I thought this episode was incredibly funny.
Booth practically shrieking every time he got near that clown in the maze (well, no 'practically' about it, he really did yelp in a high-pitched voice several times, heh). Finding out that Brennan not only was Wonder Woman for Halloween but that apparently she wears that costume
every year, which says something interesting about her, I think. I also like how serious she was about Wonder Woman and how much the character is clearly her favorite (also interesting, considering Brennan never watched much television and has an almost implausible lack of knowledge about such things). Regardless, her doing that awesome Wonder Woman twirl at the end of the episode was playful and really fun, especially when followed by Booth's confused "What the hell are you doing?" Heeee.
I also cracked up over Jack's repeated teasing of Zack throughout this episode.
(paraphrasing from memory, sorry)
ZACK: I will be the back end of a cow.
JACK: So... no costume.
(Zack makes a face but continues)
ZACK: ...Naomi from Paleontology's agreed to be my front.
JACK: So many jokes, so little time.
And as Kimber mentioned, the hilarious 'King of the Lab!' exclamation came back again (I can't explain it; I simply love that running joke).
I liked the Jack-Angela storyline as it continued throughout this episode, but what I didn't find funny was that private investigator's persistent messing up of Jack's last name (Hodgkins instead of Hodgins -- though I imagine that might be a writer inside joke, since most viewers probably have confused that once or twice when they started watching the show), that she continued to do it even when corrected (come on, she's clearly not a simpleton), and especially her repeated insults about Jack's looks in comparison to Angela's husband's physical appearance. It was rude, plain and simple.
And hello?! Have you seen Jack? May I present exhibit A: the Chrismas episode with the
phenomenal, sit-up-and-pay-attention moment when Jack returns from the quarantine shower in nothing but a towel? My first reaction was to get all wide-eyed, reach for the pause button on the remote, and say "Hooooold on a moment. Wow. (long pause)
Wow."
I am glad she made a comment about his large blue eyes though.
One curiosity: that private investigator laid it on so thick with the insults about Jack in comparison to the wonder that apparently was Angela's husband that a part of me wondered if Jack had asked her to do so, in order for him (and Angela) to see if Angela really and truly was sure about her feelings for Jack (and no longer having feelings for this forgotten husband). Angela was so adamant throughout about how she wanted a divorce and had no feelings for or about this other guy. Unwavering, really.
It was wonderful to see because I'd often feared that -- of the two of them (Jack and Angela) -- she'd be the one to lose faith or be uncertain, especially given her more 'Bohemian' approach to relationships. Now I wonder if it will happen to Jack instead. Not because he stops loving her, but because he's starting to see there's still so much he doesn't know about her, things she's either avoiding telling him, afraid to tell him, or not realizing could be important (even if she's already moved past it, herself). I think Jack probably finds the little surprises to be alluring (like that mention about Roxy), but I wonder if the bigger surprises will start to take their toll if Angela isn't the one to tell him first (like her name change -- wow).
Upon hearing about the name change, Jack had this look on his face when he said, "You never told me that..." I wonder if this issue is going to come up again later. Well, I hope so, because I'm curious about what her name used to be (especially considering the eccentricities of her father -- the name he gave her has to be unusual and potentially funny).
We learn that Booth has a fear of clowns, and Brennan a fear of snakes (which seems a bit odd to me, however, as she seemed very comfortable with the snake from Man in the Morgue).
That's right, I forgot about that! Heh. Ooops on the writer's part.
Also an ooops that I did happen to catch: At the end when Booth and the 'bad guy' are in the midst of a standoff, Booth makes a crack about how he can't believe the bad guy -- who was in the military -- missed shooting Booth when he has a scatter gun. "What were you in, the Navy?" The 'nitpick' I caught was within the bad guy's response about how -- because he was in the military -- he also knows the kind of weapon Booth would typically carry, which means he knows how many bullets Booth has left. The problem with that comment (as if he's so perceptive, he knows the kind of gun Booth would carry and how it's against Booth's advantage) -- Booth switched guns with Brennan before going after the guy, so he wasn't actually carrying his 'usual' gun.
By the way, I
loved that Brennan finally caved on the gun issue, after she realized its power (and her inability to control it) was causing horrible problems (including accidentally shooting Booth). She actually begged Booth to take it away from her: "My gun's too big for me." That was hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing.
Final observations: I really liked the potential groundwork laid out for future episodes. There was a little mention by Zack about something he learned while in Iraq, a subject which could (and I hope will) come up in a more direct way soon. (And now that I read that sentence back, I've very sorry about the unintentional rhyming, LOL.)
And there were repeated mentions about victims being buried alive -- at one point, Brennan and Hodgins even share a momentary look, and then Hodgins carefully and tensely changes the subject back to his own findings about the current investigation's victim. Nicely done. I can't help but feel certain that the writers are laying the groundwork for full emotional impact later, should the Gravedigger make a return appearance somewhere within this season. I appreciate that attention to detail so much, because it's been a while since Aliens in a Spaceship aired, and these little touches are subtle reminders of what happened previously, and how serious and scary and upsetting it was. They haven't forgotten or dismissed the unshakeable impact such a horrifying experience would have on both of those characters.
Okay, those are my long-winded thoughts about this week's episode. Anyone else?
Oh, and writers? Enough with the fat jokes already. I know you think it's funny, but it's not. It's actually mean.