BONES Post-Mortem: Michael Peterson on That Breakup, Reunion, and More

[Warning: this post contains spoilers for the BONES episode, “The Brother in the Basement.” Please watch that hour before you read this post.]The second part of BONES’ premiere featured an emotional reunion for Booth and Brennan, as Brennan was able to find a wounded Booth. And though Brennan spent part of the first hour of the season stressed/upset about her husband’s lies, ultimately, she opted to not make it an issue for the couple.

“It’s always a thing where we want her to be true to her character,” BONES co-showrunner Michael Peterson explained. “But we also don’t want to make someone predictable. There were versions written in which she was angry with Booth. But what we tried to do is publish those more in the first episode — having that moment, with Arastoo, where he kind of explains the bond the brothers have. By the time the second episode ended, Brennan was able to internalize that.”

Her peace with that — and return to the lab — will pave the way for the duo resuming their crime-fighting duties.

“She knows she belongs in the lab, and she was able to figure out who Booth is,” Peterson said. “She sees no reasons Booth should be angry at her for [going back], and she’s very logical and says, I have no reason to be angry at him. If she had encountered Booth at the end of episode 1, I think her reaction would have been very different than if she hadn’t had more time to reflect on herself and where she thinks she should be and where she ultimately belongs. And once she figured out that, she knew where Booth belonged; he’s a man of action, he belongs back at the FBI.”

Things weren’t as rosy for Cam and Arastoo, who — despite looking like they were about to get engaged last episode — broke up as he decided to pursue jobs in other locations.

“They’re broken up, but there is always potential [for a reunion],” Peterson said. “They don’t know. He’s out there, he’s interviewing for positions, he doesn’t know where he’ll end up. And it is very very open, but at the exact same time, in both of their minds, they are broken up.”

And it seems like they might not be single for long.

“There will be exploring new relationships,” he previewed. “We’ll be looking at Cam as far as that. [But] it’s not the last we’ve seen of them together. It’s going to be a back and forth and a little bit of a will they/won’t they for them. We’ll see how they can survive. Can they do a long-term relationship? We’re still going to see plenty of him as the season goes on. But certainly, for the time being, they are broken up.”

Looking ahead to next week, the roller coaster of emotions will continue as Booth gets to properly grieve the loss of his brother.

“I was just watching the cut of 11×03, where we’re really dealing with the fallout of Jared’s death, and David [Boreanaz (Booth)] and Emily [Deschanel (Brennan)] turned in amazing performances,” Peterson said. “That’s the episode emotions where the emotions are going to be most raw.”

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What did you think of Booth and Brennan’s reunion?