Echo- o-o-o and Booth's Season 3 Finale
Mar. 24th, 2011 05:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mistletoeWe've made considerable progress, but AOL still has a significant number of backed-up notifications. They're stored and will be delivered as soon as we can resolve the underlying issue.
No help to me there. I don't have many notifications, but having none is infinitely annoying.
Speaking of infinitely annoying we have arrived at a non-Bones Thursday AGAIN and the last two episodes of Season 3 seem to fit the mood.
A BOOTH FOR ALL SEASONS
BOOTH IN SEASON 3 - Flawed
BRENNAN: Whoa! You've been spying on us? More experiments?
BOOTH: What experiments?
There have been a few instances in Season 3 where we've had a closer look at Booth's history and he has proved to be less than perfect. Usually, however, he has more than enough positive traits in the present to make up for his youthful peccadilloes. These last two episodes are the first where Booth is cast in a not very good light and in both episodes I lay the blame at Sweets' feet.
Before I launch into that, I shall finish as I started the Season with a glance at Booth's office furniture. While there are a couple of changes still to be made, this is just about the definitive collection of Booth's memorabilia.
The back wall:
Apologies for the quality of this picture, but it shows the second ice hockey big picture. There will be a third to come, but this one with the heavy shadows stays for a while. I don't think it is the flying goal scored by Bobby Orr.
There are a number of items on the back table that have been there all season: the missile, the eagle statuette, the photographs. In addition there is another bald eagle, a head of F D Roosevelt and some other stuff that can be seen in another picture.
Here you can see in addition a baseball mitt and a fighter jet on a stand. Out of shot propped against the table is a baseball bat and there is a baseball to the left of Booth and a football a bit further along..
Booth's desk:
Having put Booth into his milieu let us turn to the two flawed episodes beginning with Wannabe in the Weeds. For me, this is the worst episode so far. It is poorly realised in pace and plot and has Booth completely out of character while doing his job. The poor characterisation begins with Booth suddenly being allergic to grass. He never has been before and he never is again. There is far too much filler when it would have been better to build up Pam's character. The weakest part is how poorly Booth pursues the case and the blame for that I lay firmly at Sweets' feet. Sweets is a very large fly in the ointment. Booth has been consistent in his belittling of Sweets since his introduction, except when it suited the plot. So, he brings in Sweets on the Gormogon case without consulting Brennan, he says he is brilliant when on the stand at Max's trial, but generally he has little time for his theories when Booth believes he knows better. This is exemplified here and really leaves Booth hoist with his own petard.
I really like this picture because it reveals Booth's attitude very clearly. Sweets may be brilliant in his job as a psychologist and a profiler, but if Booth doesn't want to listen, and that is most of the time when it comes to Sweets, then he will disregard what he says. This is OK when it comes to Sweets' comments about Booth's psyche and relationship with Brennan, but when it is case related he really needs to swallow his pride and use his self proclaimed strength which is to listen.
This case suggests that Booth not only doesn't listen but he has lost his skill in reading suspects. There is no doubt Pam is creepy, but Booth does not see any of the signs. Or at least he does, and then ignores them. He recognises that she is a stalker, but as soon as she has an alibi he dismisses her from the suspect list and assumes she would only be interested in stalking Tommy. Sweets believes this is a persistent state in her and tries to warn Booth.
Here's his reaction to Sweets' concerns.
SWEETS: The pathology is clear. She's possessive and amoral.
(BOOTH makes a sound and gesture to indicate that SWEETS should not speak so loudly)
SWEETS: (quieter) Her emotional connections are forged through manipulation and delusion. Once a connection that tenuous breaks-
BRENNAN: So she killed Tommy Sour?
SWEETS: I can't say that, of course, but she is a dangerous person.
BOOTH: (still on phone) Thank you. (He hangs up) Well, her story checks out. She was in Florida when he was killed. Her parents are devastated that their future son-in-law - who they never met - will no longer be her love-monkey.
BRENNAN: Well, Dr. Sweets still thinks that she's the killer.
SWEETS: Dangerous. I think she's dangerous.
BOOTH: I agree.
SWEETS: Thank you Agent Booth.
(BOOTH stands up from his desk and begins to walk around it towards SWEETS)
BOOTH: All those gifts, and taking pictures from a distance, and showing up in the middle of the night in a nighty, it's all very "dangerous".
SWEETS: (clueing in) Mocking will not change my opinion. I've been mocked many many times before...
(BOOTH and BRENNAN exchange a glance)
SWEETS: That... came out wrong.
(BOOTH begins to push SWEETS towards the door)
BOOTH: Yeah, that's great Sweets, appreciate your help, but you know what? She has an alibi. See ya.
(SWEETS reaches out to stop the door before it closes behind him)
SWEETS: Well, just be cautious of her. Okay? She's not stable.
BOOTH: Great, thank you.
(BOOTH tries to push the door closed - SWEETS stops it again)
SWEETS: Oh, and remember. Our session on Tuesday's at 4? Trust exercises? Be there?
(He departs)
BOOTH: Ha-ha. See ya.
It's interesting that their session will be about trust because, as far as I can see, Booth does not trust Sweets. In many ways, Sweets is his own worst enemy because of the way he behaves towards Booth and Brennan. By attempting to become their friend he has removed the barrier of doctor/patient. By speaking in the way he does he has removed the gravitas of his pronouncements; by acting like an over excited schoolboy he has prevented any chance that Booth will take him seriously.
In addition, Booth has complete tunnel vision with regard to Pam. Having heard her speak about Tommy he knows that she is delusional. For whatever reason, he then ignores the delusion, to such an extent that he doesn't seem to be overly alarmed when she contacts him. Is he flattered?
PAM: Are you available to meet?
BOOTH: I'm sorry, uh... how did you get my number?
PAM: Your office patched me through. I said I was your mother.
BOOTH: (stunned, then recovers) Yeah, Dr. Brennan and I can meet with you.
PAM: No. Just you.
BOOTH: Well if it's relevant to the case, Ms. Nunan, I think it would be important that Dr. Brennan-
PAM: I can be at your office in a half hour, but you have to meet me alone.
BOOTH: I... I'm sorry, is this about Tommy?
(the camera cuts to an image of the outside of the Royal Diner. We can see the top of a car at the bottom of the screen. The camera moves lower and lower, until we see that it is PAM, sitting in her car, watching BOOTH and BRENNAN, sitting inside the restaurant)
PAM: What else would it be about Agent Booth?
BOOTH: ...Okay. A half hour. (He hangs up the phone)
BRENNAN: What'd she want?
BOOTH: She wants to see me. Without you.
BRENNAN: Did she say why?
BOOTH: Probably because you make her feel uncomfortable.
BRENNAN: How so?
BOOTH: Well because... You're you. You're a well adjusted woman.
He usually spots that something is not quite right about someone but here he is oblivious and I find his justification for Brennan not being there weak in the extreme. If he thinks Pam is not well adjusted why is he agreeing to meet her. What can she add to the case at this point? Why does he not ask for more specifics? Does he feel safe because it is in his office? What could possibly happen?
Or is he making the same mistake as Tommy in that he doesn't love Pam either but he will play along. Tommy probably did it for the money; Booth seems to be acting out of politeness.Yet even when she follows the same pattern he has observed in her with regard to Tommy, he still doesn't cotton on.
PAM: I brought you something.
(PAM brings out a small wrapped bag from her purse and hands it to BOOTH, who begins to unwrap it. He pulls out a pair of green socks)
BOOTH: Okay...
PAM: I know you've got a thing for socks.
BOOTH: How did you, uh...
PAM: I noticed them last time. On the outside, you're this big tough FBI guy... but really you're just like me. Unpredictable. Like Tommy was.
BOOTH: ...Please...
PAM: I know. We shouldn't talk about our old flames. Especially when we're just getting to know each other.
BOOTH: Ms Nunan, (he puts the socks down on his desk) you said you had information about Tommy Sour's murder.
PAM: Really? I have faith you'll find out who killed him. And Tommy wouldn't want me to grieve forever. (her eyes wander) Look at all these commendations... You're really great at your job, aren't you? (she bends down to pick up the socks, and hand them to Booth, moving closer) It's one of the reasons I'm drawn to you.
BOOTH: (backing off) Ma'am, this is way inappropriate.
PAM: (laughing) Ma'am! That is so cute! I can't wait to tell my mom you just said that. Well. Bye for now.
Come on Booth! Calling you Seeley, asking a bunch of personal questions, giving you gifts, comparing you to Tommy, talking about old flames, saying she's drawn to him. Nothing. He is just stunned. At the very least he should have warned her off in no uncertain terms.
It is up to Sweets to put him right. Really? Booth has never had a woman come on to him? He has no idea what the gift of socks means? Pffft.
SWEETS: Wait, you saw her again?
BOOTH: What's the big deal Sweets? She just gave me a pair of socks!
(BRENNAN laughs)
BOOTH: What? It's not funny.
SWEETS: It's not funny.
BRENNAN: Why did I laugh?
SWEETS: Pam Nunan controls your emotional agenda through seeming vulnerability followed by generosity. It's classic manipulation.
BOOTH: Then I'll just mail the socks back.
And that's an end of it as far as Booth is concerned. Considering how the only times we have seen Pam she has appeared somewhat strange I cannot believe that Booth thinks it's that simple just because Sweets tells him she's dangerous and manipulative and he thinks it's just a crush that will end when the case is over.
Clearly it doesn't as Pam turns up at the Checker Box armed and ready to remove her scarecrow love rival. Needless to say, Booth does not allow that to happen and ends up getting shot before he can get a shot off himself. Likely.
The whole case has seemed trivial to Booth, which is very unlike him. He has no time for Broadway musicals (Aliens in A Spaceship) or singing wannabes which is pretty ironic considering his desire to perform Hot Blooded in The Rocker in the Rinse Cycle under similar circumstances and his knowledge of American Idol. By considering the people in the case trivial he trivialises the danger that Pam represents to Brennan and himself which is very unlike him. I have never seen Booth so dismissive of danger before, particularly in relation to Brennan. I don't want to say that it is because Pam is a woman and his ego won't let him think he can't handle her, but another conversation with Brennan leads me to that conclusion.
BRENNAN: The need to stand out from the crowd is innate.
BOOTH: (scoffs) It's obnoxious!
BRENNAN: You were the best sniper when you were in the army!
BOOTH: I was just doing my job, okay? Well.
BRENNAN: And that set you apart from the others.
BOOTH: Bones, we're talking about singing some nightmarish Broadway songs.
BRENNAN: Booth, It doesn't matter. Whoever is best has the status and power... and becomes the superior mate.
BOOTH: Yeah, well I tell you that some of those people are not going to be mating, that's for sure.
BRENNAN: But they will have the power and prestige. You enjoy it because you are a superb agent.
BOOTH: You think?
BRENNAN: Yes, of course. Since I am the best in my field, it would be self destructive for me to work with someone who's beneath me.
BOOTH: Oh. Okay. Well that's good. 'Cause, um, you know, I have to be honest here. Sometimes I think that you think you're better than me.
BRENNAN: Well, objectively, I am more intelligent...
BOOTH: There you go...
BRENNAN: In certain areas, and in others... I understand my limitations, and I... admire your expertise.
BOOTH: Huh. You admire me?
BRENNAN: ...In certain areas of expertise.
So having his ego boosted (at long last) may be why he reacts in the way he does to Pam when she calls him at this very moment. He has just been told he is a superb agent with admirable expertise. Pam then tells him the same thing and I have no doubt he is flattered. Pretty shallow though to need approbation from Pam.
Anyway, we leave Booth dying in a karaoke bar looking like he has thrown his life away because he didn't read a character right: Pam, Sweets and, apparently, himself.
The final flawed episode, The Pain in the Heart, has so many things going against it I'll just concentrate on the remit of Booth and what we find out about him. The most flawed aspect of Booth seems to be his tendency to take the blame for things, or to do something without seeking recognition. However, he does something that the Bureau asked him to do, and, as a result, takes the blame here for something that is patently not his fault and deflects the blame from its true recipient: Sweets.
Until now, some of Sweets' activities have had some psychological basis that was justifiable, but what he does here is without justification. What is even more irritating is that Booth never finds out what his motives were and he ends up the fall guy and made to feel guilty by Brennan for his use of protocol as the reason behind her ignorance of the truth of his faked death. She ends up being justified in her behaviour and Booth is made to appear selfish, thoughtless and uncaring. Grrrrr. Sweets. What did you hope to prove? I'll come back to you.
I knew Seeley Booth. He was a good man who earned my respect and affection. And I don't like many people. Booth had a selfless commitment to his work, first in the military and then the FBI. Two weeks ago, he made the ultimate sacrifice – giving his life to save his partner. And in the brave act, he showed us what greatness we are all capable of.
This eulogy from Caroline is well deserved and focuses on the Booth whom we have seen. When he appears at the funeral and takes out a man who was a danger to Booth in the past, Brennan is not relieved or pleased; she is totally self absorbed and angry.
BRENNAN: I knew I shouldn't have gone to that funeral. It was a complete waste of time, just like I said.
BOOTH: Wait a second, you thought that my funeral was a waste of time?
CAM: I thought it was a lovely service, Booth.
BOOTH: Thank you. You know, I expected to see more people though.
HODGINS: I always imagined a lot of ex-girlfriends crying.
BOOTH: Yeah, me too.
ANGELA: You guys are pathetic.
BRENNAN: Just know I won't be attending your next funeral.
BOOTH: Bones, I'm telling you. You were supposed to know that I wasn't really dead. I swear! That's why I thought you weren't crying!
CAM: Informed by who, exactly?
BOOTH: I gave a list of people to the bureau to inform that I was not really dead. You know what? They didn't tell you, it's not my fault.
SWEETS: Dr. Brennan's actually upset because she had to face strong emotions that she'd rather deny. Striking Agent Booth, indicated the depth of your feelings for him. It was a very passionate act.
BOOTH: (to Sweets) Thank you! (to Brennan) Did you hear that? Passion!
BRENNAN: Yes, passion, because anger is a passion! Anger at being manipulated!
Here we have the three of them in their positions: Booth saying it's not his fault; Brennan angry because she has been manipulated and Sweets pontificating she hit Booth because she loves him. Sweets is feeling smug; Booth confused and Brennan doing her me, me, me act.
Booth is on the defensive from now on and Brennan really does cross the line.
Booth's bathroom.
We have seen Booth's bedroom and a door leading off it to the bathroom so it's nice to see inside. Very nice bathroom Booth. Freestanding tub, rack for toiletries and strategically placed shaving mug, rubber ducky and a record player white tiles and plenty of chrome: a very masculine room. Clearly a place to relax complete with cigar, graphic novel and beer hat. This is the most guylike we have ever seen Booth and, why not in the sanctity of his own bathroom? Well Brennan doesn't believe in that sort of boundary. I really did not like her in this scene.
BOOTH: Okay, what the hell do ya want now, Bones? Okay? Cause I'm not really feeling too relaxed.
BRENNAN: You should have told me that you weren't dead.
BOOTH: I already explained this to you. The bureau has to vet everyone when there is a security issue. I was just following protocol.
BRENNAN: Protocol!?
BOOTH: Yes!
BRENNAN: We've been partners for three years, Booth, and you've broken protocol before – sometimes putting my life in danger. Which makes sense because you clearly don't have any real concern for me.
BOOTH: (standing up) I took a bullet for you!
BRENNAN: Once! That only goes so far (realizing that Booth is standing there, naked) Would you like a towel?
(He sinks back into the tub)
BOOTH: Fine. What is it that I should have done, Bones? Wha- what did you want me to do?
BRENNAN: Well, you could have called me. Did you really think I needed to be vetted by your boss? I mean, don't you trust me?
BOOTH: Of course I do.
BRENNAN: Then why wasn't I told. It must have been something that you said.
BOOTH: No. I don't know why you weren't told.
BRENNAN: But you – you said that I should be. I mean, aren't you curious why I wasn't?
BOOTH: Yes! Do you want me to find out why you weren't told?
BRENNAN: If it's important to you.
BOOTH: Fine. I will. The next time I die, I promise that I will tell you.
BRENNAN: I'll look forward to that.
BOOTH: Me too.
Look at the objections she has to what happened and Booth's ripostes. She claims he has put her life in danger in the past and has no real concern for her; he replies he took a bullet for her and she replies he only did that once. He has shot someone in the past to protect her; he has told her to stay out of the firing line; he has saved Zack from being blown up; she has shot two people to save him. How dare she claim that he puts her in danger? She constantly does that herself by not following protocol. He takes it on the chin and promises to find out why she wasn't told. Again, she turns it back on him by saying 'if it's important to you'. No! He's doing it because it's important to you woman. She is judgmental in the extreme about his cigar, his reading material and his beer. It is his bathroom and his house which she has taken upon herself to enter, using the key in the fake rock at his door. What gives her the right to not even knock on the door? Why is she so angry and blaming Booth? I guess we will have to say she is over compensating, but I have to say it is not played, or explained in that way. She never apologises to Booth, and neither does Sweets. Incidentally, two weeks after bleeding profusely all over Brennan's hands Booth has a sticking plaster on his 'fatal' wound? Pfft.
Yes, let's get back to Sweets. At this stage, my sympathies were completely with Booth. He has never ducked the protocols of the bureau, whether it be refusing her a gun permit because she has been arrested for shooting someone or phoning in the whereabouts of Epps' victims to save him from execution because keeping quiet would be wrong. Booth always follows protocols, even occasionally bends them to get something that Brennan needs. Foolishly he appeals to Sweets for support, an opportunity for a bit of male bonding Booth would think, but again he is put in the wrong.
BOOTH: Bones broke into my house last night, all angry-
BRENNAN: (talking over Booth) There was a key!
BOOTH: because no one told her that I was dead. And I was just following protocol.
SWEETS: Broke into your house?
BRENNAN: There was a key.
BOOTH: And barged into my bathroom.
SWEEETS: (laughs) What were you doing?
BRENNAN: He was drinking beer and reading a comic book.
BOOTH: I was taking a bath.
SWEETS: You read comics and drink beer naked?
BOOTH: Wait a second. Bones bursts into MY bathroom, all right, and I'm weird for being naked?
By this stage he must feel the world is against him, although things are directed elsewhere by Zack blowing himself up. I don't want to spend time on that farrago so move on to Booth's pursuit of what went wrong with his list. He eventually finds out who was to blame and naturally, seeing as she hit him, he would like Brennan to hit the real guilty party. He will be disappointed again. This made me so angry I still have steam coming out of my ears just reading it.
SWEETS: (into phone) Yes. I'm busy. Cancel all my patients. You don't have to tell them anything-
(Booth comes up behind Sweets and starts dragging him towards Brennan's office.)
SWEETS: What are you doing?
BOOTH: A word?
SWEETS: I'm on the phone.
BOOTH: Well, hang up.
SWEETS: (into phone) Okay, I'll talk to you later. (he hangs up and puts the phone in his pocket. Then to Booth.) Ah, tight grip you got there.
BOOTH: And it could get tighter. So go ahead. Tell her.
SWEETS: Tell her what?
BRENNAN: Tell me what?
BOOTH: Tell her now.
SWEETS: What?
BOOTH: Fine. I'll tell her. Okay? I sent my list to the bureau. They sent it to Sweets. You were the one who decided not to tell Dr. Brennan that I was still alive. He's the one that you should have slugged, so do it. Go ahead and do it now.
BRENNAN: What? You chose not to tell me?
SWEETS: Yes, it's true. Technically.
BOOTH: Technically?
SWEETS: Okay, I reviewed the list and decided, knowing Dr. Brennan as I do, that she was in fact able to handle your death.
BOOTH: (to Brennan) Slug 'im.
SWEETS: It was a National Security issue. The fewer people that knew Agent Booth was alive, the safer he would be.
BRENNAN: I think that was a good choice.
SWEETS: Awesome.
BOOTH: You do?!
BRENNAN: Yes. You knew that Booth's death was something that I could deal with because I can compartmentalise.
BOOTH: Woah. Wait a minute now. Why are you mad at me then?
BRENNAN: Because you should have told me, personally.
BOOTH: Oh, I should have just ignored National Security concerns, broken the law and told you.
BRENNAN: Yes. You know I'm very trustworthy.
Awesome?!? This idiot makes a decision based on someone being able to deal with death, who then clearly doesn't deal with it; who can compartmentalise because her emotions are always under control and then who is so angry she hits the person she blames and bursts into his house to blame him further. And she agrees with that decision? I'm trying to get my head around it rationally but it just seems so contradictory I can't. If she's so trustworthy why didn't Sweets, who claims to know her well, trust her enough to tell her the truth? I think the problem is the focus changes according to who is presenting the discussion and to whom. Of course the real problem is Sweets has a hidden agenda which Brennan has sussed but Booth hasn't. Why does she not tell Booth if she is so keen on trust and truth and breaking the law? Why does Sweets with his constant references to truth zones and trust exercises not practise what he preaches? Why is Booth, the chief arbiter of right and wrong, too dumb to realise Sweets was wrong? Most of this dialogue is just nonsense. She is angry that Booth didn't break the law and tell her himself but is perfectly OK with Sweets choosing not to tell her because she didn't need to know. Buh?!?
BRENNAN: You think I don't recognize an experiment when I see one? You experimented on us.
SWEETS: Beg your pardon.
BRENNAN: Not telling me Booth was alive? You wanted to quantify our reactions for your own research? You took advantage of us. Booth and I agreed to let you observe us. We did not agree to be used as lab rats, so you better cut it out.
SWEETS: Dr. Brennan, why are you talking so fast?
BRENNAN: Because if Booth hears why you did what you did? He'd beat ya up.
SWEETS: Don't you think that'd be an overly aggressive act?
BRENNAN: Not at all. So you better not do it again.
Anyway, Booth is left to his own devices while Brennan confronts Sweets, but I think if Booth had known what Sweets was up to he would have been saved a great deal of heartache later. It is my belief that everything Sweets does from now on is one giant experiment for him to satisfy his intellectual needs and present his theories in his book. Even after Dr Wyatt tells him he is wrong, even after Booth and Brennan reveal his initial premise was wrong, he persists. People's lives are collateral damage especially the emotional life of Seeley Booth and Temperance Brennan. It all starts here in one of the most flawed of a series of flawed finales. There is a flaw in his logic.
So Booth is left to shoot Gormogon having contributed nothing to the solving of the case. Along the way various members of the team are suggested as culprits, but the flawed logic of Zack's actions results in the ridiculous conclusion. Sweets is revealed as an immature seeker of the spotlight having revelled in his appearances on Larry King and TMZ and so keen on the truth he wants to deny Zack the clemency of an insanity plea until Booth puts him right.
Brennan is worried that everyone gave Zack something except her and Booth is the one to show her that she did.
BOOTH: (reading from the letter) “Dear Mr. Addy. It is my pleasure to offer you the post of my intern in Forensic Anthropology. I chose you from hundreds of applicants because of your knowledge, your desire to learn and because I feel you will find a home here.” (he sets the letter in the envelope) I think you gave him something great, Bones.
The cynic in me says she gave him the opportunity to be indulged in his hyper-rationalisation away from the moderating influence of the real world.
That is all there is to say about Booth in Season 3. In many ways, he took a back seat again in this Season. Although there were aome additional pieces of background, many of them were formulaic and we still know very little about his family or Booth in his 20s beyond a military life of indeterminate difficulty.
India are about to finish Australia's interest in defending the World Cup with any luck and I am about to watch thirtysomething when they do. The weather has been properly Springlike this week although it is supposed to cool down for the weekend. Typical.
No help to me there. I don't have many notifications, but having none is infinitely annoying.
Speaking of infinitely annoying we have arrived at a non-Bones Thursday AGAIN and the last two episodes of Season 3 seem to fit the mood.
A BOOTH FOR ALL SEASONS
BRENNAN: Whoa! You've been spying on us? More experiments?
BOOTH: What experiments?
There have been a few instances in Season 3 where we've had a closer look at Booth's history and he has proved to be less than perfect. Usually, however, he has more than enough positive traits in the present to make up for his youthful peccadilloes. These last two episodes are the first where Booth is cast in a not very good light and in both episodes I lay the blame at Sweets' feet.
Before I launch into that, I shall finish as I started the Season with a glance at Booth's office furniture. While there are a couple of changes still to be made, this is just about the definitive collection of Booth's memorabilia.
The back wall:
Apologies for the quality of this picture, but it shows the second ice hockey big picture. There will be a third to come, but this one with the heavy shadows stays for a while. I don't think it is the flying goal scored by Bobby Orr.
Booth's desk:
Here we have the usual suspects: Stanley Cup, sweetie jar, magic 8 ball, Steelers mug, Flyers mousemat, but there is also a snowglobe behind his nameplate. You can also see the baseball bat propped up. I have no idea why Booth finds it necessary to surround himself with sports equipment except to emphasise he loves sports. I forgot to mention his enthusiasm for motorcycle racing in Man in the Mud and somewhere he practised putting shots in his office while talking to a witness. He likes his toys and handles his Zippo while thinking or a sumo wrestler stress ball to release tension. He is always using his hands. Other items of clothing and accoutrements that have been set are the Cocky belt buckle and a gold watch. He also affects a handkerchief in his top pocket this season and wears casual clothes more frequently. His other eccentricities include never wearing a seatbelt, never fastening his shirt cuffs and frequently loosening his tie. He also wears the wrong shoes most of the time.
Having put Booth into his milieu let us turn to the two flawed episodes beginning with Wannabe in the Weeds. For me, this is the worst episode so far. It is poorly realised in pace and plot and has Booth completely out of character while doing his job. The poor characterisation begins with Booth suddenly being allergic to grass. He never has been before and he never is again. There is far too much filler when it would have been better to build up Pam's character. The weakest part is how poorly Booth pursues the case and the blame for that I lay firmly at Sweets' feet. Sweets is a very large fly in the ointment. Booth has been consistent in his belittling of Sweets since his introduction, except when it suited the plot. So, he brings in Sweets on the Gormogon case without consulting Brennan, he says he is brilliant when on the stand at Max's trial, but generally he has little time for his theories when Booth believes he knows better. This is exemplified here and really leaves Booth hoist with his own petard.
I really like this picture because it reveals Booth's attitude very clearly. Sweets may be brilliant in his job as a psychologist and a profiler, but if Booth doesn't want to listen, and that is most of the time when it comes to Sweets, then he will disregard what he says. This is OK when it comes to Sweets' comments about Booth's psyche and relationship with Brennan, but when it is case related he really needs to swallow his pride and use his self proclaimed strength which is to listen.
This case suggests that Booth not only doesn't listen but he has lost his skill in reading suspects. There is no doubt Pam is creepy, but Booth does not see any of the signs. Or at least he does, and then ignores them. He recognises that she is a stalker, but as soon as she has an alibi he dismisses her from the suspect list and assumes she would only be interested in stalking Tommy. Sweets believes this is a persistent state in her and tries to warn Booth.
Here's his reaction to Sweets' concerns.
SWEETS: The pathology is clear. She's possessive and amoral.
(BOOTH makes a sound and gesture to indicate that SWEETS should not speak so loudly)
SWEETS: (quieter) Her emotional connections are forged through manipulation and delusion. Once a connection that tenuous breaks-
BRENNAN: So she killed Tommy Sour?
SWEETS: I can't say that, of course, but she is a dangerous person.
BOOTH: (still on phone) Thank you. (He hangs up) Well, her story checks out. She was in Florida when he was killed. Her parents are devastated that their future son-in-law - who they never met - will no longer be her love-monkey.
BRENNAN: Well, Dr. Sweets still thinks that she's the killer.
SWEETS: Dangerous. I think she's dangerous.
BOOTH: I agree.
SWEETS: Thank you Agent Booth.
(BOOTH stands up from his desk and begins to walk around it towards SWEETS)
BOOTH: All those gifts, and taking pictures from a distance, and showing up in the middle of the night in a nighty, it's all very "dangerous".
SWEETS: (clueing in) Mocking will not change my opinion. I've been mocked many many times before...
SWEETS: That... came out wrong.
BOOTH: Yeah, that's great Sweets, appreciate your help, but you know what? She has an alibi. See ya.
(SWEETS reaches out to stop the door before it closes behind him)
SWEETS: Well, just be cautious of her. Okay? She's not stable.
BOOTH: Great, thank you.
(BOOTH tries to push the door closed - SWEETS stops it again)
SWEETS: Oh, and remember. Our session on Tuesday's at 4? Trust exercises? Be there?
(He departs)
BOOTH: Ha-ha. See ya.
It's interesting that their session will be about trust because, as far as I can see, Booth does not trust Sweets. In many ways, Sweets is his own worst enemy because of the way he behaves towards Booth and Brennan. By attempting to become their friend he has removed the barrier of doctor/patient. By speaking in the way he does he has removed the gravitas of his pronouncements; by acting like an over excited schoolboy he has prevented any chance that Booth will take him seriously.
In addition, Booth has complete tunnel vision with regard to Pam. Having heard her speak about Tommy he knows that she is delusional. For whatever reason, he then ignores the delusion, to such an extent that he doesn't seem to be overly alarmed when she contacts him. Is he flattered?
PAM: Are you available to meet?
BOOTH: I'm sorry, uh... how did you get my number?
PAM: Your office patched me through. I said I was your mother.
BOOTH: (stunned, then recovers) Yeah, Dr. Brennan and I can meet with you.
PAM: No. Just you.
BOOTH: Well if it's relevant to the case, Ms. Nunan, I think it would be important that Dr. Brennan-
PAM: I can be at your office in a half hour, but you have to meet me alone.
BOOTH: I... I'm sorry, is this about Tommy?
(the camera cuts to an image of the outside of the Royal Diner. We can see the top of a car at the bottom of the screen. The camera moves lower and lower, until we see that it is PAM, sitting in her car, watching BOOTH and BRENNAN, sitting inside the restaurant)
PAM: What else would it be about Agent Booth?
BOOTH: ...Okay. A half hour. (He hangs up the phone)
BRENNAN: What'd she want?
BOOTH: She wants to see me. Without you.
BRENNAN: Did she say why?
BOOTH: Probably because you make her feel uncomfortable.
BRENNAN: How so?
BOOTH: Well because... You're you. You're a well adjusted woman.
He usually spots that something is not quite right about someone but here he is oblivious and I find his justification for Brennan not being there weak in the extreme. If he thinks Pam is not well adjusted why is he agreeing to meet her. What can she add to the case at this point? Why does he not ask for more specifics? Does he feel safe because it is in his office? What could possibly happen?
Or is he making the same mistake as Tommy in that he doesn't love Pam either but he will play along. Tommy probably did it for the money; Booth seems to be acting out of politeness.Yet even when she follows the same pattern he has observed in her with regard to Tommy, he still doesn't cotton on.
PAM: I brought you something.
(PAM brings out a small wrapped bag from her purse and hands it to BOOTH, who begins to unwrap it. He pulls out a pair of green socks)
BOOTH: Okay...
PAM: I know you've got a thing for socks.
BOOTH: How did you, uh...
PAM: I noticed them last time. On the outside, you're this big tough FBI guy... but really you're just like me. Unpredictable. Like Tommy was.
BOOTH: ...Please...
PAM: I know. We shouldn't talk about our old flames. Especially when we're just getting to know each other.
BOOTH: Ms Nunan, (he puts the socks down on his desk) you said you had information about Tommy Sour's murder.
PAM: Really? I have faith you'll find out who killed him. And Tommy wouldn't want me to grieve forever. (her eyes wander) Look at all these commendations... You're really great at your job, aren't you? (she bends down to pick up the socks, and hand them to Booth, moving closer) It's one of the reasons I'm drawn to you.
BOOTH: (backing off) Ma'am, this is way inappropriate.
PAM: (laughing) Ma'am! That is so cute! I can't wait to tell my mom you just said that. Well. Bye for now.
Come on Booth! Calling you Seeley, asking a bunch of personal questions, giving you gifts, comparing you to Tommy, talking about old flames, saying she's drawn to him. Nothing. He is just stunned. At the very least he should have warned her off in no uncertain terms.
It is up to Sweets to put him right. Really? Booth has never had a woman come on to him? He has no idea what the gift of socks means? Pffft.
SWEETS: Wait, you saw her again?
BOOTH: What's the big deal Sweets? She just gave me a pair of socks!
(BRENNAN laughs)
BOOTH: What? It's not funny.
SWEETS: It's not funny.
BRENNAN: Why did I laugh?
SWEETS: Pam Nunan controls your emotional agenda through seeming vulnerability followed by generosity. It's classic manipulation.
BOOTH: Then I'll just mail the socks back.
And that's an end of it as far as Booth is concerned. Considering how the only times we have seen Pam she has appeared somewhat strange I cannot believe that Booth thinks it's that simple just because Sweets tells him she's dangerous and manipulative and he thinks it's just a crush that will end when the case is over.
Clearly it doesn't as Pam turns up at the Checker Box armed and ready to remove her scarecrow love rival. Needless to say, Booth does not allow that to happen and ends up getting shot before he can get a shot off himself. Likely.
The whole case has seemed trivial to Booth, which is very unlike him. He has no time for Broadway musicals (Aliens in A Spaceship) or singing wannabes which is pretty ironic considering his desire to perform Hot Blooded in The Rocker in the Rinse Cycle under similar circumstances and his knowledge of American Idol. By considering the people in the case trivial he trivialises the danger that Pam represents to Brennan and himself which is very unlike him. I have never seen Booth so dismissive of danger before, particularly in relation to Brennan. I don't want to say that it is because Pam is a woman and his ego won't let him think he can't handle her, but another conversation with Brennan leads me to that conclusion.
BRENNAN: The need to stand out from the crowd is innate.
BOOTH: (scoffs) It's obnoxious!
BRENNAN: You were the best sniper when you were in the army!
BOOTH: I was just doing my job, okay? Well.
BRENNAN: And that set you apart from the others.
BOOTH: Bones, we're talking about singing some nightmarish Broadway songs.
BRENNAN: Booth, It doesn't matter. Whoever is best has the status and power... and becomes the superior mate.
BOOTH: Yeah, well I tell you that some of those people are not going to be mating, that's for sure.
BRENNAN: But they will have the power and prestige. You enjoy it because you are a superb agent.
BRENNAN: Yes, of course. Since I am the best in my field, it would be self destructive for me to work with someone who's beneath me.
BOOTH: Oh. Okay. Well that's good. 'Cause, um, you know, I have to be honest here. Sometimes I think that you think you're better than me.
BRENNAN: Well, objectively, I am more intelligent...
BOOTH: There you go...
BRENNAN: In certain areas, and in others... I understand my limitations, and I... admire your expertise.
BOOTH: Huh. You admire me?
BRENNAN: ...In certain areas of expertise.
So having his ego boosted (at long last) may be why he reacts in the way he does to Pam when she calls him at this very moment. He has just been told he is a superb agent with admirable expertise. Pam then tells him the same thing and I have no doubt he is flattered. Pretty shallow though to need approbation from Pam.
Anyway, we leave Booth dying in a karaoke bar looking like he has thrown his life away because he didn't read a character right: Pam, Sweets and, apparently, himself.
The final flawed episode, The Pain in the Heart, has so many things going against it I'll just concentrate on the remit of Booth and what we find out about him. The most flawed aspect of Booth seems to be his tendency to take the blame for things, or to do something without seeking recognition. However, he does something that the Bureau asked him to do, and, as a result, takes the blame here for something that is patently not his fault and deflects the blame from its true recipient: Sweets.
Until now, some of Sweets' activities have had some psychological basis that was justifiable, but what he does here is without justification. What is even more irritating is that Booth never finds out what his motives were and he ends up the fall guy and made to feel guilty by Brennan for his use of protocol as the reason behind her ignorance of the truth of his faked death. She ends up being justified in her behaviour and Booth is made to appear selfish, thoughtless and uncaring. Grrrrr. Sweets. What did you hope to prove? I'll come back to you.
I knew Seeley Booth. He was a good man who earned my respect and affection. And I don't like many people. Booth had a selfless commitment to his work, first in the military and then the FBI. Two weeks ago, he made the ultimate sacrifice – giving his life to save his partner. And in the brave act, he showed us what greatness we are all capable of.
This eulogy from Caroline is well deserved and focuses on the Booth whom we have seen. When he appears at the funeral and takes out a man who was a danger to Booth in the past, Brennan is not relieved or pleased; she is totally self absorbed and angry.
BRENNAN: I knew I shouldn't have gone to that funeral. It was a complete waste of time, just like I said.
BOOTH: Wait a second, you thought that my funeral was a waste of time?
CAM: I thought it was a lovely service, Booth.
BOOTH: Thank you. You know, I expected to see more people though.
HODGINS: I always imagined a lot of ex-girlfriends crying.
BOOTH: Yeah, me too.
ANGELA: You guys are pathetic.
BRENNAN: Just know I won't be attending your next funeral.
BOOTH: Bones, I'm telling you. You were supposed to know that I wasn't really dead. I swear! That's why I thought you weren't crying!
CAM: Informed by who, exactly?
BOOTH: I gave a list of people to the bureau to inform that I was not really dead. You know what? They didn't tell you, it's not my fault.
SWEETS: Dr. Brennan's actually upset because she had to face strong emotions that she'd rather deny. Striking Agent Booth, indicated the depth of your feelings for him. It was a very passionate act.
BOOTH: (to Sweets) Thank you! (to Brennan) Did you hear that? Passion!
BRENNAN: Yes, passion, because anger is a passion! Anger at being manipulated!
Here we have the three of them in their positions: Booth saying it's not his fault; Brennan angry because she has been manipulated and Sweets pontificating she hit Booth because she loves him. Sweets is feeling smug; Booth confused and Brennan doing her me, me, me act.
Booth is on the defensive from now on and Brennan really does cross the line.
Booth's bathroom.
We have seen Booth's bedroom and a door leading off it to the bathroom so it's nice to see inside. Very nice bathroom Booth. Freestanding tub, rack for toiletries and strategically placed shaving mug, rubber ducky and a record player white tiles and plenty of chrome: a very masculine room. Clearly a place to relax complete with cigar, graphic novel and beer hat. This is the most guylike we have ever seen Booth and, why not in the sanctity of his own bathroom? Well Brennan doesn't believe in that sort of boundary. I really did not like her in this scene.
BOOTH: Okay, what the hell do ya want now, Bones? Okay? Cause I'm not really feeling too relaxed.
BRENNAN: You should have told me that you weren't dead.
BOOTH: I already explained this to you. The bureau has to vet everyone when there is a security issue. I was just following protocol.
BRENNAN: Protocol!?
BOOTH: Yes!
BRENNAN: We've been partners for three years, Booth, and you've broken protocol before – sometimes putting my life in danger. Which makes sense because you clearly don't have any real concern for me.
BOOTH: (standing up) I took a bullet for you!
BRENNAN: Once! That only goes so far (realizing that Booth is standing there, naked) Would you like a towel?
(He sinks back into the tub)
BOOTH: Fine. What is it that I should have done, Bones? Wha- what did you want me to do?
BRENNAN: Well, you could have called me. Did you really think I needed to be vetted by your boss? I mean, don't you trust me?
BOOTH: Of course I do.
BRENNAN: Then why wasn't I told. It must have been something that you said.
BOOTH: No. I don't know why you weren't told.
BRENNAN: But you – you said that I should be. I mean, aren't you curious why I wasn't?
BOOTH: Yes! Do you want me to find out why you weren't told?
BRENNAN: If it's important to you.
BOOTH: Fine. I will. The next time I die, I promise that I will tell you.
BRENNAN: I'll look forward to that.
BOOTH: Me too.
Look at the objections she has to what happened and Booth's ripostes. She claims he has put her life in danger in the past and has no real concern for her; he replies he took a bullet for her and she replies he only did that once. He has shot someone in the past to protect her; he has told her to stay out of the firing line; he has saved Zack from being blown up; she has shot two people to save him. How dare she claim that he puts her in danger? She constantly does that herself by not following protocol. He takes it on the chin and promises to find out why she wasn't told. Again, she turns it back on him by saying 'if it's important to you'. No! He's doing it because it's important to you woman. She is judgmental in the extreme about his cigar, his reading material and his beer. It is his bathroom and his house which she has taken upon herself to enter, using the key in the fake rock at his door. What gives her the right to not even knock on the door? Why is she so angry and blaming Booth? I guess we will have to say she is over compensating, but I have to say it is not played, or explained in that way. She never apologises to Booth, and neither does Sweets. Incidentally, two weeks after bleeding profusely all over Brennan's hands Booth has a sticking plaster on his 'fatal' wound? Pfft.
Yes, let's get back to Sweets. At this stage, my sympathies were completely with Booth. He has never ducked the protocols of the bureau, whether it be refusing her a gun permit because she has been arrested for shooting someone or phoning in the whereabouts of Epps' victims to save him from execution because keeping quiet would be wrong. Booth always follows protocols, even occasionally bends them to get something that Brennan needs. Foolishly he appeals to Sweets for support, an opportunity for a bit of male bonding Booth would think, but again he is put in the wrong.
BOOTH: Bones broke into my house last night, all angry-
BRENNAN: (talking over Booth) There was a key!
BOOTH: because no one told her that I was dead. And I was just following protocol.
SWEETS: Broke into your house?
BRENNAN: There was a key.
BOOTH: And barged into my bathroom.
SWEEETS: (laughs) What were you doing?
BOOTH: I was taking a bath.
SWEETS: You read comics and drink beer naked?
BOOTH: Wait a second. Bones bursts into MY bathroom, all right, and I'm weird for being naked?
By this stage he must feel the world is against him, although things are directed elsewhere by Zack blowing himself up. I don't want to spend time on that farrago so move on to Booth's pursuit of what went wrong with his list. He eventually finds out who was to blame and naturally, seeing as she hit him, he would like Brennan to hit the real guilty party. He will be disappointed again. This made me so angry I still have steam coming out of my ears just reading it.
SWEETS: (into phone) Yes. I'm busy. Cancel all my patients. You don't have to tell them anything-
(Booth comes up behind Sweets and starts dragging him towards Brennan's office.)
SWEETS: What are you doing?
BOOTH: A word?
SWEETS: I'm on the phone.
BOOTH: Well, hang up.
SWEETS: (into phone) Okay, I'll talk to you later. (he hangs up and puts the phone in his pocket. Then to Booth.) Ah, tight grip you got there.
BOOTH: And it could get tighter. So go ahead. Tell her.
SWEETS: Tell her what?
BRENNAN: Tell me what?
BOOTH: Tell her now.
SWEETS: What?
BOOTH: Fine. I'll tell her. Okay? I sent my list to the bureau. They sent it to Sweets. You were the one who decided not to tell Dr. Brennan that I was still alive. He's the one that you should have slugged, so do it. Go ahead and do it now.
BRENNAN: What? You chose not to tell me?
BOOTH: Technically?
SWEETS: Okay, I reviewed the list and decided, knowing Dr. Brennan as I do, that she was in fact able to handle your death.
BOOTH: (to Brennan) Slug 'im.
SWEETS: It was a National Security issue. The fewer people that knew Agent Booth was alive, the safer he would be.
BRENNAN: I think that was a good choice.
SWEETS: Awesome.
BOOTH: You do?!
BRENNAN: Yes. You knew that Booth's death was something that I could deal with because I can compartmentalise.
BOOTH: Woah. Wait a minute now. Why are you mad at me then?
BRENNAN: Because you should have told me, personally.
BOOTH: Oh, I should have just ignored National Security concerns, broken the law and told you.
BRENNAN: Yes. You know I'm very trustworthy.
Awesome?!? This idiot makes a decision based on someone being able to deal with death, who then clearly doesn't deal with it; who can compartmentalise because her emotions are always under control and then who is so angry she hits the person she blames and bursts into his house to blame him further. And she agrees with that decision? I'm trying to get my head around it rationally but it just seems so contradictory I can't. If she's so trustworthy why didn't Sweets, who claims to know her well, trust her enough to tell her the truth? I think the problem is the focus changes according to who is presenting the discussion and to whom. Of course the real problem is Sweets has a hidden agenda which Brennan has sussed but Booth hasn't. Why does she not tell Booth if she is so keen on trust and truth and breaking the law? Why does Sweets with his constant references to truth zones and trust exercises not practise what he preaches? Why is Booth, the chief arbiter of right and wrong, too dumb to realise Sweets was wrong? Most of this dialogue is just nonsense. She is angry that Booth didn't break the law and tell her himself but is perfectly OK with Sweets choosing not to tell her because she didn't need to know. Buh?!?
BRENNAN: You think I don't recognize an experiment when I see one? You experimented on us.
SWEETS: Beg your pardon.
BRENNAN: Not telling me Booth was alive? You wanted to quantify our reactions for your own research? You took advantage of us. Booth and I agreed to let you observe us. We did not agree to be used as lab rats, so you better cut it out.
SWEETS: Dr. Brennan, why are you talking so fast?
BRENNAN: Because if Booth hears why you did what you did? He'd beat ya up.
SWEETS: Don't you think that'd be an overly aggressive act?
BRENNAN: Not at all. So you better not do it again.
Anyway, Booth is left to his own devices while Brennan confronts Sweets, but I think if Booth had known what Sweets was up to he would have been saved a great deal of heartache later. It is my belief that everything Sweets does from now on is one giant experiment for him to satisfy his intellectual needs and present his theories in his book. Even after Dr Wyatt tells him he is wrong, even after Booth and Brennan reveal his initial premise was wrong, he persists. People's lives are collateral damage especially the emotional life of Seeley Booth and Temperance Brennan. It all starts here in one of the most flawed of a series of flawed finales. There is a flaw in his logic.
So Booth is left to shoot Gormogon having contributed nothing to the solving of the case. Along the way various members of the team are suggested as culprits, but the flawed logic of Zack's actions results in the ridiculous conclusion. Sweets is revealed as an immature seeker of the spotlight having revelled in his appearances on Larry King and TMZ and so keen on the truth he wants to deny Zack the clemency of an insanity plea until Booth puts him right.
Brennan is worried that everyone gave Zack something except her and Booth is the one to show her that she did.
BOOTH: (reading from the letter) “Dear Mr. Addy. It is my pleasure to offer you the post of my intern in Forensic Anthropology. I chose you from hundreds of applicants because of your knowledge, your desire to learn and because I feel you will find a home here.” (he sets the letter in the envelope) I think you gave him something great, Bones.
That is all there is to say about Booth in Season 3. In many ways, he took a back seat again in this Season. Although there were aome additional pieces of background, many of them were formulaic and we still know very little about his family or Booth in his 20s beyond a military life of indeterminate difficulty.
India are about to finish Australia's interest in defending the World Cup with any luck and I am about to watch thirtysomething when they do. The weather has been properly Springlike this week although it is supposed to cool down for the weekend. Typical.
