Folks, seven minutes into watching the Bones 200th episode, “The 200th in the 10th” and already I wanted the 45 minutes of the show to stretch out to a couple of hours. The cinematography is rich and delicious. The dialog is smooth and dry. The characterization manages to magically reflect the mood and aesthetic of the 50s without tampering with the quintessential characterizations of the people we have fallen in love with over and over these last ten years of Bones viewing.
I suppose you’re going to want to know more than the simple fact that this just may very well be one of the absolute best stinkin’ Bones episodes ever of the fun variety. Seriously, I didn’t want it to end. But let’s get down to business. How can I tease you without robbing you of the pleasure of this feast for the eyes, ears and heart? I will try, my dear Boneheads, because you deserve this love letter as much as I do. So, where shall we start?
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1. A Dreamy Beginning
Where better to start than at the beginning? Glamour everywhere. The beauty of old is much classier than what we are used to today, and Bones brings it with an understated and rich delivery of the first scene. I hope it surprises you as much as it did me. At first I thought, “Wait. What’s going on here? This is not at all … ” but then I payed attention to the voice over and heard the Bones fairies plucking my little heartstrings with with their plump cherubic fingers. I beg you not to forget the amazing beginning of the movie, er, episode, as your senses fill with the remaining savory 43 minutes of screen time.
2. You’ve Heard These Lines Before
It has been rumored that the Bones fairies intended this episode to be a love letter to the fans. Well, that it is in spades. Throughout there are snippets of lines that you will recognize from all the way back to the pilot. I challenge you to count the number of lines that have been drawn from ten seasons of Bones canon.
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3. Each Character Becomes a Distilled Version of Themselves
Brennan is still Brennan. Booth is still Booth. The charm remains … and is rekindled. Angela and the squints (of which I counted at least six) maintain their personalities, but have much more fun that usual … if that’s possible.
4. Some Guest Stars Have Funny Accents
Most hilarious is a returning character from another government agency which you will recognize as a season 9 favorite. He looks quite different, though smarmier than we’ve ever seen him.
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5. Lots of Dry Humor
I challenge you to take a couple hours this weekend and watch Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief, North By Northwest, and Vertigo. You will see such similarities in the banter from this and those films. All the while, the repartee, as Miss Emily Deschanel likes to call it, is quintessential Brennan + Booth.
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6. Brennan Pioneers A New Area Of Science
Very cheeky, Bones fairies. Very cheeky. Remember this toward the end of the episode. It’s a delightful twist! It’s amazing how different yet the same each of the characters remains in “The 200th in the 10th.” It’s a delight throughout.
7. Booth Is As Delicious As Ever
Sigh. What more can I say? Imagine Booth with a Boreanaz twinkle in his eye and a suave affect that makes your tummy do flip-flops. It’s clear that this episode, both the acting and the directing, were such a labor of love and joy for Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz as well as for their director, um, What’s-His-Name.
One final Hughes note: Hodgins says the word ‘particulates’ at least once, there is definitely something interesting brought back to the lab, Angela and Brennan have a heart-to-heart of sorts, family members show up, and there is a kiss.
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The evidence is clear, there is absolutely no reason why “The 200th in the 10th” won’t become one of your favorite Bones episodes of all time.
Bones airs Thursday at 8pm on FOX.
(Images courtesy of FOX)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
