Let's try for coherency this time...
Thoughts on Bones...
First off, I wasn't all too surprised to find out that Booth wasn't dead. I mean, come on. They're not going to kill him off, especially since Boreanaz is a producer on the show now. Still, Booth's funeral scene was very funny. And good on Brennan for laying a nice punch on him. She clearly was feeling more than she let on. Compartmentalizing or not, she wasn't mourning - she was angry and guilt-ridden. If Booth really had been dead, she would have regretted not going to his funeral.
BTW, how funny was Booth in the bathtub? Beer helmet, rubber duck, cigar and Green Lantern comics? LOL.
But Zack as Gormogon's apprentice? After the initial shock and anger that my beloved Zack was murdering people and became the apprentice to someone he was supposed to be fighting against, I came to terms with it. Zack is a weak character. Not "weak" in the sense that he doesn't have his own beliefs and cannot stand up for himself, but weak in the sense that he is socially stunted. He's too closed off from the outside world, with only Hodgins and the rest of the team watching his back. And let's face it, they couldn't be around for everything. Zack has no "street smarts". His decisions are dictated by logic. Gormogon clearly saw Zack as easy prey for exactly this reason - he found the most easily manipulated person with access and was able to convince him.
When Bones is speaking with Zack in the hospital, leaning her head towards his in such an intimate and caring stance, he comes to the realization that the logic was faulty. Her quiz, presenting him with just the facts, allows him to see the error. He had been played to go against everything he stood for and she made him see it. (This is not including the emotional trauma that he may have sustained while in Iraq, the likes of which were never fully explored given the hiatus due to the writer's strike.) The lone tear that trailed down his cheek was enough for me. He was sorry.
This does not mean that I'm not going to live in denial land about the whole ordeal. I'm going to miss Zack. Eric Millegan created an awesome character. I hope that he will come back in the future to reprise the Zack role as he was a very important addition to the team.
I think I would have been more okay with this had the story been more fully explored, but I understand that the writer's strike gave the writers little room to work with. From what I read, the writers and Hart Hanson did a lot of thinking and planning before coming to this conclusion. I can only trust that this was the best way to go from a storytelling standpoint. Only time will tell.
Thoughts on House...
Let's see if I can get through this without CRYING MY EYES OUT. Let me just say, right off the bat, that this episode was stellar. House always seems to give the audience a drastic finale that always leaves the audience wondering what will happen for the next season.
Thirteen: I found the whole Thirteen involvement in the episode awkward. She was comparing Amber's predicament to herself? Say what? In the montage at the end, she had taken the Huntington's test and came back positive. That sets up her little mystery for next season, but I can't say that I'm exactly riveted.
Taub: I loved his 'no judgment' stance right in the beginning. He just walked into House's office, no bullshit, and asked him if there was anything medically relevant that may have occurred between House and Amber. The others didn't even think to go there. Granted, this may have been drawing from Taub's own past infidelity, but still...good on Taub for attempting to examine the case from every angle. His crawling into bed with his wife at the end was also very telling. Despite the fact that he was (is?) an adulterer, he loves his wife - he sacrificed his plastic surgery career for her and it really just shows that he is making an effort.
Kutner: Oh, Kutner. My favorite new cottage. He really is amazing. Such a dork, I'd love to just hang out with him for a day. He cares and he's such a positive gu. But we find out in this episode that despite his laid-back attitude, he has had stuff happen to him. The way he just casually rattles off "I'm an Indian guy called Kutner" in such a flippant way before describing the death of his parents was absolutely surprising. To me, anyway. I think I love him even more now.
Chase, Foreman, and Cameron: The three of them all meeting after that day in the diner? Damn near killed me. They may have bickered during their time serving as House's fellows, but they became a family.
The rest is probably going to be just a big jumble of ramble...
SO glad that it turned out that House and Amber were NOT having an affair as hinted in the promos. Wilson is House's best friend, possibly the most important person in his life. Despite House's questionable moral code, I don't think he'd ever do something like that to Wilson. Other people? Yes. Wilson? No. The Wilson and House relationship is possibly my favorite of the show. Just two best friends. We've seen Wilson do things for House in the past - loaning him money, covering for him, and trying to find ways to help him. In this episode, for the first time, we really see House do something absolutely selflessly for Wilson by undergoing the electrical treatment with a massive and dangerous head wound so that they could find out a way to save Amber.
And Wilson? Wilson just broke my heart through the entire thing. Poor man. I don't usually cry watching television, but this episode had me bawling my eyes out. It was the scene in which he was lying with Amber in the hospital bed and saying goodbye that stuck out most to me...the moment just after he turned off the machines and stared into her eyes as she let go. That damn near killed me. Phenomenal job by Robert Sean Leonard. I cannot say that enough.
That's not to say Hugh Laurie didn't shine. Good god, man. Has he got an Emmy yet? He should have a shelf full. That scene with him and Amber when they are "on the bus" was just a really great look into House's psyche. He couldn't bear it if Wilson hated him, but he knew he was going to. In fact, House even understood that he deserved it. But House's admission that he wanted to stay "on the bus" because there was no pain there and he didn't want to be miserable was downright heartbreaking.
He wakes up to Cuddy keeping vigil by his bedside. That Cuddy. That shot with her curled up in the chair asleep next to his bed? Beautiful. And not (just) because I am a Cuddy shipper. We know that they have a history back from when they were both students at the University of Michigan. Cuddy seems to be the one constant in his life that has known him the longest. Their playful, antagonistic relationship is clearly one of two people who (grudgingly?) care for one another. House is going to need her, especially now that Wilson has distanced himself in the wake of Amber's death.
Can't wait until next season. As always, the House team has delivered...leaving me absolutely miserable until the fall.
First off, I wasn't all too surprised to find out that Booth wasn't dead. I mean, come on. They're not going to kill him off, especially since Boreanaz is a producer on the show now. Still, Booth's funeral scene was very funny. And good on Brennan for laying a nice punch on him. She clearly was feeling more than she let on. Compartmentalizing or not, she wasn't mourning - she was angry and guilt-ridden. If Booth really had been dead, she would have regretted not going to his funeral.
BTW, how funny was Booth in the bathtub? Beer helmet, rubber duck, cigar and Green Lantern comics? LOL.
But Zack as Gormogon's apprentice? After the initial shock and anger that my beloved Zack was murdering people and became the apprentice to someone he was supposed to be fighting against, I came to terms with it. Zack is a weak character. Not "weak" in the sense that he doesn't have his own beliefs and cannot stand up for himself, but weak in the sense that he is socially stunted. He's too closed off from the outside world, with only Hodgins and the rest of the team watching his back. And let's face it, they couldn't be around for everything. Zack has no "street smarts". His decisions are dictated by logic. Gormogon clearly saw Zack as easy prey for exactly this reason - he found the most easily manipulated person with access and was able to convince him.
When Bones is speaking with Zack in the hospital, leaning her head towards his in such an intimate and caring stance, he comes to the realization that the logic was faulty. Her quiz, presenting him with just the facts, allows him to see the error. He had been played to go against everything he stood for and she made him see it. (This is not including the emotional trauma that he may have sustained while in Iraq, the likes of which were never fully explored given the hiatus due to the writer's strike.) The lone tear that trailed down his cheek was enough for me. He was sorry.
This does not mean that I'm not going to live in denial land about the whole ordeal. I'm going to miss Zack. Eric Millegan created an awesome character. I hope that he will come back in the future to reprise the Zack role as he was a very important addition to the team.
I think I would have been more okay with this had the story been more fully explored, but I understand that the writer's strike gave the writers little room to work with. From what I read, the writers and Hart Hanson did a lot of thinking and planning before coming to this conclusion. I can only trust that this was the best way to go from a storytelling standpoint. Only time will tell.
Thoughts on House...
Let's see if I can get through this without CRYING MY EYES OUT. Let me just say, right off the bat, that this episode was stellar. House always seems to give the audience a drastic finale that always leaves the audience wondering what will happen for the next season.
Thirteen: I found the whole Thirteen involvement in the episode awkward. She was comparing Amber's predicament to herself? Say what? In the montage at the end, she had taken the Huntington's test and came back positive. That sets up her little mystery for next season, but I can't say that I'm exactly riveted.
Taub: I loved his 'no judgment' stance right in the beginning. He just walked into House's office, no bullshit, and asked him if there was anything medically relevant that may have occurred between House and Amber. The others didn't even think to go there. Granted, this may have been drawing from Taub's own past infidelity, but still...good on Taub for attempting to examine the case from every angle. His crawling into bed with his wife at the end was also very telling. Despite the fact that he was (is?) an adulterer, he loves his wife - he sacrificed his plastic surgery career for her and it really just shows that he is making an effort.
Kutner: Oh, Kutner. My favorite new cottage. He really is amazing. Such a dork, I'd love to just hang out with him for a day. He cares and he's such a positive gu. But we find out in this episode that despite his laid-back attitude, he has had stuff happen to him. The way he just casually rattles off "I'm an Indian guy called Kutner" in such a flippant way before describing the death of his parents was absolutely surprising. To me, anyway. I think I love him even more now.
Chase, Foreman, and Cameron: The three of them all meeting after that day in the diner? Damn near killed me. They may have bickered during their time serving as House's fellows, but they became a family.
The rest is probably going to be just a big jumble of ramble...
SO glad that it turned out that House and Amber were NOT having an affair as hinted in the promos. Wilson is House's best friend, possibly the most important person in his life. Despite House's questionable moral code, I don't think he'd ever do something like that to Wilson. Other people? Yes. Wilson? No. The Wilson and House relationship is possibly my favorite of the show. Just two best friends. We've seen Wilson do things for House in the past - loaning him money, covering for him, and trying to find ways to help him. In this episode, for the first time, we really see House do something absolutely selflessly for Wilson by undergoing the electrical treatment with a massive and dangerous head wound so that they could find out a way to save Amber.
And Wilson? Wilson just broke my heart through the entire thing. Poor man. I don't usually cry watching television, but this episode had me bawling my eyes out. It was the scene in which he was lying with Amber in the hospital bed and saying goodbye that stuck out most to me...the moment just after he turned off the machines and stared into her eyes as she let go. That damn near killed me. Phenomenal job by Robert Sean Leonard. I cannot say that enough.
That's not to say Hugh Laurie didn't shine. Good god, man. Has he got an Emmy yet? He should have a shelf full. That scene with him and Amber when they are "on the bus" was just a really great look into House's psyche. He couldn't bear it if Wilson hated him, but he knew he was going to. In fact, House even understood that he deserved it. But House's admission that he wanted to stay "on the bus" because there was no pain there and he didn't want to be miserable was downright heartbreaking.
He wakes up to Cuddy keeping vigil by his bedside. That Cuddy. That shot with her curled up in the chair asleep next to his bed? Beautiful. And not (just) because I am a Cuddy shipper. We know that they have a history back from when they were both students at the University of Michigan. Cuddy seems to be the one constant in his life that has known him the longest. Their playful, antagonistic relationship is clearly one of two people who (grudgingly?) care for one another. House is going to need her, especially now that Wilson has distanced himself in the wake of Amber's death.
Can't wait until next season. As always, the House team has delivered...leaving me absolutely miserable until the fall.