“I’m your guy.”
-Dr. Jack Hodgins, The Proof in the Pudding
~~~~~~~~~~
This week we’ve been laying down the groundwork for Hodgins’ amazingness, and it’s been a relief to know that none of us have to turn in our fan cards for admitting that we might like Hodgins as much (if not more) than Booth. You know that great feeling when someone feels just like you do? Ah…this public love of Hodgins is making me so happy!
Like Seels laid out yesterday, Hodgins is a master in both the brain and heart departments, and I want to continue that thread, proving once and for all that he’s King of the Lab and King of our Hearts. Join me!
When it comes to his job, Hodgins is extremely dedicated and devoted. He’s the bug and slime guy after all. He has multiple degrees in botany, entomology, and…something involving rocks, I’m pretty sure. 
He’s extremely intelligent and he uses his intelligence for a good cause, catching the bad guys.
As some of you have mentioned, not only is he intelligent, but he has the confidence to do the job. He has his moments when he knows he’s just given the team some new piece of the puzzle. His King of the Lab moments give him the confidence he needs to continue his job. 
Even later in the series when Angela told him no one cared about that status but him (and I had to laugh when she did), he was slightly surprised, but then shrugged it off and continued doing what he knows he should. He knows he’s King, and so do we. He’s a crimefighter, baby!
But he’s not always only all about that.
Dr. Jack Stanley Hodgins has a big heart. He loves deeply. You know, we don’t really know much about Hodgins’ romantic past. (That’s not very unusual in this show.) Before Angela, we get the sense that he’s quite the ladies man. In Man in a Fallout Shelter, he has Christmas plans with a Swedish masseuse. And in The Man in the Mansion, we find out that he was engaged at least once. So we know he has relationship experience.
We could say that he’s definitely felt heartbreak. After his relationship ends with Angela, we see a glimpse at the old Hodgins (albeit more attractive with his beard gone). He’s bitter and angry and heart-broken. And he has to see his ex-fiancée every day at work. I love that he goes to Sweets when he realizes that he’s so angry and then later when he realizes that he’s not okay with Angela and Wendell. Sweets tells him that he’s grieving something that could have been. We grieved too. While seeing Hodgins heart-broken is not my idea of a good time, it gives a depth to his character.
Despite his heart-break though, we see that Hodgins befriends those around him. He drinks with Wendell, goes to the movies with Sweets (and Fisher). He gives unsolicited advice to Brennan. Even earlier, in Two Bodies in the Lab, Hodgins goes to the hospital to visit Booth- which results in them rushing to save Brennan’s life. He is a good friend. I really loved what Seels said in her review of The Gamer in the Grease:
“Hodgins: He almost always makes me laugh. This episode was no exception. I enjoyed him tossing out science terms that may or may not be true. And of course, “Who wants to know about peacock poop?” Ha! I also loved when he called “King of the Lab” in a rush. I was going to say that I liked the Sweets + Hodgins dynamic, and realized that basically I love the Hodgins + anyone dynamic. You know how some actors (like David Boreanaz) just OOZE chemistry with anyone and anything? I think TJ Thyne might be like that. His interactions with every single character on this show are just awesome. Hodgins and Brennan are sweet, Hodgins and Booth crack me up. Hodgins and Cam are interesting; Hodgins and each of the squinterns is great…Hodgins + Zack…I mean, seriously great! Underrated!”
One of my favorite underrated Hodgins moment is in The Proof in the Pudding. Angela had her little pregnancy scare and she doesn’t want to burden Wendell. Hodgins is the second person she tells, and she’s uncertain if she’ll keep the baby. Hodgins is so certain that she’s going to keep it. Later in the episode he opens up and confesses that he still loves her. He’s her guy! (Can he please be my guy?) He was willing to do anything. Marry her, let her live with him, be a father to her (and Wendell’s) baby; he was going to support her. Because he truly loves her. I could probably go off on a tangent about how Angela really doesn’t deserve Jack Hodgins, but I won’t.
We can’t say Hodgins is a baby duck when it comes to B&B, but he is…something. But what? A mirror? The narrator? He’s a scientist, but he’s not all logic and truth. For example, he explained faith to Brennan after the Gravedigger kidnapped them. I think that episode, Aliens in the Spaceship, is heart-wrenchingly amazing. All three share a Gravedigger experience. Likewise, The Boy with the Answer is a very painful episode, especially for Hodgins, because he wants the Gravedigger to pay for him. And for Brennan. And for Booth. And for anyone else who has been the Gravedigger’s victim. Brennan and Booth understand what Hodgins is going through. This is a deep bond, albeit rather unspoken.
Hodgins’ heartbreak is akin to Booth’s (different but similar); Hodgins was forced to watch the woman that he loves with someone else just as Booth has had to deal with Brennan. As I said before, Hodgins has a lot of heart. He loves deeply. And he hurts deeply.
But not only does Hodgins have a big heart, he has a big brain. He is able to reason as Brennan does when it comes to a case. And despite the heartbreak and pain, he continued to do the logical thing- help solve murders. I guess where I’m going with my odd rambling thought process is that Hodgins is continually pushed into the background (It is BONES after all, not the bugs and slime show) but he is probably the one who understands Brennan and Booth the most. He has had experiences that often parallel or run perpendicular to Booth or Brennan (i.e. the Gravedigger, proposing because of a baby, dedication to his job, etc, etc.) that make him more understanding.
If there’s a lynchpin at the lab, it’s certainly him. He honestly had the chance to refuse to help any of the squinterns, and I don’t know if any of us would have blamed him. But (while delightfully still giving them a hard time if possible) he is probably the best teacher they have. Cam is great, and Brennan IS the best, but as far as really learning and applying their knowledge to the cases…I can’t help but wonder if Hodgins isn’t creating a little kingdom for himself.
I’ve heard a lot of people say that “This is Brennan’s year”, and yeah, while Emily Deschanel is knocking it out of the park (and so is David Boreanaz in a subtle, but just as effective way)…maybe it’s really “The Year of the King”.
Either way, he’s our guy.
What do you think? Where does Hodgins fit when it comes to B&B? And what’s your favorite King of the Lab Moment? Is there a squintern you want Hodgins to have MORE scenes with?
Bones Theory 
November 18, 2010 at 8:15 am
I agree with every single thing you said (and it’s impossible for me to choose my fav KOTL moment…) but you had me at ” “I’m your guy.” -Dr. Jack Hodgins, The Proof in the Pudding “. Enough said. 🙂
November 18, 2010 at 9:48 am
Wow. Fantastic post Nicole. You’ve done a great job of building on the foundation Sarah laid last night with her Brain & Heart post. While I can’t honestly say I love Hodgins more than I love Booth, I still think he’s a fascinating character and TJ Thyne does an awesome job bringing that character to life.
I like that you suggest Hodgins may be a mirror of sorts for B&B, but that’s a discussion for another day because what I am most intrigued by is your suggestion that perhaps he is meant to be a narrator. It’s intriguing, of course, because he literally WAS the narrator in the season 4 fianle and I’ve always been curious as to exactly why they chose him instead of Booth (it was his dream after all) or Brennan (it was her book) or even Angela (being chief shipper and all). Instead they chose Hodgins who out of everyone (except maybe Zack) has had the least direct impact on the romantic aspect of the B&B relationship. So why him?
As I was thinking about Sarah’s Brain & Heart post this morning, I came to the conclusion that Hodgins really is the best example we’re given of a successful marriage between brain and heart on Bones. He’s intelligent and can look at things from a logical point of view but at the same time, he’s fully capable of loving, and more importantly, of loving someone else more than he loves himself. Anger issues aside, he’s probably the most psychologically healthy character on the show. If he truly is meant to be a narrator, perhaps that’s the reason why.
On a side note, I just re-watched “The X in the File” and “The Proof in the Pudding” the other night. Add me to the list of people who love that scene in Sweets’ office and his speech to Angela.
November 18, 2010 at 10:11 am
I’m so glad you brought up his offer to Angela in Proof in the Pudding – I can’t believe we hadn’t really discussed that yet this week. I think an offer like that is proof of ‘true love’ and I was so proud of him in that moment.
This post also made me think of Angela’s statement at one time that ‘when lives are on the line, everyone looks to Hodgins’…or something like that. And it’s true – I think his science is the key to catching the bad guy as often as Brennan’s is – not that it’s really a contest, I’m just sayin. They depend on him alot and he always comes through!
November 18, 2010 at 12:48 pm
Lisa,
Good point with the quote “when liveas are on the line, everyone looks to Hodgins”. It’s from Killer in the Concrete. I just saw it last night. Hodgins was awesome. Between him and Zach they figured out what to look for to find Booth after he was taken by the bad guys.
November 18, 2010 at 12:49 pm
I agree with everything that has been said about Hodgins. I just wanted to pop on and say how much I love that picture of TJ Thyne that you posted. Yum!
November 18, 2010 at 5:53 pm
I feel like i post the same thing on each Hodgins post so i’ll shorten this one…I love him. He’s amazing. Every girl should have a man like him, and every person should have a friend like him.
Plus, everytime i log into TJ Thynes fan website i see that top picture…and every time i get distracted by it! LOL
The mans eyes are to die for 😉
November 18, 2010 at 8:43 pm
Obvioulsy i love Hodgins/TJ, i mean who wouldnt? with those amazing blue eyes and like we talked abouiut in a previous post, his suprisingly in shape body. The main reason i wanted to comment on here though was because i was just watching the episode the Soldier in the Grave from S1 and loved the scene when Hodgins said sorry to Booth abot the friendly fire situation, because even though nothng was his fault, he was sorry for what happened and wanted to let him know that he is there for him. That showed a lot of heart. This is one of those moments that just makes me want to have him all to myself because of how amazingly awesome he is.
November 18, 2010 at 10:57 pm
Another wonderful post, with even more reasons to recognize and appreciate the greatness of Hodgins. I also loved what Stephanie wrote about why Hodgins was the narrator of the coma dream; that has always puzzled me a bit. The idea that he is the person who lives by both brain and heart makes perfect sense. Hope someone else *coughBrennancough* figures out how do that pretty soon!
November 19, 2010 at 2:33 pm
Really great post, Nicole! Let me just say: “King of our hearts” – so perfect.
I have talked extensively with a friend about Hodgins stepping up and saying that he’s Angela’s guy. It just proves that he loves unconditionally and like Sarah previously mention, that’s part of what we all love so much about him: his ability to love and his loyalty. (My friend and I have also had discussions about how, perhaps, Angela doesn’t deserve him, but I’ll refrain from going into that).
I also like the image of you planted in my brain of King of the Lab Hodgins and his loyal squintern subjects. I’ve always loved all of his interactions with the squinterns. I always look forward to those moments- they’re great!