I really liked this episode of Bones! Yeah, it was a bit predictable at some parts, but I thought that it wrapped up any lingering after-effects and feelings about Pelant and the things that he did to the team very nicely, for the most part. I was one of the people who really didn't like how Pelant went down so easily, given that he was supposed to be so super-smart and millions of steps ahead of everybody all the time.
Now I realize that it was probably because he wanted it to happen. Because he had already set his endgame in play. That and by messing with Dr. Brennan the way that he did he knew that she would continue to be haunted by him, therefore making him special to her and keeping his memory alive (in perpetuity).
I understand now why some people were a bit miffed at Booth, though (Tumblr is bad at spoilers!). He could have been a little more gentle with Brennan about the whole thing. I mean, it's only natural that she would have some PTSD after all that she's gone through, especially in recent years, particularly from Pelant. Booth has had his own fair share of PTSD I'm sure, so you'd think he'd be a little more sensitive about it, after all that he's gone through.
Though, I understand some of his frustration. His feelings of love and protectiveness for Brennan make him less than objective, which is completely understandable. And I think that he feels helpless to do anything for her and that maybe he failed in his ability to protect her, if Pelant is still able to haunt her from beyond the grave. Not to be too general, but most men are fixers, so for Booth to be unable to fix this for Brennan, when he so obviously wants too, must be very aggravating for him. Which is why I think he was so sharp with her.
The one thing I didn't really get is why no one trusted Dr. Brennan to just do her job. Even when she's emotionally compromised, she's still the best at her job and the best anthropologist in the world. I for one am glad she's able to express her emotions more fully, and I don't think that it in any way would change the quality of her work. If anything, I would think that being a more well-rounded person would make her BETTER at her job.
And I loved her little interaction with Clark; the way that she was finally able to give the case over to him and Cam proves this. That would not have happened years before. You'd think her friends and family would ultimately trust in her and her abilities, despite being worried for her emotional stability. At least Booth seemed to get this at the end.
I just hope that this 'Ghost Killer' thing doesn't lead to another big, evil serial killer taunting them, at least not so soon after getting rid of Pelant. But all in all, I thought this was a good eppy, despite the fact that they didn't really solve the case (yet). I even felt bad for the snotty rich guy (Trent). This season just keeps getting better!
Okay, I apologize in advance for this jumbled ramble but I have insomnia, my neighbor's dog refuses to shut up, and I have some important thoughts that I need to share/express right now regardless of whether they make sense or not. So bear with me.
Having been woken up out of a semi-sound sleep by said neighbor's mutt, I started thinking about my day yesterday which eventually led me to think over the last things I watched on tv last night (yeah, I know, I have no life!!).
One of those shows was, of course, Bones. OMG, last night's eppy left me with so many thoughts/feels! It was such a poignant episode. I'm only now really starting to process how it made me feel and what it made me think about, even with my sleep-deprived brain.
This was a very good eppy and I can fully see why they received an award for it! The only thing that felt a little off about it was that it was airing in November, and since it was about 9/11 it probably would have made more sense to air it in September, but that's a minor nit pick.Â
The only things I didn't really understand were the argument between Finn and Aristoo (sp?) and why Finn is supposed to be younger than the other interns when really he doesn't look it.
I don't understand why Aristoo got so mad, I think he took Finn's words out of context (it seemed to me that he was expressing how uncomfortable the whole issue might have made Aristoo feel, given the large amount of anti-muslim sentiment after 9/11, which I could fully understand). Or maybe I just misunderstood that whole part of the conversation, it seemed a bit tacked on/contrived anyway, like it was just an excuse to launch into the main part of the story. But I digress.
I felt really bad for the homeless vet whose death they solved. That his sacrifices on the battlefield and at home went seemingly un-noticed and forgotten. It just goes to show that we live in a throw-away culture, especially when it comes to people, and that you can't really judge people by how they look/act as there is so much more going on beneath the surface that makes up who they are. Stuff you can't even see or begin to understand, especially if they won't tell you.
My father served in Vietnam and my grandfather served in WWII. So I have a somewhat strong military presence in my family. But even without that I think that I would still feel a strange sense of awe, gratitude, and regret towards our service members.
This episode also made me confront my lingering feelings about that memorable day on September 11, 2001. Most of my anger and fear from that day have dissipated in the 11 years since, but the sadness and the shock still remain. I still can't believe that it happened or could happen, that such an evil act could even be humanly possible and that almost 3,000 people should have to die in such a horrible way because of it.
The thing I remember most is that that Monday was the most beautiful, inauspicious day. It was still warm enough to wear short sleeves, the sky was a perfect blue without a single cloud in it. I guess it was a little too perfect, like we should have known that something bad would come along and ruin it or something. But I don't think anyone could have truly predicted the events of that day.
It was only a few weeks into my senior year, and I was sitting in my first period English class. We were learning about the role of heroes in ancient mythology and literature (seems a bit ironic now). When suddenly another teacher came into our class. Without saying anything, his face ashen, he simply turned on the television to the Today show. Our teacher said nothing, and we as a class stopped what we were doing and stared transfixed at the screen.
At first they thought it was just a fire in the first tower and they didn't know what had caused it. But then as they were filming, the second plane hit. None of us could believe it, we didn't even know what we were watching really or what it would come to mean. We were all in so much shock, that not a word was spoken. You could have literally heard a pin drop.
As our teacher woodenly tried to shoo us to our next class, the whole school fell silent. Usually when you're in a rush between classes, there's the usual sounds filling the hallways of locker doors being slammed, books being moved around/dropped, kids laughing/whispering/giggling/shouting, etc. The normal school noise. But on this day it was different there was supreme silence and nothing more. We all walked to our next classes in a zombified daze, heads hung low, looking straight ahead, afraid to break that all-encompassing silence with a single noise, afraid to make everything become real somehow.
My next class was a typing class, and for some reason our stupid teacher said that she would only allow us to watch what was going on tv, if we also did our work at the same time. She said that no matter what was going on in the world, that was no excuse to not get our work done.
I know, right? She was one of those anal-retentive people that would probably insist that you finish working even if there were a flying meteor about hit the Earth and coming right at you, because you don't want to your last act to be one of slacking off, do you? :P Â I just remember how almost comical it was, all of us bobbing our heads up and down, torn between watching the towers collapse on tv and finishing up our typing assignments on the computer.Â
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. We were all in a state of shock and disbelief that lasted the whole day and even into the weeks that followed. I remember the huge line of people that lead from the office down the stairs at lunchtime, all waiting to call home and see if their loved ones were okay. Even if you didn't have family in or around New York, we didn't know if other places were going to be hit or not, and we needed that extra bit of security.
I was especially anxious, as my dad works in the federal building in Cincinnati and I didn't know if were going to have another Oklahoma City type of bombing of all government places or not. Thankfully all the federal workers got to go home early. I was particularly affected by the plane crash outside of the Pentagon, as I was born/used to live just outside of D.C.Â
But the whole rest of the day was drenched in fear and not knowing. We didn't know if anything else would happen, or if a mandatory draft would be put into place, which since I was going to be turning 18 that year was of special significance to me (even though I'm a girl, who knows what the government will do when pressed?).
The next couple of weeks of non-stop coverage were so depressing! I want to stay informed as much as the next person, but the 24/7 newcasts of the months following the attacks were so depressing and offered no real information other than conspiracy theories and media fear-mongering/guessing/finger-pointing. I remember my dad yelled at my sister once when she complained about it, saying it was important and that she should show more respect or something. I could fully understand her POV, though. It was a lot, something that I could have done without having to be hearing about EVERY single day!
Beyond the initial feelings of shock, numbness, anger, hatred, etc. that were stirred up by these tragic events, the feeling that stayed with me most were the ones of togetherness, love, family, and united-ness that brought our whole nation together, for a time at least. This was shown in the outpouring of love on tv, the banners outside of businesses, the great displays all over our country of our renewed belief in our country and ourselves. In just the simple act of putting up American flags everywhere, even amidst the pumpkins/Christmas trees of other holidays.
Now I'm the sort of sentimental, empathic emotional person who always cries at the sad parts in books/movies/tv anyway, and this eppy was no different. Unlike the other parts of the show that seemed a bit tacked on, the funeral hit just the right note. I cried at Booth's touching speech for a fallen fellow serviceman, and it didn't feel the least bit saccharine or artificial as it easily could have in another writer's hands.
Plus, DB looked especially dashing in his military uniform (more than usual if that's even possible!). I've always had a thing for a man in uniform anyway, and DB filled it out nicely. ;) The only part that felt a bit milked was the part at the end when Brennan was crying. I love that she now, thanks mostly to her relationship with Booth, can acknowledge and even allow herself to feel emotions which she never did before.
Again, I apologize for the disjointedness (and the length) of this combined memoir, rant, and episode review. My thoughts were even more scattered than usual after this eppy, particularly after being so rudely awakened this early in the morning, so if I'm going off on weird tangents that make no sense, please forgive me.Â
But I had to get my emotions out as I felt them, as any true writer does. If you don't give proper voice to them and express them thoroughly, they'll eat you up inside. And I don't want to be carrying this stuff around with me all day. So I thought I'd share it. Take it as you will, but please try not to read too much into it.Â
