Bones Season 6 Finale: B&B and more B’s

Emily Deshanel as Brennan and David Boreanaz as Booth
Brennan and Booth (Bones season 6 finale)/ Fox Broadcasting
Bones usually has catchy tunes playing on its soundtrack every week but if there’s one song to convey season six’s entire arc, it’d have to be David Bowie’s “Changes,” because that’s exactly what almost every character experienced this past year.  Maybe the creators had that earworm, too, because the season finale was titled “The Change in the Game.”  Watch here at Fox if you haven't seen it yet, because we're spoiling to discuss it.

Beginning with Season 6 recap. The season began with FBI Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) and Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel) overseas, with him chasing insurgents in Afghanistan, and Brennan in Maluku looking for the possible missing link in man’s evolution. Caroline Julian called them home and reassembled the Jeffersonian forensic team by the end of the first ep, but not before we found out that Angela (Michaela Conlin) was pregnant with a kid by Hodgins (TJ Thyne), the squints had scattered, and Sweets (John Francis Daley) decided to break off his engagement to Daisy Wick (Carla Gallo) since she went to Maluku with Brennan.

Emily Deschanel as Dr. Temperance Brennan /Fox Broadcasting
The Doctor in the Photo (Bones episode 9) bothers Brennan /Fox Broadcasting
Burley Brings Bawling? Most significantly, Booth had a serious girlfriend in Hannah Burley, a war correspondent he met in Afghanistan.  I’m glad the producers made Hannah and Brennan friends, since it would’ve been a giant cliché to have them fighting over Booth, but Hannah was never fully fleshed out as a character. Katheryn Winnick, who portrayed Hannah, has turned in mesmerizing performances elsewhere but here, she wasn’t given a lot of layers to play. We saw that she was smart and ambitious, but viewers weren’t shown much else about what made her tick. She was almost too perfect. Despite being a little nervous about meeting Booth’s son, Parker, for example, she won him over with one conversation.

Perhaps Hannah was meant more as a device to make Brennan rethink her life choices. In episode 9 of this season, Bones worked on the case of a doctor who seemingly lived a life dedicated to her work.  No one seemed to notice when she died. The case rattled Brennan because she saw herself in the victim. After solving the mystery, she told Booth she made a mistake when she rejected his profession of love to her last season. But Booth said he had moved on and now loved Hannah, causing Bones to cry, a rare moment of vulnerability for her.

The Bullet in the Brain (Bones episode 11) /Fox Broadcasting
The Bullet in the Brain (episode 11) /Fox Broadcasting
Broadsky's Betrayal. Before they could all move on, some old business had to be settled first. In episode 11, the Grave Digger was brought to the courthouse for her final appeal when her head suddenly exploded from sniper fire. I expected it to happen because it was teased the previous week, but its graphic nature was still shocking. And poor Sweets, who was standing near the Digger, got splattered with her brains and matter. Yeccccch.

Booth knew there was only a handful of people who could have made that kill shot, and eventually determined it was his old Army friend and mentor, Jacob Broadsky. (What’s with all the “B” surnames on this show?) Broadsky had apparently turned vigilante, assassinating bad people for money. Booth and Broadsky had a showdown, but Booth couldn’t take the shot when he had a chance, and Broadsky got away. Since producers cast the intimidating film actor Arnold Vosloo as Broadsky, it was obvious he would be the next villain granted a multi-episode arc, one that would get very personal for Booth.

Bros Buying Bling. Also personal is Booth's spontaneous decision to propose to Hannah while out drinking with Sweets. Sweets said he didn’t want to end up at Booth’s age and still be unmarried, so he would propose to Daisy again. Not wanting to be shown up, Booth said he was already planning to do the same to Hannah. The two went ring shopping and Booth bought a giant whopper while Sweets backed down, realizing he wasn’t ready.

Booth and Burley Betrothal Bust from The Daredevil in the Mold (Bones episode 13)/ Fox Broadcasting
Booth and Burley Betrothal Bust from The Daredevil in the Mold (Bones episode 13)/ Fox Broadcasting
When Booth popped the question, Hannah freaked out a little, saying she wasn’t the marrying kind, but that she loved him and wanted things back the way they were. Booth got mad, made clear that wasn’t going to happen, and threw the ring into the river after Hannah left.

I know I was supposed to feel sorry for Booth since he kept getting rejected by the women he loves, but I couldn’t drag up much sympathy here. His decision to propose was more a reaction to what Sweets said about Booth never having married; it wasn’t based on any real discussion Booth and Hannah had about marriage. In fact, she had made it pretty clear she wasn’t looking to get married, so it’s his own fault for not listening to her.

And why did he throw away that expensive ring he couldn’t afford?? He’s a government worker, not Donald Trump! Couldn’t he at least try to return or pawn it? I hate it when people on TV and in movies throw or break valuable things when they’re mad. That ring looked like it cost $20,000 or more and I’ve never seen anyone just throw away that kind of money in real life.

David Boreanaz as Booth and Emily Deschanel as Brennan/ Fox Broadcasting
Booth Boozes and Bargains inThe Daredevil in the Mold (Bones episode 13)/ Fox Broadcasting
Booth's Boozy Bargain. Anyway, Booth ended up getting drunk at the Founding Fathers, rambling about why no woman seems to want what he was offering. He gave Bones an ultimatum. She could stay, have a drink, and be his friend, or leave and he’d find another partner for her the next morning. Of course she stayed, but it looked like there would be no flirting between them for some time.

The two did get stuck in an elevator in episode 16, during which time they discussed their relationship. Brennan thought they’d be great in bed, since they’re both physical people with excellent stamina. It’s the out-of-bed parts that she thought would give them trouble. At the end of the episode, they each wrote down the date when they thought they might be ready to get together and then they burned the sheets of paper, releasing them as wishes into the universe.

Booth tries to save Vincent from The Hole in the Heart (Bones episode 22)/ Fox Broadcasting
Booth tries to save Vincent from The Hole in the Heart (Bones episode 22)/ Fox Broadcasting
Bullets for Brainiacs. Back at work, Booth finally captured Broadsky, but not before the latter took out Vincent Nigel-Murray  in the lab with a bullet intended for Booth. Vincent Nigel-Murray's death was sad, but not shocking since it was leaked back in January that a squintern would die from sniper fire, and producers made no mystery of the fact a significant character would perish in this season’s penultimate episode. When Ryan Cartwright’s name appeared during the opening credits last week, I knew Vincent was a goner.

B&B in Bed. Vincent's death caused Brennan to crawl into Booth’s bed and cry, and it was implied that maybe something more happened. (See this post for more discussion of 4:47) I didn’t buy it, because I thought B&B consummating their relationship would be a huge moment that producers would milk. (That might’ve come out dirtier than I intended.)

Newest Squint: Michael Staccato Vincent Hodgins (Bones season 6 finale)/ Fox Broadcasting
Newest Squint: Michael Staccato Vincent Hodgins (Bones season 6 finale)/ Fox Broadcasting
Well, last night’s finale proved me WRONG. But I’m rather glad for it. I’m not a B&B ‘shipper. I don’t care whether or not they hook up; I just hate being jerked around. Thankfully, in this interview with TVLine, executive producer (and the finale’s co-writer) Stephen Nathan says last night’s cliffhanger was not a bait-and-switch and that Brennan and Booth definitely had sex after Vincent’s death. (Speaking of the deceased squintern, it was a nice touch to have Angela and Hodgins use Vincent for one of their baby Michael’s middle names.)

Booth and Brennan as Buck and Wanda (Bones season 6 finale)/ Fox Broadcasting
Booth and Brennan as Bowling Buck and Wanda (Bones season 6 finale)/ Fox Broadcasting
Buck and Wanda and Bowling.  Oh yeah, Babies!  Other than that last-minute revelation, the finale was a snooze.

It was about thirty minutes of bowling, ten of Angela screaming in labor, and maybe two of Brennan delivering her news, which wasn’t that surprising considering how Emily Deschanel looked pregnant throughout the episode (the actress announced her pregnancy in March).

Brennan reveals upcoming baby to Booth in Bones season 6 finale, More sleepless nights ahead /Fox Broadcasting
Brennan reveals upcoming baby to Booth, More sleepless nights ahead /Fox Broadcasting

My first reaction to the ending was “Huh?” but after reading Nathan’s comments, I think it might be better for Booth and Brennan to skip past all the gooey dating stuff, and go straight to a situation that will certainly be rife with a different kind of tension.

 

What did you think?

 

 

 

 

 


Elyse is a freelance writer/editor who likes soup and the Bee Gees, but doesn’t enjoy piña coladas or getting caught in the rain. She also blogs at Pop Culture Nerd and tweets as @popculturenerd.

Comments

  1. Laura K. Curtis

    OK, I know some people were confused by last week’s episode and thought maybe Booth and Tempe hadn’t had sex, but that was never even a question in my mind. I thought her reaction with Angela really showed the difference in the way she considers her relationship with Booth vs. with the other men she’s slept with during the show’s history. She’s always been very straightforward about them since there were no emotions involved. Her inability to say exactly what had happened seemed to me to have been written exactly right.

    I don’t think the characters as written could maintain a romantic relationship *without* the pregnancy. I’ve never been a big fan of the way they chose to portray Brennan — how could such a clinical and unemotional person so out of touch with pop culture and the way things work in the normal world have written a series of bestsellers?–but since that’s the direction they went, they’re going to have to give her a good reason not to give up on the relationship when logic dictates she should.

  2. bungluna

    Sorry. Still not happy about the way it was done.

  3. Terrie Farley Moran

    @ Laura–well put.

    @Elyse, thanks for a great wrap up of the season. I am one of the unfortunate few who saw the finale but did not see the previous episode. Thanks to your “watch here” link, today I did something I have never done before. I followed the link and watched the episode I had missed on my COMPUTER!! Oh, I am getting to be really, really modern.

  4. Elyse Dinh-McCrillis

    [b]Laura[/b], Brennan’s complete lack of pop culture knowledge bugs me, too. How does she write relatable characters if she has poor social skills and doesn’t seem to be very observant when it comes to things outside the lab? What kind of music do the characters in her novels listen to? If they’re street thugs or gang members, would she know what slang to use in their dialogue?

    [b]bungluna[/b], it was quite abrupt.

    [b]Terri[/b], someone here at Crime HQ put in the link to last week’s episode because I was in such a hurry to turn this in, I forgot to include it. So you have them to thank! And I’m glad you got to see last week’s ep. Hope I didn’t spoil it for you.

  5. bungluna

    I seem to remember an episode that said something about Angela being the writer for the character development in Brennan’s books. Something about Angela ‘should be listed as co-author?’ Anybody remember this?

  6. Bri_in_nj

    I agree with the keeping the relationship with these two characters w/o a baby would eb hard concept. but also feel a little cheated in that we did not see the consummation either. After all the back and forth over the past 6 seasons, I at least wanted that!

  7. CarolK

    Giving the show the benefit of the doubt. The sexual tension between B&B has always been a draw. Not certain how he show will progress if they marry. And if they don’t???

  8. greybon

    @LauraKCurtis & @bungluna: All the relatable pieces of Brennan’s books come from Angela. Angela reads them as Brennan writes them and tells her where to change and add things. Brennan realized at one point that it was everything that came from Angela that made people like (& buy) her books. She started paying Angela part of her royalties after that.

  9. Terrie Farley Moran

    I forwarded this post to my daughter. She loved everyone’s comments, especially Laura’s.

  10. MinaBina

    I’m hoping B&B’s baby will be the final push to get them to be a couple. I can’t wait for season 7!

  11. AhmedMalik

    So he would propose to Daisy again. Not wanting to be shown up, Booth said he was already planning to do the same to Hannah.

  12. cleaning of swimming pools in riyadh

    what do you mean ?
    I know I was supposed to feel sorry for Booth since he kept getting rejected by the women he loves

  13. https://etechups.com/

    But Booth said he had moved on and now loved Hannah, causing Bones to cry, a rare moment of vulnerability for her.

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