Re: The Inkslingers - The Season 6 Showdown!

by ToZiKa Sat Sep 25, 2010 8:01 am

THX1138 wrote:
ToZiKa wrote:So let me be the first to say that I like the new Inkslinger.

It was nice to see some of those scenes from another perspective and I think it is good that you have two very different styles of reviewing it.

I hadn't even thought of some of those things you mentioned and I'll make sure to reread this right before I watch the episode the second time.

Special thanks should go to our King for not being overly pessimistic, but still remaining the one to always point out the bad sides too. I for one wouldn't want you to become all optimistic and happy about the show, but this seems to be a good balance between finding the mistakes and bad things and still being able to enjoy the good things.

I still like the Queen better though.
Thanks ToZ. I think the way to do it is for me to make sure I'm either drunk or on Oxy before reviewing, that way I don't take it too seriously. Oh, and I'll always point out the bad stuff, can't help it. I'm an analyst by trade and it just comes naturally to me.

You're not alone, btw, I like the Queen's reviews better too! I don't always agree with them, but she's a hell of a reviewer.

RM

sounds like a plan
if you ever need someone to drink with I'd be happy to get drunk with you

She is! I don't even see those things the Queen sometimes talks about. Or I see them but don't see the (possible) meaning(s) behind it.

by dawnsfire Sat Sep 25, 2010 9:36 am

ToZiKa wrote:
THX1138 wrote:
ToZiKa wrote:So let me be the first to say that I like the new Inkslinger.

It was nice to see some of those scenes from another perspective and I think it is good that you have two very different styles of reviewing it.

I hadn't even thought of some of those things you mentioned and I'll make sure to reread this right before I watch the episode the second time.

Special thanks should go to our King for not being overly pessimistic, but still remaining the one to always point out the bad sides too. I for one wouldn't want you to become all optimistic and happy about the show, but this seems to be a good balance between finding the mistakes and bad things and still being able to enjoy the good things.

I still like the Queen better though.
Thanks ToZ. I think the way to do it is for me to make sure I'm either drunk or on Oxy before reviewing, that way I don't take it too seriously. Oh, and I'll always point out the bad stuff, can't help it. I'm an analyst by trade and it just comes naturally to me.

You're not alone, btw, I like the Queen's reviews better too! I don't always agree with them, but she's a hell of a reviewer.

RM
sounds like a plan
if you ever need someone to drink with I'd be happy to get drunk with you

She is! I don't even see those things the Queen sometimes talks about. Or I see them but don't see the (possible) meaning(s) behind it.

Boy, this kind of stuff can go to a girl's head if she's not careful! Very Happy

*sweeps curtsey*

queen

and your checks are in the mail... Laughing

by dawnsfire Sat Sep 25, 2010 9:41 am

THX1138 wrote:
DBCrazy wrote:Good to have the InkSlingers return. As for my own opinion of the show, I wanted to be Wow-ed last night and I wasn't. I enjoyed it, but I wasn't Wow-ed.

I hadn't caught that Brennan hadn't showered before meeting up with Booth, but some of that I think I blame on things just being unrealistic sometimes. I mean, truly, do you get a phone call out in the middle of nowhere and just go jump on a plane. For that matter, if she hasn't been using her satellite phone at all in 7 months, why is she keeping it charged up and on her person!?
You know that's really THE question IMO. I mean, she's got a SAT phone on her, keeps it charged the entire time, it's always in her pocket, but she never uses it? That just doesn't make any sense at all. I mean, c'mon, she should have known by now to call someone, Angela even, to let them know she arrived safely. And the US Military goes out of its way to make sure it's troops can contact folks at home, so I can't imagine that Booth didn't say something like "Okay Bones, you'll call me or Angela when you land, let one of us know you're safe so we don't spend the next year worrying about you, right?" to Brennan before they parted ways. Then again I can't believe they just held hands *cough* *crappy ending* *cough*.

That part never occurred to me! The phone, I mean.

There were a couple things that I disagreed with both of you on and it kind of tickled me:

1) Brennan doing the girly posing then beating up the guerrillas. I thought the girly posing was pretty good, after all, they value women, so it felt perfect. But beating them all up, that just seemed like Hollywood-heroism make-believe, and I rolled my eyes.
See I just thought the vogue-ing was too much. I mean, from one perspective I can see it as quintessential Brennan but, it's so S4 it just felt forced. And yes, the ass kicking was a little Hollywood but I still loved it. We just don't get to see our girl kick ass as often as we'd like.

I get why she did the vogue-ing, but it seemed...forced, not like S4, though. Like when she acts too hard undercover. If you know what I mean.

queen

by dawnsfire Sat Sep 25, 2010 11:05 am

himbeer29 wrote:Just wanted to say that I enjoyed reading your reviews! I also liked the episode... not their best, but still very enjoyable. My biggest complaint was that (and I felt this about the finale, too), (to me) it felt like there were so many story lines going on they were just jumping from one character to the next. Not that it didn't have a good flow, but I think I will like later episodes where they can slow down without the "bring everyone back to square one in 40ish minutes" difficulty.

I didn't think it was as bad as the finale. First, it was sort of obligatory, as you noted, and the only other plot line touched on in depth was H&A's baby. Everything else was either surface, or arose directly from Cam's initial problem.

queen

by joybrennan Sat Sep 25, 2010 12:48 pm

the beaver1965 wrote:Robert, Daisy discovering DECAF is one the most clever lines that I have heard in a long time. Still LMAO!!! Welcome back. You were most certainly missed.

DITTO!

by lancelot Sat Sep 25, 2010 8:34 pm

On the Brennan being dirty when she arrives... I didn't think that was unusual at all. Certainly they have showers there, but she was likely in a rush. I've been stuck in dirty, dusty clothes for 24 hours on plane (and other times train) trips before (and let me tell you, trying to wipe yourself down with baby wipes in airport bathrooms just doesn't quite do the job ;-)). I can easily see her getting back to camp, finding out to make the times for flights/boats/trains whatever, maybe hopping in the shower (if she has time to do that) and then just throwing her same clothes back on

I don't think that was unusual either. Niether one of them changed. Booth showed up in this fatigues. It kind of made sense to show them that way. What I thought was unbelievable is that they were able to meet where they said since they were both leaving different parts of the world. How the heck did they time that, especially with no phone communication. Smile

Booth - Hmm, I'd say Booth came back defeated and cynical so, yeah, Booth 2.5 is in the house. Will he stay that way? Will we ever get the old Booth back, I dunno, maybe. Juries out on that one really, but suffice to say that this Booth isn't going to be the happy go lucky S1 Booth we were all hoping for, more like S5 Booth on Xanax. How bad is it? His speech to Sweets, advising him to move on and give himself a chance at happiness? Yeah, that's good advice really - for Sweets. The shame of it all is that Booth is telling Sweets that to try and convince himself that dating Hannah is the right thing to do. That Brennan won't return his love and there's no point in being miserable, so he might as well fake being happy with blondie locks in hopes of someday actually forgetting the auburn hair and blue eyes of the one woman he truly loves.

Now this doesn't mean that Booth is all bad, no sirree. He's back to being man of action Booth (that part of S5 Booth I liked), and more than that he's also back to being our Paladin. They've solved the case and he should be happy, but instead Booth decides to push it and go after the missing kid too. Maybe, just maybe, with this reboot that's a sign that our Booth is coming back to his roots. One can only hope

I agree with what you say about Booth except that I think we are going back to the season 1 Booth. I hope he continues this way. Booth was not always happy go lucky in S1. Remember how he didn't let the squints sit with him at the restaurant. He annoyed very easily. He had major defenses. Some of that was necessary for the characters to play off him. I also liked that Hodgins began to like him even though. He was also proficient at his job not just the physical part but the intuitive part which has been slipping in the last few seasons. I have found him doing less and less investigating but the new episode he is on target. Even though he doesn't get "killer" off Logan's father he knows something is not right and keeps him for further questioning etc. That's the old Booth. I'm happy he's back.

by G Wed Sep 29, 2010 4:34 am

Nice reviews. Smile

by dawnsfire Wed Sep 29, 2010 2:27 pm

Just to let all of you know that my Inkslinger this week might be a day or two late. Got some family issues happening Thursday, and it's anyone's guess as to how late they'll run. I should be able to get to a faster connection on Friday and watch it then, though. Download it, if I'm really lucky!

queen

by THX1138 Wed Sep 29, 2010 2:30 pm

Well just to make it unanimous, my InkSlinger won't be posted until Friday. I'm going in for surgery on Wednesday, I'm getting a skin graft that'll cover part of the wound on my leg, and I'm expected to stay overnight. I'm not sure what shape I'll be in Thursday when I get back from the hospital so I'm just going to prepare all y'all for me having my InkSlinger up a day late.

Oh, and just for those of all y'all who might be jumping to conclusions, no, I'm not the Queen's family issue. Just circumstances folks, just circumstances.

king

RM

by dawnsfire Fri Oct 01, 2010 5:27 pm

Couple in the Cave

Oh, it’s been a long week and is likely to get longer! I was lucky enough to be able to watch it tonight and post this as well. Not as bad as we might have thought. I think I’m going back and adjusting last week’s rating—knock off half a skull, maybe. I enjoyed this more, though it certainly seemed to fly along.

Case

A pair of hikers finds a pair of bodies in a cave—male and female, the man holding the woman. I was afraid as the investigation went on that it would turn out to be an accident, but, no indeed, it was murder most foul.

Clark’s back as his position fell through in Chicago, and they find several broken bones on each body, first suggesting a beating, but the asymmetry and location of the damage, not to mention the positions they were found in eventually eliminate that possibility as well as the recently paroled suspect Booth and Sweets go out to talk to, a man who had been in jail for beating someone to death in that same park.

Additional problems come up when the woman—Hillary--is ID’d, but the man is not. Various markers indicate he was probably a migrant worker from Central America, and they wonder how he would have met Hillary, much less been involved with her romantically. Angela complains his skull was wonky, but no explanation is given, and her sketch makes him look like George Clooney. Maybe. Couldn’t see it myself. Anyway, that is a running gag for a while until he is also given a name: Felix. Turns out they were a couple who met at AA (osteoblasts in the bones indicate a long period of drinking followed by another period where there was none), and she was sponsoring him (hence the trip to the park; she used it to help people work through some of their issues). They had just clicked as a romantic couple, much to the dismay of his (ex) girlfriend.

The GF is of course the next most reasonable suspect, and she is brought to the Hoover, then to the Jeffersonian, spitting attitude and defiance, and claiming innocence because her allergies are too strong to let her go hiking in the woods. A rather unscientific experiment is conducted to prove that she was allergic to some of the plants (which she is), thus eliminating her as well.

The couple was pushed off a low cliff and it is determined that they must have crept into the cave for shelter. Felix was not hurt quite as badly, but he wouldn’t leave Hillary. When she dies, he must have been too weak to leave—that or he still didn’t want to leave her. I daresay he could have been afraid that the murderer was still out there as well. Angela can pinpoint exactly where they fell, adding weight to the theory, and then Cam discovers that he was sprayed with government-issue pepper spray due to a patch of skin the scavengers haven’t touched (don’t like the capsicum). And that lays it at the feet of the oh-so-helpful park ranger—an ex-soldier, with experiences similar to Booth’s, and who was forming a small rapport with the Agent. When confronted, he says Felix had been driving drunk and killed his niece, thus grieving her widowed mother even further. When he say Hillary and Felix enter the park, he decided to lay out a little vigilante justice of his own, since the courts hadn’t been firm enough. Hillary was collateral damage.

And along the way, the inevitable personal business creeps in. Booth’s new girlfriend—Hannah Burley--shows up in DC, having decided to apply to the White House press corps because Booth is there; a fact that does indeed bother Brennan, though she valiantly strives to hide it. Hodgins and Angela are still over the moon about the baby and are making plans for a baby-moon (*makes face* Do people really say those things?). Plenty of talk about love and consequences of said love.

Characters

Brennan—if Booth was being a little more observant, he’d see how often she’s suppressing things. Of course, he is blinded by a new and exciting relationship, so that explains a lot. For she is. And I won’t say to some degree she wasn’t asking for it, what with the stuff last season (which I got on an intellectual level) and then not being in any contact with the outside world, but she did have hopes and probably plans for their respective returns. And she’ll deny, deny, deny, because that’s what Brennan does in these situations. It doesn’t help the new flame is blonde, I’m sure, and fairly good-natured and makes Booth happy. That’s one of the classic definitions of love—to put the happiness and well-being of the other person above your own. But it does bother her; she keeps picking at the scab (metaphorically, of course).
I’ve noted elsewhere that Brennan, for all of her professionally aggressive ways, is pretty shy, subtle, almost passive, about a lot of her personal desires. Oh, she can chase men, but those have not had the same impact on her life as Booth, and that sort of thing is different, after all--he’s been in her life longer than anyone else except for her father and brother. She’s learned to read Booth as well, but here she isn’t trying to look under his mask, and her hints and comments are so indirect to an inattentive Booth that it’s no wonder she’s left alone at the end of the episode. And that comment about being the only one living her life as she expected certainly was a downer. It must reinforce the notion in some way that she really isn’t loveable, no matter what Booth said some 7-9 months ago.
And of course it bothers her. While she did apologize to Clark, her outburst about expectations is a rather stark contrast to her treatment of Wendell last week, and Cam is right about that.

Booth--*sings* blinded by the light… the light of Hannah’s smile! It doesn’t interfere with his work, though—well, maybe. We don’t know what kind of delay happened when she said she was trouble and grabbed his tie. Nothing too serious, I’m sure, or Brennan would have said something. As for Hannah, I would say Booth’s forcing the issue somewhat. Not completely—there are a lot of reasons for him to be attracted to her; he was genuinely happy to see her outside the diner as well; but there’s something I can’t quite explain in his irritation with Sweets’ questions that suggests that deep down he knows he was acting on the rebound. He’s working hard to present the right façade, anyway, and I think Sweets can see that. If this starts to screw up the partnership, it’s going to be Booth who gets a lot of the blame, no matter that it could be pretty equally split between them. For now, however, he is happy with the situation, though the relationship’s longevity is questionable. And then who knows if he’ll turn to Brennan or not. Depends on if he sees her as being involved or not, I suspect.
Interesting to see him recruiting for the FBI. Too bad the guy wasn’t all he appeared to be.
Umm—and wasn’t that a perfectly scrumptious shot of him in the bedroom? We’ll just ignore Hannah for now! Wink

Angela—they’re coming back to the little girly moments between the best friends, but I’m starting to think the King has a point: Angela doesn’t understand Brennan as well as she thinks. At least she seems to be trying again. Her faulty sketch (and I would have thought that once they know the guy was Hispanic, she’d have gone back and altered things a little) was redeemed by figuring out where exactly the couple landed after being pushed. Otherwise, she was mostly about Hodgins and the baby.

Hodgins—completely flashed back to Soccer Mom in the Minivan, what with all that drooling (think the bombshell from the Bomb Squad). While he was indeed impressed with Hannah’s appearance, there was a healthy dose of respect for her abilities, too, and asking all those conspiracy questions was a lot of fun—not to mention her taking them seriously! He had to be the one to cook up that allergy experiment, too. You’d think he’d know better than to make fat jokes to a pregnant woman, though. After all, this time he’s not trying to curb her desires (as in Baby in a Bough).

Cam—light presence tonight. She did her pathology thing, but I found the fact that she was discussing the results in her dress (not really appropriate for the Lab, still Rolling Eyes

) and gloves. What did happen to her work suit, anyway? Also back to herding cats: trying to console Brennan (in vain), calm Clark, get people moving, and still do her own lab work.

Sweets—for all of Booth’s disdain, he’s hauling our duck (is he still a duckling?) out on interviews. Too soon to say if he’s taking over some of Brennan’s work with Booth, but something I’ll be watching. Though Daisy wasn’t present, he is thinking of her still and at a loss of what to do, constantly asking Booth for his advice (much the way he and Daisy were asking Cam and Hodgins last season). He was wearing jeans, too—I can’t think if he’s ever worn them; even his casual wear has been a little more khaki-type than denim. Oh yeah, and those shorts back in Passenger. And thank God he shaved!

Clark-- lol!

They finally got to him! That crack about B&B should have gotten naked and gone at it proves he’s been paying (reluctant) attention. One of the best scenes in the ep, topped off with Hodgins telling him to rein it in! Unfortunately, they do have a way of pushing comedic or light scenes with him a little too far, as in the allergies. First few sneezes were funny, but banging his head on the table? Not so much. And I was surprised, even with the Jeffersonian’s reputation as well as Brennan’s, that he would come back, no matter what assurances they gave him.

Hannah—the wicked temptress wasn’t so bad, though the PDAs were starting to get on my nerves. She does seem nice, and a good match for Booth as he was a few years back. And heresy though it might be to say so, she’s a lot like Brennan, too, as well as Tessa and Rebecca in appearance, with a good dose of lightheartedness. She’s good, even excellent, in her field; she’s adventurous and daring and heedless of authority when she thinks their priorities are screwed. And some of her interactions with Booth seem to echo Brennan's. Plus she’s pretty accepting of Booth’s closeness with Brennan so far, which means she’s probably pretty secure in her skin—and I found that offer of a girls’ night out to be interesting. Making all the right moves to fit into Booth’s world, which means she either truly loves him or more sinisterly has an ulterior motive. I know this all sounds as though I’ve jumped on Hart’s Hannah bandwagon, but it’s just an acknowledgment that they finally wrote a character who can give Brennan a run for her money. We’ll see how this goes.

Random Impressions

I think we’re back in fanfic territory. Everyone commiserating with Brennan about her loss, a loss she really can’t admit to, since she never admitted to being in love with Booth in the first place. Seems I’ve read a few variations, Hannah or otherwise, and even wrote one myself (not posted—the King of Angst himself informed me it was too devastating!).

And speaking of fanfic, I’ve been re-reading “Serendipity” by blc. And of course in that story, B&B call each other Love of my Life (even end up abbreviating it LOML), so for Hodgins to say it—well, it was a laugh-out-loud moment for me!

The dialog about human experimentation in front of Lupe was pretty funny, and I wonder if Hodgins and Clark were primed to do it by Booth, or if it just happened.

Not too many suspects/interviewees have taken that tone with Booth before, speaking of Lupe. A little stereotypical maybe, but I think they just skirted away from it.

One of the few times we’ve gotten a hard date, even without a year—Sept 13. Of course, in 2010, that fell a couple weeks ago. In 2011, it’s going to be a Wednesday, I believe. But here’s the other thing—the big separation happened in February, possibly late January. Seven months, right? And who knows how much time between cases. But the lab is back up and fully staffed, and we know that didn’t happen overnight, either.

Someone in a spoiler discussion had pointed out that for the first time (probably since the Pilot, by my reckoning) someone sits between Booth and Brennan without being a suspect or person of interest. Sweets has that unenviable position, and I would have liked to have seen the look on his face when they took their places. Did they flank him or were they sitting with an empty seat between them?

And of course, we’re back to discussing what love is. Booth and Brennan have several discussions, and I’m a little disappointed that the mighty investigator doesn’t pick up on her wistful or rueful statement that she’s felt those things that make up love, that she knows what they feel like. After all, she spent the better part of 5 seasons saying she didn’t, had never felt them and it was all chemical—and don’t forget when she said in S4 that she wished she could feel it, understand it, embrace it like everyone else seemingly can. It still is chemical to her, but she admits to the reality, and I suspect is looking for Booth to explain how if love is all-encompassing and wonderful, it can fade away or be replaced. Not that she’ll come out and ask, of course!

Good
I think they’re playing out the actual ramifications of Booth trying to move on and Brennan’s feelings fairly well here, no matter how we got here.

Bad
There’s some more continuity errors popping up. I’m pretty sure Booth said Hannah was in Iraq already last week. So why is she just now likely to be sent there?

Oh, and I’m pretty sure by now Brennan has to know when Angela says someone’s hot in that tone, she means attractive, gorgeous, etc.

Ugly
Despite Hannah’s presence, there wasn’t anything so bad it was ugly.

Case was a trifle weak, and the hour zipped by far too fast.

[Only admins are allowed to see this image]

queen

by DBCrazy Tue Oct 05, 2010 12:33 am

Clark’s back as his position fell through in Chicago

Any guess as to whether our little lost sheep are going to come home, wagging their tails behind them?

Hodgins and Angela are still over the moon about the baby and are making plans for a baby-moon (*makes face* Do people really say those things?).

I have never heard anyone say "baby-moon" although I did understand immediately what he meant. I'm fine with it being a one-shot, but I'll cringe if it creeps into the vernacular.

he was genuinely happy to see her outside the diner as well; but there’s something I can’t quite explain in his irritation with Sweets’ questions that suggests that deep down he knows he was acting on the rebound.

I agree that he was totally, happily surprised to see her, and I know what you mean about there being "something." I felt it too. (This is an example of how you amaze me, Dawn. I just have some recollection of it, and you can nail it down to the specifics!)

As for the bedroom shot! I'm with you on that...just ignore Hannah! lol

The Hodgins ogling, that felt so forced to me, whereas I didn't get that vibe in Soccer Mom. I did like it how Hannah went with the conspiracy stuff too. That's one that isn't so far-fetched though, so ...

We differ on Clark. I was not amused by his crack about B&B or the sneezing. They do push it too far, lately especially.

I hope things on your end are starting to settle down a bit. Wink

by bailey Tue Oct 05, 2010 3:30 am

Babymoon is the new it term. I'm already tired of it and think it sounds stupid. Although it's slightly less annoying than "push present."

by SnoopGirl Tue Oct 05, 2010 5:11 am

The sneezing was so over dramatic. Rolling Eyes

Kind of like when Brennan laughed at Booth when he said the guy was probably rolled up in a carpet.

by lancelot Tue Oct 05, 2010 5:44 am

I think the Clark comment would have been much funnier if it was more subtle. He could have stopped after he announced they were attracted to each other. The thing that makes it funny is that he NEVER get involved in those conversations. But YES they took it too far.

I thought Booth's comment about eggs coming from Chickens was eh too. I think it's funny when Booth doesn't always get the technical stuff but come on we know things other than chickens lay eggs, right? Rolling Eyes

by THX1138 Fri Oct 08, 2010 9:32 am

InkSlinger - Season 6, Episode 2

The Couple in the Cave

Okay folks, I went into the hospital on the 28th of September, got home the other day and, yeah, I didn't always have ready access to the Internet so I could use that as an excuse but the truth is there's something about having both legs operated on and spending a week on bed rest that just robs you of any desire to write, so I am just now getting around to my IS for 6x02. Late? Sure, you could say it's late. I prefer the term well aged. Except, you know, that would imply I had it done an it was just waiting around for me to put it out when the fact is I was just a lazy ass and couldn't get motivated to do squat. Anyhoo, since I'm running so late on this one instead of a full blown IS I'm just gonna hit the high notes. Sure a lot of you may like that format but don't get used to it, this isn't' about what you like after all, it's all about me. ME ME ME ME. Okay, time for another Oxy...

The case in this ep, well let me sum up. Arguing couple ducks in a cave to avoid the rain finds two dead bodies. Booth & Brennan meet a friendly park ranger who's an Iraq war vet and seems like a decent guy - that was the first warning flag. Case unfolds and it turns out the two victims were both in AA, one was the other's sponsor but not just that they'd also become lovers. Interviewing possible suspects leads them to a recovering whack job and an angry girlfriend, the whack job turns out to be innocent and, after an excruciatingly un-funny scene, so does the girlfriend. The body, though, gives them one last bit of evidence that points them toward the right culprit - Law Enforcement grade pepper spray, yes it's the Park Ranger. Actually the case was well done, with the exception of the pollen test, and the forensic science was solid and the investigation was handled well but there were a few annoying things like the running gag on the male vic looking like George Clooney or the pollen testing, that seemed forced and overdone. The funny thing about BONES, when Hart just writes a story and lets the characters interact the humor, when it comes out, is sometimes understated but almost always

The Characters
Let's look at the characters, hitting the high-notes here of course.

Angela - Funny thing about Angie's pregnancy, the one place she isn't sick now is the lab. That definitely means the kids gonna be a mini-squint.

Hodgins - I love the bugman but I did find some scenes with him to be a bit forced. Still he had his moments both forensically and otherwise. Forensically he managed to turn up the pollen evidence that first fingered, and then cleared, the girlfriend, later he identified the capsasum that blinded the victims, and ultimately led to the Park Ranger as the perp. If there was one thing I loved though, it was his unadorned admiration for Hannah. Ah, Angela will make him pay for that, I'm sure, but it was just so in keeping with his character. Well done.

Cam - Love how Cam has become Brennan's big sister now, worrying about her emotional health and well being, looking out for her now that Booth is together with Hannah. It shows how, since their first rocky meeting, she and Brennan have grown closer, from a relationship based purely on professional respect to one now that is as much about friendship as it is anything else.

Sweets - I loved seeing him out in the field with Booth, but it raises the question now - Booth taking someone other than Brennan out in the field? Anyway it was interesting to see how delicately Sweets is handling the partners, not as hamfisted as I'd have expected given his past forays into dealing with them, no, now he seems to finally know this is a couple you can't rush. Too bad he didn't figure that out last season.

Hannah - Well I didn't hate her. She's playing the part better than bluefish

ever did and there is some chemistry between her and David. Not the kind of Chemistry we're used to seeing between Booth and Brennan, but then we're not seeing ANY chemistry between them now so the small sparks Booth & Hannah are throwing might as well be a forest fire. I do like that she's an adrenaline junky and a maverick - both traits she shares with Brennan. I also get the feeling she's going to eventually let her drive to be #1 push her into betraying Booth & Brennan, and if it does that'll be the moment her relationship with Booth ends.

Clark - Loved seeing him finally break down and join the madness, the scene of him saying "butt naked" will go down as one of my absolute favorites just as the scene of him hitting his head as he sneezes will be one of the ones I hate. Clark has to be kept around, he's just too much fun not to have.

Booth - Gotta say I'm not loving the way he's treating Brennan. He's not exactly being rude but he's damn near, and he's gone from being a considerate, thoughtful, and caring man to one who's angry, self involved, and thoughtless. He's trying, really trying to make his relationship with Hannah work, but it's obvious that he's only doing it to try and chase his feelings for Brennan from his heart. It's only been one episode but we've had so much time to contemplate Hannah that it seems like more, so it's an interesting twist that I suddenly find Hannah less tiresome than Booth. If he keeps it up I'll be rooting for Brennan to go lesbian and start making her moves on Hannah instead.

Brennan - Brennan's attempts, early on, to sow seeds of doubt about Booth's relationship with Hannah were an interesting display of her struggle to deal with the fact that he's moved on. Her admission that she fantasized about a relationship with Booth, was an even more interesting, and clever, ploy to provoke Booth into reacting in front of Sweets. But it was her meeting Hannah that really brought it all out - we saw Brennan expounding on her credits but instead of being cowed Hannah applauded her and responded in kind, we saw Brennan draw allusions between her and Hannah in how the two met Booth, but instead of it giving the blonde pause to think it encouraged her to share stories of her sexcapades with Booth. Whether it's conscious or instictual, Brennan repeatedly attempts to insert herself between Booth and Hannah. Sometimes her efforts are clever (though more often they're clumsy) and yet she's failed to make a dent in their relationship. One wonders how long a woman like Brennan, who's not used to failing at anything, can deal with constant rejection like that.

Scene of Note
The opening scene in the cave between Booth and Brennan, as well as the subsequent scene in the diner, shows just how far apart they've drifted. Booth has distanced himself from Brennan and has basically reverted to a season one relationship with her, and you can tell Brennan hates it. She's not to subtle about her digs at Hannah and his relationship with her, I can almost believe that until Hannah actually showed up she was hoping to use the distance between them to break them up so she could move in and 'get her man'. Shame that blondie had to show up just when it looked like she was making some progress.

Brennan chewing out Clark. Oh.My.GOD! That was hot. Brennan knows how to beat down a man. I mean, I've had my fair share of ass chewings but that one would leave a guy sitting on a pillow for a month waiting for his cheeks to grow back. I've got new respect for Zach, Wendell, and all the rest of the Squinterns.

Booth and Hannah in bed - I hate to say it folks but that was the ONE scene where I actually felt there was some chemistry between them. The scene worked, it worked on so many levels and I finally felt that Booth and Hannah were a couple.

Quotable Quotes
Brennan: Why would I be jealous?
Clark: Because it's obvious you and Agent Booth were attracted to each other. I mean, a blind man could see that. I just couldn't understand
why you two just didn't rip each other's clothes off. I mean, just get all butt-naked and...

Booth: Just because they had different backgrounds, what, you're saying that they can't be in love?
Brennan: Your belief in the power of love is admirable, Booth, but an affair between these two is an anthropological anomaly.
Sweets: Yeah, I mean, crossing class boundaries that extreme would be rare and indicate that our victims had something in common we haven't discovered yet.
Booth: So it's not possible for two people to overcome their differences?
Brennan: <i>We</i> couldn't.
Booth: What?
Sweets: She's right.

Brennan: I was merely helping Dr. Edison to be a better scientist.
Camille: I apologize, Dr. Brennan.
Brennan: Accepted. (turning to Clark) Those people in Chicago...were...foolish to lose you, Dr. Edison.
Clark: Thank you.
Brennan: (chuckles) It's actually quite amusing to think that Hannah could ever affect my work. (turns to leave, laughs) (walking away, continues laughing)

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The GOOD - As mean as it seems Brennan's admission to Booth that she'd fantasized about them as a couple while she was away. Oh how different things would have been if she'd only called him once a week to stay in touch...idiot.

The BAD - The pollen testing scene with Clark banging his head against the table. C'mon, is this BONES or The Three Stooges?

The UGLY - The intro scene with Hannah and Booth. There's a saying that you only get one chance to make a first impression, well they totally botched it here. Hannah's intro was over the top and almost unbelievable, Booth was too uncomfortable, it just seems forced. I might not have put this down as the "ugly" if late scenes involving Hannah/Booth/Brennan hadn't been so much better in their interaction. Seeing those though, well, it just goes to show that Hart could have done better but went cheap to prove a point.

The case work was good, the story was okay, the character interaction was decent but Hannah's initial appearance seemed forced and the direction for some scenes involving TJ and Eugene Byrd (Clark Edison) strayed into the farcical. They were fun but they just didn't mesh with the rest of the story, the incongruity and poor transition between the scenes made for uneven viewing and left me with a general feeling of malaise. Summing that all up the best I can give this ep is:

[Only admins are allowed to see this image]

king

RM

by AmandaMarshall Fri Oct 08, 2010 12:31 pm

Brennan chewing out Clark. Oh.My.GOD! That was hot.

I really would appreciate you, as a guy, explaining that to me. I know you are right cause I see that sort of thing in real life all the time but I just do not get it.

BTW, glad you're back. Hope the legs are better.

by THX1138 Fri Oct 08, 2010 12:44 pm

AmandaMarshall wrote:
Brennan chewing out Clark. Oh.My.GOD! That was hot.

I really would appreciate you, as a guy, explaining that to me. I know you are right cause I see that sort of thing in real life all the time but I just do not get it.

Well, speaking for myself, any real man loves an assertive woman (nothing against shy girls, they're even hotter when they get aggressive), and knowing how self assured Clark is? Well watching Brennan take him down a peg just does all the right things for me. lovedoctor

BTW, glad you're back. Hope the legs are better.

Thanks. It's been a pain in the...well legs actually, but they are getting there. The graft site isn't doing so bad, but the donor site is painful still and then, on top of everything else, I've got gout in my big toe. One freakin' big toe! Rolling Eyes

Anyway, should be back to chasing interns around the room in another couple of weeks.

king

RM

by DBCrazy Fri Oct 08, 2010 1:13 pm

Welcome back, Your Majesty!

You can go with "well aged," just that it was aged in the keg instead of the bottle.

I'm with you on the understated humor.

mini-squint! Cool

As for Sweets. Do you think maybe he's backing off his hamfistedness because he's feeling culpable for where they are after his siccing Booth on Brennan?

Lesbian Brennan? Rolling Eyes

guys are soo predictable.

I'm going to have to go back and re-watch last week's ep. Somehow I missed Brennan saying she fantasized about Booth. I gotta see that!

...

As for the gout - mass quantities of dark cherries and full-on cherry juice.

by THX1138 Fri Oct 08, 2010 1:29 pm

DBCrazy wrote:Welcome back, Your Majesty!

Danke, good to be back.

You can go with "well aged," just that it was aged in the keg instead of the bottle.

heh, I'll cop to that.

I'm with you on the understated humor.

Yeah, I just don't get why Hart thinks you have to hit us over the head with something for it to be funny. Is he really that unsophisticated in real life or does he just think we are?

mini-squint!

hey, the show is stealing liberally from Ficdom anyway, they might as well give us a baby Zach and Bug soon.

As for Sweets. Do you think maybe he's backing off his hamfistedness because he's feeling culpable for where they are after his siccing Booth on Brennan?

I definitely think he's backing off for that very reason. Last season he'd have been on them like white on rice, this season he's like a cat in a room fool of rocking chairs, afraid to make the wrong move.

Lesbian Brennan? guys are soo predictable.

Damn skippy, and why not? Lesbian Brennan is hot. Plus she's only a lesbian 'cause she hasn't met me yet. See once the king gives her what she's missing she'll convert. I got it all planned out...

I'm going to have to go back and re-watch last week's ep. Somehow I missed Brennan saying she fantasized about Booth. I gotta see that!

Fantasized about her and Booth together, at the diner in front of Sweets. It's awesomeness.

As for the gout - mass quantities of dark cherries and full-on cherry juice.

Yep, I'm on it now. Ate a bowl of cherries and been drinking the juice. It'll take a day or two to knock out but it's already starting to help some. Still, what a pain in the...toe.

king

RM

by THX1138 Fri Oct 08, 2010 3:27 pm

InkSlinger - Season 6, Episode 3

The Maggots in the Meathead
Yo! Yo! Yo! Booth and Brennan head to the Jersey Shore 'cause some Guido got hisself whacked an' the partners gotta deal with all his bros and their hos in an effory to find the killer. We get to watch Brennan go Jersey with the best of 'em, Booth crack a 'roid ragin' douche, an' out man a wanna be big man, all on the way to solving the case. Oh, and the guy was killed by the ice salesman for stealing ice. How lame is that, getting iced over frozen water?

Yeesh, s'anyway, the case was...interesting, sorta. Basically a case of mistaken identity leading to a delivery man killing a good guy 'cause he looked just like another Guido who happened to be a douche. The comment from the delivery man, who was African-American, that the Guidos all looked alike was only mildy ironic. More interesting was the side story here of Hannah moving in with Booth and Brennan taking her role as Partner/Best Friend seriously.

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 get to it.

Angela - Interesting. She really didn't do much this week - her own forensic powers were outstripped by Booth and Brennan's fortune in discovering the murder weapon with the delivery man, and she let slip her pregnancy to Cam, Hannah, and Booth, so now the only folks who DON'T know she's preggers are the Squinterns and Caroline...and I'm betting Caroline already knows too. Not sure how, but somehow she knows.

Hodgins - Bugman was the MAN - he had jumping maggots, trace evidence, and even popped out the term "babymoon" - far superior to the tres gauche "Push Present". Loved Hodgins exchange with Fisher too - just awkward enough to make it funny.

Cam - Cam's job as head of the department seems to involve a fair amount of mother henning. Not just Fisher and Angela, but also Brennan. I mean, we all know Angela was there at Booth's to scope out Brennan's competition, but why would Cam intrude? Personally I think it was to watch over Brennan. There's a bond there that could grow to rival the one she has with Angela in it's intensity.

Sweets - Sweets is very, very carefully trying to salvage the wreck of a relationship he created last season. It's clear that he doesn't want Booth and Hannah to move in together, not because he doesn't want Booth to be happy, but because he sees it as yet another serious impediment to Booth and Brennan reconciling and getting together. The question is, just how far will he go to fix what he's broken?

Hannah - I know a lot of folks hate her, but I'm not seeing what there is to hate. Yes, she's not Brennan, but she is a good person (so far) and she's good for Booth (so far). The fact that she not only accepts Brennan in Booth's life but actively seeks her out and asks her advice, recognizing her pre-eminence in Booth's life, means to me that she's serious about making this life with Booth work. It'll be interesting to see what happens to drive the two of them apart later on since they're actually looking quite good together.

Fisher - Did nothing for me. I love Wendell, liked Clark, Fisher should go back to the nut hatch and take Daisy with him. Oh, and please GOD let VNM stay on vacation.

Booth - Well what can I say, he was less of a douche this episode, there was a lot less of him throwing his relationship in Brennan's face so I think we can chalk that up to the initial rush of dealing with his unresolved feelings for Brennan while, at the same time, his new girlfriend showed up. Now, this week, we have a version of S1 Booth who's trying very hard to keep his relationships separate. He's trying to avoid talking about Hannah with Brennan, and vice versa, so he's back to being the guy who keeps his work and personal lives separate - only Brennan is part of his personal life now, not only that but it's becoming pretty clear that Hannah plans on making her part of "their" personal lives because she knows how important Brennan is to Booth.

On the subject of Booth and Hannah, hate to say it folks, there is chemistry there. Not only that but Booth sure ain't no prude now is he? Wonder how hot it would be if Brennan was there. Hmm, Booth, Brennan, and Hannah...oh, sorry. Filing that one away. Aaaanyway, Booth and Hannah seem to be wearing better on my nerves, though there are times when it still feels forced on Booth's part. Also I think Booth is beginning to guess that Brennan isn't okay with him and Hannah, more than that he's sensing the shift in their relationship and it's starting to bother him, the way Brennan is pulling back. The question in Booth's mind has to be, why? Is she jealous of Hannah because of what she has, or is it just the time that she spends with Booth that used to belong to Brennan. Is it love or just possessiveness? I don't think he knows yet, and until he does he won't even think about letting Hannah go. That's the sad fact of things.

As an investigator, well, Booth remains the best and it was nice to see him man up slug someone, and watching him actually intimidate that bouncer was, in the words of my girlfriend, hot. Personally I just like seeing the man kick some ass and lay down the law. Also I thought the phone was the perfect gift and very Booth. He's always been a 50's fetishist - clothes, style, mannerisms, even his personal code of conduct is a throwback to that time, so the phone just fits him to a 'T'.

Brennan - Wow, what can I say about the amazing performance here? As much as I hate to say it Brennan had me laughing during her Guidette shtick and damn near crying during her scenes with Hannah. Brennan the cultural anthropologist was on full display and I can only say "Thank God she chose Forensic Anthropology" because Brennan ain't no Margaret Mead and she'd likely have gotten her goose cooked by the first group of head hunters she ran across. I mean, the Guido Tribe? Laughing

Now Brennan the forensic anthropologist remains an amazing scientist and partner to Booth. Her skills undiminished despite the stress of dealing with her feelings of unrequited love - or perhaps her skills are actually getting better since she now sees herself as just Booth's partner, and she's terrified of losing even that aspect of their relationship. On a personal note I have to love how she's dealt with her transition from surrogate love interest to Booth to being just his friend and partner. Having come to terms with the fact that she loves Booth but also accepting that she's missed her chance with him, Brennan throws herself into the roles of partner and friend, going so far as to look out for Booth and warn Hannah off of hurting him. That coupled with the heart rending scene at the end, where Brennan says "You're welcome" to Booth's "Thank You" directed at Hannah, well it just goes to show how much she wishes it was her, not Hannah, who had given him that gift, and who was spending the night. Poor Brennan, she's punishing herself now and like any flagellant one wonders when enough will be enough. When does she stop punishing herself and start going after what she wants, Booth?

The Intangibles
The Guidos and Guidettes rocked. I loved the whole damned setup and, yes, I feel more than a little dirty now.

Scene of Note
Brennan explaining how she knows all about Guido sub-culture because she discovered a compelling documentary on TV. I'm pretty sure that's the first time "Jersey Shore" has ever been called compelling.

Brennan telling Hannah to be sure about her decision to move in with Booth. You can almost here her warning off Hannah because she finally knows how much her rejection of Booth hurt him. She knows because she's finally accepted that she loves him and she could have had him if only she hadn't balked and ran like a coward. Oops, that slipped.

Booth, Hannah, and Brennan at his apartment. When Hannah gives Booth his housewarming present and thanks her, only to have both Hannah and Brennan say "Thank You", well, that was just heart crushing. Brennan has come to terms with loving Booth and she's so starved for any affection from him now that you can almost see the tears that you know will be coming once she's driving home.

Quotable Quotes

Brennan: These are what as known as "Guidos"
Angela: (laughs) Yeah sweetie, I don't think they actually like to be called that.
Brennan: They do. That's what they call themselves. Although interestingly not all Guidos are of Italian descent.
Angela: Really?
Brennan: While the styles and mannerisms are based on Italian-American tropes, the Guidos can be of any ethnic background. The male bonding is near homo-erotic. The friends, or "Bros", are more important to them than family.
Angela: Right, and how do you know all about this?
Brennan: I stumbled across a compelling documentary about them. The anthropologist in me was fascinated. I've been studying their language and customs.
Angela: A documentary?
Brennan: Yes, on Television.
Angela: Sweetie, just because it's called reality television doesn't mean that it's a documentary
Brennan: I'm quite certain you're incorrect about that.

Brennan: Eureka! A gathering of Gudios!

Guido: Ballistic as in referring to from the balls!

Brennan: One thing, Hannah. I want you to be sure about this.
Hannah: The Phone?
Brennan: No. Although I understand the misunderstanding. No about you and Booth moving in together. Booth will give himself to you completely, and it would be very painful for him if you weren't as serious about the relationship as he is.
Hannah: I am. You're a good friend Temperance, Seeley is very lucky.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The GOOD - Emily will win an Emmy if she keeps turning out performances like the one we got tonight. Not the slightly over the top Guidette impression, but the show of silent suffering when she talked to Hannah about being sure of her decision to move in with Booth, or later when she said "You're Welcome" at the same time as Hannah, it was heart breaking to see her in so much pain. Even Booth is getting it now, but I wonder if he knows what to do to fix things.

The BAD - The return of the Squintern Shuffle. C'mon Hart, PICK ONE FUCKING INTERN AND BE DONE WITH IT! Wanker.

The UGLY - The jumping maggots. I really, really didn't need to know maggots could jump like that.

You know what? I'm not too ashamed to say I loved it. I am too ashamed to say it was just slightly better than average though.
[Only admins are allowed to see this image]

king

RM

by treble21 Fri Oct 08, 2010 3:32 pm

I'm with you on the maggots, as I said in the show discussion thread, jumping maggots are literally my worst nightmare.

by dawnsfire Fri Oct 08, 2010 4:47 pm

Maggots in the Meathead

OK, I was reminded all over again why I don’t like reality TV. At all. And why I’m so grateful to not have cable, either (yes, I live in a backwards household—which actually has a black Bakelite rotary phone in it that’s older than I am, btw. Sucker really is heavy!).

I know nothing at all about Jersey Shore—is it all so…over the top and heavy on the Italian stereotypes?

Case

A man with a metal detector on a beach at night discovers a body crawling with maggots (detector picked up the cross the victim was wearing); he steals the cross and runs off, and our heroes get a 3AM call, though it’s light when they get there. The body is rapidly decomposing even as they speak and they rush it off to the lab, though not before finding his wallet.

The victim is Ritchie Genaro, aka Ritchie the V (for his body shape). He was some sort of trainer and had some videos out about bodybuilding; because of that and the “tribe” he ran with, his body showed evidence of some physical tweaking (veneers) and male beauty products (suntan oil, hair gel, etc), not to mention ephedra in his system that had the maggots literally jumping. Brennan, of all people, recognizes the social group he belongs to (one would have thought Angela would have) and leads Booth to the Jersey Shore or whatever it’s called near DC.

She does surprisingly well interacting with the “Guidos,” occasionally offering translations to Booth; I’d say he needs it only about half the time. They trace Ritchie’s path on the last night, touch on his brief steroid use, the rather girly fight over wearing the same shirt as his bro, his (possible) stalker—hard to say if she truly was one from this angle—being at the club. Suspects include his best bro, another guy he hung out with, his so-called stalker (and how she could be called a grenade—not really heavy and not particularly ugly, either—I don’t understand), the club’s bouncer (who used to sell steroids, leading to Ritchie ratting him out). Meanwhile, the body is decomposing at an extremely fast rate and there are two days missing from his life.

The weapon is a puzzler, concrete inside yellow plastic. First, they think it’s a concrete-filled bucket at the club that holds the velvet rope barriers, but that doesn’t pan out.

Brennan has one of her brainstorms and realizes the odd decomp rate is because the body was frozen for those missing days. They go back to the club and find the bartender breaking up ice with a yellow whiffle bat filled with concrete. Turns out he killed Ritchie, thinking he was the buddy who was always stealing ice (based on the same shirts the two guys were wearing). Apparently he had to account even for the amount of ice he used and this guy always taking it just made him snap one particularly frustrating night. Out of left field again.

And in between, the word about Angela’s pregnancy spreads and Hannah moves in with Booth.

Characters

Brennan—some of her forensic work seemed a little light, and really, I think all we care about is her emotion al state at the moment.
Her questioning Fisher as to his mental state is typical, but like her interactions with Wendell and Clark (to a lesser degree), this is the new Brennan. She asks, makes a blunt statement that is ultimately complimentary, but they are still softer, and have none of her previously distant, abrupt, or dismissive attitude attached. And watching TV long enough to catch “The Jersey Shore” is quite the variance from her previous habits, though mistaking it for a documentary is typical. Fortunately for her, she managed to pick up the right stuff. Can you imagine her watching some of the other reality TV offerings and trying to fit into those shows?
She’s got a better handle on her feelings about Booth and Hannah—or did, until Booth casually told Hannah to move in with him. I’d agree that the quickness and casualness are a bit off. Even my BF, for all his eagerness, didn’t make that offer so randomly or without thinking about it! You can see her bobble, overhearing that, but she packs it down, enough to offer Hannah advice about a gift for Booth and then to help her move in. She doesn’t like it, but she will still do it. But because she has acknowledged to herself how she feels and all that, she will still warn Hannah about hurting Booth. I could try for some elaborate tie in to the 100th, but let’s just say that it reflects back on her statement then—she doesn’t want to hurt Booth, doesn’t want to see him hurt. (I keep flashing on Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid”—the original version, not Disney’s bastardization. Go read it and see what I mean; specifically the part about how she feels as though she’s walking on knives. [Only admins are allowed to see this link] ) Thinking about it—this might be Brennan’s last gasp, so to speak, the beginning of the end (if you’ll excuse the phrase). Hannah’s here, she’s moved in with Booth, seems very sincere in her affection/love/whatever. That’s it, then—at least in Brennan’s eyes. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her withdraw very markedly from Booth now, if not the others.
She trained for a shuttle mission? When? She liked being weightless back in S2, and that was supposedly her first time. She must have done it afterwards. Hope she enjoyed it as much. If it was anyone else, I would have suspected her of exaggerating the event, turning it into training.

Booth—gee, and here I thought his passion was vintage cars, not old phones (granted, there is some charm to those old ones). And he hates male beauty products—funny, considering how much gel he uses! All right, maybe it was just the term he objected to, though I must say I’m surprised he doesn’t use some sort of cologne, at least once in a while.
The best thing I can say about these Hannah scenes is the new and sexy shots of Booth we’re getting. A bribe to make us accept her more easily? Not really going to work, but I’ll enjoy the side benefits while they last. And speaking of sexy, that brief fistfight and then the intimidation scene? Whoo! *fans self* Yes, more, please!
Now about him and Brennan: I think he’s getting it. He knows something’s off between Brennan and himself, based on that end scene (and too many more of those and I will probably spring a leak). Question is, how long before his conscious mind catches up and then how long before he does something about it? He’s too ethical to cheat on Hannah, and he won’t drop her for Brennan like that. *snap* Look for plenty of angst from both Booth and Brennan in the rest of the season.
Did anyone else see how cautious Booth was in the room of women? Cat in a room of rockers is not anywhere close. Think about it. Current girlfriend, old girlfriend/good friend, woman he’s still in love with but denying, and her best friend. Could have been major trouble, except they all seem to want the best for him, so Cam and Angela won’t make trouble if Brennan doesn’t, and she won’t because she just wants him happy. Not sure where Hannah falls—does she know how close B&B were? I know she asked last week if she had anything to worry about and seemed to take his answer at face value, but…

Angela—morning sickness? So much for the lab being the only place that she doesn’t feel sick. While she did her thing to help ID the weapon, she was mostly about the baby. (Oh, and I do know people who eat crackers for pleasure—I prefer cheese on them, myself). Even her blouse is vaguely reminiscent of a maternity top.

Hodgins—excited about cheese skippers, does his thing with particulates and scraps of material, etc—nothing all that major. Still has his relationship with Fisher to some degree. The interns have mostly grown on him (except maybe for Daisy) and he will admit to reluctant concern for them; here, worrying that Fisher’s slipping when he yawns.

Cam—well, she figures out Angela’s pregnant. I’d have rather had Brennan do it in a way, based on bones and all, though really, Ange telling her first was cool. All right, I digress. Somewhat more professionally dressed for most of the episode, and she’s right there. I had noticed last season how much of the actual intern-wrangling she does, and tonight was no exception. Bolsters them, reins them in, keeps an eye on them.

Sweets—barely there, but he has a pretty important piece of the puzzle in that he knows all the text-speak and crazy abbreviations, though I have a hard time believing Booth doesn’t know TTFN. Even I know that and I’m almost as clueless as Brennan sometimes. Do you suppose it’s guilt for his pushing that has him poking at Booth about his true feelings about Brennan and Hannah? I think he’s showing a fair amount of courage, though in doing so.

Fisher—sounds like depression to me. Twenty hours of sleep per day? For two months? (right?) Yeah, definitely not “normal.” Of course, he never did fit current societal standards of normality anyway. He does seem to be trying to change, to lose the gloom and doom. It’s as drastic as Brennan’s in his way, if more blatant; a counterpoint to her statement last season that she’s a scientist and can’t change?

Hannah—if she’s not genuinely attached to Booth, she’s an excellent actress. The nomad comment might be a warning though. She’s rootless, fancy-free, and her only real ties are her job and, at the moment, Booth. Passionate in bed and about her job. I’m also intrigued by her pursuit of the truth. Wonder what the story is?

Random Impressions

Wait, wait—HIS MAC’N’CHEESE? Oh, Lord, the world has truly turned upside down!

We’re back to crazy people discovering the body, though somehow I doubt Metal-Detector guy actually reported the body.

Ephedra is illegal in these United States, according to my hasty research, though as always, one can manage to find these things when looking hard enough.

I think we all know how the big pregnancy announcement is going to go, right? 95% of the characters will know and be trying so hard to act surprised when Hodgins makes his announcement that they’ll overdo it and he’ll know what they’re up to. Of course, they were rather obvious in giving Booth the hints—and it appears Hannah knew as well!

Ewww to the maggots and the skin falling off. Almost as gross as all the eyeballs last season. And speaking of maggots…*makes face* Blech. Are they that common when buried? Wouldn’t they need some air survive after hatching? No, never mind—I’m not sure I want a lecture on the lifestyle of the average maggot.

“Maggot, right there on the leg, right there. Can I squash him or does Hodgins have to interrogate him?”

Did not need the jump from grave-robber to Booth & Hannah falling back onto the bed! Liked some of the dialogue, though—the bombs on Afghanistan drowned them out?

Hodgins correcting people on the cement/concrete thing is straight from Brennan correcting people back in S2—Killer in the Concrete.

Side note: thinking over the past seasons, there’s a lot of stuff in there about change in general. Do people change? Should they change or can they? The answers have been variable, from they don’t (Two Bodies) to they do, especially with time (Time Capsule, current season). Hmmm… thoughts for another day.

Good
Solid case work, excellent characterization in the circumstances.

Bad
Ick to the body. Some of the science seemed a little weak, but that could just be me.

Ugly
Sorry, the Guido scenes were bad. I hate watching Brennan trying to fit in—though she did it so much better here than usually. *shudder* I truly don’t want to think about what that means!

Could have been a lot worse—in fact, I was expecting it to be 10 times worse! But really… This is me being generous, ‘cause the rest of it was fine.

[Only admins are allowed to see this image]

queen

by AmandaMarshall Fri Oct 08, 2010 5:46 pm

Love how you used the Jersey Shore lingo in your intro. Great writing.

You must be a really sweet guy. Either that or you still have some really good meds left from your surgery. Maybe there is a third possibility. You love the same women as Booth! How else could you be so generous in your interpretation of Hannah's motives?

The fact that she not only accepts Brennan in Booth's life but actively seeks her out and asks her advice, recognizing her pre-eminence in Booth's life, means to me that she's serious about making this life with Booth work.

Unless there is some yet unrevealed storyline, I would say Hannah recognizes the threat Brennan is to her relationship with Booth. She will stay close to Brennan in order stay between B&B.

As for Brennan, I doubt she will give Booth up so easily now that she feels the emptiness of his absence. She may think she will but she won't.

have to love how she's dealt with her transition from surrogate love interest to Booth to being just his friend and partner. Having come to terms with the fact that she loves Booth but also accepting that she's missed her chance with him, Brennan throws herself into the roles of partner and friend, going so far as to look out for Booth and warn Hannah off of hurting him.

This season Brennan will be learning what Pascal meant when he said, “The heart has its reasons which reason knows not."

by SnoopGirl Fri Oct 08, 2010 10:48 pm

The BAD - The return of the Squintern Shuffle. C'mon Hart, PICK ONE FUCKING INTERN AND BE DONE WITH IT! Wanker.

[Only admins are allowed to see this image]

by THX1138 Sat Oct 09, 2010 12:17 am

I know nothing at all about Jersey Shore—is it all so…over the top and heavy on the Italian stereotypes?

Yep, it's all about the Guidos and Guidettes, Bros and Hos, Creepin', Fist Pumpin', Club Jumpin fun. That and enough hair product to float a third world navy.

Characters

Brennan—some of her forensic work seemed a little light, and really, I think all we care about is her emotion state at the moment.
Her questioning Fisher as to his mental state is typical, but like her interactions with Wendell and Clark (to a lesser degree), this is the new Brennan. She asks, makes a blunt statement that is ultimately complimentary, but they are still softer, and have none of her previously distant, abrupt, or dismissive attitude attached. And watching TV long enough to catch “The Jersey Shore” is quite the variance from her previous habits, though mistaking it for a documentary is typical. Fortunately for her, she managed to pick up the right stuff. Can you imagine her watching some of the other reality TV offerings and trying to fit into those shows?
She’s got a better handle on her feelings about Booth and Hannah—or did, until Booth casually told Hannah to move in with him. I’d agree that the quickness and casualness are a bit off. Even my BF, for all his eagerness, didn’t make that offer so randomly or without thinking about it! You can see her bobble, overhearing that, but she packs it down, enough to offer Hannah advice about a gift for Booth and then to help her move in. She doesn’t like it, but she will still do it. But because she has acknowledged to herself how she feels and all that, she will still warn Hannah about hurting Booth. I could try for some elaborate tie in to the 100th, but let’s just say that it reflects back on her statement then—she doesn’t want to hurt Booth, doesn’t want to see him hurt. (I keep flashing on Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid”—the original version, not Disney’s bastardization. Go read it and see what I mean; specifically the part about how she feels as though she’s walking on knives. [Only admins are allowed to see this link] ) Thinking about it—this might be Brennan’s last gasp, so to speak, the beginning of the end (if you’ll excuse the phrase). Hannah’s here, she’s moved in with Booth, seems very sincere in her affection/love/whatever. That’s it, then—at least in Brennan’s eyes. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her withdraw very markedly from Booth now, if not the others.
She trained for a shuttle mission? When? She liked being weightless back in S2, and that was supposedly her first time. She must have done it afterwards. Hope she enjoyed it as much. If it was anyone else, I would have suspected her of exaggerating the event, turning it into training.

Re: Brennan's changing, yes, absolutely this is a kinder, gentler Brennan. I believe she came back from Maluku intent on showing Booth she could change so she could make the case for giving them another chance. Of course this was all short circuited by Booth pushing Hannah into her face, but as things settle down I take it as a good sign that she's not pulling back from her new found emotional security. This means that, maybe, she will take a risk on Booth some day in a (near) Hannah-less future.
Lucky BF you got there my Queen.
About the housewarming party - I saw the tie in with Booth's coma dream. Angela not being able to drink wine wasn't the obvious "Ohh! I get it!" moment for most folks - there are multiple reasons Angie might not be able to have more wine, like she's the designated driver, so preggers wouldn't normally pop up on any man's radar but it did for Booth. Also the look on his face when he's talking to Ange was almost the same as when he was talking to Bren in his dream. Sorta weird really.
Re: the shuttle mission - you know there is a simple answer, she started training but NASA discontinued her project before she got to the vomit comet section. Occam's soup spoon folks, no need to complicate things.

Booth—gee, and here I thought his passion was vintage cars, not old phones (granted, there is some charm to those old ones). And he hates male beauty products—funny, considering how much gel he uses! All right, maybe it was just the term he objected to, though I must say I’m surprised he doesn’t use some sort of cologne, at least once in a while.
The best thing I can say about these Hannah scenes is the new and sexy shots of Booth we’re getting. A bribe to make us accept her more easily? Not really going to work, but I’ll enjoy the side benefits while they last. And speaking of sexy, that brief fistfight and then the intimidation scene? Whoo! *fans self* Yes, more, please!
Now about him and Brennan: I think he’s getting it. He knows something’s off between Brennan and himself, based on that end scene (and too many more of those and I will probably spring a leak). Question is, how long before his conscious mind catches up and then how long before he does something about it? He’s too ethical to cheat on Hannah, and he won’t drop her for Brennan like that. *snap* Look for plenty of angst from both Booth and Brennan in the rest of the season.
Did anyone else see how cautious Booth was in the room of women? Cat in a room of rockers is not anywhere close. Think about it. Current girlfriend, old girlfriend/good friend, woman he’s still in love with but denying, and her best friend. Could have been major trouble, except they all seem to want the best for him, so Cam and Angela won’t make trouble if Brennan doesn’t, and she won’t because she just wants him happy. Not sure where Hannah falls—does she know how close B&B were? I know she asked last week if she had anything to worry about and seemed to take his answer at face value, but…

Booth on Beauty - of course he hates "beauty" products. So do I. I do use deoderant and, sometimes, hair product. Doesn't mean I want to smell like a girl though. No cologne for me (except on certain occasions), no masks or gels, just my wet hold product and my Old Spice deodorant. Me and Booth? We be mates here.
Vintage cars, vintage phones, the key word here is vintage. Booth, aka Tony, is all about the 50's retro scene. Again, Booth and me be mates here. I've got a 50's retro toaster, percolator coffee pot, waffle maker, and I'm looking for a nice 50's style (but new production) toaster oven (yes, toaster oven, the microwave of the 50's!). I'd love to get a 50's retro fridge and gas range, but there's no way I can afford those - tooo expensive.
Booth's dilema, he is too ethical to cheat on Hannah, though a part of me would like him more if he wasn't - imagine loving Brennan so much he doesn't think being with her is cheating 'cause he considers Hannah to be the "other woman". Anyway, too ethical to cheat, not likely to let her go quickly either 'cause of his sense of duty and obligation, so what will he do?
Um, on Booth's behalf, any man who doesn't move cautiously upon finding a room full of women is asking for it. What all y'all do when the coven is assembled with neither need to know nor care.

Angela—morning sickness? So much for the lab being the only place that she doesn’t feel sick. While she did her thing to help ID the weapon, she was mostly about the baby. (Oh, and I do know people who eat crackers for pleasure—I prefer cheese on them, myself). Even her blouse is vaguely reminiscent of a maternity top.

I eat crackers for pleasure, I like them with a shmear of butter and a glass of warm milk or hot tea. Weird, I know, but my grams would give me them to help me sleep when I was a kid.

Sweets—barely there, but he has a pretty important piece of the puzzle in that he knows all the text-speak and crazy abbreviations, though I have a hard time believing Booth doesn’t know TTFN. Even I know that and I’m almost as clueless as Brennan sometimes. Do you suppose it’s guilt for his pushing that has him poking at Booth about his true feelings about Brennan and Hannah? I think he’s showing a fair amount of courage, though in doing so.

I think it's less Booth not knowing and more Booth falling back to his tried and true "Me dumb luddite cop. Me no understand no understand text speak." shtick, and that's enough to prompt Sweets to offer his help.

Hannah—if she’s not genuinely attached to Booth, she’s an excellent actress. The nomad comment might be a warning though. She’s rootless, fancy-free, and her only real ties are her job and, at the moment, Booth. Passionate in bed and about her job. I’m also intrigued by her pursuit of the truth. Wonder what the story is?

I'm waiting for her job and her commitment to Booth to come into conflict. That'll be the end of "them", but how will it end?

Random Impressions

Wait, wait—HIS MAC’N’CHEESE? Oh, Lord, the world has truly turned upside down!

Yeah, don't get me started. Unless Booth's being facetious and his Mac'n'Cheese comes from a little blue box something is really wrong here.

Side note: thinking over the past seasons, there’s a lot of stuff in there about change in general. Do people change? Should they change or can they? The answers have been variable, from they don’t (Two Bodies) to they do, especially with time (Time Capsule, current season). Hmmm… thoughts for another day.

I think they can if they're motivated to do so. Brennan has been motivated to do so, the real problem here is so has Booth.

Loved you IS as always my Queen, though I do believe we differ in a few important areas. That said, as always, a pleasure to read.

king

RM

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