Bones | 1x11
Added 2025-07-11 18:00:09 +0000 UTCno spoilers in comments pls :)
Comments
Just as The Boy in the Bush was a strong episode for Brennan (as it showed her humanity and her connection with kids in the foster system), The Woman in the Car is a strong episode for Booth. It shows his connection to kids and his strengths as an FBI agent. There are some terrific parallels of father and son. Booth and Decker seem to be completely different men; in fact, in some ways Decker is the male version of Brennan (logical, rational scientist in contrast to Booth's gut instincts and physical training). But there is one trait that they both share -- the love each man has for his son (and the lengths he will go to in order to keep that son safe). I don't think this episode is as intense as the Epps episode earlier in the season, but it does build up tension nicely from the beginning (with the scene of the missing kid and his mother murdered and horribly burned) all the way up to the big finish when Booth rescues the kid. There are some terrific tension points throughout the episode: the kid's finger being mailed to Booth, Brennan talking logic to Decker (rational person to rational person) to get him to stand down, Booth telling Brennan she can't go in with the SWAT team (Finally! She listens and stays back!), and of course the big moment when Booth shows off not only his badass side (barging in and shooting with precision) but also his gentler side (when he finds the terrified kid and tells him the code word "Paladin"). I love that final takedown scene so much. Booth's command of the situation gives me chills, and the way he comforts that poor sobbing boy makes me cry. And the boy's face when he realizes that Booth is a safe guy, not another bad guy... OW OW OW. Straight to the heart. And then the dad shows up on scene and starts crying... oh, all of it just kills me. And while I appreciate Booth's passion about kids and parenthood, I like that in this episode Brennan holds true to her beliefs just as Booth holds true to his. They could have gone all clichéd and had her get all mushy at the sight of Booth with the kid and have her change her mind (like some Hallmark episode). But that's not Brennan. There's a good point, she makes, in that it's hard to see bringing a child into the world, not with all the horrific stuff they see on a day-to-day basis. That's a very fair point. "Woman in the Car" is another strong one in an entire season of strong episodes. It's got good build-up and strong guest actors. And I think the episode is especially strong because of Booth relating to the guy as a father and how they showed that consistency throughout. Plus, the ending always makes me cry. On a separate note, this episode has many funny moments, which is surprising given how grave the case is. I like how they balanced humor and drama. Some quick highlights of my favorite funny parts: - Brennan showing once again just how bad she is at doing interviews. "Well, I do one, then the other." Though quite frankly what did that interviewer expect, going into an interview with a woman who examines remains on a daily basis and then writes about it?? (It is funny, though, to see her nodding and smiling and trying to be upbeat while Brennan talks about rotting corpses. Heee.) - The agent who has been watching Decker, saying to Booth: "I get the gay thing a lot because I'm so cute, but the one ear thing, that's unique to you." That line always cracks me up. - Zack getting in Booth's personal space. (Uh-oh. Step back, Zack! Step back!) - Zack's interview with Pickering, and how he can do two things at once. 480 volts 350 amps! :D - Goodman shutting down Pickering because her line of inquiry is ridiculous. He's allowed to have smart conversations with smart women and not have it be some sort of scandal! Sheesh. - Brennan shutting down Pickering because she brought up a very wrong name. Heeeeee. - Angela in her interview with Pickering, feeling like she's rambling and using the session like therapy. LOL. - Angela telling Booth she has all kinds of secrets. "Better believe it, bucko... the best kind." (And on a self-serving but hopefully amusing side note, I used some of Angela's backstory from this episode in a piece of Bones fan fiction I once wrote for a friend who requested that I write a story for her birthday. Because I think "the best kind" and some of the other stuff Angela reveals in this episode says so much about her as a character. She's a lot of fun.) - And the best, funniest part of this episode? Everything Hodgins does. Yes, I'm biased because I happen to like TJ Thyne as an actor, but it's TRUE! He is SO funny in this episode. From his immediate demand for a lawyer when Pickering shows up to interview all of them, to his suspicions about her credentials, to his insistence that he is not harmless. It's all hilarious. "I am not benign, lady! I know things that could curdle your blood, including a formula that actually curdles blood!" Lol. And my favorite line, after they'd helped Booth sort out some evidence and then Zack said something that annoyed Booth all over again, said by Hodgins in the most funny way: "Way to go, Zack. We went from geniuses to idiots in 3 seconds." Ha.
Sherry Sink
2025-08-07 04:38:53 +0000 UTCWe shall 💜
Kristina Fagan
2025-07-14 11:55:14 +0000 UTC
