“You should look over your other shoulder.”

“Bones, I’ve been driving since I was twelve, okay?”

“Would it make you less agitated if I told you that I didn’t sleep with Dr. Wexler last night?”

“Look, I’m not agitated, okay?! I’m agitated because I’m driving this little car, that’s all. Look, Wexler is just another guy…I’m not agitated because of you and Dr. Wexler; Wexler’s just another guy looking for a one night stand WHOA!”

“So?”

“So?!? He doesn’t take it seriously.”

“Seriously? What do you mean, you never laugh during sex, because I do. Whoa, do you see that lorry?”

“I see that lorry, and it’s a truck. You’re an American, and that is a truck. I laugh during sex, it’s just…it’s not that kind of serious.”

“Well, I think Dr. Wexler is serious about having sex with me. He’s very interested.”

“Okay, news bulletin for you, Bones. There isn’t a guy in this country who wouldn’t want to have sex with you okay? Whoa, whoa, whoa, easy!”

“Are you being nice about me or awful about British men?”

“Wexler is not special; you are.”

BONES: Season Four

Yanks in the UK: Part One

 

Haha, I love the above part. I just think it’s so fun that Brennan wants to finally have a heart to heart with Booth about feelings and meanwhile, he is stressing out about the car. I love it!

Funny story, BONES fans. In the summer before season four started, FOX sent out a press pack for us BONES bloggers, which was just about the coolest thing that had ever happened to me. Inside was a copy of the 2-hour premiere (which had the original opening credits, interesting), plus some behind the scenes stuff, a copy of Kathy Reichs newest novel (I think, but couldn’t be sure, because I have not actually read any of them. But I am pretty sure it was the newest one at the time. Devil Bones, maybe?), a copy of the BONES soundtrack, which was not out at the time, and…wait for it…a BONES mousepad. Hahaha. I laughed so hard when I pulled it out of the box, because as much as I love the show I don’t think I could ever see myself using a BONES mousepad. I should take a picture of it to show you, because also totally crazy about this mousepad is that it was an older promotional picture of the season two cast, but where Zack had been, they had superimposed Sweets. It was kind of offensive, actually, haha, but I mostly laughed. I should try to find it.

Anyways, so I was super pumped to watch the episode, and as I was watching it, I liked it a lot. I know a lot of people are not pleased with the season four premiere, particularly at Booth’s behavior, and so I watched this time around with a particular eye for anything that might be out of character for him.

More on that later…

THE CASE:

While lecturing at Oxford, Brennan and Booth are invited to join her counterpart, Dr. Ian Wexler, on a local case. He’s the British Brennan and he’s paired up with a Scotland Yard-er named Cate Pritchard, a British counterpoint to Booth.

The foursome works to solve the murder of American heiress Portia Frampton and it takes them into high class British society. Her father, Roger Frampton is a builder/project manager, and is working to build a skyscraper over a potential Bronze Age dig Wexler has going on with some of his students.

Meanwhile, Ian is trying ever so hard to get into Brennan’s knickers while Prichard all but offers Booth into hers. Zing!

THE SQUINTS:

After an almost offensively small and dismissive mention of Zack (basically a Booth-delivered punchline), most of the squint action takes place back in the lab. Clark is back assisting the team and trying to stay out of their personal lives.

But that is impossible as their personal lives are shoved right to the forefront when none other than Grayson Barasa, Angela’s husband, comes back to claim her.

She pretty much just jumps right back into his arms (sans FIJI drinks and books about Marxist wasps).  

Cam is smitten right away. It’s fun when Hodgins fights him later, and I always feel sorry for Sweets when he tries to join and trips. But I feel worse for Hodgins when he gets tossed in the garbage truck!  

And OH!!! I had TOTALLY  forgotten about the Angela and Sweets convo on the lab upper platform. Ah, hahahahaha.
“I’m the party wagon.”

“No, you’re the gay neighbor boy.  Your love is the party wagon. Grayson is the tree. I’m Hodgins. Think about it.”

BOOTH & BRENNAN:

I always have to remind myself to judge this episode based on itself, as an episode, and not the end all I wanted it to be. I spent a lot of the summer wondering just HOW the writers were going to deal with the Zack stuff, but more importantly to me, what was going to be the fallout on the Booth not really being dead stuff, right? So when pretty much NONE of that was discussed, I was disappointed. I thought for sure Sweets was going to be found out, but it was pretty clear that for the most part, it was ‘resolved’ and Brennan and Booth weren’t going to deal with that. So that always gives me a little chip on my shoulder about this ep. I try not to let it, but what can I say? It happens.

Remember before season four came out and FOX put out some promotional vids, and one of them was the bridge scene with B&B? (Side note, I guess I WASN’T completely spoiler free at that time! Ah, confession!) It was so interesting, because Brennan rejected what’s his face, because it would annoy Booth, and then she returned to the table and their conversation felt kind of stilted. I remember thinking, “OH! There must be something AMAZING in that spot, and they’ve edited it out.” Right? So I was really surprised to find that we had actually seen everything, and it was just kind of…awkward. Why does Booth say “Why are you looking at me like that? I’m just here to help you pick out a guy.” I don’t understand that part. Is that another deleted scene I never saw? I think later we learned that they had one shot to do that scene with the bridge opening, so that is probably why it feels choppy, but I never understood that line. Booth’s face after he says it always intrigues me, though. As for the actual bridge itself, I don’t know about you, but I find that moment heartbreaking. I think I cried when I watched it the first time, and I almost did again this time around. Mainly because Booth and Brennan are in the presence of something really cool, and they are just bickering, you know? It’s all the more frustrating that Booth admits earlier in the episode that he would feel really out of this world lucky to see it open. So for him to miss it, while bickering with Brennan about luck and good things…it was kind of bittersweet and cruelly ironic. To be fair, I DO love the “tomato, potato, call it what you want’ stuff. I think Booth is a little drunk which = a lot cute!

Then the OTHER promo, where Booth ‘births’ himself out of the backseat of the car and then haha says he needs a spanking? I was bummed when that line was left out of the ep, too.

As for Booth…well, I will say this. I think he’s in character for the most part. I think his reaction to the rich family is legit, and his fascination with guns is cool. I like his annoyance with the car and the flat tire.  On the other hand, Booth was a soldier in a war, and not that that was at ALL a vacation, but he has traveled the world, you know? The ‘fish out of water’ stuff wasn’t very good, in my opinion (particularly him standing in the middle of traffic having a meltdown). I am not saying Kosovo and Guatemala are downtown London, but I think the idea is there that Booth is worldly, and somewhat sophisticated. It was awkward watching him so awkward. He settled down though, which was good. I like when he is weirded out by the judge’s wig, and the little finger tap he gives to Pritch is super cute, even if it simultaneously make me very very nervous. Flirty Booth makes my throat close up!

On the flip side, Brennan was very interesting in this episode. She is very mature, emotionally and…well, I guess relationally is the right word. Let’s just remember that the episodes at the beginning of season four are equally affected by FOX’s scheduling whims and the writer’s strike. But for this episode, I like her very much. I like that she turns down Ian, and that she admits that it’s because of Booth. Maybe not him romantically, but at the very least, his friendship, which in fact is not ‘the least’ thing about them, you know?

I’ve kind of talked more about Booth than Brennan in this episode, but I guess that’s not the worst thing.

Hope you’re having a good Wednesday! Join us tomorrow morning for the next BONESless BONESday question discussion, but for now, here’s your Booth of the Day. Let’s bring fierce Booth back!

The “Squints don’t solve murders; cops do” Booth

from

Pilot: Season One

 

 

Peace, Love & Bones

~S

<<Yanks in the UK: Part Two

>>Pain in the Heart