Temperance Brennan

I totally agree with that.

I think the latest episode where Brennan talked about Molly being bullied and how it was sad that someone so brilliant took her life. It made me realize its actually a good thing that Brennan values intelligence so much-- it probably saved her life. Whether or not, she knew she had something to offer in personal relationships, the belief that she had intrinsic value carried her through. I don’t think people give Brennan enough credit for how much she overcame in her life. 

That’s interesting... I agree with the PTSD diagnosis.  But I’ve never thought about Brennan having bipolar disorder. I guess its possible that DitP was a manic episode-- but she came out of it on her own the moment she allowed herself to acknowledge her regrets. 

But I agree-- Brennan needed to learn her own worth. Have to admit I didn’t love S6 though-- I think that storyline could’ve been done in a way that was a more positive. For e.g., I think Brennan should’ve been rewarded for taking a risk instead of being shot down. I think that would’ve made it a beautiful story. Or alternatively, the focus after that should’ve been on Brennan reclaiming her life. They should’ve shown her going on dates, meeting new people etc. I just feel like they kept her in limbo-- until they could get back to the B&B stuff. But then that takes away the point of realizing that she shouldn’t hold herself back from living life anymore. I don’t know if I am making any sense? But I just feel like if Booth was going to draw a line between them once again- then it doesn’t really make sense for her to not try for more elsewhere if the message is about embracing life. 

I see what you are saying... but I have very complicated feelings about this storyline. Probably due to my own issues. Some of the stuff I liked, but some of the stuff I don’t think was presented well for a lay person to understand. I am not sure I can explain what I mean-- its more of a feeling.

Having her wait till S7 to reclaim her life doesn’t sit right with me because it makes that kind of arc seem too centric on someone else, when the message should be about reaching out for life for oneself. If you really want to tackle mental illness-- then in this kind of story, the regret shouldn't be focussed on one missed opportunity, but rather holding yourself back from living all these years. She also missed that opportunity with Sully.  If you focus on the suffering for so long, something like DitP should leave you with a sense of change. Waiting around to see if she would ever get a chance with Booth again...was STILL holding herself back from living imo. 

If the story was about “I don’t want any regrets”, then it should’ve been a consistent concerted effort for happiness moving forward. It didn’t necessarily have to be a romantic thing-- it could’ve just been about her relationship with others-- telling others how she felt about them i.e. Vincent being her favourite etc. In 6x14--Brennan says she isn’t interested in sex and companionship-- that still feels like she was holding herself back from being happy.

If, instead, the focus was on the beauty of B&B’s relationship, that they would never abandon each other, in the other’s moment of need-- then there should never have been doubt that Booth would come back (maybe they hoped that’s the effect “that person is not going anywhere” and Hannah’s “I told you plenty of times” would create? idk). But somehow it went from Brennan’s issues to Booth’s issues but then they didn’t really address Booth’s relationship/intimacy issues either (which imo are far more pronounced and finally surfacing). Brennan standing by Booth after he drew a line was nothing new. She didn’t leave with Sully. She didn’t sleep with Wexler. She picked Booth over Hacker for her date. The whole reason she turned Booth down was to prevent jeopardizing their relationship in the first place. Accepting whatever limbo Booth was offering in order to not disrupt their relationship didn’t feel like a paradigm shift for her.

Saying that, I did think some parts of the arc were good. Personally, I think Brennan had worked through most of her emotions by DtIP. In Blackout, she says “I am quite strong”. When she cries in DitP, its because she has allowed herself to trust in her strength. What she said at the end was “I am fine, alone”. Because she knows she IS fine alone. If she had immediately said-- I *need* to find someone else-- then you could question whether that would be about strength vs the fear of being alone. My personal belief is that you can’t find happiness or a healthy relationship like that. You have to be okay with yourself first before you can develop healthy relationships. And that’s one of the things I like now... Brennan isn’t afraid of admitting her weaknesses to the world. She is not afraid of being who she is.

gravelyhumerus.tumblr.com/post/120238300864/gravelyhumerus-ok-so-im-about-to-begin-a can anyone offer suggestions?

I love Brennan's relationships with her interns. The scene with her and Jessica was so wonderful.