Oh. Em. Gee.
That was my only coherent thought at the conclusion of
episode 15, "The Eye in the Sky."
I don't know about the rest of you, but most of season 10 has been underwhelming for me; a shock in episode 1, a delight in episode 11, but mostly just more of the same. Bones is a great show, so even "more of the same" is pretty good, but episode 15 did a great job of surprising me - multiple times.
The least-interesting and most-expected surprise came in the first scene of the episode, when Brennan and Booth discovered they were expecting a second child. With Emily D. expecting in real life, this wasn't much of a surprise, but the thing that did surprise me was the timing; I expected this kind of revelation to come at the end of an episode, after some kind of drawn-out plot involving Brennan agitated and dealing with morning sickness, perhaps.
Instead, the episode dove right in the aftermath of the discovery, showing B & B in happy moods as they dealt with the mystery of the week. This week's victim was a gambler, and the team quickly realized one of his poker buddies was the killer, so they needed to get someone on the inside to learn more. Booth was the only one who could do this, but as any Bonehead can tell you, Booth had a gambling problem in the past.
Back in the lab, Hodgins was dealing with troubles of his own. Cam ordered him to stop doing personal projects with Jeffersonian supplies and facilities; he's broken too much glass, set off too many pesky safety alarms, and caused too many headaches. Jessica Warren, the squintern who grew up in a community of thinkers and doers, inspired Hodgins to come up with a way to stop damaging equipment. The result was a substance on which glass can be dropped, but will not break...more on that story in a few paragraphs.
The next surprise hit me when Booth joined the poker table, and began to familiarize himself with the other players. Most of these kinds of scenes are several minutes long, heavy with dialogue, and feature each new suspect's quirks, alibis, and other fun facts. This one, however, was a wordless montage set to energetic music; it showcased Booth's skills at the card table, and hinted that he was enjoying himself as he stacked up chips and tore down his competitors' walls.
We've never really seen Booth gamble; for as long as the show has been running, he's been in Gambler's Anonymous. It's been such a longstanding fact that I'd totally forgotten about it, but this episode brought that addiction into sharp focus; in the climax of the episode, Booth turns down a huge pot to break his cover and make the big arrest. The episode led us to believe that Booth conquered his addiction and made the right choice...but then it closes with Booth relapsing by calling in a bet to his bookie.
This was the last, and in my opinion, BEST surprise of the episode. Booth is the white knight, the golden boy, the boy scout; it's a shock to the system for him to behave badly, and it's especially hard to take on the heels of his excitement about his next child. This relapse will likely be the conflict that closes out the season; what happens when Brennan discovers the secret? Will it affect them financially? Will B & B be torn apart, or find a way to work it out?
I had hoped that some of the questions would be answered in
episode 16, "The Big Beef at the Royal Diner," but it seems like the showrunners are going to take their sweet time resolving this new storyline.
The murder of the week focused on the death of Chilli Ruben, the host of a food-reviewing show. Although the killer turned out to be a member of the food show, two of the suspects worked at the oft-featured greasy spoon of the show - the Royal Diner. We've never seen either of their faces before, but Frankie (the ill-tempered chef/owner) was played by Mike Starr and Joanne (the sweet spitfire waitress) was played by Nicole Sullivan. These two are both great actors, but to me, this casting decision was a bit curious; Sullivan, in particular, fulfills roles with a chaotic energy that doesn't fit the tone of the show at all. Anyone else feel that way?
Episode 16's most interesting material existed in the sub-plots: Hodgins and Angela got some interesting news, and Cam...didn't.
The anti-shattering material that Hodgins made to save labs from losing glassware proved to be extremely profitable, to the tune of 20 million dollars. With Cam's insistence that Hodgins separated his personal projects from the Jeffersonian, he and Angela got to take that huge chunk of cash all for themselves! They had already held and lost a fortune during the Pelant days, but that was inherited wealth. It was fun to watch Hodgins get excited about earning something for himself.
Meanwhile, Cam received secondhand reassurances from Arastoo, who's in Iran, caring for his brother. The episode didn't verify this news in any way, but focused on how difficult it has been on Cam to be in the dark about her significant other. While Cam is generally composed and confident, this episode gave us a rare glimpse into how stressed and insecure she felt - and continues to feel - about Arastoo's absence. Here's hoping for good surprises in that storyline sometime soon!
Finally, the episode made a tiny reference to Booth's secret gambling; he's shown celebrating a win, and later on, giving a gift of jewelry to Brennan. Although the scene was written sweetly enough, and Booth seemed as much the doting husband as he ever did, the scene left a bitter taste in my mouth that's carried into the next few episodes. It's pretty obvious that the necklace he gave her was purchased with gambling winnings, and every time I see it around Brennan's throat, I'm left thinking about Booth's horrible secret and how good he is at hiding it. I hope the showrunners don't take too long to bring this secret into the light, but suspect they will...
About the Author - entropyki
Ki (aka entropyki) is a UX Researcher, roller derby enthusiast, Star Wars nerd, and road tripper. When she's not at a computer, she's driving, singing, watching TV, and generally being a badass, plus-sized twentysomething.
Favorite shows include Supernatural, Bones, Party Down, Futurama, Orange is the New Black, and the Big Bang Theory.
It just feels like the show is so desperate for ideas ten seasons in that they would put Booth's gambling addiction into play this late in the game.
ReplyDeleteI disagree I think it is a perfect story to bring up. As anyone who knows an addict will tell you, it's a permanent disability which can cause you to relapse at any time, and can be caused by anything. Booth should have known better than to expose himself to the temptation the way he did and I'm sure that will form part of his recovery. More than anything I'm looking forward to David and Emily acting out this storyline as you just know they are going to be soooo good!
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