TJ Thyne

ThyneAlone wrote: Squint Time is more precious and should be given to the underdeveloped characters we already have

Agreed -- and I'll take it one step further: the addition of the actor as a credited regular is further proof that the show is a mess. Sweets is not Gormogon; it's a massive red herring because they've put the actor in the credits. (Very clever, oh, yes, Sweets the brat is actually a Squint! *rolls eyes*) He's a cheap device to push the show's existing romantic relationships. And where does that leave Dr. Addy?

Pairing Zach and Sweets romantically would take a page out of the Torchwood playbook and give Eric some muchly-deserved screen time. (Yes, I know that Eric's decision is to play Zach straight, so that's said with humor and all due respect.) My less snarky point is that TJ and Michaela have had their showcase episodes and Eric is overdue for his.

Would I be this irritated if Stephen Fry had joined the cast? No. But that's because I bought his character's premise; clearly when it comes to Sweets, I don't. But that discussion belongs elsewhere...

ThyneAlone wrote:Rebecca's main quarrel with him, I believe, is that these days, with ever more concentration on the BB relationship, Squint Time is more precious and should be given to the underdeveloped characters we already have - especially TJ of course. What do we really know about the backgrounds of, for example, Hodgins and Zach? Sweets is taking up that time and, if he isn't actually an evil participant in the Gormagon plot, which now looks less likely, is simply superfluous and not a particularly good replacement for the Stephen Fry dynamic.

That is it, in a nutshell, for me. That is my issue with Sweets. It's nothing against the actor -- I like him, he's funny and talented, and I think he does a fine job overall. I just think the problem with so many shows out there is how the writers (or creator, or executives, or whoever makes these kinds of decisions) forget their core cast. They start writing side parts, thinking it's going to be entertaining, and sometimes it is, but if they ignore the main cast for too long, the pacing and energy level shifts, the focus gets scattered, and the show loses what makes it special. It's like they forget: there's still so much they could explore with the main cast of characters they already have. We'd love more in-depth exploration of character and back history (especially for the long-ignored Squints). But they forget all about those possibilities. Instead, they go with 'Ooh, look, something shiny and new!' We as viewers don't have short attention spans; they do.

What I love about Bones is that from the very beginning it was about this team, this core group of people, and how they related to one another and worked together and how they interacted (and oftentimes clashed) with Booth. I loved watching those relationships shift and change as each character changed. These people all deserve to be explored more. They're interesting characters, and the wonderful little hints that the writers have come up with about each of them are fascinating. Why can't they see how terrific it would be to explore that? You cannot ignore character development.

That is why I think the story between Angela and Hodgins has stalled -- the writers show them all lovey-dovey, which is sweet, but they no longer write actions and plots to drive that emotion. Not anything soap-opera-like, that's not what I mean; in fact I think that would be horrible -- I mean that there should be substance underneath the sweetness. When they first started making eyes at each other, there were specific story-related actions to go along with it: Angela helping Hodgins when he panicked in Blonde in the Game; Hodgins talking with and comforting Angela when she worried about Brennan in Man in the Morgue; the numerous times they flirt with each other during silly moments in the show. You could tell how they felt about each other, and it was given weight by what was happening within the storyline. Lately poor TJ and Michaela have been stuck joking about how much their characters love each other (isn't she adorable, isn't he smooshy), but there's no actual story. They deserve more than that. And it certainly would make things more interesting for the viewers.

P.S. I totally agree that Zack deserves to have a moment in the sun. He's long overdue for it.

Ah... I could go on about this, but as Annie points out, this probably isn't the thread for it. Perhaps we need a new one, under the Bones forum. Especially because I'm trying to avoid all spoilers so I can be surprised and in-the-moment with the characters when I watch the new episodes.

Sinkwriter72 wrote:I could go on about this, but as Annie points out, this probably isn't the thread for it. Perhaps we need a new one, under the Bones forum. Especially because I'm trying to avoid all spoilers so I can be surprised and in-the-moment with the characters when I watch the new episodes.

No sooner said than done, dearie - here is your Sweets discussion well out of the way of any spoilers!

I agree so much with you 2 that I have to say so:

late_heart wrote:Pairing Zach and Sweets romantically would take a page out of the Torchwood playbook and give Eric some muchly-deserved screen time. TJ and Michaela have had their showcase episodes and Eric is overdue for his.

<<cheer>> Hear hear! (nice to know I have fellow Torchwood viewers on board)

late_heart wrote:Would I be this irritated if Stephen Fry had joined the cast? No. But that's because I bought his character's premise; clearly when it comes to Sweets, I don't.

Not to mention that he stayed out of everybody else's territory! I don't want the profiler prowling round the lab! What's the point?

Sinkwriter72 wrote:What I love about Bones is that from the very beginning it was about this team, this core group of people, and how they related to one another and worked together and how they interacted (and oftentimes clashed) with Booth. You cannot ignore character development.

Me too, me too *eager hand up* I started watching for the group dynamic! Everyone seems to think that the Buffy contingent started watching for David Boreanaz, SO not true (especially as I watched Buffy for the group too!). And you are right - you can't just stop when you have been developing the characters for a while. They stagnate noticeably.

Sinkwriter72 wrote:That is why I think the story between Angela and Hodgins has stalled -- the writers show them all lovey-dovey, but they no longer write actions and plots to drive that emotion. There should be substance underneath the sweetness. When they first started making eyes at each other, there were specific story-related actions to go along with it. Lately poor TJ and Michaela have been stuck joking about how much their characters love each other, but there's no actual story. They deserve more than that.

They do! Much underused talent all round! And lazy writing. This is why I want out of that stupid unrealistic Hide-and-Freak arc about the Supposedly Suffering Spouse. It keeps Hodgins and Angela in exactly the same spot in the relationship with no space for developing something more real. Which is what the presence of Sweets is, in a wider sense, doing for everyone. Making them tread water.

Oops, didn't realise I was going to write that much, you people are an inspiration, y'know?

"You're not doing anything except getting in the way."

Hodgins to Sweets, The Pain in the Heart

Even Hodgins agrees with me!

i like him he brings more laughts to the show i really wanted dr whyatt to be there doctor to me sweets is to young and doesnt really get booth and bones realtionship but its funny to see how he interacts with them and is girlfirend was silly to.