Bones - The Body and the Bounty

Network: Fox
Time: Thursdays, 8:00-9:00pm
Cast: Emily Deschanel, David Boreanaz, Michaela Conlin, TJ Thyne, Tamara Taylor

Summary: Brennan makes a deal with a celebrity professor to be her new intern after he inquires about hosting his children's science show from the Jeffersonian.  Meanwhile, a dismembered corpse is identified as a bounty hunter, and the team find they're not the only ones looking for a fugitive who is wanted for murder.

Review: I sat on this episode a few days before writing a review because I'm still not really sure how I felt about it.  On the one hand, I was annoyed by the Science Dude, and I found the killer to be predictable.  On the other hand, it may have all been worth it for two scenes: the one where Angela and Brennan discuss the baby's name, and the one where Brennan comes out dressed as a skeleton.

Someone commented in a previous review that the characters were becoming "watered-down caricatures" instead of the complex characters from seasons past, and I'm starting to agree.  The quirky ticks (i.e. Brennan's inability to hold a normal conversation, Hodgins' childlike enthusiasm for everything, Cam's slightly flighty nature) have amped up significantly since the 100th episode, and not necessarily in a good way.  These traits which used to give balance to the characters now seem to dominate, making them more unrealistic.  We've always had to suspend disbelief a little when dealing with the science behind Bones, but now I find myself starting to suspend disbelief when dealing with the characters.

People have told me they don't feel Booth and Brennan's chemistry is as good as it once was, and I can see where they're coming from, though I still enjoy the scenes between them (especially where they were planning the perfect murder in the beginning of the episode, although I feel like they could have done more with that bit later in the episode).  And I do think they would be a little awkward around each other after Booth's confession of love and Brennan's rejection.  That kind of thing changes a relationship, at least for awhile.

I also mentioned last week that the case seemed to be just an excuse to have the characters make jokes, and I feel similarly this week--that the case was just an excuse to set a record for the most "Amazing"s in one hour.  I find this to be particularly sad, since the complex cases were one of the things I enjoyed most about Bones, after the wonderful chemistry between the characters.  How can anyone compare the cases we've seen in the past few weeks with the Gravedigger or Gormogon?  Even before they became arcs, those stories were significantly more intricate and compelling than anything we've seen recently.

I don't want to make it sound like this episode was terrible, because it definitely had its redeeming moments, the best being the scene between Angela and Brennan.  I've always loved their relationship, especially because Brennan tries so hard to be a good friend to Angela, even though she's fairly incapable of normal social interaction, and Angela loves Brennan no matter what.  This scene was probably the highlight of the whole episode for me because their relationship is one of the few that is uchanged throughout the series.  It was the first thing we were introduced to in the pilot episode, and it's something that has always been solid.

Also, the final scene, though incredibly out of character for Brennan, was hysterical.  It may have made the whole episode worthwhile.  Brennan reciting the "Scientist's Oath" was one of the funniest things I've seen on Bones in awhile. 

All in all, I have mixed feelings about this episode, and I'm not entirely comfortable with the path Bones is heading down.  It's always had a strong character focus, which is good because forensic anthropology is not most people's cup of tea, but the characters are starting to detract more from the plot than enhance it.  I enjoyed it while I was watching it, but it didn't have any kind of lasting impression, to the point where I had to struggle to remember the plot of this episode.  Did anyone else have the same problems?  Leave me a comment and let me know.



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