Bones 4.11 The Bones That Blew

Discussion of TJ's most popular venture to date!
begolden
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Bones 4.11 The Bones That Blew

Post by begolden »

Now I feel useful! Comment away, people...

What can I say? Not enough TJ! What we did see had me yearning for the old days with Zach. I guess he was cleared out to make room for Max, who now appears will be a regular feature in the lab. The writers have obviously set it up that Max will devise and run experiments, possibly with Hodgins' participation, and whatever intern du jour is on the job.

Against my will, I found the end scene with Max and Parker just adorable. From what I can see, little Parker-actor has improved his acting chops.

Now, someone more articulate and insightful needs to add to this, because I need lots of inspiration to be that person, and this episode didn't do it for me...
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Sinkwriter72
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Re: Bones 4.11 The Bones That Blew

Post by Sinkwriter72 »

Hi, Rebecca! I haven't yet seen this episode -- I'm currently in Green Bay for the holiday (and was en route the evening the episode aired), but as soon as I get back into town I'll be watching this episode and then you know I'll have something to say! :lol:

In the meantime, if I may say so, I'm so happy to see you popping on here more often. We've all missed you! :D

P.S. How's your dad feeling? Better?
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begolden
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Re: Bones 4.11 The Bones That Blew

Post by begolden »

Thanks for asking, Sherry. Dad has recovered well from heart surgery and is pretty much back to normal. How was Green Bay? Too bad the Packers are doing so dreadfully this season...

Sorry everyone for the off-topic post!
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Garb24
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Re: Bones 4.11 The Bones That Blew

Post by Garb24 »

If Zac's not coming back then I like the Hodgin's / Max banter. For all the
crap Ryan O'Neal has going on outside of the show, his character Max is a
viable substitute for Zac and it would be an interesting partnership, he &
Hodgins.

As for the last episode, I agree Hodgins needs more air time, I think an angle
could be Hodgins and Sweets on a weekly banter about conspiracy and
phsycology, that and get Angela back & away from the lesbian thing, it's not flying
for me, and I'm not against lesbians.

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English Al
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Re: Bones 4.11 The Bones That Blew

Post by English Al »

Again a better episodes than the first nine of S4. I was unsure about Max getting a job at the Jeffersonian but he was pretty good. The tension between the characters was nice too. Maybe her brother could come back too. Saw him on CSI as well being a naughty boy :naughty:

I must say I loved the experiment at the end with Parker. Good fun.
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Sinkwriter72
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Re: Bones 4.11 The Bones That Blew

Post by Sinkwriter72 »

Anyone happen to know if this is one of those episodes that was either written or aired out of order? I was troubled by some discrepancies.

Still processing the ep, which I finally got a chance to watch this afternoon. More comments to come!
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Sinkwriter72
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Re: Bones 4.11 The Bones That Blew

Post by Sinkwriter72 »

In an overall sense, this was one of the better episodes of the season, for sure. However, I felt there were opportunities for a richer storytelling experience and the writers didn't quite capture it for me.

I didn't like the approach with the child murderer because I felt they didn't even bother to look at her as a character, not in a deeper way. They didn't make much of an effort to explain her choice to kill a man, nor did they show that committing such a terrible act had any emotional effect on the kid whatsoever.

I also felt they forced moments throughout the episode, rather than allowing the characters to come to them in more naturally evolving ways.

Some examples:

I enjoy the affection between Booth and his son. I always find that to be a really sweet element. I love that this is a constant on the program. And seeing Parker getting into science and performing experiments is really cool. However, I wish they'd have let Hodgins or one of the other regulars be the one to do that for Booth's son. They've already established Hodgins as liking kids and enjoying wacky experiments and being enthusiastic about science, so it would have seemed a natural thing for Booth to bring his science-struggling son to the lab to check out how 'real scientists' do their thing and have the story expand from there. The way that ending scene was set up, it felt like it was forcing an overly romantic 'family portrait' of Booth, Brennan, Max and Parker. I'm not entirely against it, because we all know the show is working its way toward Booth and Brennan getting together some day -- I just want it to be a natural evolution, not some Hallmark sappy moment that's feeding us too much sugar, you know what I mean? I will say I loved how Emily said, "Look at my dad," with such pride and love -- that was a sweet moment nicely played, especially for a character who has struggled so much in her relationship with her father. I just felt like they pushed it one step too far. If they'd left it at that, with Brennan seeing her father in a new light, I think it would have been really lovely. But they took it too far by creating this picture-perfect family moment for Booth, Brennan, Max and Parker. It was a tiny bit too much, forcing such moments.

Like the 'Are you sleeping with my daughter? Why not? Are you gay? Why isn't my daugher good enough for you?' jokes. I think I need to rewatch the episode, because -- though it was mildly amusing -- I felt it was a bit forced, in order to get Booth to admit he thinks Brennan is beautiful. It was nice for him to say such a compliment and David said it with a lovely subtle certainty, but then Max ruined it with his further prodding, 'Is it because I killed one man and we both know he deserved it?' Hmm. Let me get back to that.

I'm troubled by the repeated dumbing down of the Booth character. They've got Sweets watching the interrogations, and Booth asking him for help. Why? Booth has never needed help with that aspect of his job before. It's something he's been really good at. Unless they're going to go with a story arc that causes Booth to make mistakes and feel like he's losing his investigative edge, why are they taking away his 'gut instincts' and talent for reading people?

And why are they continuing to treat Booth as if he's stupid? The constant comments from Brennan about Booth going to public school and not having what it takes to provide proper mental stimulation for his son was insulting. He may not be a genius, but he's not an idiot. He may not remember everything from school -- hell, who does? ;) -- but as he himself tried to point out there are other, important things that a parent brings to a child: emotional support, love, care, concern, protection, encouragement. Without those, all the schooling in the world means squat. I felt the episode was trying to make that point, especially by showing the Brennan/Max conflict and bringing up the way Max had not been there for her as a child (thus showing how not having that in one's life can affect a kid all the way into adulthood), but I don't think the point was made in the (pardon the pun) richest, most well-rounded way it could have been. Things got a little muddled (and some of it, including that ending, felt a bit forced to me).

Look at the kid who killed this episode's victim. First of all, how old was she? Under 12? How did she get to this point where it felt fine to kill someone? She had all the private school and wealthy family upbringing in the world -- what did that teach her? She had absolutely no conscience. She didn't even blink when she told them she'd shot the poor guy. She didn't give a damn. It was all because she wanted to stay in private school with her friends? Really? I don't think the writers or the director (who most likely guided the young actress) did well with this, because either the kid would be upset upon confession that she shot the guy, or she's a sociopath, in which case she needs serious help; yet, I didn't see that kind of psychotic menace presented. All I saw was a spoiled brat who was unaffected by what she'd done. I felt they should have examined that a bit more, because for a kid to commit this serious a crime, there should have been more severe consequences or reactions.

Last week in the Passenger in the Oven, a teenager killed a woman by shoving her -- unconscious but alive -- into the oven on the plane, and he didn't even seem that bothered by his own actions. In fact, they used his character in order to make a joke in the ending scene, where he sat in coach like some kid stuck in a time-out, throwing out amused questions regarding whether or not Booth and Brennan were 'together.' It was not treated with the gravity and severity such a crime needed, something this show used to present so well, especially when it involved a child victim or a young person who accidentally or intentionally killed someone (like in Boy in the Bush, or Girl with the Curl, or Boy in the Shroud). In this episode, that young girl should have realized what she'd done. It should have had an eventual impact on her, that she'd killed a man. Or they should have demonstrated the creepy notion that they had a psychotic kid on their hands, someone who didn't have the emotional capacity to realize what she'd done. Which is not something to quickly brush off in the last few minutes of the episode.

I will say that I liked the look that came over Booth's face when he realized it wasn't the mother who had done the killing. Nice job, David Boreanaz. I also appreciated that Brennan thought the kid should be tried as an adult. In this particular case, the girl seemed to have absolutely no remorse, so I'd think they'd take that into consideration. In an overall sense, I was disappointed with the approach to this character.

In addition, I wonder where this episode was supposed to fall in the line of the season, because I'm troubled by a pretty big inconsistency. Booth recently had a very serious altercation with Brennan, because she was unfairly comparing him to his brother, forgetting the partner she'd admired and respected and learned so much from, and treating him like a useless, unambitious idiot. In a fantastic scene, he demanded to know whether or not Brennan saw him as a loser. It was a fairly heated conversation, where Booth clearly had some defensive emotions bottled up about feeling ignored or inferior or being treated like he's an idiot or someone who's 'less than' when he's not. For Brennan to turn around in this episode and once again push some of those buttons -- talking to him as if he didn't have what it took to take care of his child properly, treating him as if he were stupid simply because he can't provide 'genius-level' education at home -- I'm surprised that didn't stir up raw emotional hurt for Booth. The wound from that previous discussion has barely had time to heal; I'm surprised her comments didn't reopen it. I don't expect the writers to carry over everything from every episode, but that seems like a big thing to overlook. Well-intentioned though she may have meant to be, Brennan was pretty insulting with some of her comments, and she kept pushing the issue, throughout the episode. I'll have to rewatch the episode because I recall (but can't quote verbatim) a specific line that made me suck in my breath when she said it, I thought it was so rude. I'm very surprised Booth didn't get more angry or defensive or upset with her. Or bring up that previous conversation, and say, "This is what I was talking about, this, you keep talking to me like you think I'm 'less than,' like I'm a loser who doesn't have enough to provide my own kid what he needs. You're not seeing me for the man I am, for the integrity and love with which I raise my child. Not everyone needs an Ivy League education to make something of themselves. Parker's turned out pretty damn well so far, through the ways Rebecca and I chose to parent him."

On a different note, I'm going to pick on the writers' use of the Sweets character for a moment. I know, I know. I feel terrible because I really do like John Francis Daley, but I truly think they're wasting his talent by not using Sweets in a more character-driven way. They use him for laughs or for convenient episode 'moments!' to 'explain' stuff to the audience or to the other characters, instead of giving him his own presence on the show. Don't get me wrong, I liked that crack Max gave upon seeing Sweets enter the diner, "Oh, here's that guy who once called me a sociopath," to which Sweets replied, "A likeable sociopath." Heh. However, rather than once again using Sweets in thirteen million scenes where he doesn't really belong -- in Booth's interrogation; happening upon Brennan & Max in the diner and explaining to them their own issues; later having another meal with Brennan and her dad, again telling them everything they're supposed to be realizing about themselves and their own relationship, whether they listen to him or not -- why not instead use some of this valuable screen time as an opportunity to examine and further some of the well-established relationships of the show? There were some golden opportunities, I'm telling you!

For example, Hodgins is a wealthy guy, he grew up in that kind of environment with high-society types and private education and extraordinarily wealthy parents. Why not bring that up in this episode? It fits! Plus, he's become sort-of friends with Booth; why not use him and his upbringing as a contrast to Booth and his? It would have been a natural reason for a conversation between the two characters (especially if Booth were in the lab with his son, as I mentioned above, as Parker learned more about science from an expert who's got the enthusiasm for it and who would be happy to do Booth that kind of favor). It could have made for a very interesting personal conversation between the two men, rather than turning everything into a potential Sweets-laying-it-all-out-for-us psychology session or an unnecessary Booth-seeking-out-reassurance-from-Sweets scene or an orchestrated Booth-Brennan-Max 'family' moment. It felt like they could have written this episode in a more naturally-progressing way.

How did Hodgins turn out to be the kind of guy he is, growing up in the same environment as those spoiled kids? Did his parents handle him differently? Was he rebelling against the lives his parents led? What kept him from such hideous behaviors (not necessarily murder, but at the very least, elitist spoiled brat syndrome)? As well, Cam seems fairly well-to-do. I'm guessing she grew up in an upper-middle-class family. Why don't they use this opportunity to illuminate more of her character?

If they're going to use Sweets all the time, I wish they'd make him his own character, rather than using him to explain everyone else's little tics and behaviors (like all those scenes where he told Brennan and Max what their issues were, or when he did Booth's job for him, or when he reassured Booth that he was a good father). That's not showing me any sort of character evolution, it's telling me (and the characters) over and over again what we're supposed to be seeing, which is lazy writing, not to mention -- even worse to me -- BORING writing. There's so much more these writers could be exploring, in more interesting, demonstrative ways. From my view, they're wasting all sorts of opportunities by overusing or misusing the Sweets character and by ignoring the gorgeous, thought-provoking possibilities within their core cast of characters. It drives me nuts.

Okay, moving on. :D

I loved Hodgins finding renewed interest in his own work. His abundant enthusiasm about every minute detail of his analytical process has always been so charming and fun to watch. I love when he gets revved up over a small yet potentially key piece of evidence. It tickles me. And of course, anything that gets TJ more quality screen time is A-OK with me.

However... I felt the writers went too far with glorifying Max as this perfect brilliant scientist who saved the day with his experiments and taught Hodgins how to love science again. I appreciated that he gave Hodgins a renewed inspiration as well as an opportunity for that funny line about how Hodgins remembers why he got into science ("to figure out stuff in amusing ways"), and I liked the fun the three guys (Hodgins, Max, and the intern) seemed to be having. But I don't want them to use Max in a way that causes him to take away from Hodgins' special qualities -- science and experiments and enthusiasm for evidence and overall brilliance and snarkiness is Hodgins' thing. Please don't give some of that to Max, simply in order to give his character something to do. It takes away from Hodgins' potential for stories. They're already taking away from Booth's character and giving some of his talents and traits to Sweets and Brennan, which is seriously troubling; please don't start doing that to Hodgins, too! That line about how it's alllll due to Max felt so forced to me, like they were trying to convince me that he's a character worthy of sticking around on a more regular basis, like he's marvelous and we should all love him. They kept trying to force him on me, and I didn't like it.

How I feel about the Max character is complicated. Yes, I definitely understand that he was only trying to protect his two kids, and without that danger, he probably wouldn't have killed anyone. However, I don't like that they're trying to ignore the facts of the case, in order to make him this great guy whom everyone loves (which is probably more true about Ryan O'Neal the actor than it is about Max the character). He didn't kill 'just one man.' If you go back and watch those episodes -- he killed more than one man. And he didn't just kill them in quick, merciful self-defense. He gutted them, stuffed coins down their throats (his 'calling card' in order to provide a warning message), and set them on fire. What he did was horrifying. I'm shocked that the only person who seemed to take issue with Max working at the Jeffersonian was his own daughter. Booth, the man of integrity and honor, the guy who was so stunned and disappointed that Brennan used a tricky maneuver in order to create 'reasonable' doubt during Max's trial, seemed to have no problem with Max working there. Really? I can see Booth understanding the guy's desire to protect his own kids -- as a father, Booth can relate, no question -- but as an FBI agent he also knows the guy killed people, so I can see Booth wanting to (or needing to) draw a line somewhere. I can see him saying, okay, I can respect the guy's choice, but I don't think he should get the keys to the castle as a reward for killing people and getting away with it.

Or Cam, who used to be a cop, for crying out loud. Why did she have no concern about bringing him there? I felt her reasons were a little too convenient and easy, forcing validity when in real life there would be no way he would be granted such access. Too many complications. It was like they were hand-waving it just so they could have a reason to keep Max around as a character.

I'm not saying Max shouldn't be allowed a second chance. I could see Max getting that opportunity by returning to teaching science in a regular classroom, be it a grade school or junior/senior high setting, but not in a high-security place like the Jeffersonian. Yes, Max killed some people out of defending his kids, and I get that, but he also got away with it, with no long-term jail time, and he doesn't seem to have any remorse about it whatsoever (none that the writers have offered or that Ryan O'Neal has portrayed, anyway). Why should anyone offer him a job at a place that is so closely connected with criminal investigations and FBI evidence? I could enjoy his redemption type of story arc. If he'd shown some remorse over the things he'd done, then I could see offering him a second chance in that way, in that environment. (Maybe. And that's a big maybe, because even if they liked and trusted him, they still might not be able to get the authorization from the higher-ups because his past is too suspect.) But I don't see Max as someone who feels he needs to redeem himself. I don't see him as an honorable man, not in the way I see Booth as an honorable man. Max is a nice man, but I don't think he's necessarily an honorable one. Booth is haunted by every single one of the people he's killed. He has counted them. Even though what he did was in service to his country, he still feels a need to atone for those actions. He wants to balance the scales a bit, if he can. Meanwhile, Max got away with murders, he doesn't seem in the least bit troubled by any of it, and he continues to present it as no big deal, excuses excuses excuses. His flippant attitude about it bothers me. I'm sorry, because I see how hard the writers are trying to make him this great guy, but truly, it bothers me that he doesn't care about what he did. To even compare Booth's actions with Max's ... I think it's bullshit. They're incomparable.

Talk about incomparable: Cam tried to make the point that Max has killed one person and Brennan has killed one person, in comparison to Booth's "many," but they're not even comparable to me! I thought that was incredibly insulting for Cam to bring up, especially knowing Booth as she does. Why would she make such a flippant remark about something she must know troubles him personally? Two weeks ago in the episode with Booth's brother, Cam knew Booth well enough to suss out that he had taken a professional career hit in order to once again protect his brother; in fact, she was sensitive enough to speak with him privately about it and be supportive. That was a lovely bit between the two characters. Yet this week they've got her comparing Booth's Army Ranger sniper past to Max's murders? It's inconsistent characterization. It's mean of her to say so, and it's not right, character-wise, because Cam's smarter than that. She should know better than to even put the two people's situations together as if they're even remotely the same.

Speaking of comparing situations, the writers are playing with the numbers in regard to Brennan, too. Cam made the point that even Brennan has killed one person. Wrong. Brennan has killed more than one person. She shot and killed the guy who was working with Howard Epps, in Season 2's The Blonde in the Game. That's one. This past season, she killed Booth's stalker with a vicious gun shot to the throat. That's two. Why am I not surprised that the writers seem to have forgotten that one? They didn't even give that the attention it deserved back when it first occurred. There was hardly any follow-up about Booth -- her partner -- getting shot; they didn't show well that Brennan was in any way affected by almost losing her partner or by what she'd done, killing another human being in such a violent way. I'm ignoring that ridiculous bath tub scene because it was all played for laughs rather than really getting to the heart of the matter, that Brennan almost lost her partner (which would have been devastating). It was a wasted moment. And I'm tired of the writers' strike being used as an excuse for this, because if -- upon returning from the strike -- they realized they didn't have the time to commit to doing it right, then they shouldn't have included this at all. They should have instead focused their attention on the wrapping up of the whole Gormagon story arc, and kept the Booth-taking-a-bullet-for-Brennan in their back pocket for Season 4. Much more exciting and intensely personal that way.

Switching gears here.

In Max's opening scene I liked how he seemed really good with the kids. He was gentle and genuinely funny and fun with them in a way Brennan was unable to be (as evidenced by her inability to teach them in a way in which they could engage and enjoy and understand). Perhaps that's partly why Brennan is the way she is. Sure, she's a genius, so that automatically forms her personality, but without that constant parental influence, without someone like Max who could teach her to lighten up and have fun and be more demonstrative and flexible with herself and her words and her actions, perhaps he was partially responsible for Brennan becoming so robotic and separated from society and people in general. It's interesting.

I also liked the conflict that seemed to stir up within Brennan. She may have been proud of him by the end of the episode, but it's really got to sting when she sees her own father playing and performing science experiments with kids, having fun, and connecting with them in a way she herself didn't get because he left the family. It did frustrate me how flippant Max seemed about it. I imagine he's tired of apologizing, but I really don't get the sense that he thinks he did anything wrong. I think he thinks he did what was necessary and that that absolves him, but I don't think he realizes the depth of pain he caused his own daughter. For killing human beings, for her having to investigate and realize the horrors he was responsible for, and especially for running out on the family and leaving Russ and Brennan to struggle and fall apart and end up in terrible foster care and eventually have to fend for themselves individually. (And of course, for causing the two of them so much pain and putting them in danger in the first place because of his and his wife's criminal activities.)

I also really appreciated seeing Brennan return to her forensic anthropologist work out in the field and in the office. It feels more like Bones when she's doing what she was meant to do. (Now if only they'd let Booth do his thing with the interviewing, instead of leaning so heavily on Sweets... because reading people is what Booth was meant to do. It's what he's good at.)

I found myself thoroughly enjoying the quick-fire conversations between Cam and Hodgins. Tamara and TJ have such great energy together. They really do have a fun chemistry. I swear, if Angela's not going to appreciate Hodgins, if the writers want to try something different, hook up Cam and Hodgins. That'll really blow everyone's minds. I'm only partially kidding. *GRIN*

Seriously, TJ, if you ever get the opportunity to do a movie or another show where your character plays romantically opposite Tamara Taylor's... the two of you would be really sexy together. *wink*

Annnnd... everyone, run for your lives! It's Jasmine!! Heeee. It is always great to see the lovely Gina Torres on TV. (Man, I miss her Zoe from Firefly.) Seriously, it was terrific and more than a bit funny to see the former Angel colleagues working scenes together. I thought she was particularly amusing every time she tried to lie to Booth and then turned around and had to admit she lied. She acted like she thought she was smarter than him, but he still managed to find out every time she concealed a piece of information. (Ha! Good for you, Booth!) If she'd been a man, Booth would have wanted to punch the guy by the end of the episode, so condescending was her character. Fun.

Overall, I felt this episode had some sweet scenes and some really nice family conflicts, but missed the mark a bit by ignoring the child character who turned out to be the killer and by forcing the 'moments' rather than finding more creative and character-driven ways to get there.

Those are my initial thoughts upon first viewing of the episode. I need to watch it again. :D
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Re: Bones 4.11 The Bones That Blew

Post by ThyneAlone »

Soooooo, these are your initial thoughts on one viewing, Sherry? What are you going to do when you've viewed it properly, write a book? LOL

It's been so long, I feel, since I have been able to express myself at any length and with any coherence on an episode review (not because I have become suddenly and horrendously inarticulate...I just have too much to do!!), that I am positively envious that you have put this work of art, Sherry. Every word falls true like a little pearl into a cut glass dish, with no words wasted despite length. I loooooove your writing. And I agree with every word. The child killer - well, like the Passenger In The Oven killer - words fail me. No characterisation, no feeling at all of remorse, horror OR even pleasure or indifference? You are right about Max who, however nice they make him, will always have those burnt-out, gutted corpses hanging round his neck as far as I'm concerned, and who would, in real life, never have been let near an institution like the Jeffersonian, and most probably not even into a school! And also, incidentally, about him taking over some Hodgins functions. You're right about the uneasy transformation of Booth into an idiot and one whom the omnipresent Sweets has to advise all the time. And about there being other more subtle avenues, already esablished in past seasons, through which to explore the ideas the writers want to illustrate.

There are things I'm still enjoying, but characterisation is bothering me intermittently, and you know what it's like when something keeps buzzing about your head when you're trying to concentrate.

Thanks for this, Sherry. It's a fabulous and heartfelt piece of work. :clap:
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Re: Bones 4.11 The Bones That Blew

Post by Sinkwriter72 »

ThyneAlone wrote:Soooooo, these are your initial thoughts on one viewing, Sherry? What are you going to do when you've viewed it properly, write a book? LOL


Heeee. :oops:

Actually, I tried to do things a little differently this week. For the last few weeks, I've typed up thoughts as I watched the episode, but I think that's distracted me from seeing the whole picture of the episode, because I was too busy jotting down my observations about very specific pieces (often missing key bits that occurred while I was typing, or without getting a good sense of where those pieces fell in the overall structure of the episode's story). I allowed myself to be influenced by my minute-to-minute thoughts (not always a good thing).

This time, I forced myself to do like I used to: I sat and watched the whole thing first. Then I went to my computer and started typing up initial thoughts.

Of course, things fall through the cracks with that approach, because in trying to remember every detail after the fact, I can't remark as clearly about the moments that tickled me or intrigued me or struck me as I watched.

For example, I can recall there were some moments where TJ provided particularly effective facial expressions, but since I didn't write it down while watching, I couldn't remember exactly when/where the moment occurred because those other issues or positives stood out to me more (since they affected the episode in a more all-around sense).

Hence, I'd have to go back and give the episode a rewatch in order to come back and more thoroughly detail those lovely little bits I caught 'in the moment.' I would like to do that, because there were definitely some things TJ did that I recall liking a lot. I just couldn't fit them in the structure of what I was trying to say with my initial commentary. It would have required I go back and watch the scenes again, which would have interrupted the flow of my writing, and I was too lazy to wait and post it all together. :mrgreen: Shame on me.

ThyneAlone wrote:It's been so long, I feel, since I have been able to express myself at any length and with any coherence on an episode review (not because I have become suddenly and horrendously inarticulate...I just have too much to do!!), that I am positively envious that you have put this work of art, Sherry. Every word falls true like a little pearl into a cut glass dish, with no words wasted despite length. I loooooove your writing. And I agree with every word.


Oh Steph, that means so much to me. :hugs:

*tries very hard not to immediately pick on my own writing efforts, instead forcing myself to take in your very kind words*

Thank you. :romance-kisscheek:

I will say that it took me more than one sitting to write all this out, so if you're worried about finding the time, we wouldn't need you to post your thoughts immediately -- you could write it in bits and pieces, and post it whenever you're able.

I have no doubt you would write a gorgeously well-thought-out, articulate post. In fact, I very much regret that you're so swamped that you've been unable to do so lately. I love reading your commentaries. (I love reading everyone's thoughts -- there's nothing like a good discussion, is there!) I value your intelligent, thoughtful opinions, and hope you felt I was fair and balanced in my own commentary. I sincerely hope your load lightens soon, so that you may return to commenting with us on a more regular basis.

ThyneAlone wrote:There are things I'm still enjoying, but characterisation is bothering me intermittently, and you know what it's like when something keeps buzzing about your head when you're trying to concentrate.


Don't I know it! :D

P.S. As if it needs to be said, I'm very pleased you agree with me. ;)


Follow-up to my commentary post: I just saw on 206_bones that this episode was supposed to air before Con Man in the Meth Lab (the brother/big blow-up episode). To show the episodes in that order would have made much more sense, because we would have had the build-up from Brennan's comments in this episode which I think would have then fueled and explained Booth's defensive fury in the Con Man episode. Why are they showing these episodes out of order? I really don't understand that part of the network process. *sigh*
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Re: Bones 4.11 The Bones That Blew

Post by Ellen »

I'm a couple of weeks behind on Bones, which I'm not happy about! but i've had them recorded for me by someone else....and not to sound totally behind here but...em.....who's Max?

xxx
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"What if it doesn't end like that? What if it doesn't go wrong?"-Dr Jack Hodgins

Sinkwriter72
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Re: Bones 4.11 The Bones That Blew

Post by Sinkwriter72 »

Max is Brennan's father, the guy who (at the end of season 1) we found out was not dead, actually in hiding, and (by the end of season 2) revealed to be responsible for the deaths of at least two people who had been trying to kill his family. In Season 3 he was acquitted of those charges because Brennan brought forth enough 'reasonable doubt' that the jury chose not to convict him of murder. Now the show has brought him back, to work for the Jeffersonian, as hired by Cam. His episodes are prominantly part of seasons 2 and 3.
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Ellen
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Re: Bones 4.11 The Bones That Blew

Post by Ellen »

oh yeah! ok, i feel stupid now. lol! i couldn't remember her dad's name and i thought Max might have been the "New Zack" for want of a better term to describe it. :P

oh well, thank you.
xxx
word count: 40
"What if it doesn't end like that? What if it doesn't go wrong?"-Dr Jack Hodgins