Comments on Obsessed with Bones: Bones Episode Review - 3.14: 'The Wannabe in the W...

Wow that last paragraph about Booth laying down hi...

2008-07-24T15:33:00.000-04:00

Wow that last paragraph about Booth laying down his life for Brennan...that gave me chills. That is one of my favorite scenes ever...because, like you said, there was no thought on his part. He did what came naturally...protected his Bones. I'm gonna have to watch that again tonight.

I agree, Amanda. Even though we see Booth as an em...

2008-05-21T00:00:00.000-04:00

I agree, Amanda. Even though we see Booth as an emotional and responsive character we really know very little about him. I'd like the writers to round out his character more by letting us see who he spends time with when he's not being the hero. We've only been introduced to 2 of his friends-the judge and the Vegas gambler--both from his army days. ( Oh, and Sid who I think must have been killed when his restaurant blew up--how else could we explain why they stopped going!) We know he loves his Dad (they're "tight") and presumably his Mom and brother. And since he surprisingly quickly became Special Agent in Charge we've seen very little interaction with his peers. It would be good to see how he interacts with his family, friends and co-workers as that tells a lot about his character. Also, we've seen his involvement with three women and two have told us that he's a wonderful partner. I very much appreciated addhole's commentary on what would make a man like Booth tick (a university seminar paper if I ever read one!), but I can't believe that a man like Booth would deny his sexual self. He is the heart-the anima which cannot deny the sharing of life. Unless Catholicism is a factor in this, or his attachment to Brennan is so strong that he believes he'd be "cheating" on her and he's never, never cheated on any woman he's been with.My name is Liz, but I don't know how to send this except as anonymous.

I thought about mentioning TWITG, but decided you'...

2008-05-15T11:13:00.000-04:00

I thought about mentioning TWITG, but decided you'd catch the reference. *G*. I think it's fun to see that, while Angela is more 'normal' to Booth, he really shares more personality traits (and a love of Pirates) with Hodgins. Going back to "Two Bodies in the Lab," Hodgins visits Booth without any of the other Squints, and has poked and prodded for connections at other times (The hug in "The Glowing Bones in the Old Stone House", the "organized religion" speech in "The Man in the Fallout Shelter", the apology in "The Soldier on the Grave", their shared love of classic cars, and so on).

I've found it interesting that, despite Booth being much more mainstream in his views on the world, hobbies, etc. we see very littl of his life away from the squints-- to the point where I wonder if he hasn't grown closer to them than even he would like to admit. Other than Rebecca and Parker, we haven't seen anyone outside of the FBI and Jeffersonian hanging out with him since season 1.

I'm actually thinking of sending out a search party for Sid.

Amanda - I couldn't agree more. I love the relatio...

2008-05-14T23:25:00.000-04:00

Amanda - I couldn't agree more. I love the relationship between Booth and Hodgins and REALLY want to see more involvement. Do you remember all the way back in Season 1 when Hodgins imitated Booth? I think that was 1.13 - The Woman In The Garden.

That it was Hodgins that did SOMETHING when Booth got shot was huge to me.

Booth mostly keeps Hodgins at bay but every once in a while shows real appreciation or respect for him and that is very cool to me.

I think it's interesting how Hodgins stepped up wh...

2008-05-14T22:08:00.000-04:00

I think it's interesting how Hodgins stepped up when Booth and Brennan needed him. He was obviously shocked by the situation (the "Holy $#&@" look on his face as he stepped in front of Angela when Brennan shot FatPam) but recovered quickly and commanded Zack to call 911. Of course, he didn't stop there, then heading to make sure FatPam was no longer a threat and removed her weapon.

I think that says something for the Booth/Hodgins dynamic, which has been a fun subplot characterization through the series. It was almost as if, instantaneously, Hodgins realized someone had to "be" Booth in this situation--the take charge personality.

Head and Heart, Bones . . . Head . . . and, Heart ...

2008-05-14T16:48:00.000-04:00

Head and Heart, Bones . . . Head . . . and, Heart . . .

Okay, to your Booth comments.I thought had Booth w...

2008-05-14T16:00:00.000-04:00

Okay, to your Booth comments.

I thought had Booth well thought out and defined but you have out shined me by far. I had previously looked at his unwillingness to talk about sex as more a quirk than related to his fundamental nature but that makes so much sense. I also hadn't given any thought about how he relates to the pseudo-police.

You are really going to give me a lot to think about when I re-watch Bones over the summer. I welcome it!

Email me and I'll tell you all my blogging secrets...

2008-05-14T13:24:00.000-04:00

Email me and I'll tell you all my blogging secrets! I was indexed within a few days on google. Yahoo is a different story.

I have endless frustration that bots have not pick...

2008-05-14T13:18:00.000-04:00

I have endless frustration that bots have not picked up my blog, as well. I so want to have some exchange of dialog - particularly with strong, dissenting voices.

My blog is really an exercise in self-therapy. It runs the danger of becoming a snake swallowing its own tail but I'll take that risk.

Are you taking advantage of the new Blogger feature to schedule when your entries will post? I am toying with that when and if I get actual traffic and hits.

You are so prodigious in your entries I just hope you can keep up a sufficient head of steam to keep this train running down the tracks.

Booth is a real man. A man has urges and desires b...

2008-05-14T12:17:00.000-04:00

Booth is a real man. A man has urges and desires but he disciplines all areas of his life if he is to demonstrate the proper exercise of masculine strength. A man's strength is not only the external definition of muscle but also the internal definition of heart. A man defines and adheres to a standard.

There was a billboard in a very poor and dysfunctional part of San Antonio, a few years back. It's imagery and message were simple but they gripped me. The billboard showed a shirtless man holding a baby and the caption read, "A Man Shares His Strength."

That's Booth. His convictions, beliefs and values are stronger than his libido because he has also exercised his will to evaluate and prioritize what is most important. Most women are not immediately aware of how men are developed by external rather than internal forces. Our Creator made some very poetic and symbolic ties between our physical structures and our emotional makeup. Men are externally defined and are very aggressive in their presentation whereas women are hidden away under layers and only revealed in secret and with calm and patience. A woman has an internal barometer to govern her self awareness and identity but a man models himself after the dominant influences during his formative years. It is no accident that rigorous institutions have developed over the ages. The military, prisons, the work place are all structured and rigid mechanisms for policing male behavior. Men that choose to rebel against such structures or remove themselves from such governing influences generally wreak havoc in their society. If they do not subscribe to the notion that a family structure is a necessary control of their self-absorbed nature in a similar way then they are more prone to take on a predatory nature.

Men understand that boys and men respond only to force or the threat of force. The first method of force is that of reason but if someone elects not to respond to that, then escalation occurs until a means of satisfactory containment is found. Ultimately, the greatest demonstration of force is the termination of a life. Booth hates such an ultimate conclusion but recognizes the need.

Booth operates at the high end of male discipline and self control. Rather than force and pandering to basic instincts, he places value, a higher value on others above himself. This also allows him to distinguish good from bad. Those that put themselves first violate the rules of conduct for civility. Human life has meaning. Other people's feelings are valid. Booth shares his strength.

I particularly enjoy any episode where Booth encounters a security guard or other pseudo-police element. Rather than belittle or condescend to such people (as every other character in any show I have ever viewed seems to) Booth accepts them as peers. This is a direct demonstration of his humanity, his fully developed self image, and his high standards governing his deportment.

Sex is an intimate expression of him and his investment in a lover. He greatly dislikes any of Brennan's arguments that sex, attraction, and the related impulses are nothing more than chemically induced necessities. Life has to have higher meaning for Seeley and sex definitely so. It is his most personal form of expression and that's why he does not comfortably discuss sex or body parts.

His discussion with Bones about crappy sex sums it all up.

Frankly, especially for men to hear it; We need more characters like Seeley Booth being portrayed to combat the notion that men are responding only to animalistic and instinctive urges. If we don't persuade men that they are above the influence then they will only act below whatever standard is defined for them.

My blog is still new enough that I am set to recei...

2008-05-14T10:48:00.000-04:00

My blog is still new enough that I am set to receive notification of any comments posted. I welcome the day I get so many comments that becomes overwhelming.

Hate to burst your bubble though on one thing: I've had those articles since yesterday. But another rule I hold myself to is spreading out the content so I'd intentionally held onto them until today. Sorry!

You definitely have insights that I do not into the characterizations on the show. I am a southern girl, Tennessee born and bred. However, I do think people can and often do transcend their environment though. This area is so rife with conversational affront and yet I can manage to keep from saying things like "I was learned", "I know you was", and such. Brennan holds herself to an extremely high standard and things like that stand out in her speech when they are easily forgiven in others.

I noticed the pauses in Brennan's speech but attributed them strictly to the character/actress. I will go back and look again at other characters when I have a bit of time as I didn't notice it anywhere else.

I believe we will see some hard missteps between Booth and Brennan in the future but I think the master plan will show us in the end that everything was important and only made them stronger in the end.

What do you think about the idea that Booth is a man and no matter what he should be bouncing from bed to bed? I personally think that's a shallow generalization and I posted a little bit about it in the comments where we first sparred.

I'm all about not focusing on anything I should today - paid work or personal writing work. I welcome more distractions! (And as I go to hit post I see you found my other blog...)

Hopefully, you'll get flagged there's yet another ...

2008-05-14T10:30:00.000-04:00

Hopefully, you'll get flagged there's yet another comment under yesterday's post and catch this.

I am going to insinuate the interviews you posted for May 14th were directly influenced by my referencing I had sought out something on Emily's personality in order to make contrasts to her character's emotional run of the gamut from "A," to "A, and a half." Nothing like a desperate attempt at recognition to kick off a conversation, huh?

I believe that because the series is located in Del/Mar/Va, as we locals like to refer to D.C. and the surrounding area, that some care was actually given to the common speech quirks of that region. Every time I am back in that area I am flooded by the accumulated little ripples of colloquial speech, phrasing, accent and structure. There are probably writers for the show that are from those areas. (The choppy structure of that previous sentence is a fine example - there's a sort of tic-toc cadence and sing song to conversation.) I know that some of the quirkiest,most out-of-the-box, thinkers hail from places like Baltimore. Two examples are Edgar Allen Poe and Frank Zappa. So, Yes. I believe that influence has been deliberately baked into the Bones cake.

Maryland and Virginia are a very odd economic-political climate; A little fiefdom. Maryland behaves like a southern state; being right on the Mason-Dixon line, but has the infamy of having allied with the Union during the civil war. Baltimore was the thriving metropolis until after the War of 1812 and then that focus shifted to New York. There is a strange and convoluted identity for people living in that area. They are the cradle for the federal government and enjoy a steady influx of politically savvy and quick-witted repartee (which is also a fundamental component of the show) but, for the most part, the populace is ignored by the rest of the country. The lifestyle is very agrarian and blue collar. The industry is fixed in the systems of the 1800's - export and import.

That is another reason why Booth is such a vital character. His Philadelphia upbringing - likely, South Philly (very important), military service, and blue collar career makes him the total package to represent the common man in the Northeast. His whole persona is believable - down to the misplaced pronoun after the noun speech pattern.

The other quirk is the odd breath mid-way through sentences that every character in the show employs. I don't recall that being a common element of conversation. It always makes me curious why that pause is encouraged so often in the flow of the dialog?

And, a personal favorite was the whole back and forth about "concrete." It took me years to stop referring to it as "cement" because that's the only way people in that region identify it. Of course, they call it "sea-ment."

So, the fact that Dr. Brennan has adopted such simple grammatical errors as part of her speech is certainly incongruent with her exacting nature and education. I can allow for that if she has fallen into those habits because they are so much a part of everyday conversation with people that she has become familiar and let her guard down. Then it works.

And I was married to a real life Dr. Brennan - at least, the emotional part. She was every bit as emotionally detached and her mechanism for validation was very masculine, to immerse herself in her work. She sought approval through recognition of her achievements and relationships were tools to enhance performance of tasks. Everything was a meritocracy. It was never manipulative but the feminine charm only came out as a means to communicate satisfaction with the direction something was going or the desired result. She was so focused and pragmatic that it visibly frustrated her to have to elaborate upon anything that she perceived to be "obvious." To the uninitiated this appeared to mean she was cold and kept people at arms length but she really needed to be affirmed in all of the ways she didn't see needed expressing to others. It was very easy to treat her as "one of the guys" and not focus on giving her the emotional support and strokes one would contribute with "girlie" women.

Meanwhile, Booth is everything I tried to be but just not consistently or successfully. And I was the "girl," just like Booth's and Brennan's role reversal. I was the one bringing heart into the mix and trying to remove her from her sterile environment. My wife viewed the world as dead and I was examining the living.

So, you can see that for me, watching Bones is a chance to live my relationship over - although vicariously through Booth.

I just hope Seeley doesn't trip, like I did, and lose her back into herself once he's pulled her out of her shell.

It's too bad I don't drink coffee. My brain feels ...

2008-05-14T08:56:00.000-04:00

It's too bad I don't drink coffee. My brain feels wooden, but here you go.

You are probably right about Emily's abilities vs the writing, but I had to consider the possibility. David is just so amazingly expressive everyone else does indeed pale in comparison.

Don't go back to Buffy and Angel. I went back because my husband has been after me for at least a year and when I became a huge DB fan he used that to sucker me in. I nearly quit a few episodes in when it became painful to watch David. He is so talented now that it was nearly too much to take.

David has grown a lot since then. In Buffy they didn't give him the writing he deserved and his character is wooden, shallowly developed and emotionally weak. It's partially writing and partially his shortcomings early in his career. He began to stretch his wings with Angel (pun intended or not, you decide!) and you can see his abilities developing but the writing goes downhill and takes him along with it. I've recently ordered a few of his movies so I'm going to get a fuller picture of how his skills have been honed over time but I don't expect him to shine like he does as Booth.

Blog title - part truth, part cunning. I well know how to make my posts search-engine relevant and getting the keywords right matters. Additionally...obsessed with bones is catchy! Especially with all those 'you know you're obsessed with bones when...' threads out there.

I don't think I was clear on what I said about the strike. I much prefer they remove story lines as needed and then later give them the full treatment they deserve. My lament is more that it had to happen at all. I read that originally this season was supposed to be a monstrous 26 episodes but then we had a strike and we lost 11. Next season should be interesting with Booth's family and hopefully the return of the Gravedigger and his/her demise and I hope that with the careful planning of Bones filming through the end of the current contract and getting a lead on next season we won't have as big a problem with losing episodes.

Brennan does not see the need to express what she feels. To her, Booth should just *know* but I sincerely hope someone points out to her that he does need to hear it. They come close with a few of her diner admissions but she is definitely holding back. I think she'll give in now, or next season at the latest and say what she feels but most likely then immediately retreat. I think she still feels that she doesn't need another person emotionally, not realizing or admitting to herself, that she's beyond needing Booth in exactly that way. They are a part of each other in ways that many long term couples want and many others are so far from they don't even comprehend it's possible.

My true guess with Jonathan Adams was as a victim, or some sort of consult on a case. (His latest show has been cancelled. Can we bring him back please?) I can't reconcile the family man, church decon of Season 1 with anything vile but my curiosity is piqued as to his listed, then removed, involvement in this Season. I've not seen a word about it. Hopefully it's a storyline that's been postponed and we'll see him in Season 4.

Do you think the mistakes in speech, like Brennan's, are intentional or adlibs? I agree that Brennan should speak in a manner true to her exacting and thoroughly accurate nature. Grammatical mistakes would simply be another error she would not tolerate. "Thanks for trying to help me and Booth work together." really grated on me in 'The Verdict in the Story.'

I can see what both you and my husband are saying about where Brennan should be but the romantic in me just loves Booth/Bones so much! In addition to your suggestions I like Booth poking his head into the lab. I personally want more Booth/Zack. Those two are further apart than even Booth and Brennan were at the start and the possibilities are endless for humorous pairings.

I think you have more than a timezone and time leg up on me; age and experience come to mind. Now I must work!

Until next time...

Terrific! Here's some fuel for tomorrow's fire:I a...

2008-05-13T23:49:00.000-04:00

Terrific! Here's some fuel for tomorrow's fire:

I agree with your husband - there needs to be more of Brennan back in the lab. She needs to show her chops. Yes, the grunt work and daily grind stuff should be covered by others, but, I don't need Brennan to be Wonder Woman (except at Halloween). There needs to be His, Hers, and, Ours space. Brennan spends more and more time in Booth's world and too little in her field of expertise.

I have many little pet peeves to introduce in future comments.

I'd also love to see more interaction between the similar personalities in the series. The Booth/Angela teaming; or the continued play on how badly the squints suck at deductive reasoning, motives, and gut feelings.

We definitely need more Addy/Hodgins lab experiment comic relief moments, too. The pig in the wood chipper or the explosive fiasco are just two prime examples.

The whole "boys are dumb, girl power rules!" thing that Angela and Camille have going is a lot of fun, too.

I have the "advantage" of time on my hands, these days. I am a displaced Yankee now living in the Southwest, so I have a leg up on you in time zones. I grew up in Baltimore; and, high school and my twenties were spent in New Jersey and some in New York. I had a few close friends that were Philly boys and very similar to Booth's character. There are particular phrasings and sentence structures unique to Northeast area which I spent my life avoiding. I cringe at how often they are used in the dialog for Booth and Bones.

The distinctive but grammatically incorrect placement of pronouns immediately after the noun can be forgiven for Booth, but not for Dr. Brennan. Example, "The FBI they call that motive."

This was particularly galling to me when Brennan was chosen to confront Dr. Aldridge, because of his confidence in his superior intelligence, and then the dialog provided to her for his interrogation failed to stack up.

Yeah, yeah. Picky, picky, I know. But, important. Put her back in the lab until she smartens up . . .

I've sworn off the spoilers as of this morning, re...

2008-05-13T22:52:00.000-04:00

I've sworn off the spoilers as of this morning, read "Spoilers - is there a patch?" :) I thought I wanted to know but I realized that I'd far rather speculate and then enjoy the revelations as they unfold.

I'll respond more fully tomorrow. Enjoying the debate!

Wow. What's not to love about Bancroft as the vill...

2008-05-13T22:47:00.000-04:00

Wow. What's not to love about Bancroft as the villain? I like that a lot.

I actually had to view the little video clips on the Fox, Bones site to get a feel for what are the actor's limitations and what may prove to be deliberate vagueness in the portrayal of Brennan's emotional depth. Emily Deschanel has more sparkle and warmth. I don't believe her on-screen persona is from a lack of ability to project. Now, compared to David Boreanaz's ability, most would pale in contrast. I have to admit that I never succumbed to, "Buffy," and therefore by extension, "Angel;" so I had no existing fanaticism toward his abilities prior to this show.

For me (I don't know if it's a male bias, or quite what explains it) it is seldom that I distinguish an actress from her work but I seldom see an actor as anything other than himself. David is now on a short list of actors who I remember as their character and not merely as a guy I recognize as an actor.

I enjoy what Jonathan Adams contributed to this series, as well. If they turn him into a monster I will be very caught off guard.

Now, Evi. How can you read the spoilers? It's obviously a rhetorical question as your blog is entitled "OBSESSED with Bones," however,that's poison to the whole tree of forbidden fruit.

I am sure I am not alone in preferring that the story lines were extended into next season instead of truncated due to the strike. I would much rather endure the hiatus and see those stories fully develop. I'd also like to see a continuing friendly, although adversarial, relationship develop in trials where Dr. Clark Edison makes many returns for opposing counsel.

I think that the tension in the central partnership needs some expanded space in which to be exercised. Temperance, must start to recover some of her emotional components as Booth and her family continue to exert encouragement for her to step outside the safe boundaries of cold, hard evidence and reason.

I think we are all as hungry as Booth to hear Brennan really make some admissions from the heart. She is terrific at just allowing that the unspoken should be obvious and does not see the need to reinforce or encourage Seeley's trial balloon hints for validation of their importance to one another.

It is more probable that another betrayal inside her "House of Reason" will cause her to retreat and establish distance as part of her bull works and fortifications. Whenever she allows herself to get close to someone she risks being abandoned, again. That Booth was nearly taken from her should most likely cause her to become even more introverted; if that's possible.

I find it hard to talk too specifically about the ...

2008-05-13T21:15:00.000-04:00

I find it hard to talk too specifically about the finale without revealing what I've learned from the spoilers I stupidly read, but I'll try.

I believe we saw an apprentice jump out of the Corrupter's closet. It looked like a very young guy. Gormo's apprentice died in jail so I guess he wasted no time replacing him.

I believe the reveal in the finale will be the actual gormogon. That's how they're billing it at least. We may find out who that apprentice is but I'm not sure that's the point or what we will care about.

However, there is 'betrayal' mentioned in the promo and also what looks like Cam walking out of a hospital room saying 'I didn't expect that'. Is that Zack's room? Booth's?

I could see them professing something to each other then burying it...but that's beyond teasing to the audience. I could more see her shutting herself down emotionally and trying to push Booth aside.

David Boreanaz does such a good job with his face and his demeanor that we have no doubt that Booth loves Brennan. It's written clearly on his face in so many scenes. But it's much harder to see the reverse. I don't know if it's intentional in the writing that she take longer to come around or if it's a limitation in Emily Deschanel (sorry!), but with Bones we're going to have to hear exactly how she feels. And I'm not sure they've developed her to that point yet.

For awhile IMDB showed Jonathan Adams credited on Baby in the Bough but at air time he was absent and then he was taken off the credits. Now they shortened the gormogon story down because of the stroke and I'm wondering if the character is somehow connected. I will be very very upset if he turns out to be Gormogon. That would take a lot of explaining, but I want to say he has to be involved somehow. Or I guess he could be involved in another storyline that fell victim to the strike.

My official guess for Gmonster is Bancroft. I've seen no spoilers or anything leading me to that. It's purely a guess based on characters that could acceptably be twisted into that role and people who could make every security camera fail at a vital moment.

Hi, Evi (Lance, taking up your invite to check out...

2008-05-13T20:57:00.000-04:00

Hi, Evi (Lance, taking up your invite to check out your blog)
The whole Gormagon thing... remember when the Usurper was attacked as he put away his jacket? Was the face we saw the new apprentice or allegedly Gormagon because he was thin with dark, curly hair..?
I just don't see Zack as such a character anymore than I can see Cam and Zach together. I see her as being very nurturing toward him - like a big sister sort of thing.

I could easily see a tryst between two couples - Zack & Angela and Hodgins & Cam because Hodgins does a lot of tush kissing when it comes to her - and he doesn't have any cause to behave in such a way especially due to his "Question Authority" persona. He has a Dominatrix sort of groove going with her.

I also believe that there are going to be some professions beyond admiration between Bones and Seeley but then they will pull back and get absorbed in the work. The partner bond is now even stronger with the blood spilled now that Booth did what everyone including Brennan always knew he would do - take a bullet for her.

Back to the Season 3 Finale - the teaser preview makes Booth and Zack conspicuously absent... But, Zack is not a widows son. We've met his very large family. That brings us back to, Sweets, who just seems too young and not the one capable of the gee-wiz gizmos of technology needed to thwart the Jeffersonians security. Reality has never been a hindrance to this show before, however. Angela's statements in court, as she was escorted out for contempt, would never have been uttered in the real world as just the most recent example.