TVSquad

(S04E02) I have a, er, bone to pick with some of you. I understand that many of you are unhappy about Zack's fate. I also understand more of you are upset that the season premiere of Bones was less than stellar. But, that's no reason to totally rack up the fourth season as a total failure. It's looking bleak, I know, but a finale and a premiere sometimes don't make a season. All I ask is for you to hold off a bit until you judge this season as a total disaster.

(S04E01) Hullo Guv! Welcome to the fourth series premiere of Bones. It has been a summer of anger and anticipation for most fans of the show. Anger, as many felt creator Hart Hanson bollixed the whole thing up by making Zack Addy a bit potty. Anticipation, because those same fans are curious to see how Hanson and his writers will fill the gap and how the rest of the blokes at the Jeffersonian will adjust. And, of course, there's also the unanswered question as to the state of Bones and Booth's relationship: will they shag or not this season?

None of those questions were answered in this two-hour series premiere, althouth Zack's fate was briefly mentioned. What we did get was a trip to Londontown by Temperance and Seeley (hence, the British slang), and some significant relationship changes amongst the Squints. So, grab a pint, some fish n' chips, and your favorite duck, and let's begin.

A lot of Bones fans were unhappy last season when Zack was revealed to be Gormogon's apprentice. However, thanks to spoilers leaked over the summer, I can tell you we haven't seen the last of him. Want to know if the squints and co. are all back? If Angela and Hodgins will finally marry and be happy ever after? And if Brennan and Booth will truly kiss this season? Answers are coming up!

Beware: Spoilers ahead!

David Boreanaz knows how to work a crowd. The man is honest, funny, and self-deprecating. Oh, and I guess he's good looking (I'm a man's man and really don't look at those things.) That's probably a reason why so many women crowded into the huge Ballroom 20 for the Bones panel -- a panel that I was highly anticipating. Well, it was probably Boreanaz as well as the appearances of Tamara Taylor (Cam), John Francis Daley (Dr. Sweets) and Michaela Conlin that made the audience wait in line for over an hour.

But, it was David who took over the panel for most of the time as they revealed some upcoming facts about season four and took audience questions.

(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?

(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.

(S02E10) We go the horror route this week as Bones returns from its Thanksgiving recess. This time around Booth, Bones and the squints over at the Jeffersonian Institution investigate the body of a decapitated film student. Along the way they delve into some ghost stories, share a brief romance or two, and tip their hats to a recent horror classic.

That classic would be the 1999 low-budget hit The Blair Witch Project. For those who never saw the movie it was a fictional account about three film students who get lost in the woods while filming a documentary about a local legend. They are terrorized throughout their trip by an unknown source and all eventually disappear, yet their film equipment remains intact. The only difference between Blair Witch and the video on Bones was that someone actually died here.

A few tidbits of personal news from some current and former television personalities:

-- Project Runway host Hedi Klum gave birth to a little boy on November 22nd. The child's name is Johan Riley Fyodor Taiwo Samuel and he weighed in at 8 lbs. 11oz. This is the third child for Klum, and the second for both her and musician husband Seal. Their first child, son Henry, was born nine months ago. This couple works fast!

-- Also giving birth: former X-Files star Gillian Anderson. Ms. Anderson (she recently divorced photojournalist husband husband Julian Ozanne after 16 months of marriage) gave birth to a 6 lbs. 8 oz. boy named Oscar. According to Anderson's manager, Oscar was born on November 1st (three weeks early) in London. Both mother and son are doing fine.

(S02E08) We're eight episodes into the second season of Bones and we finally hit one that wasn't really that good. Oh, it was watchable, and it did give actors David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel a little more scene time together than in previous episodes. It just seemed, I don't know, a tad flat and out of sync.

Perhaps it was because Bones and Booth weren't really interacting with the rest of the "squints" of the Jeffersonian Institution, since their investigation led them to Las Vegas. When they all get together they mesh extremely well. I just didn't see it in this episode. Even the scenes of the squints working solo were a bit monotone. In the end, I guess you could say the episode was a bit dull.

At least we had a maggot and beetle-infested body rotting in the Nevada desert.

(S01E06) Whew, I was scared there for a moment. When this week's episode began without seeing a horrendously mangled body in the first 30 seconds I thought that Bones was about to 'jump the shark'. I was especially fearful when Booth and Bones entered the murder scene (after a very interesting conversation about Booth's reaction to elevator music) to see intact bodies. Luckily they came across a charred skeleton near the end of the first scene, so my fear ebbed. Then, they found a second unrecognizable skeleton hanging from a light fixture, and I could breathe easily again. Especially since the second body was the focus of an entertaining episode.

Read on, true believers.