Bones 8.24 The Secret in the Siege

[stargazer]

I’ve been in the minority on this site in that I LOVE the Pelant story line, however this one didn’t live up to my expectations for a Pelant episode and especially for the Season 8 finale episode. For one, there was no actual interaction (other than phone calls) between Pelant and the team. Instead, he had his “surrogate” doing all of the dirty work. Plus, there were no difficult puzzles for the team to solve, only the 11 shot connection between the victims and the man killed at Crystal Creek. I know that per Pelant “the rules have changed” but I don’t think that he would’ve changed his tactics so much to bring in an outside person. Up until now he's only worked alone. Also, I’m starting to agree that Pelant’s obsession with the Jeffersonian is a little far-fetched, especially now that he is determined to keep Booth and Brennan from marrying. I know that Sweets concluded that Pelant wants to be the most important thing going on, but I just don’t understand what difference it would make whether B&B married or not. They are still the same people that he has chosen to target from the beginning, so their marital status shouldn't be relevant. Personally, I don’t care if they ever get married.

Pelant is supposed to be a genius but on the videos that were faked from the father to his daughter, Pelant should’ve been smart enough to make the pixels match between the background and the father’s face, not to mention noticing that the bird shouldn’t have been there. The way he’s been portrayed in the past, these are mistakes that he wouldn’t have made knowing that the team scrutinizes everything they see.

Even though I don’t want anyone on the show to be killed off, for a finale episode I expected someone to get hurt or possibly killed on the Jeffersonian team. I figured Sweets would get shot in the very least, but nothing that dramatic happened. I honestly think the last episode when Arastoo was sick was more of a nail-biter and had more of the feeling of a finale.

The last scene between Booth and Brennan was sad to me because of the fact that the normally stoic, logical Brennan was genuinely hurt that Booth changed his mind about marrying her. I’m not worried about their relationship in Season 9 because I think she’s smart enough to figure out why Booth changed his mind, or at least Angela and Cam will help her realize that he wouldn’t do that without a good reason.

Now a few positives:

I always love when they find a reason to bring Caroline in an episode. Her sarcasm and witty comments always make me laugh.

TJ’s performance in the scene between Hodgins and Angela brought a tear to my eye. It was gut-wrenching seeing him blaming himself for the deaths of the agents and regretting not killing Pelant. He’s such an awesome actor! :eusa-clap:

A few of my favorite quotes:
Booth: “She did it with jerky!”
Angela: “Don’t ever call me ma’am again.”
Caroline calling Sweets “Sweety bird”. So cute!

[omelette73]

I’ve been in the minority on this site in that I LOVE the Pelant story line, however this one didn’t live up to my expectations for a Pelant episode and especially for the Season 8 finale episode. For one, there was no actual interaction (other than phone calls) between Pelant and the team. Instead, he had his “surrogate” doing all of the dirty work. Plus, there were no difficult puzzles for the team to solve, only the 11 shot connection between the victims and the man killed at Crystal Creek. I know that per Pelant “the rules have changed” but I don’t think that he would’ve changed his tactics so much to bring in an outside person. Up until now he's only worked alone. Also, I’m starting to agree that Pelant’s obsession with the Jeffersonian is a little far-fetched, especially now that he is determined to keep Booth and Brennan from marrying. I know that Sweets concluded that Pelant wants to be the most important thing going on, but I just don’t understand what difference it would make whether B&B married or not. They are still the same people that he has chosen to target from the beginning, so their marital status shouldn't be relevant. Personally, I don’t care if they ever get married.

I'm part of the minority too, because I always liked the Pelant storyline...till the season finale!
I also found his last idea to create troubles to our team to be too simplistic for a genius like he is, everything was too easy to understand and not that dangerous if you consider what he have done in the past episodes. Plus, still no trace of reason why he is targeting all of them? Seriously? It's been 2 seasons Pelant is the bad man to beat and we still have no idea why he is doing what he is doing. Not a single tiny hint. And i need to know, I'm not saying EVERYTHING, but at least.something!
I mean he target Brennan, than Booth, than Hodgins and Angela, and he changes idea again and no, he is not interested in B&B anymore and want Sweets dead... and then... "what about make B&B miserable... just because?"... I mean... seriously??
I honestly thought in this episode Pelant was only the purpose to bring out the marriage thing and the rejection.
And I'm with you too, I don't care if they get married or not - don't get me wrong, I love B&B as couple - but I just don't think they need to be married to prove something, they already are a solid couple to me.
And again... seriously... all this mess and Booth couldn't find a way to tell Brennan the truth about Pelant? It was pretty unbelievable.

I honestly think the last episode when Arastoo was sick was more of a nail-biter and had more of the feeling of a finale.

Same here, and it's not a first for Bones!

The last scene between Booth and Brennan was sad to me because of the fact that the normally stoic, logical Brennan was genuinely hurt that Booth changed his mind about marrying her. I’m not worried about their relationship in Season 9 because I think she’s smart enough to figure out why Booth changed his mind, or at least Angela and Cam will help her realize that he wouldn’t do that without a good reason.

I'm not worried either, and even if I was sad for them both, I still think that he could have find thousand of ways to say her something without putting anyone in danger. The expedient was pretty lame.

[skftex]

I didn't like it at all. I still think that Pelant does things that should not come across as so brilliant to the team, and when he appears suddenly the things Angela, Hodgins, Brennan, Cam know how to do and HAVE done before are forgotten to make Pelant seem smart. Plus the fact that the things he does are often not possible and never make me believe they would be possible.

I prefer shows where the whole team is brought together and is the focus of the show, and the one redeeming quality to the Pelant storyline is that the whole team seemed to be part of the story, but in this one it became all about Booth/Brennan when we've never had any indication that Pelant was so focused on them before. And then suddenly he cares about Sweets?

Also, I think the ending was just dumb. So these three people at the park were in danger if Booth doesn't break the engagement with Brennan. Yet he waits and hours later tells her at home. So does that mean Pelant is still following these three people?? And does the fact that Booth tells her in the house mean that he suspects there are cameras there??? Couldn't Booth just have gone to the Jeffersonian and told Brennan the truth? We've never had any indication that Pelant was spying on them inside the Jeffersonian. It was always outside where he apparently can control satellites or in their bedroom where we know there is a camera.

Basically I think it was just poor writing all around and makes no sense.
It certainly didn't make me feel like I can't wait for season 9. It just annoyed me.

[stargazer]

I forgot to mention another few things that bothered me about the episode. For one, Pelant was going after and killing the agents involved in the Crystal Creek incident, so it made no sense for him to target Sweets who had no involvement at all. Also, I don't understand why the daughter (surrogate) would target Sweets instead of Booth, even if the directions supposedly came from her late father. Like I said above, Sweets was not involved when her father was killed and in fact he was only a kid 10 years prior, so I don't know how she could justify going after him to avenge her father. It would've made much more sense if she targeted Booth instead. The whole plot was weak in this one.

[omelette73]

I forgot to mention another few things that bothered me about the episode. For one, Pelant was going after and killing the agents involved in the Crystal Creek incident, so it made no sense for him to target Sweets who had no involvement at all. Also, I don't understand why the daughter (surrogate) would target Sweets instead of Booth, even if the directions supposedly came from her late father. Like I said above, Sweets was not involved when her father was killed and in fact he was only a kid 10 years prior, so I don't know how she could justify going after him to avenge her father. It would've made much more sense if she targeted Booth instead. The whole plot was weak in this one.

*Nods vehemently*
Sooo very weak!

[ThyneAlone]

As regular browsers may have observed, I have been attempting during my two weeks of half term holiday to get up to date with a few S8 comments.

Well, I can't really do this one. I have established with some consternation that for once, the only time ever, I have deleted an episode as soon as I watched it! Every other episode is sitting there awaiting another viewing and a review. But the last Pelant of S8? Wiped from my screen, though unfortunately not totally from my memory. My beloved and I sat down to watch this and became increasingly incredulous and bemused with the poor plotting, banal dialogue and inadequate use of good actors. Because of the unconnected threads of the Crystal Creek incident I was puzzled anyway, but to somehow link it to Sweets? Bizarre. A simplistically drawn villain and an obscure storyline don't really have a great deal to recommend them.

The 'surrogate/trainee' thing weakened the Gormagon plot, which I detested, hugely, and it does the same here (though oddly the Gravedigger had exactly the reverse problem; she could not have succeeded in her crimes on her own); Pelant's reliance on the girl and then his carelessness with the video performances make him look like a complete idiot, which would be fine if he hadn't been built up to be a god-like infallible individual capable of confounding a whole team of brilliant people. And as for his petty desire to make Booth and Brennan unhappy, when we already have no clue why he is targeting the team anyway! - complete drivel!

In spite of some individually fine performances, not least TJ's, as always, this was a massively anticlimactic season finale and deserved the delete button. I guess I'll have to purchase it on the DVD but will be happy to consign it to the ranks of the unwatched. Sorry!

[Sinkwriter72]

I'm just ecstatic to see you posting, Steph! These reviews are marvelous. (And especially with this one, SPOT-ON. Don't even get me started on the ridiculousness of Pelant.)