In Which Everything Happens Eventually . You Just Got To Be Ready For It.

Season 2, Episode 16

The Boneless Bride in the River

This is one of those where the only really appropriate beginning is: “Oh, this episode”.

Before we get to the scene that's probably one of the most important scenes in the series in relation to B&B's relationship, we have first to talk a little about Booth's reaction to this whole Brennan-going-away-for-a-year-on-a-boat-with-Sully thing.

When she first tells him about it, he reaction is split. His actual words are “Yeah, yeah, you should do it.” But his tone, hesitation, inflection, everything else having to do with how he says it... implies otherwise.

Which, I mean, of course it does. His partner, Bones, going away for a year, on a boat with some guy? That would be a drastic change for Booth.

But Booth is also generally pretty emotionally intelligent. And he realizes if he cares about Bones, he wants for her whatever makes her happiest. And he also reacting in any way but a supportive way could very well be seen (even by her) as implying that he wants her to stay for reasons of his own, which of course is true, but he's not near ready to admit that, nor is she near ready to know that. Even so, his initial reaction isn't three thousand percent enthusiastic because it's still a shock, quiet a large one at that.

Of course, once he has time to process it, and really think about everything I previously said, all the implications if he doesn't support her, he's able to be more collected about it, not let his emotions control his reaction, and come through with some good reasons as to why she should go, which he tells her when they're on the stakeout. Now, whether or not, or more accurately, to what extent all this is just a way to mask his real feelings, has too great a multitude of possibilities and no real way to come to any legitimate conclusion on (although I'm sure it's a puzzle Gordon Gordon would have loved to spend a great deal of time on), but one can have a general idea.

NOW. The scene from which the name of this blog is taken. The big one.

BRENNAN: What are you doing here?

BOOTH: I'm waving goodbye. See? (he waves)

BRENNAN: What do you want?

BOOTH: Breakfast.

BRENNAN: I'm not hungry.

BOOTH: Oh, come on, huh? What are ya gonna vomit when we come across one of those, uh, horrific cases?

BRENNAN: I don't vomit.

BOOTH: Give it time, Bones, okay? Give it time. Everything happens eventually.

BRENNAN: Everything?

BOOTH: All the stuff, okay, that you think never happens – it happens. You just gotta be ready for it.

This scene, this marvelous gem of a scene right here, has implications for both B&B and for us, the fans.

Implications for B&B: First, there's the obvious symbolism of Booth being there while Sully goes away. Bones' father and brother abandoned her, not once, but twice. Her old professor betrayed her in court, essentially abandoned her. And now, even though it was by her own choice, Sully's abandoned her as well (because like I said, even though it was her own choice, there's still that little voice in her head, or in her case, waaaaaaaaay down deep in her head, going “Oh, well, if he loved me enough, he would have stayed.”). But Booth is still there. Booth hasn't abandoned her. And this is something she still hasn't gotten quite used to, because it's such a deviation from her experience. But he won't abandon her. And for her, that is positively huge.

Second, there's the actual dialogue. It's reassurance to her that things won't always be this hard, that everything happens eventually.

But the dialogue, really, isn't so much for them, as it is for us.

Implications for the fans: This is such utter total classic showrunner-speaking-to-fans-through-character, the first time it's really happened on this show. I absolutely adore this type of thing, mostly because I was a huge fan of Gilmore Girls, and of Luke and Lorelai, with whom they used a lot of this kind of thing.

These lines, I think, it what has kept a lot of us fans hopeful for these two crazy kids these past few seasons, even if we weren't aware of it.

To spell it out straight:

“Give it time. Everything happens eventually.” - Calm down, you crazy-ass fangirls, Booth and Bones will get together eventually, just give it time.

“All the stuff, okay, that you think never happens – it happens. You just gotta be ready for it.” - Really. It might seem like it'll never happen at some points, but it'll happen. They have just got to be ready for it.

Booth and Bones have to be ready for it – that's the kicker. When Booth finally crosses the line they had been teetering on for five seasons in the 100^th episode, he was ready. But she wasn't. That's why it hasn't happened yet. She thinks she's still the scientist, she doesn't think she's changed (although, in my opinion, she really has, but she's isn't able to let herself realize that she has yet, but more on that in the 100^th episode post). She's not ready.

But once both of them are ready, it'll happen.

Twisting it around even more, it can also been seen in a way as not just a message that they will get together someday, but as an omen of sorts. “All the stuff that you think never happens – it happens.” I never thought Brennan would ask Booth for his sperm so she could have a baby on her own. I certainly never thought that once one of them finally admitted that they had feelings for the other, that the other wouldn't come through. I even more certainly NEVER thought that they'd end up taking a year-long break like this.

Bones (the show, not the person), doesn't do this type of thing often, this foreshadowing, speaking-to-the-fans-through-a-character thing. They don't it again (if I'm remembering correctly) until the season 4 finale.

But when they DO do it, damn, it's good.