Addictions hurt everyone.
That's the lesson you should take away from episode 20, "The Woman in the Whirlpool"...addictions hurt everyone. And although the lesson was ostensibly about the victim of the week and her obsession with cookie jars, we all know that the real story this week was all about Booth and Brennan.
On the heels of being kicked out of his home, we found Booth begrudgingly attending Gambler's Anonymous meetings. His sponsor was pushing Booth to speak with the group about what he's going through, but Booth remained surly and disconnected for most of the episode. He even tried to talk to Brennan about going back home, but she made it clear: "It's too soon."
Back at the lab, we got to enjoy some sparks fly between Agent Aubrey and Jessica Warren, the redheaded intern who grew up in an intellectual commune. She's been an increasingly interesting fixture for the show in the last year or two, by developing a playful-but-brilliant relationship with Hodgins and teaching Brennan the ropes of Twitter...among other things. Although there's only so many romantic pairings I can really take in a show (Angela and Hodgins, Booth and Brennan, Cam and Arastoo), I found myself hoping I'd see more of these two together in the future - if for no other reason than to see Aubrey get super excited about something other than food.
Jessica also got some quality time with Brennan during the episode, in an especially sweet "I appreciate you" scene. It's clear that Booth's gambling has Brennan thinking about how fragile relationships are, and how important it is to treasure them while they are there.
Booth's gambling also had Angela and Hodgins wondering about whether or not the job was interfering with everyone's well being. This was an unusually grim topic for them, and also had an "I appreciate you" vibe to it...and combined with their potential plans to move to Paris a few episodes ago, it's got me wondering if Angela and Hodgins might end up taking a sabbatical from the Jeffersonian - or possibly the show.
With only two episodes left in the season, though, it's natural to start feeling some "farewells" in the works. But is there going to be one between Booth and Brennan? Or will the impending birth of their second child bring them back together before the summer break? We'll find out soon enough...but for now, feel free to speculate in the comments section!
About the Author - entropyki
Ki (aka entropyki) is a UX Researcher, roller derby enthusiast, Star Wars nerd, and road tripper. When she's not at a computer, she's driving, singing, watching TV, and generally being a badass, plus-sized twentysomething.
Favorite shows include Supernatural, Bones, Party Down, Futurama, Orange is the New Black, and the Big Bang Theory.
