RegisterPain in the Heart Reviews-posted by willgirl on 18/05/2008
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Pain in the Heart Reviews-posted by willgirl on 18/05/2008
by willgirl Thu Jun 12, 2008 4:52 am
marymageli
The first one I found from Zap2It. I haven't seen the eppie yet, so I am only posting the review now without reading it. I am so excited who Gormagon is! Was it Zack as I guessed all along? I cannot think of anybody else. Hopefully in a couple of hours I will have answers to my burning questions. But just simply don't want to get them from a review. I want the real thing! So excuse my rambling. I am a BONES fan all along!
Finalewatch: Bones
By Sarah Jersild
May 19, 08:47 PM
Bones ends its abbreviated season with several short sharp shocks. Booth is dead! Gorgamon is at large! Someone from the lab is Gorgamon's apprentice! Plus big bangs, gruesome bones, and countless great lines. What a great way to end a season!
Oh god... who has he spoiled this time?
The writers obviously didn't take my "come on, we all KNOW Booth won't die" comments well, because they spend the first three minutes of the episode doing a damn good job of making us believe that Booth really croaked. Brennan is at her detached best when she refuses to attend his funeral (she has no time for silly rituals when there are 500-year-old bones to identify!), and she acts badly when Angela does convince her to come. That's why it's great to glimpse Booth in the firing party for the three-volley salute. The FBI used Booth's injury to lure some unknown criminal out of hiding -- the bad guy had promised that the next time he saw Booth, it would be at Booth's funeral. Booth and the bad guy scuffle, knocking over the casket (which contains a mannequin). Bones calmly knocks out the bad guy with the mannequin's arm (hee!), then advances on Booth and smacks him hard. You had to see that coming.
The main event
All of that is just a prelude to the main mystery: Someone has delivered a human mandible to Brennan, complete with two silver screws. Gorgamon strikes again! Zack figures out the mandible had been gnawed, but not by normal teeth. Instead, the bite marks were made by some sort of homemade denture. He and Hodgins petition Cam to do that Squint voodoo that they do, which she allows. But when they start experimenting on their model, it explodes. Zack is horribly, gruesomely burned -- he'll most likely need prosthetic hands. Even worse, the team discovers that Zack's injury wasn't even the real motive -- someone used the explosion as a decoy to lure security personnel away from the silver skeleton. It's gone.
This, of course, means that someone on the inside is Gorgamon's apprentice, which leads to a flurry of suspicion. Sweets seems to be all over the TV (Larry King, fine, but TMZ?) talking about Gorgamon, which is creepy, if not actually suspicious. Caroline points out that Cam had access to everything. Sweets does a profile that pegs Hodgins as the fiend (he's paranoid! He distrusts authority!). Cam thinks Sweets says that to deflect attention from himself. Booth and Brennan question Sweets about his whereabouts after the explosion. Sweets sarcastically confesses, and Booth decides to take him in. "You'd lock me up for sarcasm?" Sweets huffs. Well, yeah. "This is fierce wretched," he says. Hee.
Things start looking bad for Hodgins. He does an analysis of the water used to boil the jawbone, and finds high levels of lead. This means it probably came from a house in a very specific neighborhood -- which includes his house. Doh! Then, he visits Zack in the hospital. Zack wants to share something -- a theory? Suspicions? -- but Hodgins surreptitiously ups his morphine, putting Zack out before he can tell all.
Then Brennan makes a discovery -- it looks like that jawbone came from their own vaults. She sets all of her grad students to work cataloging the bones in Limbo (where unidentified remains are kept). They find several anomalous bones hidden away in various boxes, and something even creepier: Someone has removed the canine teeth from several skulls. Ick!
When Brennan examines the newly discovered bones, she finds they were from the same corpse as the jawbone, and were indeed gnawed by dentures, but those dentures weren't made of some sort of homemade polymer, like Zack concluded -- they were covered in the sort of marks made by a mouthful of human canines. Gorgamon's apprentice made him the dentures, which means....
Zack is the apprentice! He never meant for Brennan to get a look at those bones, which revealed his lie about the dentures. He rigged the fake dentures to provide a controlled explosion, but Hodgins delayed their deployment, which made the boom a lot bigger than it should have been. Zack knew exactly what he was getting into when he took the dentures, but his did it anyway so Hodgins wouldn't get hurt. Brennan uses that fact to logic Zack into telling them where Gorgamon hid. Gorgamon is killed when the FBI tries to apprehend him, and Caroline negotiates for Zack to plead insanity.
Booth and Brennan
We had several priceless B&B moments -- the first, of course, when Brennan smacks Booth at his own funeral. She's furious that Booth didn't tell her it was a ruse, but Booth protests that he gave the FBI a list of people to tell. It's not his fault they didn't!
That's not enough for Brennan. She confronts Booth at his home, as he's relaxing in the tub with a beer helmet, a cigar and a comic book, which is too damn funny for words. Booth gets so caught up in the argument that he stands to confront Brennan:
Booth: I took a bullet for you!
Brennan: Once! And that only goes so far.
Hee!
Later, Booth finds out Sweets was the one who made the call not to tell Brennan. He wants Brennan to slug Sweets, but Brennan takes it calmly -- he made a professional decision. YOU, on the other hand, should have told me personally, because you don't follow rules and besides, you owe me! It's the sort of gloriously frustrating logic that makes Brennan Bones. Later, she confronts Sweets quietly -- you were running an experiment on me, and if Booth knew, he'd punch you out. She takes a certain satisfaction in that.
Finally, we get a great moment at the end, when the team is parsing through Zack's favorite things at the lab. All his prized possessions were things that members of the team had given him, and Brennan laments that she never gave Zack anything at all. Booth comforts her by showing her that Zack had kept his acceptance letter when Brennan gave him the job. It's just what she needed to hear. Then, when Caroline announces that Zack will plead insanity, Sweets protests. Booth pulls Sweets aside -you'll do this for Bones, right? Sweets agrees.
Quotes
There were so many great quotes in this episode! Some of my favorites:
* Booth, on his bathing headgear: Hot tub plus cold beer equals warm beer. Hat equals solution.
* Cam, when Zack tells her about the dentures: Well, a toothless cannibal just can't cut it in today's competitive serial killer market.
* A grad student shows Brennan the reconstruction she made of the newly discovered bones: Brennan: Nice job! Grad student: I'm third in my class. Brennan: I'd like the names of the two students in front of you.
Highlights, thoughts and odds and ends
* Seriously. Zack. I totally didn't see that, especially after he was injured. It was a great twist.
* I loved listening to everyone lament what they should have done to save Zack -- Hodgins was shocks Zack actually listened to all his rants about secret societies, and Angela thinks she should have gotten him a date.
* Booth in the bath with his beer helmet is an image I will treasure forever. I also loved the rubber ducky on his knee when he was talking on the phone later.
* Zack's "uncontested King of the Lab" line got all the more poignant when I realized it was him taking a bullet -- or actually, an explosion -- for Hodgins. It was his way of saying goodbye. Oh, Zack...
* I loved Booth and Hodgins quipping about how they expected more sobbing ex-girlfriends at his funeral. There would have been sobbing fans, Booth...
What did you think? Were you satisfied? Were you surprised? Do you buy Zack as the killer? Did the opening fake-out catch you by surprise? Talk!
The first one I found from Zap2It. I haven't seen the eppie yet, so I am only posting the review now without reading it. I am so excited who Gormagon is! Was it Zack as I guessed all along? I cannot think of anybody else. Hopefully in a couple of hours I will have answers to my burning questions. But just simply don't want to get them from a review. I want the real thing! So excuse my rambling. I am a BONES fan all along!
Finalewatch: Bones
By Sarah Jersild
May 19, 08:47 PM
Bones ends its abbreviated season with several short sharp shocks. Booth is dead! Gorgamon is at large! Someone from the lab is Gorgamon's apprentice! Plus big bangs, gruesome bones, and countless great lines. What a great way to end a season!
Oh god... who has he spoiled this time?
The writers obviously didn't take my "come on, we all KNOW Booth won't die" comments well, because they spend the first three minutes of the episode doing a damn good job of making us believe that Booth really croaked. Brennan is at her detached best when she refuses to attend his funeral (she has no time for silly rituals when there are 500-year-old bones to identify!), and she acts badly when Angela does convince her to come. That's why it's great to glimpse Booth in the firing party for the three-volley salute. The FBI used Booth's injury to lure some unknown criminal out of hiding -- the bad guy had promised that the next time he saw Booth, it would be at Booth's funeral. Booth and the bad guy scuffle, knocking over the casket (which contains a mannequin). Bones calmly knocks out the bad guy with the mannequin's arm (hee!), then advances on Booth and smacks him hard. You had to see that coming.
The main event
All of that is just a prelude to the main mystery: Someone has delivered a human mandible to Brennan, complete with two silver screws. Gorgamon strikes again! Zack figures out the mandible had been gnawed, but not by normal teeth. Instead, the bite marks were made by some sort of homemade denture. He and Hodgins petition Cam to do that Squint voodoo that they do, which she allows. But when they start experimenting on their model, it explodes. Zack is horribly, gruesomely burned -- he'll most likely need prosthetic hands. Even worse, the team discovers that Zack's injury wasn't even the real motive -- someone used the explosion as a decoy to lure security personnel away from the silver skeleton. It's gone.
This, of course, means that someone on the inside is Gorgamon's apprentice, which leads to a flurry of suspicion. Sweets seems to be all over the TV (Larry King, fine, but TMZ?) talking about Gorgamon, which is creepy, if not actually suspicious. Caroline points out that Cam had access to everything. Sweets does a profile that pegs Hodgins as the fiend (he's paranoid! He distrusts authority!). Cam thinks Sweets says that to deflect attention from himself. Booth and Brennan question Sweets about his whereabouts after the explosion. Sweets sarcastically confesses, and Booth decides to take him in. "You'd lock me up for sarcasm?" Sweets huffs. Well, yeah. "This is fierce wretched," he says. Hee.
Things start looking bad for Hodgins. He does an analysis of the water used to boil the jawbone, and finds high levels of lead. This means it probably came from a house in a very specific neighborhood -- which includes his house. Doh! Then, he visits Zack in the hospital. Zack wants to share something -- a theory? Suspicions? -- but Hodgins surreptitiously ups his morphine, putting Zack out before he can tell all.
Then Brennan makes a discovery -- it looks like that jawbone came from their own vaults. She sets all of her grad students to work cataloging the bones in Limbo (where unidentified remains are kept). They find several anomalous bones hidden away in various boxes, and something even creepier: Someone has removed the canine teeth from several skulls. Ick!
When Brennan examines the newly discovered bones, she finds they were from the same corpse as the jawbone, and were indeed gnawed by dentures, but those dentures weren't made of some sort of homemade polymer, like Zack concluded -- they were covered in the sort of marks made by a mouthful of human canines. Gorgamon's apprentice made him the dentures, which means....
Zack is the apprentice! He never meant for Brennan to get a look at those bones, which revealed his lie about the dentures. He rigged the fake dentures to provide a controlled explosion, but Hodgins delayed their deployment, which made the boom a lot bigger than it should have been. Zack knew exactly what he was getting into when he took the dentures, but his did it anyway so Hodgins wouldn't get hurt. Brennan uses that fact to logic Zack into telling them where Gorgamon hid. Gorgamon is killed when the FBI tries to apprehend him, and Caroline negotiates for Zack to plead insanity.
Booth and Brennan
We had several priceless B&B moments -- the first, of course, when Brennan smacks Booth at his own funeral. She's furious that Booth didn't tell her it was a ruse, but Booth protests that he gave the FBI a list of people to tell. It's not his fault they didn't!
That's not enough for Brennan. She confronts Booth at his home, as he's relaxing in the tub with a beer helmet, a cigar and a comic book, which is too damn funny for words. Booth gets so caught up in the argument that he stands to confront Brennan:
Booth: I took a bullet for you!
Brennan: Once! And that only goes so far.
Hee!
Later, Booth finds out Sweets was the one who made the call not to tell Brennan. He wants Brennan to slug Sweets, but Brennan takes it calmly -- he made a professional decision. YOU, on the other hand, should have told me personally, because you don't follow rules and besides, you owe me! It's the sort of gloriously frustrating logic that makes Brennan Bones. Later, she confronts Sweets quietly -- you were running an experiment on me, and if Booth knew, he'd punch you out. She takes a certain satisfaction in that.
Finally, we get a great moment at the end, when the team is parsing through Zack's favorite things at the lab. All his prized possessions were things that members of the team had given him, and Brennan laments that she never gave Zack anything at all. Booth comforts her by showing her that Zack had kept his acceptance letter when Brennan gave him the job. It's just what she needed to hear. Then, when Caroline announces that Zack will plead insanity, Sweets protests. Booth pulls Sweets aside -you'll do this for Bones, right? Sweets agrees.
Quotes
There were so many great quotes in this episode! Some of my favorites:
* Booth, on his bathing headgear: Hot tub plus cold beer equals warm beer. Hat equals solution.
* Cam, when Zack tells her about the dentures: Well, a toothless cannibal just can't cut it in today's competitive serial killer market.
* A grad student shows Brennan the reconstruction she made of the newly discovered bones: Brennan: Nice job! Grad student: I'm third in my class. Brennan: I'd like the names of the two students in front of you.
Highlights, thoughts and odds and ends
* Seriously. Zack. I totally didn't see that, especially after he was injured. It was a great twist.
* I loved listening to everyone lament what they should have done to save Zack -- Hodgins was shocks Zack actually listened to all his rants about secret societies, and Angela thinks she should have gotten him a date.
* Booth in the bath with his beer helmet is an image I will treasure forever. I also loved the rubber ducky on his knee when he was talking on the phone later.
* Zack's "uncontested King of the Lab" line got all the more poignant when I realized it was him taking a bullet -- or actually, an explosion -- for Hodgins. It was his way of saying goodbye. Oh, Zack...
* I loved Booth and Hodgins quipping about how they expected more sobbing ex-girlfriends at his funeral. There would have been sobbing fans, Booth...
What did you think? Were you satisfied? Were you surprised? Do you buy Zack as the killer? Did the opening fake-out catch you by surprise? Talk!
willgirl- Deputy Director
- Number of posts : 9099
Age : 43
Location : Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Say What You Want : Go Synthesis!
Registration date : 2008-05-30 -
Re: Pain in the Heart Reviews-posted by willgirl on 18/05/2008
by willgirl Thu Jun 12, 2008 4:52 am
by Mary
Currently I am watching the eppie. It's awesome! Here is another review, now from TVSquad.
[Only admins are allowed to see this link]
Bones: The Pain in the Heart (season finale)
Posted May 20th 2008 2:35AM by Richard Keller
The cast of Bones
Holy. Frikkin. Frak!
You all speculated on it, but you couldn't believe it was true. Heck, even I mentioned it in a previous post. I just didn't realize that Hart Hanson and his writers would actually do it. Some people are going to be happy, some will be sad, and some will be downright angry about who turned out to be Gormogon's apprentice.
Now, I'm not going to reveal who it is on this page, because I would be pulled out of my house and systematically flogged. So, if you have not watched the season finale of Bones DO NOT JUMP AHEAD! If you did watch the episode, then click forward and read on.
Sweets, Bones and BoothThe Squints examine some evidenceBooth talks to the SquintsBones, Angela and HodginsTemperance and Zack
I have got to hand it to the folks who put Bones together -- they really kept me on the edge of my seat for most of this episode. It could have been either Hodgins or Sweets who were either Gormogon himself or his apprentice. And, the writers emphasized that point as much as they could with the mounting evidence against them.
For example, where was Sweets when the lab explosion occurred? And, was it Hodgin's house that was the secret residence for Gormogon? It really made you go back and forth in thought: it could be Sweets, but Hodgins seems to be more of a candidate because of his interest in secret societies. Yet, Sweets is big at manipulating people for his own needs. So, he could have been the one who stole the silver skeleton (especially since he mentioned it to Bones and Booth in a joking manner). Of course, Hodgins may actually be the person since it looked like he gave Zack pain medicine right before he was going to reveal something important.
These were great distractions to pull us away from the person who actually did it -- Dr. Zack Addy. Wow. Who would've thunk it? I mean, I speculated but thought that it was a long shot. The thought was either Gormogon or his apprentice would be totally outside of the Jeffersonian. Never did I think that Zack would have the balls to become Gormogon's helper, let alone kill someone for him? Wasn't he sent home from Iraq because he never really fit in amongst all of the mayhem taking place over there?
It's probably not all that far-fetched that Zack was the apprentice just by thinking back to all of his appearances this past season. Zack became so unemotional this past year that he made Mr. Spock look emotionally-balanced. As he stepped further and further away from his emotions, he tightened his grip on his logic--to the point that his logic became flawed. Is this what happens when emotions are stripped away to be replaced by an almost mechanized reaction to everything? Something for the philosophers reading this review to ponder.
When it was revealed that Zack was the apprentice, and the murderer of the lobbyist, it was shocking. And, very sad. Not only to us viewers, but to all of the people in Zack's life. Particularly the women, who were all just devastated about this. Cam and Bones were hurt the most. Did you see the look on Cam's face when she realized that Zack was the apprentice? The stock market hasn't fallen that fast in recent memory. Then, watching Cam, Angela and Bones at the ICU window as they took one of the last glances they would have of the Zack that they knew. It was heart-breaking.
And, how about the identity of Gormogon himself? A nobody -- just like all other serial killers. Just another person who believes that they are more superior to others. Except, this time around, he got several people to join him in his beliefs. For some of you out there the death of this person was probably a bit underwhelming. Personally, this was the right ending for this serial killer; he was born a no one and died a no one.
Man, that episode took quite a bit out of me, so let's just finish this review with a round-up of the other things that went on during the season finale.
*
This was a big-time Squint episode. Their finest moment was when they were all crowded around the mandible throwing out ideas of its origins. Now that we know that Zack was the apprentice it was a poignant scene as it will probably be the last time we see all of them together.
*
Booth's funeral was one of the weaker moments in this very strong episode. While the events leading up to the funeral were good, the funeral scene itself seemed a bit disjointed. Still, it provided an avenue for some serious emotions from Temperance Brennan and her feelings towards Booth.
*
Bones punching Booth: he certainly had it coming -- not telling his partner of three years that he wasn't quite dead. National Security, Shmational Blecurity, I say! By the way, who was that guy that Booth brought down at the funeral?
*
For some of you out there the scene of David Boreanaz in his bathtub was the highlight of the episode, especially when he stood up. Temperance's reaction wasn't too surprising. Gosh, I'm sure she seen her share of bats and balls in her day.
*
Limbo. Have we seen that room at all this year? Other than in the credits, that is. Still, it was good place to see all of Bones' graduate students gathered in one place. Maybe one of them will be the newest member of the Squints in the next season.
*
While I have found Sweets endaring over the last few episodes, I found him to a bit manipulative this time around. Keeping Bones out of the know about Booth's fake death was a bit mean. Now that he's out of the loop as either Gormogon or his apprentice it looks like we will be seeing a good bit of him in the fourth season.
Folks, that's it for season three of Bones. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did and I hope to see you back here in late August for the beginning of season four.
Currently I am watching the eppie. It's awesome! Here is another review, now from TVSquad.
[Only admins are allowed to see this link]
Bones: The Pain in the Heart (season finale)
Posted May 20th 2008 2:35AM by Richard Keller
The cast of Bones
Holy. Frikkin. Frak!
You all speculated on it, but you couldn't believe it was true. Heck, even I mentioned it in a previous post. I just didn't realize that Hart Hanson and his writers would actually do it. Some people are going to be happy, some will be sad, and some will be downright angry about who turned out to be Gormogon's apprentice.
Now, I'm not going to reveal who it is on this page, because I would be pulled out of my house and systematically flogged. So, if you have not watched the season finale of Bones DO NOT JUMP AHEAD! If you did watch the episode, then click forward and read on.
Sweets, Bones and BoothThe Squints examine some evidenceBooth talks to the SquintsBones, Angela and HodginsTemperance and Zack
I have got to hand it to the folks who put Bones together -- they really kept me on the edge of my seat for most of this episode. It could have been either Hodgins or Sweets who were either Gormogon himself or his apprentice. And, the writers emphasized that point as much as they could with the mounting evidence against them.
For example, where was Sweets when the lab explosion occurred? And, was it Hodgin's house that was the secret residence for Gormogon? It really made you go back and forth in thought: it could be Sweets, but Hodgins seems to be more of a candidate because of his interest in secret societies. Yet, Sweets is big at manipulating people for his own needs. So, he could have been the one who stole the silver skeleton (especially since he mentioned it to Bones and Booth in a joking manner). Of course, Hodgins may actually be the person since it looked like he gave Zack pain medicine right before he was going to reveal something important.
These were great distractions to pull us away from the person who actually did it -- Dr. Zack Addy. Wow. Who would've thunk it? I mean, I speculated but thought that it was a long shot. The thought was either Gormogon or his apprentice would be totally outside of the Jeffersonian. Never did I think that Zack would have the balls to become Gormogon's helper, let alone kill someone for him? Wasn't he sent home from Iraq because he never really fit in amongst all of the mayhem taking place over there?
It's probably not all that far-fetched that Zack was the apprentice just by thinking back to all of his appearances this past season. Zack became so unemotional this past year that he made Mr. Spock look emotionally-balanced. As he stepped further and further away from his emotions, he tightened his grip on his logic--to the point that his logic became flawed. Is this what happens when emotions are stripped away to be replaced by an almost mechanized reaction to everything? Something for the philosophers reading this review to ponder.
When it was revealed that Zack was the apprentice, and the murderer of the lobbyist, it was shocking. And, very sad. Not only to us viewers, but to all of the people in Zack's life. Particularly the women, who were all just devastated about this. Cam and Bones were hurt the most. Did you see the look on Cam's face when she realized that Zack was the apprentice? The stock market hasn't fallen that fast in recent memory. Then, watching Cam, Angela and Bones at the ICU window as they took one of the last glances they would have of the Zack that they knew. It was heart-breaking.
And, how about the identity of Gormogon himself? A nobody -- just like all other serial killers. Just another person who believes that they are more superior to others. Except, this time around, he got several people to join him in his beliefs. For some of you out there the death of this person was probably a bit underwhelming. Personally, this was the right ending for this serial killer; he was born a no one and died a no one.
Man, that episode took quite a bit out of me, so let's just finish this review with a round-up of the other things that went on during the season finale.
*
This was a big-time Squint episode. Their finest moment was when they were all crowded around the mandible throwing out ideas of its origins. Now that we know that Zack was the apprentice it was a poignant scene as it will probably be the last time we see all of them together.
*
Booth's funeral was one of the weaker moments in this very strong episode. While the events leading up to the funeral were good, the funeral scene itself seemed a bit disjointed. Still, it provided an avenue for some serious emotions from Temperance Brennan and her feelings towards Booth.
*
Bones punching Booth: he certainly had it coming -- not telling his partner of three years that he wasn't quite dead. National Security, Shmational Blecurity, I say! By the way, who was that guy that Booth brought down at the funeral?
*
For some of you out there the scene of David Boreanaz in his bathtub was the highlight of the episode, especially when he stood up. Temperance's reaction wasn't too surprising. Gosh, I'm sure she seen her share of bats and balls in her day.
*
Limbo. Have we seen that room at all this year? Other than in the credits, that is. Still, it was good place to see all of Bones' graduate students gathered in one place. Maybe one of them will be the newest member of the Squints in the next season.
*
While I have found Sweets endaring over the last few episodes, I found him to a bit manipulative this time around. Keeping Bones out of the know about Booth's fake death was a bit mean. Now that he's out of the loop as either Gormogon or his apprentice it looks like we will be seeing a good bit of him in the fourth season.
Folks, that's it for season three of Bones. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did and I hope to see you back here in late August for the beginning of season four.
willgirl- Deputy Director
- Number of posts : 9099
Age : 43
Location : Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Say What You Want : Go Synthesis!
Registration date : 2008-05-30 -
Re: Pain in the Heart Reviews-posted by willgirl on 18/05/2008
by willgirl Thu Jun 12, 2008 4:52 am
By Mary
From TVGuide here is a review.
[Only admins are allowed to see this link]
Episode recap: "The Pain in the Heart"
by Sandra Kofler
The events that went on in this season finale were pretty surprising to me, not all in good ways. I'm very happy that there are shows on TV whose writing can still throw me for a loop, but I found myself really questioning the plausibility of many of the events, which has been happening a lot with me this season. When I can't just suspend my disbelief and I end up sitting there going, "No way, that would never happen" instead of being totally into the story, something gets lost for me.
Regarding Booth's "death," it was extremely emotional to see everyone preparing or his funeral, and to see how badly Brennan was handling it. I teared up. This wasn't a scene I ever thought we'd see, even though I knew he couldn't possibly be gone. It was a superb twist that he was still alive, but after hearing the explanation about the top-secret FBI case he was working on, the whole thing just left me kind of deflated and questioning. Why would they choose to get this bad guy now? Why was Booth the only one trying to stop him from pulling a gun? Why did Brennan have to knock the guy over the head with a mannequin leg when there was a line of Marines and officers there too? Who was that guy and why did he want Booth killed? This is what I mean. It all really begs for answers, and there just aren't any.
The episode followed the Jeffersonian team's Gormogon investigation after a human jawbone was delivered to them with a set of silver screws, tying it to the ongoing case. Zack determined it has been chewed on by teeth from a pair of home-made plastic dentures and he and Hodgins set to re-creating what they might look like. The bone was boiled, so Hodgins was assigned to find out what kinds of minerals were in the water used for the boiling. Everyone was set on IDing the bone, which we found out came from the lobbyist we saw murdered in his home a few episodes back.
As far as setting up some big suspense, I thought this finale really did some great things. I wholeheartedly suspected that Gormogon's apprentice would be Cam... and then Hodgins... and then Sweets. (Though I did wonder where Clark had run off to). I bought it all. When the story can make you suspect some of the characters you love dearly of being murderous cannibals, I think that's some good storytelling.
Sweets really skeeved me out when it came to light that he never told Bones about Booth's death as an experiment. How do you do that? It just seemed cruel to me. He seemed to impart his professional opinion over so much of the case, and it was odd to see that level of involvement from someone who in my eyes hasn't yet earned their place on the team. I figure it was all done to set him up to look guilty in this particular case, but his actions throughout the episode made me lose a bit of the sympathy I had for the guy.
After Zack was caught in the chemical explosion in the lab, it seemed that he couldn't be the culprit because he was now a victim, and Hodgins started looking pretty skeevy with his weird mannerisms in the lab and upping Zack's meds to shut him up. We now know that it was all to help his buddy, but T.J. Thyne pulls off Disturbed Scientist maybe too convincingly.
In the end, Zack pretty easily let himself be found out as the apprentice with his incorrect diagnosis on where the jaw bone's tooth marks came from. Of course, he didn't think he'd end up with third degree burns from the chemical explosion he'd set set up for himself, either. But with all the places this episode went and all the accusations it made, it explained through the Gormogon reality ever too quickly for my likes. Zack is very central to this show, and I found it difficult to accept that this morally (or maybe just logically?) upstanding guy would make this huge turn in his life, accept the teachings of someone he barely knows based on a few logic principles, become Gormogon's apprentice and kill people, and that we'd have to accept his downfall in just a few minutes. Really now?
I never considered Zack to be someone particularly weak in character. This ending made it seem as though anyone with good enough logic would be able to convince him of doing anything, which to me borders on disrespecting the guy. Perhaps more of his story was built up and missing in the episodes that were never produced because of the strike? Maybe Zack's lingering post-traumatic stress played a part? I need something more to accept that this guy, who always worked with the good guys solving crimes, would ever go over to the dark side. And that he'll now be spending the rest of his life in a psychiatric facility. Big ouch.
I'll say the one thing I did really enjoy seeing was how real and balanced Brennan was in this situation. As someone who we rarely see downtrodden or sad or expressing any sort of involved emotion, she really ran the gamut in light of the extreme things happening in her life. She was furious enough at Booth to barge into his bath unannounced (now one of my top scenes from this show EVER), she showed immense kinship for Zack when she put her forehead to his in the hospital, and really regretted not showing her love for him like the rest of the squints had as they went through his belongings. I don't think we've ever seen her so cracked by the things happening around her. She was almost a different person from the compartmentalizing doc we know, but in a more human way, and in a way that to me was not a stretch. If she hadn't been, and remained her collected logical self, I think that would have been pretty unbelievable.
There's a lot more to discuss in this episode that there's no space for, but I wanted to at least get to the parts that felt really important. I also wished we'd had more of a connection with the Gormogon master (anyone else think he looked a lot like John Turturro?) and that he wasn't just a nobody. Same with the bad guy at Booth's funeral. I can't imagine what next season will look like with Zack (mostly?) gone, or how the dynamic in the lab might be different without him. Will he be replaced? Have we all been punked and this is just one big, bad dream? I can't imagine what's in store, and this finale just felt a little too big for its one hour for me. I'm still a little thrown.
I want to hear what you guys thought. Are you still in shock? Did anyone love the finale? Are you excited for what Season 4 may bring?
Meaty quotes
"I need my best friend." — Angela, convincing Bones to go to the funeral
"That woman was aiming at me. I would have happily taken that bullet." — Brennan's outburst at Booth's funeral
"Just know I won’t be attending your next funeral." — Brennan to Booth
Zack: "Is it a cake or is it a pickle?"
Hodgins: "It’s Schroedinger’s Cat."
Zack: "That makes sense to me. Cakes and pickles mean nothing to me."
"You clearly have no concern for me." — Brennan to Booth, on not informing her he was still alive
"Would you like a towel?" — Brennan
Booth: "Next time I die, I promise that I will tell you."
Brennan: "I look forward to that."
"Just so you know, I find your lack of Puritan modesty very refreshing." — Brennan
"A toothless cannibal just can’t cut it in today’s competitive serial killer climate." — Cam
"I think it’s interesting psychologically how agent booth’s constant efforts to persuade you to enjoy fruit pie could be interpreted as a type of seduction." — Sweets
"It’s Zack. He’s the killer, Booth. It’s Zack." — Brennan
From TVGuide here is a review.
[Only admins are allowed to see this link]
Episode recap: "The Pain in the Heart"
by Sandra Kofler
The events that went on in this season finale were pretty surprising to me, not all in good ways. I'm very happy that there are shows on TV whose writing can still throw me for a loop, but I found myself really questioning the plausibility of many of the events, which has been happening a lot with me this season. When I can't just suspend my disbelief and I end up sitting there going, "No way, that would never happen" instead of being totally into the story, something gets lost for me.
Regarding Booth's "death," it was extremely emotional to see everyone preparing or his funeral, and to see how badly Brennan was handling it. I teared up. This wasn't a scene I ever thought we'd see, even though I knew he couldn't possibly be gone. It was a superb twist that he was still alive, but after hearing the explanation about the top-secret FBI case he was working on, the whole thing just left me kind of deflated and questioning. Why would they choose to get this bad guy now? Why was Booth the only one trying to stop him from pulling a gun? Why did Brennan have to knock the guy over the head with a mannequin leg when there was a line of Marines and officers there too? Who was that guy and why did he want Booth killed? This is what I mean. It all really begs for answers, and there just aren't any.
The episode followed the Jeffersonian team's Gormogon investigation after a human jawbone was delivered to them with a set of silver screws, tying it to the ongoing case. Zack determined it has been chewed on by teeth from a pair of home-made plastic dentures and he and Hodgins set to re-creating what they might look like. The bone was boiled, so Hodgins was assigned to find out what kinds of minerals were in the water used for the boiling. Everyone was set on IDing the bone, which we found out came from the lobbyist we saw murdered in his home a few episodes back.
As far as setting up some big suspense, I thought this finale really did some great things. I wholeheartedly suspected that Gormogon's apprentice would be Cam... and then Hodgins... and then Sweets. (Though I did wonder where Clark had run off to). I bought it all. When the story can make you suspect some of the characters you love dearly of being murderous cannibals, I think that's some good storytelling.
Sweets really skeeved me out when it came to light that he never told Bones about Booth's death as an experiment. How do you do that? It just seemed cruel to me. He seemed to impart his professional opinion over so much of the case, and it was odd to see that level of involvement from someone who in my eyes hasn't yet earned their place on the team. I figure it was all done to set him up to look guilty in this particular case, but his actions throughout the episode made me lose a bit of the sympathy I had for the guy.
After Zack was caught in the chemical explosion in the lab, it seemed that he couldn't be the culprit because he was now a victim, and Hodgins started looking pretty skeevy with his weird mannerisms in the lab and upping Zack's meds to shut him up. We now know that it was all to help his buddy, but T.J. Thyne pulls off Disturbed Scientist maybe too convincingly.
In the end, Zack pretty easily let himself be found out as the apprentice with his incorrect diagnosis on where the jaw bone's tooth marks came from. Of course, he didn't think he'd end up with third degree burns from the chemical explosion he'd set set up for himself, either. But with all the places this episode went and all the accusations it made, it explained through the Gormogon reality ever too quickly for my likes. Zack is very central to this show, and I found it difficult to accept that this morally (or maybe just logically?) upstanding guy would make this huge turn in his life, accept the teachings of someone he barely knows based on a few logic principles, become Gormogon's apprentice and kill people, and that we'd have to accept his downfall in just a few minutes. Really now?
I never considered Zack to be someone particularly weak in character. This ending made it seem as though anyone with good enough logic would be able to convince him of doing anything, which to me borders on disrespecting the guy. Perhaps more of his story was built up and missing in the episodes that were never produced because of the strike? Maybe Zack's lingering post-traumatic stress played a part? I need something more to accept that this guy, who always worked with the good guys solving crimes, would ever go over to the dark side. And that he'll now be spending the rest of his life in a psychiatric facility. Big ouch.
I'll say the one thing I did really enjoy seeing was how real and balanced Brennan was in this situation. As someone who we rarely see downtrodden or sad or expressing any sort of involved emotion, she really ran the gamut in light of the extreme things happening in her life. She was furious enough at Booth to barge into his bath unannounced (now one of my top scenes from this show EVER), she showed immense kinship for Zack when she put her forehead to his in the hospital, and really regretted not showing her love for him like the rest of the squints had as they went through his belongings. I don't think we've ever seen her so cracked by the things happening around her. She was almost a different person from the compartmentalizing doc we know, but in a more human way, and in a way that to me was not a stretch. If she hadn't been, and remained her collected logical self, I think that would have been pretty unbelievable.
There's a lot more to discuss in this episode that there's no space for, but I wanted to at least get to the parts that felt really important. I also wished we'd had more of a connection with the Gormogon master (anyone else think he looked a lot like John Turturro?) and that he wasn't just a nobody. Same with the bad guy at Booth's funeral. I can't imagine what next season will look like with Zack (mostly?) gone, or how the dynamic in the lab might be different without him. Will he be replaced? Have we all been punked and this is just one big, bad dream? I can't imagine what's in store, and this finale just felt a little too big for its one hour for me. I'm still a little thrown.
I want to hear what you guys thought. Are you still in shock? Did anyone love the finale? Are you excited for what Season 4 may bring?
Meaty quotes
"I need my best friend." — Angela, convincing Bones to go to the funeral
"That woman was aiming at me. I would have happily taken that bullet." — Brennan's outburst at Booth's funeral
"Just know I won’t be attending your next funeral." — Brennan to Booth
Zack: "Is it a cake or is it a pickle?"
Hodgins: "It’s Schroedinger’s Cat."
Zack: "That makes sense to me. Cakes and pickles mean nothing to me."
"You clearly have no concern for me." — Brennan to Booth, on not informing her he was still alive
"Would you like a towel?" — Brennan
Booth: "Next time I die, I promise that I will tell you."
Brennan: "I look forward to that."
"Just so you know, I find your lack of Puritan modesty very refreshing." — Brennan
"A toothless cannibal just can’t cut it in today’s competitive serial killer climate." — Cam
"I think it’s interesting psychologically how agent booth’s constant efforts to persuade you to enjoy fruit pie could be interpreted as a type of seduction." — Sweets
"It’s Zack. He’s the killer, Booth. It’s Zack." — Brennan
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Location : Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Say What You Want : Go Synthesis!
Registration date : 2008-05-30 -
Re: Pain in the Heart Reviews-posted by willgirl on 18/05/2008
by willgirl Thu Jun 12, 2008 4:53 am
By Mary
The weekly usual from TV Guide's Matt Roush. He usually takes on Monday night shows, so his review is a bit of blend of BONES, HOUSE and CSI:Miami. I only post here BONES-related bits, so if anyone is interested in the rest, go the the following link:
[Only admins are allowed to see this link]
Finale Fever: Bones, House and More(extract)
As the season rushes to a close, so do the fates of many characters in one wrenching season finale after another. This is the time of year when terrible things tend to happen to terrific characters, and that was certainly the case on Fox’s Monday night shows.
I wish I had as positive a reaction to the Bones finale, which got off to a good start with a fun if obvious fake-out surrounding Booth’s mock funeral, and Bones’ outrage to have been kept out of the loop. Sweets made the call on that one, and for much of the episode, seemed the most likely suspect as Gormogon’s in-house apprentice. Alas, that wasn’t the case, and that dishonor fell on Zack, the mild-mannered brainiac—delicately and winningly played by Eric Millegan—who apparently could be wooed by logic to service some anonymous cannibalistic serial killer (possibly my least favorite arc on any show this season, and certainly the least satisfyingly resolved).
There was little logic in the telling of this particular story, and the sacrifice of this engaging character (who is being moved to a psych ward, where I suppose he can be enlisted on a guest-star basis in the future—sort of a milquetoast Hannibal Lecter consultant?) seems to me just another cheap sweeps season-ending stunt. Still, kudos to the rest of the cast for keeping it as real as possible as they grieved for their fallen-from-grace comrade. They’re why I wouldn’t give up on Bones just yet.
This was far from the show’s finest hour, but few shows seem able to avoid succumbing to end-of-season sweeps-itis, and it wasn’t nearly as laughable as junk like the incoherent CSI: Miami cliffhanger, which ended with a priceless shot of a fallen Horatio framed by his broken sunglasses. Talk about characters I wouldn’t shed a tear over.
Clearly Roush loves our show, even with its flaws. Bless him.
The weekly usual from TV Guide's Matt Roush. He usually takes on Monday night shows, so his review is a bit of blend of BONES, HOUSE and CSI:Miami. I only post here BONES-related bits, so if anyone is interested in the rest, go the the following link:
[Only admins are allowed to see this link]
Finale Fever: Bones, House and More(extract)
As the season rushes to a close, so do the fates of many characters in one wrenching season finale after another. This is the time of year when terrible things tend to happen to terrific characters, and that was certainly the case on Fox’s Monday night shows.
I wish I had as positive a reaction to the Bones finale, which got off to a good start with a fun if obvious fake-out surrounding Booth’s mock funeral, and Bones’ outrage to have been kept out of the loop. Sweets made the call on that one, and for much of the episode, seemed the most likely suspect as Gormogon’s in-house apprentice. Alas, that wasn’t the case, and that dishonor fell on Zack, the mild-mannered brainiac—delicately and winningly played by Eric Millegan—who apparently could be wooed by logic to service some anonymous cannibalistic serial killer (possibly my least favorite arc on any show this season, and certainly the least satisfyingly resolved).
There was little logic in the telling of this particular story, and the sacrifice of this engaging character (who is being moved to a psych ward, where I suppose he can be enlisted on a guest-star basis in the future—sort of a milquetoast Hannibal Lecter consultant?) seems to me just another cheap sweeps season-ending stunt. Still, kudos to the rest of the cast for keeping it as real as possible as they grieved for their fallen-from-grace comrade. They’re why I wouldn’t give up on Bones just yet.
This was far from the show’s finest hour, but few shows seem able to avoid succumbing to end-of-season sweeps-itis, and it wasn’t nearly as laughable as junk like the incoherent CSI: Miami cliffhanger, which ended with a priceless shot of a fallen Horatio framed by his broken sunglasses. Talk about characters I wouldn’t shed a tear over.
Clearly Roush loves our show, even with its flaws. Bless him.
willgirl- Deputy Director
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Age : 43
Location : Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Say What You Want : Go Synthesis!
Registration date : 2008-05-30 -
Re: Pain in the Heart Reviews-posted by willgirl on 18/05/2008
by willgirl Thu Jun 12, 2008 4:53 am
By Mary
This review is actually more on the positive side brought to you from EW's TVFAN.
[Only admins are allowed to see this link]
The Liar in the Lab
By Allimuffin , 05/20/2008,
This episode really was about pain, as the title suggests. There was so much of it packed into this season finale. Though it answered a few questions, it also left more unanswered. Let's start with the former; at the episode's start we are lead to believe that Booth's bullet wound was fatal. The Squints attend his funeral, but then learn it was a ruse to catch a criminal that promised Booth at some point in his past that "the next time I see you it will be at your funeral." Brennan was somehow the only member of the Squints not informed that Booth was only faking, and learned it only when viewers did. She responded by punching him in the face.
This was really Brennan's (and therefore Emily Deschanel's) episode. We got to see her go through a gamut of emotion and be both heartbreaking and hilarious. It's about time ED got some love for her great performance! This episode also belonged to Booth for standing in front of his partner in all his soapy glory. Brennan's wandering eyes and needless question about Booth choice of reading material seemed to be an excuse to stick around. Nomination for best line of the night is Brennan's response to Booth going full frontal: "I find your lack of puritan modesty very refreshing."
On the Gormagon front, I went into this episode with heap of trepidation. I didn't want to see anyone of the regulars revealed to be a murder or a liar. The apprentice could have been female, but a male seemed more likely. That left Zac, Hodgens, and Sweets as suspects. I've grown quite attached to all of them, but Hodgens especially. When it seemed that he was going to be the apprentice, I became quite distraught. Still, Zac will be missed, and the moment he and Brennan shared after his confession was heartbreaking. What made Zac do it? Was it something that happened in Iraq? Did the writer's purposefully leave the storyline on the back burner so that we would question his mental stability when we found out that he was Gormagon's apprentice? While Zac is shipped off to a psychiatric facility instead of prison, we can hope that he gets rehabilitated enough to use his intellect for good rather than evil. Perhaps one day he will get the chance to be a Squint once again.
It was a shock and a thrill to see Brennan confront Sweets about not informing her of Booth's only fake death. Because our gal always has the highest IQ in the room, Brennan figured out that Sweets had been using her and Booth for his own psych experiments. Will this storyline play out into the next season? Will this revelation lead Brennan to a severe distrust of Sweets and their future sessions? Sweets really went dark this episode, first in his attempted manipulation of Brennan and then in his refusal to go quietly over to the FBI for questioning. He may not be as trustworthy as we think...
On the B&B front, aside from their delightfully awkward bathroom encounter, they seem to be really really trying to avoid confronting how much they mean to one another. Sweets' theory that Booth always trying to coerce Brennan into enjoying a slice of pie is really a hidden attempt to seduce her really rifled her feathers. It was interesting to see her then try turning the tables on Booth by questioning his disinterest in having a slice.
The pain filled episode ended with a tender image of Brennan leaning on Booth for comfort. It was a heck of a season and I'm sure it's going to be a long summer...
Still, there are so many questions. Will there be any consequences for Brennan after shooting Pam in the last episode? Who was that guy that showed up at Booth's funeral? Why didn't Brennan or Cam realize that Booth's bullet wound was clearly not fatal? When will B&B just fess up to their love? Or consumate it? How will we wait three months for the next episode?
How about you? Are you left with any lingering questions? What did you think of the episode?
Yeah, that's what I think. There are tons of questions still to be answered. Hopefully the writers have realised the importance of providing answers to our burning questions. They still have time to do that since season premier hasn't been filmed, yet. Emily in her New York interview with E!Online's Kristin told they hadn't received the scrïpts, yet for that eppie. The writers still have time to adjust to the storyline. Fingers crossed things will come out well.
This review is actually more on the positive side brought to you from EW's TVFAN.
[Only admins are allowed to see this link]
The Liar in the Lab
By Allimuffin , 05/20/2008,
This episode really was about pain, as the title suggests. There was so much of it packed into this season finale. Though it answered a few questions, it also left more unanswered. Let's start with the former; at the episode's start we are lead to believe that Booth's bullet wound was fatal. The Squints attend his funeral, but then learn it was a ruse to catch a criminal that promised Booth at some point in his past that "the next time I see you it will be at your funeral." Brennan was somehow the only member of the Squints not informed that Booth was only faking, and learned it only when viewers did. She responded by punching him in the face.
This was really Brennan's (and therefore Emily Deschanel's) episode. We got to see her go through a gamut of emotion and be both heartbreaking and hilarious. It's about time ED got some love for her great performance! This episode also belonged to Booth for standing in front of his partner in all his soapy glory. Brennan's wandering eyes and needless question about Booth choice of reading material seemed to be an excuse to stick around. Nomination for best line of the night is Brennan's response to Booth going full frontal: "I find your lack of puritan modesty very refreshing."
On the Gormagon front, I went into this episode with heap of trepidation. I didn't want to see anyone of the regulars revealed to be a murder or a liar. The apprentice could have been female, but a male seemed more likely. That left Zac, Hodgens, and Sweets as suspects. I've grown quite attached to all of them, but Hodgens especially. When it seemed that he was going to be the apprentice, I became quite distraught. Still, Zac will be missed, and the moment he and Brennan shared after his confession was heartbreaking. What made Zac do it? Was it something that happened in Iraq? Did the writer's purposefully leave the storyline on the back burner so that we would question his mental stability when we found out that he was Gormagon's apprentice? While Zac is shipped off to a psychiatric facility instead of prison, we can hope that he gets rehabilitated enough to use his intellect for good rather than evil. Perhaps one day he will get the chance to be a Squint once again.
It was a shock and a thrill to see Brennan confront Sweets about not informing her of Booth's only fake death. Because our gal always has the highest IQ in the room, Brennan figured out that Sweets had been using her and Booth for his own psych experiments. Will this storyline play out into the next season? Will this revelation lead Brennan to a severe distrust of Sweets and their future sessions? Sweets really went dark this episode, first in his attempted manipulation of Brennan and then in his refusal to go quietly over to the FBI for questioning. He may not be as trustworthy as we think...
On the B&B front, aside from their delightfully awkward bathroom encounter, they seem to be really really trying to avoid confronting how much they mean to one another. Sweets' theory that Booth always trying to coerce Brennan into enjoying a slice of pie is really a hidden attempt to seduce her really rifled her feathers. It was interesting to see her then try turning the tables on Booth by questioning his disinterest in having a slice.
The pain filled episode ended with a tender image of Brennan leaning on Booth for comfort. It was a heck of a season and I'm sure it's going to be a long summer...
Still, there are so many questions. Will there be any consequences for Brennan after shooting Pam in the last episode? Who was that guy that showed up at Booth's funeral? Why didn't Brennan or Cam realize that Booth's bullet wound was clearly not fatal? When will B&B just fess up to their love? Or consumate it? How will we wait three months for the next episode?
How about you? Are you left with any lingering questions? What did you think of the episode?
Yeah, that's what I think. There are tons of questions still to be answered. Hopefully the writers have realised the importance of providing answers to our burning questions. They still have time to do that since season premier hasn't been filmed, yet. Emily in her New York interview with E!Online's Kristin told they hadn't received the scrïpts, yet for that eppie. The writers still have time to adjust to the storyline. Fingers crossed things will come out well.
willgirl- Deputy Director
- Number of posts : 9099
Age : 43
Location : Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Say What You Want : Go Synthesis!
Registration date : 2008-05-30 -
Re: Pain in the Heart Reviews-posted by willgirl on 18/05/2008
by willgirl Thu Jun 12, 2008 4:53 am
By willgirl
Here's the EW one:
[Only admins are allowed to see this link]
‘Bones’: Season finale and more with Hart Hanson
May 20, 2008, 12:51 PM | by Abby West
Categories: 'Bones', Mini TV Watch, Television
So that's it, folks. We've come to the end of the road on season 3, and I have to say that I've got mixed feelings about last night's finale. From the fake funeral in the beginning to the heartbreaking revelation of Gormogon's apprentice at the end, much of the episode either rang false or felt a little too condensed for me. (We'll reveal the killer's name after the jump for those who actually haven't watched the show yet. Get on that already.) Suffice it to say, for now, that to make me believe that ending, to wrap my head around that logic, it would have needed another episode or two to play out.
But let's start with the fake out over Booth's alleged death. I don't think anyone really thought Booth was dead, despite Emily's Deschanel's superb acting, selling Brennan's desire to stay within the cold embrace of her work to avoid the sadness of her Booth's supposed demise. There was so much that could have been done with this if it were stretched out longer than three minutes. I concede that it may have taken the characters too far along their building-love path, but it seemed like a cheap trick to find out so quickly that after Booth was shot in the chest last week by stalker Pam that the FBI supposedly used that opportunity to fake his death and lure out another killer. And that the good doctor Sweets would use this as a chance to test Brennan's feelings for her partner by not telling her that he was alive. Back in the lab, Brennan was rightly livid that she wasn't told, and that anger led to last night's finest scene for some: a naked Booth in the bathroom.
Now I won't harp on the beer-can hat being a little incongruous (though, as one Bones-obsessed colleague of mine pointed out, there was a tray there that he could have used and a beer hat seemed too low-rent for him, even in the comfort of his bathroom) but from the Green Lantern comic book to the cigar to the vinyl record playing on an actual record player, that was a total guy-bath time. And let's not forget the rubber ducky that shows up later. The scene might have been too light-hearted for some but a more serious scene, one in which Brennan didn't actually gesture at his nether regions and ask if he wanted a towel, would also have brought them closer to the brink of consummating their sexual tension. And in our heart of hearts, we want them to put that off as long as possible.
Speaking of putting things off for as long as possible — so Zack is our killer, huh? Not sure I did a double take, but I was perplexed by the situation. I would love to be able to quote the first episode of the season, but wasn't there something about the apprentice being a widow's son? And didn't Zack have a rather large, intact family (mother, father, siblings) that came to visit him at the lab during that Christmas episode in season 1? It was frustrating not hearing the scary logic that persuaded Zack, who was not isolated or disenfranchised, to kill a man in the name of... what was it again?
I can't help but keep thinking of how the everyone-is-a-suspect thing could have been stretched out longer. Hodgins and then Sweets as suspects could have been really intriguing. They were really selling Hodgins as the apprentice and T. J. Thyne was really creeping me out for a bit. It was a bit of nice character development to have Sweets take a stand against Booth's threat to put him in handcuffs and arrest him. It took him from the sort of fawning man-crush he'd had on Booth, back to being an adult professional semi-authority figure. And even Cam was acting a bit suspicious, but that turned out to be just a sort of jumpiness from knowing that someone at the Jeffersonian was the killer. Yet Tamara Taylor did an excellent job in the hospital-room scene when she found out that it was Zack. Her crestfallen face and dejection were enough to transfer you from questioning the logic to feeling the emotion. Putting aside the exchange between Brennan and Zack, which was just a bit confusing, watching Zack's friends gather around his favorite things (many of which they gave him), the shock and sadness were evident.
Still, among the many questions the episode left me with are these:
1) If Zack blew up his hands, who stole the skeleton?
2) If Gormogon did it, how did he get into the super-secure Jeffersonian? Wouldn't that make him slightly more than a nobody?
In my interview with exec producer Hart Hanson, Hanson said he was expecting a "violent reaction" from fans. But here he further explains why they chose to make Zack the apprentice: "We had gone pretty much as far as we could with that character. There’s an opportunity with that character to bring in a number of people. We’re not replacing him with a single character. We’re going have a bunch of people coming in and out and that gives us a bunch of opportunities in the lab for humor and stories."
Hopefully this isn't really a goodbye to Eric Millegan, who is actually a good friend of Hanson's. "We’re looking for ways to have him back as a guest star from time to time. We love the guy," says Hanson. "But you know, best laid plans. Eric’s a very talented guy and for all we know will be starring on Broadway and that will be that. I wish that for him but not too much."
It would be great to have Zack return next season, and as the squint squad takes turns visiting him maybe we could get a better idea of what reasoning Gormogon used to persuade him to commit murder.
Despite my many misgivings, I'm willing to give this episode a pass on the strength of the first two seasons and most of this one. The writers and cast do such a good job with the relationship-building and have come through so often that I can swallow the loss of Zack and hope that they'll pull off the next season, maybe even satisfying some questions from this one.
So, how are you all feeling about this turn of events? How violent was your reaction? Are you just shaking your fists or shutting the door behind you? Let us know if you'll be back for the two-hour premiere of season 4 on August 27. Have a good summer, guys.
Here's the EW one:
[Only admins are allowed to see this link]
‘Bones’: Season finale and more with Hart Hanson
May 20, 2008, 12:51 PM | by Abby West
Categories: 'Bones', Mini TV Watch, Television
So that's it, folks. We've come to the end of the road on season 3, and I have to say that I've got mixed feelings about last night's finale. From the fake funeral in the beginning to the heartbreaking revelation of Gormogon's apprentice at the end, much of the episode either rang false or felt a little too condensed for me. (We'll reveal the killer's name after the jump for those who actually haven't watched the show yet. Get on that already.) Suffice it to say, for now, that to make me believe that ending, to wrap my head around that logic, it would have needed another episode or two to play out.
But let's start with the fake out over Booth's alleged death. I don't think anyone really thought Booth was dead, despite Emily's Deschanel's superb acting, selling Brennan's desire to stay within the cold embrace of her work to avoid the sadness of her Booth's supposed demise. There was so much that could have been done with this if it were stretched out longer than three minutes. I concede that it may have taken the characters too far along their building-love path, but it seemed like a cheap trick to find out so quickly that after Booth was shot in the chest last week by stalker Pam that the FBI supposedly used that opportunity to fake his death and lure out another killer. And that the good doctor Sweets would use this as a chance to test Brennan's feelings for her partner by not telling her that he was alive. Back in the lab, Brennan was rightly livid that she wasn't told, and that anger led to last night's finest scene for some: a naked Booth in the bathroom.
Now I won't harp on the beer-can hat being a little incongruous (though, as one Bones-obsessed colleague of mine pointed out, there was a tray there that he could have used and a beer hat seemed too low-rent for him, even in the comfort of his bathroom) but from the Green Lantern comic book to the cigar to the vinyl record playing on an actual record player, that was a total guy-bath time. And let's not forget the rubber ducky that shows up later. The scene might have been too light-hearted for some but a more serious scene, one in which Brennan didn't actually gesture at his nether regions and ask if he wanted a towel, would also have brought them closer to the brink of consummating their sexual tension. And in our heart of hearts, we want them to put that off as long as possible.
Speaking of putting things off for as long as possible — so Zack is our killer, huh? Not sure I did a double take, but I was perplexed by the situation. I would love to be able to quote the first episode of the season, but wasn't there something about the apprentice being a widow's son? And didn't Zack have a rather large, intact family (mother, father, siblings) that came to visit him at the lab during that Christmas episode in season 1? It was frustrating not hearing the scary logic that persuaded Zack, who was not isolated or disenfranchised, to kill a man in the name of... what was it again?
I can't help but keep thinking of how the everyone-is-a-suspect thing could have been stretched out longer. Hodgins and then Sweets as suspects could have been really intriguing. They were really selling Hodgins as the apprentice and T. J. Thyne was really creeping me out for a bit. It was a bit of nice character development to have Sweets take a stand against Booth's threat to put him in handcuffs and arrest him. It took him from the sort of fawning man-crush he'd had on Booth, back to being an adult professional semi-authority figure. And even Cam was acting a bit suspicious, but that turned out to be just a sort of jumpiness from knowing that someone at the Jeffersonian was the killer. Yet Tamara Taylor did an excellent job in the hospital-room scene when she found out that it was Zack. Her crestfallen face and dejection were enough to transfer you from questioning the logic to feeling the emotion. Putting aside the exchange between Brennan and Zack, which was just a bit confusing, watching Zack's friends gather around his favorite things (many of which they gave him), the shock and sadness were evident.
Still, among the many questions the episode left me with are these:
1) If Zack blew up his hands, who stole the skeleton?
2) If Gormogon did it, how did he get into the super-secure Jeffersonian? Wouldn't that make him slightly more than a nobody?
In my interview with exec producer Hart Hanson, Hanson said he was expecting a "violent reaction" from fans. But here he further explains why they chose to make Zack the apprentice: "We had gone pretty much as far as we could with that character. There’s an opportunity with that character to bring in a number of people. We’re not replacing him with a single character. We’re going have a bunch of people coming in and out and that gives us a bunch of opportunities in the lab for humor and stories."
Hopefully this isn't really a goodbye to Eric Millegan, who is actually a good friend of Hanson's. "We’re looking for ways to have him back as a guest star from time to time. We love the guy," says Hanson. "But you know, best laid plans. Eric’s a very talented guy and for all we know will be starring on Broadway and that will be that. I wish that for him but not too much."
It would be great to have Zack return next season, and as the squint squad takes turns visiting him maybe we could get a better idea of what reasoning Gormogon used to persuade him to commit murder.
Despite my many misgivings, I'm willing to give this episode a pass on the strength of the first two seasons and most of this one. The writers and cast do such a good job with the relationship-building and have come through so often that I can swallow the loss of Zack and hope that they'll pull off the next season, maybe even satisfying some questions from this one.
So, how are you all feeling about this turn of events? How violent was your reaction? Are you just shaking your fists or shutting the door behind you? Let us know if you'll be back for the two-hour premiere of season 4 on August 27. Have a good summer, guys.
willgirl- Deputy Director
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Re: Pain in the Heart Reviews-posted by willgirl on 18/05/2008
by willgirl Thu Jun 12, 2008 4:54 am
By Mary
Zap2It's Amy Amatangelo's further thought of season finale episodes. I only copy the BONES-related parts; if you are interested in her comments on others shows, take a look at the following link.
[Only admins are allowed to see this link]
Sobbing and standing in my truth . . . more season finale thoughts (excerpts)
Overall: Shocking and sobering. What worked: They totally played into my (and many others') theory that Sweets was Gormogon’s apprentice. (Although once they said it was him, did you so know it wasn’t Sweets.) Emily Deschanel really rose to the dramatic challenges of her scenes and the Zack reveal provided the right amount of shock. Plus the recurring dialogue between Bones, Booth and Sweets about Booth’s non-death provided great character insight. What didn’t: Even though the reveal required a leap of faith from the audience, I think it all kind of worked. But I was so disturbed by the thought of Zack killing someone. I think it’s the kind of reveal that makes the viewer rethink everything you’ve ever seen that character do. How the show is looking for next season: I think Bones has really blossomed this season and I know for me it moved into the arena of must see TV. I kind of think I might like a season long mystery every season, how about you?
I do agree with her. All the tension caused by the writers has stirred up escalating emotions. And now everyone seems to talk about the show. Maybe HH got what he wanted. Just my 2 cents.
Zap2It's Amy Amatangelo's further thought of season finale episodes. I only copy the BONES-related parts; if you are interested in her comments on others shows, take a look at the following link.
[Only admins are allowed to see this link]
Sobbing and standing in my truth . . . more season finale thoughts (excerpts)
Overall: Shocking and sobering. What worked: They totally played into my (and many others') theory that Sweets was Gormogon’s apprentice. (Although once they said it was him, did you so know it wasn’t Sweets.) Emily Deschanel really rose to the dramatic challenges of her scenes and the Zack reveal provided the right amount of shock. Plus the recurring dialogue between Bones, Booth and Sweets about Booth’s non-death provided great character insight. What didn’t: Even though the reveal required a leap of faith from the audience, I think it all kind of worked. But I was so disturbed by the thought of Zack killing someone. I think it’s the kind of reveal that makes the viewer rethink everything you’ve ever seen that character do. How the show is looking for next season: I think Bones has really blossomed this season and I know for me it moved into the arena of must see TV. I kind of think I might like a season long mystery every season, how about you?
I do agree with her. All the tension caused by the writers has stirred up escalating emotions. And now everyone seems to talk about the show. Maybe HH got what he wanted. Just my 2 cents.
willgirl- Deputy Director
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Re: Pain in the Heart Reviews-posted by willgirl on 18/05/2008
by willgirl Thu Jun 12, 2008 4:54 am
By Katarina
Mary I agree as well. I think she nailed it
Mary I agree as well. I think she nailed it
willgirl- Deputy Director
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Registration date : 2008-05-30 -
Re: Pain in the Heart Reviews-posted by willgirl on 18/05/2008
by willgirl Thu Jun 12, 2008 4:54 am
By Mary
Jamie Frevele has published her mixed thoughts about the finale and the aftermath at Huffington Post today (27 May). I like how she tries to rationalise what could be behind writers's decisions in general when killing or writing out a character, and I kind of agree with her. Also, I think her analogy of puppies and the cock-and-bull kind of Zack-lash story is genuine and thought-provoking.
[Only admins are allowed to see this link]
In Defense of Hart Hanson and Why We Lose the Best TV Characters?
Hart Hanson shot my puppy.
I'm referring to the creator of Fox's "Bones," and that is precisely how I and many "Bones" fans are feeling after last week's season finale. (If you have not seen it and don't want it spoiled, please stop reading.)
It's been called the "Zack-lash" - the cannibalistic serial killer on "Bones" was revealed, but it wasn't his identity that sent fans of the show into the seven stages of grief last week over a character who didn't even die. It was the identity of the one helping him, his apprentice - Zack Addy, played by Eric Millegan. It was, to say the least, a shocker of a season finale.
But it isn't only the character of Zack being written off the show that has us collectively following the Kubler-Ross model. It was the fact that it was shoddily written. It was a hasty, cheap conclusion, and probably caused Eric Millegan to be the biggest casualty of the writers' strike (and earned him what must be the most bittersweet week of press ever).
However, I know why it was done, and I know where the writers were coming from when this decision was made. We would all like to think that our favorite shows can remain on an entertainingly even keel throughout its run, retaining all of our favorite characters and keeping them happy and healthy. But "Bones," as much of a drama as is it a comedy, is not willing to maintain a status quo. And that's great. Many shows have taken drastic measures to shake things up, and in the broader context of storytelling, it would only make sense to do so in order to keep an audience interested. Why would we watch a show in which nothing ever happened? It's the reason we're watching, and the reason we should all keep watching.
It doesn't mean that all the fans will be happy all the time, but good storytelling is what attracts people and affects them. Storytelling gives us characters who possess something to which we can relate, even if it's something very small or vague. But we are hearing about them because something out of the ordinary happened - why else would we be paying attention? These events are a catalyst for the whole series of things that will follow and eventually, hopefully, be resolved by the end. In other words, if a character is taken away, there is probably a good reason.
Take Mrs. Landingham from "The West Wing." At the end of the second season, she was killed in a drunk driving accident. It was the final straw for President Bartlet (Martin Sheen), who had been taking a lot of hits over keeping his MS a secret, a political situation in Haiti and a case against Big Tobacco. He was losing battles, and then he lost the pillar that had always held him up - Mrs. Landingham, his secretary (Kathryn Joosten). Bartlet was ready to skip running for re-election, until he had an imaginary conversation with Mrs. Landingham, who he knew would tell him "God doesn't make cars crash and you know it. Stop using me as an excuse." He runs again and wins (she shows up in flashbacks).
Talk about grieving for a fictional character - a California State Assemblyman (that would be the state government) eulogized Mrs. Landingham upon closing the session of the day following the season finale.
And let's please not forget about Edgar Stiles on "24" in season five. The sentiments attached to Edgar and the man who played him, Louis Lombardi, probably echoed a lot of what "Bones" fans felt for Zack Addy and Eric Millegan. This article on TV Fodder makes post-finale interviews with Millegan feel like deja vu. The major difference between losing Edgar and losing Zack, however, is that on "24," anyone could be killed at any time. (Including "Bones" cast member TJ Thyne, who played "24 Casualty #7680976898980 aka Jason Girard.) Losing Edgar really meant that the "24" crew were going to be ruthless in showing us how much of a threat the terrorists were and how high the stakes were. If Edgar, one of the most lovable and faithfully present characters on the show, could die, then we were all in some serious danger. (Another major difference is that Edgar actually, um, died.)
But it's not as if we've never seen characters leave the show as a result of turning to the dark side before. Taking "24" as an example again, did anyone think Nina Myers (Sarah Clarke) would turn out to be the mole inside CTU during the first season? Her character returned semi-regularly for two more seasons. But this was a well-thought-out reveal, as was the one in season five when we found out the nimrod moron President Logan (Gregory Itzin) was, in fact, not a nimrod moron, but responsible for pretty much every horror that happened that season. Season five turned out to be "24"'s best season because of the death of Edgar and the brilliant Logan plot twist. Edgar left us on a sad, tragic note and we got to hate Logan for all new reasons. (And, it should be said, it made season six seem incredibly weak.)
What made the "Bones" season finale so traumatizing, however, is how the departure of a beloved regular character was executed. The writers and the actor had created a character for whom we cared so much that doing something to put him in such deep peril would be absolutely devastating. "We love you, and that's why it will be heartbreaking to see you go." (Somewhere, Eric Millegan is thinking, "Gee, thanks.") Zack Addy has been the "little brother" of the show, the one who changed as a person the most, who grew up, nurtured friendships, earned his place in his career and spouted off technical jargon chock full of four-dollar words with the greatest of ease while figures of speech went completely over his head. He was so loved that when he confessed to being the apprentice to a serial killer who ate people and justified murder with simple logic, we weren't disgusted, or mad at Zack, or ready to write him off as a psycho - we mourned. So writing Zack off the show was understandable, especially in the context of a serial killer storyline - that's just how awful this killer is and how unsafe everyone else is. But revealing - out of the blue - that Zack has been in cohoots with the killer and a killer himself, then shipping him off to a psych ward? That's like sneaking up on me behind my back with a weed-whacker and then handing me a band-aid after I've been ripped apart. "Hey, at least he's still alive, right?"
Hart Hanson did not underestimate the reaction this twist would get. (In fact, while there had been plenty of speculation that Zack could have been the apprentice, I didn't really resign myself to it until I read an interview with Hanson for Entertainment Weekly the afternoon of the finale, in which he said he was "expecting a violent reaction." That was when I knew it was Zack, for sure.) But the writers completely underestimated their audience, and that's why this was such an inexcusable finale. (TV Guide's Matt Roush was pissed enough to bring it up three times last week.) In this age of Interwebs and DVDs and Tivos and whatnots, every single episode of most shows is readily available for viewing. And every single nuance of every single episode is open to discussion online by people who can examine scenes, facial expressions, dialogue, set decoration, everything as if it was the Zapruder film. As a result, the willing suspension of disbelief was given a whole new meaning. Fans, including me, have gone back over the past three seasons and come up with mountains of evidence for why this turn of events made no sense.
That's why it feels like Hanson shot my puppy - there was nothing leading up to it, and it was completely unfair. (I don't actually have a puppy. I wish I did, but now I'm afraid Hart Hanson will shoot it. And then laugh.)
It may sound a bit irrational to be this worked up over a TV show and fictional characters, and I will agree to a point. But as someone who aspires to make a career out of storytelling as a writer and an actor - and as someone who once called "Bones" the "perfect show" - I think Hanson and the show's writers owe us an explanation, and that includes justice for Zack Addy. You cannot throw this kind of inexplicable crap in our face and expect us to buy it. Fine, he was Gormagon's apprentice - why? And if you think the piddly logic argument is going to tide us over, why was it so easy for Bones (Emily Deschanel) to explain away? Zack was buying it enough to kill someone (something I am really not convinced he did), but then all of a sudden realized his reasoning was flawed? In 2-3 sentences? Yeah - that's why the "Oops! I'm a killer" thing didn't work for a lot of us.
And this is supposed to justify Eric Millegan no longer being on TV and Joey "Whoa!" Lawrence hosting a show called "Master of Dance"? "Master of Dance"?
Despite my sheer nonacceptance of this creative decision on "Bones," I know why it was made and I respect the producers who have control over their own show. And true "Bones" fans will not stop watching the show, because we wouldn't have been watching if we didn't love the show in the first place. We also wouldn't be so mad if we hadn't been able to set our standards so high over the past three seasons. I still love "Bones" and everything Hanson has made it out to be. But this story has got to be resolved. You can be sure we will all be watching and parsing every detail!
******
I mentioned I'm an aspiring writer (TV, film and sketch comedy) and since apparently I am that nerdy, I blurted out a thesis paper's worth of theories on why Zack joined a cult and how this story can be explained on my own blog, Flummoxology. And if you want evidence that Zack could not have possibly killed someone, by jove, I've got it in there. Believe me - I do not have delusions of grandeur when it comes to my storytelling abilities, but I think I make a pretty compelling case. (My one commenter thinks so.) Sometimes a girl's just gotta get it out of her system.
Jamie Frevele has published her mixed thoughts about the finale and the aftermath at Huffington Post today (27 May). I like how she tries to rationalise what could be behind writers's decisions in general when killing or writing out a character, and I kind of agree with her. Also, I think her analogy of puppies and the cock-and-bull kind of Zack-lash story is genuine and thought-provoking.
[Only admins are allowed to see this link]
In Defense of Hart Hanson and Why We Lose the Best TV Characters?
Hart Hanson shot my puppy.
I'm referring to the creator of Fox's "Bones," and that is precisely how I and many "Bones" fans are feeling after last week's season finale. (If you have not seen it and don't want it spoiled, please stop reading.)
It's been called the "Zack-lash" - the cannibalistic serial killer on "Bones" was revealed, but it wasn't his identity that sent fans of the show into the seven stages of grief last week over a character who didn't even die. It was the identity of the one helping him, his apprentice - Zack Addy, played by Eric Millegan. It was, to say the least, a shocker of a season finale.
But it isn't only the character of Zack being written off the show that has us collectively following the Kubler-Ross model. It was the fact that it was shoddily written. It was a hasty, cheap conclusion, and probably caused Eric Millegan to be the biggest casualty of the writers' strike (and earned him what must be the most bittersweet week of press ever).
However, I know why it was done, and I know where the writers were coming from when this decision was made. We would all like to think that our favorite shows can remain on an entertainingly even keel throughout its run, retaining all of our favorite characters and keeping them happy and healthy. But "Bones," as much of a drama as is it a comedy, is not willing to maintain a status quo. And that's great. Many shows have taken drastic measures to shake things up, and in the broader context of storytelling, it would only make sense to do so in order to keep an audience interested. Why would we watch a show in which nothing ever happened? It's the reason we're watching, and the reason we should all keep watching.
It doesn't mean that all the fans will be happy all the time, but good storytelling is what attracts people and affects them. Storytelling gives us characters who possess something to which we can relate, even if it's something very small or vague. But we are hearing about them because something out of the ordinary happened - why else would we be paying attention? These events are a catalyst for the whole series of things that will follow and eventually, hopefully, be resolved by the end. In other words, if a character is taken away, there is probably a good reason.
Take Mrs. Landingham from "The West Wing." At the end of the second season, she was killed in a drunk driving accident. It was the final straw for President Bartlet (Martin Sheen), who had been taking a lot of hits over keeping his MS a secret, a political situation in Haiti and a case against Big Tobacco. He was losing battles, and then he lost the pillar that had always held him up - Mrs. Landingham, his secretary (Kathryn Joosten). Bartlet was ready to skip running for re-election, until he had an imaginary conversation with Mrs. Landingham, who he knew would tell him "God doesn't make cars crash and you know it. Stop using me as an excuse." He runs again and wins (she shows up in flashbacks).
Talk about grieving for a fictional character - a California State Assemblyman (that would be the state government) eulogized Mrs. Landingham upon closing the session of the day following the season finale.
And let's please not forget about Edgar Stiles on "24" in season five. The sentiments attached to Edgar and the man who played him, Louis Lombardi, probably echoed a lot of what "Bones" fans felt for Zack Addy and Eric Millegan. This article on TV Fodder makes post-finale interviews with Millegan feel like deja vu. The major difference between losing Edgar and losing Zack, however, is that on "24," anyone could be killed at any time. (Including "Bones" cast member TJ Thyne, who played "24 Casualty #7680976898980 aka Jason Girard.) Losing Edgar really meant that the "24" crew were going to be ruthless in showing us how much of a threat the terrorists were and how high the stakes were. If Edgar, one of the most lovable and faithfully present characters on the show, could die, then we were all in some serious danger. (Another major difference is that Edgar actually, um, died.)
But it's not as if we've never seen characters leave the show as a result of turning to the dark side before. Taking "24" as an example again, did anyone think Nina Myers (Sarah Clarke) would turn out to be the mole inside CTU during the first season? Her character returned semi-regularly for two more seasons. But this was a well-thought-out reveal, as was the one in season five when we found out the nimrod moron President Logan (Gregory Itzin) was, in fact, not a nimrod moron, but responsible for pretty much every horror that happened that season. Season five turned out to be "24"'s best season because of the death of Edgar and the brilliant Logan plot twist. Edgar left us on a sad, tragic note and we got to hate Logan for all new reasons. (And, it should be said, it made season six seem incredibly weak.)
What made the "Bones" season finale so traumatizing, however, is how the departure of a beloved regular character was executed. The writers and the actor had created a character for whom we cared so much that doing something to put him in such deep peril would be absolutely devastating. "We love you, and that's why it will be heartbreaking to see you go." (Somewhere, Eric Millegan is thinking, "Gee, thanks.") Zack Addy has been the "little brother" of the show, the one who changed as a person the most, who grew up, nurtured friendships, earned his place in his career and spouted off technical jargon chock full of four-dollar words with the greatest of ease while figures of speech went completely over his head. He was so loved that when he confessed to being the apprentice to a serial killer who ate people and justified murder with simple logic, we weren't disgusted, or mad at Zack, or ready to write him off as a psycho - we mourned. So writing Zack off the show was understandable, especially in the context of a serial killer storyline - that's just how awful this killer is and how unsafe everyone else is. But revealing - out of the blue - that Zack has been in cohoots with the killer and a killer himself, then shipping him off to a psych ward? That's like sneaking up on me behind my back with a weed-whacker and then handing me a band-aid after I've been ripped apart. "Hey, at least he's still alive, right?"
Hart Hanson did not underestimate the reaction this twist would get. (In fact, while there had been plenty of speculation that Zack could have been the apprentice, I didn't really resign myself to it until I read an interview with Hanson for Entertainment Weekly the afternoon of the finale, in which he said he was "expecting a violent reaction." That was when I knew it was Zack, for sure.) But the writers completely underestimated their audience, and that's why this was such an inexcusable finale. (TV Guide's Matt Roush was pissed enough to bring it up three times last week.) In this age of Interwebs and DVDs and Tivos and whatnots, every single episode of most shows is readily available for viewing. And every single nuance of every single episode is open to discussion online by people who can examine scenes, facial expressions, dialogue, set decoration, everything as if it was the Zapruder film. As a result, the willing suspension of disbelief was given a whole new meaning. Fans, including me, have gone back over the past three seasons and come up with mountains of evidence for why this turn of events made no sense.
That's why it feels like Hanson shot my puppy - there was nothing leading up to it, and it was completely unfair. (I don't actually have a puppy. I wish I did, but now I'm afraid Hart Hanson will shoot it. And then laugh.)
It may sound a bit irrational to be this worked up over a TV show and fictional characters, and I will agree to a point. But as someone who aspires to make a career out of storytelling as a writer and an actor - and as someone who once called "Bones" the "perfect show" - I think Hanson and the show's writers owe us an explanation, and that includes justice for Zack Addy. You cannot throw this kind of inexplicable crap in our face and expect us to buy it. Fine, he was Gormagon's apprentice - why? And if you think the piddly logic argument is going to tide us over, why was it so easy for Bones (Emily Deschanel) to explain away? Zack was buying it enough to kill someone (something I am really not convinced he did), but then all of a sudden realized his reasoning was flawed? In 2-3 sentences? Yeah - that's why the "Oops! I'm a killer" thing didn't work for a lot of us.
And this is supposed to justify Eric Millegan no longer being on TV and Joey "Whoa!" Lawrence hosting a show called "Master of Dance"? "Master of Dance"?
Despite my sheer nonacceptance of this creative decision on "Bones," I know why it was made and I respect the producers who have control over their own show. And true "Bones" fans will not stop watching the show, because we wouldn't have been watching if we didn't love the show in the first place. We also wouldn't be so mad if we hadn't been able to set our standards so high over the past three seasons. I still love "Bones" and everything Hanson has made it out to be. But this story has got to be resolved. You can be sure we will all be watching and parsing every detail!
******
I mentioned I'm an aspiring writer (TV, film and sketch comedy) and since apparently I am that nerdy, I blurted out a thesis paper's worth of theories on why Zack joined a cult and how this story can be explained on my own blog, Flummoxology. And if you want evidence that Zack could not have possibly killed someone, by jove, I've got it in there. Believe me - I do not have delusions of grandeur when it comes to my storytelling abilities, but I think I make a pretty compelling case. (My one commenter thinks so.) Sometimes a girl's just gotta get it out of her system.
willgirl- Deputy Director
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Re: Pain in the Heart Reviews-posted by willgirl on 18/05/2008
by willgirl Thu Jun 12, 2008 4:55 am
by Magic
that is a fantastic review....pretty much i think how most of us feel x x
that is a fantastic review....pretty much i think how most of us feel x x
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