DVD Review: Bones Season Two
Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz Return in Forensic Drama
Jan 26, 2009
The second season of Bones sees the team of quirky scientists, led by Dr Temperance ‘Bones’ Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and FBI Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) get into their crime-fighting stride. Inspired by the life of forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs, Brennan is the detached, analytical half of the partnership, while Booth is the intuitive one, with an ability to read people and an understanding of motive.
Bones Season Two Cast Change
Season Two sees the arrival of Dr Camille Saroyan (Tamara Taylor), replacing Season One’s Dr Daniel Goodman (Jonathan Adams) as the head of forensics at the Jeffersonian Institution. While lacking Adams’ gravitas, Taylor brings a smart approachability to the role. She manages to remain unflappable while dealing with her eccentric crew of “squints”, or scientists.
Things are changing for the squint squad too. Zack, the awkward graduate assistant has to face the responsibility of finally finishing his doctorate, while Hodgins and Angela develop a charming, if tentative, romance.
Character Focus in Bones
The characters’ lives beyond the laboratory are a feature of Bones Season Two. Bones has a fling with breezy FBI Agent Timothy “Sully” Sullivan, while Booth briefly rekindles his old relationship with Saroyan, which was enough to get a sizeable proportion of the fans riled up when Bones first aired. There is no need for worry, though, as the entertainingly snarky relationship between Brennan and Booth remains at the core of the show. Deschanel is much more at ease with her role as an opinionated, yet occasionally clueless, genius, while Boreanaz is alternately charming and no-nonsense, treating Bones with a mixture of affection and exasperation.
The season also boasts some impressive guest turns from Stephen Fry, as psychiatrist Gordon Wyatt and Ryan O’Neal as Brennan’s errant father, Max. Patricia Belcher returns as feisty prosecutor Caroline Julian, along with Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, who returns as Angela's father.
Character development aside, Bones Season Two retains its trademark mixture of gruesome forensics, convoluted detective work and snappy dialogue. Brennan’s father remains an unsettling figure in Bones’ life throughout the season, but each episode can stand alone.
Bones Season Two DVD Extras
There are six discs in the Season Two box-set. Extras include episode commentaries on “The Glowing Bones in the Old Stone House” and “Stargazer in a Puddle”. Featurettes include a season retrospective, a look at the visual effects, which delights in exploring the more gruesome scenes, deleted scenes and a gag reel.
Bones Season Two DVD is available from Amazon.
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