ugh i also have a new layout but i don't remember how to have a sidebar, dammit.

[elapses]

Today was that day -- the first true show of spring, when all anyone can seem to talk or think about is how nice it is outside, with an awkward reverence that comes from knowing more ice is just as possible as a string of these days. Somehow we have grass now! That does not even seem possible, and yet. And yet! My French lit class is on the third floor and it has this magnificent view of the flatirons, which is so nice in winter, because you watch the flurries pass the mountain backdrop and thank everything you don't have to go back out there for another thirty minutes. But today we were much too close to the sunshine not to feel jealous of it, and good lord was it every difficult to tear our minds from the windows, back to Flaubert and his métaphores figées.

There was this weird attitude in the FMM comments about Brennan, this idea that she is somehow "less" of a character and Bones is somehow "less" of a show now than it was in seasons one and two. This is not the first time I have seen this said, and I have to say it completely and totally mystifies me. I get that Bones has since season three has devolved into a certain kind of silliness that is only going to appeal to certain people, what I cannot wrap my head around is this idea that Bones was some magnificent show back when it was not this ridiculous. Most of season one of Bones feels to me like the blandest, most mediocre procedural possible, peppered with these incredibly awkward, trying-too-hard character moments that are endearing only if you are looking back on them with season three/four/five eyes. Not completely-- there are a handful of standout moments and a couple of standout episodes, but even the memorable parts are the ones that are more in keeping with the tone of the later seasons. Season two is harder to comment on because I've only watched it the once, the first time, two years ago during the strike, but I will tell you that pretty much what I remember is a) Aliens in a Spaceship (good television), b) the one where they go to Vegas and go undercover as an engaged couple (delightful silly television), c) some stuff with what I think of as Bones' mytharc, which is not actually a mytharc at all I guess but just the ongoing story with Bones' parents, which I actually always liked, and d) the second half of the season was really boring and I just wanted it to end. ANYWAY, outside of the "Aliens in a Spaceship" argument... where the hell are these people coming from? SERIOUSLY I DO NOT UNDERSTAND AT ALL, WHY WOULD ANYONE EVER PASSIONATELY MISS SEASON ONE/TWO OF BONES? Where is the greatness? The realism? THERE WAS A HOLOGRAPHIC COMPUTER. Ugh I realize I am being derisive but it genuinely eludes me, it really seems like after two seasons they realized their best moments were the moments when they were taking a page out of the books of ff.net authors everywhere, and then let that formulate how they would continue with the show. I can't even dig into the Brennan idea, I can't tell if it stems from the perception that her social obliviousness got better and that got worse again (which I can't comment on, I guess I haven't paid enough attention) or the idea that she's less ~ass-kicking~, because to be honest I am so okay with that being a backburner part of her character, that moment in the pilot where she kung fus out airport security is so awkwardly written and conceived I sometimes wonder how any of us ended up as fans of this show.

This dress in red was Annie Edison (of Community)'s valentine's day dress, and then two weeks ago Kristin Kreuk wore it on Chuck. I've had it since December in blue and I wear it so much, finally decided the universe was telling me (via television, naturally) to get it in red too. I'M HOLDING IT IN MY HANDS RIGHT NOW, best decision ever.

Comments

[frey-at-last.livejournal.com]

Hahaha, I enjoy your diagnosis of Bones, even though I've only ever seen one whole episode (the one that Duchovny directed) and parts of others. Then in FMM I was like, wait... do people really take this seriously? Is Brennan a developing character? I'm glad to see it may have just been some fan over-enthusiasm.

Still pissed she lasted longer than Scully.

SCULLY!!!!!!

[cantbesilent.livejournal.com]

Okay, people need to chillax about Bones. Its Bones. The show is way sillier than it use to be, but I got to essentially agree with you. I like S2 a lot, really, but it's not exactly something to be glorified and wax nostalgically over. Brennan and Booth are way more developed characters now, less like the caricature extremes that they were early on, and it's way more interesting to watch it play out on that level now. Brennan has never really been a badass to me. For a while I thought she was, but false. I mean, at least when compared to real female badasses. The woman has trouble aiming and firing a gun. No, no, not an ass kicking bamf. ITA about that moment in the pilot. But that's FINE, she's better this way. At least to me. But I tend to measure my enjoyment of Bones based solely off of B&B because I really could give a shit about the procedural aspect, and as far as that goes there has been much better stuff in the past few years. But yes, this is just a long way of saying MTE. Because MTE indeed.

[girlintheattic.livejournal.com]

I totally agree about Bones - yes it's got way campier and sillier in the last few seasons but if anything it's stopped being a mediocre procedural and started being a really good camp and ridiculous show!

Also I adore that dress and when I looked on the website I saw it was reduced to £30 and I was all excited and decided to buy it, only to get to the checkout bit and discover that with shipping etc it would be another £30, doubling the price and preventing me from having it as £60 is a little steep for a late night impulse buy that I haven't tried on but MY HEART IS BROKEN. And now it's going to become The Dress I Didn't Buy and my life will be endlessly full of situations where I think about how I could wear it IF ONLY I had bought it that fateful night... WOE IS ME.

[moireach.livejournal.com]

HELLO, THAT DRESS. Would you say it runs small or large?

[the-wanlorn.livejournal.com]

Ugh I have so much to fucking say about this (BECAUSE I LOVE BONES SO MUCH GOD *__________*) but my brain is so fucking frazzled right now from today I'm just sitting here staring at the screen making zombie noises because I can't make myself think thoughts. :(

[sleuths.livejournal.com]

HONESTLY, I think you just read my brainwaves sometimes, or something. I actually just found out through FMM that people actually felt that way about Bones--and I was so confused. I am not a good judger of what makes good television good (critically acclaimed, loved by people who are not critics but have good taste in television, loved by the public, etc.), so I will always love Bones forever and ever and ever for everything about it, so long as the characters are present. But after I read several comments in the vein of Bones going downhill and Brennan not being a great character and all else, I was completely mystified! I left a comment asking a person who seemed particularly impassioned about the topic, but s/he never got back to me, so I am... still perplexed. Especially because outside of those two episodes you mentioned, as well as the Howard Epps ones (he really creeps me out), nothing comes up as particularly significant in the first two seasons.

But this, THIS: Most of season one of Bones feels to me like the blandest, most mediocre procedural possible, peppered with these incredibly awkward, trying-too-hard character moments that are endearing only if you are looking back on them with season three/four/five eyes--THAT IS SO TRUE. TNT goes through the show every couple of months and right now we're at, uh, I think the midpoint of Season 1, and that is SO TRUE. The only thing that I really, really, REALLY miss about Seasons 1 and 2 is Zach. But then--I adore the new interns, and I love how the cycling keeps it interesting. But it's my affection for Zach and the interactions between him and Hodgins and Angela (oh gosh, Hodgins and Angela in their happiest days!) and like you said, the season 3-5 eyes that allow me to love them even more. I mean, I only started watching last summer, watched much of it out of order, so--that could be the reason why I can't see this erosion of quality, but... it's the characters that I love.

Which is why IT MAKES ME ANGRY THAT PEOPLE INSULTED BRENNAN. The general show, okay, whatever, but I love Brennan. I WISH SOMEONE COULD JUST EXPLAIN IT TO ME????

This was... a long ramble.

I LOVE THE DRESS! and clearly all those instances on television were signs!

[cariprin.livejournal.com]

http://www.livejournal.com/customize/
scroll all the waaaaay down, to 'choose a page setup' and choose one of the two column ones. Yeah, I forgot how to do it today too, oy.

[the-spin.livejournal.com]

WHAT, there are people who think Bones has gotten less great who are simultaneously in fandom? Does not compute how these people exist. I mean, the show's biggest strength is that it has become less of a procedural and more of plain old ridiculous-good-times. HOW CAN YOU EVEN HOLD THAT OPINION?

[elsais.livejournal.com]

French literature class, would you recommend it? I would really love to do it in Uni.

[forthesky.livejournal.com]

We have already discussed this but god, I judge those people hating on the later seasons so much, if I read one more comment about how the show is a shadow of how it used to be I will punch something. The early seasons are so forgettable, and everytime I think about that airport scene in the pilot I die a little bit (WHAT WERE THEY THINKING????) But yeah, to me it's like season one = The Man in the Fallout Shelter, season two = Aliens in a Spaceship and then the show starts on a journey of infinite delightfulness.

Also I love that time of year. Unfortunately we are at the stage here where we know summer is officially over, and we're just waiting for these endless days of blue skies to end. (Apparantly it hasn't rained here in like 4 months or something insane?) But I hate winter, so I am really upset about this, even though our winter's are mild compared to pretty much anywhere else in the world.