S10.E20: The Woman In The Whirlpool

[WendyCR72]

When the body of a well-known cookie jar collector is found in a riverbank, the Jeffersonian team must submerge themselves into the victim's collector community in order to catch the murderer. Meanwhile, Booth struggles to come to terms with Brennan's decision that he move out of their house due to his gambling addiction and Aubrey has his eye on one of the "squinterns".

[Mama No Life]

Didn't Raj's girlfriend already sleep with Sweets?  :/

 

This episode had better show me some BB love.  I'm already grumpy....end of grade testing. :(

[AntiBeeSpray]

Doesn't look that way. Brennan's planning on moving out. -_-

 

This is bs. I've had it with this show.

[WendyCR72]

Doesn't look that way. Brennan's planning on moving out. -_-

 

This is bs. I've had it with this show.

 

No, per the description, she tells Booth to move out.

[AntiBeeSpray]

No, per the description, she tells Booth to move out.

 

Whoops. Got it mixed up. But I'm still ticked.

[Mama No Life]

What was all the secret calls and stuff? Just Booth going to meetings or what?  And I thought there was a pic of him carrying Christine leaked from tonight's episode?

 

Well, anyway, they handled it pretty well.  I think it's pretty clear they will work things out, but Booth has a lot to sort out.  I buy that, and appreciate that they didn't wrap it up in one easy episode. 

[AntiBeeSpray]

What was all the secret calls and stuff? Just Booth going to meetings or what?  And I thought there was a pic of him carrying Christine leaked from tonight's episode?

 

Well, anyway, they handled it pretty well.  I think it's pretty clear they will work things out, but Booth has a lot to sort out.  I buy that, and appreciate that they didn't wrap it up in one easy episode. 

 

Good point. I'm still watching, but I'm glad that they didn't jump the shark in regards to it.

[shapeshifter]

So, like the victim whose obsession started after the head injury, Booth has had head injuries too, right? I'm not sure how I'd feel about them making Booth's addiction all about his head injury.

[WendyCR72]

I doubt Booth's head injury will be the cause of this relapse since Booth's gambling history has been a part of the character forever, most notably brought up all the way back in S2, not to mention "The Sum of The Parts In The Whole" (the fake flashback episode of B/B's first meeting and the 100th episode). For an addict, it could be literally anything that makes them backslide.

 

But between Sweets dying and Booth starting the season in prison, a lot can be mined as a root factor.

[shapeshifter]

I doubt Booth's head injury will be the cause of this relapse since Booth's gambling history has been a part of the character forever, most notably brought up all the way back in S2, not to mention "The Sum of The Parts In The Whole" (the fake flashback episode of B/B's first meeting and the 100th episode). For an addict, it could be literally anything that makes them backslide.

 

But between Sweets dying and Booth starting the season in prison, a lot can be mined as a root factor.

Yes to all of this, but wouldn't he likely have sustained head injuries in Afghanistan before he was even with the FBI?

[WendyCR72]

Yes to all of this, but wouldn't he likely have sustained head injuries in Afghanistan before he was even with the FBI?

 

He could have. But it has never been said that he did, either. And considering Booth's own dad was an addict - with his vice being alcohol - it still comes down to Booth has the predisposition even before the service.

 

Welcome to the chicken-egg scenario.

[Lizzing]

I'm kinda bummed that they didn't do a wink/nod to Victor Nightengale/Jack Donaghy's cookie jar collection from 30 Rock. After all, the whole cookie jar plot was a red herring to the real killer and a clumsy way (IMO) to shoehorn in the idea that Booth's gambling addiction has a physiological basis. So why not a bit of levity?

[shapeshifter]

Yes to all of this, but wouldn't he likely have sustained head injuries in Afghanistan before he was even with the FBI?

He could have. But it has never been said that he did, either. And considering Booth's own dad was an addict - with his vice being alcohol - it still comes down to Booth has the predisposition even before the service.

 

Welcome to the chicken-egg scenario.

I had forgotten that Booth's father had addiction problems too. So likely the head trauma will only be one factor, not the whole chicken or egg, heh--which is more believable and a less annoying.

[elzin]

So explain to me why it's weird that a 20-year old would still be living at home?  And while I don't live there, aren't real estate prices in the DC metro area astronomical? 

 

Also, I would think that you would not be able to decipher the embroidery based on how it was done. It looks like it was a patch, so there would have been a rectangular area of thread, not individual letters sewn on one by one.

 

I don't mind NewSweets and NewDaisy dating, but it literally has been done before with actors who are almost identical in every way.

[Mama No Life]

New Daisy actually slept with Classic Sweets, so it has LITERALLY been done.

[AntiBeeSpray]

New Daisy actually slept with Classic Sweets, so it has LITERALLY been done.

 

The heck?! Now I'm confused. O_o

[Trey]

Those Babe Ruth cookie jars sell on ebay for under $100 and don't seem to be all that rare.  Also, they are from 1997, it's not like Babe Ruth made them himself.

[david gideon]

I noticed that Kathy Reichs co-wrote this episode. It may have happened before but that's the first time I recall seeing her name as writer of the episode (she's always included as one of the seemingly dozens of producers).

[shapeshifter]

Those Babe Ruth cookie jars sell on ebay for under $100 and don't seem to be all that rare.  Also, they are from 1997, it's not like Babe Ruth made them himself.

Hee!

Either the show deliberately chose to not use a really rare item (even a fake) because viewers would know there was only one in existence in a museum in Kansas (or somewhere), or, more likely, it was to illustrate that the cookie jars weren't really valuable. They did say the seller of the Babe Ruth jar was set to sell it to the victim until the attic guy offered her an enormous amount of money for it, and then the seller seemed to think she could find another one for the victim anyway.

[chaifan]

Instead of creating roadblocks between Booth and Bones, and rather boring ones at that, couldn't the writers find a way to write scenes that show Booth and Brennan actually, oh, I don't know, sort of liking each other.  Showing some sort of genuine affection?  I get they aren't the huggy feely types, but this is the least passionate relationship on prime time.  Their on-screen time together is so very boring. 

How exactly does a hardware store cashier own a historic townhouse in the DC area? 

[AntiBeeSpray]

Instead of creating roadblocks between Booth and Bones, and rather boring ones at that, couldn't the writers find a way to write scenes that show Booth and Brennan actually, oh, I don't know, sort of liking each other.  Showing some sort of genuine affection?  I get they aren't the huggy feely types, but this is the least passionate relationship on prime time.  Their on-screen time together is so very boring. 

How exactly does a hardware store cashier own a historic townhouse in the DC area? 

 

I think they were trying to show that they were both under a lot of stress. Hence the lack of affection/liking to a point.

[mojoween]

Booth and Brennan were more affectionate to each other in episode one of the series when she was still pissed at him. And one of my favorite Booth moments is when he cornered the gang guy and put his gun to his face and said to never threaten his partner. That Booth was hot for Brennan. This Booth...eh.

Kathy Reichs wrote the infernally horrific episode when Hodgins incubated the bug in his neck and I've never forgiven her for it.

That preview pissed me off. Angela and Jack better not fucking leave.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Booth and Brennan were more affectionate to each other in episode one of the series when she was still pissed at him. And one of my favorite Booth moments is when he cornered the gang guy and put his gun to his face and said to never threaten his partner. That Booth was hot for Brennan. This Booth...eh.

Kathy Reichs wrote the infernally horrific episode when Hodgins incubated the bug in his neck and I've never forgiven her for it.

That preview pissed me off. Angela and Jack better not fucking leave.

 

Yea but that was a different situation. This one is one where he has to overcome his own demons. I don't blame her for feeling the way she about him. Of course she still loved him, but she was angry and concerned as well. I thought that she played it well and he did too.

 

Word on that. I'd be really ticked. They're part of the heart and soul of the show.

[chaifan]

I think they were trying to show that they were both under a lot of stress. Hence the lack of affection/liking to a point.

 

I get that in this episode, but I'm talking about the lack of chemistry/affection the whole season.  Actually pretty much the entire time since they officially became a couple.  It's the Moonlighting curse - they were much better in the "will they or won't they" mode than as an actual couple.

 

Does anyone know if the writers intended B&B to become a couple all along, or was it written in as a way to work with Emily's pregnancy?  I've always wondered...

[shapeshifter]

...Does anyone know if the writers intended B&B to become a couple all along, or was it written in as a way to work with Emily's pregnancy?  I've always wondered...

I saw the pilot and several of the first few episodes recently, and it seemed like they planned it.

[AntiBeeSpray]

I get that in this episode, but I'm talking about the lack of chemistry/affection the whole season.  Actually pretty much the entire time since they officially became a couple.  It's the Moonlighting curse - they were much better in the "will they or won't they" mode than as an actual couple.

 

Does anyone know if the writers intended B&B to become a couple all along, or was it written in as a way to work with Emily's pregnancy?  I've always wondered...

 

*ugh* That curse again. I don't buy into that at all. Never have. It's nothing more than an excuse to not get and keep characters together as couples.

 

Heck that happened before they were a couple as well (iirc it was around the time when the both of them were going to put their names into a container wish wise to get and maybe get together years later). I tend to think it's more of a behind the scenes thing tbh. It's happened with other actors on other shows before. Where they're not getting along or they're not on the same page. 

 

I kind of figured it was the latter, due to how it was going down originally. They seemed to try their BEST to avoid it, for whatever reason.

I saw the pilot and several of the first few episodes recently, and it seemed like they planned it.

 

I thought so too, but remembering how it was post poned and how they felt at parts, I wondered about it.

[Mama No Life]

I am not sure they planned it....I think it took on a life of its own b/c they had such great chemistry.  But yes, that chemistry is lacking lately. I don't think it's a Moonlighting curse or anything....it's because the actors are barely showing any emotion at all, and the writers aren't helping with the dialogue.  It wasn't that long ago that Booth compared working with his wife to surviving hostile Iraq military. 

[Clanstarling]

I had forgotten that Booth's father had addiction problems too. So likely the head trauma will only be one factor, not the whole chicken or egg, heh--which is more believable and a less annoying.

I didn't take the head trauma explanation to apply directly to Booth. But rather, that the case hit home (ala Gray's Anatomy), and he was able to offer the daughter some comfort with the explanation. His resistance to the meetings ended after he saw what damage a fairly innocent obsession did to a woman's daughter. Whether his inclination to addiction was genetic or traumatic, the case opened his eyes and broke through his refusal to admit he had a problem.

 

As for Brennan throwing him out - I have no issues with that. Not only did his addiction put Brennan and their daughter in actual danger, she gave him the opportunity to come clean, and he lied. The lie, in my opinion, was the deal-breaker. In the last episode, it seemed like she was testing him, and that if he'd admitted to it, she would not have thrown him out (but made sure he got help)

Edited May 30, 2015 by clanstarling

[AntiBeeSpray]

I am not sure they planned it....I think it took on a life of its own b/c they had such great chemistry.  But yes, that chemistry is lacking lately. I don't think it's a Moonlighting curse or anything....it's because the actors are barely showing any emotion at all, and the writers aren't helping with the dialogue.  It wasn't that long ago that Booth compared working with his wife to surviving hostile Iraq military. 

 

What episode did his comment take place in?

[possibilities]

I like that Brennan isn't enabling Booth at all. He didn't make a minor gaffe, he owed $30,000 -- almost overnight! And apparently not through legal channels because sending a thug to threaten your family is not the way a legitimate debt is usually handled. And he lied about it right to her face. Then he minimized the significance of it even after he was caught.

 

I see a lot of emotion in the eyes of this pair. They're not smooching and hot, but there's plenty of emotion coming off each actor.

 

I was more worried about Angela not saying "I love you" back when Hodgins said it to her. She just kind of looked away. WTF? That seemed way out of no where.

 

I like also that they were positing more than one possible origin for an addiction or obsessive behavior.

 

It's strange to me how when they notify family members that their loved one is dead, the people rarely show much emotion on this show. They may well up a little, but I think it's way less of a reaction than you'd expect. It's maybe a choice on the part of the directors, to have everyone involved with the show be kind of muted.

 

I'm liking Aubrey okay, but he really doesn't have any special skills. He's just a generic investigator/partner. Sweets had the whole psych angle that he used to bring to the conversation. Aubrey's just basically a guy who tags along, does errands, and is always hungry.

[shapeshifter]

I didn't take the head trauma explanation to apply directly to Booth. But rather, that the case hit home (ala Gray's Anatomy), and he was able to offer the daughter some comfort with the explanation. His resistance to the meetings ended after he saw what damage a fairly innocent obsession did to a woman's daughter. Whether his inclination to addiction was genetic or traumatic, the case opened his eyes and broke through his refusal to admit he had a problem.

 

As for Brennan throwing him out - I have no issues with that. Not only did his addiction put Brennan and their daughter in actual danger, she gave him the opportunity to come clean, and he lied. The lie, in my opinion, was the deal-breaker. In the last episode, it seemed like she was testing him, and that if he'd admitted to it, she would not have thrown him out (but made sure he got help)

I want to marry this post more than any guy I've ever encountered since separating from my substance abuse troubled ex decades ago.

I wonder if they always planned to have Booth's gambling backstory come to the forefront, and, if so, why did they wait so long? Maybe because they knew it would be such a downer?

Having thugs come threaten pregnant Brennan and her young child is perhaps the most unambiguous narrative for the effects of addiction on other family members, which might be why they didn't go with alcoholism.

[Mama No Life]

What episode did his comment take place in?

A few back, when Cam and Arastoo were arguing about whether he was going to return home.  Booth comforted Cam by putting his arm around her (something we never see him do with Bones these days) and said that after working with Bones, hostile Iraqi soldiers (paraphrased) would be no big deal for Arastoo.  It was supposed to be funny, I guess, but given how little depth of emotion we see with these two it was annoying instead.

I will say that the ratings went up a bit this week, showing once again that what people want to see are episodes that focus on Booth and Brennan.

[Clanstarling]

I want to marry this post more than any guy I've ever encountered since separating from my substance abuse troubled ex decades ago.

I wonder if they always planned to have Booth's gambling backstory come to the forefront, and, if so, why did they wait so long? Maybe because they knew it would be such a downer?

Having thugs come threaten pregnant Brennan and her young child is perhaps the most unambiguous narrative for the effects of addiction on other family members, which might be why they didn't go with alcoholism.

Best response to a post of mine, ever!

[AntiBeeSpray]

A few back, when Cam and Arastoo were arguing about whether he was going to return home.  Booth comforted Cam by putting his arm around her (something we never see him do with Bones these days) and said that after working with Bones, hostile Iraqi soldiers (paraphrased) would be no big deal for Arastoo.  It was supposed to be funny, I guess, but given how little depth of emotion we see with these two it was annoying instead.

I will say that the ratings went up a bit this week, showing once again that what people want to see are episodes that focus on Booth and Brennan.

 

Oh. I see. I'll have to see if it's On Demand.

[rainsmom]

I get that in this episode, but I'm talking about the lack of chemistry/affection the whole season.  Actually pretty much the entire time since they officially became a couple.  It's the Moonlighting curse - they were much better in the "will they or won't they" mode than as an actual couple.

 

I disagree completely. Even if I thought the Moonlighting curse was legit, this wouldn't be an example. This show was awesome for three years, and has steadily grown suckier and suckier ever since. They put B&B together with no forethought and NO romantic payoff to the fans. That's not a curse. That's INCREDIBLY poor writing -- coming on the heels of multiple seasons of bad writing.

 

That preview pissed me off. Angela and Jack better not fucking leave.

 

Word to the wordy word. I expect that's exactly what's happening. All I can hope is that they leave and move to Paris, and an episode or two into next season they get caught up in a murder in Paris, everyone goes there to save them, and they come home where they belong. If they're gone for good, I probably am too. This show is a disaster. I can't figure out how it keeps getting renewed.

[AntiBeeSpray]

I disagree completely. Even if I thought the Moonlighting curse was legit, this wouldn't be an example. This show was awesome for three years, and has steadily grown suckier and suckier ever since. They put B&B together with no forethought and NO romantic payoff to the fans. That's not a curse. That's INCREDIBLY poor writing -- coming on the heels of multiple seasons of bad writing.

 

 

Word to the wordy word. I expect that's exactly what's happening. All I can hope is that they leave and move to Paris, and an episode or two into next season they get caught up in a murder in Paris, everyone goes there to save them, and they come home where they belong. If they're gone for good, I probably am too. This show is a disaster. I can't figure out how it keeps getting renewed.

 

Neither can I sadly :(.

 

Imo Angela and Hodgins are part of why I'm still watching.

[secnarf]

I put off watching this episode because of how much I hate the Booth addiction storyline (nothing to do with its execution, mostly because it's more drama than I like to see on my TV screen and I hate watching addicts spiral out of control) but I actually liked Booth and Brennan in this episode. I thought the actors did a great job in their scenes together, and it wasn't as cringe-worthy as I was anticipating.

 

This is something like the tenth anvil they've dropped about Angela and Hodgins leaving, and I'm really not sure what's up with that. I can't understand why they'd write them off, and we haven't heard anything about the actors leaving, but they really seem like they're moving in that direction.

 

Raj's girlfriend was really acting like Raj's girlfriend. I half expected her to suggest to Aubrey that they go to a cemetery to have sex.

[shapeshifter]

I put off watching this episode because of how much I hate the Booth addiction storyline (nothing to do with its execution, mostly because it's more drama than I like to see on my TV screen and I hate watching addicts spiral out of control) but I actually liked Booth and Brennan in this episode. I thought the actors did a great job in their scenes together, and it wasn't as cringe-worthy as I was anticipating...

I hated the addiction storyline for the same reasons, but while I'm glad they seem to be wrapping it up a warp speed, it kind of irks me at the same time, because, IRL, it could take years--if ever--for them to get back to where they were.

[immortalfrieza]

 I see a lot of emotion in the eyes of this pair. They're not smooching and hot, but there's plenty of emotion coming off each actor.

Exactly, they don't need to always look like they are 2 seconds away from jumping each other's bones (pun not intended) or being touchy feely (in fact it's pretty contrary to Bones' character to be that way) all the time to be an effective couple like a lot of people here seem to be asking for. In fact, I'd say Booth and Brennan's relationship has finally started progressing more organically recently. After the pregnancy officially got them together the writers seemed to do nothing but constantly point out "SEE?!? LOOK! LOOK! THEY REALLY REALLY LOVE EACH OTHER!!!" all the time often in the most blatantly obvious (apparently they don't know the word subtlety) ways possible. Now they seem to have finally got the two past the honeymoon phase and are writing them more like a real couple, showing affection in more subtle ways and having their own lives outside of their own obsession with each other.

 

Personally, I love this show. I think it's as good as it's ever been and I think that's the real problem everybody is having with it. In the last couple years it hasn't changed it's formula much at all and everybody is just tired of it being so stale and predictable now.

Edited May 31, 2015 by immortalfrieza

[AntiBeeSpray]

Exactly, they don't need to always look like they are 2 seconds away from jumping each other's bones (pun not intended) or being touchy feely (in fact it's pretty contrary to Bones' character to be that way) all the time to be an effective couple like a lot of people here seem to be asking for. In fact, I'd say Booth and Brennan's relationship has finally started progressing more organically recently. After the pregnancy officially got them together the writers seemed to do nothing but constantly point out "SEE?!? LOOK! LOOK! THEY REALLY REALLY LOVE EACH OTHER!!!" all the time often in the most blatantly obvious (apparently they don't know the word subtlety) ways possible. Now they seem to have finally got the two past the honeymoon phase and are writing them more like a real couple, showing affection in more subtle ways and having their own lives outside of their own obsession with each other.

 

Personally, I love this show. I think it's as good as it's ever been and I think that's the real problem everybody is having with it. In the last couple years it hasn't changed it's formula much at all and everybody is just tired of it being so stale and predictable now.

 

Word. You couldn't have said it better! They're acting like real people.

[Lady Cassandra]

I will say that the ratings went up a bit this week, showing once again that what people want to see are episodes that focus on Booth and Brennan.

 

Or maybe, as in my case, there was nothing better on, since both Grey's Anatomy and Big Bang Theory are over for the season.

 

I used to love this show.  Now I don't care if I miss a handful of episodes...when I do catch one, it feels like I haven't missed anything.  

[statsgirl]

I think Brennan and Booth were always intended to be endgame.  It's just that Hart Hanson would have dragged that thing out forever, maybe till the last episode like JAG.  I think the show lucked out because ED got pregnant.

 

I haven't watched this show for ages (I'm one of those who watched Grey's Anatomy and TBBT but they're in repeats)  and while I liked the characters and most of the plot, they lost me when they tried to equate the woman's head injury with Booth's addiction to gambling.  The two are nothing alike (one is an injury to a specific part of the brain, the other is an inherited addiction) and I felt like I was being treated like a  half-wit again.  If the point was to show Booth realizing how much an addiction can affect a family, sorry, people don't work like that.  A real addict would say "well, I don't do that to Christine because I show her lots of love".

 

Also, I would think that you would not be able to decipher the embroidery based on how it was done. It looks like it was a patch, so there would have been a rectangular area of thread, not individual letters sewn on one by one.

I rolled my eyes so hard at that one.

 

My daugter did one year in residence and then moved home.  Fees are so high, there's no sense in adding another $15,000 to her debt.

[Beezella]

It's strange to me how when they notify family members that their loved one is dead, the people rarely show much emotion on this show. They may well up a little, but I think it's way less of a reaction than you'd expect. It's maybe a choice on the part of the directors, to have everyone involved with the show be kind of muted.

 

I thought also that they were extremely unkind to the daughter after telling her that her mother was murdered and then immediately implying she had done it. They didn't even let her sit down! Good grief! I'm glad she wasn't the murderer.

 

I have a few cookie jars I have collected, less than 10, I think. Collecting can of course be overdone, but to imply that collectors were nuts seemed unfair to me. The daughter did feel ignored, so maybe the mother was to the point of obsession. She kept a neat collection though, it hadn't taken over the house.