Article first published as BONES Review Season 9 Episode 1 The Secrets In The Proposal on Seat42F.
Fans of FOX’s BONES have had a very long
summer. Last season ended with Booth (David Boreanaz) calling off his
engagement to Brennan (Emily Deschanel) because of a threat made by
Pelant (Andrew Leeds). Now, three months later for the characters, and
even longer for the viewers, we finally get to see what the fallout from
that is in “The Secrets in the Proposal.”
Surprisingly, Booth and Brennan are
still living together. Yes, they have a daughter, Christine, and she is
certainly a factor in that decision. However, the fact that Brennan
hasn’t dumped Booth yet, sticking around even after he cancels their
wedding, reveals the depth of the emotion between them. They are not
just a couple casually dating; this is real love, the kind that cannot
be killed off by a psycho’s manipulation.
At least, for now. Brennan is getting
tired of waiting for an explanation, and feels like Booth has been
pulling away from her. Booth has a good reason to be avoiding his home,
feeling guilty for hurting Brennan, and pouring his energy into looking
for Pelant so he can end this pain, but she doesn’t know that. As such,
Brennan feels like he may be done with her, and as hard as that is for
her to accept, she considers moving on.
Booth is isolated from everyone.
Boreanaz does a terrific job of showing us just how much Booth wants to
confess the truth to Ms. Julian (Patricia Belcher), Sweets (John Francis
Daley), Angela (Michaela Conlin), Cam (Tamara Taylor), or especially
Brennan herself. All of these people are judging Booth and are not happy
with his behavior. He is basically shunned from his social circle,
which has to compound his pain ever more.
So it’s not surprise that Booth turns to
someone completely unconnected with the situation to spill his guts to.
This person is Aldo Clemens (Mathew Zickel, Newsreaders, House of
Lies), a former priest and army buddy who now owns a bar. Away from
electronics that might be spying, Booth can tell Aldo the truth,
something Booth desperately must get off his chest. And Aldo listens
with a kind ear, giving Booth the outlet and support he needs to keep
going.
It’s disappointing that Aldo is someone
who comes out of nowhere; it would be nicer if he had been mentioned or
we’d seen him before. But at the same time, the role he plays must be
someone completely out of left field who has no connection to Brennan or
the Jeffersonian. As a fan of Zickel already, I am pleased with the new
character, who reminds me a little bit of Dr. Gordon Wyatt, for some
reason, and look forward to how he will integrate with the rest of the
cast as the season plays out.
I won’t spoil what happens with Booth
and Brennan, or with Aldo, but suffice it to say, there is definite
movement in the relationship story in “The Secrets in the Proposal.”
Things are not just punted down the road, and fans won’t be made to
suffer for weeks as they wait to see what will happen between the
couple.
The end of the premiere is a big taunt
to Pelant. While the slight at the madmen is not intentional or meant to
provoke, it will certainly bring him out of hiding sooner, rather than
later, promising a somewhat fast pace for this fall’s larger story arc.
Of course, this being BONES, there is a
case of the week in “The Secrets in the Proposal.” A CIA agent is
murdered, and despite their personal problems, Booth and Brennan must
work together to solve the case. There isn’t anything super special
about this investigation, nor would one expect there to be after so many
seasons. But it succeeds in being somewhat interesting, and not
distracting from the story most fans really care about, so the episode
is a good one.
The case also introduces us to Danny
Beck (Freddy Prinze Jr., 24, Scooby-Doo), a CIA agent whom Booth is
familiar with, and who sort of helps out. Though he is only briefly in
the episode, Danny is said to be potentially recurring, so this could be
the beginning of another story larger than one hour, something BONES
has got to deliver more frequently as it becomes an aging procedural.
Even if he only makes this one appearance, though, it’s a treat for
Sarah Michelle Gellar fanatics to see her current husband on screen with
her one-time-TV-lover.
The reason I watch BONES, while
detesting most other similar shows, is because of the chemistry of the
cast, and the entertaining way the supporting players interact. “The
Secrets in the Proposal” contains some wonderful examples of this draw,
such as when Hogins (T.J. Thyne) tries his latest experiment, despite
Cam’s protestations, or when Daisy (Carla Gallo) tries to assert that
her own failed relationship with Sweets can serve as an example Brennan
can aspire to. This is why the show works, even when ithe plot does
become rote for weeks at a time, and when combined with the bigger
stories in this premiere, it positively soars for most of the hour.
I also liked the cross promotion for new FOX drama Sleepy Hollow, less intrusive than most of BONES’ implanted marketing.
Though, I do not really understand the title of this episode, or how it applies.
BONES returns Monday, September 16th at 8 p.m.
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