**Major Bones spoiler alert**
After watching the Bones 100th episode, “The Parts in the Sum of the Whole,” I was angry with the way the writers and producers dealt with the relationship between Temperance Brennan and Seeley Booth. Sure, the confrontation broke a years’ old stalemate and provided some context to the viewers on the level of hostility between the pair, particularly in the first season. However, it didn’t take us forward. I was worried it took us a step backward and further, that it undid the bond formulated in the past five years, not just between the characters but between the show and the viewers. Worse yet, I felt like it was a gimmick to get us to re-watch all the previous seasons in order to re-assess their relationship in light of the details learned from their real first case.
A few hours of emotional detachment made me realize that the writer I was angry with is the show’s creator, Hart Hanson. The producers I am annoyed with are David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel themselves, and the director that has vexed me is Boreanaz. The major concern among viewers appears to be an X-files repeat: by the time the leads get together, no one will care. Still, the majority of posters on the official Bones fan forum did not feel that Brennan was rejecting Booth. She’s just afraid of her feelings.
I reluctantly watched the follow-up episode and realized that Bones isn’t trying to bury the relationship or move away from the tension. I’ve noted in a previous post that the downfall of shows like Moonlighting is solving tension too soon. So yes, the tension needs to be prolonged. Brennan now knows how Booth feels about her. Booth has also told her he intends to move on. I think the subsequent episodes and seasons will focus on Brennan’s realization and hopefully actualization of her love for her him. She’s stated in an interview that she’d like to see them get together. Given that Deschanel and Boreanaz have a great deal of creative control over the show, for the moment, I will trust them. After all, who knows Bones and Booth better?
Illume at Eight 