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Episode recap: "The Pain in the Heart"
The events that went on in this season finale were pretty surprising to me, not all in good ways. I'm very happy that there are shows on TV whose writing can still throw me for a loop, but I found myself really questioning the plausibility of many of the events, which has been happening a lot with me this season. When I can't just suspend my disbelief and I end up sitting there going, "No way, that would never happen" instead of being totally into the story, something gets lost for me.
Regarding Booth's "death," it was extremely emotional to see everyone preparing for his funeral, and to see how badly Brennan was handling it. I teared up. This wasn't a scene I ever thought we'd see, even though I knew he couldn't possibly be gone. It was a superb twist that he was still alive, but after hearing the explanation about the top-secret FBI case he was working on, the whole thing just left me kind of deflated and questioning. Why would they choose to get this bad guy now? Why was Booth the only one trying to stop him from pulling a gun? Why did Brennan have to knock the guy over the head with a mannequin leg when there was a line of Marines and officers there too? Who was that guy and why did he want Booth killed? This is what I mean. It all really begs for answers, and there just aren't any.
The episode followed the Jeffersonian team's Gormogon investigation after a human jawbone was delivered to them with a set of silver screws, tying it to the ongoing case. Zack determined it has been chewed on by teeth from a pair of home-made plastic dentures and he and Hodgins set to re-creating what they might look like. The bone was boiled, so Hodgins was assigned to find out what kinds of minerals were in the water used for the boiling. Everyone was set on IDing the bone, which we found out came from the lobbyist we saw murdered in his home a few episodes back.
As far as setting up some big suspense, I thought this finale really did some great things. I wholeheartedly suspected that Gormogon's apprentice would be Cam... and then Hodgins... and then Sweets. (Though I did wonder where Clark had run off to). I bought it all. When the story can make you suspect some of the characters you love dearly of being murderous cannibals, I think that's some good storytelling.
Sweets really skeeved me out when it came to light that he never told Bones about Booth's death as an experiment. How do you do that? It just seemed cruel to me. He seemed to impart his professional opinion over so much of the case, and it was odd to see that level of involvement from someone who in my eyes hasn't yet earned their place on the team. I figure it was all done to set him up to look guilty in this particular case, but his actions throughout the episode made me lose a bit of the sympathy I had for the guy.
After Zack was caught in the chemical explosion in the lab, it seemed that he couldn't be the culprit because he was now a victim, and Hodgins started looking pretty skeevy with his weird mannerisms in the lab and upping Zack's meds to shut him up. We now know that it was all to help his buddy, but T.J. Thyne pulls off Disturbed Scientist maybe too convincingly.
In the end, Zack pretty easily let himself be found out as the apprentice with his incorrect diagnosis on where the jaw bone's tooth marks came from. Of course, he didn't think he'd end up with third degree burns from the chemical explosion he'd set set up for himself, either. But with all the places this episode went and all the accusations it made, it explained through the Gormogon reality ever too quickly for my likes. Zack is very central to this show, and I found it difficult to accept that this morally (or maybe just logically?) upstanding guy would make this huge turn in his life, accept the teachings of someone he barely knows based on a few logic principles, become Gormogon's apprentice and kill people, and that we'd have to accept his downfall in just a few minutes. Really now?
I never considered Zack to be someone particularly weak in character. This ending made it seem as though anyone with good enough logic would be able to convince him of doing anything, which to me borders on disrespecting the guy. Perhaps more of his story was built up and missing in the episodes that were never produced because of the strike? Maybe Zack's lingering post-traumatic stress played a part? I need something more to accept that this guy, who always worked with the good guys solving crimes, would ever go over to the dark side. And that he'll now be spending the rest of his life in a psychiatric facility. Big ouch.
I'll say the one thing I did really enjoy seeing was how real and balanced Brennan was in this situation. As someone who we rarely see downtrodden or sad or expressing any sort of involved emotion, she really ran the gamut in light of the extreme things happening in her life. She was furious enough at Booth to barge into his bath unannounced (now one of my top scenes from this show EVER), she showed immense kinship for Zack when she put her forehead to his in the hospital, and really regretted not showing her love for him like the rest of the squints had as they went through his belongings. I don't think we've ever seen her so cracked by the things happening around her. She was almost a different person from the compartmentalizing doc we know, but in a more human way, and in a way that to me was not a stretch. If she hadn't been, and remained her collected logical self, I think that would have been pretty unbelievable.
There's a lot more to discuss in this episode that there's no space for, but I wanted to at least get to the parts that felt really important. I also wished we'd had more of a connection with the Gormogon master (anyone else think he looked a lot like John Turturro?) and that he wasn't just a nobody. Same with the bad guy at Booth's funeral. I can't imagine what next season will look like with Zack (mostly?) gone, or how the dynamic in the lab might be different without him. Will he be replaced? Have we all been punked and this is just one big, bad dream? I can't imagine what's in store, and this finale just felt a little too big for its one hour for me. I'm still a little thrown.
I want to hear what you guys thought. Are you still in shock? Did anyone love the finale? Are you excited for what Season 4 may bring?
Meaty quotes
"I need my best friend." — Angela, convincing Bones to go to the funeral
"That woman was aiming at me. I would have happily taken that bullet." — Brennan's outburst at Booth's funeral
"Just know I won’t be attending your next funeral." — Brennan to Booth
Zack: "Is it a cake or is it a pickle?"
Hodgins: "It’s Schroedinger’s Cat."
Zack: "That makes sense to me. Cakes and pickles mean nothing to me."
"You clearly have no concern for me." — Brennan to Booth, on not informing her he was still alive
"Would you like a towel?" — Brennan
Booth: "Next time I die, I promise that I will tell you."
Brennan: "I look forward to that."
"Just so you know, I find your lack of Puritan modesty very refreshing." — Brennan
"A toothless cannibal just can’t cut it in today’s competitive serial killer climate." — Cam
"I think it’s interesting psychologically how agent booth’s constant efforts to persuade you to enjoy fruit pie could be interpreted as a type of seduction." — Sweets
"It’s Zack. He’s the killer, Booth. It’s Zack." — Brennan
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May 20, 2008 8:31 AM
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Zach was my favourite character and the reason I watched the show, so they've lost me as a viewer now. I loved that odd little man! I mean, if you think back to when Frasier started, Niles was there to be even more Frasier than Frasier was. Bones and Zach had the same dynamic, and I loved it. It made Bones, an otherwise odd character, seem more understandable by comparison. That's gone now. So I'm done.
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May 20, 2008 8:44 AM
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I just want to say that they had me going at the beginning with Booth's "death". I kept saying no they can't do that. I am glad they didn't. They did make me teary eyed for a second.
Now on to the Gormogon killer. At first I thought it was Sweets (before they started with making you think that it was Hodgins}. I just thought it was suspicious that he was there right after the killings started. Then they started making you think that it was Hodgins. He did a good acting job. Then I went back to Sweets. Well I never suspected Zack. I guess I should of because of all of the rumors he may have been leaving especially when he didn't die from the explosion. I am glad they didn't kill him off.
I also loved the bathroom scene especially when Booth stood up. I thought that was funny.
This episode was great. Can't wait to see what is in store for next season. I just love this show.
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May 20, 2008 8:49 AM
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I am still processing this episode.
I really did not mind not knowing the bad guy at the beginning, and could accept it as it set up the angry Bones.
But Zack -- yeah, I'm just not buying it for all the reasons set forth in the recap. And actually, I never thought it was Cam or Hodgins, or even Sweets, either. And dang, I am going to miss Zack. I was just thinking about how loved the interaction with Zack, Hodgins and Cam when they wanted to do another one of their crazy experiments, and she lets them, and now we will have no more.
Did love seeing the more emotional Bones, but would rather have not sacrificed Zack for that.
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May 20, 2008 8:50 AM
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I'm so upset that it ended up being Zach. I thought maybe he rigged the explosion to throw everybody off, but I was hoping to be wrong. I also really can't see him being swayed by logic into killing people. He's always had respect for the victims during cases. I really hope they are not writing him out of the show. I don't know how they'd bring him back in, but there has to be some way that we'd buy to bring him back.
T.J. Thyne, wow, talk about a 180 in character. I never ever ever before this episode thought Hodgins to be creepy. Wow. He totally pulled it off.
(Is it terrible that I was really hoping the apprentice was Sweets?)
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May 20, 2008 8:54 AM
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Nice touch: The comic book that Bones was reading in the bathtub was Green Lantern. David Boreanaz provided the voice of Green Lantern in the recent DVD movie Justice League: The New Frontier.
Odd coincidence: The Big Bang Theory that also airs at 8pm on Monday (but on CBS) not only mentioned, but explained Schroedinger’s Cat. How does something like that happen? Cue the Twilight Zone music.
I also found the funeral scene ridiculous. Perhaps next season they'll explain who that guy was, but it just seemed to be contrived. And yeah, with all of those Marines, it came down to Bones needing to use the dummy part to help Booth? Come on.
If it had to be someone in the Jeffersonian, then Zach makes sense. It would have worked better had they been able to show his dealing with PTSD, and this somehow came from that. But the biggest problem beyond that he killed someone, is that I don't think that he fit the Gormogon profile. Wasn't Gormy's supposed to have something to do with being the son of a widow or somesuch? Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought both of Zach's parents were still around. I do know that he has a large family who he cared about, whereas the Gormogon and apprentice were said to be more "loners."
I do believe that Zach's PTSD would have played into his becoming the apprentice. They should have made this a two hour finalé and they could have explained both the guy captured at the funeral, and how Zach was turned from a Padawan Jedi into an Apprentice Sith.
I think the writing staff may need a bit of a turnover so some new blood can come in and punch up the stories. Many of the episodes this season, especially since the strike, just seemed to have been a bit lazy. And that's a shame, because the interplay between the characters on this series is one of the most original on tv.
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May 20, 2008 8:59 AM
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I still can't believe that Zach was the apprentice and that he would be too weak-minded to fall for such twisted logic. I do think though that the writers intentionally put the box of Zach's belongings into the storyline to explain away his persistent need for approval from his peers and colleagues. He saw something, maybe strength, in Gormegon (sp.) that he desired to have. It's unfortunate that the whole storyline was hurried and we didn't see a lot of backstory to help in explaining things away. I will still watch Bones, though, but with a little bit of sadness for the loss of such an integral character.
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May 20, 2008 9:00 AM
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I'm sure they pulled the Booth faked death now because they had the opportunity. I was ok with the beginning. I knew they weren't killing Booth so I was waiting. I agree with you on the rest of the points at the funeral, except that maybe nobody saw the gun at first, Booth was watching the guy so he knew. But loved Brennan slugging Booth, so good. And I loved this episode (especially the bathroom part) until the last 5 minutes. I can't believe they would turn the Zach character into the bad guy. You can't do that with one of your original series regulars - should have been Sweets, predictable yes but believable all the same. I didn't watch this show for Zach alone as the first poster did. Emily and David are the core but Eric and Zach will be missed. Atleast we'll get some new blood in the lab next year, the show was feeling stale all year (hopefully not that guy that was stepping in for zach earlier in the season and then reappeared during Papa Brennans court case, boring!!). And not someone as annoying or unbalanced and uneven as Dr. Sweets.
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May 20, 2008 9:05 AM
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Zack as the apprentice didn't seem logical to me, either. He's just too rational to be so easily coerced by a psychotic killer, and to then become a killer himself. But when you think about it, Zach is so infuriatingly rational, he is almost robotic in his relationships with others, even his close associates. And, while he's been lovable in some odd way, his seeming lack of emotion--or ability to express it--could be infuriating at times. That was something I never liked about him. Although I will say that his exchanges with Hodgins in the lab were always entertaining.
I've read elsewhere on this site that his post-Iraq stress disorder wasn't addressed the way the show intended because of the writer's strike--which would explain some of the plot holes in this storyline.
Also, I must have missed something about Booth getting shot in the previous episode. Was he really hit by a real bullet from the crazy woman's gun? He seemed in pretty bad shape during that episode's fade-out, so how could he make such a quick recovery? If it was all a set-up to catch the bad guy at the funeral, was the bullet fake? How did fake bullets get in the crazy woman's gun? Please help, fellow posters. I feel like an idiot.
Anyway, as shocking as this finale may have been--and perhaps not as logical as it could have been--I do not intend to abandon "Bones", as some viewers have promised to do. I'll be there for next season's premiere. The show is just too damn good--the characters, murder mysteries, etc.--to just reject so angrily. I think we as viewers often can't handle a TV show taking a chance by shaking things up with its storylines or characters, and we freak out and stomp away like spoiled children.
Besides, I wouldn't give up Emily Deschanel's face for anyone else's on another channel!
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May 20, 2008 9:07 AM
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I found this a stupid conclusion and a sad and unnecessary way of getting rid of Zach. The whole Gormagon thing was silly beyond belief, and I never, ever bought the entire post-Zack-to-Iraq storyline either. Truly insipid, unoriginal writing.
Unfortunately I think that we are really stuck with Zach being permanently gone since they are hiring a new squint. I'd love to believe that the writers would come to their senses and write Zack back in with him having confessed or been framed for some higher purpose, but I'm not holding my breath.
What a crummy way to treat fans and to treat Eric Millegan, for that matter.
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May 20, 2008 9:14 AM
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Well the season finale really threw me for a loop. I long ago thought that Zack might be the apprentice but I liked Zack to much to really give my thought much credence. I'm not even sure why I thought that. I think there was just this edge to his personality that made me think that he could be corrupted by another smart, charismatic, "rational" person.
I agreed that the conclusion to the whole Gormagon storyline seemed rushed but I read either here or on Spoilerfix that the writers had a much bigger arc planned for the season that they had to scrap because of the strike. I think if we had been able to see the entire arc play out Zack's involvement might have made more sense.
I really think that Zack's time in Iraq had something to do with it. I think something happened to him over there that they never addressed in the show. They said they were supposed to do something with Zack having PTSD that never got played out due to the strike. Maybe Sweets will do some of Zack's therapy next year and we'll understand how he was able to be brainwashed by "The Master"
This wasn't a jump the shark moment but I glad I have all the DVDs so I can get my Zack fix whenever I need it.
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May 20, 2008 9:21 AM
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This episode has left a really bad taste in my mouth. I have enjoyed every single episode of Bones in the past, some more then others. The storyline of Gormagon could have been extended to the next season in order to build up the plot, get a better back story on the actual Gormagon. And Zach being the apprentice??? And a killer?? He idolized Bones, he loved his job, and his squint family.. Why would he jeapordize all of it for a stranger? I think the writers on this how did Zach a grave injustice. If they had to remove his character from the show there are countless other ways to do it. Hodgins was a more believable creepy apprentice (great acting!). In fact there was a reference to him being involved in an early episode this fall. I know this is just a show.. but I really loved Zach's character and there will be a huge hole in the fall. The whole thing is sad. And the whole contrived Booth funeral was ridiculous and pointless. I think they should have ended the show last week. I really enjoyed that episode. This one I hated.
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May 20, 2008 9:24 AM
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I actually thought this was a (mostly) great episode. I thought the apprentice was Zach from the beginning, because 1) they had sent out that casting call for a new junior squint, and 2) it was clear they were going to tie on of the characters to the case. I think if they could have tied Zach's PTSD to his joining Gormogon, it was have felt much smoother - but nonetheless, I wasn't as horrified by it as other posters have been. Zach did have a sometimes disturbing lack of emotion. I will miss the way the other characters played off of him, though.
The whole Booth faking his death thing bothered me more. Sweets seems so inappropriate sometimes, I don't know why they are all so trusting of him.
Still, great episode, and I can't wait for next season!
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May 20, 2008 9:36 AM
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The revelation was a bit of a shock but if any of Brennan's colleagues was the apprentice it would be Zack. He's the youngest both in age and maturity, male and he does think in terms of rationality and not morals or emotions. Ergo he would be the easiest to manipulate. He probably was soaking up and processing all of Hodgens' conspiracy theories. Also like Brennan, he probably could kill someone if the circumstances were properly rationalized
Sadly this should have been a 2 part episode with the explosion as the cliffhanger. They probably should have scrapped the previous episode to make room. Then it could have been better developed and explained how this guy was able to take over this kid.
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May 20, 2008 9:47 AM
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I thought the apprentice was Zach from the beginning, because 1) they had sent out that casting call for a new junior squint, and 2) it was clear they were going to tie on of the characters to the case. I think if they could have tied Zach's PTSD to his joining Gormogon, it was have felt much smoother
I think we share a brain, I echoed these sentiments in the comments on the interview linked to the main page! Since the writers were left with such a short amount of time to work with, every moment counted, and they really should have used their time more wisely if they knew they were heading in this direction. They could have had Sweets meeting with Zach to help his PTSD. They could have had him acting even more disconnected from people than he already was (moments of, "Okay, Zach is usually weird, but that was weird even for him"). I hope they don't drop it and never mention it again next season. Maybe he can come back and Brennan could visit him and try to figure out "why".
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May 20, 2008 9:48 AM
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