Blu-ray Review: Bones The Complete Sixth Season

     Now out on Blu-ray and DVD is Bones The Complete Sixth Season. Year six begins with "The Mastodon in the Room," in which the team comes back together, after many months apart, to help Cam (Tamara Taylor). The absence has made Brennan (Emily Deschanel) realize that she wants to be with Booth (David Boreanaz), but in the interim, he has moved on with Hannah (Katheryn Winnick). Similarly, Daisy (Carlo Gallo) tries to reconnect with a jilted Sweets (John Francis Daley). But back together again, they all understand they are strongest together, no matter what personal woes plague them.

     The sixth season of Bones is an excellent one, with many fun highlights. In "The Maggots in the Meathead," Brennan visits the Jersey Shore to interact with Guidos, a cultural group she is very interested in. "The Body and the Bounty" finds Professor Bunsen Jude, The Science Dude (David Alan Grier), coming to the Jeffersonian to shoot an episode of his popular series. "The Bikini in the Soup" is an amusing Valentine's Day case. Many pairs of dismembered feet wash to shore in "The Feet on the Beach." Also, Angela (Michaela Conlin) and Hodgins (T.J. Thyne) welcome a child.

     But season six isn't all fun and games. "The Bullet in the Brain" brings with it the assassination of longtime foe, the Gravedigger (Deirdre Lovejoy), and kicks off Booth's hunting down of the shooter, his former friend Jacob (Arnold Vosloo). Even worse, before Booth can stop Jacob, the bad guy kills beloved squintern Vincent Nigel Murray (Ryan Cartwright), a tragedy that hits the entire team pretty hard. In the aftermath, taking comfort in Booth's arms, Brennan ends up (SHOCKER!) pregnant with his baby, a fact that will surely lead to all new chemistry between the leads in season seven.

     Among the other milestones in The Complete Sixth Season, Bones presents a backdoor pilot in "The Finder," introducing a couple of characters who will be headlining their own spinoff later this year or early next. It's a decent episode with an interesting concept. Because Bones will be doing a reduced number of episodes to accommodate Deschanel's real-life pregnancy in season seven, several Bones characters will appear in episodes of The Finder, further tying the two together. As such, this is a very important episode, in the universe of the series.

     Bones belongs on Blu-ray. With its special effects and detailed settings, HD is the best way to enjoy the series. Bones The Complete Sixth Season's Blu-ray release is in 1.78:1 widescreen high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Which means things look and sound crystal clear. I'm supposed to talk about just how good the picture quality is with any Blu-ray release, but to be honest, if you've seen one recent television show on Blu-ray, you've know exactly what this looks like. That isn't the point, though. Why would you want to watch Bones in anything but the best quality available?

     Extras are a little sparse, but the ones included are chosen well. Two episodes, "The Bikini in the Soup" and "The Daredevil in the Mold," are extended slightly. Audio commentaries are available on two other installments, "The Doctor in the Photo" and "The Blackout in the Blizzard," both heavily emotional entries for the character of Brennan. Additionally, "The Blackout in the Blizzard" has an eight plus minute behind the scenes look at the making of the hour, as the actors talk about doing a bottle episode, and the great elevator set.

     There is a twelve minute featurette on the visual effects of Bones, which will open fans' eyes to just how much goes into the show. After all, it is filmed in Los Angeles, but familiar Washington D.C. landmarks frequently appear in exterior backgrounds. On top of that, the special delves into adding sky and extras in "The Maggots in the Meathead," creating an underwater experience for "The Finder," and making a body explode in a visually stunning way. This will make you appreciate just how much technology and effort goes into each and every episode of the series.

     Plus, there's a four and a half minute gag reel. Those are always fun. And the pilot of AMC's remake of The Killing is included, presumably to entice customers to purchase that series on Blu-ray or DVD as well. If you haven't seen The Killing, it's great, and you really should check it out. Though it is a completely different series than Bones, so not sure about the wisdom of the pairing.

     Buy Bones: The Complete Sixth Season today, and don't miss the Season Seven premiere on November 3rd!

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Article first published as Blu-ray Review: Bones - The Complete Sixth Season on Blogcritics.