In Which They Don't Make Any Sense At All

Season 6, Episode 18

The Truth in the Myth

Oh, car scenes. You're always such a good way to get a conversation started with these two.

“...the backside of YOUR moon!”

And how she's laughing SO HARD at her own jokes.

But then he's looking at her as she's laughing at her own jokes... and he gets that Booth-y look on his face again. It's happened dozens of times. She's doing something silly, and she's looking somewhere else, and so he can get away with stealing an admiring glance at her, so he does. When she's trying to be funny or is acting silly, he has these moments of mini-realizations of how 1) she CAN be “human” and silly and “normal” sometimes, and 2) how she's changed and grown to gotten to that place. Every time, he realizes it a little more. It's a mix of admiration, fondness, a touch of amusement, and, of course, love. It's his Booth-y look at her. And it's glorious, watching it appear.

Then, the diner scene. Nothing really notable, until:

“You're no different than the people who were certain the sun revolved around the earth.”

And the look on her face after he says that, her defense – she is NOT happy that he says this.

It brings up an interesting point – in “The Killer in the Crosshairs”, there was a lot of Brennan bringing up the similarities between Booth and the sniper, and Booth feeling majorly upset over it, because he uses her as a sort of mirror for him to evaluate his own personality, because to him, she's the most accurate “mirror” for him because he thinks so highly of her.

Three episodes later, we've got the same thing going on, but reversed – she's using HIM now. Even certain, impervious Brennan if affected GREATLY by Booth's opinion of her. It's just with this instance, the result of this reaction is different. With Booth, he just lets it effect him and pesters Brennan about it until she re-phrases her thoughts to get down to the essence of what she really meant. With Brennan, it drives her to research and find evidence to prove that she was technically right, but also that she believes him (and of COURSE she reacts this way – it IS Brennan, after all). But still, the fact that she let it bother her enough to do all that work is blatantly telling.

Like he said, it was a LOT of research that she did.

The rest of the episode is fairly quiet on the B&B front, until when they're leaving the bar. And he reveals he didn't really see the Yetti.

Or did he?

And cue the always-amusing Confused!Brennan.

Their discussions of ideology and epistemology, and how they both try to change the other in regards to that, has always been one of the best parts of their dynamic, in my opinion, and this discussion was no exception.

And finally, they bring that conversation, to them.

“...it's like us. We don't make any sense at all.”

HELLO THERE, FAVORITE LINE OF THE EPISODE.

See, this line is exciting for several reasons. First, he's stating what we've always known about them, one of the reasons we're so damn invested in them – they don't make any sense together. That's part of what makes it just so awesome. And to have one of them actually say that out loud is pretty satisfying.

Second, bringing up discussion of “them” in any way is good, because they aren't used to doing that. Any time they talk about “them” in any way, as partners, friends, romantic interests, whatever, it's a whole ~big thing~ for them. It's difficult for them, because discussion of “them” even just as friends will so-very-easily lead to discussion of “them” romantically, and for so long they've been practically hardwired to avoid that as much as possible. So them acknowledging something about them as “them” (convoluted sentences for the win?) in a casual way like that is a move in the right direction.

And third, and most importantly – here, he is basically proving false both their fears that they wouldn't “work” if they were together because they're so different. It's a subject they've both brought up before, and one of the main reasons it's taking so long for them to get together - despite their feelings for each other, they think they just wouldn't work as a couple, practically. But he says it right there – the hard evidence doesn't always determine what's true and what isn't. Because even though on paper they're as different as can be, in reality, in actual practice, they do work together. The fact that they are a “they” doesn't make any sense at all, theoretically. But alas, they are still a “they”. They are still a unit, if you will. And while you can't definitively say yay or nay in regards to this, with the way he said it, I think it's implied that he meant “we” at least partly in a romantic sense. I believe he was talking about “them” as a whole, and at this point, since especially recently they have openly discussed “them” in a romantic sense, “them” as a whole includes “them” romantically.

Now he's said it. And she's heard it. And they both know it.

Steps are still being taken.

With the cab, I would say that I'm not sure they put it in purposefully, to parallel with the 100^th episode and the season 5 finale and such, but the fact that they had her turn around and look at him once she was in the cab and driving away, just like the other times, pushes me over the line slightly to believing it was purposeful. As for that purpose, honestly, I think it's just a reassurance to the viewers that things are going in the right direction. The first two times she gets in the cab and leaves him standing there (yes, it's a metaphor of how she leaves him behind in their relationship), it has a very sad connotation both times. This time, it's right after he's said this awesome thing about them, and they're laughing, and she gives him a light-hearted “good night” before she drives away. It's not a bad thing this time.

Things are still changing. They're still changing.

They're getting there.