In Which She Kept Looking Because of Him

Season 5, Episode 12

The Proof in the Pudding

BRENNAN: Throughout history, governments have lied with impunity to other governments and to their own citizens. Booth, this...does this have anything to do with the fact that your ancestor was a famous assassin?

BOOTH: Bones.

BRENNAN: John Wilkes Booth who killed President Lincoln.

BOOTH: You promised you would never mention that. You said that to me.

(Booth is pissed. He gets up and walks out of her office. She follows him to the doorway)

BRENNAN: No, you told me not to! (Booth's phone rings) I never promised! But I promise now! (She's crushed. She knows she hurt Booth.) I promise now!

Oh, poor unknowing Bones. This is one of those times when she just flat-out doesn't know she's doing something wrong. Fan-written stage directions (is that what they're called in film? I know that's what they're called in theatre, but I'm not sure if it's the same for film) are correct. She realizes while it's happening that she's hurt Booth, and that crushes her.

BRENNAN: Yes. The heavy bone is healthy. The one that's still floating is riddled with osteomyelitis. President John F. Kennedy never had osteomyelitis.

BOOTH: (relieved) Come here. (he pulls her in for a hug)

BRENNAN: Wow! (laughing) You really didn't want this to be JFK.

BOOTH: You know, you kept looking because of me. Thanks, Bones.

Oh, Bones. Yes, your mania for the truth is partly what drove you keep looking to see if it was JFK or not, but the other part of your drive was for Booth. Because you knew how much it would hurt him, to discover that the government he killed fifty people had lied, and all rationality aside, his feelings were important enough to you for you to keep searching, despite how it was nearly certain that it was JFK before the pudding experiment.

Like he said, she kept looking because of him.

<3

BOOTH: Shall we?

(He holds out his arm to Brennan, she links arms with him)

BRENNAN: We shall.

BOOTH: You know, you must think I'm crazy for being so happy that it wasn't JFK.

BRENNAN: I'm very impressed. You wanted the truth, even if it was going to hurt you.

BOOTH: I learned that from you.

BRENNAN: Really?

BOOTH: Yeah. I mean, sometimes you have to go with your brain over your gut.

BRENNAN: That's nice. But I prefer that you always go with your brain over your gut because your gut cannot think.

BOOTH: Your brain can't digest a breakfast burrito. Just saying, to each their own.

BRENNAN: To each their own.

BOOTH: Yep.

Booth learning from Bones! It's always lovely when that happens. And notable, because it doesn't happen all that often, at least not in ways that we can see.

And of course, “to each his own” relates to them very interestingly. They both have their ways of thinking. And yes, they have had and still have influence on each other. They will always keep their mainline way of thinking, though, because it makes them who they are. What matters is that 1) they allow the influence from the other to infiltrate their own way of thinking at certain times, when appropriate, and 2) they accept the other's way of thinking as a workable way of thinking. They may not understand it, but if they accept it, then that's all they need.

Which is exactly what “to each his own” is.