This post could also be entitled Hodgins-Hart Hanson’s Favorite, as I think there is an argument that can be made for that statement. But one of the things that always strikes me as so fascinating is how protective of the characters HH is. He really, really is. At least, that’s how I feel about the fact that we don’t get to see Brennan during the time Booth is ‘dead’; we don’t see Booth go to his lonely apartment (ah, those were the days) after a particularly grueling case. The writers can be very protective of these characters indeed.
A downside to that is a perceived lack of character development. That’s what makes the story of Hodgins so intriguing. We really do get to see him struggle with things, admit them, move on, find happiness, solve cases, etc. He’s gone from majorly ticked off entomologist to King of the Lab, and where other characters may seem as if they’re written poorly or inconsistently, Hodgins has had this incredible character development over the course of the 5+ seasons, and through it all, I can’t think of a single moment where I thought, “That was OOC (out of character)”.
He starts out very angry, especially toward Booth, the ‘government stooge’. When I first started the 100DaysofBones project, I remember being totally shocked at just how aggressively snarky Hodgins was. Since then, he’s had reasons to be snarky, yet he’s grown up as a person, and it’s been awesome.
From the moment he said, “Where is my bear poop?!?”, I was a fan, but for the most part, I’m B&B all the way. Not that I don’t like minor characters, but I just prefer Booth and Brennan. Hodgins is my #3, though, and that’s saying a lot.
Here are things I really love about him.
- Loyalty to Brennan.
Sometimes I wonder what it is about Brennan that inspires so much loyalty. Not that I don’t love her, but sometimes I just wonder. It can’t just be because she is the best. Someone who is the best at something doesn’t necessarily deserve loyalty, at least, not the kind of loyalty that we see Hodgins and the rest of the team show for Brennan. Either way, I love how he cares for her. A lot of you have mentioned his “It’s been a privilege” as one of your fave moments, and I have to agree. And I believe that his outrage at her idea of dropping their charges against Taffet also proves his loyalty and affection toward Brennan. 
He’s loyal to Booth, too (We’re Booth’s People), but not quite in the same way. If I had to choose one character for Brennan to begin to talk to about her thoughts and feelings, it would be Hodgins. This smile of his from Intern in the Incinerator is my fave; 
…it’s right after Booth tells Brennan he knows her and her favorite flowers and planet. Brennan kind of bristles, and Hodgins just smiles at her as if to say, ‘gotcha baby’, and he wouldn’t be sorry about that baby, either!
- He learns from his mistakes.
Man in the Mansion is such a great Hodgins episode, and yeah, he did tamper with evidence (and again in Hero in the Hold, right?), but I love how he came clean about it at the end with Booth. Of course our special Special Agent shrugs him off. What are they, girls?
- He doesn’t HAVE to work at the lab.
Remember in Boy in a Bush when Goodman insists that the team attend that hoity-toit event? I love that Booth and Angela lie so he doesn’t have to go. Sometimes it’s kind of easy to forget that his is loaded. Like…beyond rich. Of all the things that are attractive about him, I don’t think it’s TOO shallow to add it to the list. He’s so rich it’s a non-issue which is a level of rich most of us only dream about. But he doesn’t really care. He has amazing cars and a huge mansion, but he loves his work. Loves it. LOVES IT! And even beyond that…he wants what we all want…( as Dr. Wyatt told B&B)… family.
pic courtesy of http://bones-a-la-foliex33.skyrock.com/9.html
- He’s not afraid to hurt.
This is a characteristic that Booth and Brennan don’t always share. I loved him in Pain in the Heart when he knew about Zack and hurt over it. I love the emotion he feels when he’s not sure how things are with Angela 
And I love when he struggles with Angela’s relationship with Wendell. Not that Hodgins is perfect at it, but whether it’s snapping a rubber band on his wrist or sitting on a couch across from Sweets, he is open with his emotions. And it’s that awareness that allows him to love. So it’s a good thing that…
- He’s not afraid to love.
And not just love…but adore and be incredibly happy. It takes guts to love like that, I think. I love the moment between him and Angela in Critic in the Cabernet when they talk about the mistakes they’ve made. I’m also in the camp that believes that he’s WAY too good for her, but it’s impossible to deny how happy he is when he’s with her, and so I’ll let it go. For now.
Oh, and one last thing I love. He’s White and Nerdy…he’s the KING of White and Nerdy, as this video from aPassingThought shows…
But enough from me. What do you think? Is there another character who embodies ‘brain and heart’? What else do you love about Hodgins? Do you think (as I do) that he’s Hart Hanson’s favorite? I mean, come on…he gets the BEST storylines!
Peace, Love & Bones,
~S
PS…sorry for the delay!
Bones Theory 
November 17, 2010 at 6:40 pm
He has, indeed, undergone a tremendous amount of growth and I think he probably is the best example of the embodiment of both brain and heart. I mean, all of the characters are extremely intelligent (in spite of how Brennan backhandedly “compliments” them) and all of them are full of heart, but Hodgins seems best equipped to understand Brennan, who needs her brain to be right and Angela, who needs her heart to be first and foremost – 2 characters with diametrically opposed approaches to life. He is “wicked” intelligent, but socially adept (not always 2 mutually exclusive characteristics).
Maybe Hodgins should be the one to lead the “spin-off” . . .
November 17, 2010 at 7:37 pm
Hodgins, by far, is in my top 5 favorite characters. His loyalty to Brennan is astounding. One of my favorite quotes comes from Science in the Physicist: “Science must look in all directions. You taught me that.” I really liek teh way the character is written. He’s like the nerdy science geek in class that you think is hot, but would never admit it to your friends [I would be first to admit it. I’m not ashamed.] Anyway, great post!
November 17, 2010 at 7:50 pm
GO HODGINS!!!
Thanks for another great post! 🙂
November 18, 2010 at 9:27 am
I don’t agree that he’s HH’s favorite – I really believe that is Brennan. BUT, I think because he’s not the favorite character or part of the favorite ‘partnership’, his character is allowed to do all of the things we want for B/B. I agree that his character has grown tremendously and I love him more all the time 🙂
November 18, 2010 at 10:24 am
I agree with you in a way, that Hodgins might be one of Hart’s favourites. He did name him after one of his mentors after all. I think if you do that, the only way you can do the person justice is by making the character awesome, and Hodgins definitely is awesome!
It’s interesting that you feel his growth…I feel like they don’t do him justice in that he hasn’t gotten very many storylines that were solely about him. Most of the work they’ve done with him has been with or about Angela. I’d really love to see more backstory on him. I’m hoping that with the baby on the way, they’ll delve more into his past and his family!
I definitely agree that Hodgins epitomizes both brain and heart. He seems to have mastered the balance. He’s a super-hot nerd, but a softy, and I love that. 🙂
November 18, 2010 at 1:15 pm
I really enjoyed this post. I have to admit that Hodgins is one of my favorites. He exudes the perfect mix of brain and heart that help make BONES so great. Excellent job. I do wish he got more story lines thought. I mean, if there was a show solely about Hodgins or even just a show were TJ Thyne was the star, I’d have to watch it. I think, secretly, that Hodgins is Hart Hansen’s favorite, even if he doesn’t know it.
November 18, 2010 at 5:48 pm
*sigh*
I can’t tell you how much i love this man 😉
Over the 5 and a bit seasons, for me he has grown the most. He’s made mistakes, he’s learnt from them and he’s moved on. I also think he’s one of the ‘healthier’ characters on the show.
I don’t mean in the food he eats/gym he does to way, LOL, but in himself as a person. He is aware of his faults. He is open to them. He isn’t afraid to love, like you said, which is something i think both Booth and Brennan are.
And you’re right, he loves so openly and honestly. There’s no pretense, no fakeness to it. It’s like he stands there and says ‘This is how i feel and i’m not ashamed of it’. Whether he’s angry, sad or deliriously happy he isn’t afraid to feel it. And i love him for it.
Who can forget the moment on Sweets couch, and this line…
‘I mean, I want to be happy for them. You know, I really do’
I mean that there is why i love him alone…the woman he loves is sleeping with his ‘friend’ and he wants to be happy for them. That’s some man.
I also agree…he is WAY to good for Angela and she doesn’t deserve him…but i have resigned myself to their ‘union’ and am dealing with it in my own very special way 😉
November 18, 2010 at 8:04 pm
great stuff.
I love the look on his face when Booth tells Brennan he knows her password. It says it all – ‘he’s got you, you have no hope’ to her, and ‘you got her, she’s got no hope’ to him.
I love how that smirk shows that Hodgins ‘gets’ their relationship – and is just happy to sit by and watch it unfold. He’s a bit like us, really.
Now we just need him to have a good talk to Booth about all this…
November 19, 2010 at 2:19 pm
I have to say that Hodgins is my #3, too. For a ‘supporting’ character in a cast, I think that he is very well developed and well rounded. You pointed out some excellent reasons for loving Hodgins; I agree with every one of them. For some reason the one that I am often drawn to when it comes to Hodgins, is that he doesn’t HAVE to work at the Jeffersonian. He just loves his work so much. I’m not saying that everyone else doesn’t (because I think they really do), but no one else really expresses the same pure joy and enthusiasm for their work that he does. Maybe part of it is also that I just love those nerdy guys (VNM is one of my top faves too, *maybe* even right after Hodgins)! Haha. 😉
Great post! Yay for Hodgins Week!!
November 19, 2010 at 4:12 pm
Hodgins isn’t only a looker… he’s King of the Lab in all respects. He gives great moral lessons (that people (mostly) listen to), he’s not afraid to put someone in their place, he’s super-smart, he’s goofy and has a great sense of humor, when he loves, he loves deeply, and he has his faults (which he knows and tries to “fix”). This guy is a really well-developed character. If given the choice of any fictional character to have lunch with, Hodgins would be at the top (plus that means I would finally be able to sing the praises of stinky squid mushrooms without everyone running away). And anyone that works because they want to and not because they have to always impresses me (there’s a woman I know that is a retired nutritionist that has her own volunteer-run cooking show — she doesn’t get any money for it, but she is so passionate, it reminds me of Hodgins and his love of everything slimy, gooey, and six-legged).
I definitely think this guy embodies brain and heart. I was trying to think of other characters that could… but I think of all of them, Hodgins has the greatest balance, which is interesting, because when he started out, I don’t think he had that balance at all. He was all science (minus the conspiracy theories).