Bones

Ok, so I've chosen yet another crime show, Bones, to blog about this week. This seemed like an alright choice, as gender issues pop up often in the show, and the series's treatment on this subject may even need to be addressed again in later posts. The series's main relationship, between the two main characters, Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth, often has them questioning aspects of their respective genders.

The most recent episode was centered around hockey, one of the world's most aggressive sports. Many men use the aggressiveness of the sport, with its lenient rules on fighting, to show off their masculinity. The game has become a sort of modern day arena, where physical strength often prevails over skill in the sport.

This strive to attain and keep the image of "manliness" turns out to be the motive of the killer, once the case is solved. The victim had taunted his friend and teammate and insulted his masculinity, which set the killer off in a rage to prove himself, resulting in the death of the victim.

Is the show trying to give an insight to the sometimes destructive pressures of masculinity, or is including such subjects a ploy to bring in more viewers? Of course, this is subject to your own interpretation, and depends on your opinions on these types of television shows.

I've put up what I could find of the episode on YouTube, thought it should hopefully be enough to give some visual aid.