r/Bones • u/Mymiddlenameisrhiana • 3d ago

Lab coats

I noticed when Arastoo got his blue coat it explicitly said Dr, but on all the others (Brennan, Hodgins, Saroyan and Addy) they don’t state Dr.
It doesn’t make sense as showing that he’s now a Dr because he’s wearing a blue lab coat and once they aren’t interns they wear blue.

10 Upvotes

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25

u/9peppe 3d ago

Lab coats change a lot on the show.

Also, lab coats are PPE, they're supposed to be replaced fairly often.

18

u/Elbereth919 3d ago

It's possible that there isn't a standard for how the name is shown and that everyone gets to choose their own format. Having worked in academia, I can attest that there are multiple ways people react to receiving their doctorate. Some people are very invested in proclaiming it from the rooftops and want it stated on everything (which is fair, because it was hard work). Some people will practically growl at you if you call them Dr. LastName (also fair, because you can be defined by more than your degree). Some people start off wanting it everywhere and gradually lose the insistence (which I compare to the way newly engaged or married people like to throw the words "fiance" and "husband/wife" a lot in the beginning). I feel like Cam and Hodgins wouldn't particularly care about it being on their lab coats. Brennan probably would care that people know she has her doctorate, but she also would probably assume that everyone knows that is what the blue coat means. The flaw in that logic is that Angela wears blue and doesn't have her doctorate and Zach wore blue from the first episode, even though he didn't complete his doctorate until midway through S2.

There is also always the possibility that he was told to order his own lab coat patches and that he had never paid attention to whether they said "Dr." or not and he just guessed and then would have been embarrassed by it. I don't have my doctorate (and have no interest in getting it!), but that sounds like something that would happen to me!

6

u/Cool_Jelly_9402 3d ago

I worked in a hospital for years and we got to choose what was embroidered on our scrubs and lab coats too

5

u/9peppe 2d ago

How many doctorates does Brennan have? It's not like she can have "Dr Dr Dr Temperance Brennan" on her lab coat 

5

u/Elbereth919 2d ago

I believe she has three doctorates. I know none of them are an M.D., but I don't think we've ever really been told if they are all Ph.D.s or some combination of things. In the real world, if someone was adamant about showing multiple doctorates and they weren't all the same type of doctorate, they'd probably do "Last Name, Ph.D, M.D., J.D." or something like that. Maybe Brenna could really buck the trend (and logic) and go with "Brennan, Ph.D.3"

2

u/AnnoyedSinceBirth 8h ago

I think the flaw in the logic that you mention is not really flaw after all.

Yes, in the beginning everyone wore a blue lab coat. Everyone. There was no need to wear different colored lab coats, as the team was consistent. No changes on a weekly or daily basis. There was only one intern. And later only doctors and Angela.

Also, Angela is an expert an her field, received a McArthur Fellowship, and whatnot... They basically make her achievements equivalent to the multiple doctorates the others hold.

As for the interns later wearing white lab coats instead of blue lab coats...that started when they decided on having several interns on a rotating basis rather than only one single intern.

It makes sense to give them lab coats that show everyone around that they definitely belong, but are interns, not part of the regulars. At least I think it makes sense...

I don't have any idea on the Arastoo question though. I just agree with others here saying that people can probably choose themselves what they want the stitching to say.

As to why he chose it to say "Dr"? No idea.

Maybe that he is proud of his accomplishment. Maybe because he thought it's how it should be, not even knowing that the others do not have theirs say "Dr". Because he never noticed, as he doesn't really care. Maybe someone else ordered it that way. Not knowing that their predecessor (who previously worked in their position) always ordered the stitching to display only the name and not the title(s).

I don't know. Everything is possible. Especially as it is Arastoo. I can really imagine every scenario in his case.

4

u/NotoriousAttitude 1d ago

It’s also cultural. The show “Botched”, Paul Nassif MD always introduces himself as Dr. Nassif. Terry Dubrow introduces himself by his name with the assumption that you know he’s a medical doctor and surgeon. Being that Arastoo is Middle Eastern, I believe it’s in the same sense.