Helloooo Booth fans
Jul. 24th, 2011 12:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mistletoeHave you missed me? There has been such a lot going on with icon making and re-watch discussions that my Season 4 re-watch has fallen behind somewhat. So, to remedy that today, we have two pivotal episodes in what turned out to be a serious illness for Agent Booth. Why nobody picked up the symptoms, what with concussion, stun gunning and two instances of hallucinations is just one of those crazy things that happens on television shows. Anyway, here we go with the next edition of A Booth for all seasons: Fire in the Ice and Hero in the Hold.
We know that Booth is all about sports and here we have another example: ice hockey. This is a contact sport and, considering how often Booth has to hold in outbursts of violence, would seem to be the perfect outlet for him to work off a little steam. However, from the outset he seems very aggressive, disappointed by the standard of refereeing, getting penalised and ending up with a fight on the ice with Pete Carlsson who had given Wendell concussion after which Booth has a broken hand.
This all seems part of the sport and nothing to be too alarmed about until the opponent turns up murdered a month later. Booth immediately puts himself on the suspect list. This is a typical reaction of his, as no one gets a free pass when it comes to murder.
The way he reacts to his replacement suggests he is not above a little flirting even at this stage in the game. After all, she is blonde and there is room for innuendo in the interrogation room if the agent is charming enough. This is soon curtailed by Sweets feeding her a question to which Booth takes exception.
PEROTTA: Do you feel that your experience as the child of an abusive alcoholic has made you more prone to violence?
BOOTH: Excuse me. (Gets up and leaves room, slamming door. Walks through hallway to room behind the mirror, where Sweets is standing) What the hell are you doing?
SWEETS: It's part of my job to assist the interrogating agent.
BOOTH: You know I didn't murder anyone, Sweets, all right? So what you're doing right now is you're just studying me.
SWEETS: That's part of our agreement, too.
BOOTH: You have a question for me, you ask me yourself. Don't use her.
SWEETS: All right, okay, two questions. One: am I picking up some sexual tension between you and Agent Perotta?
BOOTH: How the hell do I know what you're picking up?
SWEETS: Okay. Uh, two: underneath your affable exterior is a deep reservoir of rage. My question is, do you always have that under control?
BOOTH: You know, if I didn't, you'd be dead right now instead of just wincing.
SWEETS: I'm not wincing.
BOOTH: Don't ever bring my old man up again. (turns and leaves, slamming the door)
SWEETS: Rats. I winced.
Booth is, above all things, private and he does not appreciate a moment like this for Sweets to be trying to find out some of his inner demons. He is also happier to answer questions in private, without Agent Perotta being party to it. Still, he is happiest of all, not answering any questions about himself and makes it clear to Sweets where the priorities should lie. The demon has been raised though and even if Sweets has been put in his place, Booth cannot ignore something that he clearly fears about himself.
Others seem to believe he is likely to revert to type, even his oldest friend:
CAM: No. Drowning's not the way Booth would kill someone. Not that I actually suspect Booth. At all. (stuttering) Quit staring at me.
Booth continues on the case anyway, flirting or otherwise with Agent Perotta and revealing that as far as he is concerned, he has no wrong hand when it comes to shooting a gun.
Suspicions have been voiced, and we know that Booth has killed before, though only in the line of duty, militarily or as a law enforcement officer. How far that is part of who Booth is, is relentlessly pursued by Sweets who, in spite of being warned off, seems intent on his own demise at Booth's hands.
SWEETS: Agent Booth, it's come to the attention of the deputy director that you are a viable suspect in a murder case.
BOOTH: Right, okay, and he wants you to make sure that I'm not viable.
SWEETS: That's correct.
BOOTH: Come on, Sweets, you know I didn't kill anyone. So, you know, put that in shrink talk and write out your little form and send it in.
SWEETS: Mm-hmm, yes, of course, but to do that, I need to ask you some questions.
BOOTH: Great. Shoot.
SWEETS: I saw you in that game. You beat another man to the ice.
BOOTH: It's hockey. I was protecting my teammate.
SWEETS: You broke your hand on his helmet.
BOOTH: It's hockey. Okay, you never played, did you?
SWEETS: Oh, I'd run track and cross country and did some wrestling and ch...
BOOTH: Chess!
SWEETS: No.
BOOTH: Checkers?
SWEETS: Didn't say that.
BOOTH: You know what? Then you know nothing... It's about teams, okay? And teamwork. Obviously you don't know anything about that, Dr. Sweets.
SWEETS: You joined the army. You became a sniper. You joined the FBI. Do you see the, uh, the binding element in those choices? It's violence.
BOOTH: Or the love of uniforms. You ever think that?
SWEETS: Agent Booth, I believe that you are ready to confr ont the fact that the violence you may have suffered in childhood...
BOOTH: You know what?
SWEETS: has followed you into adulthood.
BOOTH: Fill out the form.
At which point Caroline interrupts to put an end to any revela tions Booth might have made. So far, he hasn't revealed anything. But, Sweets has raised an interesting question. For him, Booth has made his career choices based on the violence that both the Army and the FBI offer. However, Booth has placed his emphasis on teamwork. Being part of a team, having a sense of belonging are just as likely a motivation for Booth if we want to pursue the dysfunctional family route. Booth feels that he didn't have a proper family as a child; his adult life has been all about trying to create a family, a place where he belongs and is appreciated if not loved.
Booth's parting shot is a clear indication of what he thinks about Sweets' ability to understand him.
BOOTH: Sweets, I've killed but I've never murdered before. Look up the difference in your little black book there, okay?
Yes, experience counts, and Booth's experience of life, ice hockey and teamwork stand him in good stead here. Which is why his cunning plan to get some blood from another hockey player is basically to put himself at risk.
Firstly he saws off his own cast so he can play even though it should be on for another two weeks. Next, he goes around hitting various opponents so Wendell can collect their blood. Finally he goes one on one with Lou Herrin who responds eventually by hitting him so hard his helmet comes off and he smashes the back of his head off the ice. That's taking one for the team Sweets. Here, Booth has his epiphany courtesy of his encounter with Luc Robitaille.
BOOTH: Right. You're the greatest left-winger of all time.
LUC ROBITAILLE: And you're the best player on your team. For what that's worth. All right, let's go. Come on, let's play. Here we go. Come on, show me something! Hey, come on, move, move! Move, move, let's go!
BOOTH: Whoa, wait a second. I can't play hockey with you. I gotta solve a murder.
LUC ROBITAILLE: You know, Booth... it's not about the blood. (scores a goal)
BOOTH: It's our best forensic clue.
LUC ROBITAILLE: Forget the blood.
BOOTH: Then what?
LUC ROBITAILLE: You know what makes a team. Look at the team. It's about what brings a team together.
BOOTH: The team. Look at the team.
LUC ROBITAILLE: All right, let's go, one on one. Let's see what you got. Come on, B.
(Booth skates towards Luc Robitaille, checks into him and falls onto his back again)
BOOTH: Geez, ugh. I thought I could get by you there, you know?
LUC ROBITAILLE: You'll never get by me.
BOOTH: Right.
LUC ROBITAILLE: Now, listen, Booth, you're not your father, okay? You protect the ones you care about, on the ice and off the ice. That's who you are. You're not your father. You're not your father.
Whatever the cause of the hallucination, Booth has put his finger on how to solve the murder and what his greatest fear is. He can't convince himself of that of course, so along comes his superhero, someone he wishes to emulate, who tells him the truth.
Having concussion, Booth continues quite surreally to the end of the case. He doesn't tell Sweets anything, but he does tell Bones.
BRENNAN: I would like to know what he said.
BOOTH: He said that I'm not like my old man. He said I'm made of better stuff.
BRENNAN: Well... I don't know your old man, your father, but... I think you're made of very, very good stuff.
Whatever, the seriousness of the brain injury and the likelihood of Lucky Luc skating in with the answers, Booth has been on quite a journey in the episode. At the beginning he is full of aggression and irritablility, by the end he has come to terms with a piece of his past and calmly skating around with Bones.
The best tux that money can rent.
Having dealt with being a son to some extent, Booth must now confront what it means to be a father, or, more accurately, a father figure. Hero in the Hold finds Booth becoming a victim of the Gravedigger in the second leg of that arc Whatever the reality of what goes on aboard the ship, Booth demonstrates his survival instincts and resourcefulness whether it be alone, assisted by a ghost or succumbing to another hallucination. He also shows us another facet of his instinct to feel responsible when things go wrong and that he should not always have to bear the guilt.
When Booth gets out of his Beatles toy prison he finds himself alone in a hold. Immediately, he is not alone.
BOOTH: You’re…you’re a hallucination, that’s what you are. You’re a hallucination.
TEDDY: Aww, that’s nice. I show up to help you and you toss me off as a hallucination. (he closes the lid of the submarine)
BOOTH: You’re dead corporal. I felt your heart stop.
TEDDY: No use crying over spilled milk, Sarge.
BOOTH: You know what? You’re not real. This isn’t real. You know what? I am gonna focus on what is real. Right? Real, like getting out of this place. Okay… (He looks up to see a hatch door high up by a catwalk. Teddy follows his gaze)
TEDDY: Nah, Sarge. It’s too high. How about that one? (he nods his head in the direction of another hatch door on their level.
BOOTH: (he looks to where Teddy nodded) I already saw that. (he walks to it)
TEDDY: Now you’re getting competitive with a hallucination. (Booth glares back at him. Teddy looks over his shoulder to the darkness behind. He looks back at Booth.) What? Oh, right. No, still here. (Booth glares at him for a little while until he turns his concentration back to the door) Aw, you really haven’t changed, Sarge. (He steps closer to Booth) Once you knew it had to be done, nothing can stop you.
BOOTH: (frustrated) Enough already, okay?
TEDDY: (he straightens into military position) Yes sir, Sergeant.
BOOTH: (walking back to the sub and mumbling to himself) I got this. (he takes one of the propellers off the sub and brings it back to the door)
TEDDY: Hey, look at that. You’re making progress.
It's interesting that Booth falls back on military training to get him through this and also interesting that he hallucinates a dead comrade. That is what he believes at this point, telling Teddy that he has already seen a hatch just to make sure the audience knows that Booth could be doing this all by himself, that point gets a little blurry as we go along.
Why did he choose Teddy?
BOOTH: Tell you what. You were always the guy to be with in a tough spot.
TEDDY: You never said anything like that, Sarge. Mostly you just grunted. And made me get coffee.
Along the way we find out that the corporal was called Parker, and Booth chose that name for his son. We also find out that Booth blames himself for his death. Booth is nothing if not sentimental and if Cpl Parker did not live beyond the age of 20 then Booth tries to make sure that his name does. He also begins to elaborate how much he needs help.
(Another hatch is being pushed up from the floor. Teddy climbs out, Booth follows. He grabs onto Teddy’s shoulder and starts feeling his face and body)
TEDDY: Woah…okay…get a grip, Sarge. You’re attacking your own hallucination.
BOOTH: You are not an hallucination. You helped me open up that hatch. I wouldn’t have been able to open up that hatch without you.
TEDDY: Okay, okay. So what does that make me?
BOOTH: You…are a ghost.
TEDDY: I’m a ghost? (Booth turns around and looks at the new room they’ve entered) Hey, why aren’t you scared?
(Booth sees a fake skeleton dressed as a pirate)
BOOTH: You being a ghost is not even on the list of things that scare me.
So ghost Parker helps Booth with the physical strength needed to get off the ship, if you want to go down that route, but Booth could have just been running on adrenalin. More intriguing is the other reason why Teddy is there. Teddy is more forgiving of Booth than he is himself.
BOOTH: You never should have gone on that last mission. (silence) I mean…taking on another sniper that was…that was way beyond your…capabilities. There was…you could…that’s why you’re haunting me, right? You’re…(he nods his head looking for approval)
TEDDY: Can’t an old army buddy just show up to lend a helping hand?
Later there is more.
TEDDY: So…just to sum things up. The ship’s about to explode and now there’s no way to stop it.
BOOTH: Rub it in. I got you killed twice.
TEDDY: Where we going?
BOOTH: We got to get out of here.
TEDDY: Hey, even if we get out onto the deck, we’re gonna have to jump into the ocean.
BOOTH: That’s right.
TEDDY: Where if the fall doesn’t kill us we’ll get hypothermia and drown.
BOOTH: Oh no. I get hypothermia and drown. Who knows what’ll happen to you?
TEDDY: If you die Sarge, I’m gone. There’s not a single person left on the planet who will remember me. It’d be like I was never here.
BOOTH: No.
TEDDY: No?
BOOTH: No. There’s…there’s that uh…girl. She won’t forget you.
TEDDY: You mean Claire?
BOOTH: Yeah, Claire. You know, every…day on the anniversary of your death I…I go to your grave and I uh…I visit you. And there’s always flowers from Claire.
TEDDY: Did you ever see her?
BOOTH: From a distance, yeah.
TEDDY: Why don’t you talk to her?
BOOTH: She blames me for your death.
TEDDY: That’s crazy.
BOOTH: That’s not crazy. (he looks at Teddy for a second, and then walks by as he changes direction) I blame me too.
Yes Booth takes on the sins of the world at the drop of a hat. He has a tremendous case of survivor's guilt. He also has a low self esteem, but Teddy can boost that, and does.
BOOTH: You still with me, Teddy?
TEDDY: Yeah. But I got to tell you, I feel like we’ve kinda…been here before.
BOOTH: I’m sorry I got you killed.
Flash
(Booth’s memory: Booth and Teddy are setting up their guns to take out the target. They are covered in camouflage netting. Booth is concentrating on his gun and Teddy leans up a little and gets shot in the chest)
BOOTH: (voice over from ship) I was so anxious to get off that shot, take out my target that I forgot to tell you…
Flash
(They are still moving up through the ship)
TEDDY: You told me to get down twice. You gave the order. I didn’t listen.
BOOTH: What?
(They reach the bottom of another set of stairs)
TEDDY: Sarge, stop. (Booth stops) I didn’t come here to haunt you. I came to tell you it wasn’t your fault. (Booth looks at him)
Flash
(Booth’s memory: Teddy is lying on the ground, dead. Booth is sitting next to the body and staring into the ground. He takes no notice of the surrounding helicopters)
Why would Booth not remember that he followed protocol? Judging by the way he is reacting in the flashback he has blocked out that part of the events and taken on the blame for Teddy being killed. But Teddy has to tell him one final thing before he disappears.
TEDDY: Rangers lead the way, Sarge.
BOOTH: (out of breath) Right, just lead the way, Corporal. (he puts Teddy down against the wall) There. All right? (Booth looks up and sees the helicopter approaching)
TEDDY: Sarge? (Booth looks from the helicopter back to Teddy) I knew what you did for me…How far you carried me.
Booth now knows that too. Technically, Teddy was a device to stop Booth from having to talk to himself as he fashioned his escape. He was not kidnapped along with someone else like Brennan and Hodgins were. However, along the way there are a couple of revelations: why he chose the name Parker, and what happened in one mission in the Rangers. Maybe it was a reason for why Booth quit the military. Feeling responsible for the death of a 20 year old kid would not be something Booth could just brush off. He may have a glib answer for Brennan
BRENNAN: (after a moment) I read through your report. It seems as if you would need 2 people to do most of what you did.
BOOTH: I had help. There was a ghost.
BRENNAN: You were injured, drugged, disoriented, breathing bad air…There are no such things as ghosts.
BOOTH: Whatever you have to tell yourself there, Bones. (She scoffs and he says nothing)
BRENNAN: (pausing) Whose ghost?
BOOTH: (pointing) He’s buried over there.
BRENNAN: The ghost?
BOOTH: Corporal Edward Parker. He was slain while serving his country. (pauses) He was 20. He was just a kid.
BRENNAN: Was it…your fault that he died?
BOOTH: (pauses and shakes his head) No. Fortunes of war. It wasn’t my fault.
but those are the words of a man many years and many deaths down the line.
If Teddy Parker was ever on that boat, and if he did help Booth get out of it, then we have another aspect of Booth's beliefs that Brennan does not share. If he was not, then at least Booth has had the opportunity to lay a metaphorical ghost from his past that will allow him to move on with a less guilty conscience.
He was lucky to escape at nothing more than the cost of his Cocky belt buckle. Brennan got him a new one.
A BOOTH FOR ALL SEASONS
It's what Booth does. Keeps the other team honest. He's what you call an enforcer.SEASON 4 - Fathers and sons
We know that Booth is all about sports and here we have another example: ice hockey. This is a contact sport and, considering how often Booth has to hold in outbursts of violence, would seem to be the perfect outlet for him to work off a little steam. However, from the outset he seems very aggressive, disappointed by the standard of refereeing, getting penalised and ending up with a fight on the ice with Pete Carlsson who had given Wendell concussion after which Booth has a broken hand.
This all seems part of the sport and nothing to be too alarmed about until the opponent turns up murdered a month later. Booth immediately puts himself on the suspect list. This is a typical reaction of his, as no one gets a free pass when it comes to murder.
Notice the Flyers logo, the Phillies and I ♥ DADDY!
The way he reacts to his replacement suggests he is not above a little flirting even at this stage in the game. After all, she is blonde and there is room for innuendo in the interrogation room if the agent is charming enough. This is soon curtailed by Sweets feeding her a question to which Booth takes exception.
PEROTTA: Do you feel that your experience as the child of an abusive alcoholic has made you more prone to violence?
BOOTH: Excuse me. (Gets up and leaves room, slamming door. Walks through hallway to room behind the mirror, where Sweets is standing) What the hell are you doing?
SWEETS: It's part of my job to assist the interrogating agent.
BOOTH: You know I didn't murder anyone, Sweets, all right? So what you're doing right now is you're just studying me.
SWEETS: That's part of our agreement, too.
BOOTH: You have a question for me, you ask me yourself. Don't use her.
SWEETS: All right, okay, two questions. One: am I picking up some sexual tension between you and Agent Perotta?
BOOTH: How the hell do I know what you're picking up?
SWEETS: Okay. Uh, two: underneath your affable exterior is a deep reservoir of rage. My question is, do you always have that under control?
BOOTH: You know, if I didn't, you'd be dead right now instead of just wincing.
SWEETS: I'm not wincing.
SWEETS: Rats. I winced.
Booth is, above all things, private and he does not appreciate a moment like this for Sweets to be trying to find out some of his inner demons. He is also happier to answer questions in private, without Agent Perotta being party to it. Still, he is happiest of all, not answering any questions about himself and makes it clear to Sweets where the priorities should lie. The demon has been raised though and even if Sweets has been put in his place, Booth cannot ignore something that he clearly fears about himself.
Others seem to believe he is likely to revert to type, even his oldest friend:
CAM: No. Drowning's not the way Booth would kill someone. Not that I actually suspect Booth. At all. (stuttering) Quit staring at me.
Booth continues on the case anyway, flirting or otherwise with Agent Perotta and revealing that as far as he is concerned, he has no wrong hand when it comes to shooting a gun.
SWEETS: Agent Booth, it's come to the attention of the deputy director that you are a viable suspect in a murder case.
BOOTH: Right, okay, and he wants you to make sure that I'm not viable.
SWEETS: That's correct.
BOOTH: Come on, Sweets, you know I didn't kill anyone. So, you know, put that in shrink talk and write out your little form and send it in.
SWEETS: Mm-hmm, yes, of course, but to do that, I need to ask you some questions.
SWEETS: I saw you in that game. You beat another man to the ice.
BOOTH: It's hockey. I was protecting my teammate.
SWEETS: You broke your hand on his helmet.
BOOTH: It's hockey. Okay, you never played, did you?
SWEETS: Oh, I'd run track and cross country and did some wrestling and ch...
BOOTH: Chess!
SWEETS: No.
BOOTH: Checkers?
SWEETS: Didn't say that.
SWEETS: You joined the army. You became a sniper. You joined the FBI. Do you see the, uh, the binding element in those choices? It's violence.
BOOTH: Or the love of uniforms. You ever think that?
SWEETS: Agent Booth, I believe that you are ready to confr ont the fact that the violence you may have suffered in childhood...
BOOTH: You know what?
BOOTH: Fill out the form.
At which point Caroline interrupts to put an end to any revela tions Booth might have made. So far, he hasn't revealed anything. But, Sweets has raised an interesting question. For him, Booth has made his career choices based on the violence that both the Army and the FBI offer. However, Booth has placed his emphasis on teamwork. Being part of a team, having a sense of belonging are just as likely a motivation for Booth if we want to pursue the dysfunctional family route. Booth feels that he didn't have a proper family as a child; his adult life has been all about trying to create a family, a place where he belongs and is appreciated if not loved.
Booth's parting shot is a clear indication of what he thinks about Sweets' ability to understand him.
BOOTH: Sweets, I've killed but I've never murdered before. Look up the difference in your little black book there, okay?
Yes, experience counts, and Booth's experience of life, ice hockey and teamwork stand him in good stead here. Which is why his cunning plan to get some blood from another hockey player is basically to put himself at risk.
Firstly he saws off his own cast so he can play even though it should be on for another two weeks. Next, he goes around hitting various opponents so Wendell can collect their blood. Finally he goes one on one with Lou Herrin who responds eventually by hitting him so hard his helmet comes off and he smashes the back of his head off the ice. That's taking one for the team Sweets. Here, Booth has his epiphany courtesy of his encounter with Luc Robitaille.
BOOTH: Right. You're the greatest left-winger of all time.
LUC ROBITAILLE: And you're the best player on your team. For what that's worth. All right, let's go. Come on, let's play. Here we go. Come on, show me something! Hey, come on, move, move! Move, move, let's go!
BOOTH: Whoa, wait a second. I can't play hockey with you. I gotta solve a murder.
LUC ROBITAILLE: You know, Booth... it's not about the blood. (scores a goal)
BOOTH: It's our best forensic clue.
LUC ROBITAILLE: Forget the blood.
BOOTH: Then what?
LUC ROBITAILLE: You know what makes a team. Look at the team. It's about what brings a team together.
BOOTH: The team. Look at the team.
LUC ROBITAILLE: All right, let's go, one on one. Let's see what you got. Come on, B.
(Booth skates towards Luc Robitaille, checks into him and falls onto his back again)
BOOTH: Geez, ugh. I thought I could get by you there, you know?
LUC ROBITAILLE: You'll never get by me.
BOOTH: Right.
LUC ROBITAILLE: Now, listen, Booth, you're not your father, okay? You protect the ones you care about, on the ice and off the ice. That's who you are. You're not your father. You're not your father.
Whatever the cause of the hallucination, Booth has put his finger on how to solve the murder and what his greatest fear is. He can't convince himself of that of course, so along comes his superhero, someone he wishes to emulate, who tells him the truth.
Having concussion, Booth continues quite surreally to the end of the case. He doesn't tell Sweets anything, but he does tell Bones.
BRENNAN: I would like to know what he said.
BOOTH: He said that I'm not like my old man. He said I'm made of better stuff.
BRENNAN: Well... I don't know your old man, your father, but... I think you're made of very, very good stuff.
Whatever, the seriousness of the brain injury and the likelihood of Lucky Luc skating in with the answers, Booth has been on quite a journey in the episode. At the beginning he is full of aggression and irritablility, by the end he has come to terms with a piece of his past and calmly skating around with Bones.
The best tux that money can rent.
Having dealt with being a son to some extent, Booth must now confront what it means to be a father, or, more accurately, a father figure. Hero in the Hold finds Booth becoming a victim of the Gravedigger in the second leg of that arc Whatever the reality of what goes on aboard the ship, Booth demonstrates his survival instincts and resourcefulness whether it be alone, assisted by a ghost or succumbing to another hallucination. He also shows us another facet of his instinct to feel responsible when things go wrong and that he should not always have to bear the guilt.
When Booth gets out of his Beatles toy prison he finds himself alone in a hold. Immediately, he is not alone.
BOOTH: You’re…you’re a hallucination, that’s what you are. You’re a hallucination.
TEDDY: Aww, that’s nice. I show up to help you and you toss me off as a hallucination. (he closes the lid of the submarine)
BOOTH: You’re dead corporal. I felt your heart stop.
TEDDY: No use crying over spilled milk, Sarge.
BOOTH: You know what? You’re not real. This isn’t real. You know what? I am gonna focus on what is real. Right? Real, like getting out of this place. Okay… (He looks up to see a hatch door high up by a catwalk. Teddy follows his gaze)
TEDDY: Nah, Sarge. It’s too high. How about that one? (he nods his head in the direction of another hatch door on their level.
BOOTH: (he looks to where Teddy nodded) I already saw that. (he walks to it)
TEDDY: Now you’re getting competitive with a hallucination. (Booth glares back at him. Teddy looks over his shoulder to the darkness behind. He looks back at Booth.) What? Oh, right. No, still here. (Booth glares at him for a little while until he turns his concentration back to the door) Aw, you really haven’t changed, Sarge. (He steps closer to Booth) Once you knew it had to be done, nothing can stop you.
BOOTH: (frustrated) Enough already, okay?
TEDDY: (he straightens into military position) Yes sir, Sergeant.
BOOTH: (walking back to the sub and mumbling to himself) I got this. (he takes one of the propellers off the sub and brings it back to the door)
TEDDY: Hey, look at that. You’re making progress.
It's interesting that Booth falls back on military training to get him through this and also interesting that he hallucinates a dead comrade. That is what he believes at this point, telling Teddy that he has already seen a hatch just to make sure the audience knows that Booth could be doing this all by himself, that point gets a little blurry as we go along.
Why did he choose Teddy?
BOOTH: Tell you what. You were always the guy to be with in a tough spot.
TEDDY: You never said anything like that, Sarge. Mostly you just grunted. And made me get coffee.
Along the way we find out that the corporal was called Parker, and Booth chose that name for his son. We also find out that Booth blames himself for his death. Booth is nothing if not sentimental and if Cpl Parker did not live beyond the age of 20 then Booth tries to make sure that his name does. He also begins to elaborate how much he needs help.
(Another hatch is being pushed up from the floor. Teddy climbs out, Booth follows. He grabs onto Teddy’s shoulder and starts feeling his face and body)
BOOTH: You are not an hallucination. You helped me open up that hatch. I wouldn’t have been able to open up that hatch without you.
TEDDY: Okay, okay. So what does that make me?
BOOTH: You…are a ghost.
TEDDY: I’m a ghost? (Booth turns around and looks at the new room they’ve entered) Hey, why aren’t you scared?
(Booth sees a fake skeleton dressed as a pirate)
BOOTH: You being a ghost is not even on the list of things that scare me.
So ghost Parker helps Booth with the physical strength needed to get off the ship, if you want to go down that route, but Booth could have just been running on adrenalin. More intriguing is the other reason why Teddy is there. Teddy is more forgiving of Booth than he is himself.
BOOTH: You never should have gone on that last mission. (silence) I mean…taking on another sniper that was…that was way beyond your…capabilities. There was…you could…that’s why you’re haunting me, right? You’re…(he nods his head looking for approval)
TEDDY: Can’t an old army buddy just show up to lend a helping hand?
Later there is more.
TEDDY: So…just to sum things up. The ship’s about to explode and now there’s no way to stop it.
BOOTH: Rub it in. I got you killed twice.
TEDDY: Where we going?
BOOTH: We got to get out of here.
TEDDY: Hey, even if we get out onto the deck, we’re gonna have to jump into the ocean.
BOOTH: That’s right.
TEDDY: Where if the fall doesn’t kill us we’ll get hypothermia and drown.
BOOTH: Oh no. I get hypothermia and drown. Who knows what’ll happen to you?
TEDDY: If you die Sarge, I’m gone. There’s not a single person left on the planet who will remember me. It’d be like I was never here.
BOOTH: No.
TEDDY: No?
BOOTH: No. There’s…there’s that uh…girl. She won’t forget you.
TEDDY: You mean Claire?
BOOTH: Yeah, Claire. You know, every…day on the anniversary of your death I…I go to your grave and I uh…I visit you. And there’s always flowers from Claire.
TEDDY: Did you ever see her?
BOOTH: From a distance, yeah.
TEDDY: Why don’t you talk to her?
BOOTH: She blames me for your death.
TEDDY: That’s crazy.
BOOTH: That’s not crazy. (he looks at Teddy for a second, and then walks by as he changes direction) I blame me too.
Yes Booth takes on the sins of the world at the drop of a hat. He has a tremendous case of survivor's guilt. He also has a low self esteem, but Teddy can boost that, and does.
BOOTH: You still with me, Teddy?
TEDDY: Yeah. But I got to tell you, I feel like we’ve kinda…been here before.
BOOTH: I’m sorry I got you killed.
Flash
(Booth’s memory: Booth and Teddy are setting up their guns to take out the target. They are covered in camouflage netting. Booth is concentrating on his gun and Teddy leans up a little and gets shot in the chest)
BOOTH: (voice over from ship) I was so anxious to get off that shot, take out my target that I forgot to tell you…
Flash
(They are still moving up through the ship)
TEDDY: You told me to get down twice. You gave the order. I didn’t listen.
BOOTH: What?
(They reach the bottom of another set of stairs)
TEDDY: Sarge, stop. (Booth stops) I didn’t come here to haunt you. I came to tell you it wasn’t your fault. (Booth looks at him)
Flash
(Booth’s memory: Teddy is lying on the ground, dead. Booth is sitting next to the body and staring into the ground. He takes no notice of the surrounding helicopters)
Why would Booth not remember that he followed protocol? Judging by the way he is reacting in the flashback he has blocked out that part of the events and taken on the blame for Teddy being killed. But Teddy has to tell him one final thing before he disappears.
TEDDY: Rangers lead the way, Sarge.
BOOTH: (out of breath) Right, just lead the way, Corporal. (he puts Teddy down against the wall) There. All right? (Booth looks up and sees the helicopter approaching)
TEDDY: Sarge? (Booth looks from the helicopter back to Teddy) I knew what you did for me…How far you carried me.
Booth now knows that too. Technically, Teddy was a device to stop Booth from having to talk to himself as he fashioned his escape. He was not kidnapped along with someone else like Brennan and Hodgins were. However, along the way there are a couple of revelations: why he chose the name Parker, and what happened in one mission in the Rangers. Maybe it was a reason for why Booth quit the military. Feeling responsible for the death of a 20 year old kid would not be something Booth could just brush off. He may have a glib answer for Brennan
BRENNAN: (after a moment) I read through your report. It seems as if you would need 2 people to do most of what you did.
BOOTH: I had help. There was a ghost.
BRENNAN: You were injured, drugged, disoriented, breathing bad air…There are no such things as ghosts.
BOOTH: Whatever you have to tell yourself there, Bones. (She scoffs and he says nothing)
BRENNAN: (pausing) Whose ghost?
BOOTH: (pointing) He’s buried over there.
BRENNAN: The ghost?
BOOTH: Corporal Edward Parker. He was slain while serving his country. (pauses) He was 20. He was just a kid.
BRENNAN: Was it…your fault that he died?
BOOTH: (pauses and shakes his head) No. Fortunes of war. It wasn’t my fault.
but those are the words of a man many years and many deaths down the line.
If Teddy Parker was ever on that boat, and if he did help Booth get out of it, then we have another aspect of Booth's beliefs that Brennan does not share. If he was not, then at least Booth has had the opportunity to lay a metaphorical ghost from his past that will allow him to move on with a less guilty conscience.
He was lucky to escape at nothing more than the cost of his Cocky belt buckle. Brennan got him a new one.
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(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-26 12:23 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-26 12:27 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-26 04:30 pm (UTC)Great post, as ever. Thank you.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-26 04:44 pm (UTC)I get dizzy in Hero in the Hold. I think the writers were trying for ambiguous but fell between two stools when they included the scene at Arlington at the end. Who did Brennan speak to? It was a completely innocuous exchange which could have been some random soldier talking to her. Yet they chose to give him Teddy Parker's face whom Brennan would not recognise, but the audience would. Were we supposed to think he had come to check on Booth doing what he said he would? If so then that's the hallucination out of the window.
To claim he was a hallucination, as they did in Critic in the Cabernet, ruins that whole scene. It would have been better to miss it out and leave us guessing.
The Cpl. Parker story was the most we ever got about Booth's military past, so hallucination or ghost, it did serve that purpose.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-26 08:03 pm (UTC)I'd be really interested to hear the writers 'take' on it actually, but I don't hold out much hope on that.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-26 08:11 pm (UTC)ITA that they could have left it with Booth telling Brennan "Whatever you have to tell yourself Bones" and maybe him seeing Teddy like they did it and waving to him. Brennan sees no one beside her. That would make hallucination more believable even if Booth believes it was a ghost.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-27 02:32 am (UTC)Twice during Fire in the Ice, Booth has very angry exchanges with Sweets (and deservedly so). If only we could get more pissed-at-Sweets Booth and less bromance.
My husband had a really hard time with Fire. He didn't feel it was a realistic portrayal of hockey; too much violence, not enough sport. I had to forgive Bones for the oversimplification b/c we got the double whammy - chesticles plus an ice skating scene. It really doesn't get much better.
I really enjoyed the exchanges between Teddy Parker and Booth. We got some glimpses into Booth's past and some understanding of what still haunts him. I also thought the actor who played Teddy was quite good.
I love that Brennan got Booth a new Cocky but it did leave me wondering - does she have a stack of them in her apartment? Seemed an odd thing to come up with in less than a day.
I was very disappointed in the Arlington scene (in most of this episode actually). Aside from the terrible green screening, it seemed tacked on. I also wish Parker hadn't been visible to Brennan, or that at least we hadn't seen his face when she spoke with him. It should have been left unresolved.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-27 12:36 pm (UTC)Yes, Sweets really overstepped the mark professionally here. But that's nothing new. The man is impervious and just comes across as nosy. I have things to say in Cinderella in the Cardboard where roles are a little reversed. Booth handles things so much better.
I guess Fire in the Ice is your husband's Yanks in the UK. There was a lot about unnecessary roughness in the last season though, even in the Stanley Cup games. However, just like College basketball isn't all about steroid abuse and corrupt practices (yet). ice hockey isn't just violence. It fed into the underlying story though so I don't think the NHL would take it too personally.
I have serious disappointments in Hero in the Hold both as an episode and as a pivotal segment of the Gravedigger story. I couldn't decide what they were trying to emphasise most and in the end both pieces of the story failed to come up to expectations. The ending was botched.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-28 05:46 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-28 08:41 am (UTC)