BONES 206: Brains and More!

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 and the heart of the show, and now it’s time to talk about the brain.

Head: What is unique in terms of the show’s smarts and respect of intelligence?

Sarah: I have always loved the character of Temperance Brennan, and I think it’s awesome that the renowned Kathy Reichs is so vocally involved in the show. The promotion of professionally successful women in science and technology (and male characters who support this) has been tremendously impactful in my life.

I started watching the show in my late 20s, and BONES (and Brennan) personally gave me courage to say “I don’t know what that means” with confidence—there is no shame in not knowing something; the only shame comes when we stop learning and get lazy. I’m grateful to this show for many things, and one of which is that I’m proud to say that the show has made me smarter.

Marisa: Very often in books, movies, shows, etc., men are portrayed as being brilliant, whereas women are shown to be emotional. With BONES, the traditional gender roles are swapped: Brennan is normally the smartest person in any room, whereas Booth is generally in touch with his emotions and willing to trust his gut when it’s right. (To be clear: obviously Booth is smart, too, and Brennan can absolutely be in touch with her emotions as well. But if you’re defining them on a basic level, the stereotypes are reversed.)

In fact, the women of BONES have a lot of power: Cam is in charge of the Forensic Division at the Jeffersonian; Angela’s forensic artistic skills have led to the creation of several machines which have made recreating crimes/identifying weapons easier.

(And off-screen, BONES has also been great about hiring female writers and directors…that might seem like a given, but women — and minorities — are incredibly underrepresented in those fields.)

Now that you’ve heard from us, what do you say? How has the show’s strong case for intelligence affected your life or the lives of others? And don’t forget to come back tomorrow!

BONES airs Thursdays at 8 PM on Fox.

Related:

BONES 206: The Heart of the Show
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 Big Beef At The Royal Diner’ Photos

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