BONES 206: The Backbone of the Show

The BONES 200th episode was such a huge milestone and production that it’s no wonder the 206th episode may come and go with a bit less fanfare. But, as fans, we know that the 206th is special—after all, there are 206 bones in the human body! With that in mind, we wanted to do a little something special to mark the occasion.

We found a list of all 206 bones (thank you Wikipedia!) and were surprised to learn that all of the bones can be grouped into five categories: vertebral column, chest, head, arm, and leg. From there, we assigned each category a show representation:

• Vertebral Column (What’s the backbone of the show?)
• Chest (What are the defining emotions or heart of the show?)
• Head (What is unique in terms of the show’s smarts and respect of intelligence?)
• Arm (What’s the show’s outward focus; how does BONES affect culture?)
• Leg (What has carried the show over the long haul?)

Between now and when the 206th episode airs (Thursday, April 30th), we’ll be covering one category per day. We’ve got our own thoughts, and we’ve even got a bit of input from some of the cast and crew of the show too. And we want to hear what you think!

First up — Vertebral Column: What is the backbone of the show?

Sarah: To me, the backbone of the show is the quest for justice—personally and professionally. For Booth, his sense of justice comes from an innate idealism; he believes in the goodness of people and God and America (democracy), and he wants to rid the world of anything that would try to block or stifle that goodness. For Brennan, her sense of justice comes from her strong belief that the truth is always best. While painful, the truth will ultimately make things right. So while Brennan and Booth come at both personal and professional situations differently, their end goal of protecting and respecting people is what has carried their partnership. It’s more than sex appeal that kept them working together all of these years; even when they barely tolerated one another, they recognized that quest for justice in one another, and it has kept their professional and personal relationship intact.

Marisa: On a basic level, BONES is a procedural. Fans know the show is much more complicated than that — the relationships may be was has kept many of the most passionate fans engaged over ten seasons — but at its core the one constant is there is a crime to solve, and these people are going to work together to do it. The team has varied throughout the ten seasons, but through all their personal ups and downs (and despite the occasional cost to themselves), they fought to discover the truth of the crime. Are these characters interesting enough to explore without the crimes? Of course. But it’s hard to sustain a show for over 200 episodes without an engine like a procedural, and through that format, we’re able to see these characters in their element: saving the world (in their own unique way) with people who have become their family.

And BONES creator Hart Hanson and star Tamara Taylor (Cam) weigh in on what they feel the backbone of the series is:

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Now that you’ve heard from us, what do you say? What do you think is the backbone of the show’s success? And don’t forget to come back tomorrow!

BONES airs Thursdays at 8 PM on Fox.

Related:

BONES: Hart Hanson on Why Episode 206 Will Just Be a ‘Good, Solid’ Hour
BONES: ‘The Lost in the Found’/’The Verdict in the Victims’ Photos
BONES: ‘The Eye in the Sky’ Teases
BONES: ‘The Big Beef At The Royal Diner’ Photos
BONES: Stephen Nathan and Emily Deschanel on Brennan’s Pregnancy, Season 11 and More

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