BONES 206: The Heart 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 have our thoughts, and we also have input from some of the cast and crew of the show. We’ve covered the backbone of the show, and now it’s time to talk about the heart.

Chest: What is the heart of the show?

Sarah: To me, the heart or lifeblood of the show is the idea of “there is more than one kind of family.” That line was first said by Booth in season 2’s “Judas on a Pole,” but the themes have been there since the beginning. It’s also interesting that no single character has had the market on this theme—at one point or another, each main character has been able to reinforce this overall theme. What started out as a workplace crime drama has successfully evolved into a character-driven show about people who happen to work together. All families have conflict and must have flexibility in order to adapt, and we’ve seen that happen with the characters in this show. And even though some of the characters have formed official natural families, the underlying theme remains the same.

Marisa: I absolutely echo Sarah’s sentiment that the notion that there’s “more than one kind of family” is the heart of the show — personally, as long as the show runs, whether it’s ten seasons or twenty seasons, I’d be hard-pressed to come up with a more important (and consistent) theme. Virtually all of our core characters come from unconventional backgrounds with a significant lack of stability from their biological family, which makes the bonds they’ve formed with each other all the more significant. They’ve gone through love, breakups, marriages, death, cancer, babies, addiction, prison, and so much more as a family unit; they are a family in every way that matters.

And in honor of our “heart” theme, BONES stars Emily Deschanel (Brennan) and Michaela Conlin (Angela), Tamara Taylor (Cam), and TJ Thyne (Hodgins) shared a few of their favorite emotional moments of the series…

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

BONES airs Thursdays at 8 PM on Fox.

Related:

BONES 206: The Backbone of the Show
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

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