If I were to say what my favorite TV show of all time was, this would probably be at the top of my list. From 2005 until 2017 on Fox Bones proved to be one of the most successful crime dramas on television, not only with the very gross bodies and science but with one of the greatest couples on television (and probably the real reason why the show lasted 12 seasons). I have often said look between the re-runs of NCIS, CSI and Law & Order and you will find Bones. I will go over a little season by season to give you guys a general idea of what the show is like, but there will be spoilers ahead. I DO NOT OWN THE PICTURE.
Season 1. We meet most of the crew that viewers have come to know and love for a long time. Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel) is a forensic anthropologist (works with skeletons) and author who is brilliant, beautiful but is kinda arrogant, an atheist, does not really understand social situations, uses rationality to explain everything and is does not believe in something she cannot prove. She works at the Jeffersonian Institute, the most renowned crime lab in the nation alongside some brilliant minds. These include the following: Angela Montenegro (Michaela Conlin) Brennan’s best friend, a drop dead gorgeous forensic artist (uses skulls to give the victims a face) and created a system known as the Angelator or Angelatron later on using holograms and three dimensional graphics often to simulate crime scenes and using the evidence determines what happens to the victim(s). She is very socially active in the first season, dating very often and tries to get Brennan out of the lab to have fun (it is also revealed that a fictional version of Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top is her dad who frequently appears on the show). Dr. Jack Hodgins (TJ Thyne) a brilliant entomologist who uses bugs, dirt, trace evidence and anything small to help figure out any and everything about crime scenes often ranging from where the victim(s) where buried to even figuring out who the killer is, often calling himself the King of the Lab because he brings in the most evidence. He is also somewhat arrogant, a conspiracy theorist and later revealed to be very wealthy, although it doesn’t impact his relationship with his co-workers. Zack Addy (Eric Millegan) Brennan’s grad student in the first season who is extremely brilliant, but not socially aware (much like Brennan but not as bad, possibly). He was working on two doctorates in Anthropology as well as Applied Engineering while working at the Jeffersonian. Finally Dr. Daniel Goodman (Jonathan Adams) an archaeologist and director of the Jeffersonian (this would be his only season on the show). The Jeffersonian works with the FBI to help solve crimes and Brennan is forced to work with a man she did not like (at first). The very handsome Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) who while smart doesn’t understand a lot about science (at least what Brennan and her team are talking about) calling them squints, because of how they look into things. He is very good at reading people and doing his job. He and Brennan do not hit it off right away having some past history and more than often they bicker about their beliefs in the case, relationships, Booth’s nickname for Brennan “Bones” which she hates or religion (Booth is Catholic and gets angry whenever Brennan says there is no God). It is revealed in season one that Booth has a son, four at the time, named Parker but never married to Parker’s mother (their relationship is shown to be good because of their son). Brennan and Booth work together, along with the team, to solve murders involving skeletons and bring down killers; including a serial killer, Howard Epps, killing young blond women who would come back in season 2. We would also meet one of the most recurring characters in Caroline Julian (Patricia Belcher) a prosecutor with a very sharp tongue (I personally love her very sarcastic attitude). Along the way some of Brennan and Booth’s past are revealed to the audience; Booth’s being former Army ranger and sniper having to do some things that haunt him (not to mention his family history with drinking as well as his former gambling addition) while Brennan’s parent disappeared when she was 15 and her brother Russ abandoned her forcing her into the foster care system. In the first season we find out more about why Brennan’s parents left and who they were; by the end of the season they learn her father is still out there protecting her and Russ.
Season 2. With Dr. Goodman on sabbatical (a permanent one apparently as he never comes back) Brennan, Booth, Angela, Hodgins and now Dr. Addy welcome Dr. Camille Saroyan (Tamara Taylor) a forensic pathologist and former NY coroner who is now the head of the forensic division at the Jeffersonian. Cam and Brennan butt heads almost immediately but soon come to respect each other, meanwhile Cam and Booth rekindle their old relationship for a brief period of time, until Howard Epps breaks out of prison and almost kills Cam to get to Booth and Brennan. Many major recurring characters debut in this season. Max Kennan (Ryan O’Neal) Brennan’s criminal father who tries to reunite with Brennan, but she is not interested at first because of who he was; he would later turn himself in to Booth knowing if he were to run again their relationship would be done for good. Dr. Gordon Wyatt (Stephen Fry) an FBI psychologist who Booth has to go to when he did something stupid and later helps Booth and Brennan’s partnership when it temporarily sours. Finally Tim Sullivan aka “Sully” (Eddie McClintock) an FBI agent who works with Booth and Brennan temporarily when Booth is in therapy. He and Brennan begin a short lived relationship, but after a case he leaves the FBI to sail around on a sabbatical and she doesn’t go with him. Another relationship develops between Angela and Hodgins, after very subtle hints, and they almost get married if it wasn’t for something huge from Angela’s past. Meanwhile the cases get interesting and dangerous, including one where Brennan and Hodgins are kidnapped by a serial killer known as The Grave Digger who buries people alive in exchange for ransom, obviously they make it out but it was scary. We also continue to discover more about Brennan’s parents past. An episode that was supposed to air in the second season was moved to the third because it involved the death of a college student and the week it was supposed to air the Virginia Tech massacre happened. The episode had to re-shoot a few scenes, otherwise you can’t really tell the difference.
Season 3. A season shortened because of the writer strike, but one that had a lasting impact. The team expanded to include Dr. Lance Sweets (John Francis Daley) an FBI psychologist despite his young age who studies Booth and Brennan’s relationship as well as offer advice to the other characters and assist in cases; we also meet Dr. Clark Edison (Eugene Byrd) who would be a major recurring character for the rest of the series. While dealing with new cases, and Brennan’s father’s trial for a major murder he committed the previous season, the team stumbles across a serial killer who had been killing and cannibalizing their victims, continuing a very creepy and disturbing ritual. The team calls him Gormogon after discovering evidence in a vault linking the killings to this. At the end of the season the team discovers to their horror that one of their own has been tricked into working for Gormogon, and when I first watched that episode I couldn’t believe it. Also Brennan and Booth’s relationship takes a turn thanks to Caroline.
Season 4. With two episodes in the U.K Brennan and Booth continue to solve crimes, but the team dynamic has shifted in a few ways. For starters Angela and Hodgins’s relationship ends after issues of trust begin to form, and both have to deal with the fallout. Angela rekindles with an old girlfriend, but the relationship ends and after advice from Sweets takes a vow of celibacy for a few months. After the end of the third season episodes shift between multiple interns helping the team with cases throughout the rest of the series. Dr. Edison returns every now and then trying to keep things professional, but eventually begins to open up to his co-workers. Daisy Wick (Carla Gallo) a very enthusiastic intern who idolizes Brennan (and is kinda annoying), but she and Sweets develop an on/off relationship throughout the series. Vincent Nigel-Murray (Ryan Cartwright) a brilliant mind with many little known facts at the ready, but often doesn’t know when to shut up. Colin Fisher (Joel David Moore) a morbid intern but very smart. Wendell Bray (Michael Grant Terry) an intern with financial trouble but is the most normal out of the interns. Finally Arastoo Vaziri (Pej Vahdat) a Muslim intern. We also meet Booth’s younger brother Jared (Brendan Fehr) who is interested in Brennan, but has a drinking problem like their father. During a case we also meet Michelle (Dana Davis but then portrayed by Tiffany Hines) the daughter of Cam’s former boyfriend who became a murder victim. Cam would later adopt Michelle. We also finally get to meet The Grave Digger, the serial killer who buried Brennan, Hodgins and this season Booth but thankfully she is captured. We also have a health scare with Booth resulting in the final episode being a somewhat weird one but nonetheless enjoyable.
Season 5. Booth returns from his health scare and realizes he is in love with Brennan, but doesn’t say anything at first not wanting to ruin his partnership, but when he does reveal it Brennan cannot take that chance, but their partnership seems to be OK. Meanwhile Angela and Wendell begin a relationship, but ultimately it doesn’t last because of lingering feelings between Angela and Hodgins who after a case give in and finally get married. Arastoo accidentally reveals his fake accent but thankfully no one cared. We also get to meet Booth’s grandfather Hank (Ralph White) who raised him and Jarred after their mother left and their father continued to abuse them. Deputy Director Andrew Hacker (Diedrich Bader) who has an interest in Brennan. The team has their cases, but also the trial for The Grave Digger commences as well as the audience seeing just how the team came to be including where Booth and Brennan first met in the 100th episode. At the end of the season the team embarks on yearlong journeys.
Season 6. The team reunites to save Cam’s career and things have somewhat changed. Brennan finally realizing her feelings for Booth must come to the fact that she is too late as Booth has fallen for a reporter named Hannah. However because Hannah doesn’t want to get married the relationship doesn’t last. Meanwhile when the Grave Digger is killed by a sniper Booth is forced to fight his mentor Jacob Broadsky (Arnold Vosloo) who takes justice into his own hands, and because of that one of the interns pays the ultimate price. Angela and Hodgins begin a family with the birth of their son, Michael which at first scared them because there was a chance the baby could be born blind (was not the case). The season also introduced the short lived spin-off The Finder, an old army buddy of Booth’s that can find the most remote things. The season also end thankfully with Broadsky’s capture, and Brennan making an announcement to Booth that forever changed the pairing: she was pregnant and he is the father (this was due to Emily Deschanel’s pregnancy).
Season 7. Reduced to 13 episodes because of Deschanel’s pregnancy Brennan and Booth are finally together with the birth of their child Christine, after Brennan’s mom as they and the team continue to solve very unique cases. This season would introduce in my opinion their greatest threat in Christopher Pelant (Andrew Leeds) a serial killer who is exceptionally brilliant with computers and always seems to be one step ahead. He also frames Brennan for murder and forces her to take Christine on the run to clear her name, devastating Booth.
Season 8. Brennan, thanks to the team, is able to return and cleared of charges, although Pelant manages to avoid going to jail. While still solving crimes, Brennan and Booth must deal with the fallout of the previous season, as well as Pelant constantly trying to make things difficult for the team; including stealing Angela and Hodgins’s money. We also meet two more interns: Finn Abernathy (Luke Kleintank) who begins a relationship with Michelle, after Cam gives permission as well as Dr. Oliver Wells (Brian Klugman) a brilliant but arrogant man. Meanwhile Cam and Arastoo’s relationship is revealed to be more than co-workers ( I called this in season 4 they would get together and was thrilled I was right), Booth’s mom returns and things between Booth and Brennan begin to falter thanks to Pelant.
Season 9. Despite Pelant’s attempts Booth and Brennan’s relationship remains intact and thankfully his story comes to an exciting conclusion. However he leaves Brennan with the thought of a female serial killer still out there, but the team eventually discovers the truth, but it may have a terrible cost. Booth and Brennan finally get married, but their relationship is put the test because of the discovery of an FBI conspiracy. We also meet an old friend of Booth in the CIA Danny Beck (Freddie Prinze Jr.) Angela and Hodgins discover a secret from Hodgins’s family past, Wendell finds out he is sick and two more interns make their debut: Rodolfo Fuentes (Ignacio Serricchio) a doctor who defected from Cuba and Jessica Warren (Laura Spencer) a rather unique intern.
Season 10. The team is forever changed when one of their own is killed in order to keep the FBI conspiracy secret, but it only intensifies the team. We meet Booth’s new partner in James Aubrey (John Boyd) a young agent with a somewhat obsession with food. The show also celebrates its 200th episode with a tribute to Alfred Hitchcock. Meanwhile because of the death of a friend, and Brennan announcing she is pregnant again (once again due to Emily Deschanel’s pregnancy) Booth’s gambling addition resurfaces forcing Brennan to question their relationship. Cam and Arastoo are forced to spend time apart when Arastoo’s brother gets sick and he has to go back to Iran, Aubrey and Jessica seem to develop a bond and a serial killer emerges killing former convicts and taking their tattoo; the team at first catches someone but evidence proves someone else committed the crime. Brennan and Booth then make a decision to leave the FBI at the end of the season and honestly had the show not been renewed it would have been a perfect series finale.
Season 11. After Booth goes undercover and a body resembling him shows up at the Jeffersonian, Brennan returns and discovers it is not Booth but his estranged brother. Booth, thankfully alive, returns and both return to the FBI. Cam and Arastoo’s relationship ends after not wanting to be in Brennan’s shadow makes the decision to leave; however an accident intended to kill the police has Arastoo come back for Cam and their relationship rekindles. The same accident also leaves Hodgins paralyzed from the waist down; because of this his and Angela’s marriage is in severe jeopardy. The show also crossed over with Sleepy Hollow at one point, had a unique episode with a camera crew following the team on a case, Betty White made a guest appearance and another serial killer emerges seemingly targeting the team, and evidence seems to be leaning to an old friend.
Season 12, the final season. With someone from Booth’s military past after him no one on the team nor friends and family are safe as the show comes to a great conclusion.
Ok I know I gave away a lot but there is a lot of information in each season. As you can clearly tell I love this show. While I won’t lie and say the show doesn’t falter from time to time I still believe it was one of the best shows on television. I loved all the characters, the serial killer storylines had my heart racing and the bodies ranged from normal to downright run for the toilet do not eat before watching this show gross. Watch this show today you will not be disappointed.
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