I often enjoy when a television show plays around with genres. From "Supernatural" sending the boys into an alternate universe where they play their actor selves, to "Community" exploring different episodic tropes like the bottle episode, it's always fun (and a bit of a gamble) to shake up how our favorite characters are perceived.
"The Movie in the Making" displayed our crime-solving squad in a documentary-style format, using shaky, hand-held camera effects and allowing the characters to break the fourth wall and speak directly to their audience.
Did this genre twist offer new insights into the Jeffersonian and FBI worlds? Maybe. But first, let's do a quick review of the plot points.
RECAP
This week's victim was discovered in a landfill, roughly 10 years after his death. Brandon Bloom was an often-stoned twentysomething who struggled to find his place in the world. His estranged father, ambitious ex-girlfriend, and drug dealer/business partner all ended up under suspicion, but ultimately it was a tasteless neon t-shirt fiber that pointed to the killer.
Because of the documentary style of the episode, we got a slightly different glimpse of the Jeffersonian and its workers. Cam made repeated efforts to keep her personal life off screen, but still got caught looking awful cozy with Arastoo, who's back in the lab as an intern. Angela seemed more bubbly than she's been in a while, de-emphasizing her computer skills. But the one who shone the most, oddly, was Hodgins, who played heavily to the cameras and managed to show swagger despite the wheelchair.
DISCUSSION
As much as I appreciated the attempt to play with the show's formula, I thought the documentary style was poorly executed. Many scenes shot in the lab used the exact same angles as the traditional steady camera; the only difference was that the shots were slightly shaky, as though done with a hand-held camera. I also felt as though the idea missed the mark among its audience members; we've been with this show for over a decade, so a fresh introduction to the team doesn't yield much about the team that we don't already know.
And from a purely legal standpoint, there's no way that a documentary could get legal permission to film FBI interviews, a classroom full of young students, and a Gambler's Anonymous meeting. Not a single blurred face? Not a single "sorry, cameras not allowed here" moment? It didn't feel like they were willing to give up any of the traditional storytelling methods to adapt to the documentary style.
There were a few interesting things that the documentary style offered, like seeing these characters cast glances at the camera; sometimes their anxiety about certain moments being filmed told a different story than we usually see. I appreciated that the documentary gave everyone a chance to pay tribute to characters who are no longer with us. Zack Addy, Lance Sweets, and Vincent Nigel-Murray all got a few moments of remembrance; we even got to witness some true melancholy from the ones who missed them. However, Cam and Arastoo's adorable admission of love for each other near the end of the episode was about the only big departure from what we'd see in a normal episode.
What did you all think of the documentary format? Did it tell a story we couldn't normally see? How did it work - or not work - for you?
And finally, who else loved the laundry list of things that Hodgins is the King of? King of the Lab, King of the Break Room, King of the Parking Lot, King of Modesty, King of Egypt, King of the Swabs! I think we could add "King of Season 11" to this list; he's really showing some range this year.
