The Parts in the Sum of the Whole

Love this show. Hated this episode. Re writing the show because things changed after the first season is criminal. Five years of sexual tension to be crushed under a boot is equally frustrating. This is by far the worst 100th episode of any series that I've watched. I'm guessing things start to pan out since the show went 12 seasons but the writing of this episode is horrible. You can't have two relationships in a dumpster fire for multiple episodes or seasons. I'm hoping things turn around quickly and when I say quickly I mean by the season finale. Love love love the show. Hate hate hate this episode.

The 100th episode is almost as flamboyant and "out there" as the dream episode that wrapped up one of the previous seasons, the one in which Bones and Booth are married. In "Whole," B&B tell Sweets, who is wrapping up work on his book about them, about their very first case together. It involves a young woman's skeleton, back when the team wasn't really yet a team. The episode is a howl. Zach is back, because of course he was there at the very beginning. Hodgins sports a wild wig (remember his goofy hair in the first couple of seasons?) and is even more ornery than usual. Angela is a sidewalk artist, although she and Brennan know each other and Brennan will soon enlist her services in the female skeleton case. Booth and Brennan are incredibly awkward around each other at first. There is a surprising coda to the episode that will either endear or infuriate series fans. While not as deliciously creative as the dream episode, this one has more than its share of memorable moments. Wait until you see B&B calling each other names.

I've left this review in part to warn people that the above mentioned review on this episode has an unmarked spoiler. I fortunately didn't read the reviews until after I had seen the episode but I would have been very upset if I had. I like to be surprised by things that happen big and small. I have reported it to IMDb, hopefully it is removed. If so I suppose this part of the review is pointless, and maybe won't even be posted, not sure how this works exactly but someone needed to warn people.

As for the episode it's great!! The actors do such a great job like always. They really show how talented they are specifically in this episode with the situations they're in. The episode involves some flashbacks starting from the beginning and I love them! Flashbacks can be great or horrible and I think this one was great. we learn some very interesting and surprising things. There is some talk in the other reviews about the script not being very good but some of the things they mention as being bad were actually parts that I thought were very clever and I enjoyed. So no accounting for taste I guess.

It seems there is some controversy on this episode despite the high rating (8.7 at the time of writing). So, having watched Bones from the beginning, what do I think of this?

The Structure. I like that this is not one of those ancient "Then We Switch Straight to the Past Where We Shall Remain Until the Flashback Ends". There is a gradual switch from present day to the past during the Teaser Sequence. And while after the Title Sequence most of the episode takes place in the past, we occasionally switch back to present day, which *links* the flashbacks better to the framing story. Smooth.

The Beginning. I really wasn't that impressed with Bones. The series, that is, not the character, whom I instantly connected with. Temperance Brennan is pretty much my ideal woman. She will *never* fall into irrational arguments. And in any relationship, there *will* be arguments. When you can rationally work them out and in the end one side - EITHER side - will admit being wrong and will then move onwards, the relationship has a better chance of surviving. Temperance Brennan is a rare and precious character. On the other hand, I was already a huge admirer of David Boreanaz's work. He may not be the Robert De Niro of his generation, *but* Buffy, Angel and Bones have proved that he is like Wolverine - the best there is at what he does. He is the master of straight-faced comedy, who doesn't have to resort to caricature quirks to be funny. But! He can pull of emotion when needed without falling into sentimentality. Together, B & B are some of the most fully realized characters on TV - they feel *human*.

The Pay-off. Whether you are new to the series or have watched it from the beginning, this episode is most likely to make you at least want to watch the first season again. I, for one, intend to. Maybe I was too harsh on the premise of the series, dismissing it as another CSI imitator. Over the years, Bones has proved to be the superior series, funnier, wittier, sexier, and, if you like that sort of thing, more gruesome - the said Bond in the Boot and the Gamer in the Grease (especially his flesh falling off in what must be the most eye-dropping gore effect on a national American TV series ever) spring to mind first. Also, this is more than a flashback episode. It offers *more* That is what can be safely written without spoiling anything. A 8/10 triumph.