Okay, I know Bones fans don’t want any spoilers whatsoever so I’ll be careful. I’ll just stick to impressions and generalizations. I had a chance to watch the season premiere, “The Future in the Past,” a highly anticipated conclusion to last season’s cliffhanger. Brennan went on the run because the serial killer Pelant framed her and he’s such a technological genius even the Jeffersonian team couldn’t crack his codes.
“The Future in the Past” does a good job of showing us the aftermath, how things have been without Brennan around. It’s a stressful time with a lot of adjustments to be made. Obviously Booth’s intensity hasn’t let up since we left him, but seeing where Angela is now is illuminating. It’s an interesting shake-up, but also not too drastic that it doesn’t feel like Bones anymore.
Because there’s still a killer after Brennan and she’s still on the run, there’s not as much humor in this episode. They find some, but there’s still some intense stuff they’re all dealing with. This week’s set of bones ties in to Pelant’s case, and watching the team analyze them without Brennan is an interesting twist with some good tension, especially with Edison.
Considering how different this episode is from the usual Bones, how much story they have to resolve, there’s still quite a fascinating case of the week. The technology involved is almost surreal, but I believe it’s close to reality. They also find interesting ways to have the characters interact when their leader is a wanted fugitive. Some characters do surprising, yet welcome, things and Pelant remains a terrifying adversary.
I think Emily Deschanel is wearing a wig for her fugitive hair. Makes sense, they wouldn’t have the lead actor change her hair. It’s not even a TV thing, movies use bad wings too. Not important, just something to talk about when I can’t give spoilers.
In season eight, Bones hasn’t grown the least bit stale. Yet they’re not gratuitously shaking things up. They’re taking the story in provocative directions but keeping it faithful to what we love about Bones: romance, banter, a good mystery.
