Bones (TV Series) The Pain in the Heart (2008) User Reviews

Flawed? Yes, Atrocious and despicable? Hell No!

[ambee124 · 8/10 · 26 May 2008]

Where ever you go there will always be controversy with this episode. People seem to love it or hate it. Personally I loved it, and there are a number of credible reasons to why I think this.

This episode was unarguably beautifully acted. We got some of the most heartbreaking Bones scenes to date (Zach and Brennan's scene especially) The emotion was real and raw. It kept me guessing...is it Cam? Is it Sweets? Hell...is it Hodgins?! We also got some golden scenes between Booth and Brennan...involving a bath tub- enough said! The plot? Yes it was rushed. But everyone has to remember this episode was a casualty of the strike and I and many others agree that we would have liked to see the Gormagon storyline wrapped up this season instead of being dragged out into next season.

Zach being the apprentice out of all the characters was the most believable for me. Zach is a weak character, he is emotionally detached from the world, he breathes and sees in logic...Gormagon a strong character took advantage of this, provided Zach with the logic and he followed. We definitely needed more clarification of this character flaw in the season (I.e further explanation of his Iraq experience) Unfortunately the strike prevented this.

I think this season was brilliant. In my opinion it reached new intense levels of grim reality and emotion.

I will repeat-the episode was flawed, some bits I found a bit OTT (Booth's 'funeral') But there is enough superb acting, heart-wrenching scenes, and a plot (that you will have to take with a pinch of salt)that will keep you guessing throughout that passes off the episode wonderfully.

In my opinion, at the end of the day, Bones never fails to deliver. People will say 'oh no Zach's gone! I'm never going to watch Bones again!'. No show can ever be perfect, even if this episode may have been a dud, it's not excuse to stop watching. There is so so much going for this show without Zach, and I personally can't wait until a fresh Season 4!

Not as bad as many said

[Azja · 9/10 · 23 July 2008]

Well, I read many comments on this episode and I disagree that it was bad. Well it was a little bit messy, but still original and interesting.

I cant say that I loved Zack, but he was hilarious. Well, it is piety that he won't be with team any more, but I think it should be interesting that will be next. It is good, that some fresh blood will be in new episodes. And we can't forget our two couples and development of their relationships...

It is worth to see.

9/10

Mixed Fellings

[mitchrmp · 7/10 · 21 July 2016]

First of all, I was not happy with the way this episode began. I don't think Brennan would have been easily convinced that Booth was dead. She would have needed solid proof - and would have, in fact, been at the hospital with him. I didn't like her lack of emotion when she thought he was dead.

BUT the aftermath - her slapping Booth was priceless! I loved when she barged into his bathroom to tell him off as well, and the fact that she threatened Sweets with Booth if he tried to play them again...

The main issue in this is: who is Gormagan? We find out int his episode, but we also find out who the apprentice is...

When getting rid of a main character, it's better for them to move on or die then what the writer's did. Zack did give me the creeps at times, but I just could not see this as truth...

Of course, Booth helped Brennan in the end with yet another touching scene.

Season finale

[Welsh_Chickky · 23 May 2008]

Frankly I am disgusted that the Bones writers would expect to pass off this unbelievable storyline. Zach is an extremely intelligent individual, there is absolutely no way he would be convinced to kill someone (even if gormagon uses logic to convince him) I think this was a weak finish to what was a promising storyline, and I'm not sure I'm going to be tuning in next season. Zack was one of my favourite characters in the show, and they will be hard pressed to find a suitable replacement for him. I'm also gutted that Eric Millegan didn't want to leave the show but had no choice in the matter. This is the reason shows get cancelled people...for getting all unbelievable and weird on us fans.

Spoiler warning. WTF?????

[moonbeam1670 · 10/10 · 19 May 2008]

Zack's the apprentice??!!?? How the hell did this happen? Who can up with this storyline? I love Zack, he's so sweet and honest and pure. How could they corrupt him, in so shoddy a plot twist, no less. Is Zack a weak personality? He's so sure of himself intellectually, 'King of the Lab.' It should have been Sweets, he was an obnoxious jerk, we love Zack. And Gormogon is a no one that we've never seen before, what kind of let down is that? They should have put it off for another season, or made it a two-parter for us to complain about. This was badly done and a terrible heartbreak, I am horribly disappointed in them for this episode, even though I loved it. The banter between everyone was well written and wonderfully acted, it is a terrible loss to the show to lose Zack's character.

Daringly Writing Out A Beloved Character

[greggwager · 10/10 · 27 May 2008]

I have read many of the other posts here and sympathize with viewers who have been perplexed by this episode. At first, I also found it utterly confusing and disappointing, especially that Zach Addy has been written out of the show in a way that makes him the accomplice of a crazed serial killer.

Many well-written television shows go through script-writing senility after a long, successful run. If you are curious, just try sitting through one of the final-season episodes of Hawaii Five-O.

Bones, on the other hand, is far too young to die that way. Believe me, "Pain in the Heart" is a carefully written episode, with details that fly by at 100 miles per hour. If you miss them, that's your fault. Go back and see it again. Take notes this time.

I will also say that I am not a troll. I am a freelance composer and critic and don't work in any capacity for television or this television show. These are truly the opinions of an independent viewer. That being said, you can watch this episode again, "Pain in the Heart," if you go to msn.com and follow the links, starting with "entertainment."

This is a plot like Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians": there are a handful of well-developed characters, and no one else but one of them can be the murderer. If you're like me, you love all the characters except for Sweets, and maybe Saroyan. You root for Sweets being the murderer, but that theory doesn't go anywhere. More likely it's Hodgins, but that simply turns out not to be the case.

Meanwhile, carefully set-up clues point you in the direction you must go. Zach discovers the package with the mandible, and it lacks a street address—how did it get there? Zach on painkillers also has the dream in the hospital of reaching out to the skeleton—his conscience is definitely eating him like none of the others.

There are two areas at the Jeffersonian: the lab and the vault. There are no security cameras in the vault. Hodgins gives us an important clue early on: the loading dock door was unlocked. The skeleton was stolen by Cormogon out of the vault, but he needed the security cameras off to get out of the loading dock door. The theory that Sweets stole the skeleton ultimately can't be true. Why did Cormogon need to steal the skeleton when it wasn't finished? Unknown. Maybe just mischief.

Once Brennan cracks the case, it's up to her and Booth to get a motive out of Zach. Zach says he was also planning to flee the hospital, but his friends wouldn't leave him alone long enough to make an escape.

Zach's logic is flawed because he insisted on not allowing Hodgins to pour the monomer into the thermoplaster, which led to the thermoplaster heating up too far, foiling Zach's plan; in other words, if Cormogon's scheme was so important to right the wrongs of a nefarious secret society that single human lives could be sacrificed (like the Lobbyist Zach killed—yes, he's capable of killing, since he's a trained soldier), Hodgins's life should have been sacrificed too. It's important for Brennan to prove to Zach that his logic is flawed since among scientists, logic is everything, and the slightest flaw means that the whole theory is wrong. Once Zach knows he's wrong on one minor detail, there's nothing more to defend—Brennan knows this will crack him.

Booth assures us Cormogon was a "nobody," but we never find out why Zach was so convinced that the plan was so compelling that he would call him "Master." Booth isn't the type to acknowledge that secret societies exist anyway. Yes, Zach was emotionally unstable and could have fallen prey to Cormogon's machinations, but Brennan agrees with Zach that secret societies exist and their influence on history is damaging. Indeed, we should all learn from that.

If you are a Bones fan, give this episode a chance. Taking Zach out of the chemistry of the show is a painful amputation. Then again, how many other television shows write at this level of intelligence? None that I know of.

I'm looking forward to season 4.

The One Where We Find Out Who Gormogon's Apprentice Is...

[taylorkingston · 8/10 · 30 September 2014]

I really like this episode, it's so good. And so shocking. Can you believe who Gormogon's apprentice is? I know I couldn't.

In this episode, we finally find out who Gormogon is. Which is a big deal. We didn't already know Gormogon. But we did know his apprentice. Someone named Zack. That's right. One of Brennan's squints, a beloved friend and co-worker and a great scientist ended up being an apprentice to a sadistic serial killer who liked to eat people. This explained so much of how things in this season happened. How Gormogon got into the lab. Everything.

Overall, I give this episode an 8 out of 10.

Piegate!

[absoluteparties · 9/10 · 27 December 2021]

Hi, Bones Booth podcast.

English Jan here.

OK, I agree with what the other reviewers have said. You have to overlook a few plot holes in this episode to enjoy it. I cannot for one minute think that Bones would not have been at Booth's hospital along with the rest of the team.

All that aside, here's my review.

Oh my goodness, Booths dead, are you trying to kill me off. This simply cannot be. But it seems that he is, we are attending Booth's funeral, but hang on, that profile appears familiar; it is our minds playing tricks on us?

Thankfully all is right with the world as Booth is not dead. Yeah!

But all hell breaks loose, and Bones socks. Booth one - you go, girl, for lying to her. Never was a punch so earnt.

Once back at the lab, Booth apologised for lying to Bones and didn't make sure she knew that he was alive. At this point, I didn't like Booth - it showed an apparent lack of judgement and feelings on his part for Bones.

Booth is saved by a jaw being delivered for Bones. Let's face it, that was the only thing that could save him at this point because his lame excuses were not enough.

After the title sequence, Booth has an unexpected and unexplained costume change, although the rest of the cast are wearing the same clothes? Odd.

Excellent choice in music for the Booth bathroom scene, to say nothing of Boreanaz bare body. Moving swiftly on.

A continuity error in this scene Booth's cigar changes hands which annoys me beyond words.

Naughty Naughty Dr Sweets experimenting on Bones and Booth. Tut tut. I love how Booth manhandles Dr Sweets into Bones' office to explain why he withheld information from Bones.

Fruit pie as seduction - Really? I mean, is that an American thing? It isn't in England. It's very sweet, though - Pun intended.

The diner scene where Bones asks Booth if he is having some pie lets us understand that Booth overheard Dr Sweets in Bones office. Dr sweets should know better than to mention it, especially seeing the look of distress on Booths face. (bad therapist.) I love Booth's defence of Bones as he leaves the diner.

I love the bit between Cam and Hodgins in Cam's office - very creepy. Well done to both actors. Another creepy bit is when Hodgins gives Zack the painkillers in the hospital - great misdirects.

Two final good scenes where they are all stood outside Zack's hospital room, and Booth pulls Sweets to one side and tells him to let Bones have this one.

The other is the scene on the stairs, where Booth gives Bones the gift of understanding that she give Zack the most significant gift of all.

Hey Bones Booth Pod!

[queen_of_drama-34586 · 10/10 · 2 December 2021]

We all knew they weren't really going to kill off Booth but the beginning was still emotional. I can't blame Bones for that punch. Hahaha Bones barging in to Booths place was funny but how about knocking on the bathroom door first. If my hands were that badly damaged I would be in shock too. Is anyone really shocked that the Jeffersonian security let the skeleton get stolen? Yes Angela you are correct Limbo is a good name for that place. Glad they got the master but nooo Zack why? It's so heartbreaking. You gave him everything Bones :(

Killer

[ctomvelu-1 · 7/10 · 27 December 2008]

The serial killer Gormagon is apparently back, and strange things start happening in the lab. A human mandible is sent to Brennan, and the skeleton into which it fits then disappears completely. An explosion in the lab leaves Zach with 3rd degree burns, and suspicion falls on Hodgins as the possible apprentice to the notorious serial killer. Meanwhile, Booth fakes his own death to catch an elusive killer, but doesn't tell Brennan. She is furious with him, of course. It turns out Booth wanted to let Brennan know, but it was left up to the staff psychiatrist to inform her, and he chose not to. A strange, sort of disconnected episode. The usual humor is sorely missing.

Did they actually watch this before they aired it?

[MattyBoosh · 1/10 · 3 August 2008]

There was so much wrong with this episode its unreal.The opening scene for starters just seemed pointless pretending booth was dead was just pointless it was purely for shock factor which might have shocked if he wasn't a producer of the show, Shows had it if he leaves.Then onto the gorman thing Zac is a clever character i doubt a toothless old man would be able to talk him into killing people for him to eat. Zac: He approached me 3 months ago.

Right first off how do you approach somebody to become your serial killing apprentice.....Hey you look like you've got a lot of free time on your hands i've got a job for you, now i know its going to sound abit odd but hear me out first. I kill and eat people following an ancient order that spent time killing and eating people, Now i don't expect you to eat people that's a big ask i just need somebody to deliver bodies for me to eat. I'd rather they were dead......actually some fries and coke would be nice too. anyway i'm going off the point abit, i want you to be my assistant it doesn't pay very well but you have the satisfaction of knowing i'll never go hungry. oh yeah now i remember eating flesh is hard with teeth so if you could make me a pair that would be brilliant.

Worst of all Zack never gave a reason for doing it, could they not think of one. Anything would have been better than nothing. Money, voices or even 10% off at starbucks. anything!!!!! They could of used him going to Iraq being awful for him and him being really clever over thinks everything and decided people need to die. Also why was the gorman a random guy why couldn't it be somebody you wouldn't expect (with a decent reason why)

Coming to think of it this review seems just as pointless as this episode i just really thought it was funny and badly done! Lets hope next bones series will be better.

Were the writers in a hurry to go home?

[dendo · 1/10 · 21 May 2008]

For the plot turn to involve Zack, good writers might have given some background that might lead viewers to understand how an intelligent and patriotic young scientist like Zack Addy might be seduced by an evil figure like Gormagon. Good writers might have explained what gave an odd figure like Gormagon, who was later described as "a nobody" his irresistible urge to kill, as well as the personal charisma it would have taken to seduce a young and intelligent man working in a highly respected government laboratory, a young man who served his nation in the military when called to do so, into an activity which should be so reprehensible to that young scientist. Good writers might have shown the pursuit and capture of such an evil and charismatic figure. Good writers might have fleshed-out the story enough to explain such oddities of storyline to viewers of such a highly respected show.

Sadly, good writers were not working on "Bones" that week.

These writers totally ignored every principle of good writing and simply glossed over all the necessary background, glossed over all the appropriate character development, all the story leading up to the discovery of Gormagon's identity, glossed over the pursuit and capture of the villain while showing it in the background over a few brief seconds, and totally shafted the character Zack Addy along with all the viewers, as though they had some other place to be.

Shame on the writers, and shame on the executives who allowed such drivel to go on the air.

Bones Bites the Big One Badly.

[budwebster · 1/10 · 20 May 2008]

Last night was the season-ender for Bones, a show that Mary and I try never to miss. Wish we had last night, though. Better still, I wish the cast and crew had missed it.

I've never thought much of the "Gormogon" arc, it seemed stuck on as an afterthought, a plot device to give Hodgins something to point to gleefully. So except where it was the primary focus of an episode, I've mostly ignored it.

What I HAVE paid attention to over the three seasons has been characterization. The "squints" are a well-working machine, a team made up of individuals who nevertheless add up to more than just their numbers.

Hell with this. If you're into the show, you know what I'm talking about; if you aren't, you'll probably not give a damn. Suffice to say that, up until now, Bones hasn't violated its characters for the sake of a silly sub-plot.

I'm going off on a bit of a tangent here to illustrate my point, so bear with me. I'm a big fan of Thomas Harris, especially _The Red Dragon_ and _Silence of the Lambs_. I liked the character development, especially the interesting - and adversarial - relationship between Lector and Starling. So, when the third novel, _Hannibal_, came out, I was excited and bought it before it was remaindered in hardcover or went into paperback.

BIG mistake. The final scene, with Starling and Lector having a romantic dinner of her ex-boss's brains while he was still alive, utterly repudiated the character of Clarice Starling as Harris had spent an entire novel building, and didn't treat Lector with much authorial respect, either. It's the closest I've ever come to actually throwing a book across the room.

Much the same here. Zack Addy has been an integral part of the Bones machine since the beginning. He's been through some changes, which is part of being part of an on-going story, but he's been quite the steadiest of the squints, reliable, clever, and clearly the only one there whose intellect is the equal of Temperance's.

(Let's leave aside for the moment that in the last episode, Booth took a hit to the chest, yet in the bath-tub scene shows neither wound nor bruising, which would have been present even had he been wearing a vest. That's the least of the problems with this episode.)

There was absolutely no overwhelming - or just plain whelming, for that matter - reason for Zack Addy to be the Apprentice. It was a stupid choice, all head and no heart. Zack Addy, as he has been depicted in the show to this point, simple would NOT have fallen for some charismatic yobbo with bad eating habits. I cannot imagine the justification he could have given himself, let alone what he'd tell his friends once they found out (and it was inevitable that they would), and the writers and producers must have felt the same way, because WE'RE NEVER GIVEN ONE.

It's as if somebody said, "Say, who's the least likely candidate in the Bones continuity to be Gormogon's Apprentice? Zack? Okay, what the hell. Let's give it a whirl." All head; no thought at all about the violation of Zack's character. None.

It was bad writing, it was a silly and stupid concept. It wasn't a surprise, it was a bewilderment, a cipher. The only possible way for them to preserve what had been to now a really rich and fertile source of character-driven stories would be for the first episode of the fourth series to begin with Temperance waking up in bed and saying "Oh, God, what a terrible nightmare." I have no confidence this will happen; at this point, I have little confidence in the show at all.

Even Shyamalan Couldn't Have Made it Worse

[shadowfax_ik · 4/10 · 27 November 2011]

The first time I saw this episode, I didn't care at all about the reckless discarding of the Zack Addy character. I still don't.

Don't get me wrong, he's a great character and addition to the story, but there's never anything wrong with a plot pulling no punches and never being afraid of doing the unexpected, taking risks, and making bold choices like removing a main character.

However, this episode contains the worst variety of twist. The kind which says, "Hey, look how clever we are for coming up with this." It even comes with a line from a character to point out how clever the writers were for creating the scenario. Seriously, when it's revealed, one of the characters says, "I did not see that coming." Neither did we. Not because it's clever, but because it's ever so much not.

It's a twist for the sake of a twist, for the sake of TV advertisements which scream, "One of them is the killer! Tune in to find out!" and for the sake of trying to squeeze the most drops drama out of every moment, every situation. The twist has zero set-up, zero follow-through, and makes zero sense. The delivery and through-line is sloppy, awkward, and essentially pointless, and it flattens particular characters into a mockery of any depth they've developed up until this point.

Simply put, it's incredibly poorly written.

Okay, so I can respect the difficulty in television production, especially if the oft-mentioned writer's strike is involved. However, there are far too many instances where bad writing and artificial dramatizing for the sake of viewer/ratings boost is the rule and not the exception. I really enjoy Bones, but The Pain in the Heart is one of the worst and most poorly constructed hours of television I've ever seen.

Worst episode of the series

[rgbwdltli · 1/10 · 24 May 2008]

Wow... that was atrocious. I've mostly enjoyed this show from the start, but it's gone steeply downhill and this episode will be the end of it for me. Implausible story lines and shoddy science I can tolerate as long as the characters are well written and their reactions and interactions are believable. That was not the case here. The plot twist wasn't just reaching, it was desperate and insulting.

Given that the Zack character was going to leave the show, there were myriad options to explain it in a manner that wouldn't have pointlessly thrown out three full seasons of character development for the sake of expediency.

After this travesty, any extrapolation of the remaining characters is pointless {"Agent Booth turns out to be a stiletto wearing transvestite from North Hampton... who knew?!"). They've left the viewers with no reason to follow or care about the people or the show.

This series is dead.

Just awful script writing!

[mbyrne16648099 · 2/10 · 6 July 2019]

Only just started watching Bones on Amazon Prime recently. So far I've really enjoyed it, then came this episode. So in season 3 there is a recurring serial killer who is a cannibal. The storyline was really interesting and I was always looking forward to the next episode when this story would feature. The final episode of season 3 the cannibal story comes to an end in what can only be described as the most disappointing episode of a TV show I've ever seen. The twists were far-fetched and so far out of left field it had you saying "What?!". The cannibal when found didn't even have a line. He was just shot dead whilst feasting. The only reason I gave this a 2* was down to the decent acting in some parts of the episode. Anticlimactic rubbish. If this script was submitted by a child doing GCSE drama it would fail.

Disappointing, but still there is hope.....

[h_berry · 4/10 · 30 May 2008]

Hampered, as so many show were by the (deep breath) Writer's Strike, Bones found itself with multiple long running story arcs to wrap up in just a few short episodes. However, unlike most shows who managed to pull it out of the bag, Bones has let its fans down badly with this superficial and glib season finale.

Once again the acting was impeccable, no one can fault the cast who gave outstanding performances with sub par material - but even that's being kind to the writers.

Zach is the Apprentice. Not a shock to those who have seen the demise of his character this season as nothing short of blinding neon lights that his term on the show was coming to an end. His Iraq storyline was inexcusably ignored and although Hartson wanted the audience to be shocked by the revelation, I don't think most fans wouldn't have seen it coming. Not for any subtle pointers throughout the series - oh no, just another disappointing facet to the finale was how out of left field the revelation came. Misjudged and rushed. We wouldn't have minded the Keenan trial rolling over to next season to really resolve Gormogon. Just so you know.

In addition, we've had more build up this season of pending vocalisation of romantic feelings between our leads than ever before and we get a manhandled and grossly obtuse 'B&B together and one of them is naked - ha ha isn't that funny' scene. An insult to those of us who felt there was so much scope following the penultimate episode where we were left with a cliffhanger of Booth's life being in the balance. Brennan, a character who has evolved so far in so short a time was sent back to her earliest incarnation of a stubborn and unfeeling first season Bones crippled by loneliness and unable to express her feelings. Had Booth actually been dead, he would have seen her revert, seemingly not having learned anything from him and been disappointed in heaven.

As we were here on earth.

It may have caused passionate responses from its viewers, and it does so for a reason. Even in the depths of plot line despair, the chemistry of the cast, the fascinating cases and the 'will they-won't they' dynamic will ensure the fans come back next season.

Damaged, but not irreparably

the bones, who took them?

[birdcheese2000 · 5/10 · 30 November 2009]

If Zach planned not to get hurt so bad, why did he continue with the experiment? more so, i was wondering who took the skeleton? The explosion was a diversion so the vault , security, etc., could be compromised. am i missing smoothing here? I started watching the show and like the characters, plots, and interactions. This episode was a stinker. B & B are man and woman, with obvious issues and underlining regressions. the bath-tub scene was plain stupid. Zach's character is a logical depiction of a science guy. where would he have meet this master?How would a toothless cannibal win him over, in three months. He is not a murderer, and would not forge analysis of evidence. it is not logical Spock!

Awful

[tacogj · 1/10 · 31 July 2020]

I wrote a three page explanation of what I feel and it got deleted so I'm fuming.

It is unlike the characters personalities to do anything that happened in this episode.

Zach could never kill another person, he would try to logic it out but later have an emotional scene with Tempe where he reveals he feels guilty.

Logically, killing 50~ of huge secret societies won't make a difference? who knows

Booth and Bones romance will they won't they have lasted too long.

It makes no sense, and is obviously written last minute as a twist for twists sake.

I'll pretend it's not canon

Wretched and Wrong!

[dangerleekay · 1/10 · 23 June 2010]

It has only been within the last year I have really gotten into Bones, thanks to Netflix. Although I personally think that Criminal Minds is a far superior procedural the one thing I love about Bones are the characters. They are so tight knit, very much into their jobs, a little socially inept but I like that about them.

That is what makes this episode so hard to take. I kept waiting for someone to wake up or for someone to reveal that it was a deep government under cover operation and that dear, sweet Zack couldn't possibly be responsible for something so awful...and so stupid!!

I would really like to get those 45 minutes back and I would like to get my memories of the wonderful Bones team, working in the lab, bringing bad guys to justice.

Couldn't there have been a graceful way to let the actor go without tainting his previous work?

The whole episode was shameful, tacky and just plain didn't make sense.

Worst Episode by Far.

[Rerednaw · 11 November 2013]

I love this show. I just got introduced to this series and have been watching it avidly.

While a bit rough on the edges the writing style and characters had matured considerably. So it pains me that this utter puerile drek of an attempt at an episode was allowed to air. The writing was horrific, the characters completely disregarded and acted inconsistently with the 3 years of development.

A primary secret recurring villain that had been a mastermind was in the end a subpar boogeyman with a ridiculously low intellect. A dramatic cliff-hanger from the previous episode was replaced with a cheap 30 second resolution pulled out of the trash with no build-up or clean resolution. And the revelation regarding the serial killer's assistant well passed the suspension of disbelief.

The plethora of plot holes were ridiculous. The simplest one would have to be Booth's injury from last episode. A show that attempts to pay attention to forensic detail should not depict a two-week old bullet wound to the chest with a 2 inch single square bandage. No bruising, no sign of pain or healing, or even a sling. And apparently Booth had full recovery of motion, not even needing a sling or hospital recovery time.

I can only hope that this episode was some sort of a "dream" sequence. Yes, I'd even take that kind of a trope to excuse this poorly-written fantasy.

Even a clip-show with 5 minutes of new-footage or narrative would have been put together better...and cost less. I'd ask "what were they thinking?"...except it's obvious they weren't.

Bad writing

[Just-A-Girl-14 · 4/10 · 11 November 2022]

I'm binge watching the show on Disney+ and I just want to comment on this bizarre episode. This whole episode felt like one huge mess of nonsense. What were the writers thinking?

Whose idea was it to fake Booth's death? It was moronic! No way Bones was fooled into believing Booth was dead. Was she not in the hospital? Did she not ask to see the body? What was even the point? To catch some unknown, insignificant bad guy? Why would we (the audience) even care? And hello?? Did no one see Booth was there? He was wearing uniforms not a Halloween mask. Also, Bone's reaction was unrealistic and stupid. Punching him in the face? Come on! The other characters didn't seem moved at all to see him alive but Bones was so shocked and mad that she had to hit him? And she wasn't that upset at Sweets for lying to her for the sole purpose of experimenting.

I didn't like the bath scene either. The whole storyline of him being shot and dying wasn't good at all. It was very unrealistic and unnecessary. Maybe if the story had more background. If Pam stalking Booth was a real obsession that lasted a few episodes or if the so called fugitive had any importance. Maybe then it could have worked somehow but not in the way it was done. If a main character is dead the other characters should react accordingly and none of them had even a remotely realistic reaction.

As for the Gormogon story, I didn't like it from the start. The storyline of a secret society, cannibalism and serial killers wasn't appealing to me. Something about it just didn't work. I was actually waiting the entire season for the continuation of the gravedigger story. That was really interesting! Hodgins seemed so keen on catching him so what happened to that story? Why were the writers so focused on Gormogon? If the whole thing was done just to write Zack off the show then the focus should have been on explaining the rational behind it. The idea that pure logic can conflict with morality is a good one but they didn't explain to us how it was done. Why would Zack think joining Gormogon was a good idea that would make his friends and colleagues proud? It makes no sense. Judging by the reviews, nobody liked it. I think shipping him off to Iraq was a better way to write his character off the show than this. If they were going for a shocking effect, I think they missed the target. Most reviewers seemed mad. Personally I don't think I'd miss him that much. He was quirky and fun in a way (I especially enjoyed the interaction between him and Hodgins) but he is not irreplaceable. The only thing that impressed me this episode was dr Saroyan's reaction when Bones and Booth came into Zack hospital room. That was good acting. Felt genuine. The rest of the characters didn't seem that moved that there friend and colleague turned out to be a collaborator of a serial killer. In fact they seemed awfully sympathetic. Not to mention that in the end after talking about Gormogon for so many episodes he turned out to be insignificant. Shot dead in a split second and gone.

I wish the focus of this season was on the gravedigger and not Gormogon. I think they really missed the mark both on this episode and for the focus of the entire season. Hopefully the next season will be much better!

Worst season finale ever

[LoveIsAStateOfMind · 1/10 · 28 December 2015]

"Oh gosh it's the end of the season and we've got to wrap up the Gormogon pointless arc. I know let's make one of the lead characters the apprentice and shock the audience. Yes let's do that without an sort of set-up or decent explanation as to why because oh audience are so stupid they will buy anything." Why couldn't Sweets have been the apprentice? Yeah he provides funny moments but as a series regular I just want to throw rotten fruit at him.

HH said the reason why they chose Zack was because they couldn't do anything more with his character or whatever. Oh please. Has he watched like any other TV series in existence who have characters that don't do anything for multiple seasons.

Even the Booth/Brennan relationship which is obviously key to me watching the show is getting meh. The bathroom scene was obviously done to balance the angst but it was ridiculous. Ridiculous. And their 'hidden feelings' are getting dragged out so much it's just unrealistic and boring. I mean okay if they were both still in denial etc. I can take them plodding along skirting round the subject but now they brought in Sweets who practically raises the issue every time he can, surely they have to confront and deal with it in some way.

The funeral at the start also served no purpose. Obviously Booth wasn't dead but I could have accepted the set-up if it turned out that the guy he lured out actually, you know, did something/was the focus of the case/episode etc.

A positive thing ..... I loved Cam in this episode. In fact Cam may be my second favourite character after Angela. Never thought I'd be saying that.

Erm, yeah. I know you can't really tell from this but I AM ENRAGED AND VIOLENTLY DISAPPOINTED in this Bones finale. I mean, yes okay, after CSI:NY I've sort of accepted that TPTB just love to completely ruin characters and make them do stuff that they really wouldn't ever do but at least CSI:NY manages to wrap up serial story lines relatively well. I mean YOU REALLY EXPECT US TO ACCEPT THAT THIS IS A PLAUSIBLE OUTCOME TO THE WHOLE GORMOGON THING?! I mean obviously when watching TV you have to be able to embrace coincidences and expand the boundaries of reality but SERIOUSLY?! This was an absolutely rubbish plot resolution. Not only is it not remotely believable or logical but it's just rubbish. I thought the whole serial cannibal killer storyline was not a good idea at the beginning but I never thought it would end up being THIS BAD.

Worst Episode Ever

[bklyngal · 1/10 · 21 May 2008]

This episode was despicable in every way, 100 of which are enumerated at TV.com, which can easily be found by Google search by those interested.

Hanson cynically revels in reactions like "shocking," "unpredictable" in his TV Guide interview.

I found the writing of this episode a cheap, expedient failure of creativity, the denouement anticlimactic and hollow. It was insulting to fans of the program. I don't think I'll ever be able to enjoy this show again. Plotting and story have frequently been juvenile and predictable throughout the series but the characters and relationships have consistently been compelling to me. However, the failure of this episode is irredeemable.

Jumping the Shark Bones Style

[xana-8 · 4/10 · 16 March 2009]

This season of Bones wrapped up with some crazy "Hollywood Ending" material. Temperance goes against her established nature to orchestrate a story to get her father out of prison, and Zach goes against his established nature to suddenly become a cannibalistic serial killer. Really? Did Joss Whedon write this stuff? "Stay tuned for Season 4 when we turn Hodgins into a rapist vampire..." Sheesh...

"Big deal," you say? It is a big deal when the fabric of any good show is in the believability of the characters and story. It was already a stretch to believe that the Smithsonian had a holographic projector, but the writers are REALLY taking some leaps. For example, the second to last episode ends with Booth getting shot, and the finale begins with his funeral. Then all of a sudden, Tah-dah! Just kidding, he's alive! DOH!

The way season 2 ended with Zach going off to Iraq and then appearing out of nowhere to return for season 3 leads me to believe they had a plan to remove his character and wrap up the whole Gormagon thing in one swoop. (I have not read or seen any of the outtakes or behind the scenes for this season, so it might already have been explained. I'm just critiquing as the information is revealed.)

The only "shocking" thing about season 3 for me was not in the content, but in the execution of the Scooby-Doo finale. The whole "I would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for you meddling kids," theme left a bad taste in my mouth for season 4...which I haven't started watching as of yet.

The other problem was in the handling of the whole Gormagon thing. When they kill Gormagon in the end, it is stated when somebody inquires about his identity that he was just a nobody who was angry at the world for not noticing him. Gormagon was established earlier as an ancient tradition passed down from master to apprentice to kill people from secret societies. The finale made it seem like the latest Gormagon was THE Gormagon, instead of just a guy in a long list of Gormagons. The other problem was that the last Gormagon victim was a member of "The Knights of Columbus", not exactly a secret society in the classic sense. The Knights of Columbus was created by the Catholic Church for its members as an alternative to Freemasonry and other "secret societies". Again, a case of bad execution...literally.

I've really enjoyed the series up to this point and really hope season 4 doesn't follow the new formula.