Let’s not even pretend that we care about the case in last night’s episode. To get to the bottom of what binds Booth and Brennan together as partners, Sweets ordered them to play a game of word association that somehow made Brennan realize she wants to have a baby because it’s Sweeps. It would be selfish of her not to pass on her genes, she said. Throughout the hour, we learned the reasons she wanted Booth to be her sperm donor: To Angela, she acknowledged that it’s because he’s attractive, and attractive people tend to be more successful. To Sweets and Booth, she admitted that it’s because Seeley has courage, compassion, and empathy — traits sperm banks cannot quantify on donor bios. Sweets, bless his heart, tried to get Brennan to see that those reasons for her wanting his (exceptional) swimmers might mean that SHE LOVES HIM, but apparently, no one can speak the word "love" directly to Brennan. (Though props to Angela for flat-out suggesting to Brennan that what makes Booth the perfect donor might also make him the perfect dad.) Brennan can keep dismissing her feelings, but at this point, good friends would be trying to help her along and not just off buying onesies.
I spent most of the episode angry that Seeley was so willing to be her donor when she made it clear that they wouldn’t be raising the child together. (He could maybe babysit when the nanny needed a day off???) "I don’t understand why he’d be protective of his semen," Brennan said to the team after announcing over a tibia that she’d decided to have a baby (yes, like a small human, Cam). Oh, I don’t know, Brennan: Maybe it’s because he’s Catholic, or because he already has a son that he doesn’t get to see enough of because he’s no longer romantically involved with the mother? But, of course, Booth was just trying to convince himself that he was okay with the arrangement — because he’d do anything to make Brennan happy. After he hallucinated another conversation with Stewie from Family Guy, this time in an interrogation room in front of Brennan, he told her that he could never NOT be a dad to his child — and she told him that he needed to go to the hospital because there’s something seriously wrong with him. Maybe she should have gotten herself checked out, too, since she also saw his dead friend in the graveyard at the end of "The Hero in the Hold"?
Those hospital scenes (embedded above) are the reason we watch this show. I honestly do not understand how some fans are anti-Sweets. Without him, we wouldn’t be able to address (or not address) the Brennan and Booth sexual tension like we do. And come on: You wanted to follow him and give him a hug when he excused himself from the waiting room to go freak out privately because he wasn’t their levelheaded shrink at the moment, he was Booth’s concerned friend and someone facing the possibility of losing a third important person in his life (after his adoptive parents). When Brennan teared up, telling the group that Booth had the kind of brain tumor that is usually benign and "I just want all of you to know, statistically he should be fine," I wanted to hug her, too. (Thanks, Angela.) Maybe, for the first time, Brennan understood that statistics aren’t comforting when someone you won’t admit you love is involved.
Can we just talk about how heartbreaking it was to watch Booth look around his hospital room as he was being prepped for surgery, clearly searching for Brennan? That seemed to go on forever. Maybe it hit me so hard because I’ve been with someone in a similar situation, and the idea of that person having to sit alone for even a second makes me want to cry. I’m rewatching the scene now and that lost, vulnerable look on David Boreanaz’s face suddenly turning to a smile when he saw her, then reading sad and scared again when her attempt at a grin dropped, just destroyed me all over. I love how Boreanaz played that moment when he willed Brennan with his eyes to ask the surgeon now if she could be in the operating room, where he wanted her because he trusted that she would know if they were screwing up. We all saw the next scene coming, right? Booth asked for a minute alone with Brennan outside the OR and told her that if he didn’t make it, he wants her to have his "stuff" for a baby and that "you’re gonna be a really good mom." But it didn’t matter: When he reached for her hand as they wheeled him in, I still sighed "Boooooth" aloud.
SPOILER ALERT IF YOU DIDN’T SEE THE PREVIEW FOR NEXT WEEK’S SEASON FINALE: On the one hand, I respect Fox for not pretending that there’s any real danger of Booth dying — unlike when he was shot in last season’s penultimate episode. But I found myself incredibly annoyed by the preview for May 14’s episode, which made it seem like this week’s events never happened. If they really do not address the fact that Booth almost just died and Brennan wanted his "stuff," I will fly through the screen and slap someone. (I’m thinking Angela or Hodgins, just because I’m over their relationship woes. Am I in the minority there?) Maybe Booth and Brennan end up in bed together because they do actually have a real conversation about the ordeal they just went through, but I bet it’s all a part of an undercover operation. What are you thinking gets them horizontal?
Now come the real questions: Do you want to see Brennan forget about having a baby, or would you like to see her phalanges dancing in nine months? (Who else does "Dancing phalanges! Dancing phalanges!" when they’re riding in the backseat of the car with their niece?) Was Stewie coming on to Booth at the sperm bank? ("I’m good at pretend games…" That crossover wasn’t as painful as I expected. I guess it makes sense that Ally McBeal would see a dancing baby, and Booth would see Stewie.) How awesome was that tub of floating skeleton parts and denture cleaner? (More awesome than the boys’ watermelon test — can we really not give Cam something better to do than to be Gallaghered?) Is there a way for Bones‘ writers to explore the emotions raised in these near-death experiences without bringing the sexual tension to a series-altering boil? (We’ll find out next week.) And are you ready for the return of Zack in the season finale? (I don’t think it was necessary, but here’s hoping I’m proven wrong.)
UPDATE: Your surgery-hallucination theories make total sense. I’m technically on vacation — maybe that’s why I’m slow. Or, maybe I’ve just had enough of Booth’s hallucinations.
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My take on the preview was that the whole episode might be a dream during Booth’s surgery?
YES on bringing Zach back for sure! I agree the actual “case” was a yawner- but seeing people drinking wine from a cask with a body in it was a major fun gross-out. We knew it was coming so made it being drawn out all the more icky. This is why you should stick to rum. Sweets was amazing this episode. Liked Fisher for a moment “this is weird! something good is happening” last night as well.
http://www.milehighhorror.com/wp02/?p=956
I don’t think that they are just skipping over Booth’s health scare next week. My guess is that the finale is all a morphine-induced dream sequence.
My husband and I totally agree about the preview, and are ticked that Booth’s medical problems seem to vanish completely in one week (unlike Grey’s Anatomy, which drug out Izzie’s hallucinations for what seemed like years).
Overall, though, a great episode. I, too, loved Sweets in that hospital moment. I loved Booth looking for Bones and the smile when she appeared.
I hope that the hook up next week is real, meaningful, and has consequences (good or bad). Having them sleep together won’t ruin the show! Just look at Barney and Robin on How I Met Your Mother — it just made the situation between then better and more interesting! Just kiss, already!
I totally think it’s a hallucination or something. Ausiello said it has something to do with his tumor. I can’t imagine that it’s all going to be based in reality which might prove to be a really frustrating season ender.
It was a great epi… Booth was not too goofy (which is a blessing!). And the “hallucination” was not as painful & rediculous as I thought it would be.
But what I wonder is, when Booth decided to give his “stuff” to Bren, he NEVER took his son into consideration, wondering what the kid would feel to have a brother/sister this way? Just a thought..
Anyway, I love Booth & Brenna (and yes Hodgins, it’s darn time you & Angela get back together!!!!) and I can’t wait for the new episode!!
P.S: Loooove Brennan doing “dancing phalanges”!! It was so sweet with baby Andy and just as sweet now! Like how she asked the baby how much he liked being taken in her arms & rocked. Or when she described her future games with her future child… all this in squintsy terms of course! (just like how she described Booth’s hotness, lol!).
I loved when Stewie chastised Booth for leaving him alone with a murderer.
Look, from what they said, the medical problems have no signifance, as they said that there was almost no chance of death, and recovery would be really quick. But they have already confirmed a Bones and Booth hook up next episode, so that would suggest they are still considering a baby. Knowing Dr. Brennan, even after jumping into bed with Booth, she’d still think that it isn’t love. How frustrating… but without this tic tac toe between the two sexually, then there would be a lot less tension in the crew, making the episode way more boring. Who knows, I think this could go either way, after all, half of the series, we’ve waited for them to get together, but once they do, perhaps the magic will be gone?
Dancing Philanges, dancing philanges. That’s all i needed to know that if Bones has a baby i’m in 100%.
I may be in the minority here, but this whole ep just felt forced and off to me. Logical Brennan decides on the basis of a “childish” exercise that she wants a baby? If she said she’d been thinking about it, I’d buy it. I agree with Mandi, can’t someone say “Love” in the presence of either one of these two? also, Booth finally coming to his senses about not being a part of Brennan’s baby’s life, but Parker is nowhere to be seen before his father’s SURGERY?!? I love this show, but the unevenness this season just gets to me. According to spoilers I’ve seen, I can’t imagine that the finale is anything other than a hallucination. How that reconciles with Hart Hanson’s insistence that it’s not a dream sequence, I don’t know. I’m anxiously waiting to see!
I agree. This has to be something going on in his head while in surgery. I mean come on…he has a full head of hair coming nowhere near looking like he had surgery, they are all suspects in a murder investigation, Zach is present as if normal and Motley Cru!? That has to be Booth.
So was Brennen really so clever to know that the best way to get Booth to agree (very quickly) was by telling him never mind, I’ll get discount sperm from the smart guy? Or was she just going along blithely intellectualizing as usual?
I think the whole episode is a dream…except of course the Booth & Bones bed scene! They said they wouldn’t cheat us out of it (and I keep rewatching the preview over and over and over….and over)
Great ep..lots and lots of fun. Am I alone in wondering if the word ’sperm’ or other sperm-related terms could have been used more in the course of an hour? Perhaps that’s a challenge the writers should look into.
Heh. Stewie was DEFINITELY hitting on Booth, which was creepy but really really funny.
God, I can’t wait for next ep.
best show ever. wish it was on every night. and i so want them to have a baby.
As far as Parker – he’s only about 7, so chances are he wouldn’t much care one way or the other *how* his new brother/sister arrived. And we’ve seen before that he likes Brennan okay, so I think he’d be fine with the whole thing. And I got the impression that they scheduled the surgery within minutes of discovering the tumor, so there probably wasn’t time to get Rebecca/Parker to the hospital.
You like spatial disorientation! Don’t you? Don’t you?
I’ve been thinking about how exciting it would be to expose my own child to early pattern recognition.
So Brennan…
I recorded this episode, but have not watched it ’cause the whole idea of the scientific, misanthropic Brennan suddenly craving a baby seemed so wildly ridiculous and insanely out of character. Plus I see from the recap that the detested (by me!) Sweets plays a significant role. So please advise me, fellow “Bones” fans — should I just skip this one? Thank you.
booth says he wants her to have his ’stuff’ for “OUR” kid, not “A” kid. pretty significant, in my opinion.
David was just fantastic in this episode. The looks he gives of love, of being scared to the core, searching for Brennan, just killed me. Amazing performance. Love Booth and David.
Yep, Booth does say ‘OUR’ kid
I want to leave work and watch it again. and again. I do think the tumor thing was thrown at us way too fast, but I LOVED this ep. David was FANTASTIC.
It annoys me that, yes, out of nowhere, Brennan decides to have a baby. Is that the only thing they can come up with for a female character? Does she have to want a baby? Brennan isn’t really the motherly type, and that’s fine. Maybe it wasn’t about her realizing she wanted a baby so much as realizing that she didn’t want to be alone and did love Booth. It would be a terrible idea if they introduced a baby before they get the Booth/Brennan situation ironed out.
I can’t be the only one that wanted Angela to give Brennan a good slap. She was so in robot form over having her kid.
All I got from her was – me me me me me me me me me me me me me.
Not one thought that she was being selfish by not letting the child know it’s father.
David Boreanaz rocked in this episode, heartbreaking acting!
If Brennen has so many problems showing affection to anyone, how is she supposed to show that affection to a child? I kept wondering, the more she talked, how she could rationalize doing this to a child? For someone so smart, that was pretty stupid. If she is smart enough to realize what happened to her, does she want to put a child through that? I just can’t see it. I do love David’s portrayal of Booth in every way.
mandi, you skipped so much in this ep by complaining about stupid stuff. dude, this ep was hilariously funny! one of the best eps yet! & the ending hospital scene was one of the most heartwarming and touching. very much like the sweets-centric ep mayhem on the cross (or something like that). the writers are genius for being able to do hilarious & warm & loving so well in the same ep. sweets should stay forever! looking forward to seeing zack. those who are upset about the previews – get over it! brannon, it is on every day on TNT @ 6pm.
I still remember Bones holding up a little stuffed elephant and telling the baby “Elephants are not purple. This is wrong,” after he was found in his car seat in a tree. (But I also loved “dancing phalanges”! and made everyone I know watch that ep for the cuteness factor)
It is SO unrealistic for her to suddenly decide she wants a baby when she has been adamant from like the first ep that she doesn’t want them and thinks people are stupid for having them. Her reasoning behind wanting Booth as a donor is sound but since she doesn’t want to be in love or love strongly and risk being hurt- why the heck would she suddenly want to have a baby which is the ultimate commitment?
That was a little ‘jump the shark for sweeps’ but hopefully they won’t act like none of this ever happened on next ep. Or I’ll be ticked!
i loved:
Booth “whoa whoa whoa”
Brennan “horse”
they did that repeatedly through the show. it was just funny. i think Brennan has been loosening up a litle. I also think she’s been thinking about a child & love alot lately. I didn’t find anything strange about her revelation. I guess because I already knew it was coming you could pick up little clues throughout the last few episodes.