I feel like a damn chemistry experiment. They didn’t have this stuff 50 years ago and everybody was fine.

Actually…medicine has increased life expectancy quite a bit since 1959. Fifty years ago, you’d probably be dead.

Bones!

I like her; she’s real! She’s got balls.

Well, ovaries actually.

Alright, you’ve got a pair of steel ovaries.

Thank you.

Will you two, please?!?

BONES: Season Five

The Foot in the Foreclosure

 

I will be honest and say that this might actually be one of my least favorite episodes of season five. I know a lot of people really love it (and maybe that is why I don’t. I realize I am a snob. As much as I love the BONES community, I also want BONES to just be MINE! Haha). Of course, ‘least favorite’ still stacks up higher than just about any other episode on any other show.

It’s more that I just feel that the whole Pops plotline is very heavy handed and rushed. So it’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just that it could be more, and frankly I’m just not satisfied with the level we got. BONES also has the bad habit of making their episodes very…well, episodic, I guess is the right word. Not that I don’t understand where they are coming from (that anyone who happens to tune in on any given night should be able to get the plot) but just that it’s unnecessary for all of the characters to be affected by each plot point. The show wasn’t always like that. In this case, I’m talking about Clark being somewhat personable about his own grandfather. It’s just such a cliché move, and while I enjoyed Clark being somewhat more personable, it would have been better (in my opinion) if that didn’t come in the same episode with Pops. Shared experience is one thing (and a good plot move…AKA Brennan and Hodgins being buried by the Gravedigger), but creating an experience and then writing the characters AROUND that experience is plot driven writing. And that will never be as good as character driven writing.

Snob moment over (for now!)

But there are some amazing Brennan moments that come out of this ep, as we’ll discuss later.

THE CASE

A pretty good case, I thought. Booth and Brennan are called to a home for sale, and in the bedroom is a body (or two, as we find out) completely incinerated with the exception of a foot. Also a hand is somewhat salvageable. Booth and Brennan are cute at the crime scene. Never thought I would say that, but I’m not complaining. There are a few suspects in the deaths of Meg and Hugo. Meg’s roommate; the capitalizing real estate agent; the home owner, etc.

BONES once again tugs on the heartstrings with this case resolution and presents a scenario in which a lot of us have to consider whether we think the man is guilty of murder. I mean, yes, he did light Meg and Hugo on fire, but they were defiling the bed he made for himself and his late wife. It’s sad and good, and just shows that things aren’t always black and white.

THE SQUINTS:

Hodgins: I’m a snob and a hypocrite because as annoyed as I was at Clark’s feelings, I loved Hodgins’ reaction to them. Ha! Oh well, I will just move on. I liked his wick effect theory. Smart!

Angela: Angela made me smile actually when she was telling Brennan about nicknames. And I liked how she kind of thought the murder was sweet. I think Angela was great in an episode! Score!

Cam: She seems almost more responsible for the grad students than Brennan sometimes. Do the squinterns work for her and the Jeffersonian, or are they grad students of Brennan’s?

Sweets: LOVED how Pops got some digs in on Sweets (who is this, a friend of Parker’s?). Sweets was pretty good natured about it, though. What was interesting (vs last week) was that Booth relied on Sweets in this episode for help, and that seemed very straightforward, as in there was no question in Booth’s mind. I think Sweets was pleased by that. I’m sure he would say, “I know”. Haha.

Pal Smurfs argues that the way we know Booth really cares about Sweets is that he trusts him with what is most important to him (Parker, Pops, and (sometimes, I argue) Brennan. I’ll buy that here!

Pops: Ah, Hank! He was fun. Like I said before, it was kind of overdramatic, and I never really thought I would think that, considering most times I’m like a stranded person in a desert and Booth backstory is like water. But perhaps there was just too much build up for this episode. That always has as tendency to disappoint me. I do want to know what Booth said to him about Brennan. That she was beautiful? Did you see the way Booth introduced her to him? He wanted them to like each other. And they did, which I liked a lot. I think it made Booth a little nervous, in a good way, though.

Pops kind of reminded me of my own Granddad, in a very good way, but particularly in the way that if he were in a home repair store that he would quickly become the expert! Loved that. Pops was terrific at Club Jiggle! I also love the way he just totally accepted Brennan and absolutely loves her and confises in her. I basically liked all of Pops’ interactions, except the Boothy heart to heart ones! Crazy!

BOOTH & BRENNAN:

I think the scene that totally haunts me from this episode is at the FBI building, after the fire. Booth and Brennan are VERY genuine with one another, and I appreciate. Interestingly enough, once again, Brennan wonders about Booth’s money, but makes no effort to offer him any. I feel that she recognizes that he would resent her offer. What do you think?

But what always gets me is when Booth admits that if he DOESN’T take care of Pops, that he’ll think he doesn’t love him. Brennan’s, “Really?!?” takes my breath away. I can’t tell if she is surprised at the idea that Pops wouldn’t love Booth because of that or shocked by the idea that Booth would think that Pops would think he doesn’t love him because of something like that. What are your thoughts on that? Either way, I love that look into her thoughts. Though it’s not blatant, I feel like her confusion bothers her. I think she sees so clearly that Pops loves Booth, and wonders how Booth can’t see it. Perhaps it brings up the issue for her that makes her wonder if Booth recognizes how much she cares about him.

Like I said in the last episode, I would discuss my feelings on Booth knowing whether or not Brennan loves him. Or rather, what signs I think he should be looking for.

Here are my thoughts.

  1. Brennan equates love with family. She has been separated from her family, and therefore she separates herself from love. There is no indication (I don’t think) that up until the age of 15 she was resistant to her family or to love.
  2. She is basically very happily inserting herself into Booth’s family life, as invited by him (with Parker at dinner, here with Pops, and then in the future, with Jared and Padme). I think she sort of learned her lesson as far as Jared is concerned, that the best way to learn more about Booth is to be with him and watch him.
  3. Booth is surprised at the way she is so excited, and I just think her smile is the prettiest in this episode. I love when she is in Sweets’ office and she says, “And I’m invited!” To me…that means love. Am I crazy? She is excited to be invited for grilled cheese; she bought a pill box, she eats his fries, and she wants to kick his ass at dominoes (she likes her nickname!).  She wants to be with him. Whether or not she ever says “love”, I think it’s clear that she wants to be with him. It’s not just family, right? It’s Booth’s family.

 

One last issue I have with this episode, and in this case, I want your help. I’m not saying that I don’t buy the idea of Booth’s grandfather rescuing him, but…how is it that this is such a mirror to Brennan’s (alleged) experience, and are we going to ever revisit that plotpoint? That her plot point is now Booth’s plot point currently rubs me the wrong way. I will try to reserve judgment on that one. Perhaps one day they will both acknowledge that they have the same experience. But I just didn’t read that in season one when Booth is talking with her about her childhood. Thoughts from you?

I do like the idea that Brennan has this secret now about Booth’s childhood. It will be interesting to see if that ever comes up again, if in fact she ever tells him (and holds him). Either Brennan has adopted Booth’s penchant for telling people what they want to hear (highly unlikely) or she honestly believes she will be in his life ‘when the time is right’. That makes me want to have hope and patience (and did you notice that at the end, Booth tells Brennan that Pops told him to be a good boy? Interesting!).

So, it is also interesting to me that Booth thinks she doesn’t love him, when I feel that Dr. Wyatt’s words for him also apply to Brennan. She is building a world around him. A family. She has just totally taken his words to heart and is being open. Plus she is awesome at talking smack!

He just needs to SEE IT!

The “Okay, maybe he does see it a little bit” Booth

from

The Foot in the Foreclosure: Season Five

 

 

Peace, Love & Bones

~S

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