Let’s face it; there are about five hundred moments that we see in a new light after the events of the 100th episode, right? Much like the season four finale, the 100th episode is kind of hard to categorize in canon. Because it presents information ‘out of order’, it’s hard to discuss it sometimes. For the ‘flashback’ in the 100th episode scenes, we sort of have to come up with some sort of name for them that puts them before 99 other episodes. Pre-pilot canon? Something like that, maybe. Whether you liked those flashback scenes or not, I think it’s safe to say that they changed the course of history, BONES-wise.
So I want to take a look at five moments in particular that now have new meaning for me. A lot of times, I’ll take one scene from each season, but I’m not going to do that this time. And like I mentioned in the first place, there are PLENTY of moments like the below. So please feel free to add your own in the comments. If there are a lot, we may just have to do another compilation of 25 or more with reader response. The 1st anniversary of 100DaysofBones is coming up at the end of this month; that might be a great project for that!
But for now, let’s look at five (in no particular order).
1. Enough Steamboats
BEYOND the obvious fact that what we thought was the first kiss between B&B is in fact a little reminder to each one that they are completely desperate for the other one (ah…yeah, I said it), what I love about this now is that originally, I thought it really was just Caroline kind of giving Brennan a hard time. But, based on what we’ve seen now, I love that this is really a little gift to Booth from Caroline. Don’t you think? She really cares for Booth and she wants him to be happy. While she might never choose Brennan to hang out with, I think Caroline senses that Booth loves his partner and so she wants to give him something special. It’s nothing new to us that she’s shocked at their kiss, but that part is still awesome too.
2. No Direct Knowledge
I love that in this scene, it’s set up that Booth’s former mentor, Sam, is annoyed with Brennan. That’s not necessarily anything new, but what I like is that she’s getting on his case on behalf of Booth. They’ve come into his office to find Sam there, working his way through the confidential case results. Booth is incredulous, but Brennan is the one who calls Sam out on it. Sam tells Booth that Brennan must be really good in bed; otherwise why would he keep her around? Brennan is quick to point out that she is in fact very good, though Booth has no direct knowledge of that. There’s always been a fun little edge to this moment and especially Booth’s reply to it that has stirred my curiosity. You? And now, knowing that there was certainly an opportunity and it didn’t happen…well, that changes things. When I watched the 100th episode, I was with my youngest sister, and after Brennan offered sex to Booth, I remembered thinking (and probably saying), they had darn well better NOT! Don’t know about you, but I am SO glad that this statement still remains true (assuming), or at least was true when it occurred in season three. But doesn’t it almost feel like maybe Brennan is rubbing it in? Maybe that’s why Booth seems so annoyed. Haha. I’ll take it!
3. More Than One Kind of Family
I do love this part, and it might be in my top 100 ‘rewind-able’ moments in BONES history. But when I watched it the other day (how many times? Don’t ask..), the new thought that went through my mind was… ‘they know’. I’m still not convinced that Booth was going to kiss her. Brennan is being kind of self-pitying, and I love that Booth doesn’t really call her on that but just tells it to her straight. The look they share shows me that they both understand how much they care for one another. After their first case (Gemma Arrington), they fight pretty badly, and say some very hurtful things. I believe that they are still dealing with those (for example, Booth reacting to the fact that she called him a stupid man), and I think it’s taken them a long time to recover. This moment isn’t just a reflection of the events of the episode; it’s part of the ongoing development between them. Booth, for all of his assurances, is actually the one being vulnerable. He’s offering up some compassion, knowing full well that he could be rejected. And it’s still sweet as pie when she takes his arm and makes him join ‘his squints’.
4. Striped Socks
When I first saw this moment, my eyes teared up. I just felt like Booth was really back, you know? Not before, when he flashed his badge to Sweets. Not when he hugged Brennan in her office and said he was 110%, but in that moment, when he looked at his striped socks and pondered it, I was like, okay…this is going to be fine. Booth is back to himself, to his ways of dealing with things. And Booth’s socks and belt buckle and all of that ARE Booth’s ways of coping; we’ve known that since season two. But the fact that he became the ‘free spirit rogue rebel’ that he is because of Brennan’s influence on him?…That is so special to me. The best relationship advice I ever got was that ‘when you are with someone you think you might like, the best way to know if it’s good is to see if when you are with that person, you become more ‘yourself’ than you are with almost anyone else.’ And I think Booth and Brennan offer that to one another. I love it. So I love that Booth coming back around to himself was in the inherent self confidence he has because of who he believes she believes he is.
5. Full of Possibility
Upon first watch, this just seems like something we might be reading too much into. After all, Booth wouldn’t really invite Brennan to come to Jamaica with him, right? They don’t even like each other. At all! But…what if they did like each other? What if there’d already been the possibility of sex and affection? Don’t you kind of think that Tessa was who Booth was talking about in the 100th episode when he said was dating someone kind of casually who didn’t like his hours? I absolutely can see that once he and Brennan fought that he would sort of close up his heart and kind of commit to Tessa. I don’t think ‘he knew’ with Tessa. She certainly is pretty, leggy, blonde (I’m sensing a trend) and confident. But it doesn’t feel the same. Of course, we saw them at the end, so who knows? I do think it’s fair to say that Booth is actually offering for Brennan to come with him. I think he’s saying, “Hey, I’m single now. You’re single now. Let’s do this.” Do you agree? I think Brennan knows that he’s doing that.
And she says no…in her way, telling him she’ll see him the next week. Why? Because she’s not interested? Because she thinks they are in a good place professionally? Because she knows him and already knows that sex won’t be enough for him?
Hmmm…a lot to think about! But don’t just think, discuss! Did you watch any of the earlier episodes after you watched the 100th? What did YOU pick up on? Bring it!
Peace, Love & Bones,
~S
Bones Theory 
October 5, 2010 at 8:55 am
First off, before I read any of your entries the “no direct knowledge” line was the first thing that popped into my head. I said almost the exact same thing during the 100th, when Brennan said they could have sex…I was like, “Look, you’re already stretching credibility with that lame Caroline line about not recognizing squints, but this…I cannot overlook this if they do have sex!” Luckily, they didn’t. (Yet) But great minds think alike, right?
Anyway…my scene might be cliche…but the end scene from Death in the Saddle. Go ahead, watch Brennan’s face during and after Booth’s speech. When we first watched it, we thought she was simply mesmerized by his words and the feeling behind them. But I think maybe her look could say more than that, now. It’s a look that is equal parts sexual attraction, confusion, delight and regret. The attraction is obvious, the confusion pure Brennan, the delight indicative of the fact that Brennan is, at the end of the day, just a woman…and regret. Regret that had things turned out differently she might know exactly what Booth is talking about. And know it with him.
It’s a formerly smoking hot scene that I now look at with a totally different set of eyes. And I don’t know if I’m disappointed about that or intrigued.
October 5, 2010 at 9:10 am
I adored The End in the Beginning. The whole episode is my favorite moment. I know that many people disliked the episode for obvious reasons, but any ep with both Zack and VNM (and their bickering) is A+ in my gradebook. 😉
Also, the episode really revealed a lot about Booth and Brennan’s relationship. They’re so deeply connected that Booth’s thoughts become Brennan’s book or vice versa.
Not going to lie, the first time that I watched it, I wanted to throw things at the screen after the “Who are you?” question. But I came to think that maybe Booth didn’t know _which_ Brennan, Bones or Bren, was before him.
That led me to a completely new hypothesis: Because B/B are so intertwined, their relationship surpasses their present existence.
What they have (in each other) is faith, baby.
Hodgins’s narration left a lot to be conspired over as well. It’s no secret how the character got his name and that the AU Hodgins was a shout out to the real writer, but mayhaps it’s more symbolic than that. I’ve probably just spent too much time in English classes over-analyzing things, but, to me at least, it seems like the bug guy’s narrating indicates that there’s something that we may not see at first watch: the beginning of the episode may not have been just a coma-dream or some scene in a deleted book.
And, hey, three-piece suit!
October 5, 2010 at 9:15 am
To me this article is perfect cuz i felt the same way after i watched the 100th episode for the first time.100th gave a whole new meaning for the 5 past seasons and made us look w/ different eyes and i loved what i saw. What particular scene on the epi when Cam was poisoned by Epps, on the end scene on the Carrousel when Booth tell to Brennan that people that work together on a risky situation don’t have get together on a relationship,the look of Brennan to him after watch 100th we can see clearly she loves him in the exactly moment she knew him on 100th and for love him so much she decided suppress her love for him even more.
October 5, 2010 at 10:16 am
The end of The Truth in the Lye. Honestly, before seeing the 100th, I was confused at the subtext in the scene with Booth and Brennan in his office. There were so many undertones and I didn’t know where they came from. First Booth states that there are just some people you can’t sleep with while looking directly at Brennan. And then Brennan is looking at Booth with this glint in her eye about his options for satisfying biological urges. I felt like there was something going on I didn’t know about. It also felt like Brennan was subliminally recognizing their mutual attraction and entertaining the notion of doing something about it. I was originally convinced that something would have happened had Angela and Hodgins not entered the office.
But watching this scene in the context of what we all now know about their past and it makes so much more sense. They realize that had they slept together in the past, they wouldn’t share in this strong relationship they have now. Too much at stake. Too much to lose. But the knowledge that they are attracted to each other and almost acted on those biological urges once upon a time is still out there in the universe, and I see in this scene a lingering question of “what if,” regret, and a brief yet serious consideration of going further from both of them. So much new meaning now!
P.S. What a fantastic question. You are amazing 🙂
October 5, 2010 at 12:46 pm
There are so many other things I should be doing right now, but I just had to take a minute to stop and comment.
I love, love, love the kissing scene from the Santa in the Slush (not just the kiss, but the entire storyline). One of the highlights of having the season 3 DVD’s is the extended kiss scene because, yes, it is THAT much better than the original! And the look on Caroline’s face when B&B are kissing is just hysterical. Yeah, I’m a really big nerd.
Anyway, I love your point, Sarah, about that kiss being Caroline’s Christmas present to Booth. I never thought about it that way, but it adds so much heart to the scene and just makes me love it even more!
October 5, 2010 at 12:52 pm
Ok I can’t remember the name of the episode but I do remember the scene. It was the episode where Booth introduced the guy hug to Brennan. She was hesitant at first. Now that I look back at the particular scene I think she may have been hesitant because of their history. I might be going to far with this one; but maybe she didn’t want to hug him because she knew those feelings would come rushing back. Would she be able to hold back her “biological urges” to jump Booth right then and there. She finds comfort in Booth once he hugs her and you can tell that the gears in her brain are working, thinking what on earth is she doing. She can’t do this but she is, what if she can’t control herself. Ok I really went out on a limb there, but that’s what I think. And for god’s sake I can’t remember the episode, this is killing me I see a Bones marathon coming for this weekend just so that I can remember which episode. Guess I better not make any plans.
October 5, 2010 at 3:39 pm
Piper,
Its episode 2×10, The Headless Witch in the Woods. Booth is comforting Brennan after she upset with her choice in men. She had gone out on a date with Will Hastings who was arrested for murdering his brother Graham. Booth made the arrest while Brennan was out to dinner with Will. Hope this helps!
October 5, 2010 at 9:26 pm
Love, love the moments that you described her.
I think now, before the 100th episode, I witnessed every “moment” between them as something new. After seeing the 100th episode, multiple times, I have seen them in a different light.
The kiss in the Santa in the Slush, though awkward for Booth, didn’t seem so for Brennan. Now, I understand why. I think Brennan wanted to kiss Booth again, and when he said no, she immediately explained that is was merely for Caroline’s benefit, not her own. (Though you could tell that the kiss took both their breaths away)
Even now, seeing the season premiere, after seeing their reunion (which I will admit, did bring a tear to my eye) something seemed different than when we saw them reunite after his surgery.
As Booth mentioned in the 100th episode, he wants somebody to love him for 30, 40, 50 yrs from now. I think that Brennan has loved him for at least 5 of those 30 years. It just took them being apart from each other for her to realize it.
So now, as I watch (and rewatch) every one of my favorite scenes and even the new episodes, I will think to myself how knowing what I know now has changed my perception of their relationship.
Sometimes I wonder if I put too much thought into this, but at least I know I am not the only one.
January 9, 2015 at 4:09 pm
I completely agree that Brennan wanted that kiss because of the way she immediately said no when booth said he’d talk to Caroline. I have wondered why there aren’t that many people that mention that, thank you!!
October 6, 2010 at 2:19 pm
Great question, Sarah!
All of the moments you listed, and all of the ones others have listed, definitely seem to have a new meaning to me after 100.
I have to admit, after I got over the shock of what happened in 100, one of the first things I wanted to do was watch the Pilot again, to see if there was any hint of what happened between them there. I know that in the Pilot we were told that they had previously worked on a case together and it ended with Brennan refusing to work with him, but I felt when watching it after 100, the tension and resentment and resistance to working together meant that much more. Now that I know how that first case went down, I find it absolutely fascinating that despite the fact that it took a year, it was Booth who again instigated contact. In fact, he had tried several times to contact her before he caught up to her at the airport.
There’s something about that that I love…originally I had believed that their first case and the Cleo Eller case were much closer together (3-4 months?), but the fact that he came back to her several times (with Zack screening her phone calls), and then finally grabbed her attention a year later, that tells me she REALLY made an impression on him, and I love that. I love that that first case went so unbelievably wrong, and yet they were able to get past it to work together again.
Isn’t BONES awesome?!
October 6, 2010 at 8:06 pm
I hadn’t seen the Pilot in a couple of months, but I decided to think about this “reset” that’s happening right now in Season 6, and what better place to start than the Pilot. So I just watched it again, and hints of what happened between them are everywhere. Maybe it’s just me reading too much into things and/or seeing things I want to see, but their history explains SO MUCH of the animosity and attraction evident from the start. Booth was unable to forget her, personally or professionally, and he eventually tracked her down. Brennan was skeptical and hesitant initially, but finally realized the motivation behind his mission and agreed to partner with him.
How brilliant is it that after the 100th episode, we could go back and watch the previous seasons with a new pair of eyes? I love it because it’s like we got twice the TV, and now there’s a weird continuity now in Season 6.
October 6, 2010 at 4:03 pm
I’m thinking Passenger in the Oven, because, well, I just watched it. All of a sudden, Booth’s nervousness about him and their partnership not being enough for Brennan makes perfect sense. He loved her back then but she had already rejected him personally and professionally after that first case. Now they’re back together for work and he wants to make sure that, even if the personal isn’t back on track, at least the professional will let them be close. Surrogate indeed!
October 6, 2010 at 9:57 pm
I always think back to one key scene that is heavily discussed in the Bones fandom.
“Everything happens eventually.”
Somehow the way Brennan asks “Everything?” has always seemed interesting to me. I always questioned how much she knew about their relationship at that moment…if she knew how invested they both already were and would become. With knowing what happened between them in the 100th it makes a lot more sense she would ask that question. To me it’s a little bit like…”Oh you mean we might get another shot at this one day?” Because she already knew that when they first met Booth felt like their relationship was going somewhere. It was almost like she was asking for confirmation to see if he still felt that way.
Also since I was watching “Two Bodies in the Lab” the other day this one popped into my head. When Brennan is talking about online dating on the platform and Booth comes up with Kenton and asks if she believes in eyes meeting across a crowded room and “that old black magic.” It takes on a whole new meaning when you know it’s already happened for them. That when Booth saw her he “knew.” They fell under that spell that night and it explains a lot about Brennan’s look when he’s asking her those questions.
November 3, 2014 at 8:35 pm
I watched Two Bodies in the Lab the other night and when Booth talks to Brennan about magic….eyes meeting across a crowded room….it reminded me of when he went to see her at the lecture the first time they met. She says there is no magic, but his response of “Oh, there’s magic…” took on an even more romantic meaning for me in light of the 100th episode…he really felt some magic when he met her that day.