Hello, hello!
Well, I hope you enjoyed the Method in the Madness–but if you didn’t, fear not, you are always welcome to state that as well. One thing I liked about the episode was how Booth saw that Sweets was in a mega-funk and took him under his wing (metaphorically) to help. Maybe Booth should have just taken him to the nearest hotel, haha, but I can’t really complain, because I also loved the interactions between Brennan and Booth re: Sweets in their home.
Booth has always been a little more generous with himself when it comes to Brennan– and why do you think that is? I think it’s a combination of a couple of things (he wanted her, so he knows he has to be honest with her, he wanted her to be honest with him, so he divulged, and he can trust her, etc.). But he’s always also kept everyone else at arms length, in a way. Why is that?
What is it that pushes him to help people, but then can’t quite take that next step to help them?
Or…is it just that way with Sweets? And if so, why?
Thoughts?? Also, thoughts on anything else from the ep…feel free to discuss!
Also, conveniently, you can vote here for your favorite B&B kiss (of the two remaining 🙂 )
1. Parts in the Sum of the Whole
2. The Partners in the Divorce
Bones Theory 
November 6, 2012 at 7:30 am
I’ll be back; but, I wanted to make one comment. When Booth was eating that $9 apple sauce the thought that popped into my head was I hope that apple sauce was made before the victim was sliced and uh, you know.
November 6, 2012 at 7:44 am
I didn’t think about that Lenora!! Ew! 🙂
November 6, 2012 at 8:35 am
Since they knew when the victim was killed I’m sure he’d have made sure the applesauce had been purchased before that date. It was probably a jar they’d already had a home and he was now trying it out to see if it was worth the $9 they’d been paying for it. Because yeah I can’t see Booth eating it otherwise
November 6, 2012 at 7:43 am
I loved the whole dynamic of the three of them in this episode. There was mild upset about Booth’s bathtub (we know how he feels about his tub!) and Booth’s mild admonition about getting too in depth in discussing his underwear…but he seemed generally comfortable with Sweets in his home–as did Brennan! I liked how she and Sweets were companionably hanging out in the kitchen, folding laundry and feeding the baby. They did seem like one big happy family! 🙂
But to respond to your question, I think that’s what we like about Booth. He goes over and above for his loved ones or people in danger. Going all “shrinky”, it might have stemmed from his being unable to help himself get free from his father at a young age….and it is also his weakness as well as his strength– when he takes it too far.
In this case, Booth and Brennan together provided just enough support to Sweets without going overboard or (under?) board 🙂 He is their baby duck, and he’d had his 1st serious breakup. They didn’t prod him too much, but really just gave him that time to figure it out. Booth didn’t overdo his help, just helped him a little bit. I just really liked how they all were this episode.
November 6, 2012 at 8:13 am
Booth reminded me a lot here of The Pain in the Heart, when he was in his bathtub with the rubber duck, (graphic) novel, and beer hat. I think the man just likes his bathtubs. They’re where he unwinds. In that episode, he was completely open with Brennan–literally baring himself–and yet also very protective of his space (“You come into my house, in MY bathroom, there’s no telling what you’re gonna hear!”) He struck the same balance here, helping Sweets until he realized it was impeding on his privacy. He expected certain boundaries to be upheld (underwear!) and they weren’t. Booth only reveals himself that much to Brennan. Aww. Brennan, on the other hand, accepted Booth’s expertise and opened herself/ their house fully. I loved how nurturing she was of their little baby duck. Christine is going to have the coolest family dance sessions ever.
November 6, 2012 at 8:34 am
I wonder how much of Booth’s attitude stems from being part of keeping the secrets of an abusive home? I think it’s part of his nature to want to help but part of his learned behavior to hold part of (most of) himself back, except with the woman he loves.
November 6, 2012 at 2:20 pm
Totally agree with this view; I think part of Booth is ashamed of his abusive childhood, like it was his fault because either he deserved what he was getting or he wasn’t able to do anything about it. It’s a weakness he sees in himself either way, and I feel that he’s such a private person because he thinks that if people got to know the truth about him, they wouldn’t respect or like him. Low self-esteem is a common legacy of abusive homes, unfortunately.
November 6, 2012 at 8:57 am
I really liked this episode. Will be watching it again tonight instead of all the election coverage!
Gordon Gordon said in Mayhem that Sweets wants what we all want…a family. Brennan said “we can find a permanent place for him”. B&B are there for Sweets. I think Booth sees him as a little brother also. Someone he needs to help when necessary. Like he did for Jared.
I liked how they had a feeling of family in this episode.
November 8, 2012 at 1:42 pm
I was thinking the same thing about what Gordon Gordon said to them about Sweets(that he had no one). The two of them have always been kind to Sweets even when he was a pain or he over reached. But he is part of the family.
November 9, 2012 at 12:49 am
I think sometimes people forget that even if they don’t like Sweets, that doesn’t change the fact that canon tells us they are friends with him and they look out for him.
November 6, 2012 at 8:58 am
What makes Booth so uptight…that’s a good question. He’s a loving guy but even with Brennan he can be extremely cranky sometimes. Why was he so anti artisan life style? It’s not like those people are doing anything wrong or harming anyone and Brennan was so happy just enjoying their little trip, even if it was a work trip. I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but he needs to take a page from her and relax a bit, enjoy the little things in life…when did she become the relaxed and freer one? She’s incredibly understanding, supportive and helpful in this episode, she’s truly mama duck.
I think he’s extremely protective of his private life. He always shared more of himself with Brennan because it was always a mutual thing. He’s the guy she talks to about things, he reciprocates with a little of himself. Plus, he was in love with her, so there’s that little detail too and she was always very understanding and non judgmental.
November 6, 2012 at 9:08 am
I’d say he was “anti artisan” because it sounded a little hippy to him. Booth is a system kind of guy, and these people are kind of bucking the system and doing their own thing. To Booth, its like they are in a commune or something 🙂 But I do see his point a little bit about the cost, you’d have to be fairly wealthy to completely live that lifestyle, which Brennan is of course! 🙂 But Booth has more of a working man mentality, so he can’t see the purpose in spending so much on those type of things.
November 6, 2012 at 9:17 am
Again, that’s all fine and all but does he have to be so cranky about it? Brennan seems a lot more tolerant of people’s different lifestyles, especially these days. I get that Booth is a traditional pro-system kind of guy but dude, relax a bit, live and let live.
November 6, 2012 at 10:18 am
Mar, I give him a pass on being cranky, because Brennan annoys me with her constant anthropological connections. Her statements almost always start,with, “This civilization did _________” or “That tribe used to do__________” And I liked how Booth called her out on it when she was making her baby decisions based on a tribe last season. Sometimes its a bit much. Everyone has their own quirks and B&B have theirs too! I didn’t think Booth was too crazy about the artisans in the ep like they had him be in England.
November 6, 2012 at 10:19 am
I’m with you, Mar. He can loosen up a bit (or just not say anything at all). He’s always been a bit cranky, but I don’t enjoy him THAT cranky; it just felt over-the-top. I don’t care how good the man looks, I’d rather hang out with Brennan these days.
November 6, 2012 at 11:01 am
I’m with you C-bones, Booth is very good looking but the over the top crankiness is not attractive. I liked him so much better in the final scene when he was happily enjoying Brennan’s craziness and looking forward to some “alone time”. I’m ok with him being cranky with guilty suspects or people who threatened the ones he love and I’m not going to lie, the crankiness over the bathtub and Fisher bursting into their house after hours was justified, but being cranky over someone living a different lifestyle than him, there’s just no reason for that. Overall though, I really enjoyed the episode and while I really, really hope he moves out SOON, I enjoyed the Sweets-Brennan-Booth dynamic.
November 6, 2012 at 10:00 pm
True enough, bb. Interestingly enough, for that reason is why I also forgive Sweets for his frequent “shrinking” like he can’t help it.
But I wasn’t just talking about Booth being annoying, I was talking about him being so negative. Then again, they both have their moments.
November 9, 2012 at 12:54 am
Re: Brennan, anthropology is her passion. She didn’t start off working on solving murders. What she worked in primarily dealt with the past. In the show, we used to see Brennan working on other cases that didn’t have anything to do with the FBI. My theory is that we don’t see much of that these days, and instead they have Brennan say anthropological things for that link back to her original passion.
November 6, 2012 at 9:24 am
The weird thing was I guessed who the killer was about 17 minutes into the show. I don’t normally do it; but, the clues were too obvious. Still, I did liked the case and I liked the episode.
Loved that Booth didn’t like the idea of Sweets folding his underwear or using his tub. He really is a private man.
The look on Booth’s face when Brennan said that it would be easier to list his unbroken bones instead of his broken ones struck me as being funny. She’s so nonchalant about what she knows about Booth including his skeleton.
November 6, 2012 at 10:20 am
I guess I must be dense because I didn’t know until they were interrogating that last guy. What’s obvious to one person may not always be so obvious to another.
November 6, 2012 at 11:04 am
I didn’t guess the killer either. I must also be dense.
November 6, 2012 at 12:11 pm
I cheated. My grandfather had an apple orchard and made cider and apple sauce. He had a machine like the one on the show, so when they said she made apple sauce and she had a partner, I told my mother that the partner killed her with their machine. So obvious to me because of a life experience. You guys were not dense at all.
November 6, 2012 at 9:50 am
Speaking of looks, how about the one Brennan gives at the crime scene when Booth makes a comment about break ups being tough? Yeah, B&B are a solid couple with a daughter and home together, but anyone else think the Hannah days might have crossed her mind?
November 6, 2012 at 10:15 am
Yes. I thought so too.
November 6, 2012 at 12:49 pm
A $9 jar of applesauce would make me cranky too. I don’t think Booth’s crankiness was at all out of character. It’s well established that he’s an all-American non-organic apple pie kinda guy. I can totally see him being irritated at the thought that people (Brennan included) regularly pay that much for something you can buy for a fraction of the price at a regular grocery store.
Anywho, loved the episode, although I did figure out who did it and how before the team did, which is unusual (for me at least). Sweets was a blast and I loved his and B&B’s interactions at the house. And how funny was it that he knew all about Hodgin’s “how long is Sweets going to last at B&B’s house” pool?
And I love the way Brennan’s character is being written this season. So much more open and relaxed than in previous seasons.
November 6, 2012 at 12:54 pm
I thought that Booth having a date in the pool was very funny. I think we’re too assume that Brennan will be the one to get rid of Sweets not Booth because then that would be cheating. HA HA
I didn’t have a problem with Booth being cranky either. We know he dislikes rich people and paying $9 for a jar of applesauce would put him over the edge. It would put me over the edge.
November 6, 2012 at 1:10 pm
He dislikes rich people yet he lives with one.
November 6, 2012 at 1:16 pm
He’ll make an exception for her.
November 6, 2012 at 1:35 pm
I don’t know that he dislikes rich people. He dislikes how some rich people behave/spend their resources. Brennan gives generously (ie to help that dying town), doesn’t behave in a snobbish manner, and doesn’t use her wealth in negative ways. That is completely different than say, Mr. Potter from “It’s a Wonderful Life”. 🙂 You can be a nice rich person, or an awful poor person. Hodgins is similar, he hides his wealth, except for when he wants to buy Angela nice perfume 🙂 I think Booth is OK with that kind of rich person.
November 6, 2012 at 1:45 pm
bb I agree. I shouldn’t have just made a blanket statement.
November 6, 2012 at 10:10 pm
It’s not his philosophy that I didn’t like; I can understand because I don’t always go the local, organic route myself. It was what he was saying (using words like “stupid”) and how he was acting (being curt with Brennan just because of his opinion). To be honest, I think what really did me in is when he threw his pickle in the street.
But I’ve noticed there are a lot of people who love Cranky!Booth, while he’s not really my favorite. I just think he’s going to give himself ulcers living that way.
November 6, 2012 at 2:40 pm
“She’s so nonchalant about what she knows about Booth including his skeleton.”
She knows his bones!! 🙂
November 6, 2012 at 7:45 pm
I think having someone in their home was what made him so cranky. I agree with what someone else said, he’s extremely protective of his private life. Always has been. In the early days, even Brennan didn’t really know anything about him. She didn’t even know he had a kid for a long time.
In some ways Booth has been just as closed off as Brennan, just in a less obvious way since he’s better with social interaction. He can shut people down without them noticing. I’m sure having someone(other than Brennan) in his house is a massive invasion of his privacy. If Sweets was in my house I’d be cranky too.
Another thing I’ve noticed is Brennan has overall softened more than Booth since they’ve been together. He is completely open and relaxed at home with her, but that’s not carried over to other people a whole lot. Brennan has relaxed and opened up to Booth all the way, and it’s also had an effect on how she is with others. That’s why(in some way) Brennan seems like the more easygoing one.
November 6, 2012 at 10:10 pm
Yes! I like the way you phrased it.
November 7, 2012 at 2:37 am
Booth’s one of those people who offers to help and then finds out what helping entails. He lets Sweets into their home and discovers that the boundaries in his life shift– Sweets comments about kids from “broken homes” and then finds out about Capt. America then is in his private domain, his tub.
I totally believe Brennan just accepting Sweets despite the psychology. She spends more time anthropologizing with him than he does psychologizing with her. I think Booth reminds her about the psychology at the crime scene so he can have an out. For Booth, he discovers his good deed might not allow him to be king of his Mighty Hut; for Brennan, she discovers in Sweets, another cultural find.
November 7, 2012 at 6:10 am
Sure, Brennan used anthropology on Sweets, but I think she was motivated to welcome him into her home by their friendship. I think they were really just enjoying each other’s company and she can discuss topics with Sweets that Booth may not be as interested in. In a way, everyone is a cultural find to Brennan, so I think she understood that he was going through a rough time and she wanted help him because she cares about him.
Interesting observation about Booth. I can see that. I don’t really make a big deal about the tub because the next day in the FBI building when Sweets apologized, Booth brushed it off saying it wasn’t that big of a deal. I try not to hold on to things the characters let go of.
November 7, 2012 at 5:07 am
Throwing away the “pickle” not eating the “pickle” was meant to be a nod and wink visual joke. *coughs* 😉
November 7, 2012 at 6:12 am
Maybe if it wasn’t already sliced. Although the way Brennan was eating it…
November 7, 2012 at 5:33 am
It was good enough ep. Not outstanding. I think once Bones gets a straighter run in Jan it will have more flow….NOW. I have NO problem with CrankyBooth. You guys try living with a coworker, that you see everyday at the FBI, that has no boundaries….Plus Sweets was lucky that Booth didn’t shoot him with that broken home jibe about Parker. I don’t care who said it, why they said, it was so out of line, when Booth had just did Sweets a good deed too! …Don’t buy the excuse that Sweets is shrink so he can hide behind that for being rude, hurtful? What shrinks don’t have manners, basic courtsay?… And I need “Bones” to explain CLEARLY the status of where is Parker. IF he is in England again then just say it. It would take just a few lines. Don’t throw Booth/Parker bond under the bus. (Parker was in England, then he returned, NOTHING else got explained since) …I too hope that Sweets stay is short: it is not his home, he needs to stand on his own two feet and let B&B have their own space and PRIVACY.
November 7, 2012 at 6:02 am
That was an awfully terrible thing for Sweets to say. I don’t think I’ve heard anyone excusing that statement in particular.
And I think Booth did have justification for being cranky at home. He just wanted to relax. My “complaint” had to do with his behaviour as he and Brennan were walking down “artisan lane.” Someone said it was a joke…I still don’t get it. I was thinking why did he pick it up in the first place if he didn’t plan on eating it?
November 7, 2012 at 6:06 am
For me, it’s obvious they’re saying Parker is now living in England with his mother. The line about him not visiting for a few more months is meant to show us that he’s no longer in the US and spending every other weekend with Booth. For us long time fans it may be an issue, for casual viewers, Booth’s line about Parker visiting, plus Sweets’ (rather insensitive) line about children of broken homes makes it look like he just isn’t around. Those of us who watched last season and know he was flying from England can put two and two together and imagine he’s now living there and only comes to visit once or twice a year. Clearly explaining his status might take away precious air time from the episode, since the episode wasn’t really about Parker.
November 7, 2012 at 8:07 am
I think they make Booth act cranky because they think it’s funny. And because they always, in every episode, find something for B&B to disagree/contrast on. I liked his crankyness when he was shepherding Sweets up the stairs – he was like a grumpy old Dad. And when he was bossing Fisher about. He’s a patriarch as much as Brennan is the matriarch of all the squints.
I thought their family dynamic was lovely, and I loved how well Brennan and Sweets were getting on – their conversation while Sweets folded laundry was lovely. Brennan came across really nicely in this episode; warm, loving and a real friend. She was very likeable.
I also thought Booth was very good to Sweets, minor irritations when guests stay is natural – but Sweets apologised which I thought was mature and Booth was gracious about it. All in all, the family dynamic at home was much better than I expected.
Booth liked coming home to ‘you three’, it was a nice moment. I think Booth’s a bit uptight because he’s always holding on tightly to what he’s got. The home and family he’s built with Brennan are everything he’s ever hoped for, and he’s protective of it. He’s not secure enough in it quite yet to just relax and let it happen and enjoy it. (Perhaps Sweets talking about ‘fear of the future’ alludes to this?) Booth’s family history has taught him that happiness is precarious. It’s a sad indication of the instability and shame he experienced as a child.
Sweet’s comment about the kids from broken homes didn’t really bother me because it’s the sort of thing Brennan would say – Booth’s used to being around people who say what’s on their mind without preamble. It will always annoy me that they moved Parker to a different continent and never had Booth mention that he minded. In past seasons, he moved heaven and earth to ensure he always had his time with Parker – breaks my heart they’ve taken that trait away from him. So I have to hand wave it away.
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