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mistletoeToday's analysis will have a look at Booth's activities out of the office and the lab and what we can see of his personal time so far.
A BOOTH FOR ALL SEASONS
Wow! God, that was- Yeah, that was-
SEASON 2 - THE BEDROOM
What kind of woman is Booth's type? In Season 1, we briefly met Tessa and heard of Booth's other significant partner, Rebecca. Tessa was tall, blonde, sophisticated and a lawyer.
She was sleeping with Booth, but not living with him. She had gone so far as to read about FBI unsolved cases so she would have something to share with him in conversations. She was going on holiday with him to Costa Rica or possibly some Caribbean island, as it turned out Jamaica. Booth was looking forward to the snorkelling and kayaking; she mentions the coral cliffs. However, when Angela opines this is the pre-shacking up vacation, Tessa is quick to leave and we never see her again. Clearly, one of them was not ready for commitment.
Rebecca was a relationship from 4 years before. She got pregnant, he offered to marry her and she turned him down. They barely seem to be on speaking terms and Booth has limited access to his son. And that, apart from Amy, Epps' lawyer, saying she wished she had jumped him 7 years ago is as much as we get of Booth's lady friends in Season 1.
In Season 2, we get to meet Rebecca and the two things we can say about Booth with regard to her is angry and flustered. At the beginning of Mother and Child in the Bay, she calls him, apparently to tell him he can't have Parker the next weekend because 'Stu' is taking them to the zoo. Naturally, Booth is not pleased. Furthermore, he chooses to investigate Rebecca's latest man to rock her world, to make sure he is suitable to be around Parker. When Rebecca turns up at the office to tell him what she thinks of that, we see that she is not sophisticated, or tall, or looking to keep Booth happy. She stands up to him.
REBECCA: Seeley, you son of a bitch.
(Booth turns, surprised and hangs up his cell phone)
BOOTH: Oh, I – Rebecca. Wow. You look great.
REBECCA: Yeah, okay, save it ‘cause I need a lot more than compliments from you right now.
(As they talk, Booth is walking backwards towards his office, Rebecca stalking him down. He makes shushing motions with his hands as they cross through a crowded area)
BOOTH: Okay, just, keep it down a little bit. ‘Cause I’m at work, all right?
(They enter Booth’s office)
REBECCA: You sent agents to investigate Drew? Because you’re going to stop that now.
BOOTH: Okay listen, I’m just being cautious. What do you really know about this guy, anyway?
(Rebecca continues to advance on him, forcing him to walk backwards around the back of his desk)
REBECCA: (clearly annoyed) I know – I-I-I know that he has a good job. And I know that he fixes stuff around the house when he says he’s going to And I know that Parker is crazy about him and he’s not terrified every time he goes off to work that he’s going to get shot. And I know that I love him. (Booth turns, finally facing her) I love him. And now everyone at work thinks he’s a criminal.
BOOTH: Well, he’s been spotted with explosives.
REBECCA: He is a construction foreman, he does demolition. You must have figured that out when you were doing all ok your snooping.
BOOTH: Okay, well I have a right to know who’s around my son, all right?. He spends more time with Parker than I do.
REBECCA: Okay, you think that I would put Parker in danger?
BOOTH: Let me ask you a question. Why is it that you keep all the men in your life such a secret?
REBECCA: Because you always interrogate them or intimidate them, and it freaks them out!
BOOTH: Well, I mean, c’mon. A lot are a little strange. I mean, the guy with the tattoos on his neck?
REBECCA: I don’t even have to let you see Parker, okay? Not-not-not legally. That-that’s one of the upsides of not being married.
BOOTH: (forcefully) Don’t. (Rebecca feigns shock) I’m a good father. You know that.
(There is a moments pause)
REBECCA: You’ve got to stop trying to run things. I’ve got things in my life that have nothing to do with you. (She makes to leave but Booth grabs her arm)
BOOTH: Look, we are always gonna have something to do with each other because we share a son.
REBECCA: Drew’s a good man. And you need to back off or you’re not gonna see Parker again, I swear. Back off.
This woman clearly knows what Booth is like and has had enough of what she sees as him interfering in her life. She is angry and rightfully so. Booth, however, is terrified he will lose Parker, a son whom he wants to see raised right. She says a couple of things that say much about Booth:
You’ve got to stop trying to run things.
You always interrogate them or intimidate them, and it freaks them out!
Booth's methods at work are how he operates outside of work too. As a member of a law enforcement group such as the FBI, Booth is used to being respected, to being able to get what he wants and for his word to be law. Now, as Rebecca says, he is outside of the law; he has no legal right to see Parker, and Rebecca uses that against him.
This really throws Booth off for most of the episode until he is able to come to terms with it. I wonder if he thinks about what he could well see as a chance to be the father his own never was. His determination to be there for Parker is reiterated on several occasions and ultimately it is for Parker's sake that Booth steps back and if not welcomes at least accepts Drew is in Rebecca's life. Something about this case also speaks to Booth as a father, when the husband of the murder victim is confronted with raising his child alone:
BOOTH: Well, you know, we don’t. I mean, what’s it been? Twice in the past year?
REBECCA: Three. Four, if you count that stakeout.
BOOTH, putting on underwear: Okay, you know what? That wasn’t sex.
REBECCA: Maybe not for you. But… this is it.
BOOTH: You know what? You’re right. But, I mean… it’s not like we’re doing anything wrong. I mean, you and Drew are-
REBECCA: We needed to take a break. To gain…perspective. But, um, this isn’t helping.
BOOTH: And that’s why it’s over.
[looking at each other]
REBECCA: Done.
Of course for the rest of the episode, thanks to Bones' new found interest in gossip, everyone thinks that Booth is back together with his ex. The only way to prove that he isn't is this:
BRENNAN: Agent Curry?
BOOTH: Rebecca. My ex.
BRENNAN: Oh. You can talk about her now.
BOOTH: Yeah, she got pregnant. I wanted to do the right thing, but, you know, she said no.
BRENNAN: You’ve told me this before. Not that you’ve ever said why.
BOOTH: Well, issues with my job. She wanted to start her own career. She wanted to finish graduate school.
BRENNAN: [sceptical] Alone with a baby?
BOOTH: Logic. Right? You’re applying logic?
BRENNAN: Do you still love her?
BOOTH: Not…like I did. Not like that.
BRENNAN: Then why can’t it just be sex?
BOOTH: There’s nothing “just” about sex, Bones.
Therein lies the root of their inability to get a relationship together (Booth and Brennan)
Brennan is intrigued enough to ask Rebecca about why she didn't marry Booth and surprisingly insightful enough to tell Rebecca something she had not realised. This also says something to us about Brennan and why Booth failed with her.
BRENNAN: Can I ask you something? [walks to Rebecca] Why did you say no?
REBECCA: Excuse me?
BRENNAN: When he asked you to marry him? I mean, he seems an ideal candidate. Strong, alpha male, good protective instincts.
REBECCA: And I should discuss this with you why?
BRENNAN: It’s just- I’m not sure he knows. And… I think it bothers him.
[Rebecca struggles for words. She moves off to the side, Brennan follows]
REBECCA: I’ve always taken care of myself. To a fault, sometimes. And when we got pregnant, Seeley proposed. But I didn’t want to be one of those women who gets married out of need. So I said no.
BRENNAN: I can see that.
REBECCA: By the time that I realized I’d made a mistake… that I’d still be the same person- I think there’s a moment for two people. A single moment where they can either catch fire or- Seeley and I, we missed our moment. Do you understand?
BRENNAN: I’m trying. But the “single moment” thesis doesn’t explain-
REBECCA: Why we still get together. Fall together, really. Because, I think that we just feel what used to be there. And we miss it.
BRENNAN: I think Booth thinks you didn’t marry him because he wouldn’t make a good father.
REBECCA: What?
BRENNAN: He worries about it himself. What he does for a living. His past as a sniper.
REBECCA: Oh god. [she pauses] Uh, do me a favour? Don’t tell him that I came by, okay? Please.
Rebecca is a remarkably mature woman, in many ways more so than Brennan when it comes to understanding relationships. Of course, she has experienced love and motherhood and seen that being married or in love does not make you a different person or dependant on someone else. She also knows that Booth needs to be told why too. If only Brennan had remembered this conversation when the time came.
So a fond farewell between Booth and Rebecca allows for a picture of Parker to appear in his office and a renewal of time with Cam.
REBECCA: Seeley, all the excuses I gave you for not wanting to get married…my independence, your work-
BOOTH: I know.
REBECCA: No, you don’t. You are a wonderful father. And Parker is a lucky kid. Such a lucky kid. And obviously, we still have feelings for each other. Do you still wanna marry me?
BOOTH: Rebecca- No. I don’t.
REBECCA: I don’t wanna marry you either. Here are the forms for T-ball. I’ll miss you.
BOOTH: Yeah. And I’m gonna miss you too.
And five minutes later he has had one of his moments of weakness and fallen in bed with Cam. The Squints soon work out what's going on and things become a little tense until we get to The Man in the Cell.
Cam has a very relaxed relationship with Booth; it seems very casual and, although after that first encounter they agree it was a mistake that will never happen again, clearly it does and there are a number of intimate little moments at work where it is clear they are still together. Where this relationship actually started isn't made known until much later and when it ends there is no acrimony. It pretty much seems that Cam recognises Booth has needs, she has needs and they can satisfy them together without it becoming any more serious than that. But once that relationship becomes dangerous to their work and personal safety then Booth ends it. That will have to wait for its time.
For now, we have found out Booth is not the one night stand kind of guy. He is looking for a committed relationship, but hasn't quite found the right woman yet who he can see as his life partner, or who can see him as the one man that is right for them. He has had three relationships in his life to this point that could be called long term. After Cam there are none.
I am currently ignoring Chelsea v. Sunderland because I expect the worst. 7 - 1 last season. Anything less than that is a win!
A BOOTH FOR ALL SEASONS
SEASON 2 - THE BEDROOM
What kind of woman is Booth's type? In Season 1, we briefly met Tessa and heard of Booth's other significant partner, Rebecca. Tessa was tall, blonde, sophisticated and a lawyer.
Rebecca was a relationship from 4 years before. She got pregnant, he offered to marry her and she turned him down. They barely seem to be on speaking terms and Booth has limited access to his son. And that, apart from Amy, Epps' lawyer, saying she wished she had jumped him 7 years ago is as much as we get of Booth's lady friends in Season 1.
In Season 2, we get to meet Rebecca and the two things we can say about Booth with regard to her is angry and flustered. At the beginning of Mother and Child in the Bay, she calls him, apparently to tell him he can't have Parker the next weekend because 'Stu' is taking them to the zoo. Naturally, Booth is not pleased. Furthermore, he chooses to investigate Rebecca's latest man to rock her world, to make sure he is suitable to be around Parker. When Rebecca turns up at the office to tell him what she thinks of that, we see that she is not sophisticated, or tall, or looking to keep Booth happy. She stands up to him.
(Booth turns, surprised and hangs up his cell phone)
BOOTH: Oh, I – Rebecca. Wow. You look great.
REBECCA: Yeah, okay, save it ‘cause I need a lot more than compliments from you right now.
(As they talk, Booth is walking backwards towards his office, Rebecca stalking him down. He makes shushing motions with his hands as they cross through a crowded area)
BOOTH: Okay, just, keep it down a little bit. ‘Cause I’m at work, all right?
(They enter Booth’s office)
REBECCA: You sent agents to investigate Drew? Because you’re going to stop that now.
BOOTH: Okay listen, I’m just being cautious. What do you really know about this guy, anyway?
(Rebecca continues to advance on him, forcing him to walk backwards around the back of his desk)
REBECCA: (clearly annoyed) I know – I-I-I know that he has a good job. And I know that he fixes stuff around the house when he says he’s going to And I know that Parker is crazy about him and he’s not terrified every time he goes off to work that he’s going to get shot. And I know that I love him. (Booth turns, finally facing her) I love him. And now everyone at work thinks he’s a criminal.
BOOTH: Well, he’s been spotted with explosives.
REBECCA: He is a construction foreman, he does demolition. You must have figured that out when you were doing all ok your snooping.
BOOTH: Okay, well I have a right to know who’s around my son, all right?. He spends more time with Parker than I do.
REBECCA: Okay, you think that I would put Parker in danger?
BOOTH: Let me ask you a question. Why is it that you keep all the men in your life such a secret?
REBECCA: Because you always interrogate them or intimidate them, and it freaks them out!
BOOTH: Well, I mean, c’mon. A lot are a little strange. I mean, the guy with the tattoos on his neck?
REBECCA: I don’t even have to let you see Parker, okay? Not-not-not legally. That-that’s one of the upsides of not being married.
BOOTH: (forcefully) Don’t. (Rebecca feigns shock) I’m a good father. You know that.
(There is a moments pause)
REBECCA: You’ve got to stop trying to run things. I’ve got things in my life that have nothing to do with you. (She makes to leave but Booth grabs her arm)
BOOTH: Look, we are always gonna have something to do with each other because we share a son.
REBECCA: Drew’s a good man. And you need to back off or you’re not gonna see Parker again, I swear. Back off.
This woman clearly knows what Booth is like and has had enough of what she sees as him interfering in her life. She is angry and rightfully so. Booth, however, is terrified he will lose Parker, a son whom he wants to see raised right. She says a couple of things that say much about Booth:
You’ve got to stop trying to run things.
You always interrogate them or intimidate them, and it freaks them out!
Booth's methods at work are how he operates outside of work too. As a member of a law enforcement group such as the FBI, Booth is used to being respected, to being able to get what he wants and for his word to be law. Now, as Rebecca says, he is outside of the law; he has no legal right to see Parker, and Rebecca uses that against him.
This really throws Booth off for most of the episode until he is able to come to terms with it. I wonder if he thinks about what he could well see as a chance to be the father his own never was. His determination to be there for Parker is reiterated on several occasions and ultimately it is for Parker's sake that Booth steps back and if not welcomes at least accepts Drew is in Rebecca's life. Something about this case also speaks to Booth as a father, when the husband of the murder victim is confronted with raising his child alone:
SOCIAL WORKER: Don’t you want to hold him?
KYLE: I don’t know, um – The kind of guy I am – I’m no father.
BOOTH: You don’t get to decide that. You have a son. Step up. Take him.
This is what Booth believes: you don't decide whether or not to be a father, you just are and you have to take that responsibility.
By the end of the episode Booth and Rebecca are reconciled. In fact they are so reconciled that 3 episodes later we find this:
Not the usual situation to find yourself in with your ex whose latest relationship you have just given your blessing to. However, this is not a new development apparently:
BOOTH: Well, you know, we don’t. I mean, what’s it been? Twice in the past year?
REBECCA: Three. Four, if you count that stakeout.
BOOTH, putting on underwear: Okay, you know what? That wasn’t sex.
REBECCA: Maybe not for you. But… this is it.
BOOTH: You know what? You’re right. But, I mean… it’s not like we’re doing anything wrong. I mean, you and Drew are-
REBECCA: We needed to take a break. To gain…perspective. But, um, this isn’t helping.
BOOTH: And that’s why it’s over.
[looking at each other]
REBECCA: Done.
Of course for the rest of the episode, thanks to Bones' new found interest in gossip, everyone thinks that Booth is back together with his ex. The only way to prove that he isn't is this:
Get back together with another ex.
Along the way, we get to find out what went wrong with Rebecca and Booth in the first place and that closure allows Booth to move on, knowing that their time has passed.
He even opens up to Bones about it.
BOOTH: You know, I almost married her, you know.He even opens up to Bones about it.
BRENNAN: Agent Curry?
BOOTH: Rebecca. My ex.
BRENNAN: Oh. You can talk about her now.
BOOTH: Yeah, she got pregnant. I wanted to do the right thing, but, you know, she said no.
BRENNAN: You’ve told me this before. Not that you’ve ever said why.
BOOTH: Well, issues with my job. She wanted to start her own career. She wanted to finish graduate school.
BRENNAN: [sceptical] Alone with a baby?
BOOTH: Logic. Right? You’re applying logic?
BRENNAN: Do you still love her?
BOOTH: Not…like I did. Not like that.
BRENNAN: Then why can’t it just be sex?
BOOTH: There’s nothing “just” about sex, Bones.
Therein lies the root of their inability to get a relationship together (Booth and Brennan)
Brennan is intrigued enough to ask Rebecca about why she didn't marry Booth and surprisingly insightful enough to tell Rebecca something she had not realised. This also says something to us about Brennan and why Booth failed with her.
BRENNAN: Can I ask you something? [walks to Rebecca] Why did you say no?
REBECCA: Excuse me?
BRENNAN: When he asked you to marry him? I mean, he seems an ideal candidate. Strong, alpha male, good protective instincts.
REBECCA: And I should discuss this with you why?
BRENNAN: It’s just- I’m not sure he knows. And… I think it bothers him.
[Rebecca struggles for words. She moves off to the side, Brennan follows]
REBECCA: I’ve always taken care of myself. To a fault, sometimes. And when we got pregnant, Seeley proposed. But I didn’t want to be one of those women who gets married out of need. So I said no.
BRENNAN: I can see that.
REBECCA: By the time that I realized I’d made a mistake… that I’d still be the same person- I think there’s a moment for two people. A single moment where they can either catch fire or- Seeley and I, we missed our moment. Do you understand?
BRENNAN: I’m trying. But the “single moment” thesis doesn’t explain-
REBECCA: Why we still get together. Fall together, really. Because, I think that we just feel what used to be there. And we miss it.
BRENNAN: I think Booth thinks you didn’t marry him because he wouldn’t make a good father.
REBECCA: What?
BRENNAN: He worries about it himself. What he does for a living. His past as a sniper.
REBECCA: Oh god. [she pauses] Uh, do me a favour? Don’t tell him that I came by, okay? Please.
Rebecca is a remarkably mature woman, in many ways more so than Brennan when it comes to understanding relationships. Of course, she has experienced love and motherhood and seen that being married or in love does not make you a different person or dependant on someone else. She also knows that Booth needs to be told why too. If only Brennan had remembered this conversation when the time came.
So a fond farewell between Booth and Rebecca allows for a picture of Parker to appear in his office and a renewal of time with Cam.
REBECCA: Seeley, all the excuses I gave you for not wanting to get married…my independence, your work-
BOOTH: I know.
REBECCA: No, you don’t. You are a wonderful father. And Parker is a lucky kid. Such a lucky kid. And obviously, we still have feelings for each other. Do you still wanna marry me?
BOOTH: Rebecca- No. I don’t.
REBECCA: I don’t wanna marry you either. Here are the forms for T-ball. I’ll miss you.
BOOTH: Yeah. And I’m gonna miss you too.
And five minutes later he has had one of his moments of weakness and fallen in bed with Cam. The Squints soon work out what's going on and things become a little tense until we get to The Man in the Cell.
Cam has a very relaxed relationship with Booth; it seems very casual and, although after that first encounter they agree it was a mistake that will never happen again, clearly it does and there are a number of intimate little moments at work where it is clear they are still together. Where this relationship actually started isn't made known until much later and when it ends there is no acrimony. It pretty much seems that Cam recognises Booth has needs, she has needs and they can satisfy them together without it becoming any more serious than that. But once that relationship becomes dangerous to their work and personal safety then Booth ends it. That will have to wait for its time.
For now, we have found out Booth is not the one night stand kind of guy. He is looking for a committed relationship, but hasn't quite found the right woman yet who he can see as his life partner, or who can see him as the one man that is right for them. He has had three relationships in his life to this point that could be called long term. After Cam there are none.
I am currently ignoring Chelsea v. Sunderland because I expect the worst. 7 - 1 last season. Anything less than that is a win!
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Date: 2010-11-18 12:04 pm (UTC)*nods* and he drew his line which may have eroded over time, but would still be true of any Cam time. That was just friends with benefits.