, they do--even if Brennan may not want to actually call it that just yet--but her protection routine? She’s attempting to ward off his later and (in her opinion) likely greater pain by denying him now. She fears she’ll disappoint him, won’t be able to live up to his expectations or be able to handle the requirements of such an intense relationship as Booth is likely to want to create; maybe she looks at her past and thinks that’s why she can’t do it. Booth, on the other hand, looked at his own baggage (abused child, alcoholic father, sniper, gambler, etc, etc), took a deep breath, and rolled the dice. I think highly of him for trying. But that may be why he didn’t push her as hard as he could have. It’s hard decisions all the way around--and very likely the wrong ones, in honesty. But I cut them some slack because when you’re actually in that situation, you can’t always make the right decisions--and then you can only hope that any mistakes you made can be corrected.

I generally agree with your take on things, though i cling to my rant because, damnit my Queen, what they've got could be epic and instead it's just a waste.

So they’re both trying to compartmentalize (that hated word; I hate it almost as much as eventually at this point), and Booth is making a tremendous effort to move on. Brennan hates it, but she hides it well and only once does she let any hint of her feeling out--when they’re talking about standards for their dates, and she’s making herself appear better than Catherine in certain areas--she’s smarter, for example. And Booth--well, the man is the master of pained expressions sometimes, and he does much the same thing when he says Hacker is smarter than he is. Basically, they’re trying, but there are cracks in the façade--and when those cracks widen, either everything will fall apart, never to be fixed, or something wonderful will happen.
If this was a fanfic, all would be resolved in about 2-4 chapters (OK, maybe as many as 15) and all will live as happily ever after as possible. But it’s not, it’s the actual show, being run and written by a sadistic moron who enjoys taunting his loyal fans.

I like your take on this, my wondrous Queen, but mostly I loved the part where you called Hart a sadistic moron. Such astute observation lady, in one so young. (Yes, I know you've had a birthday recently - here's hoping the day was passed pleasantly and that you'll have many more like it - but I'm still older than you by a good four years.)

Angela--computer genius on board again. I did enjoy her work on the tank feed and know several people who would enjoy that as a screensaver. She’s “grappling” with the issues raised last week when she broke up with Wendell, even if she doesn’t discuss them outright.
Also: Angela the shipper is back--“You know who I think you belong with.”

I enjoyed Angela the Shipper's return, but the Deus Ex Angela left something to be desired.

Hodgins--I saw no bitterness in his joke, no matter what Clark said. But I can see how it could be interpreted that way, and certainly he’s dwelling on his own issues. But he was in his glory, what with the coral, the diving, the work in the filter--and providing most of the answers single handedly. Also he seems to have developed a better working relationship with all of the interns, including Clark

LOVED Hodgins in this episode, he was on fire forensically, and doing well romantically.

Cam--are they cutting her time? I seem to see less and less of her every week. Tonight, she’s seen briefly in her pathologist role, and then asks a question about clearing up one of the kids’ photos that may have a picture of the killer. Actually, her question may be a slap at how fast Hollywood (and even the show) makes all tests, images enhancements, etc, etc happen.

Love the idea that they're using Cam to take a few pot shots at Hollywood show forensics performance but yes, I do believe they're cutting back on her time. I hope that changes and soon.

Catherine Bryar--only mentioning Brennan-lite because everyone has been frantic about her appearance and the danger she might pose to the Booth-Brennan relationship. To which I say, what relationship? Booth has decided to move on and she apparently doesn’t mind him fumbling in the beginning, especially since he smooths out quite a bit near the end. She’s got a good head on her shoulders, well aware of legal constraints, a fun sense of humor that jibes with Booth’s…none of which should be discounted. She’s as pretty as Brennan, almost as smart, and I get the impression she’s probably one of the top in her field as well. *taps mouth thoughtfully* I’ll go ahead and say it. (*sub voice* shields up) She could be very good for Booth, help him recover--after all, she’s already made him smile and laugh. We all know it probably won’t last, however, and I have to hope it ends with a minimum of anguish on her part (unless she’s part of some deeper conspiracy--I think that was suggested in the spoiler threads--then she can be crushed beneath Brennan’s heel).

I can believe that she'd be good for Booth, I can't believe that Booth is feeling anything for her that isn't a result of his sublimating the attraction and affection he feels toward Brennan.

Hacker--OK, he’s an idiot. A smarmy, suck-up, kiss-up moron who’s maybe spent a month all told in the field, and a ridiculous sense of humor, and who is nowhere as good for Brennan as Catherine is for Booth. Unfortunately, he does have intelligence and knows how to play the game. I do find it absolutely fascinating, however, that he openly admits to it. And despite what Angela said, I want to doubt that he separates his professional manner from his personal behavior. My opinion of Brennan’s taste has definitely plummeted, however--if I was seeing a guy and he admitted all of that, I would be saying good-bye in a week. Personally, I thought she valued honesty and a lack of game-playing. Please, please, let him pass from the show soon!

Ahh, see my Queen once again you prove yourself well suited to me - I'm so agreeing with you here. What the hell is Brennan thinking? She really needs an attitude adjustment. A 100 proof one. NOW!

All in all it's the personal side of the show that left me feeling a lack of spark, and I think that's something HH and SN should take to heart - the lack of spark between the partners is because there's a total lack of UST now, if this was their grand plan to keep the UST alive, their plan was crap.


RM

It's the lack of chemistry that I am hating here. Hell, even S4...which many don't like was better then what we are getting now. I feel like the twp episodes we have had since the 100th aren't even the same show. The case solving SUCKS, the chemistry is off, and even the plots aren't done that well.

I am hoping next week is better. But, I mean...really. It was like they went on hiatus, and come back and it is an alternate reality. Where is the relationships between ALL the characters? Even Clark was off last night. It doesn't feel right.

I don't like it, and I hope like hell HH and co. fixes it soon. B/c to ME at least, this is NOT the same Bones that I started watching. This is like some FORCED and VERY BAD soap.

Jenn

wrote:It’s taken me three episodes to decide this must be what’s going on--I know it’s also pretty fan-ficcy, but then, most of the season has been in one way or another. Booth and Brennan--their true tragedy is that neither of them thinks they’re good enough for the other; which we have said before, somewhere. They love each other, they do--even if Brennan may not want to actually call it that just yet--but her protection routine? She’s attempting to ward off his later and (in her opinion) likely greater pain by denying him now. She fears she’ll disappoint him, won’t be able to live up to his expectations or be able to handle the requirements of such an intense relationship as Booth is likely to want to create; maybe she looks at her past and thinks that’s why she can’t do it. Booth, on the other hand, looked at his own baggage (abused child, alcoholic father, sniper, gambler, etc, etc), took a deep breath, and rolled the dice. I think highly of him for trying. But that may be why he didn’t push her as hard as he could have. It’s hard decisions all the way around--and very likely the wrong ones, in honesty. But I cut them some slack because when you’re actually in that situation, you can’t always make the right decisions--and then you can only hope that any mistakes you made can be corrected.

So they’re both trying to compartmentalize (that hated word; I hate it almost as much as eventually at this point), and Booth is making a tremendous effort to move on. Brennan hates it, but she hides it well and only once does she let any hint of her feeling out--when they’re talking about standards for their dates, and she’s making herself appear better than Catherine in certain areas--she’s smarter, for example. And Booth--well, the man is the master of pained expressions sometimes, and he does much the same thing when he says Hacker is smarter than he is. Basically, they’re trying, but there are cracks in the façade--and when those cracks widen, either everything will fall apart, never to be fixed, or something wonderful will happen.

wrote:**RANT**
Climbs onto my soap box So Booth's been in love with Brennan for six years and this is how he handles things? I call Bullshit! No way a man who is that in love with a woman for six years, a man who takes all his fears and insecurities, takes all the damage and trauma he's suffered as the child of an alcoholic, a victim of abuse, a suicide survivor, a guilt ridden former sniper and a former POW manages to push all that aside, stuffs them all in the bottom of his rucksack and offer the woman of his dreams his heart, battered and torn as it is, and watch placidly as she crushes it under heel with the stated intent of "saving him from pain" and in less than two weeks becomes a fumbling, fawning, hormonal schoolboy. BULL.SHIT. If he was serious about moving on he'd be genuine and sincere, not some joke of a character. No, not at all. This was Booth putting on some sort of sham act, trying to convince himself that things will get better if he just pretends long enough - how is that any different from what he's done for the last five years? Honestly the only time his behaviour, relationship-wise, seems genuine is when he asks Bryar out in the end, and that only happens after Brennan all but tells Booth she plans to have sex with Hacker.

And speaking of Brennan - she's just as bad as Booth. Her "happy face, I'm glad for you" act may fool some but not me. Her comment that she belongs to no one - how telling - she genuinely believes that she's not worthy of the kind of love Booth offers her, and yet she wants him to be happy so she pretends to be happy with moving on. The scene at the elevators was almost convincing until the doors were about to close and the mask slipped, her eyes dropped to the floor and you could tell that Booth dating Bryar was killing her. It's the case of star crossed lovers, and I HATE star crossed lovers. I can't wait for this to be over - it's killing me to watch this Hart, fix it NOW! Climbs down off soap box

To hell with the case, ^^ this was the part that I came in here to read!

Hammerheads and lionfish. My dad used to call us hammerheads when we were acting stupid. And lionfish could just as easily be heard as "lyin' fish." Kind of describes our dynamic duo pretty well...don'tcha think? (Okay, I agree. I'm no comedian. )

I don't know if this is a simple matter of gender perspective, but I can see Dawn's points easily. Brennan can't see it, even if part of her has found the ability to want it. Their belief systems can be summed up this way -
The Brain Person says, "Show me and then I'll believe it."
while the Heart Person says, "Believe it and then you can see it."

Watching Brennan was a lot more painful in this episode than watching Booth. She's spent all this time with him, she knew that rejecting him could jeopardize their partnership, so she has to know what she's doing to him now. That said, I can also accept that she can't manage her actions and reactions any better than she does. Some people just don't know what to do in difficult situations.

Booth on the other hand. Rob, you call "BULL.SHIT." Okay. So maybe it is all just for show. There really isn't anything else it could be yet, I wouldn't think anyways. It takes time to process this stuff. At first you just wake up in the morning and put on a face and go to work. He possibly even has something akin to shock. I don't know exactly what you expected him to do to be "genuine and sincere." Talk it over with Brennan? Sweets? Are we supposed to see him sulk in his apartment?

I was satisfied with the episode when I saw it. Still am I guess. I also agree somewhat with your tweet, Rob, that "it could have been great and heart rending, it came off goofy, over acted and flat." I hope it's only just a matter of you getting ahead of yourself a little. I hope we do still get a shot at "great and heart rending."

I don't know exactly what you expected him to do to be "genuine and sincere." Talk it over with Brennan? Sweets? Are we supposed to see him sulk in his apartment?

I think that's exactly what they don't want. Either Cathy is a name to put with the lie that Booth told Sweets in Bee and we end up finding out it never went any further than what we just saw between him and her.

Or

She's Cam after Rebecca 2.0. Somebody who like him is coming off of a failed relationship and is looking for something lighter and fun after taking a bruising. And she picked up on the vibe that basically he's in the same place. It's two people just needing something a little lighter in their life for awhile.

In either case it serves to keep Brennan from looking like she's beating Bambi's head in with a rock for the next 4 episodes. Think of it as putting Booth on ice until Brennan can work her way into a position to graduate from her "Coffee"relationship that she's had with him for the last 5 years to "Lunch" in the season finale. Because I really think that's where we are going.

That Brennan/Hacker Coffee has to be the show runner’s setting themselves up with a way to dig themselves out of the “they can't work together if they have a personal relationship” hole they dug for themselves in season 2. Because if it's not, I just sat through the creepiest scene I have ever watched in a Bones episode for what reason I will probably never know.

Dawn, I was reading along with your review, yeah, uh-huh, yeah, right, and then out of nowhere you mention the FBI pirate warning stuff and I just cackled to myself! The things that you connect in your head sometimes! *shakes head* I could have watched that 50 times and I doubt I would have ever thought of that.

And I most heartily agree with you on Booth "displaying his lack of singing skills" and also why, "because he's having fun, dammit!"

InkSlinger - Season 5, Episode 19

Now with 100% fewer Spoilers!

The Rocker in the Rinse Cycle

As we draw ever closer to the finale one begins looking at each episode for any sign that the dynamic duo are going to find their way back to one another. While I'm despairing the route they're taking and the sudden lack of passion and connection between them, I'm still willing to give HH and SN the last three episodes to convince me that this isn't all some huge mistake.

The Case
Starting off this case the body is discovered by a Hotel Laundry manager who's trying unsuccessfully to impress his date. Booth, Brennan, and Cam arrive on the scene to collect the remains of a estate executive with only one testicle. Once the remains are back at the lab Arastoo discovers a series of fractures that indicate that the victim seemed to suffer some sort of serious injury anually, and one possibly resulted in the loss of a testicle.

Arastoo, Cam, and Hodgins work the body, Booth & Brennan go to the "Rock Camp" located at that hotel and talk to Bebe, Gino, Simon Graham, and rock guitarist Erik Dalton. While Booth rocks out, Brennan repeatedly pulls the plug on his fun. Booth and a star-struck Sweets interview Graham who explains that the vic was going to buy and tear down a famous rock club once run by Graham. While the boys (Arastoo and Hodgins) discuss the finer points of religion and baseball, the first clue as to who our killer is comes up when a fragment of Mammoth bone is found mixed in among the remains. Angela deduces it's a guitar pick, and the owner of that pick is none other than rock star Eric Dalton. The partners visit the rock legend who denies murdering the 'ass hat' poseur, but Brennan discovers signs lof a struggle and evidence of blood on the carpet so they think they've got their murder scene. Continuing with the "Rock Camp" suspects, B&B question Bebe, the pierced and tattooed enthusiast and Gino (of the purple hair) who offer that the victim was fighting with Simon Graham (who runs the camp) as well as Eric Dalton.

While waiting for blood evidence to come through, Brennan meets Booth back at camp where the duo play+sing (if you can call it that) "Hot Blooded". Sadly DB can't carry a tune in a bucket, but Emily is surprisingly good here. After yet another false lead is handled - camper Fred Keaton matches the blood found at the scene, but he's the victim of a dasterdly practical joke, not the killer, it's Angela who provides us with our final clue - the victim was beaten to death with his own guitar, a '57 Gibson Les Paul worth $250,000. The guitar is wiped clean and in pristine condition, but some damage to the frets leads Hodgins to surmise that it was cleaned with chlorine, and that leads them to the Pool topside, where the murder really occurred. Sweets estimation that the killer was a "True music fan" is born out when process of elimination leads Booth & Brennan to be Gino who also used a Mammoth bone pick (after his idol - Eric Dalton). The case is solved but one's left feeling...non-plussed. We're back to surprise twist endings and perps from out of nowhere who are more likeable than the victims. Color me unsatisfied.

The Characters
There was a lot of character interaction here, a lot to build on and a lot of development that begs dissection so let's begin:

Angela - Angela's forensic and artistic skills may have been of some small help, but it was her knowledge of guitars (via her father) that really came into play tonight. She was the first to realize that the fragment of mammoth bone is a guitar pick, or that the injuries sustained by the victim were the result of his being beaten to death by a '57 Gibson Les Paul

Hodgins - His forensic science is first rate, and his relationship with Angela continues to improve and as they grow closer together you can see them falling back into their old habits, with Jack commenting on how "hot" it was that Angela figured out the murder weapon was a Gibson Les Paul. I genuinely like Hodgins, love the direction they've taken his character, but could we lose the "Jack Hodgins, billionaire bigot" lines?

Cam - We had a lot of Cam this episode, and the nice thing was it wasn't all character growth. Her forensic chops came out to play, first when she ID'd the rogue testicle (the scene with her and Brennan staring at an increasingly uneasy Booth was priceless), and when she was able ID the fragments of silicone as an artificial testicle it reminded us just how skilled she really is - something easy to forget given the plethora of talent at the Jeffersonian.

Sweets - Sweets was a total rock & roll fanboy, with Booth having to calm him down more than once as he gushes over their suspect. The interview scene where he asked who'd win? Hilarious. You don't mess with Prince.

Arastoo - While Arastoo was technically proficient I am not exactly fond of his new, more relaxed demeanor, and the continued joke about Hodgins' ignorant bigotry re: Islam was old schtick last season, this season it's even older. And while I found the comment about the religious teams all having ringers, in general the constant baseball terminology left a great deal to be desired.

Michelle - While many of the scenes between her and Cam felt forced, the one at the end where she pushed back and all but demanded Cam start dating the OB/GYN was heart felt and real. The little girl is growing up, and growing up to be more Cam-like as she does so.

Booth
As a cop Booth is still the top dog. His instincts are first rate and his skill in interrogation, as well as his discipline, shines. With Graham in the room (and when exactly did we decide that conference rooms were acceptable substitutes for actual interrogation rooms?) Booth remained professional and in control, while Sweets fell all over himself in front of "the legendary" producer. Also it's nice to see that the basics of Booth's personality - that respect for women and discomforture with certain sexual or psuedo-sexual topics - remain in place. His threatening to "clock" Dalton when he made a crude pass at Brennan, or Booth's queasy look whenever the "testicle" issue came up, or when Brennan started talking about it at the diner (and for the record, I was squirming right along with him) were priceless. What is bothering is the hollow, almost emotionless look in his face when it comes to dealing with Brennan sometimes - you can tell that his facade slips at times, that he lets the hurt shine through, and that moment at the FF was one of those times. It'll be interesting to see how this all plays out in the next few episodes.

Brennan
Forensically Brennan remains the consumate professional and is, of course, the best in her field. It's not the scientific side of Brennan that needs exploration, it's the personal and there indded Brennan leaves me wondering just what is going on inside that amazing head of hers. On the one hand it's nice to see how close she and Cam have become. Their good natured joshing around at the crime scene was laugh out loud funny, and her teasing Booth about "lady parts" was priceless. But I found her behaviour positively mindboggling at times. Her cavalier, almost daring attitude when it comes to Booth and Catherine bothered me. That sort of friendly curiosity about "the other woman" is more likely to drive Booth away than dating Hacker or any other man because it's tantamount to telegraphing just how uninterested in Booth she really is. If she's that comfortable with him dating someone like Catherine, why should he think she has anything other than "friendship" feelings for him?

But I think there's hope for our good Doctor, seeing her interaction with Cam was eye opening - mostly because it was Cam who offered her that singular piece of life altering advice (spoken in the language she understands best) is a sign of just how much things have changed between them over the years. It's not Angela, Brennan's "heart" advisor who explains the facts of life to her, it's Cam. The fact that Brennan so readily accepts Cam's arguement, when coupled with the scene that Brennan has with Booth at the FF makes me think that Brennan is finally figuring things out.

Scene of Note
Brennan and Cam - The best scene of the show IMO simply because someone finally tells Brennan, using words she can understand, that she's not so special, that her life isn't unique and she has the same needs and desires as everyone else - that pretending she can is foolhardy and contrary to her own long term best interests. I think this is the tipping point for Brennan, that point at which she allows herself to consider that maybe, just maybe, there is someone for her who'll be there for the next 30, 40, or 50 years.

Cam and Michelle - When Cam and Michelle have their talk and Michelle insists that Cam date the doctor it's a really touching scene that shows just how grown up Cam's adopted daughter has become. She realizes that Cam's social life can't take a permanent back seat to her and that Cam deserves this chance at happiness.

Brennan and Booth at the Founding Fathers - It was a touching, nay, poignant scene. In part because we can see that Brennan may finally have some feel for how precarious her relationship with Booth is, and when she says "Our partnership is still important to me, you know that right?" That's Brennan trying to reassure herself, not Booth, that what they have - their friendship, their partnership - was enough to keep them together.


Rock 'n' Roll Moments

• "Eric Dalton" is played by Josh Todd, former member of both Velvet Revolver and Buckcherry
  
• "Simon Graham" is played by Michael Des Barres, a former member of Power Station
  

Quotable Quotes - The Slow Ride Edition

Cam: All organisms evolve and develop along patterns only recongnized in retrospect. Your life doesn't exist outside the laws of nature.
Brennan: Then in ignorance I await my own surprise...although the odds of it involving a commitment to another person are remote.

Cam: I never thought I'd be dating now, yet I am.
Brennan: You met someone?
Cam: I think so, we're going to have lunch.
Brennan: It's been quite a while for you.
Cam: And thanks for pointing that out.

Brennan: This is pathetic Booth. Pretending to be someone you're not. It's dilletante.
Booth: What if this was anthropolgy fantasy camp and you got to meet...I don't know, Margaret Meade?
Brennan: She's dead.
Booth: Well who would you want to meet?
Brennan: Me.

Brennan: Our partnership is still important to me, you know that right?


The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The GOOD - Cam telling Brennan that her life isn't so special that she exists outside of nature. To think it took Cam to explain things to Brennan, all those Cam haters from S2 - shame on you!

The BAD - The testicular humor of this episode. For those of us who are male in persuasion that's hitting below the belt.

The UGLY - DB's singing. I don't know how Emily kept a straight face when she, as Brennan, had to tell DB, as Booth, that his singing was good.

The case work was solid, Wendell was worthwhile, Brennan was lovely but the Partners were too compartmentalized after last weeks episode:
[Only admins are allowed to see this image]

Continuity was decent, nice tie in with Angela's past as the child of a rocker, and Brennan's 'tude is unchanged after six years:
[Only admins are allowed to see this image]

Overall watchability? Better than average but the lack of B&B spark leaves me cold:
[Only admins are allowed to see this image]

This was another fun episode that managed to make me laugh despite DB's singing, though I miss the old B&B moments, what keeps this stuck at a 3.5/5 for me is the lack of spark between them. I just don't feel the love anymore, and when Brennan reassures Booth that they're partnership is important to her, it's as if she's trying to tell all of us. Shame I'm just not convinced.


RM

Yeah, this was late. Really late. Egregiously late. So sue me. 10 hours sleep in three days and a shit load of work dumped on me Thursday, it's a flippin' miracle I got this out at ALL.

Brennan
But I found her behaviour positively mindboggling at times. Her cavalier, almost daring attitude when it comes to Booth and Catherine bothered me. That sort of friendly curiosity about "the other woman" is more likely to drive Booth away than dating Hacker or any other man because it's tantamount to telegraphing just how uninterested in Booth she really is. If she's that comfortable with him dating someone like Catherine, why should he think she has anything other than "friendship" feelings for him?

That’s a very “Wendell thinks she is hitting on him” moment. What she is doing/saying isn’t really what it appears to be. It’s a demonstration of just how far she still has to go with her interpersonal skills.

Brennan and Booth at the Founding Fathers - It was a touching, nay, poignant scene. In part because we can see that Brennan may finally have some feel for how precarious her relationship with Booth is, and when she says "Our partnership is still important to me, you know that right?" That's Brennan trying to reassure herself, not Booth, that what they have - their friendship, their partnership - was enough to keep them together. ]

I think the "Our partnership is still important to me, you know that right?" line was very much Brennan reassuring Booth that he wasn’t being replaced by Hacker in her life. That coupled with the small lie that Booth was a good singer demonstrated a sensitivity on her part towards someone else’s feelings that shows that her people skills have evolved further than she realizes. The question about whether or not Catherine likes music though, that’s all about Brennan. That’s her looking for reassurance by hopefully getting a “no” response.

We get an episode here that gives you the current truth of Brennan. She has grown far more than she even realizes, but at the same time has a great deal further to go. I think to appreciate Brennan for the truly complex character that she is and to not be frustrated by her, you have to be willing to embrace the part that still has a long way to go as well as the part that has come so far.

THX1138 wrote:Hodgins - His forensic science is first rate, and his relationship with Angela continues to improve and as they grow closer together you can see them falling back into their old habits, with Jack commenting on how "hot" it was that Angela figured out the murder weapon was a Gibson Les Paul. I genuinely like Hodgins, love the direction they've taken his character, but could we lose the "Jack Hodgins, billionaire bigot" lines?

Got a chuckle over how he backed out of the "hot" comment--very much like the days before their original relationship... H&A, take 1 and H&A, take 2, is how I think we should refer to it. Now, as for the stuff with Arastoo, I honestly saw that as a joke. That he's improved his dealing with the interns, esp AV, to the point he can make that kind of joke. Arastoo's response is not at all defensive or even disarming like it used to be--it's banter, plain and simple. IMO, at least.

Michelle - While many of the scenes between her and Cam felt forced, the one at the end where she pushed back and all but demanded Cam start dating the OB/GYN was heart felt and real. The little girl is growing up, and growing up to be more Cam-like as she does so.

I don't know about forced, it's an uncomfortable topic for most mothers & daughters (or even just the teenage daughters ), and her portrayal reflected that. I agree that she's growing up, though--before, she might have expected Cam to stop dating the guy!

Booth
As a cop Booth is still the top dog. His instincts are first rate and his skill in interrogation, as well as his discipline, shines. With Graham in the room (and when exactly did we decide that conference rooms were acceptable substitutes for actual interrogation rooms?) Booth remained professional and in control, while Sweets fell all over himself in front of "the legendary" producer. Also it's nice to see that the basics of Booth's personality - that respect for women and discomforture with certain sexual or psuedo-sexual topics - remain in place. His threatening to "clock" Dalton when he made a crude pass at Brennan, or Booth's queasy look whenever the "testicle" issue came up, or when Brennan started talking about it at the diner (and for the record, I was squirming right along with him) were priceless. What is bothering is the hollow, almost emotionless look in his face when it comes to dealing with Brennan sometimes - you can tell that his facade slips at times, that he lets the hurt shine through, and that moment at the FF was one of those times. It'll be interesting to see how this all plays out in the next few episodes.

Completely agree about the conference rooms--you note they use them more and more often this season...borderline interrogations, small meetings and video conferences they used to have in his office.
This is not his normal Brennan-induced prudishness; his reaction to the discussion about lady parts and testicles is what I am led to believe is fairly standard male behavior in such circumstances, even among women he knows as well as Brennan and Cam. And his chivalry never dies!
As for dealing with Brennan--actually, I find it makes sense, it fits the character (I don't like what it could mean, but that's a whole 'nother story!). She's been his friend for more than 4 years, his best friend for probably 3, and his partner for almost the entire 5. You don't yank all of that out like a broken tooth and have it heal and no longer be troubled by it. I am more amazed at how well he's been covering it, to be honest.

Brennan
Forensically Brennan remains the consumate professional and is, of course, the best in her field. It's not the scientific side of Brennan that needs exploration, it's the personal and there indded Brennan leaves me wondering just what is going on inside that amazing head of hers. On the one hand it's nice to see how close she and Cam have become. Their good natured joshing around at the crime scene was laugh out loud funny, and her teasing Booth about "lady parts" was priceless. But I found her behaviour positively mindboggling at times. Her cavalier, almost daring attitude when it comes to Booth and Catherine bothered me. That sort of friendly curiosity about "the other woman" is more likely to drive Booth away than dating Hacker or any other man because it's tantamount to telegraphing just how uninterested in Booth she really is. If she's that comfortable with him dating someone like Catherine, why should he think she has anything other than "friendship" feelings for him?

Ah, the male perspective! See, I didn't know that; betcha Brennan doesn't either.

But I think there's hope for our good Doctor, seeing her interaction with Cam was eye opening - mostly because it was Cam who offered her that singular piece of life altering advice (spoken in the language she understands best) is a sign of just how much things have changed between them over the years. It's not Angela, Brennan's "heart" advisor who explains the facts of life to her, it's Cam. The fact that Brennan so readily accepts Cam's arguement, when coupled with the scene that Brennan has with Booth at the FF makes me think that Brennan is finally figuring things out.

Nicely phrased!

Brennan and Booth at the Founding Fathers - It was a touching, nay, poignant scene. In part because we can see that Brennan may finally have some feel for how precarious her relationship with Booth is, and when she says "Our partnership is still important to me, you know that right?" That's Brennan trying to reassure herself, not Booth, that what they have - their friendship, their partnership - was enough to keep them together.

And it may well turn out to be the only glue that will work...

The BAD - The testicular humor of this episode. For those of us who are male in persuasion that's hitting below the belt.

The UGLY - DB's singing. I don't know how Emily kept a straight face when she, as Brennan, had to tell DB, as Booth, that his singing was good.

Lordee, so true! Someone write a fic where he knows she's just trying to flatter him!

dawnsfire wrote:

Brennan
Forensically Brennan remains the consumate professional and is, of course, the best in her field. It's not the scientific side of Brennan that needs exploration, it's the personal and there indded Brennan leaves me wondering just what is going on inside that amazing head of hers. On the one hand it's nice to see how close she and Cam have become. Their good natured joshing around at the crime scene was laugh out loud funny, and her teasing Booth about "lady parts" was priceless. But I found her behaviour positively mindboggling at times. Her cavalier, almost daring attitude when it comes to Booth and Catherine bothered me. That sort of friendly curiosity about "the other woman" is more likely to drive Booth away than dating Hacker or any other man because it's tantamount to telegraphing just how uninterested in Booth she really is. If she's that comfortable with him dating someone like Catherine, why should he think she has anything other than "friendship" feelings for him?

Ah, the male perspective! See, I didn't know that; betcha Brennan doesn't either.

The BAD - The testicular humor of this episode. For those of us who are male in persuasion that's hitting below the belt.

The UGLY - DB's singing. I don't know how Emily kept a straight face when she, as Brennan, had to tell DB, as Booth, that his singing was good.

Lordee, so true! Someone write a fic where he knows she's just trying to flatter him!

Well, I'm late to the party and Dawn made my comments for me, but I'll add a wee bit.

I was totally thrown by the male perspective here. I don't think any of the other women have read it that way either. I'm sure she thinks she's doing just the right thing, trying to be one of his buddies.

As for The BAD - the word "degloved" made me squirm myself.

As for The UGLY - well, that was pretty ugly. I guess no one can't be perfect after all, not even a fictional one!