Family 'Bones'

The Bones Christmas episodes have become the stuff of TV legends in my house (the Christmas Episode of '07, a.k.a. "The Santa in the Sludge," still holds the crown).  We love to unwrap the latest episode each season, and we usually laugh and laugh throughout the hour.  This year's offering was supposed to shine even brighter because it contained the long-awaited moment when real-life sisters Emily and Zooey Deschanel shared the screen.  And there was also a little scene hinted at in the previews that showed Brennan unwrapping an evidence-laden Booth down to his boxers!  One of these surpassed expectations and the other fell flat.  But which is which?  Well, it boils down to what I expected and what the episode actually delivered.


Let's end with good news, so we'll start with the element that disappointed: finally having the Deschanel sisters together on the show.  It pains me to write these words.  It had nothing to do with Emily or Zooey (they both ROCKED!!), but rather the lack of screen time they shared.  Zooey had about three scenes.  I know these episodes are as jam-packed as Zooey's busy movie schedule, but I wish they had waited to have this reunion when the timing was better and we could have had Margaret around more (like Booth's grandfather a few weeks prior).  Of course, the show can always invite her back (and I really hope they do), but I was hoping for more in this episode between Brennan and her Benjamin Franklin-quoting second cousin.  I think it boils down to too much packed into a single episode.  Perhaps, Margaret should have come for Easter instead.  So, happy to finally have the reunion, but I wanted more.

Now, onto the good news.  That "evidence-gathering" scene between Booth and Brennan was better than the ad promised.  Maybe I've just accepted the fact that the show is going to continue to tease us without giving us anything significant above some longing looks and suggestive dialogue, but I found this scene to deliver a deeper chemistry and even some pent-up frustration.  Booth was very uncomfortable which wouldn't be odd except for the fact that Brennan has seem him in less (the time she barged into his bathroom after he faked his death).  He was trying to think of saints while Brennan removed his pants, and he kept insisting that he could remove his own clothes.  All of this suggests that this moment was more significant than when she saw him in the buff.  Obviously, this has to do with his feelings for her and the fact that he doesn't think they're reciprocated.  We know better, but then again, Booth wasn't in the room when Brennan got defensive with Margaret regarding her partner's looks.

That "evidence-gathering" scene wasn't the only significant moment of the hour.  Seeing Brennan get emotional about something (and even better, someONE) indicates huge character development for her, and suggests that she may be even closer to the emotional level she would need to be at should things progress between her and Booth.  He's an all-in, love-with-all-you-have kinda guy and she is so closed off that I often wonder if them pairing up would even work.  She had tears in eyes as she thought about the victim's mother all alone at her son's funeral.  Perhaps, her feelings for Booth (as deep and strong as they are) have caused her to view human connections and emotions in a more normal light.

And now, here's this week's edition of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly:

THE GOOD:  Predictably, both of the aforementioned scenes above.  Great development, great emotions and great fun!

THE BAD: Not enough Zooey/Margaret.  I'm sure the writers can find enough Ben Franklin quotes to bring her back for an encore down the road.

THE UGLY:  This one had a lot of ugly -- as in, a lot of pieces of the bank robber/murder victim all over other people.  Of course, I wasn't feeling so bad for the cab driver and his cohort at the end.

If you missed last night's episode ("The Goop on the Girl"), check it out for free at Hulu.com.