Spock Turns Into Bones (Temperance)

In the season 3 episode "That Which Survives" Spock suddenly turns into Bones, meaning forensic anthropologist, Temperance Brennan.

Of course, he always was rather like her (or she was always rather like him). But in "That Which Survives" he becomes not only dry and logical but the foil for a number of humorous and sarcastic exchanges.

When Scotty exclaims, "That's impossible! Nothing can do that!" about the ship being flung away from the planet, Spock replies, "Mr. Scott, since we are here, your statement is not only illogical but unworthy of refutation." That last line is pure Temperance.

When Scotty tries to tell Spock that the ship "feels" wrong, Spock replies with an apparent lack of interest. However, he immediately begins to perform scans of his own. Like Temperance, he uses a "non-scientific" statement to inspire future research. Spock does reiterate later, "I suggest you refrain from any further subjective descriptions."

Because of course, like Temperance, Spock also continually corrects people's imprecise data. He always has done this but he seems to do it more than usual in this episode--it could be a coping mechanism regarding a stressful situation. It certainly is a coping mechanism for Temperance! (Of course, Spock would never admit it.)

And Spock--like Temperance--becomes quite literal, which he actually isn't so much in earlier seasons. When the ship bounces around on its special effects string, Uhuru asks Spock, "Are you alright? What happened?" He replies, "I'm alright. The occipital area of my head seems to have impacted with the arm of the chair." She gives him a curious stare.

In addition, Spock--like Temperance--is awarded the ultimate compliment of being a standard bearer: "A planet even Spock can't explain!"  

Actually, throughout all of Season 3, Spock gets more and more geeky: he goes off on explanatory expositions of scientific phenomenon, eschews "supernatural explanations," and expresses his "fascination" more often. I felt like I was watching the birth of geek-dom! Fascinating!

Of course, fans will know that Spock does turn into Bones (McCoy) eventually.

Plotting the Small Stuff: What Bones Does Right

The latter seasons of Bones are not as classic as the initial seasons. However, Bones does one thing absolutely right throughout all its seasons, up to the final one (this year).

One problem that stalks later seasons of many shows is the need to CHANGE, SHOCK, DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT! I address some of the reasons for that panic here. Generally speaking, it can lead to over-the-top soap opera ridiculousness that makes one pine for the "simple" days when the show was still unself-conscious and fun.

Bones had this problem (the Pelant sub-plot, for instance). However, it kept its stand-alone episodes fresh by doing what good comedians do: making a plot point out of something simple:

So, in one episode, Bones and Booth debate their daughter's birthday party. In another: the tooth fairy. Or whether or not their daughter bit someone. Or how they feel about their daughter selling cars (I LOVE how this episode ends: kudos, Brennan 😇).

What is so fascinating is how interesting these sub-sub-sub-subplots can be. I actually want to find out if Angela's show runs.

Bones uses iconic images to sell ability early on. The

amazing art created by the young cancer patient is

Van Gogh's Wheat Fields with flowers added.

TANGENT: I do get annoyed at how the Bones' production crew solves Angela's artistic "genius." All her art is derived from famous iconic images that the viewer may or may not recognize--like the stairs from Psycho; I don't think the idea is that Angela is derivative; rather, we are supposed to have this "oh, that's good!" reaction because subconsciously, we recognize the iconic nature of her photos/paintings. It still bugs me--why can't they use someone's actual art? After all, "Castle" writes his own stuff. You can even get his books from the library! Nick from Family Ties got his own art.

Returning to the point (making plot out of life) the less sub-sub-sub and more-plot of Hodgins in the wheelchair is strikingly well-written and gives T.J. Thyne, a respectable actor in his own right, a chance to shine his non-sweet-natured-Hodgins side (aside from being a jerk during the last 1/3rd of Season 11, Hodgins is possibly the best husband on all television).

The ability to make interesting the ordinary, normal, unfortunately sad plus happy everyday is a true gift. The Bones' writers get close to capturing slice-of-life, an admirable ability!

The Significant Other's Other: Bones, Season 6

Usually, I dislike the use of the "other" (man or woman) to disrupt a TV couple's growing relationship. It seems so contrived and often doesn't shed a good light on the couple since their constant switcheroos make them appear shallow.

Booth's girlfriend Hannah in Season 6, however, is done right.

This is my third time through the season after a hiatus of several years. (I'm behind on the show by three seasons; I recently started over.) The use of Hannah is so skillfully done, I have to hand out kudos to the writers. KUDOS, WRITERS!

To recap, Booth is terribly hurt by Brennan's rejection in Season 5. Although they have remained friends, he is desperate to move on with his life. He begins dating a woman whom he (wrongly) determines to be totally unlike Brennan (he makes a comment to this effect early in the season). In reality, he is dating a more socially adept, extroverted form of Brennan.

Booth definitely has a "type."

Regarding the Booth-Hannah relationship, the writers make several intelligent moves:

1. Brennan and Hannah become friends. 

Brennan and Booth are partners, and their partnership is important to both of them; Booth has no desire to sabotage his prior relationship in favor of his new one. He is touchingly relieved when Brennan and Hannah adjust to the new dynamic. His relationships are about affirmation, not destruction a la Emily in Friends. Hannah is NOT that type of "other"--the awful new wife/girlfriend who insists that her husband sever all connections with his past.

Bones is about real adults, not overgrown adolescents.

2. Brennan gets to see how a relationship with Booth could work. 

End, "The Sum of the Parts in the Whole"

Brennan is (understandably) terrified of a committed relationship. She rejects Booth in Season 5 out of fear that she will hurt him through her inability to make their relationship work.

By watching Hannah with Booth, she is able to see the day-to-day reality (which she probably over-imagined in her head). She can even see how her knowledge of Booth would aid her in such a relationship--especially since she uses that knowledge to aid Hannah on several occasions.

3. Booth doesn't drop Hannah when Brennan tells him of her feelings. 

This is so remarkably insightful, I applaud every time I see the scene.

It takes place in the episode "The Doctor in the Photo" (guest starring the equally remarkable Enrico Colantoni). It is quite painful to watch since Brennan breaks down when Booth gently tells her, "I'm with Hannah now." It also clarifies that Booth is in fact a really good guy.

Sure, on the romance side of things, we would all love him to say, "Oh, yes, Brennan, I love you too!"

Enrico Colantoni isn't relevant to

this post: I just like him!

But what kind of guy would that make him? He has vocally and physically (Hannah has moved in) committed himself to Hannah. He loves her. He is not the kind of guy to be swayed by the emotion of the moment. His refusal to walk away from Hannah reassures viewers that in the future, he won't walk away from Brennan.

4. Booth is truly hurt when Hannah refuses his proposal. 

I have my own theory about that proposal--for one thing, it is out
of character. I don't mean the writers messed up; I mean, Booth acts out of character within the established parameters of the show (he does a characteristic thing out of character). For a patient and insightful man, it is out of character for him to jump the gun.

There are some subtle clues that by this point in the season, Booth has realized that he still has feelings for Brennan (even before she confesses her own). He isn't going to act on them, but he has them. There are also several clues that he is as enamored with her as he was before.

Which doesn't mean he doesn't love Hannah, especially since he is not a man to back out of his commitments.

Yet he pushes Hannah on the subject of marriage too fast, too far. And she says, "No."

At some level, it seems that Booth wants something to happen now--either a firm commitment in one direction or freedom in the other.

In other words, Hannah IS the rebound girlfriend.

Which doesn't mean Booth isn't legitimately unhappy. Oftentimes on television, the male lead, when dumped, becomes a comical figure. Booth, however, is allowed to be hurt and to show his hurt. He is near tears when he discusses the breakup with Brennan.

"What is it with women who don't want what I'm offering here?" he asks her, and this isn't mere male petulance or vanity. Booth's question is a valid one. He is stable. He makes a good income. He is trustworthy. He is handsome (if that matters). He likes kids. Why is marriage such a terrible option?

Bones is ultimately a rather conservative show, in the best possible way. It debates the accepted mores of orthodox society (what most people at the "center" seem to more or less accept) without either cynicism or defensiveness. Marriage and family are normal, acceptable things to care about.

So let our characters care.

Totally About Bones

I don't have cable--and don't really want it--which means I'm a season behind everyone else on shows such as House and Bones. I watch past seasons either through Netflix or through the library (check out your public libraries, people--great resources!).

I recently watched Bones, Season 3. I knew what would happen regarding Zach (I always know what happens; I know what happened recently on House, for example; I'm not one for waiting a whole year to find things out). More about Zach later. Here are my thoughts on all of Season 3.

*There are spoilers.* (For those of you who do like to wait a whole year+ to find things out.)

Totally Cute

It is, without a doubt, a totally cute season. In fact, it's almost too cute, but it was nice to watch an entire season of a show containing almost zero angst. I kept thinking, "Boy, the writers should go on strike more often if this is the result!"

Amongst my favorite cute moments: Bones and Booth and the baby (and yes, I think the "yuppie parents with their kid" imagery was deliberate); the Christmas episode from kiss to singing Santas to the tree (cute and funny episode); Bones and the snakes in the Halloween episode; Bones as Wonder Woman in the Halloween episode; Booth as a geek in the Halloween episode ("See how I just corrected you."); Dr. Sweets, particularly in the episode where he breaks up with his girlfriend, and Booth decides to take him bowling--I also love Dr. Sweets' slang and popular culture references ("Like, dude, [Star Wars reference]."); Bones and Booth in the karaoke club before Booth gets shot.

Booth getting shot brings us to . . .

Totally Random

The influence of the writers' strike does show towards the end of the season. I got the impression that Booth pretending to be dead was originally supposed to be several episodes. It feels like a longer arc than they gave it. I mean, Booth died! Booth DIED! And two seconds later, it's the funeral, and Bones is barging into his bathroom--very cute scene but just a tad abrupt.

My theory is, they (writers/producers) came up with the idea of Booth's death and couldn't let it go to another season because they loved it so much. I think this was a mistake, personally. That particular arc needed more time than it was given.

Speaking of arcs that needed more time (and clues!), Zach as Gormogon's assistant wasn't set up at all. I knew it was coming, so I looked for hints in the prior episodes. Nadda. They didn't even use Zach's stint in Iraq (he could have met one of Gormogon's victims there . . .) It was the most unlikely way I've seen to write a character out of a show since Tasha Yar was killed by the sludge monster (and Yar got to come back and die all over again).

I think turning Zach into Gormogon's assistant could have been done effectively--Zach's issue is that he's always felt like an outsider. They could have pushed that issue more. Hodgins is with Angela; Bones is becoming more and more consumed with Booth and vice versa; Camille (who, by the way, I really like now: you go, independent woman who likes her space and has a quirky sense of humor!) is an independent woman who likes her space. Zach, who isn't good at reading people, could have begun to think he'd been abandoned--I'm an outcast; nobody loves me; I don't fit in anywhere except with my new crazy, psycho friend--only to realize (too late) that his friends really do love him; they just have busy lives.

The way it was done: not believable at all (although I did like that Zach let himself get hurt to protect Hodgins).

Back to Bones and Booth!

Totally Sweet(s)

Yeah, that is a pun. I loved Sweets' role as the observor on the show's most excellent romantic relationship. For instance, one of my favorite scenes is when Sweets takes Bones and Booth to pottery class, and Bones and Booth relate to each other better than Sweets and his girlfriend! That episode made clear that Sweets' interest in Bones and Booth is in the relationship itself, not just with the individuals. He wants to have what they have.

Part of what they have is maturity. I like the fact that Sweets is at least 7 years younger than Bones and 12 years younger than Booth (Booth is 35 in Season 3; Bones is "five years younger."). I'm hoping--remember I haven't seen any of Season 4--that Sweets-Bones-Booth never form a romantic triangle. I like Sweets as the geeky younger brother who kind of hero worships Bones and Booth and is completely engrossed in figuring out their relationship. I don't want to see him as competition to Booth (or to Bones, for that matter).

If that does happen, it will be a mistake. One thing the pottery scene reveals is that Bones and Booth might have their problems, but they are beyond the problems that obsess twenty-years-olds. They behave, well, like adults. In the pottery scene, Bones is impressed by Booth's ability; they kid; they talk. They are very natural together. There isn't a lot of preening or guesswork going on, which is one thing I've always liked about this particular relationship.

Totally Touching

Speaking of Bones and Booth, Season 3 does get almost-maudlin a few times. Of course, Bones is Bones, and the dialog between Bones and Booth is always fantastic, so Bones' almost-maudlin is still pretty sardonic stuff. (It's not like Perlman's Beauty and the Beast, which is tiresomely maudlin.)

In any case, the season did push the appearance of the relationship (if not the actual relationship) much furthur than in past seasons. Bones and Booth look like a couple (that baby!). My only real problem with this is the inevitable-break-up-factor. I would like to see Bones and Booth date and even get married. I'd be really impressed if the writers pulled it off. I do NOT want to see (and will stop watching) Bones and Booth date and then break-up for some totally stupid reason. (One of them sleeps with his or her ex!!) I HATE that sort of thing. (It usually indicates bad/lazy writing.)

In terms of completely touching (but not almost-maudlin), my favorite heart-breaking line is from the episode where Bones implicates herself in order to get her father off. It's the line where Booth addresses Bones directly from the stand: "That's a lot of heart, Bones."

And I love it because even though Booth wants to help Bones and has encouraged her to help her father, he will not agree to her pretend scenario. He has to answer honestly in court, but he refuses to accept Bones' scenario as a realistic option. Bones is his first priority, not her father.

Good stuff.

TELEVISION

The Wonderful Ironic Relationship of Bones and Booth

I currently watched the entirety of Bones, Season 2 and decided I would give Season 3 a chance. Whatever the occasional flaws in the writing/character development, those Bones writers who are in charge of Brennan and Booth are very, very, very good at their job.

The wonderful irony of Brennan and Booth is that out of all the characters on the show, Brennan is the one who eschews marriage the most and, out of all the characters on the show, Brennan is the one who needs--and thrives on--a long-term, committed, stable romantic relationship the most.

Hence, Booth.

The second wonderful irony of Brennan and Booth is that like so many women throughout history, Brennan's long-term, committed, stable, romantic (even if she doesn't know it yet) relationship is with a man who is the mirror of her father.

And this isn't even me. This is the writers.

The writers go out of their way to pinpoint similarities between Booth and Max Keenan. Booth understands Max Keenan's philosophy ("Law of the Jungle") and defends it to Brennan. Booth encourages Brennan to support her father, especially after Booth arrests him. Max himself selects Booth as his back-up ("You take care of her"), and I have personally always been convinced that Max kills the Deputy Director as much for Booth's sake as for Brennan's. Speaking of that particular episode--"Judas on a Pole"--the writers/directors make a deliberate visual connection between Max and Booth when they morph from Max watching the body burn to Booth watching the burnt body: same pose, same stance.

Booth is Max's anti- or mirror. He isn't a clone. He is the good guy (who occasionally, unknown to Brennan, protects her by jungle means); he is law to Max's disorder. I love the scene in Season 3 when Booth says, "I'm good. You know back in the day when people were dumping tea in the harbor, I would have rounded them all up. We'd still be British."

And Brennan laughs. Brennan needs a man with a consistent worldview. She also needs a man who won't end up getting her killed because of his "outlaw" tendencies. She needs, however much she intellectually dismisses the need, the "knight in shining FBI standard-issue body armor," as Angela puts it. And she's got it: she's got the guy who, unlike her father, won't abandon her but, like her father, will protect her.

And she protects him. I'm not a big advocate of needy people hooking up on the hope that they will solve each other's needs. I am a big advocate of people complementing (and complimenting) each other. Two people with similar neediness: BAD. Two people with complementing neediness: GOOD.

Brennan needs stability. Booth needs someone to protect. He is pure Alpha male, tempered by self-doubt. Booth was a sniper--and a good one. He doesn't have a philosophical or legal or moral problem with being a sniper or with shooting bad guys. But he doesn't want to do it anymore. It isn't about Booth saying, "Oh, I was a horrible person." It's about Booth saying, "I no longer want to take on that particular function." He wants a constructive role rather than a destructive role. This is, bluntly, Alpha male patriarchy at its best. (Yes, it does exist.)

Booth doesn't want someone to domineer and wouldn't tolerate that kind of relationship for two seconds (good Alpha males rarely do). Rather, he wants to play a constructive role in someone's life--someone who needs him.

Hence, Brennan.

Clark Kent and Wonder Woman: hey, it could work!

Television