This episode of Bones has been a long time coming. Ever since we learned that Brennan was a successful novelist and that her book had been optioned for a movie, an episode that included a set visit was a predictable eventuality. Other shows have covered the surreal reality of movie sets (notably including both Castle and CSI – though their “sci-fi con” episode wasn’t a perfect fit) to great success. “The Suit on the Set,” however, was not able to replicate that success.
I don’t know if I should have expected more out of this episode. Maybe I shouldn’t be expecting more from Bones in general. The case itself was woefully run-of-the-mill, and the B-stories were even worse. Since the show has returned from its hiatus, I’ve found the show as a whole disappointing. From my perspective, Bones has been a better show than it has proven recently; sure I’ve had my problems with the show in the past, but this is different. Oddly, I don’t blame the most logical criticism: Bones and Booth being a “real” couple. The problems I’ve had this season haven’t been with the chemistry between the leads.
Unless, of course, subconsciously, I have been holding on to Bones for the last couple of seasons to finally get to this moment. Now that we’ve finally reached the checkpoint in the series, I’m letting myself clock out. It’s possible, even though it flies in the face of the post I wrote earlier this year about show runners trusting their audiences a little more. I hope to have to have a different reaction with different shows that eventually get to this same point (I’m looking — hypothetically — at you, Castle).
But I don’t think I would have enjoyed Cam’s whole Mother Sucker storyline at any point in the run of the series. It was unnecessary camp. I’m always frustrated when a show focuses on something they’ve done such a poor job selling me on as a viewer, that I describe it as unnecessary immediately following the episode. Why not delve deeper into the idea that Hodgins wants to do something that his son can see and be proud of? Sure he’s a brilliant scientist that solves murders, but they don’t put that on lunch boxes. Every father wants to be cool to their son; that’s a storyline that I have got to imagine could include some very real character moments, but instead was only glanced over.
I get especially frustrated with the idea of “unnecessary” considering that Bones had introduced a “big bad” this season that we’ve not yet gotten back to. I realize that this season is only thirteen episodes long, but I’m disappointed that we won’t be getting back to Christopher Pelant until the season finale.
Am I being too harsh, or did everyone else find this episode more than a little wanting?
Notes & Quotes
Clacked by Ivey West 
on May 07, 2012 @ 22:03 EST5EDT
I enjoyed Bones getting upset at the lack of scientific accuracy of the movie. I wonder if Paul Ekman had the same feelings when he saw Lie To Me, and apologized for it in his blog.
Bones jumping up and down and asking Booth to pretty please take the case for her to solve? Not so much.
For as much as this episode was hyped, it was a complete let-down. The case itself was flat and boring. There was a lot less of the on-screen Lister & Reichs than what they promoted. The parts that were a spoof and all of the inside references were so meta I felt like I was having meta anvils dropped on my head. The parts that weren’t supposed to be a spoof were so tongue-in-cheek or just whacked out I felt like the writers were metaphorically flipping a middle finger at the fans – Brennan jumping up and down begging Booth? Who is this person? The kiss as the set with the hearts on it was being wheeled by? Blecch.
I’ve been looking forward to this episode since they started talking about it at PaleyFest. Considering it was written by one of the most veteran writers on their staff and was positioned as the penultimate episode of the season, I had every hope in the world that this would be awesome, but I feel like they totally dropped the ball. Not to mention the fact that traditionally the Bones penultimate episode has always had tied in to the finale, but in this case, the finale with Christopher Pelant seems completely out of place and I can’t get excited about it.
Much of this season has been kinda blah for me, but I really enjoyed this episode. I didn’t know anything about it before I watched, so maybe that helped?
It was campy, but that is what made it fun. Loved the actor turned scientist. The Lister actor cracked me up when he tried to be like Booth. And, then Booth and his fixation on the donuts. Sure, the case itself as nothing original, but that was the point.
The Cam vampire movie was hilarious.
Bones is almost always about a very serious case and situation, but here they got to have a bit of fun.
Don’t lower your expectations, just don’t watch it.
I actually think it was a fresh and fun episode; something different than what these type of proceidural shows usually offer the viewer. Enjoyed it throughly. It’s funny how I stopped watching when they introduced that Hannah character, and now they got me back watching the show.
Good move on the writers to get them back together, the whole ‘I don’t know if I love you’ was getting boring.