Bones – Battle of the Psychologists

Welcome back, Gordon Gordon. We missed ya! It’s been two years since we last saw Dr. Gordon Wyatt on Bones and it was about damn time that he made a return appearance. Granted, as soon as he returned Booth shot another inanimate object. Though, that was probably just a coincidence.

This time around Seeley wasn’t his intended contact. It was our young friend Dr. Sweets. See, Sweets had written a book about Bones’ and Booth’s professional relationship and he asked Dr. Wyatt to review the manuscript. Gordon’s response to the book not only gave further insight into Seeley and Tempe’s unique dynamic  but it also opened up a little background on Lance as well. When it was all said and done, it turned out that Sweets was just as damaged as the rest of the major players on the show.

Despite the title of this post, both doctors got on quite well. While their opinions may have differed about the context of Sweet’s book, they connected during the analysis of  the week’s case and the interrogation of  its suspects. Whereas some psychologists would present totally different views as to what was going on during questioning, Sweets and Wyatt built upon each others ideas to provide a more comprehensive look at not only the murderer but the environment from which he came from.

From that connection, what Gordon saw in Lance’s manuscript, and the fact that Bones saw a number of deep scars on Sweet’s back during their stop at a black metal concert, Wyatt was able to provide a deeper picture of the young man that neither Booth, Bones nor the viewers ever knew. There was never any mention of his life prior to adoption, or the fact that both of his adoptive parents died shortly before he took on the role as FBI profiler.

When Gordon put the pieces together Sweet’s actions in past episodes made much more sense. He was always looking to be part of the gang, whether it be the duo of Bones and Booth or the Squint Squad. We all thought it was because he was so young. But, it turns out, he just needed to be connected to another family. In a way, Sweet’s life parallels that of Kutner from House (save for being whipped). The only difference is that Sweets decided that suicide was never the answer.

Giving Bones and Booth the right key to open Sweets up was a stroke of genius for Wyatt. Informing Lance about their own messed up family lives put everyone on equal standing. It was also a chance for Temperance to exhibit a rare moment of emotion that her programming doesn’t normally allow. We love Brennan, but she can be incredibly robotic at times. Having her breakdown while talking about a horrible moment of her childhood was a sad, but refreshing, look at her previous life.

Subsequently, having Bones and Booth open up gave Sweets a chance to see who of the two was struggling with the attraction that Gordon mentioned earlier in the episode. It’s Booth … possibly. Just the way he touched the jacket pocket where Bones placed his handkerchief made it seem like he was the one. Then again, the director made Sweet’s revelation vague enough that it could be either Seeley or Temperance who has the issue. I’m sure we’ll find out who loves who one day.

Clacked by Richard Keller
on Apr 17, 2009 @ 14:30 EST5EDT