BONES: ‘The Doctor in the Photo’
December 9, 2010 by Sarah Curtis
Hello friends, I’m glad you’re here. We have a lot to talk about. Though there was a case in this episode, BONES strayed slightly from its formula, and I’m going to do the same here. I’ve only once ever not used the “Case > Squints > Booth & Brennan” format; that was with “Con Man in the Meth Lab” in season four. After that episode, we just talked, and that’s what I want to do here again.
Here at Give Me My Remote, we write because we love TV and the shows we talk about. I don’t get paid to write about BONES week after week, and I wasn’t assigned the show as some beat reporter on a staff. I write because I love. Simple as that. I love BONES. And I want to prove it to you…I want to prove why, even when my heart is breaking, I still love it.
First of all, can we talk about David Boreanaz? He’s been knocking it out of the park this season, and tonight was no exception. Why are some people annoyed with Booth? Because David Boreanaz is a great actor. Why is a single moment of Booth holding a red bow imprinted in our minds and hearts? Because DB is a master at nuance. This may seem abstract, but I feel comfortable trusting Booth and Brennan to Boreanaz and Deschanel. While I don’t know what’s going to happen next, I feel as if they both have a really good grasp on the characters they play. Does that make sense? Like I said, tonight was no exception.
As I considered Booth’s actions after I watched this episode, I began to realize that he acted exactly as he should have. He was “Boothy,” as Brennan would say. As the episode was moving along, I kept thinking, “WHERE IS EVERYONE?!!?” We see the concerned looks on Angela, Cam, and Hodgins’ faces; we see the mini-intervention Sweets gives Brennan, and we see that Booth and Hannah are confused by Brennan’s reactions to this case. But I kept wondering, if they are so concerned about her, why aren’t they at the lab, keeping watch over her? Why isn’t someone nearby at all times? It was bothering me until the scene in the rain when Booth saved Brennan’s life (for those keeping score at home, that’s one life save for Hannah and about a dozen more for Brennan. Score!). I felt and still feel major hope that he has/had/will always have tabs on her. At all times. Following her to bad neighborhoods to save her life…the usual.
I believe him when he said that the last thing he wants to do is hurt Brennan. Like in the 100th episode, where Brennan dreaded Booth’s revelation of love, I believe that Booth has known of Brennan’s growing awareness of her feelings for him. BUT I also believe that he has been trying to spare her the realization, because he’s known how painful it will be. He could have been a jerk about it, blaming her, cursing her, leaving her alone in the rain, but he wasn’t.
I love that Booth said Hannah’s not a consolation prize. I don’t like her that much, but I love Booth for being honorable. Does that make sense? On my little list of things I absolutely will NOT tolerate, Booth being a cheater is at the top. Was there a teensy part of me that wanted him to succumb? To take Brennan to her apartment, walk her to her door, kiss her and tell her he loved her and only her? Yes. There was. I’m not 100% proud of that, because in my heart, I know Booth’s not a cheater. It’s not what I WANT, but it is who he IS. Booth is an honorable man who wants to shield his loved ones from pain.
The hard part is that his goodness is now at the expense of Brennan’s character development, something we’ve never had to deal with before. It’s painful and awful and beautiful and true, and I’m just stunned by it. Will Booth have to deal with Brennan’s revelation? Um, heck yes! But for now, what we’ve seen is the right amount of reaction. That Booth chose the honorable path made me happy, even if for every single one of Brennan’s tears, I had 10 of my own.
So yes, I cried. I cried, feeling slightly ashamed that I’ve invested so much into this show only to feel so hurt and then cried harder because I was crying and I felt ashamed for being so emotional about it. I was crying over Temperance Brennan. She does not even exist.
Except, in some ways she does. She exists in those moments where we feel like the loneliest person on the planet. Those moments where we feel like we’ve messed up beyond repair. Those moments where we feel like the best thing that ever happened to us is slipping through our finger — and it’s all our fault. She exists in hurt and hope and love and heartbreak. “I will show you fear and a handful of dust.” It’s THIS that makes me wonder if I can keep watching but also is the reason I know I’ll never be able to not watch. Also…
Emily Deschanel.
Amazing. Beautiful. Courageous. Dramatic. Enigmatic. Fantastic. Gorgeous. I could continue with letters H-Z in complimenting her abilities. Feel free to do so in the comments. Her dedication to Brennan in this episode was something special and should be commended. If DB is knocking it out of the park this season, ED is hitting the kinds of home runs that bounce into the next town. Turning Dr. Temperance Brennan into a character that brings us laughter and tears is an immense task, and Deschanel is perfect at it. Let’s talk about Brennan.
Like a lot of us, Brennan doesn’t solely fear death; she fears that that no one will notice her absence, that she will disappear (“so quietly”) without a trace, without a legacy. One question I have for you is this: What triggered Brennan to this over-identification? More than just the dolphin ring, right?
Throughout the episode, I was increasingly uncomfortable with Brennan’s anxiety. When she so quickly associated with the case of Lauren Eames, I knew that already we were in for something we’d never seen before. When she began carrying on conversations with the victim’s case file recordings, I was nervous. When she was on edge and frantic in her conversations with her team, I was restless. When it appeared she was going to try to solve the case herself, I felt fear for her, and when she learned that Lauren had lost her life trying to save someone else’s, I appreciated the parallelism between the case and the rest of the episode. Booth saving Brennan’s life as she attempts to save the dignity of Lauren’s former life was a well-spun web of storytelling. She grew almost childlike while at the same time she emerged in her awareness of Booth’s meaning in her life.
Seeing Brennan “break” — for lack of a better word — was painful. We can appreciate it from a storytelling perspective, but I found no pleasure in it. I think I was expecting more of an episode from Brennan’s point of view vs. a Brennan-centric episode. Instead of seeing things through her eyes, we saw her being affected by what she considered to be an examination of the death of a woman who shared a parallel life with her.
Sweets tells her that they all know her as much as she allows herself to be known, but the same is true for us. We’ve known her as much as the writers have allowed her to be known, and so getting this deeper, more intimate, look was very intense, for me, at least! I appreciated that she stood up for herself in her appreciation of the squinterns, and I smiled that she’d prepared a dinner in honor of Afghanistan and preventing morning-sickness — all for the benefit, respect and love she has for her friends.
I loved that when she was talking with Booth in the SUV that she didn’t say she loved him, but that he still knew exactly what she was talking about. I found a comfort in the idea that they still know each other so well. And when he asked her if she wanted him to call someone to be with her, I don’t think anyone can deny the flicker on her face that proved once and for all that she will only ever want him.
Like with the 100th episode, as the final moments of this episode flickered across the screen, I was struck once again by confusion at the idea that “everything is fine.” Everything in me rebelled and still rebels at the thought! Brennan will NOT be fine, “alone” as she claims. She will not be satisfied by science only. I also want to have hope that while she and Booth both state that they will “reset” and be fine…they won’t. Booth will not be satisfied with Hannah in the long run. The hours we’ve spent talking and laughing and crying and overanalyzing will be worth it. Our love will be worth it!
Well, I’m way over 1,000 words, and as you know, I’ve barely scratched the surface. Micah Leggat, the dolphin ring, Sweets talking with Brennan, the definition of “funky”…all amazing parts to this episode. I’m counting on you to help me make up for it in the comments. But before you do that, let me remind you of a little conversation between Booth and Brennan from Season Five.
Booth: Is my faith shaken? Yeah, it is.
Brennan: It is?
Booth: I’ll go home tonight, and I’ll lie in bed. I’ll toss and I’ll turn, and I’ll beat myself up. I’ll question everything.
Brennan: Will you get your faith back?
Booth: Always have in the past.
Brennan: So you have faith that you will retain your faith. Why?
Booth: Because, Bones. The sun’ll come up; tomorrow’s a new day.
Brennan: I know that feeling.
Booth: Really? You know what it feels like to get your faith back?
Brennan: When I see effects, and I’m unable to discern the cause, my faith in reason and consequences is shaken.
Booth: Then what happens?
Brennan: Two plus two equals four. I put sugar in my coffee and it tastes sweet. The sun comes up because the world turns. These things are beautiful to me. There are mysteries I will never understand, but everywhere I look, I see proof that for every effect, there is a corresponding cause…even if I can’t see it. I find that reassuring.
Booth: Life is good again.
Brennan: Life is very good.
BONES-life will be good again, friends. The sun will come up. This is not the end. I’m with BONES, all the way. I will see you in 2011!
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Reading this brought tears to my eyes. This article expresses everything I felt throughout the episode and even now.
And the quote at the end? Flawless.
I adore you. This was probably the best review of a Bones episode I’ve ever read, and certainly the only one that ever made me cry. You are the official voice of the emotionally-invested Bones fan. And we couldn’t have picked a better representative.
Beautiful, dead-on review. Thank you.
THIS QUOTE is right on things are good in bones world tonite.
This was a great review and put some things in perspective that I didn’t see before. I’m with you, I’ll see you in 2011! Bones ALL the way. 🙂
Thank you Sarah for this AMAZING recap! (And Marisa for all your hard work to get it posted)
What you wrote clearly said everything thought I had, every emotion I felt. I don’t know how else to better word my reaction to the episode.
And I loved the quote at the ending: just perfectly summed it up and gave me new hope again.
Thank you as always!! 😀
*every
GREAT review – you touched on SO much here and actually helped me get to a more “peaceful” place about this episode than where my mind was going.
Agreed about booth and like you dont like hannah but this is what the show BONES NEEDED A RESET/
Excellen Sarah! Absolutely excellent! Tears were shed to be sure, but everything about this episode gave me hope. That final scene with Booth and Brennan in the car was heartbreaking. You could see how much it hurt Booth to see Brennan in that kind of pain. It was almost a mirror image of the scene between them in the 100th episode. I almost fell over at the emotion Brennan showed him. In all our years of Bones, we have never seen it to that level! I believe big things are going to happen and to quote our beloved Booth “I ‘m with Bones all the way. Don’t doubt it for a second.”
Thank you for an excellent recap. You have given me more to think about. I am also glad to learn that I am not the only one who has invested a great deal in Bones. When you follow a series from the beginning, you do feel as if you know the characters and their patterns, thoughts, emotions. To me that is a sign of great actors, writers, directors when they can touch you with their craft.
Do you know if they will be bringing back Booth’s grandfather or brother Jared this season? It would be interesting to see if Booth would confide in Pops about Brennan.
“So yes, I cried. I cried, feeling slightly ashamed that I’ve invested so much into this show only to feel so hurt and then cried harder because I was crying and I felt ashamed for being so emotional about it. I was crying over Temperance Brennan. She does not even exist.”
I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO DID THIS.
And I mean EXACTLY this.
Oops! One more thought. I thought it was sweet when Booth and Brennan were talking to the helicopter pilot. The parallels between B & B and the pilot and doctor were spot on. Like Booth, the pilot was always protecting the doctor. The silent exchange between B & B as they realized the parallels was touching.
I also was moved that Brennan went back on her own to speak to the pilot, to let him know that the doctor probably had regrets about not pursing a relationship with him.
I should just repeat every single word that Jen (NatesMama) wrote. So thank you, Sarah!
I thought this episode was fantastic and, believe or not, I’m more hopeful now that it’s done. Yes, Brennan is hurting but I feel like it had to be done, like now all the cards are on the table (at least for Booth and Brennan…) and now season 6, I feel, can finally – FINALLY! – begin. I feel like we’ve gotten our show back: Brennan was kicking butt, Booth was being Booth, heck, even Angela had a meaningful, albeit short, conversation with Brennan about her feelings!
As for DB and ED, I’ll repeat what I’ve said in previous comments: he has made me dislike Booth (practically a miracle right there!), all the while, through minuscule things, making me feel like the old Boothy way is still there; a master at nunance indeed! And she, well, she is simply indescribable; I feel like ED acts not only with her body, her voice and her brain, she acts with her soul. Simply amazing.
Now, my only question is: what will they (the writers) do with all of this from now on? January 20th just cannot (!!!) come soon enough. 😀
The episode was amazing, emotional, intense and I loved your review.
But as much as I perfectly understand Booth’s reaction, and I quite expected it, the impression I got is that he REALLY doesn’t love Brennan anymore. And now Brennan will just simply adjust, and life will go back to normal, with them friends and Booth with Hannah.
So, all in all, I hate it. I hate that they took 5 years to take us to the 100th episode, and I hate that they took us now, back to square one.
I really can’t see what you see, that this is the beginning. This in my eyes was the end.
And it’s heart crushing. Back to NOT following season 6..
Wow!! An amazing recap for an amazing episode!!
This is my first time reading your reviews, but I am hooked and I agree with everything you said…
See you all in the new year!
Kel
Sarah You have articulated what most of us find so very hard to say.
Yes I cried during the episode and yes I cried reading your review, it is so beautifully written.
I love that the writers here at GMMR are just as invested in shows as we are & that is why I love this site!
But it isn’t square one, Anja!
Square one would be Brennan being totally closed to the idea of love, completely unable to understand the way Booth works, purely intellectual, and purely closed-minded. She’s grown. She’s had to grow because if she hadn’t then what would have happened between them would have meant nothing to her. Now it means everything.
This show isn’t about two people with chemistry working together and then ending up in bed or with a ring on the finger. It really is about Brennan’s journey to become capable and willing and eager to love Booth, and how far he is willing to go because of his love for her.
Trust me. We aren’t at square one. We’ve torn down walls and scaled mountains so that they can be together and be together FOR REAL.
Best review I’ve ever read, and your insight into the characters and the show are remarkable. And you’re right, when he offers to call someone for her, there really is no one to call. It was only ever him (and part of me was just a little sad that he forgot that). I think that this is a turning point for Brennan, as heartbreaking as it is to watch. She will emerge stronger, likely still hurting from it, and definitely still sad (as she has admitted), but stronger nonetheless. I can’t wait to see how Booth will deal with her revelation. Should be good.
I agree with everyone else, amazing review. I agree with everything, but you said it 1000x better than I ever could have. I’m glad I was not the only one who cried and that someone else sees that Booth was not being an ass, but just being Booth. Loved the episode and love your review!
this episode was heartbreaking in that wonderful way that stories sometimes are, because things have to be wrecked before they can be fixed. Bones is one of the only shows that I trust will handle their OTP right. Because it was never about the forensics.
Very well said….I totally cried
Totally loved the episode
Totally expected Booth to react exactly the way he did
Who ever said that it feels like season six has finally begun is right on
I have faith that this well all be ok
Because two plus two equals four and sugar makes our coffee sweet!!!!
I loved your review! One thing I loved about the episode (besides the heart-crushing honesty in it) was how it really made me re-evaluate my own life. What regrets would I have? Also, this is one of the few episodes that I have cried while watching the first time. It was that good. And I feel that it leaves us at a place that keeps us faithful, devoted fans hanging on for January. So I guess what I’m saying is that… I’m in this thing for keeps.
OMG> that was the most heart breaking episode of bones ever. Not only can I relate, which really who can’t not relate. I was really hard pressed not to ball my eyes out.. seriously. Wow. I am so devastated that booth is with hannah (not that I Dont like hannah, but I am clearly for the bones and booth party) but I think he will truely come around. man o man still. wow. i am baffled, teary eyed and excited to see what next weeks episode will bring…
I cant remember which season it was.. but I am a HUGE fan of B & B party sexual tension.. and look forward to H and Booth breaking up and B & B making out.
Did anyone else get Tyler Durden vibes from Micah?
“I write because I love. Simple as that.” I’m so glad you do – both write AND love.
This episode had me in tears from the moment I saw the preview last week! And it did not disappoint, although it did hurt.
“She does not even exist. Except, in some ways she does. She exists in those moments where we feel like the loneliest person on the planet. Those moments where we feel like we’ve messed up beyond repair…”
That? Is so true and so hard to face. And? A perfect example of why I love your reviewing. Thank you.
One last thing, though…how strange was the mini Veronica Mars reunion with Francis Capra and Enrico Colantoni?!?
Your review is spot on really it is. This episode is now on my top 5 if not in the top 3 favorite episodes of Bones. There was a lot of things covered tonight and I can not wait until 2011 🙂
After the episode I was desperate to see a clip of the next episode. This show makes me happy, sad, anxious, nervous, scared and all of the other emotions experienced when watching people you really know go through things. I wanted to see a glimpse of what was to come, the way that we all want to see into the future and know everything will be okay. Instead of finding a clip, I found this blog…
…and I am very glad I did. The writing here is phenomenal and I appreciate the community of B-lovers. I think every one of us has had moments of fear–of trusting someone, of believing that good will come even if you have no proof, and of course, falling in love. This is why Bones is so familiar and dear to those of us who watch. But I am so nervous. So many things have happened that it would be hard to go through the rest of the season without seeing much of a development in Bones’ and Booth’s relationship.
On the one hand, I definitely see the fissures in Booth’s and Hannah’s relationships. She needs the excitement, there is the whole crooked cop storyline that needs to be flushed out, and she isn’t really the mommy type. I am waiting for Sweet’s prediction to come true–that after the chemistry/adrenaline/endorphins wear off, they won’t really know what to do with each other. But on the other hand, can I really stand to wait and watch and see all of this happen? I think so, but I also think it may keep me up a little bit at night…
Wow…After watching Booth’s reaction I told myself that I wasn’t going to dwell on my disappointment in him for 40 days…Your review has made me completely re-evaluate…Not only will I not dwell, I think I can completely let it go. Bring on 2011 : )
This has been the first Bones episode I’ve ever cried with. This was also the first season 6 episode I couldn’t stop watching for a single second. I’m just relieved. Relieved that Booth is still there, that every contradiction to his character this season and everything that has made me doubt that he is the same person is just an act. I’m sure of it now, he still loves her, he still protects her, he doesn’t want to hurt her, see her alone or see her in pain… He hasn’t been ignoring those actions or looks by Brennan at all. I know Booth can make it back to her. I need to believe that he’ll make it back to being the Booth I love: the Booth that loves Brennan, the Booth that’s only complete with her. I need to believe that they’ll get together eventually. I don’t even know why it’s so important to me, but I feel like it affects me personally. Them being together someday just gives me hope about my own life, about life in general. Does this even make sense? I just know that I need to have faith.
I couldn’t watch the episode in real time, but I dvred and watched it as soon as I was able (only 4 hours later, but it felt like forever lol). After seeing the promo there was no way I could possibly go to sleep without watching it first. Of course my family was already in bed, so I watched it alone and as the episode finished and I sat there literally in shock I NEEDED to talk to someone/ read about their thoughts on the episode. I am soooo glad that your post was up already on GMMR!!!! Your words, like usual, were so well said and exactly what I needed to hear and have put me much more at ease. 🙂 Don’t get me wrong, I definitely enjoyed the episode, but it was also extremely painful to watch. I realize it’s not real and these people aren’t really going through these situations, but I still can’t help identifying with them in certain aspects and becoming emotionally involved in their story. I am excited to see where the story will go now after the hiatus and I am confident that eventually there will be happy times again on Bones. However, there is still a part of me that worries, what if that never happens?, what if we are doomed to watch angst forever? I just keep telling myself that there is only a small chance of that being true and Hart Hanson knows what he is doing. I have a feeling this hiatus is going to feel like quite a long one!! I am just thankful that there are other dedicated Bones fans to keep the faith with and that’s one of the reasons that I will never stop watching! Can’t wait for 2011!
For most part I agree with you but on other parts I don’t. I ‘Dislike’ Booth now have done that since the beginning of this season, I do know why but decide not to tell because may people will disagree with me but many will agree with me. I don’t like DB because he is Booth is so many ways… I love ED because she is Brennan in so many ways but also her own person, I’m taking a break from watching Bones and it makes me sad that it comes to this because I love the show and I love ED it’s because of her I watch it. I will take a break from it, I don’t know how long (guess till I feel like it). Your article is very good, I just don’t agree with you on some parts.
I don’t even think I can keep faith in B&B… it will never happen!
BTW this episode was the most painful to watch, Emily gave such a great performance, she had be crying every single time 🙁 Emily deserves a Emmy Award 😀
It was a fantastic episode, Emily was absolutely incredible.
Your review is the best one I’ve read. I can let go of the sadder developments in the episode and now I’m really excited for the season to continue in 2011. 🙂
This episode was so refreshing after the previous 8 this season. I don’t think I will ever re-watch any of those episodes…but this one….already seen it twice. This show is so enjoyable to watch–not just because of the forensics but because of all the relationships as well. They are like the circulatory system that holds the bones together. When the main artery is clamped, the show grows fatigued, cold, and dead like an ischemic heart muscle. The show needs to keep plaque like Hannah out in order to maintain the flow and health of the show. I hope the writers read our comments because it is us, the viewers who tune in to watch and keep the show going. I understand a little excitement once in a while helps to give the show edge–but one thing we as viewers have always been able to count on was the integrity of the relationships–something sorely missed so far this season. This episode made up for the previous 8 but I hope that the trend continues because watching a show like this is like reading a good book. Who wants to read page after page of depressing blaa? To finish off my metaphor…….this episode was like a CABG surgery (Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery) to repair the blockage that was damaging the heart of the show. We have the holidays to heal and recover—so I hope 2011 and the rest of Season 6 prove to bring a much healthier and happier Bones.
I totally agree with everything you said. You are by far the best Bones reviewer ever. I wish some of the negative fans on the Bones BY would read your article. I think it would knock some sense into their heads. They for sure need it. This article made me feel even better about how I feel about this episode. I will be looking forward to jan and will return to read all your articles on future Bones episodes. I wish that I had discovered you sooner. Thanks for all the great words. GREAT JOB!
Awesome review… between this episode & the following Fringe episodes. I needed to go cry in a corner for a while.
I’d like to note & I don’t know if you’ve noticed this Brennan has been acting “odd” since her finding out about Hannah. ED does such a wonderful job. Brennan has seemed awkward around Booth constantly trying to crack jokes, trying to show a less serious side of herself, bragging how she could pull off a murder. Like she’s forcing herself to show Booth that she can be more whimsical trying to prove to him she’s happy, and happy for Booth & Hannah, even though we catch glimpses of her withering inside. Look how dour she seemed putting together the dinner party.
Then this case broke her facade. It was heart-wrenching. I really looking forward to how Booth’s demeanor with her will be in the coming episodes.
Best episode this season, without a doubt.
Emily Deschanel is amazing. The scene in the car … I never cry during movies and TV shows, and I mean NEVER; not even when Scully found Mulder’s dead body all these years ago. But I did tear up during this scene.
I agree with Anja: I also got the impression that Booth doesn’t love Bones anymore, at least not romantically. I never expected that her confession would change anything; I knew Booth wouldn’t break up with Hannah because of it and I didn’t want him to – that would be wrong on so many levels. But I wish he hadn’t said he loved Hannah. Until today I was sure he was still in love with Bones, despite his insisting that he loved Hannah and was happy with her. Today for the first time I believed him and it made me really sad. Whatever happened to knowing right from the beginning? To 30, 40, 50 years?
I wish I could tell myself that these are just fictional characters, and why should I be so emotional about something that isn’t real? Except it is, just like Sarah said. I watched that scene and I knew exactly what Brennan was feeling; I felt it too. I’m glad to know that I wasn’t the only one brought to tears by this episode.
I wonder how many people saw this episode and thought: “Am I happy with my life the way it is? If I died tomorrow, would I have regrets?” I know I did; and the answer to these questions is what made me want to cry with Brennan … That’s one of the reasons why this is such a great show: it pulls you in, makes you think, makes you care.
Guys…
“I’m just like you, Dr. Brennan. I’m like everyone else in the world, I’ve got my own sad story.”
Cinematically, they are setting up an alternative for Brennan. Here’s a lonely security guard, practically the ONLY person we seem to see repeatedly with Bones; someone she “understands” when he talks to her, someone who is visibly taking care of her. He got her a taxi and made her go home, be brought her food every night, and he tried his best to make her feel better.
The show is doing an excellent job of showing what happens when a close friend gets a girlfriend. He’s virtually nonexistant. Sure, he saved her life, but it felt more like too little, too late at this point. If he were really paying attention, (like when he had nothing else to do) he wouldn’t have let her get that psychologically disturbed. This is a good element to the show in its current incarnation, but to be honest, I still see it as a “dry run” for a potential with Bones becoming closer to the security guard.
Many of you don’t like Hannah, but to be honest…they’ve made her too good. Unless she gets restless and leaves Booth, he is with her, to the end. And she is more flexible, more sure of herself and emotions than Brennan. Of course, the part about not making him hurt so much is a plus for him too. While we all accuse Brennan of being emotionally primitive, because she is highly logical, we often overlook Booth’s inability to deal with emotions himself. He can’t stand emotional pain. He gets restless, frustrated, and has to act, almost immediately. That, and he can’t handle any topics of the sexual nature, he gets fidgety and changes the subject…and I would argue that sex is a highly emotional thing for Booth, something he is unequipped to deal with…being a man of action, while Brennan is the calculator. She may have taken her time getting to this point, but she is now certain of it. She might crawl back into her hole so the sheer mass of her feelings don’t destroy her (still waters run deep), but I think we would find her far more steadfast than the “honorable” Booth.
Don’t get me wrong. Given the situation Brennan gave him, he made the right decision. I wouldn’t appreciate it any other way. My problem with him stems from the 100th episode, when he takes the “Gamble,” strikes out (he thinks), and immediately nurses his primitive emotional center with a, “I can’t wait forever then, Bones.”
I’m sorry?! You finally explain your feelings to Bones, and expect immediate results? Tell her it’s always been her, you always have and will care and…but you’re moving on?
I get it…while he didn’t tell her, he suffered all of those months with these emotions, how can you be expected to wait for someone, or even, how can you rule out falling for more than one person like when Booth fell for Hannah. Those are legitimate factors, and reasons why Booth isn’t a bad person. But he did put himself first when he confessed his feelings to Brennan. He didn’t think, didn’t remember that you can’t always just come out and tell her how it is (think: ANY kind of emotional developments with her father and brother) and expect her to take it well. She rejects anything emotional the first time….and sometimes up until the fifth time.
I know it isn’t PRACTICAL to wait for someone you love. I know it isn’t in Booth’s action-oriented nature, because he is fragile in his own way that we often overlook because Brennan’s fragility is so much more obvious. However, we want to believe love conquers all (which is partly why I commend this episode; it’s good for viewers to have their hope shaken) and that despite everything, the two of them will be together and the old dynamic will be back…like we feel it should be. We want to believe Booth can be steadfast in his love for her…and while it is there, he has been pretty irresponsible about this confession of love thing. (But maybe I’m biased – I’ve lived through steadfast waiting. I want to believe I’m not the only one it pays off for.)
Anyway…as viewers we want everything will work out…but if that’s going to happen, I feel like it’s going to take 1 – 2 more seasons for it to feel natural now…if it happens at all. (I’m telling you…the security guard!)
LOVED the episode. LOVED the review. LOVED everyones comments after.
im quite new here on gmmr, but now that i’ve found it i have to read the review and comments after each episode to help me gain perspective on the upcoming episodes.
i noticed in all the conversations about the SUV scene, people seem to be more hung up on the part where Booth said Hannah wasn’t a consolation prize and that he really loves her. what im most hung up on is how he said he got over it, all the pain from the rejection and such. but how can that be true? and if it is how can he say that to Brennan after she’s FINALLY poured her heart out after 6 years???? im really hoping HH will find a way to repair their relationship without tarnishing what they had before..
oh and i must mention enrico colantoni. he was great! as he friendly night watch guy, though if he and Brennan have been so close for 9 years, why haven’t we met him before?
im very much looking forward to 2011. we have much to look forward to Bones fans! the sniper episode should be good, with a lot being revealed about Booth to Hannah.. maybe she’ll find out about B&B then?
counting down the days till next epi… see you in 42!
So very glad to come across this (thank you HH, for re-tweeting this) after the constant barrage of negative comments from fans this season. I don’t know that I saw all of the Booth pain that you did, but I’m certainly going to rewatch and look for it. I hope it is there. I know things for them will get worse before they get better, but watching this tonight and then the heartbreaking Peter-Olivia material on FRINGE immediately after was difficult. I fully knew what was coming for both shows, but that didn’t make it easier to watch. I’ve missed the Booth-Brennan dynamic, because some of the chemistry appears to have fizzled, but I’m now more optimistic that the cold(ish) rift, the emotional distance, is calculated. That the chemistry is still there, under the surface. Booth is honorable. He wouldn’t dump Hannah at a moment’s notice. I wouldn’t expect him to or want him to. I just hope that the writers find a way to get rid of her and bring B&B back together without making Bones seem like the consolation prize, or the second choice. I’m wondering if the new “big baddie” (sniper) will help bring B&B closer once again in some fashion. I’m so glad you pointed out that Booth followed Brennan (at the end), though. That speaks volumes, and I missed it. Emily Deschanel is so incredibly talented. I know she is up against a group of talented leading ladies (including Anna Torv, who will hopefully now get recognition as well for her recent and current work on FRINGE). But Deschanel is superb and deserves an Emmy nomination. I apologize for the complete lack of cohesion in this comment.
The life-saving score doesn´t matter. The journalist had obviously the way of thanking Booth to win his *cough cough* “heart” or what part of him is it he´s loving with.
what a wonderful wonderful review!
so insightful and poignant – after gaving watched the episode, reading your review was the perfect addition.
since I’m not as good wtih words as you all I’ll say is that last night’s episode was perfect – not because we got what we wanted, because we didn’t – but because it felt right. Just right.
Booth’s reaction was completely true to the guy he is, Brennan revealed her feelings to him in the most unique and fitting way (I was worried about how Hart would have her do that but this exceeded my expectations by far).
Of course they won’t be fine – Booth has been trying very hard, and honorably, to convince himself that he’s adjusted to his world being upisde down when the woman he loved/s rejected him. But I don’t believe he has, I really don’t. The mere fact that he’s not the Booth he wants to be around Brennan any more, that he stifles his instincts around her is proof for that.
And I pray that Brennan won’t just adjust either….I loved her so much for being that courageous, for listening to the “signs” of the universe…I pray that she’ll keep doing that; that Booth’s rejection won’t make her withdraw to the land of reason again, but that she’ll keep dropping in to the world of instinct and emotion.
Emily was great
But my B&B ship ended last night. I don’t begrudge Booth he’s not in love with her anymore.
I want someone new and dazzling for Brennan. She deserves that! loved her performance!!
Oh, Sarah, I love it, I want to be alone with it!
I agree and agree and agree, but…
I am so freaking happy! Grinning like fool – all day long. I expected to be devastated, but I loved it, ENJOYED it. Emily is too perfect for words, simply stunning. Brennan ist so adorable that I want to hug and cuddle her, and I love her going with her guts.
I love the upside/down 3 days pocket universe TPTB gave us.
And – for the first time in s06 – I loved Booth again. He was caring and loyal.
“I can adjust.” “I did.” “Yes, you did.”
And that is what happened. We come full circle here. He had gambled. She couldn’t do it. Now she gambles. And he can’t do it Now they’re even. It’s not as if she did not want to, and I don’t believe for a second that Brennan is anything less than the standard for Booth. She was scared. And now he has found a safe place and is too scared to leave it. What we’ve seen from Brennan today is not the woman we know, the woman Booth knows. How can he dare believing her, risk his heart again? Season 6 Booth is not the man we’ve come to know either. He was seriously broken. By her. How can he risk the life he has now?
Where does it leave us?
I believe she will adjust – but she won’t forget. Neither will he. It will seethe under the surface. I believe there is a point of no return once she has accepted her love, her mistake. Maybe her walls will be stronger than ever, but this realization cannot be denied.
And he will have to see her, every day, fully aware that she knows about her mistake, that she regrets. And one day, the gambler inside of him will stir again.
I haven’t loved these two and the show so much since they crushed me in “The Parts in the Sum of the Whole”.
What a beautifully-written recap of the Bones episode!Review?Recap?Not sure w aht to call it- but you hit it on every mark. I stopped watching Bones about 3-4 seasons ago. Basically, I found ED’s odd pedantic delivery of her characters line to be very heavy-handed. I used to read and enjoy the Kathy Reichs novels, for the character of Tempe and her backstory.Her mothers disappearance/death, her brother Ross’ involvement in her life, even her shady father I found very compelling. LIke all shows with male/female leads I felt the scripts veered too much into the inevitable will they/won’t they?genre.It’s fine in its place,but I like to see crime fiction, not really romance fiction disguised as crime drama.
I saw the Bones tv ad for this week and was intrigued!FInally she begins to show introspection, insight into her own life- , a strong brilliant woman but who is ultimately alone.This was brilliant characterization by the writers of the show on both her and Booth’s parts, the reactions to each other in the scene at the end were electric.I may start watching again…
When I watched the episode where Booth confessed his love to Bones, and he was rejected, I paralleled it with my life.
After watching last nights episode, I again paralleled it with my life. Only this time, for me, it is too late.
I have loved the same girl (who I should call a woman now) for 13 years. She was my best friend during a point in my life when I was at the age that defined me as a person. I knew I loved her, but I watched for a year as she was with someone else. I later found out that she loved me when she started her relationship with him. This was devastating. They eventually split up, and I confessed my love to her. She said it was too soon, as she was not over him. She had given everything she had to this other guy, only to see it end in a disaster, so she rejected me.
From then on, our timing has just never worked out. And watching tonight’s episode, I am reminded of that. I had the beautiful blond girlfriend when she told me she loved me. I chose the girlfriend. Rinse and repeat a few times, with terrible cases of bad timing and hundreds of miles in distance for college, and I have a different girlfriend. When that ended because I went to law school, she was already with someone else. The same thing happens; all the wrong timing.
She married a used car salesman last summer, while I was studying for the bar exam. I had visions of grandeur where I do something out of a chick-flick fairy tale movie (which I admit, I have seen almost all of them because I always let the exes pick out what movies we would watch) and show up at the wedding, objecting, and professing my love. I just didn’t do it. It was too late for me. Too much money has been invested in the wedding, and I loved her too much in the past to embarrass her like that in the present. Up until last night, I had pretty much convinced myself I was completely over it, but with shows like this, I can’t help but to be taken back to the feelings of the past. I think that is why there are certain shows that I absolutely love. They can make you examine your life and make comparisons and really thing about things. Do I have regrets. Yes, many. However, the things that happened in the past have helped make me into the man that I am today, which, according to most women that I know who are unfortunately married, is a catch. I now empathize with Bones, because I am alone, and don’t know when something more and meaningful will come into my life. I’ve loved and been loved, and wish desperately that I could get back there. Thanks Bones. Though sometimes it is good to think about what might have been, the small glimmer of hope I saw in Booth’s eyes in the show reminds me that I really should be concerned with what might be.
One thing from the episode of note: Though I am surrounded by people every day, don’t let the show fool you. Being alone is being lonely.
I noticed during the scene, when Brennan was describing the chicken’s death, that Booth and Hodgins were loving every bit of it. They “get” Brennan more than Hannah ever could and more than Brennan’s best girl friend Angela does. Booth was beaming at Brennan as Angela and Hannah kept making faces.
During this last season, it has seemed that Booth was not aware of Brennan’s feelings. He never seemed to react to them like he had done in the past. Now we see that he was always aware of Brennan and that he had just been trying to ignore them to protect himself. That he was following Brennan around and saved her from being hit by the car shows that he was aware of Brennans’ possible break down and he feared for her safety. If he didn’t care about her he would not have done that. He would have been home with Hannah. Instead, he was following Brennan around on a very rainy night and was there to save her from her self.
I am glad that Booth didn’t dump Hannah the second Brennan said she had made a mistake. He was acting honorably and she knows it. Booth has told her in the past that he has never cheated on any woman he has been with. If he hadn’t stuck to that then he would just have been sleezy. If Booth is going to break up with Hannah then Brennan’s break down will probably be the catalyst; but, it is going to take time.
I have hated season 6 so far; but, this is a game changer for me. I think the universe is going to finally right itself. I think anyone that heard the story by the security guard about the experiment about turning the world upside down and then its’ righting itself in three days, then puting it right side up again and took time to fix, will see that this is an obvious parrallel of what has been going on since episode 100. The world was turned upside down when Brennan rejected Booth. The world corrected itself but it was still upside down. Now the world has been flipped to right side up and another adjustment will have to be made. That adjustment will end in Booth and Brennan getting together.
I love this show.
Yes the episode made me cry, and reading your review made me cry just as much as the episode did (which is not a good thing since I’m in the office and someone could walk up to me at any moment (red puffy eyes and no mascara isn’t a good look on me).
I do love this show, and cannot let go of it and while I have no thoughts of not watching the show any longer…how could I when we get such wonderful performances from the actors. Now I do wish Booth, and especially Brennan had an easier journey to what we know will be the endgame here, I can acknowledge that this makes a better drama.
There was just so much in this episode and really I do need to watch it again, but I don’t know if I can right now, I’m not sure how much time I need before I can sit down and watch again (and hopefully not cry as much). Brennan really was in every scene in the episode and I think that’s why we didn’t see more of her friends worrying about her, not because they weren’t but because they were doing it outside of her view…hence Sweets showing up to talk to her, Booth being there to pull her out of the way of the car.
I wonder if we’ll ever know if Micah was real? Booth didn’t know him, but would Booth really know the night watchman at the Jeffersonian? He did seem satisfied with that explanation. Didn’t Brennan just have a beautiful smile each time he showed up with cookies? This in the middle of all of her confusion and pain.
Ok I need to get back to work I have people waiting on things from me, but I’m just having trouble concentrating as I keep thinking about this episode of Bones, and wondering how things will proceed from here.
Sarah, I think I’ve gushed enough to you for you to know how much I love reading your thoughts. 🙂 This review is no exception. You managed to capture exactly how I was feeling about the episode, except you did it much more succinctly and beautifully than I ever could!
There were so many moments to take in and digest in this episode. They could have made it a feature film and it still wouldn’t have been long enough. I think if it had been a documentary following Brennan around for the full three days we would still have been glued to our seats, our eyeballs burning for not wanting to miss a moment! Oddly enough, most reviews and comments prior to the episode airing were saying that it’s a weird non-traditional episode, but it felt exactly right to me. It was as perfect as it could be.
I think this one will be the most analyzed episode we’ll ever have, and that is awesome. It will keep our brains going over the hiatus for sure!
P.S. I’d just like to say to GG that I was very touched by your story. Thanks so much for sharing it.
Just one word for this review. . .wonderful.
I am just so happy to know that I am not the only one feeling like this. I wish I could express my thoughts and feeling like you do. Thanks for the great insight:)
Wow, Sarah your review is amazing! AMAZING!! It captures so much!
The episdoe was wonderfully told and I think, while it was disconcerting to see Brennan so unhinged, it was a very good episode.
I think Brennan’s jumping into the parrell came from Booth saying “so about your height and weight” and then she saw the ring. Plus once she found out she was a doctor, one of the best on the eastern seaboard, that just solidified it for her.
At the end, I was in tears even before they got in the car at the end, just knowing what was about to happen. I mean, obviously that is the response I expected from Booth, but I guess I kinda hoped it wouldn’t be. Plus, Hannah is a conselation and he is a fool if he doesn’t realize that. I think I said this before but he went out and found someone who is basically a 2nd place Brennan. Someone who is so like her but just not as good.
And while you mention that he isn’t a cheater… he did help Rebecca cheat back in season 2 (I think). The episode where Booth ended up with Cam at the end. He had no problem sleeping with a woman who was in a relationship. Just saying! But I don’t want Booth to be a cheater and I certainly don’t want his and Brennan’s relationship to start in that manner. That would just be cheap.
Emily was incredible! I truley think that is the only word for it. And I loved her interaction with the night guard.
However, and unfortunately, I don’t have a sense of hope coming out of this episode! My question at the end was “how do they get back from here??”. I really don’t see how this helps, if anything I feel it hurts their chances of ending up together. If Booth moved on, then so will Brennan, so how does it help? Do we really believe that Booth will realize Hannah isn’t right, come back to the realization that Brennan is the one and that Brennan will just fall into his arms? I just don’t see it. Maybe the next few episodes will help make it clear in my mind but for right now, I feel they have lost it. And I am so sad by that 🙁
Also, I read a few interviews with Hart and Emily that said this episose was a “game changer” and I also don’t feel that way. We really aren’t in any different place. Brennan’s world went upside down for 3 days, and then righted itself. That gives me the impression that she will go back to her logical, rational personality, Booth will continue on with Hannah and they will pretend like nothing happened.
I don’t know, I am just not happy with the season. The episode was phenominal, but I don’t feel it helped. Maybe it is just me 🙁
Thank you for this amazing review. I’m agree with you and I love this show. More now than ever.
This was a thinly disguised Christmas episode. It was a combo of It’s A Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol. The security guard was a figment of Brennan’s imagination like the one in It’s A Wonderful Life. There is hope for B&B to reestablish their friendship and maybe take it to a romantic level. The reality is that what happened is what often happens in real life. Timing and an open heart is everything. We all have our sad stories as Micah pointed out. I just hope that Brennan stops acting so robotically when the episodes resume in January. Maybe Sully can sail back into her life and she would be more receptive to him now, or maybe Hannah and Sully could fall for each other and sail off into the sunset together leaving B&B on the dock waving to them.
I have to start out by saying I was nervous before watching last night’s episode…after seeing the promo, I was afraid I would be left feeling hopeless at the end of the episode…I’m happy to say that was not the case!
Yes, it was emotional and sad…but by the end I was happy for Brennan. I think that all of the reasons she had for turning Booth down last season are gone! Of course, it would be nice if the timing were different and Booth was in a different place right now…but Bren has come a loooonnnnnggg way. I actually feel proud of her 🙂
I was also afraid that some topics would be handled badly, or not be dealt with head-on…and this was not the case either! B & B were very honest and forthcoming with each other! Booth was not afraid to admit that he was meddling and following her because he was concerned. He was definitely affected by her revelation about making a mistake and not wanting to have regrets and didn’t want to hurt her – but he did give her the straight-up facts. He also sympathized with what she would be going through after he essentially turned her down…since he had to deal with the same thing last year.
My B/B shipper heart is not broken…I just think it will be a long journey.
I LOVED the general tone of the episode…how we saw everything through Bren’s eyes was very interesting. I was glad to see that she eventually saw the photo as someone else by the end…I suspected that would be the case all along.
As a side note – I was almost more affected by Bren’s emotions when she admitted to Booth/Hannah that she hadn’t been sleeping as when she full-out cried in the car over missing her chance.
Does anyone else think that Micah was not real? That he was a form of her subconcious? How else could he explain everything to her in a way she could always understand???
Sarah – your review was so good. And I’m clinging to your hope that the sun will come up on this… and Avalon’s prediction that “this will all work out in the end.” Having said that…
I thought I would need a ride to the psych ward after last night’s episode… I sobbed with Brennan, sobbed afterward and sobbed from disappointment.
Seeley did the right honorable thing – I guess I just expected a titch more tenderness and emotion from him at her admission. I don’t know that it was absolutely necessary for him to reiterate that he’d moved on.
I so miss the spark, the tension, the looks in the eyes, the undertones of their relationship prior to this season. It seems all but gone to me and that makes me really sad… Watching them now feels so flat to me.
One thing I REALLY hope they DON’T do is kill Hannah… then there’d be all that grieving time Seeley would have to do… OMG… I hope the show makes it the 8 seasons Hart Hanson thinks it will… it seems like it will take that long before we see and feel what the investment that all this has been about.
“Oreo” does in fact sound Latin! I loved the comedy in this episode it gave a good insight into what Brennan finds funny, which isn’t the same as the average person, reminding us that she does in fact see the world differently.
The loneliness portrayed we have all seen and experienced reminds us that she is just like everyone else. It’s a contradiction. I love that.
Booth must be hurting so much now, the hurt he felt after 100 concentrating once again, the up-coming sniper episode (roll on 2011) added to this could really facilitate a shift in Booths Character, his level ground being completely pulled from under him, his peace of mind/footing that he fought for in Afghanistan once again gone.
soo happy and excited! I love bones never stoped and never will! I have faith and I dont need suger in my Coffee to keep it!
As much as this episode touched me (and rattled my nerves), I found the last line rather ominous (“3 days upside down, 3 days for the world to turn the right side up” or something to that effect). It almost sounds like they’re (HH and co) preparing us for a Brennan who becomes emotionally withdrawn and distant again (or at least feign it, since she clearly isn’t actually a cold person). You know, in the sense that once her world turns the right side up again, she’ll be back to the rational, unflappable, keeping all her feeling under wraps scientist. After all, Cam did say way back when that Booth told her that he was in love with Brennan that he needed to be sure, because if she was hurt, she’d never let anyone in again. Although this isn’t quite the same situation, since this time Booth is turning down Brennan, I can’t help but think it’ll still have a negative emotional impact on her.
In terms of H and B… In real life, it is possible to desperately fall in love with someone, get turned down, and find someone else to love. Like Booth says, that new person doesn’t have to be a consolation prize, nor does the speed have scream “rebound.” That said, the entire H storyline makes me think that same sort of easy partnership and chemistry B and B had before can’t be recovered, if we are to truly believe Booth’s sincerity. I’m genuinely sad about that.
I couldn’t agree more with you in this Sarah! This episode left me in a state of mind that none other had before. I missed the interaction of other characters besides Brennan, but I also think it was necessary. In order to bring Brennan’s character into the spotlight in this episode, the other characters needed to be at the background, even Booth. In a way, they all kept an eye on her, and the fact that Booth was still there for her at the end proves that he’ll still be around her. The point is, it won’t be in the same way. And that’s where it hurts. Booth has a new love interest now, he’s loyal, he’s not a cheated, and in order to keep it that way he has to distance himself from Brennan. I guess that after last year’s season finale he’s burnt and fearful of standing too close to Brennan for the fear of getting hurt in the same way. I can’t blame him for his natural surviving skills, but he was still there for her, maybe not in the way all fans wanted, with food and comfort, but he was there the best he could, the best he let himself to.
And you said it all, Brennan exists in all of us. Last night I got amazed (yet again) and how much of her is in me. I also cried, for her, for me, for their relationship, for 6 seasons worth of disappointments, laughter and heartache.
Loved your article. 🙂
I think this episode was the best of the season! Excellent acting on ED/DB parts!
Having read Emily’s interviews, I get the feeling that Bones will compartmentalize again. If I’m correct last weeks episode was filmed after last nights. If this be the case, then we have already seen the immediate effect. Hannah meets Parker, Bones copes with it.
I don’t have a clue how they resolve this. If the goal is that they keep B&B apart so the show will continue longer but loose the chemistry between them, then the show dies. If they put them together according to HH, then the show dies. If they make the show into a conventional procedural, then they loose their base. I think they have put the show between a rock and a hard place.
What has lacked up to this point in the season is the chemistry between B&B. I don’t dislike Hannah, but the chemistry between her and Booth does not make for the lack chemistry between B&B.
I will be happy if they just bring back the chemistry for all the characters.
We each see what we see and think what we think — and it’s all good, to use that goofy phrase in a goofy way — but SO much of the angst on other sites right now is NOT how I saw this episode that it was a hug from cyberspace to find your review and this community.
Frankly, I’m exhausted from the ride we have been on since the 100th episode.
I LOVE someone’s comment here about the 3 day thing being
1) the 100 and the Bones world turned upsidedown
2) the episodes since with everyone adjusting and moving on and things being all back … but upsidedown
3) last night and the world finally being right side up again.
Simply brilliant whoever put that out there.
@Ange
I’ve never told anyone any part of that story. I don’t know why I was compelled to confess it to a bunch of strangers on the internet. I guess that is the power of television.
Will Booth propose to Hannah?
Was anyone surprise with the way things turned out. DB pretty much said this was going to happen during the Deadbolt interview (for the 100 episode). In that interview he stated that “when she gets ready he won’t be ready.” He also said the following with regard to moving on: “Booth is… he is what he is, and after the 100th episode, we’ll see he’s got to make some changes, you know… internally. Which is fine for him. He doesn’t see anything as a loss; he’s very optimistic, always has been. I don’t think one of his main goals is to get married. I think Booth is… he’s pretty simple, blue collar kind of a guy, and he loves… he loves the simple things in life. You know, if he were to find somebody that is a fit for him, and she is also in the same boat, then he’ll possibly entertain those thoughts.”
Excellent review! It’s like you crawled into my head, took all my thoughts about Bones, then put them down on paper to make sense of it all. Thank you!
Samantha I agree with you.
Erikka Porras, everyone should read your comment. I am afraid that things are not going to be as warm and fuzzy as everyone seems to want to believe.
Still, it is beyond time for some happy payoff for the viewers. How much more angst do people want to watch? If it takes a written article for people to feel good about the TV they are watching, isn’t that saying there may be something wrong?
It is like someone has to write a fanfiction to rewrite what was on the episode, but stress points to make it seem more palatable and hopeful. I never needed that prior to mid season 5. That in itself is telling.
People are going to get tired of trying to find reviews to make themselves feel better about what they are watching.
Sarah – the episode didn’t make me cry, your review did. While my heart was in my mouth throughout the episode and when it was over, I felt pretty emotional, coming here a few hours later and reading what you had to say about it just cemented in my head why it was so beautiful, and had so much meaning and was so truthful. It was your words that put it into perspective for me.
I am so glad that this episode played out the way it did – it was painfully perfect. Beautifully, heart-crushingly human, the emotions played out in it really spoke to me.
Emily D blows me away – she was simply sublime in every single scene. I’m so grateful to her for working so hard and giving so much to the show, you really get the the sense that the story of Booth and Brennan is really important to her too and the tiny flickers of emotion (even looking through the fridge for goodness sake!), the flickers of feeling she portrays speak so loudly to me.
I’m so glad that you gave a shout out to David B in this review as well – he really has blown me away this season; the quiet way he’s shown Booth as just slightly off kilter has been seriously impressive, and in this episode the full force of honest Boothie-ness proves its all been on purpose. He’s been amazing at showing a character trying so hard to do the right thing. DB knows Booth, inside out, and I’m so fascinated and excited to see what else we’re going to see from him this season – I get the feeling it’s all going to kick off from here.
You are fab Sarah – you deserve every single one of the amazing comments you’ve had here, and over on BT. Every post, I can’t wait to hear what you have to say – thanks so much for caring, and sharing with us all, I really don’t want to have to wait till 2011 to hear from you again! haha, although i recognise you probably deserve some time off 🙂 I love your insights, posts, honesty, integrity and talented writing – and like you, I absolutely love Bones. Roll on 2011, it’s going to be an amazing ride.
Lovely review, and I agree with everything you said.
They fix things when they break them for story purposes. After The Babe in the Bar, a lot of people were disappointed in Booth’s blowing Hodgins off and wondered what that said about his friendship with the squints beyond Brennan…and here we are two eps later, and see them having a meal together. What gets broken on the show gets fixed, sometime. Including our hearts.
There’s so much here. That ‘I’ll adjust’ exchange? I’m fairly sure they mean very different things by that. For Booth, adjusting was finding a way to see past his love for Brennan to fall for someone else. For Brennan, I suspect adjusting will mean putting her walls up again, higher and harder than before. I also suspect she interprets Booth’s adjusting differently than he does. Specifically, I don’t see how she can’t think it means he stopped loving her.
A beautiful, powerful, heartbreaking episode that’s just a step on their journey.
Just. Wow.
This is amazing, thank you for bringing me into a greater perspective! I love this show and I’ll stand by it until the end and beyond! =)
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Amazing! So, so true!
It’s interesting to me that you chose that quote, because I just listened to that episode during a long car trip this afternoon. When I got to that quote, I couldn’t help but think about what it was like for Booth to go home after last night’s episode.
How would he act toward Hannah? And more importantly, I had no doubt in my mind that he would lie in bed, he’d toss and he’d turn, and he’d beat myself up. He would question everything.
Now, I’m wondering about his faith and what part exactly will he be questioning. Would it be his faith in his love for Hannah? His faith in love in general? His faith in 30, 40, 50 years? His faith in knowing? Or could he actually retain his faith in his love for Brennan?
I don’t think this will happen overnight, but Booth cannot be unstirred by what took place in that last scene. Just as there is a corresponding cause for every effect, there is an effect for every cause. Things are about to change.
First things first: Emily knocked this out of the park! Secondly: Ian, the director, knocked it out of the park! Thirdly: Carla is the best writer for the emotional Brennan and she knocked it out of the park!
That being said, Brennan did not express that she was ‘in love’ with Booth in that end scene. Her regret is that she missed her chance of being able to fall ‘in love’ with someone……to have a deep emotional connection. She regrets that she didn’t give her and Booth a chance to fall ‘in love’. That’s why the no ‘I love you’ because she still doesn’t know if she loves him. She knows she feels something for him but she never wanted to take a chance to explore if those feelings would grow stronger or possibly into love.
I do have to disagree about DB’s acting though or the writing of Booth. They still have him chasing after fairy tales of the ‘happily ever after’. In fairy tales, the prince or princess never have faults and that is what he is displaying to Saint Hannah. She’s sees Prince Booth but not the gambler/sniper Booth.
That is the problem I am having with the whole Hannah arc. HH & Co have always had the SO’s as the mature ones in the situations as our heroes are the cheating, lying and manipulative ones who use others as shields to hide their feelings for each other. Saint Hannah is no different than the others which has been played out way too many times over the last 5 years.
This episode played out okay for me. It was an episode that had to happen. What taints it is that I’m not buying into the Saint Hannah story arc…..
Echoing the comments of everyone – the review was wonderful. I’m not quite so positive about the future of the Brennan-Booth relationship which shippers have been waiting for for far too long and which I suspect has passed its use by date.
We each take from the show what we want and my wish was granted in that I saw two actors at the top of their game tell us a very emotional wonderful story in 45 minutes.
However I also took away from this episode the sense that the producers may be setting viewers up to accept that Brennan and Booth will not be together and Hannah may stay.
Okay I loved Booth’s reaction in the car – Why?
A because saying I didn’t give you a chance isnt saying I too wanted to spend the rest of my life with you but I was too scared to act on it – ie even if there were no Hannah how could he be sure she wouldn’t retreat once the emotions of this case have settled down.
B His language choices first off he neve said he didn’t love brennan and second he never said he’d moved on simply that he’d adjusted – BIG difference in my opinion. People who move on are over it and people who adjust are trying to make the best of a crappy situation.
C if there were any doubts about the way Booth feels they should be squashed by David’s expressions – that guy can speek volumes withouth opening his mouth!
As an aside I find it interesting that people are raking Booth over the coals about Hannah and believing there is no hope for B&B yet we could all accept that Angela and Hodgins are the real deal dispite Roxy and Wendall – interesting…
I agree with everyone here, this was THE review, is absolutely great and brilliant. It clear things up, I didn’t see any expresion on Booth’s face, I thought he didn’t felt any grief or something, but then I saw it again and I really saw how much pain Booth felt, and he don’t wanted to show it for Brennan’s sake.
Also, makes me wonder “Do I have any regrets?” and I can identify with Brennan, just a little because when a closer friend have a boyfriend/girlfriend, his/her world turns around them, and they forget the persons who always have been with them. Their friends.
This season make me hate Booth, DB is great because that was almost imposible, but then I saw it, Booth is broke and need something safe, he needed someone who doesn’t afraid of feeling love, and he found it on Hannah. I love this epi because I expected Booth’s reaction, I mean the “I love Hannah”, we know HH, shame on me if he fool me twice. And Brennan changed for good, maybe her walls going to be stronger than ever, but I’m sure she doesn’t forget it.
So, I love this review, it exactly how I feel about the Doctor in the Photo, every word. Including the “I was crying over Temperance Brennan. She does not even exist.” So, congratulations, and thanks for writing this, It made me feel good, and made me know that I’m not the only one who is overanalyzing this. Bye! Until January!
I was told to come here because it was supposedly going to change my mind. Sorry. The Bones show I knew and loved has disappeared. The center did not hold, it shifted. The whole show has become Booth and Hannah. Might as well make a spin-off for the two of them.
I agree that David is a great actor. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to like the character Booth. I’ve come to dislike the character more and more with each episode. I’m one of those people who have decided that the show just isn’t worth my time anymore.
People can get upset by my views. I have tough skin. But it’s obvious I’m not alone. This episode had a lot of hype and the ratings still dropped significantly for the 2nd week in a row. As Booth would say, the ratings… those are the facts.
So long Bones. I just can’t be depressed after each episode anymore. I’ll be watching Grey’s Anatomy on Thursday nights @ 9.
“Hannah is not a consolation prize.”
Yeah … about that …
This episode dissapointed me a bit. Not because of Emily Deschanel (wow, she is incredible), not because of the case and the Brennan plot, but because I had that tiny feeling that it could have been more, more stuff could have been said, etc.
At the beginning of this season, I was kinda happy with the whole Hannah thing, because I thought it was going to be a way for Brennan to realize she has to go with Booth, and for Booth to wait until she does. But they are not getting closer at all ! Hannah is destroying everything between them, and her character seems useless.
I have never understood people who hate a show, or suddenly dislike it and must get on a site that has fans who actually have the patience and love for the show to stick it out and feel that they must shoot it down. If you don’t like it, don’t watch it. The rest of us are not very interesting in your denigrating characters we love (even if we are frustrated). I had to put up with this with LOST fan sites. If you think watching Greys Anatomy is going to be more satisfying then good luck to you. That show tries to portray their characters with realism and the messiness that life gives. If you want to watch something that has no emotional value, watch American Idol or Dancing With The Stars. Life is messy. Shows that put realism in their characters are messy. I thank God for the messiness. Without it we would all be Vulcans on the Planet Vulcan or Zach in a looney bin. (sorry Zach fans but you know that is what got him into trouble)
Oh come on ,y’all ! everybody should know that the course of true never goes smooth, especially for Booth and Brennan! If it did the show would be awfully boring and we would have nothing to look forward to. HH said they will get back together eventually ,and he’s smart enough to tell the truth. Have faith and patience, Friends!! All our dreams will come true!!
So yeah… you did an AMAZING job with this review! I know that last time we talked you said you couldn’t decide what to say… but you clearly found the perfect words to say! I cried all over again while reading it. Oh, and that quote at the end? You are a GENIUS! I’m going to cut that out and put it on the table every time I watch an episode…
You covered pretty much everything I would’ve talked about, so I’ll just say a few things.
I dreaded this episode because I thought it was just going to break my heart… and it did, but for all the right reasons. This is the first time all season that I’ve felt hope and felt like I was watching the show that I love so much. Seeing Brennan hit this breaking point was absolutely heartbreaking, and I cried buckets of tears right along with her… and afterward, but oh my goodness… how beautiful was it to see her heart like that? That last camera angle of the tear sliding down her cheek as she said that she would be okay alone… oh my goodness… I just lost it again picturing that scene.
I wasn’t surprised at all by Booth’s reaction, because that is exactly what his character would have done. He is not the type of man to just up and leave a committed relationship because Brennan changed her mind. Also, I didn’t see it at all as a sign that he doesn’t love Brennan anymore. I simply do NOT think that is possible. I think that Booth believes he loves Hannah, and maybe in some ways he does… but he will never love anyone the way he loves Brennan.
So, for me… this was absolutely my favorite episode of the season, and I totally didn’t expect that. Am I happy? No. However, do I see “the beginning in the end”? Yes… yes, I do.
we need max to come and hit him in his testicle again for us for him saying can I call someone thought booth was her bodyguard.
Amazing article…You summed up exactly how I felt watching this episode…Trying not to cry while watching Brennan break was impossible. Still the best show on TV.
Doctor in the Photo- It hurt me to my heart to see Bones so vulnerable, to admit she had regret ,yet to be told its too late, I don’t like this season, I like the previouse seasons when it was just Bones and Brennan. I don’t like Hannah!
This is a fantastic review and just the kind of details with healthy speculation that I like to sink my eyes into. Thanks for taking the time to write this. You will be my official review source from now on.
I too really identified with Brennan in this episode and felt her pain. However, Booth showing up to save her like that does give me a glimmer of hope. I don’t know too many people that would follow their friends around in the middle of the night, in the rain. I wanted to cry with her…
She is not fine alone; but she will be fine. I like how the picture looks different in the end. Boothe is acting just how he should as a man with a new woman in his life. I am not liking Hannah at all. I just can’t wait to see how this turns out.
“I will show you fear *IN* a handful of dust,” is a line from T.S. Eliot’s poem, “The Waste Land: The Burial of the Dead.”
Another amazing review Sarah! I cried for an hour after watching this ep! though heartbreaking, I totally agree with how the writers played booths reaction to brennan’s heart wrenching admission of turning him down in the 100th ep. I am afraid though that the next episodes will lack this “emotional” ingredient as I see Brennan being more closed off than ever before. But I really do hope I’m wrong and that Brennan will surprise us all for behaving differently as expected.
Booth’s shell has been building up all season. I thought it was going to break in this episode, but instead, it built up so much that he almost convinced me that he doesn’t love Brennan anymore, at all. GAHHHH. I wouldn’t expect him, or want him, to break up with Hannah right away because of Brennan’s revelation. But I would have wanted him to give Bones one of his Booth hugs. I don’t know what’s going to become of their relationship after this. Their chemistry is gone. It really seems like Booth has no feelings for her anymore. But I still have faith that sometime soon it’s going to happen. The show can’t go on like this for too much longer without completely alienating all the fans.
What bothers me is that when Booth tried to give it a chance in season 5, letting him down hurt her as much as it hurt him, and then she was there to comfort him afterwards. This time around, Booth looked like he felt really bad about hurting her, but it didn’t really hurt him that they couldn’t be together. And “do you want me to call someone to be with you?” URGH!!!!!! This was so painful. Obviously there was no one but him.
Ok, I just got into Bones and still watching season 2, but i’m loving so much this show that couldn’t help myself but search for all information ahead…
And I cried reading this review as well, to touching and well written.
I think, as someone that still going thru seasons, this one is about Brennan find herself as a human begin, just mortal. And its hurts because all she believed in life could be explained by facts and science, it does not heppens when we talk about feelings and Bones is not used to it.
The episode was really needed for Bones. There have always been nuances suggesting that Brennan has more of a soul and more emotion than she acts, but it’s rarely shown. And it’s never been showed like this. It was beautiful writing and beautiful acting. I agree, David Boreanez and Emily Deschanel are phenomenal actors and play their roles perfectly. I’m so glad that Brennan finally realized her feelings for Booth. Once she talked to the helicopter pilot, you just knew her realization about Booth. If they never end up together I’m going to be so mad. A lot of people hate Hannah, but I actually kind of like her character. Although I like her character…I just want Booth and Bones together so I really just want her gone. There’s no way the Booth/Brennan romantic story line is going to die out after the irony of Booth getting rejected by Brennan and visa versa in this episode. All I can say is thank god that Brennan finally breaks out of her normal coldness, although necessary for the story line, it’s frustrating if you never see her true human side. I have a feeling she’ll be even colder than normal in tonight’s episode, after the end when she sees that the doctor doesn’t actually look like her and she says something about the world turning right side up again…indicating this won’t last. But of course, she already had the Booth realization and there’s no way that’s going to stay out of her mind or out of the plot for long.
I love this review of the episode, and don’t feel ashamed that you cried, I cried too, as I’m sure many others did as well.
Just read the comment above about Booth’s shell building up, rather than breaking. I thought it was clever how after talking about his love for Hannah, he said “Those are the facts”, like Brennan usually would. Yeah, it was really frustrating how he turned her down as if he doesn’t have feelings for her anymore, but come on, the writers weren’t just going to have him drop everything and suddenly re-profess his love for her. That would be way too easy. Especially in the middle of the season. Something else will happen. I just hope them getting together isn’t something that happens right at the end of the show during the final season, whichever one that will be. It could work with them as a couple, it’d just have to be done well.
This was a beautiful and moving episode. Heart wrenching to see the floodgates finally open for Brennan. But I do have one issue. I think in trying to show Brennan’s need to emotionally connect, there was repeated reference to marriage and children — at the dinner, in the diner by Hannah (pretty insensitive, incidentally), by Sweets. But I think what Brennan needs is to be more emotionally connected to the world in general, and to Booth in particular. Even if she and Booth got together, I don’t necessarily see her agreeing to marriage or going through with the idea of having a child. I don’t think accessing her emotions is going to make her reject all her ideas about traditional gender roles and social rituals. Illustrating her desire for love and connection by harping on her being unmarried and childless (Sweets’ words) seems very regressive — the old “a woman’s not complete without a husband and children” crap. I think it’s unworthy to reduce what Brennan is going through to her being a “spinster.” And I don’t think that was the intention, but I really felt it, and it really bothered me.
As for Booth, I think he’s struggling to do the right thing. He legitimately cares for Hannah, and certainly couldn’t dump her just because Brennan had a breakthrough. But I think he’s being a little insensitive. I mean, why is his girlfriend intruding in their work? Why is she at a work breakfast, or in his office in the middle of the day? And how could he refer to Brennan as his “associate?” That line just about broke my heart.
I did love Hannah’s “I don’t like it when you two fight” line. Something a child would say to her parents. And in a way, she’s the child born of their failed relationship.
I only just now remembered that the dolphin was symbolic of her mother… “Your father buried your mother in a pair of new shoes in a cemetery, with her dolphin belt buckle that reminded her of you because you both love dolphins.” – Titan On The Tracks
So here I was, watching the whole season of Bones to catch up. First time I had seen the series as well. At first I was a bit annoyed, the attempt to stuff humor, interpersonal relationships and a crime into one episode makes most episodes lightweight and easy to solve. A couple falls off a cliff, bugs ate their bodies except the face, face is doused in pepperspray, only person they met is the park ranger who carries pepperspray, when they ask him he confesses.
But then I saw this episode and boom, that hit like a truck. I can’t remember seeing something this great in years. The creepy surrealism of her seeing her own photo, showing it to Booth and him brushing it off like it was nothing, how a CD recording started answering back her questions, the way Sweets gave a character profile of the victim that was exactly like Bones herself, you felt there was something off about everything.
And yes, I also believe that night security guard is an imaginary person, because Bones can relate to him perfectly. In all other episodes she never reallly understands others, always takes figure of speech literally or makes bad jokes that are just plain unfunny.
I Agree With U All.But i have to say in previous episodes they have shown that bones people known her being this wierd is becoz of her childhood that she’s scared deep within herself.That why she’s like this.She pretend she is not emotional person.But everybody else knows that she is.Brennan always help her friends though i agree in a wierd way.So how can they say that nobody knows her.
Bones will adjust and will adapt. What I like about this episode is how honestly it depicts a situation almost everyone has experienced….loving some one who isn’t available. And a person has two ways to deal with it….leave the situation or adapt. So she chooses to adapt, and it is quite painful, but necessary.
That being said, what really runs around in my thoughts is the end of Aliens in the Space Ship….”I knew you wouldn’t give up…..” and some how it seems appropriate to me. I hope it’s true for these characters in the next few episodes.
I enjoyed this episode very much. I truly feel that episodes such as this keep me watching Bones, and it is definitly a runner for my favorite Bones episode.
On a side note, I feel that Dr. Brennan suffered from Subjective Doubles Syndrome.
I want to give a nod to Micah. Sometimes he sounded so much like Booth that I wondered if Boreanaz dubbed some of the speeches and other times Michah’s motions – not his looks! – were also like Booth’s. Incredible directing and acting.