Bones is Back! (Bones - Season 2 (DVD))

Member Name: samueltyler

Product:	Bones - Season 2 (DVD)
Date:	11/12/07 (115 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great cast, funny, engaging

Disadvantages: Too much American sweetness?

With Sky and Virgin falling out the TV viewing schedule of a fair few people has been knocked out of kilter. Many cable owners were happily sitting down to new seasons of 'Lost', '24' and 'Prison Break' when suddenly they were ripped from their collected grasps! In my opinion this process did as much to put people off Sky as encourage people to buy it. Are these shows really worth paying the large subscription fee? As I have never owned Sky or Virgin I have always had to make do with Freeview. I got over the heartbreak of losing shows a long time ago and have instead settled into the bitter process of renting the shows from a DVD website. That will stop them getting too much of my money, suckers! One show that many people did not even realise they lost was 'Bones', a show that I have grown to like through DVD rental.

Season 2 of 'Bones' pretty much starts up were the last season ended. Dr Temperance Brennan is a brilliant, but socially flawed, forensic anthropologist who works with Agent Booth to solve cases for the FBI. Over 21 episodes Brennan, Booth and the other members of the team must tackle a number of cases including a liquidized body in a bath, and a potential man from space. Each episode is a standalone concept, but there are some major threads that run through this season. One is the re-emergence of Bones' criminal father as he seeks justice against the men who killed his wife. Another story is about burgeoning love within the lab. With heartbreaks and love makes in the lab, can they all concentrate enough to solve a series of difficult cases?

Like many American shows 'Bones: Season 2' both succeeds and suffers due to its episodic nature. Fox pump a lot of money into the show and like most American dramas it has around 20 episodes a season because there are enough writers to work on the show. In the UK we usually have 3-6 episodes of a crime series as we have lower budgets. Therefore, 'Bones 2' has 21 episodes meaning that you can bask in it for days. However, the American network system also means that shows are often played out of order; therefore, each episode must standalone. This means that character development is slower in US drama than in the UK (see CSI for 8 years of little to no character development). Does the good outweigh the bad?

Personally I still rate 'Bones' and in many ways the second season does improve on the first. The acting is once again great; especially the two leads; Emily Deschanel as Bones and David Boreanaz as Agent Booth. You can tell from the acting that these two have a chemistry and they do spark off one another. These sparks continue throughout the cast as they seem to genuinely like one another. All the characters are funny as well as very intelligent. Hodgins, Angela and Zack are all given more to do in this series and they benefit from it.

The cast has been added to which introduces some extra friction to the show to great effect. Tamara Taylor as he new boss Dr Saroyan is a welcome addition. She is more sexy and feisty than the old boss and although I was dubious about her to begin with she soon acts as a valuable brake to some of the more pie in the sky ideas that the rest of the cast have. The most welcome addition is in the form of an extended cameo by Stephen Fry as Booth's therapist. I am a fan of the actor and he is very funny and intelligent in the show. He is not just there for comedic effect as his presence starts to change some of the dynamics in the show.

It was these dynamical shifts that are probably the best improvements from season 1. A lot more happens to the characters than in the first season and they are all different people in episode 21 than episode 1. The character development was surprisingly high for a US drama and it was noticeable when one episode was missing from the DVD box set. This episode was pulled due to its similarities to the Virginia Tech killings and may leave you slightly confused about a plot hole that suddenly appears.

On a more negative note there is no denying that the show is more of the same. Each episode is essentially the same thing. This is currently still fun as the scripts are well written and the acting great. However, if the trend were to continue indefinitely it could get more tiresome. I also have a problem with some of the saccrine Americana that sneaks in on occasion. The film is a crime drama with lots of soap opera elements and the times it relies too heavily on hammy storylines it suffers.

There is nothing quite like 'Bones: Season 2' being made in this country as it is genuinely entertaining a funny crime drama series. The BBC or ITV base their crime thrillers on darkness and grittiness, 'Bones' is far away from this. Saying that the bodies are gruesome and many parts of the show are not for the faint of heart. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a lighter crime drama show from the US as the writing and acting is certainly up amongst the best the US has to offer at the moment.

Year: 2006
Cert: 15
Starring: Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz
Price: Amazon uk £25.98
Play.com £25.99

Extras

From what I can remember there is a gag reel and some fluff pieces about the show - nothing major for fans.

Summary: A great series that is fun to watch and a gruesome crime drama!