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The Movie: Another show (see also: "House") that seemed like an unlikely pairing with "American Idol", "Bones" still saw benefits from the match-up, as the series has done what seems like a rarity today - made it to a second season. The series stars Emily Deschanel (sister of "Elf" star Zooey) as Dr. Temperance Brennan, a forensic anthropologist - with little in the way of social skills - who reluctantly works with FBI agent Seely Booth (David Boreanaz), who needs Brennan's forensic skills in order to solve crimes where the corpses are often. That results in a series that is, admittedly, graphic at times. However, the show's best aspect is it's cast. Deschanel (who manages to share the exact same perfectly deadpan delivery as her sister) handles both the comedic and dramatic scenes equally well. Her Brennan is tough, hardened and determined, but Deschanel's portrayal is certainly not one-dimensional. She also has terrific chemistry with Boreanaz, and their snappy give-and-take exchanges of dialogue crackle and give the show energy and momentum. The two are supported well by a terrific supporting cast that includes ela Conlin, Eric Millegan and T.J. Thyne as Brennan's lab team. Jonathan Adams is also superb as Brennan's supervisor. The series also gets a boost from consistently solid writing; while I'm not sure how realistic the series is, the plots are often unpredictable and, despite often following a similar structure, still don't seem repetitive. Some of the highlights from this first season include: "The Woman in the Tunnel" (Booth and Brennan investigate the death of a documentary filmmaker following people living in the tunnels under Washington, D.C.), "The Man With the Bone" (A human finger found in the hand of a drowned man leads to the possibility of pirate treasure), "The Woman in Limbo" (Brennan tries to face her past when the remains she has to examine turn out to be someone very important from her past), "The Man in the Bear" (Brennan and Booth head to Washington state to investigate a case where a human hand was found in a dead bear), "The Man in the Fallout Shelter" (the team finds themselves under lockdown when a corpse in the lab sets off the biohazard alarm) and "The Graft in the Girl", where Brennan and Booth try to track down the cause of a young cancer patient's illness. 1. 1- 1 13 Sep 05 Pilot 2. 1- 2 20 Sep 05 The Man in the S.U.V. 3. 1- 3 27 Sep 05 A Boy in the Tree 4. 1- 4 1 Nov 05 The Man in the Bear 5. 1- 5 8 Nov 05 A Boy In a Bush 6. 1- 6 15 Nov 05 The Man in the Wall 7. 1- 7 22 Nov 05 A Man on Death Row 8. 1- 8 29 Nov 05 The Girl in the Fridge 9. 1- 9 13 Dec 05 The Man in the Fallout Shelter 10. 1-10 25 Jan 06 The Woman at the Airport 11. 1-11 1 Feb 06 The Woman in the Car 12. 1-12 8 Feb 06 The Superhero in the Alley 13. 1-13 15 Feb 06 The Woman in the Garden 14. 1-14 8 Mar 06 The Man on the Fairway 15. 1-15 15 Mar 06 Two Bodies in the Lab 16. 1-16 22 Mar 06 The Woman in the Tunnel 17. 1-17 29 Mar 06 The Skull in the Desert 18. 1-18 5 Apr 06 The Man with the Bone 19. 1-19 19 Apr 06 The Man in the Morgue 20. 1-20 26 Apr 06 The Graft in the Girl 21. 1-21 10 May 06 The Soldier on the Grave 22. 1-22 17 May 06 The Woman in Limbo The DVD VIDEO: "Bones" is presented by 20th Century Fox in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. The show's presentation here looked terrific, with crisp, clear images throughout. Good detail was present even in the darkest of sequences. Some minor artifacting was spotted on a couple of occasions, but was hardly noticable. No edge enhancement or flaws with the source material were seen. The show's color palette is understandably a bit subdued, although it appeared accurately presented here, with no smearing or other issues. Black level was solid, as well. SOUND: The show is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 by 20th Century Fox. The show's soundtrack does put the surrounds to use at times to offer occasional effects and ambience, as well as some support for the score. Audio quality was fine, with crisp music and clear, undistorted dialogue. EXTRAS: Exec producer Barry Josephson and series creator Hart Hanson provide audio commentary for the pilot episode. Stars Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz offer commentary for "Two Bodies in the Lab". The final disc also offers the "Squints" featurette (cast members discuss preparation for their roles), "The Real Definition" featurette (terminology) and "Bones: Inspired By", which looks at Kathy Reichs, who was the inspiration for the show's main character. Character profiles included, as well. Final Thoughts: "Bones" is admittedly not the kind of show I tend to watch, but I was instantly engaged by Boreanaz and Deschanel, who make a fantastic team. The DVD set provides excellent audio/video quality and a nice set of extras. Recommended. |