Fraud! Look at his femurs!

 One cannot deny the femurs.

Yep, can’t.

 

BONES: Season Five

The Dwarf in the Dirt

 

Oh, I love this episode! I think season five may actually end up being my all time favorite BONES season! Does that seem ridiculous to say? Of course there is still a lot of season five left, but right now, I really have few complaints.

In my opinion, while this episode focuses on Booth, there is this gorgeous undercurrent about Brennan and her character development regarding Booth.  I’ll explain more on that later, but first…

THE CASE:

The ‘Iron Leprechaun’ (aka Bryce Difanti) is found at the bottom of a sink hole under a collapsed road. His bones are green, and his unfortunate death does provide some excellent banter between our fave crime fighting duo. Suspects include the heir apparent Iron Leprechaun, Bryce’s girlfriend, the midget cougar, and the wife of the victim’s brother. Motives include money, sex, power, fame and love. Bryce was killed by his own brother over jealousy of his relationship with his wife. 

Meanwhile Booth (ridiculously good looking in his FBI t-shirt) has to re-qualify for his marksmanship credentials and is having a bit of trouble hitting the mark. He seeks out Dr.-turned-chef Wyatt for advice.

THE SQUINTS:

I hardly ever watch FOX, so I didn’t know anything about that Simpsons promotion or gag or whatever that was where there would be Simpsons references in FOX shows. I still don’t know if it’s right, but I’m guessing that all of those extra squints in the lab must be writers for that show or something? Alrighty then!

Cam, Hodgins and Angela are all totally fine in this episode.

I so love Vincent Nigel Murray. Any episode he is in makes me really care about the lab scenes. There, I admitted it…sometimes I don’t really care about the lab scenes. If Brennan isn’t there (with or without Booth), I am usually not as interested. But VNMs LoTR reference and other great facts make him still my fave!

Sweets: The intro scene between him and Booth is interesting, and I kind of feel bad for Sweets. Booth pretty much sets him up to fail in that one (asking what their deal is…friend, psychiatrist, etc). When Sweets answers that the FBI pays him to observe agents, Booth has his answer. Sweets didn’t really realize what the question was. I see his genuine disappointment when Booth leaves his office. I also wish we could see the scene where Brennan came to talk to Sweets about Booth’s discrepancies in behavior. But…on the other hand, I also get what Booth is saying too. And he’s right. Sweets DOES get paid by the FBI, so there is some loyalty there. That’s why I love the character of Dr. Wyatt.

Gordon Gordon: He really is able to have loyalty toward Booth (and Brennan) as people and friends, now not beholden to the FBI. Not that he didn’t care about them before (in season two) or that Sweets doesn’t care about B&B as people, but now, as chef, GGW can be more upfront without worrying about what the FBI protocol is. I love his straightforward approach in this episode. I love to infinity the way he called Brennan out for ratting on Booth. I also liked the special smile he gave once Brennan confessed she couldn’t think of anything she wouldn’t do to help Booth (AH!)

 Also, I appreciated his matchmaking, straight up-love in the kitchen, Lady and the Tramp style. What Chef Wyatt gives Booth is confidence and opportunity. 

BOOTH & BRENNAN:

Booth can be a real SOB sometimes, can’t he? I like it when he’s like that, though. (Brennan: Why aren’t you cracking wise? Booth: Because it’s not 1945.)  I love how straightaway Brennan identifies what will help Booth (telling her his trouble will elevate his mood, based on past evidence). I think you know that joking Brennan is my all time favorite Brennan. She is just absolutely the sweetest thing. Her eyes get wide, and her smiles are so genuine, and she really is just so, so proud both when she tells a funny joke, and when she GETS a joke. Like the sinkhole thing (No thanks, already got one. LOVED that police officer!). The opening B&B scene of this episode is one of my all time favorite scenes. It’s funny, but I think this episode is shaping out to be one of my all time favorites!

I love that Booth tells her right away what is bothering him. (Just had a bad day on the range. Brennan: Is that a cowboy metaphor? Hahaha)

What is also very special is when she thinks something is funny, she always looks to Booth for his reaction. And then later, when he gets annoyed at her making fun of his wish (which she guessed), I like when she smiles at that. She knows him!  

Under the surface however, she’s also desperate to help Booth. It’s proven in her almost manic study on how to make him laugh or feel more comfortable (crap, joshing, etc), and in her very serious mode while watching him at the end. She also knows that she is the one who can help him. She knows it instinctively, but Booth is the one area so important to her that she doesn’t trust her own knowledge base. Does that make sense?

Deep down, Booth ALSO knows that Brennan is the one who can help him. But he doesn’t want to admit it, because then it means that he has to show her his weakness. He’s done that some in the past few weeks, but those have been surface things. I love the part where she is rational with him and asks who else would tell him the truth, and he admits that she’s right, and that it makes sense. Very special. What he figures out in this episode is that it’s not her acceptance of him that he needs. He has that, and this episode confirms it for him. What he needs from her is the one thing she has always claimed she’d never be any part of: love. It’s the crux between them. Booth didn’t deny his love for her to GGW one bit (“Temperance Brennan. You’re in love with her. You’re building a world around her. A family.” Oh, what glorious prose!). What he wanted to know was whether or not it was worth the wait, whether or not HE was worth the wait. If he’s hopeful and patient enough, and she sorts through her rationalities and decides on love, will he measure up?

If you haven’t watched this episode lately, do yourself a favor and re-watch. Booth is just plain gorgeous and Brennan’s emotion toward him is equally stunning. (side fashion note. Brennan has that one shirt in a lot of colors. I mean, not that I blame her. She looks great in it, but pink, bright green, dark blue (I think) and white. Perhaps I’m the only one who notices things like that.  On the Booth front, he’s wearing a vest, and I have to say, I am not pro-Booth&vest. Not that DB doesn’t look good, it just feels like they are trying to force that onto us, and it is just very out of character for Booth. Again, he looks good, but never once in all 4.5 seasons have we ever seen him wear a suit like that, except for in his dream sequence. Him mentioning (in HiaF) that what he missed most were his clothes (a lie) is not reason enough for him to start dressing in ‘trendy’ ways (meaning that other characters on other shows are wearing vests, so Booth needs to start doing that). This is the same man who wore converse all-stars, you know? I just find it annoying. Like EitB was some sort of flashforward and Booth is going to dress like that all the time. That is ridiculous. It’s one thing that we have to see Brennan wear that white coat all of the time (I like the coat, btw), but it’s another that Booth would start dressing like a character from his own dream. I just say boo to that. Unless Booth’s wardrobe plot point really gets developed, this just feels like blatant “hey, you shouldn’t hate the season four finale, and here’s some proof. Booth DOES wear vests!” I hate that kind of forced character development. Side fashion rant over, haha.)

I really do love this episode. The scene at the restaurant is awesome, as follows:

First of all, I totally buy that Booth would stand and want to spin that order holder.

He begs GGW to help him get back to normal. He is convinced he has brain damage. Chef Wyatt does not agree and tells Booth that he is more conflicted about Brennan. I love that Booth doesn’t deny how he feels about her. I also love that Gordon Gordon calls her Temperance Brennan. This isn’t about Dr. Brennan, as his partner, but about her as a woman.

I like how honest Booth is with Dr. Wyatt, saying that he’s not compatible with Brennan. Dr. Wyatt agrees. It’s ludicrous on paper, but… “The heart chooses what it chooses.”

Which then brings us to a major crossroads, I believe, and that is that Booth feels Brennan does not love him, that he would KNOW if she loved him. Interesting. I guess I like this idea that Booth has been looking for signs to see if she did love him, although, if we had not had this scene, I am not sure I would have known that. To me, this season has been a lot more about Brennan’s POV of things re: Booth. So it’s nice to know that, yeah, he’s being thinking about it. But what I have to wonder is if Booth really WOULD know if she loved him or not. I’m so curious to know what he thinks would mean that she DID love him. I have my own thoughts, which I will share more on during the Foot in the Foreclosure ep recap. For now, though…Dr. Wyatt encourages him to have hope and patience. I love that, because I think it’s based out of Brennan’s confession that she would do anything to help Booth. Dr. Wyatt isn’t just going to feed Booth answers he wants to hear; he honestly believes that Brennan either loves Booth or is in the process of growing to love him.

He doesn’t say all of that, of course, but we know!

And Booth is intrigued at the very least. I like that his eyes spark with just a teensy bit of hope.

You know who is a good actor? David Boreanaz. Just saying.

I love that Dr. Wyatt tells Booth to grow a set, and brings it back to their partnership. Brennan literally depends on him to be good with a gun for their job. “She counts on you for protection, so you damned well better protect her!”

Haha, well…maybe NOT all about the job, “When it comes to a man and his gun, a woman is the natural cure.”

I love that Brennan walks in (and that Booth and GGW stand up. I like the smile on Booth’s face, just from seeing her.) And I love the little nudge GGW gives to Booth to sit down across from Brennan.

I love that he asks her for a favor, and that she jokes, and he is taken aback by her joking. I love that he laughs and toasts how funny she is and of course I love that Brennan brags on herself, “I’m becoming quite amusing!”

My heart just expands with happiness when Chef Wyatt delivers that crazy looking food and Booth and Brennan share uneasy looks.

It’s almost like a date! That the soft strains of Glass Pear begins to move us to the end scene is amazing. So, so, so good. I don’t even have words (okay, haha…who am I kidding? ALL I have are words) for the look on Booth’s face after Brennan gives him the thumbs up. I mean…I know that if I read back through the other 90 recaps here that I probably say this a lot, but is there a more beautiful moment than her approval of him? Her acknowledgement that he has what it takes?

To me, that whole part just settled something, deep within Booth. Maybe she won’t ever love him like he wants, but at least he knows that she is in his corner. I love it. Love, Love, Love it.

So yes, I love this episode. For many reasons.

Plus, there is this fantastic gem from Brennan,

“No, I prefer good boys”

and

The “Really?” Booth

from

The Dwarf in the Dirt: Season Five

Peace, Love & Bones

~S

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