mistletoe: (Bobble head)
mistletoe ([personal profile] mistletoe) wrote2011-04-18 03:56 pm

Mr Booth goes to London

It's another glorious day in the neighbourhood and [livejournal.com profile] amilyn 's timeline for Booth post reminded me that I hadn't got started on Season 4 in quite such as timely a fashion as I would have liked. I think I was prevaricating because the first episode was greeted with a certain amount of antagonism on this side of the Pond, because of the cliched view of the UK it presented. This had nothing to do with Booth, but I need to say it. The British aristocracy is not royalty. They are wealthy landowners who may trace their titles back to Norman times (11th century) but they are not relatives of the Queen. These are the exceptions:
Duke of Edinburgh - Prince Philip, married to the Queen. He is Greek. He does not own Edinburgh.
Duke of Kent - Prince Edward, Queen's first cousin, a grandson of George V
Duke of Gloucester - Prince Richard, Queen's cousin and grandson of George V
Duke of Cornwall - Prince Charles, Queen's eldest son
Duke of York - Prince Andrew, Queen's second son
Earl of Wessex - Prince Edward, Queen's youngest son.

Secondly, the police in London tend to be referred to as the Met., short for Metropolitan Police, rather than Scotland Yard. Also, homicide is not the name given to  police investigations of murder in this country

Right, after that is out of the way, everything else is just nitpicking.

 
A BOOTH FOR ALL SEASONS

Aaaaw jet-lag and he's had his hair cut.
 
WEXLER: Mustard. Keen as mustard. Excellent effort at the colloquialism, though. Very impressive. Does your cowboy want to tag along?
BRENNAN: Oh, please, don’t call him that.
WEXLER: He'd find it insulting?
BRENNAN: No. He’d love it.


Booth in Season 4 - the birth of a dork

The excuse for Booth and Brennan turning up in London appears to be as guest lecturers at Oxford University and 'Scotland Yard'. Booth must have gone up in the world, being considered an expert investigator worthy of sharing his crime fighting expertise abroad. I wish we'd seen his talk. I very much enjoyed your presentation last night. He’s very active: sound effects, visual aids, all sorts of props.
Anyway, as he says to Pritch and Ian:Bones and I are the best crime-solving team in America.

As usual, Booth loses out on accommodation:
BOOTH: God, you wouldn't believe what my hotel gave me for breakfast. It was like this brown goo and some kind of meat. I think it was a sausage about the size of my finger.
BRENNAN: I had an entire buffet.
BOOTH: Well, you're staying at the Duke of something, all right? I'm at the Beefeater Hotel Motel.
PRITCHARD: Ate at a Beefeater? That's brave.
BOOTH: Yeah, brave is right. (takes a sip of his drink) This is the weakest coffee I've ever had.
BRENNAN: Booth, that's tea.
(He takes the cup and empties it into the river)



Similarly, transport does not live up to his expectations as he has ended up with hiring an Austin mini, the hire firm having misunderstood his pronunciation of Aston. Before he has his meltdown in the middle of the street we see that Booth has assumed the right to drive as usual, though clearly not on the left. His earlier expressed view that he would have helped keep America British rather than break the law, has been modified by his experience of the home country:

 
 
BOOTH: God, I hate London! I hate England! I'm glad we had a revolution! Aaah!
BRENNAN: (answering her phone) Brennan.
(Booth continues to rant outside the car while Brennan talks to Cam)
BOOTH: And the weather it changes, it's cloudy...
CAM: The fatty acid composition of the victim's cervical fluid caught my attention,
so I ran some more tests. Turns out Portia Frampton was pregnant.

BRENNAN: Pregnant? How far along?
BOOTH: And coffee! What is so hard about making a cup of black coffee...
CAM: About two months.
BRENNAN: Okay. Thanks, Cam.
BOOTH: Bollocks!

(Booth gets back into the car)
BOOTH: Okay, I feel much better. What'd I miss?

The next driving experience is no less awkward as Booth manages to crash the car while trying to manoeuvre in a parking space.
BRENNAN: Well, you should look over your other shoulder.
BOOTH: Bones, I've been driving since I was 12, okay?
BRENNAN: Would it make you less agitated if I told you that I didn't sleep with Dr. Wexler last night?
BOOTH: Okay, look. I'm not agitated, okay? I'm agitated because of driving this little car, that's all. Look, Wexler is just - I'm not agitated because of you and Dr. Wexler. Wexler's just another guy looking for a one-night stand. That's it. Whoa.
BRENNAN: So?
BOOTH: So, he doesn't take it seriously.
BRENNAN: Seriously? What do you mean? You never laugh during sex? Because I do. Whoa, do you see that lorry?
BOOTH: I see that lorry. It's a truck, okay? We're American, and that is a truck. I laugh during sex. It's just, it's not that kind of serious.
BRENNAN: Well, I think Dr. Wexler is serious about having sex with me. Very interested.
BOOTH: Okay, news bulletin for ya, Bones. There's not a guy in this country who wouldn't want to have sex with you. Probably half the gay men...whoa, easy.
BRENNAN: Are you being nice about me or awful about British men?
BOOTH: Wexler is not special; you are.

Couple of points here. First, from a personal point of view, Booth has clearly been an independent type from an early age. Driving at 12 opens all sorts of possibilities as to why he started so young. Maybe his love of cars started around then and he was at a garage moving cars around to help and learn about engines.  Or could be his grandfather teaching him something useful, or giving him a treat. Whatever the case, confidence behind the wheel has never been an issue.

Secondly, this is one of the first times that Booth compliments Brennan and that he actively offers advice on her relationships. He has commented after the fact before and she did consult him about going out with the victim's brother in The Headless Witch in the Woods even if she ultimately ignored him. Here she tells Wexler straight away that Booth has warned her about him. Concern for his partner, or clearing the field?

After the butler confesses we have the final scene with Booth once again proposing his fatalistic view on life.
BOOTH: Why are you looking at me like that? I'm just here to help you pick out a guy, you know. Never mind. I'm just here to bring a little luck.
BRENNAN: I don't believe in luck.
(The Tower Bridge starts opening behind them, but neither notice.)


BOOTH: What do you mean, you don't believe in luck? Okay, well, how do you explain when good things happen out of nowhere?
BRENNAN: Define "good things."
BOOTH: You know, good things. Money in the bank. Uh, hey, Doris Day parking, a big piece of-
BRENNAN: What's Doris Day parking?
BOOTH: A big piece of the pie, that's good luck.
BRENNAN: I call that a solipsistic perceptual response to the random nature of the Universe.
BOOTH: Well, tomato, potato. Call it what you want. You know what? It's still luck.
BRENNAN:You are lucky I understand you when you say things that make no sense.
BOOTH: See, you just agreed with me that is was luck. You just agreed, right there, so I'll take that.
BRENNAN: I did not agree!

So, not much to add. We already knew Booth was not a fan of tea although he does find the Black Assam more appealing because it is strong, but the rest of the stuff was mostly hoopla for the benefit of the English setting. The second part was slightly better, in that Booth rediscovered his investigative skills. His gift from the police however, is the most interesting thing in that it is added to his desk paraphernalia when he gets home and it has stayed there ever since.

Booth has been referred to as a knight in FBI issue armour and this second episode feeds into that chivalric view he would like to have of the world.
BOOTH: You know, I’m glad to be heading home, but I think America dropped too much of the uh, English stuff back in 1776. (Booth hands Brennan more bags)
BRENNAN: Like what?
BOOTH: You know, like, uh, royalty.
BRENNAN: Meaningless title. No real power.
BOOTH: What, you never wanted to be a princess when you were a kid?
BRENNAN: No.
BOOTH: Even now---a castle, the moats, knights in shining armour. (Brennan shakes her head and looks confused.) You know what? I risk my life for the United States government every day. I wonder if I can get Congress to pass something like…(Booth’s cell rings.) knighthood. “Sir Seeley Booth.” It just sounds right.

He gets his wish at the end.

BOOTH: You know, Wexler was kind of like a Robin Hood kind of a character—steal from the rich.
BRENNAN: I turned down my chance to sleep with Robin Hood?
BOOTH: Sometimes you just take the oddest leap. (Pritchard approaches them, carrying something)
BOOTH: (in an English accent) Hey, Pritch. Cheerio, mate. (He smiles and turns to Brennan, proud of himself)
PRITCHARD: “Hello” is fine. (Picking up a knife) On behalf of her Majesty the Queen of England (she taps Booth on each shoulder) I dub you Sir Seeley Booth (she puts down the knife and places a ribbon over Booth’s neck) Knight of the Realm.
BOOTH: Wow.
BRENNAN: (reading the ribbon) “Official Junior Knight”
BOOTH: Eh? Look at that. Wait a second. That’s from a toy store.
PRITCHARD: It doesn’t mean you’re not Sir Galahad.
BOOTH: Thanks.


This foray was littered with errors, but kept up Booth's reputation as the intellectually challenged end of the partnership. At least his ignorance is based on his own experience of life, confusing VHL disease with NHL; confusing Frankenstein and the monster;  thinking a Gentlemen's Club is for pole dancing. He also proves his hard head is still intact taking a head butt in his stride so that the perpetrator is the one who ends up on the ground.

His romantic fantasy as a knight might fall on stony ground with Brennan, but at least she accepts his gentlemanly arm as they head off back to the safety of the good ol' U S of A.

Oh, I'm going to miss the first day of our first game at home on Wednesday if I go to the Quayside. *ponders* Quayside I think. Good food, good wine, good friends. I can go to days 2 and 3 instead. he he

[identity profile] amilyn.livejournal.com 2011-04-18 03:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Very nice, as always. I had a lot of trouble with the ep's cheese factor re: knighthood, and, despite being an Anglophile, found Booth's decided unfondness of Britain to be, well, in keeping with his absolute American patriotism.

I think that his statement about how he'd have fought with the Loyalists in the American Revolution is more to do with being loyal to his first/original oaths, and in the idea of if he'd been a law enforcement officer before the Declaration and rebellion than any specific attitude about the separation as a modern American. And I love that about him.

Also, I can forgive a lot for the ep having Indira Varma. Mmmmm. (Also, she gave ED advice on where to find good Indian restaurants who had good veg and vegan stuff whilst they were in the UK.)

One nitpick: the vowels in my username are backwards. Thanks for the nod, though!

[identity profile] a-mistletoe.livejournal.com 2011-04-18 04:49 pm (UTC)(link)
I shall correct. I have Amy in my head as opposed to Ami.

The supporting stars were very good and I think Booth mellowed towards England once he found the beer.

[identity profile] amilyn.livejournal.com 2011-04-18 08:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, I am actually an Amy Lynn in RL. But "Amilyn" was how a friend addressed notes to me in school in jr. high and is what I chose as my "Everywhere Online" handle. :-)

But it does make it difficult.

[identity profile] a-mistletoe.livejournal.com 2011-04-18 08:03 pm (UTC)(link)
I must be psychic.
ext_2333: "That's right,  people, I am a constant surprise." (bones halloween)

[identity profile] makd.livejournal.com 2011-04-18 03:31 pm (UTC)(link)
nicely done, as always.

(Not one of my favorite episodes, although I did love the team of Pritchard and Wexler.)

(I wonder if this is the beginning of Brain Tumor!Booth)
Edited 2011-04-18 15:33 (UTC)

[identity profile] a-mistletoe.livejournal.com 2011-04-18 04:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Strangely that head butt did spark similar thoughts when I watched again. He had been knocked unconscious before, but I think they were just making a point about his hardness.
fourth_rose: (Bones puppy eyes)

[personal profile] fourth_rose 2011-04-18 04:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Yay, your Booth meta is back! :)

Since I'm neither British nor American, I hope it's okay for me to say that I really enjoyed this episode (especially part 1) as a slightly cracky comedy because the stereotypes were so obviously overdone on both sides - Booth's cowboy act was just as much part of the satire as "it was the butler" to me ;-)

[identity profile] a-mistletoe.livejournal.com 2011-04-18 04:41 pm (UTC)(link)
You're right! I'm sure there are few Germans wandering round in lederhosen eating sauerkraut and quaffing litres of beer ;)
fourth_rose: (Bones LOL)

[personal profile] fourth_rose 2011-04-18 04:52 pm (UTC)(link)
*snickers* Well, the lederhosen exist as well as the sauerkraut and the beer, but yes, the combination isn't all that common outside of folksy music festivals - at least not as far as I'm aware of (I'm not German, so I can't be 100% certain ;))

[identity profile] a-mistletoe.livejournal.com 2011-04-18 04:56 pm (UTC)(link)
It was my nearest European caricature! Coulda been French!
fourth_rose: (Bones Stoned Booth)

[personal profile] fourth_rose 2011-04-18 05:25 pm (UTC)(link)
Feel free to take your pick from my favorite collection of European stereotypes (link leads to a 2 MB pdf file, the funny part starts on page 11) ;)

[identity profile] a-mistletoe.livejournal.com 2011-04-18 05:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh thank you. I'll spend some time with that!

[identity profile] huronia.livejournal.com 2011-04-18 06:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Since we were talking about purgatory earlier, here is a fitting joke:

Heaven is made of : German mechanics, English writers, French cooks & Italian lovers

Hell is made of : German lovers, English cooks, Italian writers and French mechanics.

[identity profile] a-mistletoe.livejournal.com 2011-04-18 06:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Funny because it's true!
fourth_rose: (Bones LOL)

[personal profile] fourth_rose 2011-04-18 06:40 pm (UTC)(link)
*giggles* Oh, I love that ;)

[identity profile] amilyn.livejournal.com 2011-04-18 08:12 pm (UTC)(link)
The version I've heard is:

In the European Heaven, all the cooks are French, all the policemen are English, all the lovers are Italian, everything is built by the Germans, and it's all run by the Swiss.

In the European Hell, all the cooks are English, all the policemen are German, all the lovers are Swiss, everything is built by the French, and it's all run by the Italians.

:-)

[identity profile] huronia.livejournal.com 2011-04-18 08:23 pm (UTC)(link)
I like the who is running it part, but when we get to hell containing Swiss lovers, I think of Roger Federer and I'm not convinced (not that I have any evidence, mind)

[identity profile] huronia.livejournal.com 2011-04-18 06:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Just the other day, I was thinking, HMMM, are we getting a Season 4 Booth-a-Rama from [livejournal.com profile] mistletoe54 and now, voila, here we begin.
I so wanted to see Booth get nekkid with Pritch. It wouldn't have worked in that episode b/c he was trying to discourage Brennan from her own dalliance, but I've been secretly hoping Pritch would find her way back to DC and start a torrid affair. Instead we got Blondie. Terrible trade-off.

Once again, Bones is painting with broad brushstrokes, and this time it's the UK that gets the treatment. I still remember my husband, after the hockey episode, saying (somewhat askance) "that's not what hockey's about!" I guess the fact that the butler did it should point to the Show really playing this one for laughs. One has to hope that the rest of the viewing audience is not taking their "true facts about the UK" from Bones.
It concerns me that Booth, who is a city boy, has been driving since he was 12. Farm kids I understand, but not city kids, unless he was talking about go-carts. Otherwise, what kind of supervision did he have?

Just a point about the Gentleman's Club. Here in my home and native land, that is code for peeler bar so I understand Booth's confusion.

And now, since we are talking about things British, a question: Is Whitsuntide a holiday as in a day off work? What is its purpose?

[identity profile] a-mistletoe.livejournal.com 2011-04-18 06:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah Whit week has become in these non-religious times Spring Bank Holiday. It is the feast of the Holy Spirit descending upon the disciples if I recall my Sunday school correctly. So it used to be Whitsunday only and everyone went to church. Should be 6 weeks after Easter. Schools get a week off as half term, but nobody else does except maybe the Monday. It is a so called Bank holiday because the banks were shut.

[identity profile] huronia.livejournal.com 2011-04-18 06:38 pm (UTC)(link)
So it's really just become an excuse for bank employees to have a day off in the spring weather?

[identity profile] a-mistletoe.livejournal.com 2011-04-18 06:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Others do too. It's hard to tell now because the shops tend to stay open. The other Bank holidays do tend to fall in the summer except for New Year's Day and the current government is trying to move May bank Holiday to either St George's Day (April 23rd) or Trafalgar Day in October. It's supposed to extend the tourist season :-/

[identity profile] incasink.livejournal.com 2011-04-20 09:01 am (UTC)(link)
<3! didnt watch most of this season but am still excited for your musings!

[identity profile] a-mistletoe.livejournal.com 2011-04-20 10:07 am (UTC)(link)
Actually, this season stands up really well until the middle where it went a bit screwy, but it recovered in the last 4 or 5 episodes. (;