Grey's Anatomy: Okeeeee, Now What?

Derek and Meredith are engaged, y'all.

This is Big News. Not entirely unexpected news--but big news nonetheless.

As far as what comes next for McDreamy and his girl, now that's a whole other story.

Because I'm hearing a ton of conflicting reports. Read these quotes and then analyze with me:

Shonda Rhimes: "The only thing I'll tell you about the 100th [episode] is that it takes place on Meredith and Derek's wedding day."

Patrick Dempsey: "There will be a wedding at the end of this year."
Barbara Walters: "You're actually going to marry Meredith?"
Patrick Dempsey: "There will be a union between them, yes."

Ausiello: "The wedding taking place in the 100th episode on May 7? It's not Mer-Der after all! The plot thickens!"

Betsy Beers: "We're just gonna tell you, there's more than one wedding dress."

Okay, what gives?

The picture I'm getting from these quotes is that, although it's Derek and Meredith's wedding day, they don't actually get married.

Problematic.

Not only because ENOUGH WITH THE MESSING WITH DEREK AND MEREDITH, but also because, um, remember this situation?



You can't create a left-at-the-altar scenario again, Shonda.

When we first heard from Ausiello that the wedding wasn't Mer/Der's, our minds immediately jumped to Alex/Izzie, imagining that they'd make it official either because she's made it through the woods and all is wonderful or because she's on her deathbed.

But now Shonda says it's Derek and Meredith's wedding day, and I'm all confused again.

Unless--

It's Derek and Meredith's wedding day. Everything's great, everyone's happy, until Izzie takes a turn. They decide, together, that they can't get married today, not when Izzie could die. It's just not a celebration kind of day.

At the hospital, Alex and Izzie get married. It's very sweet and very sad. Even though we're pretty sure she's not going to end up dead, I like this scenario. Because now, when she gets better, they're still married. They've just made this huge commitment under these less-than-awesome circumstances, and even though they love each other, that was a big ol' step they took, perhaps not thinking of what the consequences would be if she survived.

Derek and Meredith attend the wedding. This is also sweet and sad, because it was supposed to be their day, and now it's not.

This is the 100th episode, which is not the season finale. (There are one or two more after that--I'm not sure.)

Later, in privacy, either at the courthouse or on Derek's property, Derek and Meredith get married. It's intimate, quiet, and not at all sad.

While this scenario may seem far-fetched, it does fit the parameters of all these quotes. You tell me what you think.

House: Plot Bunny Sounds Like Wedding Bells

Word around the fandom lately is about (confirmed) information involving a bachelor party for one Dr. Robert Chase, a story for Chase that affects Cameron "in a major way," and the random IMDb finding that there's an Immigration Officer in episode 22, "A House Divided."

Add to that the fact that I've been predicting a Chase/Cameron engagement for over a month now, and specifically targeting episode 20 "Simple Explanation" for the likely proposal night, along with the title of episode 21 ("Saviors") that was listed as "Euthanasia" until a day or so ago.

Ready for spec? "Simple Explanation" is going to highlight many things about the Chase/Cameron relationship. Possibly even bring the proposal. "Saviors" is going to find Chase agreeing to euthanize someone (For real, this time! How many times will this spec thwart me?) Chase then gets in the kind of trouble that Cameron completely avoided when she did the very same thing years ago, and probably finds himself fired. Again. Or in legal trouble. Either way, INS ain't happy with him. Legal trouble or loss of employment tends to get one's work visa revoked. Enter the immigration officer. In order to stay in America, he must either find another job (ASAP) or... ya know, get married. To an American. Like that blonde one he's in love with.

And so they go the marriage route, thus the bachelor party.

Now, whether or not they actually get married is still up for speculation. But, really? If he's just going to end up instantly re-employed on House's team and the wedding isn't even necessary anymore to keep him in the country, what exactly is the point of spending time on that immigration arc (and the necessary wedding to end it) in the first place?

I'm thinking PPTH will find itself with not one, but two doctors named Chase by the time we open next season.

Excuse me whilst I go flail like the giddy fangirl that I am.

Friday Night Lights: ...But is This a Good Thing?

Looks like Friday Night Lights is about to get a big two-year renewal, continuing the partnership between NBC and DirecTV.

It's a big deal. If it happens, it will be a huge testament to the willpower of the fans, who have never given up on this show, even when it looked like cancellation was on the horizon. It means this show, which eked out a back-nine pickup in its first season, would have a five-season DVD boxed set (at least). And that's a big deal.

On the one hand, I'm thrilled.

There is nothing on television as good as Friday Night Lights. No, seriously, nothing. I love me some Lost, but if FNL had a smoke monster and a red-hot will-they-or-won't-they, I'd be dumping Jack Shephard like a hot potato. Friday Night Lights may not have a love quadrangle and a really good mystery, but its depiction of small-town Texas and what goes on there is unparalleled in terms of honesty, realism, compassion, and heart.

I've only ever cried twice at Grey's Anatomy, but I think I've gotten at least a little teary at just about every episode of FNL this year. And not because it's sappy--quite the opposite, actually.

It's so honest in its portrayal of these characters and I'm obsessed with every single one of them.

But there's a part of me that can't help but get worried about these next two seasons.

Because, y'all, Matt Saracen's a senior, and is hopefully going to college. Landry's going to college. Lyla's going to college. Hell, even Riggs is going to college. So what gives?

What is next season going to look like without the Panthers? Yeah, the show's about more than football, but the team gives everyone something in common.

I think there are two ways to look at the show, and depending on how you look at it affects how you might conceptualize the next two years.

One is with Matt Saracen as the center of the show. He's the link between the Taylor family and the teenagers. He's the one from whose eyes the show is seen, having been brought into the fold of high school football in the series finale.

The other is with Eric Taylor as the center of the show. He's a Texan everyman, who happens to be in a small spotlight in Dillon, Texas. He's stable; the show can continue indefinitely as long as his story doesn't radically change.

I tend toward the former.

But in the end, I'm really just glad to have more Friday Night Lights. The show needs to continue long enough for Matt and Julie to get married (probably too young, but they'll figure it out) and for Buddy Garrity to run for Congress. Yeah, that needs to happen.

Grey's Anatomy: My Requests and Predictions for This Evening

In case you haven't heard, Derek and Meredith are probably getting engaged tonight.

All signs are pointing to it--so much so, that if it doesn't happen, somebody's going to have to answer to me.

Here's how I think it'll go down.

We've seen sneak peeks and Canadian promos which suggest that Derek "proposes" at least twice without it working.

One involves the trailer in which he says "I need you to say yes." Romantic, there, McDreamy.

One is at her house, where he doesn't say anything, he just shows her the ring. Meredith looks at him with a face full of "Are you shitting me?"

After everything they've been through, he owes it to her to get down on one knee.

We bet this will go down something like Sydney and Vaughn's engagement. Off on a mission, he proposes, but she doesn't care for the circumstances. He shows her the ring, and she asks to please be proposed to on the beach, not in the back of a cargo plane about to be dumped in apocalyptic Svogda, Russia. But a few moments later, overcome with emotion (and the fear they might die), she brings it up herself and says "I wanna marry you."

So Derek and Meredith have a couple almost-proposals. They don't take.

Finally, as everyone's been speccing, they end up in the elevator. Izzie's surgery has just gone amazingly, and Meredith looks at Derek and, for the first time in a month, she sees the man she fell in love with. Not even having been asked, she turns to him, in the elevator where they had their first post-name-knowing kiss, and says yes.

While we're at it, Izzie's surgery has to go well. Now that they've hitched Derek's emotional health to her surgery, she has to survive.

Another scenario we can see is if Izzie's surgery is the very end of the episode.

Even more like Sydney and Vaughn's proposal, Meredith has subtly rejected two proposals at this point. But now they're in the elevator, about to go up and operate on their friend. It's tense, and not wanting him to feel any less than awesome about himself, Meredith says yes.

Cue McDreamy, back to his usual self, striding into that OR with a self-assured smile and an "It's a beautiful day to save lives."

Either way, I want to see him down on one knee, giving the McDreamy speech of McDreamy speeches. He's had some good ones, but the one that ends with "Meredith Grey, will you marry me?" has to be the best one ever.

Okay, something needs to be done about this blog's overcoverage of Bones. You'd think it was on every single day, considering how much we talk about it. And if you watch Bones, you know that's not true. Interested in covering a fandom you think could use more attention? Send me an email at carolinejanecarter@gmail.com or leave a comment!

Bones: Holy Double Entendre, Bones!

We don't yet know what the title of the season finale will be, but we here at Chaos in General have our minds in the gutter--we want something delightfully double-entendrish to correspond with the events of the finale.

Here are some of our suggestions:

A case involving electrocution: "The Fork in the Outlet."

A case involving golf: "The Ace in the Hole."

Leigh would like to see something a little less inappropriate: "The Change in the Heart" or "Shock to the Heart."

Mystic put it bluntly: "The Bone in Bones."

Do you have any inappropriate suggestions for finale titles?

ETA: From our friend, Carrie: "The Snake in the Bush."

ETA: From me: "The Lay of the Land."

ETA 03/27/09: My personal favorite, less euphemistic: "The Shot in the Dark."

ETA 04/05/09: From me and Leigh's combined efforts: "The Life on the Line."

Bones: What Does This Mean for Jared?

Okay, so Fox is going to hold an episode for next season, but, as I expected, it is not the finale. No one's that stupid.

It's "The Beaver in the Otter," which was supposed to be the third-to-last episode of the season. It involves Jared Booth and a bunch of drama with that--Booth's trying to set him up with a job, he's not being very cooperative, etc.

Now, I would have normally expected them to save an episode like "The Girl in the Mask" or "Double Death of the Dearly Departed," which, at least from the sides, feel like inconsequential-to-the-larger-story episodes. I figured they'd hang onto one of those, throw it into next season as a throwaway before Brennan starts showing, and go about their season. It might feel weird to go an episode where Booth and Brennan seemingly don't acknowledge the fact that, oh, hey, Booth's baby is growing inside of her, but whatever.

It also sucks, I thought, that Jared doesn't get to acknowledge the baby thing. That would feel really weird. But at the end of the day, who gives a crap?

And then I thought about it.

They're filming "Beaver in the Otter" right now.

I wonder if Hart Hanson's in his office right now scribbling out a couple pages of last-minute scenes. In which Jared Booth discusses impending unclehood.

Totally possible, right?

In which case, go Hart for making lemonade out of some serious lemons there.

I shall rest tonight envisioning David, Emily, and Brendan Fehr shooting some whoa awkward scenes involving the bonesie tomorrow.

Chaos in Stereo: Is Something About to Get Wrecked on Bones?

Big spoilers abound.

On a day that proved that the Bones fandom is perched precariously on the brink of total meltdown, this team finished Thursday night doing an emergency podcast.

First there was the rumor that Bones would push its season finale to its season premiere, because of Obama's preemption next week. I tell you what, I have never so badly wanted to SLAP someone as hard as I wanted to slap Korbi Gosch, the world's worst TV commentator. No lies, y'all--I think she MADE THAT UP. Just sat there, wondered how she could up traffic, and made it up. Because there's no way that was ever going to happen. If Fox execs called Bones and said they needed to come up one episode short this season, I guarantee you that Hart Hanson would say "Okay, that sucks, but take 'The Girl in the Mask.' We'll save it for next year." There's no way that Fox would postpone a season finale. That just makes no sense.

Fangirls and boys, please, for your sanity and for my own--please don't read Korbi's column. Please.

Then Stephen Nathan told Ausiello that they were planning the world's weirdest crossover--Stewie Griffin of Family Guy would be making an appearance as Booth's hallucination.

The fandom freaking exploded.

We were confused. I was pained that they would take an event so precious and turn it into a commercial.

But then (and thank God these came out the same day), we saw the sides.

And promptly started squeeing.

Here is the result.

Grey's: Please, Shonda?

For all of the great qualities that define Dr. Derek Shepherd -- every once in a while, McDreamy turns into McDouche.

In one of the first big Mer/Der scenes we've gotten in a while, Derek Shepherd resembled The Babe himself as he drunkenly swung at empty MGD cans. Of all the things I thought he would be doing at the end of that episode, beer can batting practice was not one of them. Mainly because, beer cans are not easy to hit. You know what else isn't easy? Hitting a family heirloom diamond ring in mid-air in the dark with a baseball bat after a six pack. In 1941, Ted Williams finished the season with a batting average of .406. Even HE wouldn't have been able to hit that ring. Come on. Personally, I think he should have been standing towards the edge of the property, hitting golf balls into the houses below. But? Whatever.

I'll admit, I've wanted someone to snap Meredith back into reality -- but the timing was just dreadful. Mainly because there was NO POINT in having Derek get all douchey and yell at her about her flaws and their role in the relationship. For once, relationship angst played no part in Derek being angry so why bring it up? Sure, he's pissed and ready to quit but the last time I checked, that had nothing to do with Meredith. You sorta F'd up Derek. Beer can make you forget that sometimes -- that's why I'm here to help.

But, Grey's has the potential to make me forget alllllll about that ridiculousness tonight if they follow through with what the following blurb is potentially setting up:

"Stand By Me" - After his fellow surgeons try and fail to bring Derek back to work, Meredith must summon the strength to convince him.

Now, here's where I got really excited...and really sad.

Picture it -- As a last ditch effort, after several failed attempts to get him to come back, she decides to take it upon herself and compile a list of all the people Derek has saved. She tells him to read through it and look at all the people who are here today because he didn't give up on them. He lazily scans through the list and at last you see his dreary face change, he takes a short breath, and reads the name, "...Meredith Grey." NOW! Before you laugh or say how corny it is and pick up a rock to throw at me, just visualize it. Because, honestly, it seemed almost a little over the top to me at first. Until I decided to daydream at work and picture it all happening. And it looks glorious -- and just corny enough. She moves closer, telling him, "You saved me, Derek -- and not just when you pulled me out of the water."

But if hearing how he saved his girlfriend and (hopefully) soon to be fiancee isn't enough, Caroline put together a list of some of the people Derek has saved over the years that really should be in bold on Meredith's list.

Mr. Levangie, Parkinson’s patient whose daughter wants him to walk her down the aisle: Come on. Sweet.

Jamie Hayes, three-year-old needing a hemispherectomy: Not sure where they found that ADORABLE little girl but Patrick ad-libbing with her was one of the most precious moments I've ever seen.

Richard Webber, brain tumor: Although all he does now is just bitch about being #12, he's kind of important.

Joe the Bartender, stand-still operation: He runs the bar. Any other questions?

Steve Murphy, Meredith’s one night stand: Ohhh the irony.

Ellis Grey, who was a candidate for a clinical trial: Saving girlfriend's mom is always important -- no matter how messed up the mother/daughter relationship is.

Mia, little girl who likes nanny more than mom: Again, cases with kids are always important.

Henry, internally paralyzed, first of his kind to survive: That's just awesome.

Michelle Tanner’s sassy black friend, first survivor of clinical trial AKA “The Shepherd Method”: Although this is important because of the significance with the trial, I just like the fact that Caroline always refers to her as Michelle Tanner's sassy black friend. Plus, this led to the candle blueprint. Woot.

Phil, “We made a man walk”: They made a man walk. Oh snap!

Tucker Jones, husband of one Miranda Bailey: Derek saved Tucker's life and his own with this one.

Meredith Grey, drowned: Yeah. She...yeah.

Why does talking about this beautiful scenario make me sad? Because we'll never see it. I can't imagine something like this coming out of the same writer's room that put George/Izzie together, thought we wanted to see dead!Denny/Izzie sex, added the character of Owen Hunt and has seemed afraid that they can't do Mer/Der justice so they don't even try. They may have written the epic "I've been in love with you for...ever," and "over there, that's the room where our kids could play," scenes which were ftw -- but lately, those have been few and far between.

Come on Shonda. Get a hand in there.

Snap!Spec #6: Does EW Know Something I Don't?

EW's mini-synopsis for this week's episode of Bones says "It's not every show that can successfully blend plots about dog adoption, a pregnancy pact, and a municipal salt truck."

Now, we know about the pregnancy pact and the salt truck, but dog adoption?

My mind immediately went to something like Brennan talks about wanting a baby, and Booth gets her a puppy instead. Freaking adorable.

The dog will later be completely disregarded when the storyline shifts to the baby next season.

EW could have no idea what they're talking about, but if there's Booth and Brennan interaction involving a puppy this week, I might just die.

Gossip Girl: Have We Met?

First off, I would be talking about this week’s ER if I had anything to offer beyond “Doug and Carol!!! Squee!!!” and Volume 605 of my Carter/Noah Wyle rant. But I don’t.

I am, however, psyched to finally be getting Gossip Girl back on Monday. It looks like this week the St. Jude’s/Constance Billard kids are all in the school play. A play that has never been mentioned before.

And, okay, this might not be the best example, coming off of a six-week hiatus. But one thing GG has done consistently this season (besides the Dan/Serena Chuck/Blair make-up/break-up dance) is have giant chunks of story take place off-screen.

I can’t decide whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. On one hand, it lends a little realism, as though these characters go on with their lives when we’re not around. But on the other, it cycles through story really quickly and I feel like we miss a lot. Which is not to say I want more time spent on characters like Ms. Carr, but it would be nice if we could stop getting whiplash, like, “Wait, where did she come from?”

Look at what’s already happened off-screen this season: Serena hanging out with Poppy Lifton, Eric’s relationship, break-up, and reconciliation with Jonathan, Nate and Vanessa’s entire relationship, whatever weirdness happened between Blair and Jack Bass, Serena’s BFF English teacher, the dumping of Aaron Rose…

There’s probably more; Those are just the ones that spring to mind. In one of the sneak peek clips of Monday night, Serena’s trying to get the attention of a guy we’ve never met. Is it too much to hope that Serena meets him in this episode, too? That he won’t be Nikki-and-Paolo’d in?

Probably.

Bones: Wow, I Can't Wait For This Business

You think I'm talking about the sex/baby thing again?

WRONG.

I just want to know what the hell's going on in this little situation:



Seriously.

More promotional photos from "The Science in the Physicist" can be found here at the Bones Spoiler Blog.

Grey's Anatomy: McBeardy!

Well, it was basically inevitable that, as a visible reminder of Derek's downward spiral, the man would start growing a beard.

We also know that this is a temporary lapse, and that soon, our favorite neurosurgeon (sorry, Jim!) will be back in the OR saving lives.

The question is--how?

Leigh (poke, poke) will have more soon about how Derek will end up back at work, but for now, I'd like to conduct a little poll.



Personally, I'm still not sure. After seeing this clip, it sure seems like Dr. Stevens needs some serious McDreamy brain surgery.

HIMYM: I've Suited Up

I have caved.

In January, Lifetime began showing weekly hours of How I Met Your Mother. Feeling like I was left out from a lot of discussions going on around me—both in real life and online—I decided it was time to give it a real try. I’ve discussed here before that I watched the pilot with much anticipation, but was immediately turned off by the concept of Robin not being the mother.

Now I’m almost through the first season and I think it’s moved into my top ten favorite shows of all time.

How am I quieting my shipper heart?

I’m kind of not. I still hope there’s a loophole in which Robin is the mother.

And although I’m reluctant to say this, after that laser tag episode, I can see where everyone’s coming from on Robin/Barney. I’m not sure I’ll ever get there myself, but it didn’t make me throw up, so that’s something.

Mostly, I’ve realized that the ship stuff is such a small part of the show. It’s an important part—obviously, as the show is called How I Met Your Mother—but there’s so much more than that.

Every character is my favorite. From Barney’s ridiculous plans and catchphrases to Lily’s hilarious tales of kindergarten teaching, the whole show plays like a clever, modern Friends—only you’re not left wondering how Ross and Phoebe could ever be friends with each other. And when I saw the episode "Nothing Good Happens After 2 AM," which I watched in bed with my dog, tipsy with cell phone in hand, I knew this was a show that speaks to my generation.

Obviously, you’re sitting there going, “Caroline, this review is about three years too late.”

I know. I’m sorry. I’m behind the curve.

But I just wanted to say that I’ve caved, and I’m on board. By the next season premiere, I plan to be totally caught up and in the game with all of you.

(Also, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog was freaking amazing.)

Is it Possible...

That this May could be the biggest month for ships ever?

Patrick Dempsey was on The View yesterday, where he said that there will be a wedding between Derek and Meredith in the season finale. Um, whoa.

David Boreanaz was on a Fox affiliate yesterday morning, where he again said flat-out that Booth and Bones are going to have a "rip your clothes off, take you down kind of a thing." And lots of bloggers have come to the realization that I came to a month ago--that a "Bonesie," as Mystic calls Booth/Brennan offspring, seems to be coming down the pike.

I'm terrifyingly convinced that Jim and Pam are going to elope. Why? Because all signs point to it not happening this season. We're told they're going to set a date soon, but also that Pam's parents' divorce continues to be a source of stress for the couple. I want to see what I've been wanting to see from them since Jim showed us that ring last season: in a moment where everything else seems totally chaotic and unsure, they choose to focus on the one thing that they are sure about--and get married.

The season finale of Lost looks to involve flashbacks to when the characters were children. Specifically, some casting calls look suspiciously like Young Kate, Young Sawyer, and Young Juliet. Could this be a perfect opportunity to introduce the next generation of castaways? (Hello, Lucy!)

So, I don't know, but things are looking up for my people. And while May could turn out being a total let-down, I'm liking where my speccy brain is going for the time being.

House: Paging Dr. Kavorkian?

Last night, Dark posted five sneak peeks for next Monday's new episode of House, entitled "Here Kitty."

This was the fifth:



So, several things instantly went through my mind with this clip.

(1) Judy Greer. I love Judy Greer! When I see her (and especially when I hear her voice), I'm instantly nostalgic for 13 Going on 30 and the good old days of Jen Garner. I'm excited for this episode already, and it's just because of the fabulous Judy Greer.

(2) Chase! Chase interacting with a patient! Chase sitting by the patient's bedside and listening carefully - the way he always used to do before he ceased to have doctoring scenes anymore! Hooray!

(3) The look on his face in the very last milliseconds of this clip. He's conflicted somehow - tormented and tortured, almost, by what she's just said. But, why?

That last one is what my friend Michelle and I spent over an hour focusing on. Analysis and speculation and endless add-on questions were carried out in an attempt to decide what's up with Chase in this episode, and just why exactly he seems so affected by how Tom-Tom feels about life, death and the existence of reason in between.

And then, suddenly, it hit us.

Several months ago (I'm almost positive that it was during the red carpet for the Emmys), Jesse Spencer was asked about whether or not Chase would finally be getting more screen time this season. Jesse noted that he'd recently been told by producers that he (and, therein, Chase) would be getting an arc "later in the season."

What's of note, though: He also said that he heard this arc might involve a story about euthanasia.

Remembering this, Michelle and I both promptly slammed our heads onto our desks and repeated over and over, "Wow, we are so dumb."

Almost everyone (probably actually everyone) in the House fandom had brushed off Jesse's comment about euthanasia nearly the moment it left his mouth, because he has such a track record of - oh, ya know - lying when it comes to spoilers.

But he also has just as strong a record where leaking important, totally true spoilers are concerned. So the game is in trying to figure out when he's legit and when he's full of hot air. We assumed "euthanasia" was nothing more than hot air.

It appears as though we assumed wrong.

Prediction, here and now: Chase is going to be confronted with the decision of whether or not to help Judy/Tom-Tom end her already-doomed life. The cat slept beside her. She is legitimately sick. I figure House probably proved that the cat isn't actually prophesying death for those he sleeps beside, so Tom-Tom probably figures she'd rather just go ahead and die (as opposed to suffering a slow death or fighting to find a cure) if her sickness doesn't actually mean anything in terms of the cat's psychic power and a deeper meaning for all things that happen. I think this sneak peek may be her detailing to Chase that she wants to get it over with, and that she wants him to help.

Now, whether or not Chase actually follows in his girlfriend's footsteps and pulls a Kavorkian, I'm not sure. I'm leaning towards "no," because it's slightly overkill to do two euthanasia stories in three years and have both of them end with one of the ducklings crying in the chapel over having voluntarily killed another human being. I mean, really?

Plus, Cameron's torment came from the fact that she was completely opposed to euthanasia and had to fight her own beliefs in order to find the nerve to put her patient out of his misery. Chase, on the other hand, has always stated his non-issue with euthanasia - he's always said "every doctor does it" and made it clear that he'd not hesitate to do it, too. His torment, unlike Cameron's, will come from actually having to face the idea of doing it for the first time - for real - and realizing that maybe he's not as okay with the whole thing as he's always believed.

In translation: ANGST. My favorite thing in the world.

Growing up Sawyer

It's interesting, the difference a day can make. Even before seeing 'LeFleur' I was set on writing a piece on Sawyer for Chaos in General. It was going to be a piece about how even though Sawyer is (as all characters are) important to the overall series, that his character has yet to develop much beyond the man who crashed on the island. I even had a title: "The Impotence of Sawyer"

It was going to be about how he hasn't had a flashback since the beginning of season three where we had that convoluted plot in which he found out he had a daughter, denied her, and then got involved in some half-assed scheme to help find some lost cash and magically he'd be given a "reward". Then, when he did, he gave it all to his daughter… which was supposed to be some grand gesture, but really he was just repaying the money he owed his baby-momma so it wasn't that self-sacrificial actually.

It was going to be about how he had a traumatic experience when he was a child and how this somehow justifies his life of crime and every bit of assholery he pulls. It was supposed to be about how this character has been wasted, ignored, and yet glorified by an ignorant audience.
And then I watched 'LeFleur'.

LeFleur did little to advance the plot of the show. The only true plot points we learned were: 1) at some point the Others had a truce with Dharma, and obviously it gets re-broken at some point later, 2) the Fusies were, for at least a couple years in time, part of the Dharma Initiative, and 3) whatever happened that makes all the women on the island die with their unborn babies hasn't happened yet (window of opportunity, I say!)

But it did wonders for the development of Sawyer's character.

It was almost as if these first six weeks of season five have been the cocoon Sawyer's ugly worm has been wrapped in and this episode was the emergence of something different, something evolved, advanced… something worth watching. Now, I'm not saying Sawyer's importance level has jumped, or that he's a flawless human being because he's far from both. He's just finally taken his own advice and Cowboy'd up, both in his ability to communicate with others, and his ability to understand what love truly means.

Sawyer Learns to Work Well With Others

Did he come up with a stupid plan? Yes, but like Jack has done – and Juliet pointed out – a dumb plan is better than no plan and along the way, maybe something better comes along. For me this was both about the group still left, and Sawyer himself. After exacting revenge on the Real Sawyer, he has had NO plan, no purpose. To pull a quote from a brilliant movie, "You know, it's very strange -- I have been in the revenge business so long, now that it's over, I don't know what to do with the rest of my life." In The Princess Bride, Inigo is told that he would make a great Dread Pirate Roberts – the leader of an infamous pirate ship; for Sawyer, his new role is as leader of a make-believe salvage vessel.And, as opposed to the first six episodes, now he IS acting as leader. Unfortunately to do so he has to rely on old bad habits, but his con – his lies – are only for Dharma, for the falseness of Dharma Initiative on the island. When the true descendants of the island come, represented by Richard Alpert, Sawyer speaks for the group again and this time he speaks only the truth. I would dare say the part of the conversation we WEREN'T privy to went in depth with his explanation of "who" they were.

As leader, like Jack, he conjures up a lie to conceal the truth about the circumstances of their arrival and, unlike what had happened off the island, Sawyer has kept his group together, happy even. He's secured their places in this society of which they are not a part of in more ways than just not being Dharma, and he's succeeded in being someone people look up to and run to for guidance and protection.

Regretfully, while we saw the beginnings of this transformation in 'LaFleur', we weren't able to see the events that took them from this group being accepted into Dharma to this group living in tandem with Dharma and for the first time since season one, I look forward to seeing another Sawyer episode. To see this development. To see the questions and the arguments and the story of those three missing years. And I'm curious to see the extent to which Juliet was involved in that transformation.

Sawyer Discovers Love

Before emerging out to tackle the 'Hostiles', Sawyer, in a throwback to a season one scene between Jack and Kate, asks Juliet if she has his back and she, rightly so, responds that she does. Juliet has been moving along between the events of the finale and now calmly despite what is occurring because she too has lost purpose. We've watched her act as a sedative for Sawyer's aggression these past few episodes, almost as if she knew it wasn't the right time for it. But here she, like Sawyer, seems to wake up to the world – her actions and words retaining the air of calm, but infusing it with a bit of the snark from before and whether she realized it or not, she redefined herself as Sawyer's other half when she shot that Other to protect him.

And in that action Sawyer, who has until now only dabbled in the idea of 'Live Together, Die Alone', finally adhered to it, understanding that without these people, he would be dead. More specifically, without Juliet he would be dead. Their conversation on the dock, where she told him she would be on the submarine come morning wasn't meant to be romantic, but as a clear indication that these two people, at that moment, have nothing in the world for them except each other.

Neither relates to Dan, or Miles, and the people they DO relate to are gone from the island, and from their time, and Sawyer and Juliet choose to remain together to wait for them – but in that time, in those three years, they've developed a relationship secure enough to exchange, with sincerity, "I love you"'s and to depend on one another wholly. Their previous relationships with Jack and Kate had started them on a journey where they finally accepted how they were flawed, but their relationship with one another is what was necessary to 'fix' them. Whether they stay together remains to be seen, but they needed one another to get past the stalemate of character growth they'd both entered into in season four.

Sawyer Finds Acceptance

If there's one thing Sawyer has been lacking his whole life it was friendship and acceptance. At an early age his parents were gone and his life was thrown into chaos. He became a drifter, a loner, a con artist looking out for numero uno. This episode began with him seeking the help of Juliet, at the risk of blowing their cover, to help a woman (in both the 'flashback' and the 'present day') and ended with him trying to figure out how to develop a way to save his friends (in both the 'flashback' and the 'present day') and, along the way, saving the stability of this group of people, and the integrity of a man, who had previously been his enemy.

This is the development that I've been waiting for with this character; the development that was stalled by the all too present shenanigans of the triangle. Sawyer's willingness to be accepted into a group, accept being a rung in the chain of command, and develop long-lasting relationships with those around him was a breath of much needed fresh air into this character (quite frankly, Juliet's as well) and while I don't expect it to be perfect, or to be without set-backs, I now have expectations for Sawyer that I haven't had for a while.

I expect him to continue to Cowboy up and I believe he will.

Lost: Aww, Our First Hand!Watch '09

That's just an interesting wardrobe choice. Right? RIGHT???

Lost: The Island Really Does Have Magical Healing Powers!

...'Cause it healed Herc from Friday Night Lights! No more wheelchair rugby for you, my friend--grab Jack and Mr. Friendly for a pick-up football game. (Street would be so proud.)

ER: Zero-Sum Shooting Pictures

This makes me happy:



This makes me want to poke someone with a hot poker:



I think you all know the only thing that could sweeten the last few episodes of ER for this team (it starts with M and ends with aura Tierney), and I'm still holding out hope that that's going to happen. They're showing her in the promos and I heard the word "cameo" the other day. While I hold no hope that Carter and Abby will be reunited, a girl can long for them to look at each other, consider how freaking unhappy they are with their terrible spouses, and think about how good things could have been, if only John Wells hadn't been such a tremendous moron.

Bones: Mark Your Calendars!

I just wrote these dates down in pen in my Filofax. Don't screw it up, Fox.

3/05--PREEMPTED
3/12--The Bones that Foam
3/19--The Salt in the Wounds
3/26--The Doctor in the Den
4/02--The Science in the Physicist
4/09--The Cinderella in the Cardboard
4/15--Mayhem on the Cross (Note: Wednesday)
4/16--Double Death of the Dearly Departed
4/23--The Girl in the Mask
4/30--TBA
5/07--TBA
5/14--TBA (Finale)

What blows hard is that the double-ep week means that my hopes of joyously celebrating Booth/Brennan sexing are dashed. My parents will be here joyously celebrating my graduation. Six months late. But my school only has one Commencement. Anti-climactic. Unlike Booth and Bones.

Hey-yo!

PS I promise there's non-Bones or Lost related news upcoming. I've actually been watching lots of other things lately. It's just that with all this news and all these photoshoots--I've been distracted. I swear, I've got more going on in my brain.

Source: Bones Spoilers Blog

News Catch-Up: There's a Truth in Every Joke

It was a good day, people.

Yesterday, I mentioned off-handedly to Leigh that I would really appreciate a Booth/Brennan TV Guide photoshoot. (Bones isn't quite big enough for EW, yet.) But the show's picking up ratings (unlike almost every single other show on television), the plot's definitely thickening (Booth as Brennan's babydaddy! Booth/Brennan sexing!), and, um, Demily is freaking hot and adorable.

I emailed an acquaintance I know who works at TV Guide, suggesting that she and her colleagues get to work on that one.

And then what do I wake up to this morning?



I sent a follow-up email: "Damn, that has to have been the fastest issue y'all have ever pulled together. Thanks!"

Seriously.

Look at them!




I hate feet, but for some reason, the last two photoshoots I've slobbered over have featured bare feet, and I like it.

The pictures are adorable (and a few other adjectives), but the quotes are what get me.

Interviewer: Do you know how naked you’ll be?
Boreanaz: I hate it when two people are going at it and they turn over and suddenly they’re covered up in blankets. I’m all in. I am not going to be wearing a sack.
Deschanel: What?! This is the first I’ve heard of it.
Interviewer: You’re going full monty?
Boreanaz: Of course not. I’d wear my underwear and have a pillow between my legs. I’d be respectful. I totally am a gentleman. You’ve got a delicate flower here. You can’t bruise the petals.

Whaaaat?

Deschanel: Hey, how'd you like a knuckle sandwich?
Boreanaz: This is good. Remember when I faked my death and you got really upset with me? I’d want a little aggression, and then we can rip each other’s clothes off.

I know Mae'd be okay with that.

They get into the babydaddy thing, and then they just run away with it.

Interviewer: Who’s going to stay home with the newborn?
Deschanel: According to Brennan, parents become irrelevant at a certain point in a child’s development. So I think it’ll be a balance.
Boreanaz: No, the woman has to take care of the child. The first six months, I can provide love and support, but I can’t feed the baby!

He also mentions that "the FBI has a great day-care program."

Interviewer: You two are like an old married couple. And since both characters are alpha, how will that work out in the sack?
Deschanel: Give and take. As long as they respect each other.
Boreanaz: [Grins] They’ll both have happy endings.

(If you've seen the sides for "The Girl in the Mask," which I imagine David and Emily got the script for around the time of this interview, you know what "happy endings" means. If you went to middle school, you know what "happy endings" means, but anyway. It means orgasms.)

Then there's the Demily stuff. Let's analyze the pronouns in the following paragraph, shall we?

Deschanel: We’ve already kissed, even though Brennan was blackmailed into it, and we enjoyed it a little more than we’d like to admit. Once they get together, their relationship will only be stronger.

Now, it always gets awkward when actors talk about their characters--do you use first-person or third-person? Clearly, Emily uses third-person here to refer to Booth and Brennan in the second sentence. And in the first, she uses "Brennan" to refer to her character. So I find it funny, then, that she also uses first person plural to refer to the kissing. It's odd, right? To go straight from "we" into "they," if she's specifically noting Booth and Brennan both times? Methinks Freud would argue that the "we"s are David and Emily.

Interviewer: Have you chosen your sides of the bed?
Deschanel: I always sleep on the right side of my bed or any bed I sleep in.
Boreanaz: And I sleep on the left.
Deschanel: Oh, my gosh, we are a perfect match!

Um, yes. We know you're joking, but as Mae's mom likes to say, "There's a truth in every joke."

But no! That was not the only exciting news of the day.

How about this, from Evangeline Lilly, for whom I would go gay:

The notion that she might come back to the island and start things up with Sawyer again after three years of being involved with Jack, I was very nervous that that would happen and warrant having to justify that. Because I’m the one who has to make that believable, and if you don’t believe it, then it’s hard to make other people believe it. But they didn’t do that.

First of all, thank you for acknowledging that she was involved with Jack for three years. I appreciate that. And thank you for making me feel a whole lot better about the next few episodes. I'd been getting a little nervous there. She elaborates:

So for all intents and purposes, Kate thinks he’s dead. She really is holding out a little measure of hope that he’s alive, but the skeptic and the realist within her is saying he’s dead. So to see him again, more than being intense and romantic, it’s just intense and shocking.

If I was a Skater, this is what I'd say:

"She says it's more than romantic. It's romantic-plus."

"She hopes he's alive because she wants to get back together with him."

Here's what I, the Jater, say:

"Pfft."



Jimmy's a fanboy, and I love every time Losties pop up on his show. (His interview with Gillian Anderson was also freaking awesome.)

Jimmy: "Is Kate pregnant? ... Here's what happened. You had very forceful and sudden sex with Jack and it was like, 'What's going on here?' You actually seemed angry with him at the time, and in fact, you'd actually kind of lost or given your child away, I don't know what happened, but that seems like not the sort of thing that generally would put women in the mood.... So you could be carrying a baby, because the timing seemed like you wanted to carry a baby over to the island on the plane."

Evangeline agrees and says she, too, was confused by the Jex in "316." I think we all were, a little. (Hey, at least she didn't say she spat on the script and threw it to the ground.)

She also never gives an answer to the question, except to postulate that perhaps Kate's on birth control. (Jimmy disagrees.) Evangeline insists, saying that if in three years of sex with Jack, nothing has happened, she must be. God, I love interviews about Jack and prophylactics. And my quest for Lucy Shephard continues.

Bones: I Love Baby Episodes.

These faces say:

Booth: "Are you jealous of these pregnant high-school girls, Bones?"

Brennan: "Bitch, please."

(Except she kinda is.)

Now, Hart has insinuated that this won't be the "Booth, will you be my babydaddy?" episode, but we can't help but wonder if it's not going to at least plant the seed. So to speak.