Bones 9.15 The Heiress in the Hill

[TJ4ever]

Hi guys! Still very behind my BONES-catching-up! Still haven't seen S8 and I think only two or three eps of S9, yet. So I gotta decide which ep to watch and I choose the one a lot of you recommended and the one we talked about during the chat. 9:15 - The Heiress in the Hill!

First of all may I say I loved to see Robert Picardo there! - Hey, I'm still a Trekkie! I love his small appearances in several TV shows! Always makes me smile because I think back to the days where being a Trekkie was a huge part of my life! It was a fun time!

I loved to see Fisher again! I just love him! His first line apologizing for being late: "I was watching the news and wondering if it was even worth getting dressed!" So funny! I feel with him!

The case was interesting. First I thought it was the security guy, then the parents, then the dog walker! So impressive how the team found out the truth! Felt a bit sorry for the dog walker at the end! Poor guy! And another line from Brennan cracked me up - involving Fisher. Fisher: "I feel inadequate!" Brennan: "You work with me, Mr. Fisher. I'd have thought you'd be used to it by now." His face after that line - so funny!

The B+B storyline about the money was cute. It was so sweet of them that they wanted to give it to Hodgins for his brother. I somehow knew that Hodgins wouldn't take it. I don't know what I would have done. No one ever offered me 75.000 $ - and I think no one ever will - well, I think I would have taken it in that situation. But I'm alone and don't get the salaries Hodgins and Angela get. At least I think they are getting paid better than me! The hug after that was cute! And Booth saying:" Whatever happen to handshakes?" So funny!

But the best thing in this ep was that we got a lot more Hodgins scenes than in other eps! That was really great! TJ is such a great actor! How he reacted when his brother freaked out - not knowing what he did wrong. He was so crushed. Or at the end where he told him that he is his brother. Very touching! I like it when actors got a reaction out of me when they make me laugh very hard or make me cry - even when it's just a tear in the corner of my eye. That was so great! ...uhm, did I ever mention that I really like TJ's blue eyes??? I think I haven't mention it before, have I ??? LOL

OK, that was my Hope everything is understandable. I'm not so good with writing!

[ThyneAlone]

I can't believe I haven't done this one yet after such a long time. It was a very beautiful piece of screenplay in which we got our fair share of character development, some proper acting for TJ to do and indeed a case in which we could not pick out the perp from the very start (even though we might have been a bit suspicious about the kidnapping itself). What's not to like?

There was, inevitably, a Rain Man feel to this. Successful man suddenly discovers hitherto unsuspected sibling and has to adjust to both the idea and to a person who is very different from what they might have visualised. Hodgins’ response, however, could not be more different from Tom Cruise’s. He looks for a shared past that will help him relate to this strange character. He reacts with all his impetuous warmth and enthusiasm – and feels rejected. He thought he had found an easy path into his brother’s mind, but there are barriers and this is to be far from simple. TJ displays a slow coming to terms with the hard truths about Jeffrey in a myriad of subtle nuances. Small facial movements tick over from incredulous hope to heartbreak in just a few well—coloured moments. It will take more than the Nautilus to bind an understanding with this damaged person who has been institutionalised for so long. And it does, but Hodgins is able to use Jules Verne (yes, I know, Véro, I didn’t understand the pronunciation first time either) as a trampoline to locate other points of similarity and is finally, movingly, successful. I wish it hadn’t been such a one off. We may well get to see Jeffrey again, but we are probably going to miss all that slow groping for trust as he is introduced to Angela and Michael Vincent. Just crossing my fingers that he comes back and that we find out a bit more about Hodgins’ family in the process; because, honestly, TJ doesn’t get enough to work on these days.

So, definitely in the area of damaged relationships here, and specifically in families. The silent coldness in these people, and especially the brutality of the dead girl, were astonishing. How much had she wanted to see her father and stepmother suffer to be willing to cut off bits of herself and send them to them? And above all, how much of a spoilt brat must she have been to be prepared to wreck the dog walker’s life simply in order to get what she wanted?

The money issue was an interesting one. I have to say that if I had been Hodgins and Angela, I’d have accepted the gift in the spirit in which it was offered! No point making life unnecessarily hard for yourself imho! Sooooo lovely to see Hodgins hug Booth again though, and Booth to react in the same way as he did back in the early seasons. I don’t see the problem with couples having separate bank accounts (we’ve always had our own), but I do see why a man might feel a bit emasculated by a wife who earns substantially more than he does. Booth in particular does seek his identity in his work at least partially, and being in a relationship with a fellow control freak must be difficult from time to time.

It was nice having Fisher back with his slightly jaundiced view on the world, and able to give Hodgins the skinny on how it feels actually to be in an institution. My favourite bit was when he walked in late for work and explained that he had just been wondering whether it was worth even getting up! I feel like that occasionally!

So. Yes. Loved this one. Everyone played true to character, the case was intriguing and we were given a little peep into the Hodgins background. Excellent.

And by the way. Also recognised the Trek reference. Still a Trekkie at heart.

[JasonW]

TJ's performance in this episode is why I am so impressed as him as an actor. He hit every right note with his performance from the interaction with his brother to the way situations like this can distract from ordinary actions like lab work.

Honestly, I'd call this his best performance yet although I have a season and a half to go in my binge.

However, being honest, I have to admit the whole "lost his money" thing again just ticked me off. I know they used it to bring the brother into the situation, but the fact I know there's no way he'd be broke with getting nothing back just bothers me.

[ThyneAlone]

Couldn't agree more. <<sigh>>

[skftex]

I agree Jason. I like that you are just as annoyed with the money thing as we were! Also, yes, this was one of those rare episodes that let TJ actually show his range, we don't get that nearly enough.