only_more_love

He caved like the Hollywood Hills after heavy rains. I really want to kick his ass - and Sweets'. Sweets, especially, because he and Gordon-Gordon discussed Booth's fear that if he told her too soon, she would react poorly.

Also: he (Booth) forgot that Cam had also told him not to tell Brennan too soon....

Oy!

I suspect that he was so convinced that she'd say yes (after all, Sweets told him to go for it), that he had no backup plans. He pored out his heart and she didn't care. He had nothing else left.

YES!

Brennan's actions are also totally unselfish from a certain POV. She is terrified, yes, but she believes she hurts him less like this than breaking him somewhere down the line.

100 times, this.

also, read this by alley. She makes some amazing points regarding Brennan that I haven't seen elsewhere.

OK I read that and commented there before commenting here LOL.

She makes a fantastic point. I always see Brennan as borderline-Aspergers. Hell, amilyn is always my 'did-they-get-Brennan-right' barometer, because she is so in touch with that subject, and she totally believed her reaction.

I'm excited to think that they are approaching all of this so right for both characters. Of course Booth will lay his heart on the line, it's what he does, and of course she will have no idea what to do with it. Not yet :)

Did you read that HH finally admitted that he based Brennan on an aspie friend?

I can't wait for what's going to come. I think this is going to force Brennan to finally examine her feelings and figure things out.

I did - and it says a LOT.

I can't wait for what's going to come. I think this is going to force Brennan to finally examine her feelings and figure things out.

Me neither!! Hee!!! There's bound to be a shift in how Booth is around her (not to mention if he really does try to date someone new) and it's GOT to effect her.

Check you pimping my icons :D :D

This oen looks nice on the green background of this layout; *g*

I'm on the fence as to whether or not it was too soon. On the one hand, as Sweets said, it was in a way too late. They "missed their moment." Another thing to consider is this: was there ever going to be a moment (in show canon) when Brennan would have taken Booth's declaration well? They've waited and waited... and waited. This is something that frightens Brennan, and she will have to get used to it, or have to deal with the threat of losing her chance for good.

Yeah it might have appeared too soon, but something was needed to break the stalemate. They so needed this kick in the pants! I look forward to Brennan realising some stuff and doing some of the chasing sometime soon :)

Is it just me, or did Booth capitulate surprisingly quickly/easily when Brennan rejected his plea to give them a chance?

Yeah, I definitely thought he did. I've watched that scene a whole pile of times in the writing of our ep tag and each time I always wonder why he gave up so easily.

"I'm a scientist, I can't change."
"Okay."

What? Where did his fight go? He should have chimed in with "I can help you with that" or something similar. He put it all on the line, why did he cave so quickly? I don't get it. If I'd been writing the dialogue, I certainly would have done it differently.

See my reply up above, but for me I think he basically realised halfway through he was going about it all wrong, pushing before she was ready and he backed down as quickly as possible so as not to damage them irrepairably.

Also - am saving your fic to read on the bus to work today! Eeee!

I think he basically realised halfway through he was going about it all wrong, pushing before she was ready and he backed down as quickly as possible so as not to damage them irrepairably.

That might possibly be it. I hope that's it because other wise he really caved when he should have fought for them.

Also - am saving your fic to read on the bus to work today! Eeee!

Hope it kept you occupied while you traveled!

I think the point behind all of the dramatic angst of this last episode is that their relationship was really going nowhere. Brennan was too sure she couldn't change, Booth was afraid to push her. And Sweets, that meddling idiot, had to keep pushing. Booth warned him about that once before.

However, I look at it that, like a bone break, the healed spot is so much stronger than it was originally that once healed it is very unlikely to break again. I think their relationship is like this - they are "broken" but when they heal they will be unstoppable. May take Season 6 to get there though.

He did give up rather quickly - but on the same token, I don't think he was "giving up". Not really. I think he knew what she was saying....even though she didn't say it. Does that make sense?

The way I see this scene (and I LOVED this scene - am I the only one? I thought it was perfectly done.) is that Brennan was basically saying she loves him too, but in her emotionally traumatized mind, loving him isn't a good thing. Isn't a good thing for him, because she isn't worth it. Isn't a good thing for her, because she's afraid of letting her heart out of its protective armor. And I think in that instant - Booth realized this. He knows her better than ANYONE, and I think he sensed the fear from her, but also her true feelings. So he let it go, because he still has hope that maybe NOW she'll start thinking differently. I think even though he said he'll need to "move on", part of him still plans on waiting for her to be ready.

I thought this scene was breathtakingly beautiful. It opens up a whole new set of possibilities for their relationship - and personally I think it's going to end up really well.

No no, I thought it was perfect too!

And ITA re: Booth realising all that about Brennan in that instant.

Yes, yes, I thought he gave up too easily. I don't understand why he said, "You're right, you're right." She's wrong, she's wrong and she's going to have to see that for them to move forward.

I don't know. I've read all the commentary, I've read (almost) all the fic and I'm just waiting. Patiently. Like Booth.

Good to see you!

I don't know, I think maybe Booth was so desperate to say something, to get everything out there, but he realizes deep down that for this to work it's got to come from Brennan. She's got to be the one to make the decision to move their relationship forward and it's how I've always seem them finally taking the plunge, by Brennan making the move and coming to terms with and accepting her feelings. Which I think is how it's going to go now, since Booth's put himself out there, already laid everything on the table, it's up to Brennan to take the final step, when she's ready.

Yeah he did. And I wouldn't have expected it ... pre watching ... but ... I think she gutted him. He gave it his all, took a gamble and basically begged her to take a chance ... but I think when he saw the fear in her eyes ... he realised his mistake and gave her what she wanted in backing down. (She wants to protect him and here he is trying to protect her - oh the irony!).

I don't see him backing down as a sign he believes she doesn't love him (as she said in Sweets office) because her reaction in the end scene basically blew away that whole charade and showed brutal honesty from both B+B. But I do think it proved she is scared shitless of changing what they currently have (which they both enjoy) for something new and risky .. something which may not be constant .. which would risk their personal and working relationships. It's too much her and Booth see's that - hell he knew it already right ... that's why he never made a move before now!! I think if he knew if he pushed harder he'd just push her further away.

And I do not believe his half hearted moving on speech. He never said anything about him loving someone else ... just finding some one else to love him. Poor Booth.

As TT or Sarah said (I forget which) going for this using the gambler analogy was a huge mistake! Booth needed to go to her with facts and evidence of why they work, why the could be a couple, why he would love her forever ... instead he made it sound like a risk, a gamble ... not clever! Brennan was never gonna go for that. She needs evidence.

ok, so he totally gave up quickly, but i have a theory. i think he knew she wouldn't be able to handle it, but he's planning to fix her. she's so broken and i think we needed to see that again. but he would never try to move on without giving her a chance to move beyond her emotional damage. i trust that he'll be able to repair some of that damage. (i am telling myself this, so that my heart doesn't explode. )

I think that the reason he hasn't said anything so far is that he was scared to admit it - because if he did, he expected her to say no. I don't think that he necessarily had the right reason for her to say no, but I think it's the outcome he was expecting.

When she did reject him, it's what he half-knew would happen all along.

It could be that (as others have said) he also realized he was going about it the wrong way - after all, a plea based on emotion is going to scare Brennan.

I practically got whiplash from it *g*

Seriously, I think he just put it all out there and didn't have anything left to give. And I really think he thought this was the time. And in that desperate haze just decided to move on for the sake of self-preservation.

I've been stuck in Europe for two weeks because of the Icelandic volcano... what an episode to come home to!

I'm right there with you on Booth's lack of fight. It's making me crazy thinking about it. What I find especially frustrating is that she all but acknowledged in words that it was a road she wanted to go down as well. He never broached the topic of their relationship because he knows that she thinks she can't change and he knows she thinks she can't love people, yet he gives up at her first protest? For the desperate, last ditch effort of a former gambler, he certainly didn't try very hard.

Of course, Brennan has to be the one to decide she can change, but an ongoing theme of this show has been each showing the other that change doesn't have to be so insurmountable. Where was that in this episode?

I understand the reasons why the show needs to keep them apart, but I don't know how many more episodes of Booth's broken-hearted face I can take. And Brennan's ridiculous attempts at liking Hacker, now that I think about it.