In need of a friend
Jan. 24th, 2011 08:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mistletoeThat's not me by the way. I have tons of friends (: No this is all about Booth time.
Season 3 has a lot of balls to juggle: there's Jack and Angela trying to find her husband so she can divorce him; there's Zack and Iraq; there's a new FBI therapist to worm his way into the squad; there's a serial killer; there are the issues of Bones' father and brother to settle and there are only 14 episodes to pack everything in, so something has to give. Will it be further information on Booth that has to go? Where can he fit into all of that?
SEASON 3 - Will the centre hold?
That is awesome and really, really stupid. You got to love a self-destructive man with values.
At the start of the season, Booth is feeling left out. Bones is sticking to the Lab, ostensibly looking for a replacement for Zack, but Booth has his doubts. He has to invoke Cam's management skills to get her out to the crime scene at all. Clearly, Booth is seeking a reason for not getting his usual fix of fun in the field. What could it be?
BONES: Why am I here?
BOOTH: Y’know, you used to like to come out to the field.
(They talk over each other.)
She isn't being very helpful and Booth naturally, for him, assumes it's his fault. There are a number of possiblilities for why Bones is being less than welcoming. In frustration, Booth turns to his oldest friend to see if she has any insight. As ever, Cam has Booth pegged. There is a similar scene at the beginning of Season 5 where she offers her advice.
It is interesting that Booth's friend is a woman and a former lover to boot. They have remained close, and honest, with each other and Cam is not afraid to speak the truth.
BOOTH: I mean, how hard can it be to replace one weirdo squint?
CAM: I’d hire Clark, but it’s not my call.
BOOTH: No, no, but it is. You’ve given Bones enough time. Just hire the guy.
CAM: Usually when you get all blustery, its ‘cause you think something’s your fault.
BOOTH: Yeah, well. You know… I did arrest her father for murder. She could be having trouble with that.
CAM: Yeah. Exposing a parent to the death penalty can have a chilling effect on a partnership.
BOOTH: Well look, I asked Bones if, if, if that was a, a problem; she said no.
CAM: Well, I gotta wonder if deep down anybody is that rational.
BOOTH: You’re not reassuring me here, Camille.
CAM: If you are looking for reassurance, find someone who’s not such a good friend, Seeley.
Cam knows him. That comment about getting blustery is a realistic assessment of Booth's character. He does tend to demand that people should do things that he wants. It's that controlling instinct and if things are not going his way he gets flustered. Look at how Wyatt would not conform to his world view. He doesn't believe the Zack excuse, having seen there is a replacement and fears that Bones blames him for Zack going to Iraq. If that's not the issue, then it must be because she blames him for arresting her father. Booth really does need validation never mind reassurance: and only Bones can give him that.
Another aspect that comes out before he asks her for the truth is how frustrated he becomes.
BOOTH: Hey, I’m telling you, easy pickings.
BRENNAN: (Very sceptical) A cannibalistic violin thief who eats faces?
BOOTH: Yeah, it’s a stretch. But uh, see uh how this is: us working together – very symbiotic.
BRENNAN: You said that already. What is it? The word of the day?
BOOTH: I’d uh like you to be there when I uh question the girlfriend.
BRENNAN: Can’t. I found microscopic grit on the base of the skull.
BOOTH: Microscopic grit! That’s Hodgins’ territory!
BRENNAN: Yes, and Hodgins works for me, so that makes it my territory…
She really is resisting, so Booth has to question the girlfriend with Angela. I'll consider how Booth's interrogation skills start to be eroded after Sweets turns up later. He can see things here, however, that lead him to arrest the deputy director of the Secret Service for voyeurism. No fear in Booth. He has to ask Bones for the truth. His first attempt is rebuffed.
BOOTH: When I put your old man in jail, you said you understood.
BRENNAN: Don’t start again, Booth. We’ll be together as soon as I replace Zack.
BOOTH: Yeah, how’s that going by the way?
(Booth and Bones enter the vault.)
BOOTH: Maybe you’re mad at me sub-consciously.
BRENNAN: What? I don’t believe in that.
BOOTH: Look, something’s changed between us. You can at least admit that so we could figure it out.
BRENNAN: Yeah, I would. Yes, if I actually believed anything had changed.
So she says it's not that he arrested her father, nothing has changed, it's just they are short-handed at the lab. Booth doesn't believe it and, as ever, persists until he gets the answer he needs.
As far as Bones is concerned though, she has been telling the truth the whole time.
BOOTH: Hahaha. Bones, I mean, you see what's going on here, right?
BRENNAN: What are you talking about?
BOOTH: You, you’re getting all of them to help you now.
ANGELA: Booth, the vault is filled with priceless artifacts.
CAM: And probably materials stolen from other victims.
HODGINS: It’s going to take months to sift through all that evidence.
BOOTH: No, this is enabling. You’re enabling somebody with a mental problem.
BRENNAN:Zack!
BOOTH:No you! You! Bones! You’re the one with the mental problem.
Yes, Zack is back and Booth has Bones back. His whole demeanour changes. He is happy, delighted that Bones seeks him out to resume their partnership. However, he still needs the truth.
First the real story behind Zack:
BOOTH: You know, you weren’t upset because Zack was gone.
BRENNAN: Yes, I was!
BOOTH: Okay, yeah, but you were more upset over the fact that I didn’t stop him from going in the first place. I mean, look I could’ve said to him, Zack, ‘Iraq is no place for a guy like you’.
BRENNAN: And he’d never have left. You could have stopped him. Why didn’t you do that?
BOOTH: Whatever Zack’s deal is- okay his weirdness - whatever you want to call it…
BRENNAN: I call it genius.
BOOTH: He’s a… man. He’s a, uhm, he’s a strange man, but he’s a man who wanted to serve a larger purpose.
BRENNAN: This is some alpha male rite of passage?
BOOTH: No.
BOOTH: Wrong. No. Zack needed to leave the nest. The same way you did when you wanted to leave the lab and see the world for the first time. And I helped you do that. How could I stop Zack from doing the exact same thing in his own way?
Talk about enabling. Booth wants people to be their best and to grow as individuals. He sees himself as someone able to give that opportunity, directly or as an advisor. If it doesn't go as he plans, then he gets blustery. Zack had to be given the chance. As he reveals to Cam it didn't work out because he could not be assimilated into the Army's way of thinking. That is where Booth was wrong to think that Zack's 'weirdness' would be no barrier. Plainly, there was no one like Booth in Iraq to ease his way. The extreme rationality of Zack has no equal, not even in Brennan and thereby hangs the plot for the season.
Meanwhile, Booth is back to where he wants to be.
Really, Booth has battled through the episode to maintain his equilibrium and stay in his comfort zone. It is clear that it is very important to him that he has a vital role to play and he sees the Jeffersonian crew now as his validation. This aspect of seeking approval is a very interesting part of Booth's character. Yes he is a good investigator; yes he has intuition on his side; yes he has to do the right thing; but he hates when it hurts others and makes him feel a failure when they do not recognise his motives as altruistic at heart. Equally, he hates being seen as unbending in his pursuit of justice when it concerns his colleague's relations, but he still arrested Max when he had to; an action which has repercussions, as does Zack's exposure to the real world and his failure to cope.
In typical fashion, the shooting order is different from the order the episodes were shown, so there is a slight continuity issue in showing Soccer Mom in the Mini-van before Death in the Saddle but it is only a line of dialogue so it isn't very important. However, the two areas of Booth's character they cover are quite revealing.
Season 3 has a lot of balls to juggle: there's Jack and Angela trying to find her husband so she can divorce him; there's Zack and Iraq; there's a new FBI therapist to worm his way into the squad; there's a serial killer; there are the issues of Bones' father and brother to settle and there are only 14 episodes to pack everything in, so something has to give. Will it be further information on Booth that has to go? Where can he fit into all of that?
A BOOTH FOR ALL SEASONS
SEASON 3 - Will the centre hold?
That is awesome and really, really stupid. You got to love a self-destructive man with values.
At the start of the season, Booth is feeling left out. Bones is sticking to the Lab, ostensibly looking for a replacement for Zack, but Booth has his doubts. He has to invoke Cam's management skills to get her out to the crime scene at all. Clearly, Booth is seeking a reason for not getting his usual fix of fun in the field. What could it be?
BONES: Why am I here?
BOOTH: Y’know, you used to like to come out to the field.
(They talk over each other.)
BRENNAN: No car fires, no tanker barrels …
BOOTH: You used to insist to me…
BRENNAN: … full of acid. No explosions…
BOOTH: … you were insistent…
BRENNAN: … Don’t tell me you brought me out here for a car accident…
BOOTH: …Now you’re just anxious to get back, y’know, I can barely get you out of your lab coat.
BRENNAN: Well, with Zack gone, I’m needed at the Jeffersonian.
BOOTH: Well that, that kid seemed pretty good, with the sublixicated sternacallum thing… (Disappointed at her lack of response) You used to correct me.
BRENNAN: Why am I here, Booth? (Sees the skull on the windshield) Ohhh…
BOOTH: So, um, it’s been three months since Zack shipped off to Iraq?
BRENNAN: Uh-huh.
BOOTH: How hard can it be to replace him?
BRENNAN: (Examining the skull on the windshield) Male. Caucasian.
BOOTH: Yah, I’m just saying. I mean, you at the lab; me at the field – we are not working at our full symbiotic potential.
BRENNAN: Late teens or early twenties. Completely devoid of flesh or odour.
BOOTH: It just seems like, maybe you don’t want to work with me anymore?
BRENNAN: I work with you
BOOTH: You know what I mean, Bones.
She isn't being very helpful and Booth naturally, for him, assumes it's his fault. There are a number of possiblilities for why Bones is being less than welcoming. In frustration, Booth turns to his oldest friend to see if she has any insight. As ever, Cam has Booth pegged. There is a similar scene at the beginning of Season 5 where she offers her advice.
It is interesting that Booth's friend is a woman and a former lover to boot. They have remained close, and honest, with each other and Cam is not afraid to speak the truth.
BOOTH: I mean, how hard can it be to replace one weirdo squint?
CAM: I’d hire Clark, but it’s not my call.
BOOTH: No, no, but it is. You’ve given Bones enough time. Just hire the guy.
CAM: Usually when you get all blustery, its ‘cause you think something’s your fault.
BOOTH: Yeah, well. You know… I did arrest her father for murder. She could be having trouble with that.
CAM: Yeah. Exposing a parent to the death penalty can have a chilling effect on a partnership.
BOOTH: Well look, I asked Bones if, if, if that was a, a problem; she said no.
CAM: Well, I gotta wonder if deep down anybody is that rational.
BOOTH: You’re not reassuring me here, Camille.
CAM: If you are looking for reassurance, find someone who’s not such a good friend, Seeley.
Cam knows him. That comment about getting blustery is a realistic assessment of Booth's character. He does tend to demand that people should do things that he wants. It's that controlling instinct and if things are not going his way he gets flustered. Look at how Wyatt would not conform to his world view. He doesn't believe the Zack excuse, having seen there is a replacement and fears that Bones blames him for Zack going to Iraq. If that's not the issue, then it must be because she blames him for arresting her father. Booth really does need validation never mind reassurance: and only Bones can give him that.
Another aspect that comes out before he asks her for the truth is how frustrated he becomes.
BOOTH: Hey, I’m telling you, easy pickings.
BRENNAN: (Very sceptical) A cannibalistic violin thief who eats faces?
BOOTH: Yeah, it’s a stretch. But uh, see uh how this is: us working together – very symbiotic.
BRENNAN: You said that already. What is it? The word of the day?
BOOTH: I’d uh like you to be there when I uh question the girlfriend.
BRENNAN: Can’t. I found microscopic grit on the base of the skull.
BOOTH: Microscopic grit! That’s Hodgins’ territory!
BRENNAN: Yes, and Hodgins works for me, so that makes it my territory…
She really is resisting, so Booth has to question the girlfriend with Angela. I'll consider how Booth's interrogation skills start to be eroded after Sweets turns up later. He can see things here, however, that lead him to arrest the deputy director of the Secret Service for voyeurism. No fear in Booth. He has to ask Bones for the truth. His first attempt is rebuffed.
BOOTH: When I put your old man in jail, you said you understood.
BRENNAN: Don’t start again, Booth. We’ll be together as soon as I replace Zack.
BOOTH: Yeah, how’s that going by the way?
(Booth and Bones enter the vault.)
BOOTH: Maybe you’re mad at me sub-consciously.
BRENNAN: What? I don’t believe in that.
BOOTH: Look, something’s changed between us. You can at least admit that so we could figure it out.
BRENNAN: Yeah, I would. Yes, if I actually believed anything had changed.
So she says it's not that he arrested her father, nothing has changed, it's just they are short-handed at the lab. Booth doesn't believe it and, as ever, persists until he gets the answer he needs.
As far as Bones is concerned though, she has been telling the truth the whole time.
BOOTH: Hahaha. Bones, I mean, you see what's going on here, right?
BRENNAN: What are you talking about?
BOOTH: You, you’re getting all of them to help you now.
ANGELA: Booth, the vault is filled with priceless artifacts.
CAM: And probably materials stolen from other victims.
HODGINS: It’s going to take months to sift through all that evidence.
BOOTH: No, this is enabling. You’re enabling somebody with a mental problem.
BRENNAN:Zack!
BOOTH:No you! You! Bones! You’re the one with the mental problem.
Yes, Zack is back and Booth has Bones back. His whole demeanour changes. He is happy, delighted that Bones seeks him out to resume their partnership. However, he still needs the truth.
First the real story behind Zack:
BOOTH: You know, you weren’t upset because Zack was gone.
BRENNAN: Yes, I was!
BOOTH: Okay, yeah, but you were more upset over the fact that I didn’t stop him from going in the first place. I mean, look I could’ve said to him, Zack, ‘Iraq is no place for a guy like you’.
BRENNAN: And he’d never have left. You could have stopped him. Why didn’t you do that?
BOOTH: Whatever Zack’s deal is- okay his weirdness - whatever you want to call it…
BRENNAN: I call it genius.
BOOTH: He’s a… man. He’s a, uhm, he’s a strange man, but he’s a man who wanted to serve a larger purpose.
BRENNAN: This is some alpha male rite of passage?
BOOTH: No.
BRENNAN: You mean, go to war?
BOOTH: Wrong. No. Zack needed to leave the nest. The same way you did when you wanted to leave the lab and see the world for the first time. And I helped you do that. How could I stop Zack from doing the exact same thing in his own way?
Talk about enabling. Booth wants people to be their best and to grow as individuals. He sees himself as someone able to give that opportunity, directly or as an advisor. If it doesn't go as he plans, then he gets blustery. Zack had to be given the chance. As he reveals to Cam it didn't work out because he could not be assimilated into the Army's way of thinking. That is where Booth was wrong to think that Zack's 'weirdness' would be no barrier. Plainly, there was no one like Booth in Iraq to ease his way. The extreme rationality of Zack has no equal, not even in Brennan and thereby hangs the plot for the season.
Meanwhile, Booth is back to where he wants to be.
BOOTH: Look, there’s something else I gotta know, and it’s important. We solid?
BRENNAN: You and me? Yeah!
BOOTH: No, not just you and me. Squints, too. Zack is back for good. Angela and Hodgins have their head back in the game. Cam, she’s locked in.
BRENNAN: Why are you asking me this?
BOOTH: Because. You and me – the centre.
BRENNAN: (Nods) And the centre must hold.
BOOTH: Right. So, are we gonna hold?
BRENNAN: Yeah. We’ll hold. We’re the centre.
BRENNAN: You and me? Yeah!
BOOTH: No, not just you and me. Squints, too. Zack is back for good. Angela and Hodgins have their head back in the game. Cam, she’s locked in.
BRENNAN: Why are you asking me this?
BOOTH: Because. You and me – the centre.
BOOTH: Right. So, are we gonna hold?
BRENNAN: Yeah. We’ll hold. We’re the centre.
Really, Booth has battled through the episode to maintain his equilibrium and stay in his comfort zone. It is clear that it is very important to him that he has a vital role to play and he sees the Jeffersonian crew now as his validation. This aspect of seeking approval is a very interesting part of Booth's character. Yes he is a good investigator; yes he has intuition on his side; yes he has to do the right thing; but he hates when it hurts others and makes him feel a failure when they do not recognise his motives as altruistic at heart. Equally, he hates being seen as unbending in his pursuit of justice when it concerns his colleague's relations, but he still arrested Max when he had to; an action which has repercussions, as does Zack's exposure to the real world and his failure to cope.
In typical fashion, the shooting order is different from the order the episodes were shown, so there is a slight continuity issue in showing Soccer Mom in the Mini-van before Death in the Saddle but it is only a line of dialogue so it isn't very important. However, the two areas of Booth's character they cover are quite revealing.
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Date: 2011-01-26 02:51 pm (UTC)