This episode's case brings us the aftermath of the Blair Witch Project. As we see the skepticism (especially Brennan's) about the tale of the murderous witch, I think it would be nice if they gave us an ending that left a paranormal possibility.
When they are in the woods, the officer tells them that he still gets lost after working there for years. Booth cautions Brennan to stay close and not to wander off. He is very solicitous of her. Is it because of her burial last week? It does feel that we see his feelings and protectiveness of her deepen very gradually.
As Brennnan implores her staff to focus on the evidence, Cam reveals that she received a visit from her mother after the mother's death. Her mother led her to the location of a necklace that she wanted to leave for Camille. She pulls it out from under her blouse. Temp just gives her a look. She doesn't believe, but she respects the beliefs of others. I wonder if Cam has worn this necklace in other episodes and if I'll see her wearing it again.
They all gather around to watch a tape Angela has cleaned up. While I understand that this is a tape of a real life murder for the forensics team and not just a low rent horror movie, the fact that they are all so scared by what they see is stupid. Sure, I can see why Angela wouldn't want to watch in a room alone while she is working, but when you are surrounding by a group of people, it loses it's frightening value. So, it's just laughable to me when Camille reaches out to hold Seeley's hand. It remindse me of the beautiful scene in Buffy at Joyce's gravesite when Buffy and Angel hold hands, each reaching out to the other without the need to exchange words or glances. Well, that doesn't happen. Camille pulls Booth's hand into hers and to me his response is stiff and he pauses before clasping fingers. Plus, there's a frown on his face as if the touch is unwelcome. Maybe he's just engrossed in the film. But to me, when she meets resistance, then her pride should make her back away too, but it doesn't. He seems to have nothing but polite tolerance of her overtures but that doesn't keep her from making them and acting like they have something that he doesn't seem to be acknowledging.
Shockingly, this handholding is the first thing that lets Brennan know Cam and Booth are a couple. So, all the stolen exchanges between them in the past didn't clue her in?? It's so stupid when the writers hit us over the head with something yet the characters remain oblivious.
Cam looks up when Brennan says she'll call Booth with her new medical findings. I half expected her to say that choice of whether to call him should be run by her first, or that she'll call Booth.
They go and talk to the murder victim's brother. Their parents died and it was just the two of him. Oooh! Brennan says that it was just the two of them, her and her brother too. Brennan is quick to ask if the victim went into foster care. Not a normal question. If she keeps doing that on every case she's on, she'll look like a psycho. Booth eyes her closely, knowing that she has been personally touched. The brother, Will, turns on the we-have-so-much-in-common charisma and responds that he wood never let his brother Graham go into system. He got a job so that they could stay together. Didn't her brother do the same? This saddens Brennan and she later says that while at first she couldn't comprehend Russ leaving her, now she can't imagine a brother who didn't. What would have been different if Russ had stayed and raised her? Booth is hilarious when he points out that it might not have been that good of an outcome since Russ was a petty thief. Of course, Brennan counters that if they'd been together, Russ' life would have been different too. Booth repeats his soft compliment that he thinks Brennan turned out just fine.
She tells Booth that she is going to meet with Will on a date. Did the handholding she viewed precipitate this? Booth says that it happened awfully quickly and she says she and Will understand each other. You nut. Just because people have had similar events happen in their lives doesn't mean they understand each other -- at least not after a 15 minute conversation. She tells Booth that "people need a connection. Even me. Obviously, you have one with Cam. I thought you'd mention it, since we are partners."
He is cute in having the instinct to deny his relationship with Cam, but not quite being able to do so. Then he says it's not something he was lying about. He was just being discreet like a "gentleman."
He goes to interview other film students who were in the woods when Graham was killed. The girl who loved Graham is now in a psychiatric hospital.
Laurie and Graham kept their relationship a secret because other girls got jealous. She tells Booth that Graham's her boyfriend. He will take care of her. Is Booth staring at her because he thinks she's crazy or because he sees his own situation with Cam and Brennan? Or does David just like to stare? Sometimes it can be a problem when your face doesn't convey meaning. His doesn't really. His body often says more than his face. So, a director counting on DB to express meaning with his face is kind of asking a lot. It's like on Angel when they wanted him to turn into Angelus and Cordy was talking to Angel, who initially refused. He just stared at her as she said that Angelus was so clever and then he changed his mind and decided to become Angelus after all and I really don't know why. Don't know if he was insulted at Angel being called stupid or worried about what Angelus knew that he didn't or what . . . DB staring does not give us insight into the character's reaction.
Brennan's tailored blue lab coat nips in at the waist, accentuates her figure and is very flaterring. Wonder what you'd have to do to get the office manager to order you one of those in real life.
Booth asks if it will be weird her dating the victim's brother. She says, that she can compartmentalize like him -- and like Lindsey Buckingham!
On her date with Will, she does that thing that shows how highly she regards Booth, just like Scully used to do with Mulder. she immediately starts talking about her colleague. Telling Will, "my partner warned me to stay focused on the case."
Will is overly critical of his kid brother. And not like he's just objective. Almost like there's underlying animosity. I peg him as the killer, but I realize the ptb doesn't want to make everyone who is interested in Temp a murderer (as the Sheriff, Padgett, and the tattoo guy all were when they weren't wooing Scully).
She and Will bond by discussing music. I'm surprised she knows who Leonard Cohen is. She says he has a gravel voice, but soothing and starts talking about why we like certain entertainment. She apologizes for over-analyzing and says her social skills are limited.
Later when discussing the case and Lauren and Graham seeing a lot of women and not getting caught, Brennan tells Booth that that is more his territory. Cheating? No, Psychology. He is very touchy lately, she notes. She says, maybe because of all the skulking around he's been doing. Bones: I'm discreet. That'sdifferent. It looked like they were just talking to each other, as we only saw their two heads. But Zach is shorter than they are and as the camera pulled back we realized he was not only in the room, but standing right between them. He asks what they are talking about and the way that Booth yells at him that it is none of his business is SO funny. We only know he is there for a second before Booth is defensively telling him to shut up. Excellent direction. I noticed that with this show, you don't have a campy episode (well, the bear one may have been one and we may get some in the future) and you don't have funny scenes set aside. Humor arises more in the middle of investigation and autopsy scenes and is weaved throughout, more than it arises in expected, discrete, situations as was more common in X-Files.
Angela is watching the film with Hodgins and grabs his hand with both of hers because she is just so scared. Girls needing comfort during scary parts in a movie is taken to absurd extremes in this episode. Angela c'mon.
As Booth interrogates one of the film students, he says. "this is the part where the innocent guy comes clean or the guilty guy asks for a lawyer." I resent that. The way the cops twist things, the innocent guy needs to ask for a lawyer too. I don't care if Booth himself doesn't know this, but it bothers me if the show doesn't know it.
In the car, he knows there's a pink elephant in the room, tension between him and Brennan. He says, "I don't know why I didn't tell you about Cam. I just didn't want it to get weird, I guess. Weird because you're a woman. Never had a relationship like this. You're my partner and it's like we're two guys working together, except you're not a guy." No, I'm not, she responds. But instead of saying his feelings are ridiculous, as I half expected, she wonders if she should feel odd about wanting to hang out with Will. Why wonder if SHE should feel odd, rather than questioning why Booth does? She seems open to the proprietary feelings, he thinks she might have, because basically he seems to be saying that he didn't think she would want to share him with Cam, because she's a woman. But he says he was being silly, because to him, she's a man/buddy. So, she buys into that and says, "To me, you are essentially a woman, Booth." Of course, he doesn't like that conclusion and she says it's HIS definition of their relationship, not hers. Well, it's a funny moment, but what IS her definition. How DOES she feel about him dating Cam? Would she have been so eager to date Will if he hadn't been. Was she hoping for a connection with Booth and then did she realize that maybe his connectors were spoken for when she saw that handhold?
Of course, I'm just waiting for the moment when Cam realizes that what she really wants from Booth he is only giving to Brennan and not interested in sharing with her. Has he in the past? It would be interesting to know what Cam and Booth's past relationship was. Maybe we'll be told. I want a scenario where they might both be in danger and Booth has to choose one or the other and chooses Brennan and this serves as a marker for Cam, who then pulls away from the relationship. Right now, neither Brennan or Cam know that (or acknowledge) that Brennan has priority and I want them both to confront this.
Booth is interrogating Graham's teacher. Teacher asks for an attorney, proving his guilt in Booth's eyes, a twist on the earlier scene, which makes me roll my eyes.
They go to look at Angela's film and Hodgins says he still has some testing to do. So Booth asks, "Why are you in here?" Angela answers, "Because I want him here." Booth looks askance, but he shuts up. This makes me remember Buffy saying that Spike was there (staying at her house) because she wanted him there, wasn't ready for him to go, which kind of makes me sick.
Brennan and Will are at dinner. Brennan explains case develeopments to him. Will is sanguine about the possibilities of who killed his little brother for a script. More curious than upset. Then he tells Temp she's beautiful and she grins. Why are all of the guys with crimes in their families who hit on Temp so smarmy smooth? I guess they write them that way so the audience will suspect them. That may or may not work, but the audience (well, me) definitely begins to dislike them. The charm is so phony. He leans in for a kiss and Brennan readily responds. Why is Temp impressed by the slickest of lines? Man, if Booth ever said anything half way lovey dovey to her ("Bones, your hair smells like flowers.") she'd fall into his arms, based on her track record. She seems hungry for human contact.
Back at the lab, they figure out Will is the killer and Booth runs to the restaurant to arrest him. I can understand him knowing that Brennan was with Will, but how did he know their exact location. Brennan laughs, confused when Booth approaches their table. "What are you doing here?" Booth reveals that Will is the killer and details Will's crimes, looking at him. Will turns to Brennan on his other side and, looking at her, tries to explain away everything that Booth acccuses him of.
"You know me. He was my brother. I could never do that to my own brother." Well, she doesn't really know him. I guess we are supposed to wonder which one she believes but, of course, there is no question. This is not exactly the equivalent of the scene where Padgett realizes that Scully is more concerned with Mulder than him.
Booth ignores Will's excuses, but focuses on Brennan's reaction. Rather than slapping the guy around like he would usually do, to him the arrest is secondary. He waits, finally, Brennan reveals where she stands (which both the audience and Booth aren't supposed to guess, I think) and says, "What are you waiting for Booth." He tries to Mirandize the guy, but is still concerned with her. Wanting to go after her and she leaves the restaurant. Of course, this reminds me of Angel saying he wanted to go after Buffy after yelling at her at the police station where Faith gives herself up.
Back at the office, Brennan says that she is a bad judge of character. She knows bones, but she doesn't know people. I agree with that. She's an idiot. It's a wonder some serial killer doesn't pick her up with a line like, "what's your sign?" But Booth says she can read people. After all, she saw right through him didn't she? Um, when you and Cam are caressing each other in the lab, she'd have to be blind, deaf, deficient in all 5 senses, not to eventually get a clue. He then touches her back and she almost declines. he says, "Hey, you're my partner. It's a guy hug. Take it." I'm not sure why she felt funny doing so in the first place. Is it an acknowledgment that she had non-guy/guy feelings for him? He's the one who said he felt funny talking about Cam, not her. So, why does she suddenly feel funny embracing him? What awareness has now entered their relationship that wasn't there before? It's like Adam and Eve suddenly being self-conscious about being naked. Before the apple they had no idea and nothing to be ashamed of.
Brennan seems ready to release the hug, but Booth keeps holding on. Did she want to let go or just think it was time?
It's like they've now had "the talk" defining the perimeters (and parameters) of their relationship and it's changed them, perhaps not helping them to communicate more, but less freely instead.
So, I was right that Will was the killer, but he says that Maggie the witch possessed him, because he could not have done that to his brother. Bones thinks he's giving her a line and that's when she walks out, but later in the lab Angela and Hodgins see ectoplasm on the tape they are watching and she asks him if she can spend the night at his house. Plus, it looks like Graham was killed with a 300 year old axe, from the witch's era, so they leave the idea that the witch does possess people out there. However, that doesn't save Will in my eyes, because even if you behead your brother when you're possessed, when the witch leaves you aren't you a little more remorseful about it than he was? More despair, less wannabe debonair would have gone a long way in convincing me that someone else was in control of his body when he murdered.
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