Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Bones: Season 5

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from prior seasons but does not contain any spoilers from season 5+++

The fifth season of Bones aired during the 2009-2010 TV season and followed the same format that has made the show successful. That is, mostly being a case-of-the-week procedural crime-drama but also including some larger storylines that play out over the course of the season or get carried over from the prior season. In this season, one of the later examples is a continuation of the "gravedigger" storyline with the trial of Heather Taffet (played by Deiredra Lovejoy) and the team having to find concrete evidence to convict her. The season picks up with Booth returning to the FBI trying to figure out if his feelings for Brennan are real, or an after-effect of the brain injury that he suffered at the end of season four. The show does continue the tease of will Booth and Brennan get together, with the writers doing everything they can to keep them apart, which includes a season finale in which a more significant time jump going into season six is teased. This season also has the milestone 100th episode (which David Boreanez directed) that looks back on the history of the team members and allows for a way to incorporate Eric Millegan into the season. 

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the show looks and sounds very good in HD, getting a nice (but not spectacular) blu-ray transfer. The 22 episodes are spread across four discs, as are the various special features. Those include commentary tracks on two episodes, a featurette on the 100th episode, two behind-the-scenes featurettes, a gag reel, deleted scenes, and extended versions of two episodes.

Overall, the series continues to be strong. By this season it found the formula that works and does not deviate much from that, while still managing to make the shows interesting and fresh. This season includes many good guest and recurring stars including Cyndi Lauper, Ryan O'Neal, Emily's sister Zooey Deschanel, who plays Brennan's cousin in an episode, and Billy Gibbons, who again plays Angela's father. The roles of the various interns are also expanded this season, with the show continuing to rotate the characters of Clark, Daisy, Wendell, Arastoo, Colin, and Vincent throughout the season. So, if you have liked the show (especially from season two forward) then you will probably like this season as well.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Bones: Season 4

 

+++Warning, this contains the major spoiler from the prior season, but no major reveals from the fourth season+++

By the fourth season (which aired during the 2008-2009 season), Bones had really hit its stride as a show that is a mix of a case-of-the-week procedural, in which Booth (David Boreanez), Brennan (Emily Deschanel), and the team of "squints" solve a murder, while also mixing in serial arcs or at least callbacks to earlier episodes. This season also sees more cast turnover as Eric Millegan had mostly left the show, being written out as Zack being put in a psych ward after being revealed as the serial killer "Gormagon's" apprentice. There is also a callback to the Gravedigger storyline, this time putting Booth in jeopardy. We also get the rotating stable of interns (because Brennan cannot settle on just one), so Eugene Bird (who plays Clark), Ryan Cartwright (who plays Vincent Nigel Murry), Michael Grant Terry (who plays Wendell Bray), Carla Gallo (who plays Daisy Wick), Joel David Moore (who plays Colin Fisher), Pej Vadaht (who plays Arastoo Vaziri), and Michael Badaluuco (who plays Scott Starret) have recurring roles throughout the season. The season starts with a two-part episode set in London, which includes an appearance by Stephen Fry, reprising his role as Gordon Wyatt. And, Seth McFarlane makes a voice cameo appearance as Stewie from Family Guy in a funny scene with David Boreanez. The season continues with the will-they-won't-they-get-together tension between Booth and Brennan, and the season ends on a major cliffhanger that puts Booth and Brennan's personal and professional relationships up in the air going into season five.

For those who get the Blu-Ray, the show looks and sounds very good in HD. This is actually the first season that the show was released on Blu-Ray and the A/V quality is definitely an upgrade over the standard-definition DVDs. The extras include extended versions of some episodes, a gag reel, a featurette on the new interns, and an interview with Ally Maki about the character she played in one of the episodes. If you get the DVD set, the first four episodes that were broadcast as season four episodes (including the episodes in London) are not included. They were actually shot during season three and were included in the Season 3 DVD release. However, they are included on the Blu-Ray, so you get all 26 episodes that aired during season 4 if you get the Blu-Ray set. 

Liking a show, or not, is always very subjective. Bones is definitely not a show that will appeal to everyone, but I would say that if you liked the prior three seasons, you will probably like this one (unless Zack was your favorite character). The cast seems to get along very well and has great on-screen chemistry. This season sees the first appearance of Booth and Brennan's undercover characters, Wanda and Buck, who are hilarious, mostly because of Emily Deschanel. The writers do a good job balancing the large ensemble cast, even giving the interns some valuable screen time. While you can mostly just jump into the show and follow along without watching the prior seasons, I do think watching it from the beginning to see the character development is best. 

DVD/TV Series Review: Bones: Season 3

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from the prior season, but no major season three spoilers+++

The third season of Bones aired in the 2007-2008 television season and was shortened (to just 15 episodes) as a result of the writer's strike and a bit rearranged due to the Virginia Tech mass shooting because one of the episodes dealt with a murder on a college campus and was set to air in season two just after the VT incident was repackaged and aired in season three. The season also included what was, for me anyway, the show's most controversial storyline, that of a cannibalistic serial killer called Gormagon. It is really the only longer story arc the show had that I was underwhelmed about how it was resolved. All of the main cast members from season two returned for season three, and there was also a new addition to the cast, a new FBI psychologist named Lance Sweets, played by John Francis Daley (from Freaks & Geeks). 

Again the show was a blend of procedural case-of-the-week stories and the longer Gormagon serial killer arc, that had a few twists and turns as it played out. The show also continues the story of Brennan's father, Max (played again by Ryan O'Neal) who allowed himself to be arrested by Booth at the end of the prior season. The season also continues Hodgens' and Angela's unlikely relationship. This season also sees Brennan looking for new interns (since Zack graduated last season) and introduces the character of Clark Edison (played by Eugene Bryd) and expands the recurring role of prosecutor Caroline Julian (played by Patricia Belcher). 

The DVD includes the 15 that were broadcast during season three and the first four episodes that were produced at the same time as the season three episodes but broadcast during season four, as bonus episodes. The other extras include extended versions of select episodes, a gag reel, and a handful of behind-the-scenes featurettes. 

This is the season in which I think the writers figured out the characters, and as a result, the actors had really great chemistry. Both Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz got to show off their comedic chops more this season, which was aided by the addition of the character of Sweets who actually fit into their dynamic very well. Really the only bad thing for me about this season was the way that the Gormagon story played out. Aside from that, the show continued to be great and it is definitely worth watching. 

DVD/TV Series Review: Bones: Season 2

 

+++Warning, this contains minor spoilers from season 1, but no major season two giveaways +++

The second season of Bones mostly follows the story/case-of-the-week procedural format that season one did with Booth (David Boreanaz) and Brennan (Emily Deschanel) solving some murder but also introduces a new storyline that would span multiple seasons and expanded on a couple of season one storylines. The show would also introduce a new character, Dr. Camille Saroyan, played by Tamara Taylor, who takes over as the new head of the forensic division with the departure of Jonathan Adams and his character, Dr. Goodman.

From the first season, the character of serial killer Howard Epps returns for two more episodes in season two to terrorize the team and the storyline of Brennan's parents is furthered with Ryan O'Neal joining as the recurring Max Brennan, Temperance's fugitive father. This season also establishes a new serial killer known as Gravedigger in an episode in which the team has to find two kids who have been buried alive. The season also explores the various character relationships and still develops the main characters. Thankfully, they dropped Brennan's habit from the first season of saying she does not understand some cultural reference (seemingly) every ten seconds. She still does it (or remarks that she understands a particular reference) but not nearly as much. We also get a bit more of the backgrounds of the ancillary characters, which includes a great cameo by Billy Gibbon of the band ZZ Top playing Angela's father, and the great British actor Stephen Fry playing Booth's psychiatrist.

For those who get the DVD set, there are a decent amount of extras spread across the six discs. Those include deleted scenes, a gag reel, a couple of making-of featurettes, and commentary tracks on two episodes. So, if you are one who likes watching the bonus content, what is included is good. And, thankfully, they did away with the double-sided DVDs of season 1.

To me, the show really finds its footing in the second season. While most of the characters continue as they were presented in season one, I think the tweaks to the character of Brennan, making her a little less robotic than she was in the first season worked out well. She is still quirky, but she is given more range as a character than just the ultra-logical character she was in the first season, and Emily Deschanel does a great job playing her. Boreanaz also does a great job showing the acting range he was rarely able to show playing Angel. The supporting cast members are all great, with T.J. Thyne and Michaela Conlin stealing nearly every scene they are in, as does Stephen Fry when he makes his appearances as Gordon Wyatt. Tamara Taylor also brings a bit more balance to the team of "squints" with Camille being a more normal, nonquirky character. Thyne and Eric Millegan also have really good chemistry and even though their characters are total opposites, you can buy that they are actually buddies and would totally pull some of the stunts that the characters do in the show. So, if you liked season one you will probably like season two. If you were on the fence about the show after the first season, I would advise giving season two a chance as the rough edges from season one have been smoothed out this season.

 

DVD/TV Series Review: Bones: Season 1

 

Bones was a procedural crime drama that aired on FOX starting in 2005. It starred David Boreanaz  (best known for his role as Angel on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff series Angel) as FBI Special Agent Seely Booth, and Emily Deschanel, as Dr. Temperance Brennan, a forensic anthropologist at the Jeffersonian Institute in Washington D.C. who works with Booth to solve murders. The rest of the main cast is made up of the staff members of the Jeffersonian, whom Booth refers to as "the squints". They include Michaela Conlin, as forensic artist Angela Montenegro, Eric Millegan as Zack Addy, Dr. Brennan's grad student lab assistant, T.J. Thyne, the lab's entomologist, and Jonathan Adams, the director of the Jeffersonian.

The show is, for the most part, a case-of-the-week procedural that involves a death either occurring or being discovered in the cold open, and then Booth and Brennan investigate the case (usually with the capture of the murderer) by the end of the hour. There are some serial arcs included as well. In season one, the main serial arc was the disappearance of Brennan's parents when she was young, and clues appear throughout the season that leads to a bit of a cliffhanger in the season finale. The show is very character-based and the first season does a lot to develop the various characters. They do go a bit overboard on the character of Brennan, making too much of the fact that she does not follow pop culture and does not understand any (almost) pop culture references. The writers do a great job with Booth and Brennan's opposite personalities and give the large ensemble cast a lot to work with. Boreanaz actually gets to show off more of his comedic acting chops, which he only got to do a couple of times playing Angel. So, he is far less serious and brooding than he had to be playing Angel.

For those who get the DVD set, the original release of season one was on the dreaded dual-sided discs, so the episodes were spread over four discs instead of the usual six. There is a commentary track by the series creator Hart Hanson on the pilot episode, and a commentary track by Boreanaz and Deschanel on the episode "Two Bodies in the Lab". Then there are a series of featurettes including one on forensic anthropologist and author Kathy Reichs, on whom the character of Brennan is loosely based, a featurette on the team of squints, a featurette on the medical jargon used in the show, and character profiles.

Overall, the first season is a good start to the series, although it did take a while for the series to find its footing. Thankfully, FOX did give the show some slack and let it evolve, and by the end of the season, it had developed a tone and style that would pretty much carry throughout the rest of its run. It could get a bit gory at times with very real-looking corpses in various stages of decay which could creep and/or gross some people out. Given that it aired on Fox, however, they could not go overboard with violence, sex, or nudity, although there is some sexual banter and implied nudity that never reveals anything. So, if you like crime procedurals and have not yet seen it, this is a good series to check out.