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Bones 6.01 The Mastodon in the Room

Posted: Thu Sep 23, 2010 6:12 pm
by Sinkwriter72
Okay, I need to process this episode, but for now I just want to say...

We see Angela tell Brennan she's pregnant, but we don't get to see Angela tell HODGINS??? We only get an 'after the fact' scene in the diner between them?

That's such... :angry-cussingwhite:

I'm glad we got something -- the scene between TJ and Michaela was sweetly played by both actors.

But I really think that the writers are once again not doing the characters justice by skipping over potential genuine moments in order to have an excessive number of Booth/Brennan or Booth/Brennan-themed scenes throughout the episode, some that were not necessary (a lot of that Caroline stuff, for example, was so unsubtle).

I can't believe we didn't get to see Angela tell Hodgins that she was pregnant. That just seems like such a wasted opportunity. It frustrates me.

Re: Bones 6.01 The Mastadon in the Room

Posted: Thu Sep 23, 2010 6:47 pm
by jade.stormcloud
Ditto to that. I was quite disappointed that we didn't get to see his initial reaction. :(

Re: Bones 6.01 The Mastadon in the Room

Posted: Thu Sep 23, 2010 9:29 pm
by SmackyKennedy
We see Angela tell Brennan she's pregnant, but we don't get to see Angela tell HODGINS??? We only get an 'after the fact' scene in the diner between them?
Yeah, that was disappointing for me too, but the scene was very sweet. Still looking for my very own Hodgins. :romance-inlove:

That was an interesting twist that they decided to help with the kidnapping case. I admit I teared up there--little boy reminded me a lot of my almost 3-year-old. I wonder if they'll do that type of thing more often. It might pull Booth away from the lab more, making Brennan jealous, etc...

Not the biggest Daisy fan, but the "Monday" underwear? :D I mostly enjoyed Sweets telling her off. She really deserved that, and I hope he'll make her suffer a bit before giving her the ring back.

Speaking of deserved, GO Cam for telling Brennan how selfish she is for going to Maluku!

As for the "elephant" in the middle of the room that is B&B's feelings? Eh, whatever. I'm happy to see Booth has moved on and I'm giving Hannah a chance. For me it's all about the supporting cast anyway.

Overall the episode was a little slow for me (thank goodness for Miss Julian's comic relief) but I think it was realistic--stuff needed to be explained before everything gets back to normal. Other than the mentioned TJ scene I don't think I was disappointed by anything, went kind of how I expected. 8)

Re: Bones 6.01 The Mastadon in the Room

Posted: Thu Sep 23, 2010 10:56 pm
by jade.stormcloud
I didn't really love the ep. I just didn't get the happy high that I used to from watching (& that I've been getting from my summer shows). I really hope that once they get back into the swing of things, the old chemistry will be back for me.

As for Booth & his new girl... I think he "doth protest too much." His forceful words to Sweets about moving on seemed a bit too bitter for me to believe that he's really over Brennan & happily in love with someone else. I can't get a read on Brennan at all. She's getting harder & harder for me to understand. I did like seeing her & Angela being close & doing the girlfriend thing.

Hodgins was sweet. It's cute how moved he is by the pregnancy, but part of what I really liked about him was his edgy, sarcastic & slightly confrontational side. I hope they don't have him go completely soft with his transition to husband & father.

Re: Bones 6.01 The Mastadon in the Room

Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2010 2:54 am
by Akarana
Just watched the episode and it was ok, I guess.

I liked Hodgins' reaction to the pregnancy, although I agree it was weird that we didn't actually see her telling him. Especially because the scene we saw, couldn't have been too much later. So Angela just goes "Oh, I'm pregnant" while they're on their way to grab something to eat? At the same time she makes a big deal out of telling Brennan? Strange, can't picture it.

The case itself was kind of obvious once they figured out that the boy on the table was not who everyone thought he was.

I missed some closure as to wether or not Cam got a chance to get back her reputation after the interview. Still, when she is persuing the brain damage thing, I guess some people still want her gone and silenced.

And, like always, Cam was the one who made me laugh. Her total lack of control to hide her annoyance when Hodgins started his bug rant made me laugh out loud.
However the thing that really made me laugh and still amuses me is my favorite line of this epi. Cam: "Because I am a pathologist and she's a forensic anthropologist. Fresh dead, long-time dead." The way she pointed to herself and Brennan. So funny. I just love how Tamara delivers these lines!

Re: Bones 6.01 The Mastadon in the Room

Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2010 8:11 am
by Jude40
Hi all

I suppose this is maybe a general comment rather than a critique of this epi which I haven't seen yet so if anyone want's to move it feel free.

I would also like to say that I am still a massive fan of TJ and of Tamara and Emily in particular but I just thought I'd copy something I was discussing with Hanne by email today, just putting it out there. This was it word for word:

'I can't believe I'm saying this but its 'Bones' new season start date on line and I am in no way excited whatsoever; I don't think I'm even going to bother watching on line, I'll wait 'til its on TV in a couple of weeks or so. From what I've read of the reviews it doesn't seem like I'll be missing much.

This is defo not just an Eddie Mc thing but when I watch Warehouse 13 (S2 started over here last night), although the subject is very different it is what 'Bones' used to be, funny, quirky but with a fair bit of emotion thrown in. All the characters are also central to the plot and the interaction is amazingly good. 'Bones' has turned in to the B&B show and its kinda like being shouted out through a megaphone, Booth loves Brennan and vice versa, no kidding!. I've been watching some early epis lately and the whole cast interaction was way better. Unless Mr H pulls a rabbit from the hat I reckon this will be the last season; its just a shame that it doesn't have the individual feel it used to.'

Like I said to Hanne these are just my thoughts and it doesn't mean In won't watch the show, but I used to me obsessed with it and it just doesn't feel the same anymore. Maybe I'll feel differently once I'm into this season we'll see.

Catch you later

Jude x

Re: Bones 6.01 The Mastadon in the Room

Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2010 10:04 am
by Sinkwriter72
I'm right there with you, Jude.

For me, it's not about the acting. The actors are always good, they're always professional, they do whatever they can with what they're given and they make it better.

It's the writing. The writers used to be so much more subtle about everything, and now we've got them beating us on the head over and over and over again about Booth and Brennan, as if we need these things to be pointed out to us. As if we need Caroline to stand there and tell us that Booth and Brennan are the center of the team and with the two of them scattered to the ends of the earth, everything falls apart. As if we need all the secondary characters to continuously talk to Booth about Brennan, or talk to Brennan about Booth, as if that is the only subject this show has anymore? As if we need a hundred episodes that all end with the patented Booth and Brennan 'moment' when sometimes the episode doesn't warrant it.

For example, last night's episode was about the TEAM, and how they need each other and love each other and belong TOGETHER, so ... why not end the episode in that team moment when they re-enter the Jeffersonian?

Why instead end on yet another un-subtle Booth/Brennan moment (with the over-obvious mastadon behind them in the room)? Why do Hart and the writers now think that we need to be hit over the head with this message that Booth and Brennan have feelings for each other and aren't ready to be together so that subject is the proverbial 'elephant in the room'? Why does everything have to be about Booth/Brennan? I know the show is called Bones and therefore it's primarily about her and her partner, but not everything in this show used to focus so hard on their potential romantic relationship. There was focus on them as individuals, and on their relationships with the other team members, and on the rest of the team as individuals. Not everything was about pairing people up and finding romance in everything. The cases were important, the victims were important. Not everything had to resolve on Booth and Brennan giving each other meaningful looks that demonstrate they looooove each other and just aren't ready to be together.

I think I just find the writing insulting to me as a viewer nowadays. It's like they think I'm too dumb to 'get' it if it's not spelled out for me with everything they do. They didn't used to approach the show in this way. I miss the way the writing used to be smarter and more genuine.

Re: Bones 6.01 The Mastadon in the Room

Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2010 10:24 am
by Sinkwriter72
Posting a comment I just made. It was a response to Jade over in the Twitter thread but really belongs here in the episode thread:
jade.stormcloud wrote:Now that I've seen the ep, I'm actually just annoyed that we didn't get any "what are they doing now?" scene for A&H like we did with all the other characters.
Once again, the Angela-Hodgins relationship is getting half-assed treatment. Meanwhile, I notice Daisy and Sweets had plenty of scenes. I think that's crap. Angela-Hodgins should have seniority of story emphasis over the two of them. If ever there was a big meaningful moment of great importance for the evolution of the Angela-Hodgins relationship, it was the moment that Angela tells Hodgins she's pregnant. We should have seen that. It was big not only for them as a couple, but for both of them as individuals, especially given that their relationship has already been through so much and this is uncharted territory for someone like Angela. And for Hodgins. I know they want kids, but it's also a scary thing, and a huge change for two people who are used to living the life a certain way. We could have seen their joy and their 'oh my god what are we getting into' and 'are we truly ready for this' and relief that they both feel like they're on the same page at the same time, all in the moment. Wasted opportunities, I'm telling you. It frustrates me greatly.

Re: Bones 6.01 The Mastadon in the Room

Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2010 7:34 pm
by kayleigh_marie
So, first off, I can't stand Daisy. They should have taken her away in Africa.
:twisted:
Though the Monday panties were hilarious, I have to say.

I wasn't shocked that Cam's job was in Jeopardy, though I would have liked to see her in actual trouble, and not bailed out at the perfect moment.
But I'm a realist. ;)
When I saw Seeley had a new girl, I wasn't shocked either. Though it's only a matter of time before it crumbles because he's unconsciously comparing her to Tempe.

The fact that Sweets didn't jump right back into it with Daisy made me happy. I prefer Lance Daisy-less.
I adore that they brought back Wendell. And :lol: Clark checked himself into a what now? I didn't have start-over.

Yeah, yeah. the elephant in the room. Over-obvious. I think Hart found it amusing. It's been awhile. They wanted to ram it into our faces, I have a feeling they'll dial it down.

And I agree. I was upset we didn't see Jack's initial reaction.
Though he was so cute in the diner. :D

The case was kind of obvious to me, and very under done. They should have focused on it a bit more, in my opinion, and less on B/B.
And I wanted to high-five Cam for telling Bones how mad she was for her leaving. I love how blunt the team is.

I'm sure there's more, but I'm watching Scream with my family. :lol:

Re: Bones 6.01 The Mastadon in the Room

Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2010 11:05 pm
by hanneDK
Finally were able to watch the last part of the episode after having several of Trojan horse - attacks last night.. argh!

And now to the show.. I promised myself to be openminded (which I told Jude yesterday through email) about the new season..

One thing I kindda liked was Bones kicking ass in the begging, I thought, yeah old-Tempe is back but when she told Booth about it and said "you were not the to save me" (not quite accurate), I got dissapointed.. why do you always need him to save you!!! She loves it (she's properly just scare to admit it) just my thought.

Another thing I didn't like was Daisy's constant nagging at Lance about their relationship.. omg, just realize it's over and move on! Don't blame Lance doing/saying what he did.. that she was the one that broke it off..

As most of you already have pointed out is the H/A pregnacy.. I was also sad that we didn't get to see Hodgins being told that he was going to be a dad, really wanted to have seen that.. However the scene was nicely played by both TJ and Michala (sorry for bad spelling its only 8am).. TJ was so adorable in it.. the excitement of it..

The two stories.. a little vague.. why did the father kidnap his own son - never understood.. and the asian child, what happened to the mother?

And that's my thoughts on the season opener! Untill next time..

Re: Bones 6.01 The Mastadon in the Room

Posted: Sat Sep 25, 2010 2:53 pm
by TJ4ever
Strange ep! I think Booth had to convince himself that it was right to move on, when he told Sweets to do so.
Hodgins was sweet. But I didn't know what I think about the baby-idea, yet. We'll see what they gonna do about it.
Don't like Daisy. But I'm starting to like Sweets. :shock:
That's all I wanted to say.
Take care!

Re: Bones 6.01 The Mastadon in the Room

Posted: Sat Sep 25, 2010 3:24 pm
by skftex
Well I thought this episode was a bit scattered. I suppose because they all had to come back together it had to be, but then they get back and they have not one but two cases to work on. And it was very important for them to get back to help Cam, and yet, it never seemed like she was in that much trouble. For an episode that was about saving her, we certainly didn't see much of her.

Major annoyance for me, Booth is in Afghanistan, hunting down insurgents apparently, but he carries a phone that BEEPS? SERIOUSLY??? Way to tell people where you are! It didn't beep until after it is all over (of course!) but the fact that he had it at all where it would beep like that during a mission was insane!!

No comment at all about Sweets-Daisy, I muted part of that. HAHAHAHAHA

The pregnancy (again annoyed by something HH said in that givememyremote interview), I am not a fan of that storyline at all. The scene in the diner was cute, but count me in with the people that wanted to see when she told him. GRRRR

To answer your questions Hanne, the man kidnapped their son just to hurt the mother. (by the way Sherry, recognize the mother from anywhere???)

I think they said that Caroline wasn't going to prosecute the mother of the dead baby, they did know that it was an accident and someone tried to save the baby.

Sharon


Re: Bones 6.01 The Mastadon in the Room

Posted: Sat Sep 25, 2010 3:58 pm
by Sinkwriter72
skftex wrote:(by the way Sherry, recognize the mother from anywhere???)
Yes, she was in a really good episode of Angel. :D

Oh, wait! You probably mean the role she played on West Wing! I almost forgot about that one. Rina, right? :mrgreen:

Re: Bones 6.01 The Mastadon in the Room

Posted: Sat Sep 25, 2010 8:59 pm
by skftex
Sinkwriter72 wrote:
skftex wrote:(by the way Sherry, recognize the mother from anywhere???)
Yes, she was in a really good episode of Angel. :D

Oh, wait! You probably mean the role she played on West Wing! I almost forgot about that one. Rina, right? :mrgreen:
HAHAHAHAHAHA Sherry. Yeah, not Angel. :D

Re: Bones 6.01 The Mastadon in the Room

Posted: Sat Sep 25, 2010 9:40 pm
by Sinkwriter72
Yeah, Sharon, I remember. She was that harlot who made my man Toby stammer. LOL. Just kidding. There was more to her character than that. I remember she surprised them all; they assumed things about her because of her job position, but she was smarter than they gave her credit for. Of course, i don't remember a ton from those episodes; they were from the non-Aaron Sorkin seasons. :D

But she really was in a good episode of Angel, too. You know, with David Boreanaz. From Bones? :mrgreen:

I'm playing the role of the smart ass this evening. (Heeee.)

Re: Bones 6.01 The Mastadon in the Room

Posted: Sat Sep 25, 2010 9:42 pm
by skftex
There is a guy named David Boreanaz in Bones? Really? I've never noticed...must be a minor character, because all I ever see is Hodgins. :dance:

Re: Bones 6.01 The Mastadon in the Room

Posted: Sat Sep 25, 2010 10:25 pm
by SmackyKennedy
skftex wrote:There is a guy named David Boreanaz in Bones? Really? I've never noticed...must be a minor character, because all I ever see is Hodgins. :dance:

It's just Hodgins and the occasional squintern that gets my attention too. I'm the "nerdy" type, so my TV crushes tend to be the same. :D

Okay...so I might notice DB if he's in the jeans/leather jacket or shirtless. I can appreciate those looks on him.

Anyone else have a girl crush on Tamara Taylor? Just love her.

Re: Bones 6.01 The Mastadon in the Room

Posted: Sat Sep 25, 2010 10:33 pm
by Sinkwriter72
I've liked her since Party of Five, Ang! :D Definitely. She's pure class.

Sharon: Hodgins? Riiiiight. I know that guy. Green rubber band on his wrist, wears a lot of hooded sweatshirts and lab coats, kind of smoldering in a sexy scientist sort of way... :think: Yes, I like that guy. He's marvelous.
:mrgreen:

Re: Bones 6.01 The Mastadon in the Room

Posted: Sun Sep 26, 2010 6:18 am
by ThyneAlone
Sorry I'm late on this one, Wonderful People. Been a heck of a busy week, and what do I find when I have time to watch online?...they've wiped it from Megavideo, my usual port of call, for those good ol' copyright reasons, and I have to go searching round for other options. Not being in a region where things like hulu or indeed the Fox streams work, I am obliged to make my own entertainment!

Anyway. I don't know if I have much to add really. Though I bow to Sharon's close knowledge of the military, I have to say that even as a total civilian I found that the phone call jarred. It seemed surprisingly easy to give Brennan a 'quick call' too. And would the admittedly ditzy and bizarre Daisy really disrobe in front of a group of guerrilla fighters (btw, I am so glad she has lost that really irritating high-pitched voice that used to be the order of the day - I almost forgave her affected 'wackiness', and also warmed a little to the new Sweets, who is looking sharp and seems to have acquired some maturity and a spine from somewhere)?

Really didn't think the continual harping on the idea of a 'linchpin' worked in an ep that was evidently meant to show that the whole was better than the sum of the parts. To some extent, then, the episode was a microcosm of what is happening to Bones in general - at its best when the whole team is working together but frankly rendered weaker by concentrating on just one or two elements. In point of fact, ironically focusing on that mastodon!

I know that a lot of viewers have been arguing as to Booth's rather abrupt reply as to the nature of his relationship. Hart seems to believe that he is trying to spare Bones pain by not elaborating, but fans have understandably interpreted it as him brusquely 'getting back at her'. For me, the jury is still out, as I did not find their reunion particularly convincing anyway; I didn't feel that there had been a long gap, nor that there had been much change in the dynamics. Neither did I sense genuine urgency in Cam's predicament in spite of Caroline's noble attempts to create it. Perhaps we should have seen more of the reaction to her claim about brain-damaged veterans in order to pick up a feel for the disproportionate interest focused on the rather humdrum child identification case (and incidentally, there must have been some pretty incompetent employees under Cam if they didn't recognise basics such as the race of the dead child).

That was a somewhat drastic excision of all the remaining interns, wasn't it? Five in one fell swoop? Have they all found different shows to work on or something?! Still, they got one back - and have they settled on Wendell permanently, then? Got to admit I do find him a little characterless compared with the others and with Zack, but who knows, he may surprise me and drop his boy-band blandness.

I hope this is not a sample of the amount of screen time Hodgins will be getting in future. I also had the wide eyes and jaw drop on hearing that he had received some of the most important news of his life offscreen (I wasn't enamoured of the way Brennan kept interrupting when Angela was trying to tell her things, incidentally, it sounded as though she had no interest at all in her friend's life over the last 7 months, apart from the baby news), but at least TJ made the very most of that cute scene with Michaela, which I loved. Still, considering that Jack did the vast majority of the spadework that allowed them to trace the origins of the small skeleton, the dialogue he got was very limited and, as someone has already mentioned, Daisy and Sweets received more attention than the newlyweds. I wanted to see Paris. Angela doing charcoal portraits in the Place du Tertre would have been fantastic. Hodgins under the Eiffel Tower. Dammit, I wanted the scene out of 'Validation'! I am expecting Angela to miscarry any moment now because I suspect the writers think tragedy is the only thing that can make a married relationship interesting. Getting cynical in my twilight years.

The case was ok. Intriguing that Sweets seemed to think the husband was telling the truth - or maybe I missed something he said there? In some ways it was a relief to have a run-of-the-mill, uncomplicated case after all the weird ways in which the show has been trying to titillate us of late. Obviously and understandably, the focus had to be the reunion. And the reunion was pretty satisfying, all in all. The reset button ploy will be severely tested, I reckon, next week when Hannah has to be made into a truly convincing potential mate for Booth. Bits of this worked very well, but then I guess it was bound to be 'bitty' by the nature of its plot if nothing else. It wasn't a shining leap into a new season, but it wasn't too banal either. Fingers crossed.

Re: Bones 6.01 The Mastodon in the Room

Posted: Sun Sep 26, 2010 8:14 am
by skftex
I'm pretty sure all the interns are still going to be there. Not sure how or IF they are going to explain their return but I know Pej Vahdat (Aristoo) and Ryan Cartwright (Vincent) have both already shot episodes for season 6.