'Critic in the Cabernet' ep Reaction ***SPOILERS***

[doc_3]

***** Spoilers *******


I'll borrow a trick from spacekid77  and post what I just wrote intempertemper77 's LJ:

I'm still a little shell-shocked from the ending, but the last two minutes were worth the rest of it. 

My initial thoughts:
- The case was crap.  But the two women with babies provided, well, <i>babies</i> for her to pick up and play with.  Meh.
- The baby thing was very jolting, and made her seem even more out there in left field.  Despite all the foreshadowing they have done, it still was a shock.
-Booth was not acting like Booth, but I'll attribute that to the brain tumor.  Of course he would be involved, and I like to think that Stewie was his projection of that even though the tumor was screwing it up. 
- Her reaction to his repeated hallucinations was awesome -  from that moment on the ep was made of win.  She basically made the emotional connection right there.
- Sweets rocked.  His melt-down was priceless and perfect and made me love him a little bit for the first time.  He was a terrified duckling there for a minute.
-Cam and Angela are a shipper's dream.  I love Cam/Booth friendship moments.
-The prep scene onward: I can't say enough about DB, and the range of emotions all over his face.  He so clearly loves her.  And his insistence she 'take his stuff'.  I expected it, but it still hit me hard.  *tears up* 

Gah... I could go on for hours.  Next week can't come soon enough...


ADDENDUM:

In addition to above, most of all I'm a lot anxious about the finale.  I think I have a pretty good theory now that I know the brain issue, but you guys are probably totally sick of my theories. *grins* 
 

 

Comments

[ggjunkie33.livejournal.com]

I pretty much agree with everything you said here.

I am annoyed by the OOCness of Brennan's sudden baby statement, but oh well. We'll see what happens with that storyline, for now I think I'm just going to reserve judgement.

Plus the Booth not being like the Booth we all know and love - I totally think he wouldn't have agreed that fast - but he came through in the end realizing that if he couldn't be involved he didn't want to do it.

Her reaction to his repeated hallucinations was awesome - from that moment on the ep was made of win.
YES! I TOTALLY agree! Now if only they'd done that level of emotion earlier on...
Loved seeing the waiting rooms scene with all the squints, and then the BB scene at the end *happy sigh*

I'm anxious about next week - what's your theory? I'd love to hear it, because the promo made me a bit nervous (although I'll have to go watch it again to be sure of what I saw...).

[doc-3.livejournal.com]

I watched again this morning, and I think that mostof the finale takes place while Booth is in the OR. But the monkey wrench is that little snippet of conversation between them in the car. That doesn't seem like a dreamination (to borrow a term from Ausiello). But what if while they are digging around in his brain, they stimulate an area that creates the alternate universe in his head. You can stimulate the brain to perceive sounds and smells that aren't there - why not memories/conversations/etc.?

[ama-blue.livejournal.com]

I agree! Brennan wanting a baby, seemingly out of nowhere, seemed completely OOC. To me that was even more out of character than Booth giving her his sperm, which was completely unlike him.

Cam, Sweets, and especially Ange were all so awesome this ep, ITA.

Tell me the theory! Because I'm so confused about how everything that's supposed to happen possibly could.

[doc-3.livejournal.com]

Okay - I think I've finally thought this theory through to where I can put it on paper (screen):

When the brain is manipulated/stimulated during surgery, there are documented cases of people seeing things/smelling things/hearing things that aren't there. This is seen when brain surgeries are done when people are awake, and for example, the area responsible for taste is stimulated - blam, the person tastes something that's obviously not there. (There's a lot more to it, but I'm not a neurosurgeon so this nutshell works for me.)

So... what if while they're digging in Booth's brain he is transported into an alternate universe with the Crue, and Zack, and he and Bones looking an awful lot like Tony and Roxy? He's not asleep so it's not a dream. And he's not technically hallucinating.

The biggest niggle I have with this theory is that little snippet of conversation they have in the car. That seemed very real to me.

[iam-space.livejournal.com]

I just thought of something... when they first started the word association game and Booth said "Donuts. Glazed donuts. I can see 'em right there."
Do you think he really thought he was seeing a box of donuts? :)

[doc-3.livejournal.com]

LMAO! That whole word-association game was hysterical. Especially every time he said "whoa" she kept saying "horse".

[britt-1975.livejournal.com]

Bring on the theory... I'm tired of coming up with my own!

You nailed exactly how I feel about this episode... still Eh on the Brennan wanting a baby... hoping that the storyline has actually been wrapped up (at least for now.) I do think that Booth was just trying to give Brennan what she wanted and suppressing his feelings about it, until he couldn't anymore... Stewie was just that part of his sub-conscious that was screaming at him to freaking man up and tell her the truth…. not that he WON’T do it, just that he has to be involved if he does.

Cam – Angela – Sweets…. BB shippers FTW. I love that they served the purpose of saying everything that the audience is thinking… their frustration is our frustration… and short of going all fanficy and locking them in a closet together – they did what they could to make them freaking fess up to the feelings. GAH! Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE Sweets!!!

David Boreanaz and his face own my soul.

Seriously… what’s your theory.

[doc-3.livejournal.com]

Here's what I've come up with:

When the brain is manipulated/stimulated during surgery, there are documented cases of people seeing things/smelling things/hearing things that aren't there. This is seen when brain surgeries are done when people are awake, and for example, the area responsible for taste is stimulated - blam, the person tastes something that's obviously not there. (There's a lot more to it, but I'm not a neurosurgeon so this nutshell works for me.)

So... what if while they're digging in Booth's brain he is transported into an alternate universe with the Crue, and Zack, and he and Bones looking an awful lot like Tony and Roxy? He's not asleep so it's not a dream. And he's not technically hallucinating.

My main issue with this is that conversation in the car. That didn't seem fake or a dream or whatever.

Unless this is whole ep is a "what might have been" / "ghost of Christmas past" type thingy.

See, I can't even stick with one theory :)

[britt-1975.livejournal.com]

Yeah... just before you linked everyone to that one theory I had this whole new theory all cooked up... at that point my theory was that it's all part of an "It's a Wonderful Life" kind of thing... only that it's BRENNAN who gets the big epiphany type visitation and then wakes up or whatever and pounces on Booth.

Alternatively, I was thinking that, as far as I know, no one has actually confirmed that any of it is AU... and that we are basing the AU assumption on the fact that it all looks a little wacky and that HH gave an interview at the beginning of the season about maybe doing an AU type episode. Well... what if that was all a red herring to mislead us?

Obviously some kind of role playing/undercover/AU something is going on, because of Brennan's "I'm unfaithful and you're a murderer... we're an exciting couple." line... but just exactly what it is, who knows???

And I read the most interesting point on another board. In the one shot of Booth in the interrogation room, he is (I think) bumping fists with Birumbau (Angela's ex) But if it's Booth's hallucination - or whatever - why would Birumbau be there??? Booth never met him, he and Brennan were in London when Birumbau was on the show.

Okay... I'm done rambling. What do you think??? Every time I think up a theory (or read someone else's) and I finally think I've got it... something occurs to me that shoots it out of the water.

*sigh* Is it Wednesday yet?

[doc-3.livejournal.com]

This whole thing is making my head hurt :)