Bones 5.11 The X in the File

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skftex
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Bones 5.11 The X in the File

Post by skftex »

Sooooooo doing something I almost never do, I'm starting this episode discussion.

First-the X-Files stuff was funny, the phone ringing with the X-File theme and then later the spooky empty hospital. Loved that.

Now to the important stuff! As much as I really don't like the Angela/Wendell storyline I have to admit, if it means TJ actually gets to ACT then okay, give me more! Though I know with the revolving interns next week will probably be like everything is fine again. When Wendell went to tell Hodgins and he says its all fine, I thought it was so well done, that you could ALMOST believe him if it hadn't been for the little things TJ did with that scene, the small pause, the way he smiled, but even still, you could think well maybe he really has moved on. Even the diner scene he seemed a lot more comfortable with it than Angela and Wendell did. Which makes you wonder, why would Angela be so uncomfortable? I still think Angela is pretty selfish and that Wendell isn't really a friend, but at least they showed that they aren't so great with the whole thing.

Next, the scene with Sweets in his office. As much as I usually despise Sweets scenes, it was my favorite scene of this episode. I even thought Sweets was useful (how is that all of you that know how I feel about Sweets HEE). I loved how Hodgins came in and he laid down on the couch. Then when he said he didn't want to be jealous, wow. But the best part I thought was when he asked could he just stay there for a little while. TJ has a wonderful way of making me feel what Hodgins was feeling and more than the breakup ever did, I could feel my heart breaking along with his. Wow.

Okay, thats after just one viewing, think I'll watch this one more than once (or at least parts of it). What did you think?

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Re: Bones 5.11 The X in the File

Post by jade.stormcloud »

It was just heartbreaking. I was torn up by Hodgins' obvious pain in this ep. His too-cheerful "everything's fine" routine was so obviously a front to me. Of course it's not ok! Of course he's not cool that his ex-fiancee & his close friend/coworker are hooking up! Hasn't he already been in a similar situation before, too (The Man in the Mansion)? Poor guy. At least Ange seemed aware that it was an awkward situation & was trying not to rub it in Hodgins' face.

I did like how Hodgins just stretched out on Sweets' couch. Nobody ever makes appointments. :) And Sweets was nicely supportive.

I found the X-Filesish case amusing. It's been a while since I watched, but I did notice at least some of the homages. I was laughing my butt off at the MRI scene. That was just hilarious. :D

I doubt this will ever be one of my favorite episodes, but it's nice to see TJ getting a heavier role once in a while.
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Re: Bones 5.11 The X in the File

Post by Akarana »

Ok, first of all TJ was amazing in last nights epi. GREAT job on the emotions, so well played.

But... and here's the but: Did anyone else want to yell at Hodgins (after giving him a hug or the other way round) so he will finally wake up? Angela was with Roxy and told him she didn't love him back then. Then she let him help her through the break up, basically asked him to break her celibacy kick with her simply because she was horny and now she's with Wendell and doesn't give a damn how he is feeling.
Wendell is the decent guy in this worrying about his friend, while Angela, the woman who wanted to marry him and spend the rest of her life with him, doesn't even think about it for one second about how Hodgins would feel if he found out?
All she ever says is "But we're over, he knows that". So Angela, the one who is supposed to read people as well as Sweets and Booth doesn't see that he is not fine.

And still this idiot if grieving over her? Go and find someone new, who is worthy of your love Hodgins, and forget about Angela! She doesnt deserve you! That's something someone should finally tell him.

He deserves to be happy and obviously he can't be as long as Angela is still in his head and heart.

Part of me felt for him and the other part of really wanted to slap him or yell at him to move on. Gah!
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skftex
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Re: Bones 5.11 The X in the File

Post by skftex »

Well yes, Akarana, of course I understand that too! But of course, it is always easier for the people watching to see the whole picture than the one hurting.

The only thing is, I don't see Wendell as a good guy. The only good thing he did was tell Hodgins, but I don't think he is a good friend. As I said, Angela is selfish, the current Angela anyway. I don't think she was originally selfish but now. And even with Wendell, she only seems to care about herself, and she treats him like her little puppy dog as well.

I definitely would like them to let Hodgins move on, I really really hope it happens. Because as Sweets says he is a nice guy and they need to let him quit sitting around waiting for Angela to be the person he needs. But if Angela and Hodgins do ever get back together (and I do think they will) I hope that they don't have Hodgins chasing after Angela, I hope its Angela chasing after Hodgins, and I hope that he doesn't give in easily and makes her prove it is what she wants.

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Akarana
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Re: Bones 5.11 The X in the File

Post by Akarana »

I don't know, I have some respect for Wendell because he did the right thing and ultimately told Hodgins. Should he be with Angela? Probably not. but then again she is single and he is single and she and Hodgins have been apart for a while. It's not right but he hasn't been a part of this whole mess before and he probably doesn't know everything that happened. I guess I just like him more than Angela in this.

And I am not an Angela- hater either. it just comes and goes in waves. I think I would still like her a lot more if she would have stayed away after she and Hodgins broke up. If she had made it clear that she didn't love him, is over him and they were back to being friends.
But she is selfish and she obviously can't read him anymore.. or never could?!

I guess I am not 100% sure how I feel about her. The more I think about it the more confused I get.

However I am really sick of seeing Hodgins pine after her and hope that she'll come back. And then what? If she came back she would lead him around the same way she does now with Wendell and Hodgins, the masochist, would most likely obediently slip into the puppy role and admire her for it.

I fear that they will get back together , but I don't want it anymore. When they were together at first I loved that pairing. But after everything that happened and no matter how often Angela would pledge her love for him I just can't believe it anymore.
Hodgins needs someone else, someone who loves him as much as he loves her and who cares as much as he does. If Angela is with Wendell, Fisher or Clark doesn't matter anymore for me. I even find her and Wendell cute together, left aside the fact that they are hurting Hodgins.

Personally (although I logically know it won't happen and the writers will put back A and H together again, against all better judgement) I would love to see Hodgins with Cam. They have great chemistry, they are so funny together and Cam is just as a big romantic as he is, even if she hides it well. The only thing that puts a damper on that pairing for me is the fact that Cam would have another one of Angela's ex' and then the whole lab would become a thing of "who sleeps with whom". BUT, I would overlook that gladly if they were together.

And if it isn't Cam, he needs someone new, someone not Angela. Because I SO don't wanna see that hurt kicked-puppy look on his face again (no matter how well TJ played it ;) ).
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Re: Bones 5.11 The X in the File

Post by boo »

I wonder about the sanity of the people writing this show. My third thought about this unholy pairing (after feeling nauseated and angry) was that they were using this as a contrivance to eventually get Angela and Hodgins back together. That is what I would have preferred. But now I'm not so sure, either. I would have preferred that, but after seeing Angela the ho with Wendell, I'm sort of over her and therefore over her and Hodgins. If she was still the cute Angela who introduced herself to Agent Frost as the the one who does reconstructions, and him :lol: (Hodgins) and was jealous of his attentiveness (lust) toward Agent Frost, then fine. But now she's just an old used ho bag who is annoyed that Hodgins might have feelings or concerns over her relationship with Wendell.

And personally, I don't like them together. They don't look good together and I don't think there's any chemistry at all. It definitely seems like a mismatch, (like Booth and Brennan). Tbtp at Bones got lucky only once in the romance department in my opinion, (with A and H) and then they blew it. :roll:

As for Hodgins, he is every girls dream guy. Well, this girls dream guy, anyway. :wink: He's a conspiracy theorist, he's brilliant, he's got three Phd's, he has an awesome career and he's a gazillionaire who is not led around on a leash by his money. Who wouldn't love him? They can't keep trying to play him off as some awkward geek who doesn't know his way around a woman's body. If they insist on pursing the unholy union of Angela and Wendell, they need to find someone for Hodgins. Preferrably, someone on the order of hot Agent Frost who will threaten Angela down to her core and make her come running, begging him to take her back.

*sigh* One can dream.
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Re: Bones 5.11 The X in the File

Post by jade.stormcloud »

Wow, I can't really join in all the Angela hatred. They broke up a year & a half ago, so while it's awkward & uncomfortable that she is dating someone new in the workplace, I don't see that it's wrong of her. I hate that it's so painful for Hodgins, & I really would have preferred more hesitation on both her & Wendell's parts at getting involved in the first place for many reasons: since he is Hodgins' friend, since they work together, since her stint with celibacy was supposed to help her connect emotionally WITHOUT sex... but I'm more annoyed with the writers than the characters on those counts. I thought the A/H hookup was so realistic, but the A/W hookup was so out of the blue & just ridiculous (perhaps they were trying to balance out the never-ending courting phase we're getting with B&B by making A&W skip any sort of courting altogether). Anywho, I thought that both Ange & Wendell suspected why Hodgins was overly-enthusiastic in his experimentation, and Wendell, at least, seems somewhat aware that what was between A&H is not entirely gone.

I never had the urge to yell at Hodgins. Does he still love & want her? Or is he still mourning the loss of a love that he thought would last forever? Either way, what he's doing isn't wrong. He loved Angela for who she was & if he still loves her & holds out hope, then I hope she comes to realize what she walked away from, what they BOTH walked away from. And, if he's just mourning the loss of love, the fact that he is alone & nowhere near the dream of an eternal love that he once thought he'd have, what's wrong with that? Many people who are alone feel that way, & seeing your ex happy in a new relationship is like salt in the wounds, no matter how long it's been or whether you still want them or not... it still reminds you of what you don't have. So, no :) no desire to scream at Hodgins. I just wish I could comfort him & tell him he'll be happy again one day.

Now I have the chorus from "Love Will Come to You" by the indigo girls in my head. :P

"I say, 'Love will come to you,"
hoping just because I spoke the words that they're true,
as if I'd offered up a crystal ball to look through.
'Where there's now one, there will be two.'"
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Re: Bones 5.11 The X in the File

Post by kayleigh_marie »

Wonderful episode, though I do agree with some that the A/W pairing does seem a bit... odd. I didn't think they were going to form an actual relationship, and now that they have, I'm kinda irritated.
I'm in no way mad at Angela, but when I see her, I can't help but want her to be with Jack.
The scene with Sweets and Jack was very moving. It almost seemed like a bonding... No, maybe that's the wrong word... I think that the relationship between Hodgins and Sweets can only get better because of what's going on with A/W.
I don't know...I just think that it's a matter of time before Angela realizes that she belongs with Jack.
:shifty: one can hope, right?
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Re: Bones 5.11 The X in the File

Post by ThyneAlone »

Omg just let me close my eyes, wow, there is near-physical pleasure going on here, guys. I'm back! Comp has been cleaned & sorted and I'm back. Do you realise I couldn't watch this ep till last night? The little laptop just can't cut it. The frustration of reading your comments was huuuuge. Anyhoo, this morning I watched it for the second time after being out to have my hair done so I am feeling pretty lively and happy, hello world! as the Partridge family used to say.

This is the first episode this season I have wanted to watch again, mind you. It's weird - TJ gets to do something solid and the entire quality of the writing goes up a notch. Well, not strictly that way round, but you see what I mean, this has been written with care to maintain certain balances - character fidelity and plot, humour and pathos. The guest characters were some of the best portrayed I've seen in a while too; in just a few scenes the sheriff was established as a strong and very likeable character, for example. His laconic reference to his experiences with alien hunters ‘I’ve been through that before’ was very funny.

So let's start with character continuity and development, which were quite beautifully done. Booth spotted the guy lying with consummate ease. Not to mention the nonchalant way he got those fingerprints. Felt like leaping up and cheering, about time you were back up to standard, man! And the easy humour is back (fantastic oxymoron conversation) and so is the relaxed friendly banter with Brennan (qv lovely final scene and 'Cellphone.' 'You hope.') that might actually develop into a believable relationship. Meantime Brennan still has her lack of social graces ('Very good, Dr. Brennan.' 'Yes, it was.'... 'then it would be a duck') but also maintains palpable progress, with some emotional insight ('You say I guess, but you mean I don't think so') and spontaneous reaction in that hilarious scream. It's good too that she can laugh at being compared with the aliens!

Sweets is becoming somewhat of a revelation. It might just be a one-off, but the little twit of his early manifestations does appear to be becoming a reasonably sensitive human being. The delivery of his ‘This is a good time’ line was nicely poised between irony and genuine concern, and his willingness to sit in silence with Hodgins was very moving.

And talking about Hodgins (how have I reached this point without doing so?). Superb performance from TJ, rounded and drawing both laughter and tears. This is a genuinely complex character. Again, we had proper acknowledgement of continuity, notably the conspiracy reference, the experiment enthusiasm and a nicely pointed comment about cats dealing with water at a stage where it was good to see Brennan tackling an area where she was a little insecure – and succeeding. I don’t know how I feel about Hodgins and Angela just now. Angela seems so resolutely cruel, but my take is that she is deliberately shutting out memories that are more complicated than she wants them to be, so is relieved to believe surface Hodgins. Even cardboard cutout Wendell is starting to realise that. Do I want them back together? Well, yes, but like others I’d like to see Jack in control of things first. It’s been such an uneven relationship up till now. Nevertheless, during its every phase and facet (however divorced from real life), TJ has done an outstanding job of making us empathise with Hodgins. He really understands his character and therefore so do we. Great job TJ, if you’re reading this. I was glad he got the chance of exploding a few heads there – so hilarious – and also that it was a not especially subtle link with the awkward scene in the diner when he claimed his head did not explode! Incidentally, bad move on Wendell’s part to kiss Angela like that. Very callow and indelicate. I was well with Angela at that moment. It reminded me of that Buffy moment when Oz says he doesn’t want to be used as an instrument of revenge – dignified and profound.

So a resounding yay to this one. I really did enjoy everything about it, including a plot I could actually follow and the neat, sly homage to the X-files. My only concern is that they might not be able to maintain this standard….
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Re: Bones 5.11 The X in the File

Post by skftex »

WOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO Steph is back!

:D :D :clap: :clap: :dance: :dance:
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Re: Bones 5.11 The X in the File

Post by Jude40 »

Hi everyone

I've only seen this epi once so I may have more to say after another viewing. I've said quite a bit of this on the chat box last night so I thought I'd put something down officially.

I liked the epi it wasn't my fave but not my least fave either. I liked the ring tone and the MRI both really funny. I also liked the homage to DBs dad in the sci fi cafe scene 'I used to watch Rocketship 7 as a kid' really sweet.

I usually don't mind Wendell but he came across as really bland in this and I'm fast going off Angela as she doesn't seem to have much to actually do lately apart from moaning about being celibate than jumping on Wendell! I thought TJ played Hodgins really well OMG how much could you relate to that situation and how much did you just wanna give him a hug.

I was saying last night that I'm really not sure that I want Angela and Hodgins back together I like the chemistry he has with Cam and I'd love Tamara Taylor to get another proper storyline like 'Doctor in the Den'. Out of all the 'supporting' cast TJ and Tamara are my favourites.

I actually like Sweets all the time and I liked that he offered support to Hodgins when he needed it and let him sit as long as he liked. That was such a male situation most female friends would have hugged each other but they just kinda sat.

I really liked the ending it was really romantic in its own way and they are definitely heading toward B&B being a couple just hope it works out when it comes.

Finally I loved that sheriff he has so gotta move to DC!

Anyway that's all for now roll on the next epi, I'm already looking forward to number 100 it sounds so good.

Catch you later

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boo
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Re: Bones 5.11 The X in the File

Post by boo »

I never watched the x-files so I didn't get any of those references, and I love Sweets and think he adds a ton to the show. I think my main concern over the direction this has taken with Angela and Wendell (because I do agree with whomever said they've been over for a while now and eventually will have to move on - but, the thing is, Hodgins has hinted a couple of times about getting back together - but that's another conversation) the thing I worry about is that by developing Angela and Wendell, we may see less and less of Jack. That would be horrible!!

I don't trust these producers/writers/ptb .. because they wrote off our beloved Zach (and have left us all hanging for nearly two seasons on a resolution) so what is to prevent them from writing off our beloved Hodgins .. :o :x They could easily say he is too heartbroken to carry on at the Jeffersonian and he simply .. leaves. :cry: *cry*
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Re: Bones 5.11 The X in the File

Post by jade.stormcloud »

Today's reruns were "Widow's Son in the Windshield" on TNT, & then this ep on FOX. The first thing I noticed: it was nearly heartbreaking to see Hodgins' nearly-shaved 'do in "Widow's Son" after having weeks of those lovely Season 1 & 2 curls. Then, "X in the File" came on & I was happy again. :dance: They're not quite as long as back in season 2, but sooo much better than Season 3. Still, I had to deal with the depressing H/A/W storyline. This episode is so sad for Hodgins. I wish I could reach out & comfort him, or maybe just show up at that ridiculous lunch & flirt with him to help make Angela jealous. That'd be fun. :P
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Re: Bones 5.11 The X in the File

Post by silverwings »

They showed a rerun of this ep again, and I focused more on the TJ/Hodgins scenes.... :lol: But I have to say, he really did the emotion well.

The scene where he's talking with Wendell...I think the pause, and then the sort of quiet, surprised 'oh' after Wendell says how he's doing with Angela...I think that said a lot about how Hodgins felt about the W and A thing.

And maybe he enjoyed blowing up Wendell's head a bit too much, but that was understandable. :P

The scene with Sweets...he just went in, laid on the couch...that made me smile a bit. And then...everything he said to Sweets, that was just...really well done. Kudos.

And finally, the part at the end that somehow really got me. Hodgins seeing Wendell and Angela in the diner. As he turned away, I think it looked like he was about to cry....I really felt like hugging him just then/comforting him.

Maybe I'm just over-analyzing? Oh, and sorry for the ellipsis overkill.
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