Narrative Fidelity on Thursday Night Shows

It is Thursday night, just the time for unrealistic romance! I watch Bones and Grey’s Anatomy. While I generally like these programs, one major element annoys the crap out of me. The relationships between Booth and Bones and Derrick and Meredith don’t ring true to me. Guys like that wouldn’t be crazy about those women.

On Bones, agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) and forensic science expert Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan (Emily Deschanel) work together to solve murders. He is fun guy who wears funky socks and is a caring divorced dad to his son. Booth does have a serious side as an ex-military quintessential cop, who has a knack for reading people who get gets emotional about the cases and has empathy and sympathy for people. Bones is the exact opposite; she is cold and is more comfortable dealing with skeletal remains. She views sex, love and romance like it is only like it is a biological function.

There is a little playful piece of their interactions that are cute and there is sexual tension, although I find it lacks fidelity. People say that opposites attract, but seriously? It doesn’t work because their chemistry is forced. Watch season 5 of Angel and David Boreanaz has much hotter chemistry with James Marsters—maybe nothing seems good to me when I am use to Spike and Angel chemistry.

Grey’s Anatomy has been pushing the Derrick “McDreamy” Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey)/ Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) thing since the first episode. There is that push/pull thing, but it has gotten old. They are educated doctors and they have the emotional maturity of toddlers, although that might be the point—that doctors are imperfect ego maniacs, but it is still obnoxious.

The couple is together they break up. They get together and his wife shows up. When they get close to marriage, he swings a golf club at the wedding ring. A guy like McDreamy wouldn’t put up with a self involved whiney bitch like Meredith, he could have any woman, but he can’t get enough of her and her morose attitude is rubbing off on him. Anyway McSteamy is much hotter, since he acts like a man and not a whipped little boy!

I haven’t watched the episodes tonight—I hope these relationships won’t bother me too much.