Bones is a surprising hit, considering the overwhelming number of “forensic science” type shows on television at the moment. One would think, among all the “CSI” clones, yet another show about yet another forensic team would simply be lost in the shuffle. However, Bones defied the odds and has become popular (consistently amid the top 2 or 3 shows among viewers aged 18 to 49 in its 2nd season for its timeslot), due at least in part to its quirky characters and incredible chemistry.
The show’s lead characters, Temperance “Tempe” Brennan (the “Bones” of the title) and Seely Booth, have the same kind of chemistry that viewers of the show “Moonlighting” in the ’80s will recall, a mix of mutual respect, antagonism, attraction, and exasperation that is expressed, never repressed. Tempe is a dedicated scientist, so dedicated that her interpersonal skills have suffered, and she has nearly zero knowledge of pop culture. On the other hand, Seely is your typical “American boy,” familiar with pop culture, at ease among people, and at home with an intuition that Tempe- with her scientific approach to everything- finds at once fascinating and incredibly frustrating. Their larger-than-life personalities drive the show, and they team together to solve the mysteries that are the center of each hour-long episode, but they do not work in a vacuum. Behind them, there is a cast of characters that manages to bring depth and realism to the show.
The first of the more minor players is Angela Montenegro, the forensic artist. She recreates faces from the skulls that come in, and her artistic personality meshes surprisingly well with Tempe’s. They have a “best-friends” vibe, and Angela often gives Tempe basic interpersonal advice- and later in the show (in season 2) she shares romantic advice with Tempe as well. In Season One, Angela’s often-woe-filled romantic life was fodder for gossip and one intriguing episode (“The Skull in the Desert”), but in Season Two, Angela has developed a relationship with a co-worker, Jack Hodgins. Angela has a tendency to be the “mother” of the group, giving advice to the youngest member of the group, Zach Addy, when he needed help with interpersonal skills and eventually giving him a makeover so he could keep his job at the fictional “Jeffersonian Institute” after getting his doctorate. She also has a tendency to gossip- but so far it has always been for the good of Tempe. We’ll have to see how Season Three plays out with that.
The aforementioned Jack Hodgins was often, in Season One, a hotheaded, conspiracy-theory loving, boss-hating jerk. His frequent clashes with boss Dr. Daniel Goodman were the stuff of legend, and quite frankly in that season he was the least sympathetic character. Season Two has seen him mellow quite a bit, along with the introduction of Dr Camille Saroyan as the “boss,” since Dr. Goodman’s gone on sabbatical (apparently permanently, since the actor who plays him has left the show). We’ve also had the revelation that he is wealthy, as he’s the heir apparent to the Cantileaver Group. But the biggest change has been his romantic involvement with Angela. First, he developed what seemed to be a cute crush on her– then he asked her out, and she turned him down, because she didn’t want things to get “messy when” they broke up. Finally, after a near-death experience due to a kidnapping (“Aliens in a Spaceship”), they got together and they’ve been together ever since. Jack’s occasional moments of doubt give his character depth and make him far more likeable than he was in Season One, and I have definitely enjoyed him a lot more this year. I look forward to next season’s Jack all the more.
Zach Addy is the young former intern who got his doctorate and then got the job helping Jack and Brennan. He’s most often given the task of removing the flesh from the bones that are brought in for Brennan to examine, and because of his brilliance (it’s mentioned in Season One that he’s a genius, though he lacks social graces, much like Tempe) he often helps out by coming up with the unlikeliest conclusions. In “Aliens in a Spaceship,” it was he who solved the message that Jack sent, enabling Booth to ride to the rescue of Tempe and Jack.
The final piece of the puzzle is Dr. Camille Saroyan, the new head of the forensic department of the “Jeffersonian Institute.” She is a new addition in Season 2, and at first, she butts heads with Brennan and finds it difficult to find her place in the team. Eventually, however, she manages to make a truce with Brennan, and works alongside the others with as much authority and panache as Brennan. We also learn that she had a previous relationship with Seely, which is briefly rekindled, then dropped abruptly when Cam is nearly killed by a serial killer targeting Seely and Brennan. Seely fears that a relationship with him makes her more of a target, and thus stops it.
Each of these characters is a cipher, illuminating their part of the show in their own special way. They are each key, and without the character, the show would be weaker. The way that the characters interact with each other is special, but the way that the show presents itself to the audience is key, too. If there is such a thing as “audience chemistry” this show has it, and it’s something to be treasured. This show is definitely one of the best on TV, and if you haven’t been watching it, you have been missing out.
