Less than five minutes after going off the air, the howls of Bones fans could be heard for miles. The one thing every TV executive wants is to cause a reaction, but in the case of this year's season finale, a finale that may have left as many unanswered questions as it did crushed expectations and WTF faces, one has to wonder if these were the reactions that TPTB were looking for. I'm not ashamed to admit that I sat, gripping my pillow tightly screaming "Kiss her!" at the TV but that's only because no one was home to hear me except for my dogs. And hey, my dogs get me, especially when it comes to Bones.
After all, let's face it…if there were a TV fandom that could be so closely compared to loyal St. Bernards, it's the Bones fans. Before anyone says anything, don't get me wrong. This is not a bad thing, far from it in fact. Hart Hanson once compared us to a pack of cheetahs, and while I tend to agree that yes, we do look fabulous in stripes, I'm going to have to argue with you on this one, Hart. Let's look at some fun comparisons here:
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St. Bernards are by definition, working dogs. Note petitions for Emily Deschanel to get an Emmy, Bones to get an iPhone app and any other campaign that has sprouted up over the past 5 years. Polls have been won, articles written, and tweets have been sent as Bones fans "work" to get this show the credibility it deserves.
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St. Bernards are friendly. Since according to Twitter some of you are thinking of knifing Stephen Nathan, it's probably not the best time for this analogy, but for the most part it's very true. The friendly part, not the knifing. If the knifing thing's true, makes sense as to why he's in Europe.
In fact, it was Seeley Booth in uniform walking away from his partner of five years that caused the Bones fans to howl as loudly as they did last evening. The desired "payoff" for the 100th episode that was promised, almost seemed like payback at first. After all, saying to the dog, "You want some Prime Rib?" and then giving him Mighty Dog isn't quite the same, especially after he's been patiently gobbling up the delicious scraps that you've dropped under the table for the past 5 seasons.
But if you watched carefully enough, you might have noticed some things that were clearly gourmet…and I'm talking about more than just the Tower of Wings.
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There was that important scene between Brennan and Angela, where Brennan admitted that she's terrified of Booth being killed and it's causing her to question what her partnership with him truly means.
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There was that amazing scene in the park between Brennan and Booth where we once again see how much they've learned from each other. She pleaded for eye-contact while he spoke of evolution.
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There was the heartbreaking end scene where Booth didn't cry, told her to be careful in the jungle and she begged him not to be a hero.
Booth and Brennan are leaving and in one year, they will meet by a coffee cart by the Reflecting Pool on the Mall. And what does a dog do when it's left all by its lonesome?
It howls.
Chances are that howling will continue on throughout the summer as more spoilers come to light before season 6. But the fact of the matter is that for as many times as I've seen people on Twitter or in chat rooms say "I'm done," I've never once seen it come to pass. Every week, the ratings are consistent (growing even) and its those same people who have said that they're done and threatened (lovingly of course) Hart Hanson, that keep coming back.
It's because, just like those gentle giants, we're very loyal creatures. Our bark is much worse than our bite. And may I add:
Woof.
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