Bones! or I'll be watching you
So, meta first, which was obvious - overprotectiveness. But more than that, it overprotection to the point where the other person's agency was taken away.
So, you have Fisher whose mom is so overbearing that she calls him every few minutes to check up on him. Basically, she treats him like a child, going so far as to sabotage his dating/sex life. In the end, Fisher hides from her in order to do what he likes.
Angel and Hodgins are so fearful that her dad is going to permanently scar their son that they lie to him to prevent him spending time with the baby. In the end though, they realize it's wrong to keep Michael from his grandfather.
Finally Booth is so protective of Brennan that he lies to her to kep her away from a crime site. In the end he apologizes and admits he's been going overboard but that he'll likely not change.
I suspect that originally the murderer's motive was more that he felt that he was protecting his girlfriend from someone who was no good rather the the simple jealousy the we seemed to see in the show. But whatever, at this point the cases are almost always forgettable.
I saw a number of complaints regarding this episode basically saying that how come Booth gets a pass for his behavior but Brennan doesn't. And why does Brennan put up with the way he's treating her?
Truthfully, Booth has always been over protective and I think Brennan recognizes that. My problems with the episode stem from the fact that for the most part it played out as a very unfunny sitcom.
For example, would anyone not let a grandparent (who's obviously not infirm) babysit their child for a few hours because they feel he'll somehow damage the kid? Not I'm not talking about something that would be dangerous to the child's welfare. Apparently Angela and Hodgins feel that one exposure to Billy would mean their child would never sleep again. That seemed really stupid.
As far as Booth, would anybody worry about someone getting splinters from a polished, hardwood floor? And the whole Ramen noddle argument made no sense either - that doesn't seem like anything Brennan would ever eat for one thing. And Booth getting obnoxious over one meal was ridiculously over the top.
So, all in all, not a stellar episode.
What were your thoughts?