Bones 5/19

Cafe Society
41

[QUOTE=Plynck]
I agree. I remember a Christmas episode where the group was quarantined in the lab, and Zach’s huge extended family came to visit. His character was clearly written that the family cared for one another very much. To then have him need an authority figure to be his master is completely out of character and more than a bit ludicrous.
[/QUOTE]

My mom and I were just talking about this: If Zach is the youngest of his large family (Wikipedia gives a count for siblings but not his “position” in the set), his identity is fluid, shifting to avoid being hated or abused by his older siblings. Coupled with his autistic tendencies, he’s likely to make very bad choices to make people in power like him. I’m paraphrasing; my mother’s theory sounded a lot better.

42

As much as I hated the Zach reveal…I’m glad it wasn’t Hodgins. That would have been truly horrible.

43

I was hoping it was Sweets. I hate that guy.

I would definately not be pissed off if it was just a dream.

44

[QUOTE=Batsinma Belfry]
I was hoping it was Sweets. I hate that guy.

I would definately not be pissed off if it was just a dream.
[/QUOTE]

Same here. He was rather creepy and his interest in Bones & Booth’s relationship seems unprofessional. He felt like a character brought in just to be made the creepy bad guy later. I wonder if that wasn’t the original intent of the character but the powers that be decided to go with Zach when too many people suspected Sweets and since the actor playing Zach was leaving anyway.

45

I think Sweets was written creepy on purpose, but not to be Gormogan. He was written to look like Gormogon, but not to BE him. Bones has a formula. Everytime there is a mystery, there are three potential suspects, more or less. One will jump right out at you as having obvious motive, means, and be unlikable. The second will be less obvious, but will have a motive turn up out of nowhere and seem believable. The third is the real killer, and was never under serious suspicion. Yeah, they vary it slightly from time to time to keep some suspense, but that’s the formula for the show.

Sweets was guy #1. Hodgins was guy #2. Zack was guy #3.

But it was rushed and executed poorly. I wish the stalker lady had been a two part episode, and the season had ended with Booth getting shot. Deal with Gravedigger next season, and continue getting some Gormogan episodes throughout. Then Gormogan can be the baddie for season 5.

As it is, the whole setup has been squandered. The big bad is dead, and the little bad is someone we like, so he can’t really be a recurring villain like the Gravedigger or the other serial they caught. I predict that Bones and Booth will hook up next season, and the series promptly becomes unwatchable.

Funny trivia: Booth was reading a Green Lantern comic. David Boreanaz voiced Green Lantern on a recent Justice League video game.

46

[QUOTE=Lightnin’]
I believe it was, “We need the room.” Said seriously, Saroyan picked up that Booth and Bones knew Zach was the guy.
[/QUOTE]

Close. He said, “You need to leave the room.” But same result.

I’ve suspected it was Zach since I saw the screen shot where he looked like the killer. However, I thought they’d flesh it out more and somehow connect his mental breakdown to post traumatic stress syndrome after serving in Iraq.

So much storyline, so little time after hacking out 5 episodes or so.

I just can’t picture Gormogan taking the time to light 1,000 candles before his fine dining experience, but what do I know?

47

I actually thought they were setting it up to be Dr. Saroyan to be the big twist, up until the point that Hodgen’s found the mandible to have been boiled in water with a high lead content meaning it was done in his neighborhood. At that point I figured that meant it was Zach.

Still don’t like it. Zach is the character that had a hard time examining the bones of a child because he couldn’t disassociate himself from it and kept getting upset about the dead kid. I just can’t buy him as a killer with the information we have been given on this character up until this last episode.

48

I don’t think they can make it be a “Booth’s dreaming” episode. How many people are aware of/witness things in a dream that they are not there for in person, so to speak? There were several events (such as Bones chewing out Sweets on the staircase) that Booth was not a direct witness to.

Kinda sorry to see Booth smoking a cigar. Seriously downgrade to his sex appeal, right there. But the whole bath scene made me think of the stereotypical scene of a female in a bubble bath with candles on the tub deck, a glass of wine, and reading a steamy romance, so I was amused.

Earlier this afternoon I started wondering if what had happened was that Hodgins was the real apprentice and he brought Zack in early either because he wanted to bump his master off early or because he needed someone to take the fall and the rest of the team was coming too close. He’s had 3 years to work on Zack, after all, and Zack was especially vulnerable after being discharged early from Iraq.

It also seemed odd to me that he kept doping Zack up against Zack’s wishes when Zack was trying to tell Angela about the chemicals at the hospital. Zack might be willing to cover for Hodgins, too, based on both friendship and the master-apprentice relationship. If Hodgins is trying to bump off the master early, that would account for Zack’s ability to provide such precise directions to finding him. I couldn’t really make it square up, though.

Not that the whole storyline hasn’t had its issues. What are the odds, for instance, of a nursing home being located in the exact right place to fit with Masonic symbology overlaid on the city? More importantly, if the old gormogan master felt it was so important to the whole built up mythology that that’s where he had to live, why wouldn’t the new master also be living at a Masonically significant location? I’m guessing he wasn’t since, given Hodgin’s interest in and knowledge of conspiracy theories and the like, the team or the FBI would have been able to find him without Zack’s directions much, much earlier.

Really, it’s a cool idea and a lot could have been done with it, but I think someone didn’t take the time required to think all the details and implications all the way through.

49

[QUOTE=JSexton]
Funny trivia: Booth was reading a Green Lantern comic. David Boreanaz voiced Green Lantern on a recent Justice League video game.
[/QUOTE]
And in the corresponding Justice League: New Frontier direct-to-DVD release.

50

Aw, Jeebus. You guys disappoint me.

Well, not YOU really, but you’re all the bearers of bad news. I very rarely watch TV. The last time I saw Bones, Gormegon’s little goth-boy apprentice killed himself in a jail cell. I was aware Zack had gone to Iraq but sent home, and I knew nothing about any Booth stalker. I tuned in late to the finale, so I missed most of the “funeral” and didn’t know Booth had been recently shot (I figured it had happened early in the season).

So when Zack turned out to be the turncoat, I was eagerly looking forward to the SDMB discussions about all the sneaky plot twists, and all the subtle clues that in hindsight told us about Zack’s fall from grace. Here I was expecting you to tell me: “Of course, Zack came back from Iraq a shattered man, susceptible to the influence by the wily machinations of that insane super-genius Gormegon” and then you’d wax on about the well-disguised clues and all the puzzle pieces that fell into place during the episode.

Instead, you’re telling me it was all what-you-see-is-what you get? Bah! What crap!

“Well, golly folks. I became a cannibal apprentice because it was simply the logical thing to do! What? There was a flaw in my logic? ::sniffle::”

You’ve GOT to be kidding me! Even the show’s internal logic is absurd:

“But of course! ::forehead slap:: It makes perfect sense now! The strong-willed individual controlling the weak-willed individual.”

Zack deliberately blew himself up and lost the use of his hands. Why, that just screams “weak willed” to me. Yes, sure it does. :smack:

If they wanted Zack off the show, they should have had him figure something out, go check his theory, and get captured. Then they could have had an edge-of-your-seat episode with innocent geek Zack as Gormegon’s prisoner, psychologically sparring in a battle of wills and logic. Just when you think Zack’s brilliant mind has defeated the Big Bad in a logic-based coup-de-grace, he gets eaten.

51

[QUOTE=Swallowed My Cellphone]
If they wanted Zack off the show, they should have had him figure something out, go check his theory, and get captured. Then they could have had an edge-of-your-seat episode with innocent geek Zack as Gormegon’s prisoner, psychologically sparring in a battle of wills and logic. Just when you think Zack’s brilliant mind has defeated the Big Bad in a logic-based coup-de-grace, he gets eaten.
[/QUOTE]
Your theories intrigue me and I wish to subscribe to your culinary newsletter.

52

And - GRRRRR! - the final big reveal:

Scooby Gang: “So… Who. Is. Gormegon?”

:: soap opera suspense chord on the organ - Dun-DUH ::

Booth: “Oh, he’s nobody. We called around to various casting companies and we were hoping to maybe find some Hannibal Lecter lookalike, or maybe Vincent Spano, because he was in that “Alive” movie eating people. But really they were asking for way too much and we have a budget, dammit. So Rocco called his cousin Guido. He’s in between plumbing jobs right now so he was available, and the fake teeth fit him real good.”

Scooby Gang: “He was nobody? Meh. That figures. Invisible man, small penis, whatever.”

53

[QUOTE=Swallowed My Cellphone]
…

If they wanted Zack off the show, they should have had him figure something out, go check his theory, and get captured. Then they could have had an edge-of-your-seat episode with innocent geek Zack as Gormegon’s prisoner, psychologically sparring in a battle of wills and logic. Just when you think Zack’s brilliant mind has defeated the Big Bad in a logic-based coup-de-grace, he gets eaten.
[/QUOTE]

I agree, it was a crappy treatment of an established and likeable character. It will make it hard to watch old seasons of the show without his character being tainted.

Your scenario would have been better or maybe Zach did collude with Gormie a little bit (getting him the teeth, etc.) but had never actually killed anybody and was going along with the guy in order to get him to expose himself to be captured. Maybe some final clue Zach remembered was what helped them find Gormie instead of Zach actually knowing all along. Then Zach writes a book about it, makes millions and retires somewhat a hero, goes on a book tour all over the world, meets a supermodel that finds geeks sexy, gets married and settles down and has beautiful brainy kids. In fact, in my mind that will be what actually happened.

I really really hate this term but I have to say that the finale episode was the “Jumped the Shark” moment for the series.

54

Who actually stole the bones during the CCTV blackout? They never said it, but it was implied that Garmegon entered during the blackout when the guards were away and stole the bones.
This could be the part of the story left open to a twist next season.

55

[QUOTE=Uncommon Sense]
Who actually stole the bones during the CCTV blackout? They never said it, but it was implied that Garmegon entered during the blackout when the guards were away and stole the bones.
This could be the part of the story left open to a twist next season.
[/QUOTE]

They handled that story line so badly that personally I’ll be irritated if they try to resurrect it for any reason next season. This episode stank so badly the best they can hope for is that people will forget it quickly.

56

[QUOTE=Wile E]
I agree, it was a crappy treatment of an established and likeable character. It will make it hard to watch old seasons of the show without his character being tainted.
[/QUOTE]
In the version that I’m thinking, it would give the audience a chance to see that really, in his own element, Zack could have a real pair of brass balls. The poor guy got so stressed out he was sent back from Iraq. (I saw the snippet when he came back.) Everyone was all “Don’t worry, buddy. Not everyone is made to deal with that kind of stress. There’s no shame if it was too much for you.”

Having a logic battle with Gormegon would’ve let you see he was no wussy nerd, but that his combat skills were all in the mind. The psychological gloves come off, like playing a game of chess with the devil. Zack’s only hope is to push Gormegon over the edge, maybe get Gormegon to kill himself. Do the Homicide Life on the Street thing where the camera keeps circling in the interrogation room. Zack wears down his opponent, then CHOMP! Gormegon bites his face, cut to commercial.

Audience gasps! Audience wails! Zack is dead! Eaten alive! How shocking!

Next season: Revenge the Hunt for Gormegon!

57

[QUOTE=Leiko]
My mom and I were just talking about this: If Zach is the youngest of his large family (Wikipedia gives a count for siblings but not his “position” in the set), his identity is fluid, shifting to avoid being hated or abused by his older siblings. Coupled with his autistic tendencies, he’s likely to make very bad choices to make people in power like him. I’m paraphrasing; my mother’s theory sounded a lot better.
[/QUOTE]
I don’t have a background in psychology, so as far as I am concerned this could be a very plausible scenario if plot development had led up to that. However, that episode I referenced showed genuine affection between all of the family, rather than Zach currying favor.

58

[QUOTE=Jodi]
They handled that story line so badly that personally I’ll be irritated if they try to resurrect it for any reason next season. This episode stank so badly the best they can hope for is that people will forget it quickly.
[/QUOTE]

No kidding.
Bones, “That’s OK Zacky, we’ll all love you no matter how many people’s heads you chop off and eat for dinner.”

Come on people! I was yelling at the screen for someone to loose their cool over what Zack did. Him being the apprentice and all. He almost single handedly undermined the entire operation causing many people their lives and or jobs.
No one flipped out.
Also, that place had the shittiest security on the planet. If I were head of security there:
first; I’d expect to get canned
second; I’d fire anyone who left the outside doors open/unattended during the blackout
third; for not having redundancy, there’d be hell to pay
fourth; place doors/card readers between all critical areas (you wouldn’t be able to
waltz between the forensic lab and the evidence/bone storage area without scanning several doors)
fifth; I’d have a full time FBI presence in addition to Booth being there, for additional security with all the crazies they deal with.

59

Yeah! It’s not like the “Jeffersonian” doesn’t have a lot of OTHER stuff they don’t want walking off. I’ve been in stores with better security. And nevermind its evidentiary value; that skeleton had value to any Goth (put it on eBay) or just bullion value.

60

Sorry I’m late, but I just got around to the taped show over the weekend.
The ONLY thing I liked about this ep was Booth’s choice of bathing music.
Tho, even regarding that, I wondered about the practicality of listening to vinyl while bathing, and Bones’ ability to toss the needle back to the same portion of the same song she pulled it from…