Today we will move into a current show which is still on now and returns to Fox November 3rd, Bones. Before jumping on the tube and checking out the newest episode, I invite you to go back to the beginning and watch the evolution of this great series. It is now entering its 7th season so there is a fair amount of viewing required but it is worth it.
The show is based on Kathy Reichs’ novels which are about Dr. Temperance Brennan a forensic anthropologist. Reichs who is, herself, a forensic anthropologist, also produces the show.
The show is set in Washington D.C. at the fictional Jeffersonian Institute Forensic Sciences Department. Basically, Brennan, played by Emily Deschanel, and her team do a fantastic job of analyzing dead bodies. The show focuses mostly on Dr. Temperance Brennan and F.B.I. Special Agent Seeley Booth portrayed by one of my favorites David Boreanaz. “Bones†Brennan, (an affectionate nickname given by Booth), takes to the field with Booth to scenes of some horrific, creative deaths, and/or very amusing deaths. Police call for their help whenever a body is unrecognizable. So you can imagine the state of some of these discoveries. The plot is straight forward but the magic of this show lies in the diversity of the team that works with Brennan but especially the interaction between Tempy (what her dad calls her) and Booth. The denied attraction and sexual tension is palpable and very intriguing. Most of all the character of Temperance Brennan is an extremely socially awkward, terribly rational and horribly introverted person who hides all of her feelings and pretends that there is no scientific proof that emotions benefit the human race at all. Her directness is always entertaining and is so amusing but especially teamed with Booth who is empathetic, caring and very charming. The show is worth watching on the simple fact that you could put on a blindfold and be vastly entertained by the conversations the main characters have. But there is more.
Enter the team. I will start with the team in season 2 which really started to mesh and develop chemistry. The lab at the Jeffersonian is actually run by Dr. Camille Saroyan (Tamara Taylor) who is the person also responsible for analyzing the flesh parts before the rest of the team get at the bones. We then have the dynamic duo of Dr. Jack Hodgins ( T.J. Thyne) the bug guy and Zack Addy (Eric Millegan) who is very much a junior Brennan in all facets. Finally we have the beautiful Michaela Conlin who plays Angela Montenegro who is not of the science world but is an artist as well as a computer specialist. She is also very worldly and a sexual character who is best friends with Brennan so she helps explain how normal humans interact to Tempy. She assists with giving a face to the deceased by using facial reconstruction and markers on the skull to come up with how the person looked when they were alive.
This ensemble has great chemistry and makes for very good entertainment. In every episode we get to see how each member is just as important as the next. The show is humorous while also has very tender moments of the heart. There are cameos by some great actors but most of all the show is intelligent and well written. It pulls you in effortlessly and lets you escape for an hour while not dumbing you down with stories of how happy the sixteen year old on T.V. will be when her baby is born (not my kind of entertainment).
They also usually have great season finales. Did I mention that Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top plays Angela’s Dad?
