TVSquad

Okay, I'm a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, but not a normal one. I've read all the comic books for both properties and seen the original movie that launched the phenomenon about three times over the years. And yet, for some reason I've never seen a full episode of either show.

When Buffy first came out, I lived in a city that didn't have The WB. And by the time it was available to me I was already several years behind, and I hate coming into the middle of something. Then, for whatever reason, it has remained on my "to do" list over the years.

So where does that leave me for the Retro Squad Buffy/Angel week? I want to participate, but in a way I'm a newbie to the show. So how about you guys tell me a good episode to immerse myself into the world of the Buffy-verse? In fact, maybe one from each show? I'm hearing from the Squad that 'Hush' is a good candidate.

(S03E14) "I am deceptively strong." Dr. Zach Addy
"I'm... deceived." Dr. Cameron Saroyan

This was a very lighthearted and playful episode, particularly after the gravitas of last week's trial. Not only was it a great send-up of FOX's sister show, American Idol, making light fun of the show and its contestants, but there was also a lot of joking around and funny moments, reminiscent of the best of Bones' first two seasons with the Squint Squad. It was nice to see them back in full force this episode. Simultaneously, there were plenty of clues from the beginning of the episode about what was going to happen. But I'll talk about that in a minute. Can we talk about Eric Millegan first? Did you know that he actually is a cabaret singer, and he has an act in LA, as well as a Broadway history pre-dating the show?

Before the writers strike shut down the set of Bones, the cast and crew completed an episode titled "The Wannabe in the Weeds." If you recall, in mid-December, I told you that former American Idol contestants Brandon Rogers and Ace Young would guest star in this American Idol-themed episode. Finally, months after the episode was completed, we will get to see the two Idol finalist perform both on and off the stage on Bones.

(S03E12) Brennan: "I don't know what that means."
Angela: "Are you serious?"
- When Cam reveals that both seminal fluid and saliva were found in the basketball player's shorts...

Rich Keller asked me to cover Bones tonight. Rich and I have also co-reviewed House. I am a bit late to the Bones parade: I started watching it this winter during the writers' strike. I bought the first two seasons on iTunes, and I was completely hooked. It's now one of my favorite shows. Now that the show comes on at 7pm Central Time, I was happy to have TiVoed the show tonight and that my kids were in bed when I watched it. It was one of the grosser episodes-- or maybe it just seemed that way because of the earlier time slot.

Admit it: You all want to know what's like to talk to David Boreanaz, AKA, Angel from Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel, AKA, Special Agent Seeley Booth from Bones. I'd like to know what it is like to talk to him too, but one of the things about these conference calls is that you are instructed to hit two keys to queue up for your question, and I always hit them, but I never get selected to ask questions.

I do, however, now know what it is like to listen to David Boreanaz talk on the phone, so I guess that's something, right? He sounds just like Booth. Go figure. If you are a longterm fan of Boreanaz, I'd have to guess that either he did the phone call in character as Booth or that Boreanaz is a lot more like the sometimes-abrasive Booth than the brooding and circumspect Angel.

How good are you at spotting someone's true age? There's been a few times I've caught myself wondering how old that actor really is on TV, when they're playing someone my age and look ten years older. Do I really look that good? Then again, I've seen the opposite and thought, "damn, I am an old decrepit fart." In any case, I'll pull up IMDb and usually find myself in shock of how young/old the actor on-screen really is.

The whole actor-to-character age ratio thing got me curious, so I did a little research (with the help of some of the TV Squad team) and made a list of some of the more extreme and well-known (or, maybe to some, not-so-well-known) examples. By the way, we didn't include actors who played flashback scenes of their characters for short periods of time, as there are more of those than we have room for.

As we reported in our November 11 edition of Spoilers Anonymous, an upcoming episode of FOX's Bones will have an American Idol-theme. Who better than some real Idol contestants to play the guest roles of, wait for it, contestants taking part in a singing competition? That's exactly what the casting crew behind the show thought!

At least two American Idol contestants, one from season 5 and the other from season 6, will guest star in an episode titled "The Wannabe in the Weeds" (as you can guess, the dead character will surely be a contestant and the body will be found in... weeds). The episode, slated to air in March according to some sources, is the last episode of the series completed before production was shut down due to the writers' strike.

All fans of the FOX series Bones know what kiss I'm talking about because we had been waiting for it for 2 and a half years! Brennan and Booth finally kissed (thanks to some meddling from Caroline Julian) during last week's episode.

In his review of the episode, Richard said "The kiss was performed under duress and a bit of blackmail due to the puckish nature of Caroline Julian. So, it wasn't as intense as you would think their eventual first kiss would be." Well, Richard and all Bones fans out there, thanks to the magic of YouTube (and a tip on Ask Ausiello), we can now all enjoy a more intense kiss that lasts way longer than ten steamboats!

(S03E06) "Do boys change when they graduate high school?" -- Bones

"Only on the outside" -- Jack

That Guy. You knew him in high school. He was loved by all the women (and some of the men), the teachers, and a good portion of the student body. He was probably very popular, maybe a member of the student governing body, and he pretty much had the school in the palm of his hand. Which meant he could do things that faculty and students alike would turn their heads and look away at.

Special FBI Agent Seeley Booth was That Guy.

The three guys who are my picks for the hottest guys on television today. It was not easy to pick only three amongst all the eye candy offered by TV series today; I could have included men like Josh Holloway, Milo Ventimiglia, Jerry O'Connell, Kiefer Sutherland, Eric Dane, Josh Duhamel, Michael Rosenbaum, and Michael Vartan, just to name a few. I eventually narrowed my list to three leading men. Two are in their forties and on ABC's payroll, while the other is in his late 30s and on FOX.

When Moonlight first aired, TV fans couldn't help themselves but to compare the series with Angel. Both series have a good looking vampire as its lead and said main character is an investigator. At first glance, Moonlight's lead vampire, Mick St. John, may sound like an Angel clone. Let's compare, shall we?

(S03E04) Angela -- Is it always this way when you're together?

Bones -- Yes. Booth -- No.

Angela -- It's kinda hot.

Bones and Booth breaking up? Say it ain't so! Well, it ain't so (apologies to all of my English teachers for the double use of the word 'ain't'. Make that the triple use of the word). As long as Seeley and Temperance fill out a few blue books and let Doctor Lance Sweets find out what's going on between them, they'll be able to stay together and Bones will continue its success for years to come. Well, that's a relief.

Or, it ain't.

(S03E03) Stop! Or I'll kick you in the testicles! -- Bones, when trying to halt someone running away from Booth.

Maggots in the eye sockets! Yay! Three episodes in and we finally get a body that makes one put their fork down and push away that plate of pasta with red sauce. Not only did we have said maggots just pouring out of the body's eye sockets, but we had a pair of feet that were cut nicely and buried several feet away. And, we got to see those feet up close and personal. Fantastic!

Yet, it doesn't compare to the liquefied body of last season for some reason. Go figure.

I know, I know, all of you Boneheads (and I mean that in the most affectionate way) want some answers after last season's finale. Did Jack and Angela stay together? Did Zack really go to Iraq? Is Bones' father still in jail? What did Bones mean when she said 'What do we do now?' while standing at the altar with Booth? Did Buffy leave Sunnydale to pursue Angel in Washington D.C.?

To answer your questions: Yes. Yes. Yes. I have no idea. Whoops, wrong show.

Welcome to season three of Bones!

Last year's finale of FOX's Bones left us hanging. Is Zack really going to war and will he come back? Will Jack and Angela ever get married? Will Max Keenan really go to and stay in jail? Will we learn more about Brennan's family (more precisely on her mother's side of the family)? Will both standing at the altar together help or hurt the relation between Brennan and Booth?

Want to know some of the answers to these questions and a bit more about Bones' third season? We have the goods after the jump! Spoilers warning!