'bones' 1x20-1x22 & ficlet
escritoireazul requested Angela, a museum, and sweetness:
“This has always been one of my favorites.”
Booth peered intently at the canvas, eyes narrowing, and Angela smiled, holding her tongue on several squint jokes.
“It’s . . . what is it?”
Angela gently pulled Booth upright; he was getting so close to the painting that Angela was afraid museum security would intervene, and they’d spend the rest of the afternoon in a jurisdictional measuring contest.
“It’s a dog barking at the moon.”
“And you can tell this how?”
“For one, it’s the title,” Angela said, indicating the plaque beside the painting. “Plus . . . look at it.”
Booth frowned. “It looks like a clown humping a pudding mountain.”
“Pudding mountain?”
Booth motioned helplessly. “Well, it’s all . . . puddingy. And what’s with the ladder? Does the clown need help to get to the moon, or . . . ?”
Angela grinned. “How would you get to the moon?”
Booth abandoned his scrutiny of the painting and turned on Angela, his charm smile in full effect. He slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her close.
“I have some . . . alternative methods.”
“Jackie Gleason methods?”
Booth pinched her bottom, and she giggled.
“No,” he purred against her ear. “Like maybe we cut the museum trip short and-”
“Nice try, mister,” Angela said, and smoothly disengaged herself from his grasp. “But you promised me a full day of fine art.”
Booth sighed and followed her into the next room. He perked up considerably as he focused on one of the prints.
“Hey! This is-should this be in a museum?”
Angela smiled. “The human form is one of the hallmarks of art.”
He cocked his head, studying a charcoal silhouette. “Well . . . good. I mean, you know I try to . . . support the arts . . .”
Angela rolled her eyes. “Uh-huh. You’re a real aficionado.”
“A what?”
Angela smiled and took his hand, leading him further into the room. “I tell you what. If you’re good the rest of the afternoon, tonight I’ll see if we can’t make a few of these of our own.”
When Booth caught up with her train of thought, he smiled and picked up the pace.
“Really?”
“Really. I think you’d be a good model, all muscly and-”
“You want me to . . . ?”
“What? You’re an artist now? I saw that map you drew with the directions to the museum-”
Booth chased her into the next exhibit.
* The painting in question is Joan Miró's, "Dog Barking at the Moon"
I have finished my Bones rewatch. So.
The Graft in the Girl
Gee, look, it's that crazy count guy from Angel. (Wasn't he on Grey's, too?) Why am I not keeping a chart?
This was a good episode. Everyone was in character, the case was interesting -- read: horrifying, but making sense -- and there was lots of Booth, and lots of Angela. As I believe I've mentioned, I really enjoy the way their characters are expanded; with some of the other characters, additional information is forced or finesseless or I just don't care about it, but I always find myself wanting to know more about Booth and Angela, and they're usually characterized in indirect ways, which is good writing and thus doesn't annoy me.
Booth: Is it okay if we come in, sir?
Cullen: What do you think, sweetheart?
Amy: Booth's cool, most of the time.
Damn skippy. Hee.
The Angela and Amy storyline was a little we get it already, but saved by the lots of on-screen Angela and the scene where Hodgins comforts her. He is so sweet on her; he even manages to flirt a little bit while he's comforting her. I also think, though, that it's really nice for Angela to be able to connect to other artists; she's kind of isolated in a sea of science since she's been working at the Jeffersonian, and you can see her . . . stress sometimes. She has the squint side, sure, but then there's this other painting in Paris and dancing on bars side of her that gets a little stifled, so it was good for her to be able to have some arty moments.
OMIGOD, I ALMOST FORGOT. Creepy, creepy, tiny People Like That Are the Only People Here detail that I totally missed the first time I saw this episode: Amy's painting, the one Angela restores digitally, is a (not too far off) take on (what is thought, erroneously, by most people to be) Van Gogh's last painting, Wheatfield with Crows. That's fucking chilling.
RANDOM NOTE: I have noticed that Brennan wears her watch right side up. This is probably a tiny nothing thing, but most people who very often have to take latex gloves on and off wear their watches upside down, because there is a "proper" method of taking them off in which watchfaces, unless they're incredibly flat, are snagged if they're worn on the top of the wrist. Which is why nurses -- and, you know, me, which is why I know this -- are infamous for wearing upsidedown watches. Just a . . . thing. That I noticed and made me go hmm.
I really, really love that Booth works on the case using his sick days until he has enough information to take it to Cullen. That shows -- you hear me, Bones? We show, not tell -- some very important things about Booth's character, and not only do I love the sentiment, but I'm really impressed by how subtle they left things. Very often, even when something's shown, other characters have to point it out six or seven times so you get the point, but I thought this was really, really well done.
Booth: (on Zack) How do you listen to this all day?
Brennan: I find intelligence soothing.
And I couldn't help thinking:
Angel: I'm gonna miss her. She was just this nice, quiet kind of crazy. I found that . . . soothing.
Cordy: And what? I'm not soothing? I can be soothing. I could soothe your ass off, pal.
Crossovers for the win.
(Speaking of: I've almost finished my bones_alt_ships fic, except for the enormous sex scene that it deserves but I seem in no condition to write, but my other Bones fic, the Angel crossover? I'm afraid it's ballooning in a manner rather similar to "Gods and Monsters," and my never be finished. Lord, help me.)
I liked the way the checking the donors to see which one is Patient Zero thing was done; it was quick, efficient, and made with the good dialogue. Good for you, show. Have a biscuit.
The Soldier on the Grave
Let's begin this episode with a round of my favorite game:
THING ABOUT 'BONES' THAT MAKES ME MAD: I was just having this conversation with myhappyface (look, Holly, you're cameoing again! While I'm on the subject: has everyone been reading her awesome fic? Nobody's Fool (I'm Not Your Star); Booth the Gambler Fucking incredible.), but I feel the need to rehash for the masses. *vain* Anyway, our conversation went (exactly) like this (since I'm copying and pasting): There's no way you can stop being military after that (what Booth's been through). Organizations like the Army -- and especially the so-called "elite" forces like the Rangers and the Seals -- do not just train the body; they use group psychology techniques to reform loyalties. They need you to be unflinchingly loyal, and they do it. I'm not talking government conspiracy brainwashing or anything . . . although I guess you could call it a subtle kind of brain "reformatting." It's like joining a fraternity -- and how many men do you know who stop belonging to their frat? -- it's a condensed exercise in human bonding. These people went through something horrible with me; they were always there when I needed them; we believe in the same things: 1. Army 2. God 3. Family
The thing is, Brennan should understand why Booth is "still military." She's an anthropologist; she has a doctorate in anthropology, and a huge part of anthropology is group dynamics. The fact that she continually fails to understand Booth's motivations concerning things like the military is just . . . dumb.
I mean, obviously she's studied the military from an anthropological point of view:
Brennan: It's always the young. Anthropologists have theorized that wars break out when there's an increase in the population of unmarried men under the age of twenty-five.
Reconcile that knowledge with her apparent complete lack of knowledge about group dynamics.
Anyway . . . whatever. It really upsets me, and it's crappy, haphazard characterization. If you have a character-driven show, you cannot change the character at your whim to drive the conflict. That's a plot-driven show. Make a decision, and camp out there, guys. Seriously.
Moving on . . .
I like the character of Hank very much, although I thought the acting was a little . . . pronounced. I don't know what that was about, since Mitch Longley (the actor playing Hank) is usually very awesome (I watched him on Judging Amy, too, Holly! I love that stupid show!) so maybe it was direction: Alright, boys, be a little deeper now. That's right . . . I don't know, but I thought things were weird more than once during his dinner with Booth. Just . . . too much.
Hodgins: This dude was wearing a military uniform. He's one of yours, not mine.
I definitely am may be reading too much into this, but I find it very interesting that Brennan isn't the only person who categorizes Booth as "other." That's . . . that's very interesting.
I really like Angela and Jack's interactions in this episode. Usually they just trade quips or, as in recent episodes, comfort one another as friends, but this shows real intellectual compatability; they challenge each other, and they're not afraid to challenge each other. That's a great basis for a relationship.
(And, needless to say, I like how protective over Booth Angela was in this episode; she reprimanded nearly every member of the Squint Squad for not treating him properly during his time of soldier stress.)
Okay, I mostly was very annoyed with Brennan in this episode, but there were a couple really cute, blink-and-you'll-miss-them moments between her and Booth, like her super-mature "was not!" after Booth suggests that her John Wayne is more like Jerry Lewis, and like this gem:
Booth: Jimmy loved that guy; he didn’t kill him
Brennan: Now you’re a mind reader?
Booth: Maybe. You want me to guess your weight?
Brennan: You do and you could lose a tooth.
It was so fast that I think I missed it the first time I saw this episode. Hee.
(On another note, this is the second episode in a row that some nutjob woman who wanted to be a doctor was the blackhat. What's up with that?)
The Woman in Limbo
What a clever fucking title. Seriously. It's such a little thing, but the mirroring of Brennan and her mother, the decision to call the Jeffersonian's storage "limbo" . . . that's excellent. Really, really good. I'm so proud.
Dude, Booth is such a good friend to Brennan. He's gentle with her, he goes out of his way to do favors to make her feel better . . . it just makes me crankier at how she treated him in the last episode. Maybe because it's a little Pinnochio, or because I've been in friendships like that, where one person seems to do all the work, and it's always me being supportive and kind and there, and to give and give and give and not get back really sucks, no matter how much you love and enjoy the other person.
Dude, is she really still dating that David guy? And how many damn apartments does she have? This is, like, the third different one. Good job, set dresser.
Angela: Sometimes he (Booth) is just . . . *exhales loudly, and grins*
Boy, is she not kidding. And omigod, the Booth/Angela love in this episode! The scene where Booth's puzzling out why Brennan didn't ask him to read her book, and Angela just stands there taking in his vanity and his boy neuroses . . . it's so fucking perfect. Oh my God. So awesome.
On that note, I so love Booth's eagerness to read her book. He's a boy, and, despite all the psychology he does, he still wants black and white clues about how Brennan feels about him, and that is . . . really, really adorable. And really well done. You may have your cookie, show.
And, omigod, the names! That's genius, too. Names are really important, and to have your name taken from you, to change names? Brennan had "Joy" -- the expression or display of glad feeling; festive gaiety; a state of happiness -- taken from her and became "Temperance" - moderation or self-restraint in action, statement, etc.; self-control. I mean . . . come on! What a good choice, and -- almost as important, on this show -- no big deal was made about it. It's a beautiful, beautiful thing. Brennan's insistent, tearful speech to McVicar about how she's "Doctor Temperance Brennan" wasn't overkill; it was kind of perfect. Naming things defines them, and it gives us, the namers, power. Just . . . damn, Bones, I'm so proud of you.
Oh! Oh! And one last thing, before I forget: also well done and subtle?
Brennan: Suddenly, no one cared where I was. I miss that. Someone caring where I am all the time.
Booth: Bones? Bones, you up there? Come on, let’s go, huh? Chop, chop.
Dude, the awesome. I'm so excited; I wish I had the second season (which I'm definitely not going to buy, so tough cookies me) because I'm still in total Bones glee. Maybe I'll rewatch the season in the order the episodes were meant to be shown to tide me over.
And, now, an end-of-season poll:
Poll 'Bones' End-of-S1 Poll
Thanks everyone for playing, and for reading my rantings. As always, I want to hear your thoughts!