Bones is missing an opportunity to tell a great story

Ever since that fateful day nearly a year ago, when a very nervous Temperance Brennan told her partner about her pregnancy, one question has weighed on my mind: what about Parker? For a while there, it seemed like the writers were completely ignoring the character. Earlier this season there was finally a passing reference to Seeley Booth’s son. In “The Warrior in the Wuss,” Parker makes his long-awaited return to Bones.

His return, however, did not go as I expected it to. The twist at the end of the episode, revealing that Parker wasn’t acting out and was actually working on a surprise present for his baby sister, certainly steered away from the cliché. Except, I don’t really think that it worked. Sure, Parker isn’t going to be a part of Bones on a weekly, regular basis, and building conflict that will unnecessarily hang out there for an extended period of time simply doesn’t make a lot of sense. That being said, I think the result was so contrary to the cliché that it was tough to believe. Maybe that’s just my cynical nature, but it didn’t work for me.

I did want to thank the commenters, who set me right in last week’s post. I had completely forgotten that Booth’s father had passed away, causing him to finally confront his emotions. This knowledge didn’t exactly change my perception of how that particular story arc is evolving. Last week, he focused on positive – yet, based on his age, unrealistically accurate – memories of his father, yet this week there is latent concerns about not being the same kind of father. The ongoing arc just feels a bit to schizophrenic for my tastes.

Considering Booth’s history with his father and the fact that Parker is only with him for a limited amount of time, there’s a great deal of emotion and insecurity to explore in his story. Booth is a man’s man, someone whom you would rarely use the words “emotion” and “insecurity” when talking about him. Because of that there is a world of interesting character stories and growth for him – and thus the audience – to experience. So far, though, I think that the scratching at the edges we’ve experienced to date is a massive missed opportunity.

Notes & Quotes

• “Sibling rivalry is a common and necessary sociological imperative. Since it is, it doesn’t concern me any more than the discomfort of childbirth.” – Bones
  “Your attitude is very impressive.” – Clark
  “Of course it is.” – Brennan
• “I got this belt for winning the Trout Classic. What you get yours for?” – Carl Singler
  “To keep my pants up.” – Booth
  “I got what I needed.” – Hodgins
  “You have dirt?” – Cam
  “Worms use their muscular pharynx to suck in soil. They extract nutrients and then give the rest back.” – Hodgins
  “That’s just a nice way of saying ‘worm turd.’” – Clark

Clacked by Ivey West
on Apr 23, 2012 @ 22:36 EST5EDT