12 Reasons To Binge (Or Rewatch) ‘Bones’

Article contributed by Ailish Brassil

Based on the novels and real life works of Kathy Reichs, Bones stars Emily Deschanel as Dr Temperance Brennan, a forensic anthropologist, and David Boreanaz (who played Angel in Buffy the Vampire Slayer) as Special FBI Agent Seeley Booth who help each other solve various murder cases. Dr Brennan, alongside her team at the Jeffersonian Institute, identifies different victims bones that are considered too decomposed for FBI analysis. Her scientific clues and Agent Booth’s gut instincts are a perfect match for solving murders. Here are twelve reasons to binge-watch all 12 seasons of Bones, which is available on most streaming platforms!

1. Firstly, Bones is not your standard crime procedural TV show with an unstoppable duo. One twist that makes it different is the accuracy of the science behind the team’s discoveries. The knowledge one can gain from watching this series is remarkable. It’s interesting to learn and fun to watch how the team comes to their conclusions about what happened to the different bodies. As Brennan says, science is cool.

2. The plot of each episode is well written and normally follows a pattern; discovery of a body, gather clues, solve the murder. Alongside the main storylines, the subplots interconnect the characters adding to their overall development and relationships with each other. For example, Booth needing therapy and the introduction of Stephen Fry as his therapist Gordon Gordon and later John Francis Daley takes on the role of Dr Lance Sweets.

3. As emphasised throughout the show, Dr Brennan, Agent Booth, the squints, and the squinterns (Booth’s nicknames for the scientists and interns) are more than just a team—they’re a family. Michaela Conlin plays Angela Montenegro—an artist/ computer genius who works the angelatron (a holographic computer) to do facial reconstructions of the victims, plus she is also Brennan’s best friend. Dr Jack Hodgins is a forensic entomologist and his analysis of particulates from bugs and plants are invaluable to solving each case. Tamara Taylor plays Dr Camille Saroyan who is head of the lab and keeps everyone in line.

4. These beloved characters go through some serious issues and it is portrayed on screen with raw emotion. From Brennan’s familial abandonment, Booth’s gambling addiction after his time as an army sniper in Iraq, Hodgins family fortune being stolen, and Cam losing her ex fiancé, each character bears their own cross with strength, dignity, and the help of their friends.

5. Devoting oneself to watching 12 seasons of a series results in the audience becoming attached. It is near impossible not to become completely connected to this quirky little family by learning something new about them or their past in each episode. When one of them ends up in a life or death situation, the audience are left on the edge of their seats.

6. Everyone loves a ride or die, a will-they-won’t-they couple, like Donna and Harvey from Suits or Meredith and McDreamy from Grey’s Anatomy. Booth and Brennan are no different. The pair are so different and yet the chemistry they have is explosive. Booth is romantic and emotional whereas Brennan is logical and thinks critically. He is all heart whereas she is all brain. What started as a civil alliance to do good, became an ‘I would die for you’ friendship and finally, an everlasting love. Although other partners come and go, Booth and Brennan were always meant to be. Off-screen Emily and David get on very well with each other which in turn makes it easy for their characters.

7. Who doesn’t love an undercover episode? Episodes that do not follow the same routine break the monotonous feeling of binge-watching. Bones features seven undercover episodes where Booth and Brennan create aliases and join a circus, go to a western town, and play on a bowling team. Season 2 episode 8 marks the first episode that Brennan and Booth go undercover in Vegas as a couple called Tony and Roxie Scallion. The 100th episode is a dramatic fan favourite and the 200th episode is set like a 1950s Hollywood film where the beloved characters have very different roles like Booth as a thief and Brennan as detective.

8. The humour in the series adds to its overall appeal. Brennan, lacking social skills and pop-culture knowledge, tends to miss the point while being overly direct, “I don’t know what that means”; Booth doesn’t get the scientific terms, “science jibber jabber”; and Hodgins’ paranoia, conspiracy theories and anger issues (snaps elastic band) are comical.

9. Speaking of Hodgins, his knowledge of plants and bugs are unmatched and his experiments are legendary. Why have a lab full of specialised equipment if it’s not going to be used to its full potential? Hodgins adds an element of fun to all of the science jargon by conducting elaborate experiments that sometimes go wrong to aid in the investigations and calling himself “king of the lab”.

10. Although it is a comfort show for many people, it is also full of action. Between cannibalistic serial killers, suspicious government agents who put the Jeffersonian on lockdown, and dangerous ex-army snipers turned assassins on the hunt, the audience are kept on the edge of their seats as the intense scenes unfold onscreen.

11. Following reason number ten, some of the action mainly originates from recurring villains and their storylines. For example, Heather Taffet, known as the gravedigger, who kidnaps her victims and buries them alive; Christopher Pelant, a hacker who erased evidence of his other murders by creating a new identity always seems to be one step ahead of the team; and Gormogon, who was a cannibalistic serial killer, left teeth marks on human bones, and targeted young people to be his apprentice.

12. Finally, the cliffhangers. The great thing about this show being finished is that when a season ends, the next one is ready waiting to be watched. Some cliffhangers are more dramatic than others such as Booth’s amnesia and Brennan going on the run, whereas others are more light-hearted such as Angela and Hodgins skipping out on their own wedding. All in all, every season ends with the audience wanting the next season with one exception: the last season. This shows the success of the series and it ultimately gives the audience a sense of peace that every loose end was tied up in a neat little bow.

Bones is a rewarding and at times emotional watch that is filled with quick wit, brain and street smarts and an unforgettable cast. Throughout the murders, ghost killers and kidnappings, the team remains close on and off screen.

Do you love Bones? Tell us in the comments below!