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May 22, 2013

'Bones' - 'The Bones on a Blue Line' Recap

by Isabelle Carreau, posted Apr 2nd 2010 1:06AM

Bones
(S05E15) "Go ye forth and live life to the fullest." - Sweets

Starting this week, regular reviews of the hit series 'Bones' return to TV Squad. What better week to resume our reviews of the show than by reviewing the 99th episode of the series? What's even better? The fact that this week's episode is the first of eight all new and uninterrupted episodes of the series!

After weeks of reruns, the series finally returns with a bang! Sweets' life is turned upside down by a dramatic event while a Japanese reporter follows Brennan and Booth around in order to get gossip on the people who inspired Brennan's latest book. Oh, and there's steamy page 187 of the book, too!

Sweets

Where is Gordon when you need him? Poor Sweets sure would have needed Gordon this week in order to cope with post traumatic stress. The tragedy made Sweets rethink his whole life since he didn't want to die without living the life he wanted to live.

Even if I knew that Sweets was not going to be leaving the show, I found myself being a tiny bit scared for a while, thinking that Sweets may decide to quit his job and travel the world to live life to the fullest. I've grown attached to Sweets since he was first introduced, and I hoped that he wouldn't sail away just yet. I should have known better, eh?

Luckily for us and the team, Sweets is staying put. However, he made a life-changing decision: he proposed to Daisy. Daisy being, well, Daisy, it will surely be quite entertaining to see the couple plan their wedding, get married, and live happily ever after. Having Sweets and Daisy get engaged means that we may see more of Daisy down the line, which is totally fine by me as I've been enjoying Daisy's uniqueness. It will also allow us to get to know Sweets a bit more.

The Book

I would love to be able to buy Brennan's spine-tingling second book and read page 187 with my own eyes! The scenes with the Japanese reporter asking questions about the book's characters and making connections between the book and real life were fantastic, especially for those of us who watch 'Bones' for the characters, not the cases of the week.

In the book, Angela is named Amanda, Booth is Agent Andy, and Brennan is Doctor Kathy Reichs. The latter is a nod to Temperance Brennan's creator, writer Kathy Reichs. It was fun to hear a few things about these book characters, such as the fact that Agent Andy and Doctor Reichs are more than friends ... you know what I mean, eh? This pairing is what most 'Bones' fans want: to see Booth and Brennan become a couple.

How funny was it to have Hodgins gloat over the fact that his "move" was described in the book's steamy love scene?! The best out of this page 187 ordeal is that Hodgins and Angela bonded, which may foreshadow them eventually coming back together.

The relationship between Booth and Brennan is the core of the show. But this week, we were also reminded how strong a duo Brennan and Angela are. Without Angela, Brennan wouldn't have become a tad more human when emotions are concerned. If it's weren't for Angela, Brennan's books would surely not sell as well since they would be too technical and not have enough character development.

Other tidbits of interest
  • Cam actually told Hodgins that he was indeed the King of the lab!
  • Daisy was never dumped?! My guess is that her previous boyfriends may have been too afraid of dumping her so they ensured she would dump them instead.
  • Talk about product placement with that huge ad Angela did for the Sienna mini-van!

Did you enjoy episode 99 of 'Bones'? What was your favorite scene? Do you look forward to the Daisy/Sweets wedding? Share your two cents in comments below.

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Fitz

I think that Brennan's character grows-- to leave her stagnant is to stagnate the show.

The business about the book is subtle and since I write, I understand the nuances of what is going on a bit. Angela offers her ideas and Brennan uses them without Angela expecting anything in return. When she does this, she is doing it out of friendship and as she says, "like an editor." Editors can really make the story come to life and provide great ideas to the writer. Ideas cannot be copyrighted. Angela makes a point that Brennan writes her books. Angela doesn't see her actions as being anything more than a helper.

For Brennan to see that Angela deserves something for the books is a step forward for her, although it also might be a step backward. She acknowledges that Angela's contributions add to her work and gives her a good chunk of money as a result. We don't know how much sex is in the book anymore than we know what's on page 187. Brennan might say that she is good at sex, but it doesn't mean that she has a great deal of experience with it.

The backward part of this is that her inability to make the connections between her book and the characters of Andy, Kathy and Amanda might be her denial. She still has difficulty with emotions and that's the part that is troubling. If she is going to ever move forward into a relationship with Booth, she will have to allow herself an emotional life with all of the hurts and happinesses that come from it.

The episode was a step forward for Sweets and made Daisy seem vulnerable. The spark between Angela and Hodgins was cool to see again-- Jack is one of the most passionate guys around and one of the sweetest.

As for B&B-- the whole soulmates thing seems to foreshadow a shift in their relationship. She cannot accept the idea and it seems that the subtext of Booth's visit is to check her out both physically and emotionally to see if she can step forward into a relationship with him outside of their partnership.

A very nuanced show-- lots going on.

April 03 2010 at 1:33 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to Fitz's comment
A

I grant you that the situation of the book is subtle, but I read it very differently. Angela says something to the extent of, "I just sit down with a glass of wine and while Brennan reads her book and say things like, 'They should be naked here' or 'He should say this to her'." And through the course of Angela's interaction with the Japanese reporter, it seems evident that Angela knows the characters better than Brennan - hence the reporters parting insight that it should be a lesson learned to not take credit for other people's writing (paralleling the concluded case). Taken together, these propositions stack up to being a bit more than an editor. An editor may say, "This could use more development. What if you went this way?", and then leaves the author to let the story of piece grow. They may offer suggestions for enhancements or cuts and they may know characters as well as the authors. It is an intimate relationship - editor and author. But in this case, it seems the book is largely finished and the other scenes are inserted. Now, I must note that Brennan herself does say that the character's personal lives are in place only as a means to move plot - so she recognizes that aspect within this very episode, which may indicate more significant revision after her editing evenings with Angela then currently seem likely. Angela insists that Brennan does the writing, which I am sure is true. But that does not lesson the extent of Angela's contribution.

The real crux of my concern, however, is the fact that Brennan is an academic. The world of fiction writing and that of the academic world is radically different. Ideas in academia are copyrighted. Publish or perish, as Brennan has said herself. In academic writing, one must site oneself, if quoting from a previously written paper, lest it be considered plagiarism. If information does not fall under the banner of general information, it's source must be sited. New ideas, new takes, new interpretations are the currency of academia and are copyrighted in the sense that when used by another, they must be sited and due credit given. It is in "due credit given" that Brennan here seems to fall short. Her interaction rings dishonest, which is completely out of character. And while Angela may have had no problem with their arrangement, Brennan the academic, who abhors lying in any form, should have. An arrangement that may be perfectly normal in the writing of a novel should not have been normal for Dr. Brennan.

Quite frankly, the whole thing seemed unnecessary. Angela making suggestions would have been perfectly normal - why did they need to make her contribution so much more? If it had been one scene, the famed pg. 187 for instance, that would be one thing (I, too, enjoyed the moment between Angela and Hodgins). But this has been a spanning involvement, one that is credited for the overall success of the novels. For the romantics, of which I am one, it hollows the book relationship of Agent Andy and Kathy as it can now be seen as a projection of what Angela wants for Booth and Brennan. It makes sad sense that Brennan makes no connections between the characters in her books and the people she works with as, if Angela is guiding their fictional personal lives, Brennan is not the designer. I find it very disappointing.

April 05 2010 at 12:10 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
A

I just rewatched the episode and note that my initial aversion has mellowed some. She seems to have regressed in this episode from episodes past when she at least knew that she was missing something in holding herself back from people, but I can at least acknowledge that to her, getting suggestions from Angela on the personal interaction aspect of the book would not but unreasonable (would, in fact, be good writing). That she offers Angela financial compensation indicates that she recognizes the significance of that contribution. Perhaps Angela's "specifics" are limited and she really does just make suggestions - an option that preserves a little better Brennan's integrity.

April 05 2010 at 1:48 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
rtms

If you think this show has some bad product placements, it has nothing on Smallville, the king of product placements. They ran a whole show on around a brand of gum currently used.Though I guess Bones would be running second to Smallville after that whole Avatar gig.

Yes Bones has changed character. I 've remarked about this change a few times. She used to be a karate kicking scientist in the beginning, who could take care of herself. Now she's the damsel in distress all the time, needing Booth to save her. Pathetic.She had some worldly smarts in the early seasons but now she's a complete idiot about almost everything. They just completely turned her 180 from the start of the show. I think your right losing Zach actually hurt her character more than helping.

April 02 2010 at 11:32 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
b.

I was just freaked out by the appearance of Seiko Matsuda! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seiko_Matsuda

April 02 2010 at 8:25 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
stephen.boro

The Siena is a Toyota, not Ford, so perhaps it wasn't as effective as Toyota might have liked! I think it's unavoidable to help keep production costs low....see Hyundai with "Leverage" as another example.

April 02 2010 at 8:06 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
johngaltx

"...Talk about product placement with that huge ad Angela did for the Sienna mini-van!"

That was not a "product placement," that was a commercial right in the middle of a scripted TV drama with no bearing on the plot. Disgusting and very foreboding of the path that network TV has now chosen to beat down the alternate media in the coming years.

I find it an insult to be forced to watch a commercial in the middle of an act in TV show. It is probably of the end of scripted drama as we have known it. I would be interested to know how many producers and writers quit their jobs on Bones over this horrible stunt---probably none.

April 02 2010 at 12:57 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to johngaltx's comment
Sandee Cohen

Totally agree about the commercial. I had to rewind the DVR several times to realize that the scene was stuck in the middle of the show.

I could have sworn it was a separate commercial.

I feel bad for Michaela Conlin. I'm sure she feels used and cheapened for having to shill for Ford.

However, if those flights of commercialism can help "save" scripted dramas, then I will grin and bear it. I really don't want any more "Survivor of the Dancing Loser Idols in a Minute" shows.

April 02 2010 at 4:33 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
A

I was saddened by this weeks episode. I feel the writers fundamentally betrayed Brennan's character. She is a strident academic committed to the Truth at all costs. And now we discover that she has, from the very beginning, plagiarized. Taking credit for someone's ideas, not just their words, is textbook plagiarism, and Brennan would know this. The argument that "that is not the important stuff" would not hold ground with Brennan, at least not the Brennan we have come to know from the first 5 seasons, who is only just now learning the difference between what is "true" and what is "right" (ref. to her sharing her observations with Dr. Sweets about Booths change in side-dominance after his operation). This move a complete divergence from her character and open a flaw that is core deep. It is not an error in judgment but something that calls her very convictions into question.

Furthermore, taking the human aspect of her writing out of Brennan's hands robs Brennan's character of her own human-side. Her connection to people and her own emotions in her everyday life is very limited. In her fiction, she had an outlet. Viewers could see in her writing what did not play out in her life, a desire for something more than the academic. By crediting that aspect of the writing to Angela, Brennan loses the very aspect of her writing that made her character dynamic. She is flat. The heart has been taken out and she is left only Bones.

It believe this was a very bad decision for "Bones". Brennan has lost a great deal of credibility in my eyes and I am not longer certain that she is good enough for Booth, which saddens me greatly as I have hoped quite fantastically for them. I do not know how this can possibly be redeemed.

April 02 2010 at 12:16 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to A's comment
Finnvara

Me too. It's hard to believe people are worrying about some product placement, when the character of Bones has been fundamentally changed from when the series started and the last little bit of humanity has been leached out of her.

I believe this all started after Zach left. Before that, the writers had him as an outlet to play the "I don't understand humanity" card. Once he was gone, those characteristics transferred to Bones, to her detriment. Before, she was an well rounded character who was on an interesting journey/arc and growing as a person, thanks to Booth and her friends. Once Zach left, she regressed. I blame the writers.

I miss the old Bones.

April 02 2010 at 1:32 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jen

I have to agree. I always thought that Brennan's human side was expressed through her books. She does have those feelings, but she simply doesn't know how to express them verbally. But subconsciously, she would let it out in her novels.

Additionally, she always has been willing to discuss her sex life and how good it is. (She's outright said she's "very good" at sex.) So why would she have to get sex tips for her book from Angela? (Although I did like the scene that particular incident set up between Hodgens & Angela.)

Yes, an editor might tell a writer to add a moment of intimacy in a particular scene. But rather than outline what the intimacy is, the editor would leave that up to the writer (and then criticize as necessary). Very few editors would outline exactly *what* type of intimacy it should be and give such details.

I noticed the product placement, I winced, but I acknowledge its importance in keeping quality shows on the air. But this thing about Brennan's book made this my least favorite episode of the show, I believe. Such a disappointment, after I was so excited to have the show return. (Although at least next week's episode appears to be good...)

April 02 2010 at 7:19 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Mitch

My wife has watched this show since the start and had me start watching it with her last year. I find the plot lines every week really bad but the individual people on this show are some of the best people on any show on TV. The interaction is excellent and Brennan deserves an Emmy for her acting each week.

April 02 2010 at 11:26 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
davin.peterson

I live in a DC suburb and can tell you that the DC subway doesn't look like what was shown on the show. Their is no Rock Park station or rat's nest in our subway because it is a clean subway since no food/drinks are allowed. No station is closed for construction either.

I wonder if Toyota paid to have 3 Toyota's on the show.

April 02 2010 at 8:29 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
3 replies to davin.peterson's comment
Boomfoxx

I thought it was a decent episode, but I was groaning over the blatant Sienna product placement in the middle. It was one of the worst examples I've ever seen. First they take a completely unnecessary drive. Then Daisy asks, "Wow, I didn't picture you as a minivan driver." Angela Responds, "Well I'm an artist and the Sienna give me the cargo space I need as well as the awesome back-up camera... blah blah blah." (I'm paraphrasing) *GROAN*

April 02 2010 at 7:15 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply

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