Bones
Season One Review
In
these days of multiple CSIs, it would be easy to dismiss Bones
as just another forensic crime drama. But although the female lead is
a renowned anthropologist who uses scientific analysis to solve murders,
this FOX series actually owes more to the detective shows of the 1980s
than the current crop of television who-dun-its.
True, a
definite Jerry Bruckheimer influence is evident in Bones, from
a “hip” opening credit sequence, replete with a Crystal
Method techno theme, to systematic conclusions deduced from nothing
more than a handful of dirt and (excuse the pun) bag of bones. Current
crime dramas, however, use forensics and science as their primary focus,
often at the expense of better-developed characters and the inherent
humor of every day life.
The detective
series of the 1980s, on the other hand, were often more about the characters
and humor than the actual crimes that needed solved. From Magnum
PI to Remington Steele to Hart To Hart, although
all light-hearted in nature and often simplistic in plot, these shows
displayed more depth than modern crime procedurals precisely because
of that emphasis. But if there was a detective series in the 1980s that
accentuated those qualities, and even lived up to the moniker of “quality,”
it was Moonlighting.
In many
ways Bones is an amalgamation of CSI-forensics and
Moonlighting-characterization. The chemistry and underlying
sexual tension between FBI Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) and Dr.
Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel) is evident from the start, and
only grows stronger as the series develops. And although Bones
doesn’t have the rapid-fire dialogue of Moonlighting,
the constant bickering between Brennan and Booth is definitely a throwback
to David Addison and Maddie Hayes, especially when the majority of that
verbal wrangling happens within the confines of an automobile, another
Moonlighting staple.
Booth and
Brennan, however, are more “likeable” than their Moonlighting
equivalents, and reflect a more modern take on the differences between
males and females in society. Temperance Brennan, for instance, is not
so much cold as cerebral. And whereas one would expect the female to
be more sympathetic than a male counterpart, it is Booth who has the
caring and understanding side, while Brennan often displays underdeveloped
people skills. “I’m not a heart person,” she tells
Booth in the pilot episode, “You’re the heart person. I’m
a brain person.”
The dialogue
in Bones also owes more to Moonlighting than its contemporary
counterparts. Quips like, “I know things that would curdle your
blood, including a formula that literally curdles blood,” are
seldom heard in modern procedurals. The same can be said of exchanges
between characters, like when assistant Zach Addy (Eric Millegan) confesses
to reading graphic novels. “The conflict is representative of
the Darwinian struggle between avians and mammals for dominance,”
he explains to bug-guy Jack Hodgins (T.J. Thyne) in regards to a Looney
Tunes comic book, to which Hodgins replies, “Based on Bugs
giving Daffy Duck a cigar made out of dynamite?”
Another
difference between Bones and today’s forensic crime dramas
is the predominance of “uplifting endings.” Whereas watching
an episode of CSI leaves one with the feeling that “evil”
exists in the world, Bones makes one believe that there is
also “good.” Although a true happy ending is impossible
when it comes to a murder investigation, the victims still find some
sort of redemption at the end, even if it’s simply giving their
families the knowledge of what happened. It isn’t just Seeley
Booth that is a “heart person,” but the series itself.
In the
season one Christmas episode, “The Man In the Fallout Shelter,”
the entire forensics team is quarantined in the lab due to a deadly
virus detection. In a very moving montage, their friends and families
are given the opportunity to meet with them behind sealed glass doors
on Christmas Eve. But even here Bones strays from the traditional.
When Angela’s (Michaela Conlin) father appears, whom she had said
earlier that some might “recognize,” we see the unmistakable
beard of ZZ Top lead guitarist Billy Gibbons. It’s this combination
of the poignant and humorous that makes Bones such an entertaining
series.
“These
bones you bring me,” Brennan tells Booth in season one, “I
give them a face. I say their names out loud. I return them to their
loved ones. And you arrest the bad guy. I like that.” With its
wit, great characterization and well-written dialogue, “I like
that” is indeed a fitting epitaph for Bones. After all,
how could one argue with a forensic anthropologist?
(This article
orginally was published in Flak
Magazine.)
December
18, 2006
