Bones (TV Series) Pilot (2005) User Reviews

Developing the doctor

[mitchrmp · 8/10 · 9 July 2016]

Dr. Temperance Brennan is seen for the first time in this episode. She's a bit different from the one later in the show. She seems more emotional and personable. I think I like her better this way, but understand why they developed the character the other way.

In this episode, Seeley Booth announces that he had worked with Bones before - we'll see that in a later episode (Season 5) as they tell the story of how they met. (I LOVED that episode!!!)

You can tell the characters are loosely developed. This episode got me interested in watching the rest, and it's become one of my favorite shows. Booth and Bones have chemistry from this beginning episode, and it only grows over the years.

Excellent!

Late to the Bones party

[erika-crabe · 7/10 · 20 February 2011]

I only recently came into the Bones fold, but friends of mine have been watching it on Fox since the beginning.

I must admit, as I am not a David Boreanaz fan, I didn't go into watching the pilot episode with any expectations of something positive, and I was pleasantly surprised.

I found the first few scenes a bit forced, especially Angela in the airport and the altercation between Brennan and the Homeland Security agent, but I enjoyed the adversarial pretext between Booth and Brennan.

The case in this episode is believable enough, although I found it quite odd that there didn't seem to be any concern that small bones may have slipped through the netting the body was bound in.

Sam Trammell turned in a fantastic performance as Ken Thompson, but besides his and Emily Deschanel's, most of the performances in the pilot seem jumpy and in David Boreanaz's case, stiff.

The blend of actual science, plausible plot, and just enough action to keep you interested made me want to continue on to episode 2.

I'm glad I gave Bones a shot; it's now one of my favorite shows, and one of the only ones I actually tune in to on TV each week.

The First Episode...

[taylorkingston · 8/10 · 24 March 2016]

I really like this episode. I thought it was a great Series Premiere. It introduced the characters well, showed us how the show was going to continue, without it seeming boring, and it really just makes you want to watch the rest of the series. It's funny; I'm having a Bones marathon right now. I suggest you do the same.

In this episode, we meet Dr. Brennan, one of the world's most foremost forensic anthropologists, who works at the Jeffersonian Institute in Washington D.C. (a parody of the Smithsonian). She, along with the help of her super-smart team, Dr. Jack Hodgins, Dr. Zack Addy, and Angela Montenegro, and FBI Agent Seeley Booth, they solve the murders of victims, who are only left as bones. This episode's case: a decomposing body in a pond in the Arlington National Cemetery.

Fun fact: The scene where Dr. Brennan gets arrested was filmed at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Best part of the episode: Everything.

Overall, I give this episode an 8, which in my ratings book is: Awesome.

Bone the series

[yourleftyray2002 · 10/10 · 1 August 2006]

This show is excellent. A little dark and spooky but it and House beat the hell out of those useless reality shows.

Bones and House show that Hollywood has decided to think and produce quality TV again.

Bones has a future.

It makes you think and wonder about what happens out there in the real world. Only thing is I wish Bones and House were still on same night.

Made for one great evening of REAL TV. I wish they'd shown more of Bones this summer even if they had to only show one House per week. Emily is truly a good actress. The entire cast of Bones work well together. I cannot wait for the new season of Bones.

BONES: series analysis

[iLivonmyspace · 10/10 · 15 May 2011]

After watching all of the BONES episodes from the beginning of the series to the end I fell in love with the emotional depth that Boreanaz, Deschanel, and the whole gang portray through these characters. The last episode I watched, season 6 episode 22, showed the true depths Boreanaz and Deschanel are willing to go through to make this story as authentic as possible. Although I am not a huge fan of Thyne, Conlin, or Taylor's acting I am a huge fan of their characters. The family-like atmosphere is heart warming and enticing. Hart Hanson has definitely pinned the tail on the donkey, straight on.

Ps. I love the fact that Deschanel's character is rough and tough from the beginning to now but (character flaw) the fact that she is nonchalant during interrogation (s1e1) instead of being on the offensive is a definite over-looked detail to the show. *

* I love how Booth has helped Brennan grow as a person and I love that they are growing together, I don't know how their romance will work out but I know that they have the best writers and producers on the case.

This episode might trump all.

Stiff and Stagy

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 4 January 2023]

Once again, a pilot. And I will say the same thing I usually do. We are introduced to a relatively large cast of characters. Each has an area of expertise in the forensics department at the Jeffersonian. We meet Temperance Brennan (Bones) and Seely Booth (FBI) who have some sort of history. We are told that Brennan is the foremost forensic anthropologist around. Her focus is scientific, while Booth handles the deduction. He is more sympathetic to victims than he lets on. She is quite formidable in every respect. The case is the body of a young woman found at the bottom of a pond who worked for a senator. He is suspected of impregnating her and then murdering her. It's good there is more to the plot than that. As I see more of these, I will speak more of the individuals. I am seeing these for the second time, having watched them when they first appeared. I may not make it through all of them, but they will be fun, nevertheless..

Great

[Lythas_85 · 9/10 · 4 April 2021]

I've already seen the whole series while it was active and now I'm just revisiting.

It was pretty good but I've always found it odd that she's the opposite of the usual brain person that we always see in shows.. usually the person is smart but completely useless when it comes to physical contact.. that's why Castle was a hit.. the detective girl was the brawn and castle was the "brain" but here brennan if pretty much both asides from being a big inept socially speaking but overall great story.

I Was Told That This Was Good, but...

[dgjones-62258 · 6/10 · 13 January 2023]

I really like Silent Witness so I was looking forward to seeing Bones after it was recommended to me.

The pilot episode establishes the heroine as a no-nonsense kick-as girl who is a martial arts expert who is also a crack shot with a gun. Taking an FBI agent down is no problem for her. Does that want to make you puke?

Hold the gag reflex. Every character is good looking and in the age range of 25 to 40. The market research team created the cast with no thought of realism.

Okay, it is a pilot so the producers need to be blunt to get the green light, but I'm hoping for better to come.

Overall, this is far too stereotypically an American cop show.

Now you can puke.

re watching again

[jtsjtssmokey · 9/10 · 7 October 2021]

As do love this show and will watch again after this watch, like other real tv shows I enjoy. Though always forget how much of an ass Booth is on top of the chemistry that is there between "Bones, dont call me Bones". Also love seeing how they all do work together and encourage without really knowing that they are doing that, but does really come together in later seasons.

Angela and ripping open her top, and Bones telling her she hopes she asked before taking off her top. The whole your fired, to "squints dont solve murder" (though in reality, they do) to shooting and the order to keep pressure on as sorry had to shoot to keep...ok enough kinda spoilers.

So if you never have seen this show, it is campy, yet entertaining with a family love developing between them that will make you smile, and maybe shed a tear or more, or even get angry and if like me, yell at the tv.

Bones:Pilot

[Scarecrow-88 · 8/10 · 20 November 2010]

Someone made a relevant statement during his user comment back in 2006 about Bones, the series, in that it definitely was a breath of fresh air when all of the other channels(not excluding Fox, though)were producing out the wahzoo, reality shows. I started really getting into this show by accident. I was watching LAW & ORDER and decided to sit through an episode. I was hooked immediately. First off, I loved the idea of a cerebral, brainy anthropologist teaming with a FBI sniper-turned-homicide detective who "works from his gut" in regards to "catching the bad guys." And the premise really attracts me..from bones(fragments)and skeletal remains, the prestigious Jeffersonian institute(which benefits from federal funding in order to do their jobs as scientists)produces the finest "squints"(incredibly smart, high IQ scientists who specialize in identifying the remains of the dead found and how they died)not only in the country, but in the world. Temperance Brennan(Emily Deschanel)is nicknamed "Bones" by Special Agent Seeley Booth(David Boreanaz, able to successfully recover from the failure of ANGEL)because of her profession, and the pilot for the series opens with her returning from Guatemala after identifying bodies from a genocide. She actually has a skull in her bag at the airport which just points out her dedication to the craft of putting a face to the dead. Booth's boss has a hard time allowing him to partner with Bones because of her inexperience in the field of investigation. This first episode's case concerns a former assistant to a Senator found dumped in a pond near Arlington Cemetery. Through the amazing work of Temperance's team, they discover that she had fought her killer and was stabbed multiple times, her skull crushed with a sledgehammer. The one responsible went out of his way to remove her identity, but a certain type of dirt could very well lead to his capture. Booth doesn't believe the Senator is responsible, instead suspecting the dead girl's stalker as the culprit. Michaela Conlin is Angela, the digital artist with amazing technology she has patented which produces a recreation of the victim's face and body to the skull and skeleton arranged by Bones. Zack Addy(Eric Millegan)is really devoid of emotion, ice water in his veins, a complete human robot, but his work in finding the murder weapons responsible for killing victims is impressive to say the least. TJ Thyne is Dr. Jack Hodgins(he later has a romantic storyline with Angela), one of those paranoid conspiracy theorists who specializes in dirt, insects, flowers, things of that nature. Jonathan Adams(later replaced by Tamara Taylor)is Dr. Goodman, the head honcho of the Jeffersonian who calls the shots, much to the chagrin of his staff. Fans of TRUE BLOOD might get a kick out of Sam Trammell's early role in this episode as the Senator's aid, a suspect in the victim's murder.

Not An Impressive Debut

[ccthemovieman-1 · 5/10 · 25 December 2006]

Watching this on DVD last night was my first look at this program. It holds possibilities, but I'm hoping the dialog is a little more mature than the cutesy/hip/affected baloney I heard on this pilot episode. I hope they concentrate a little more on the crime and its evidence than the personal lives and stupid sexual remarks that prevailed in here.

Nonetheless, it's nicely filmed and looks very good on DVD, with nice shots of Washington, D.C. and clean, crisp transfer. As with some the CSI programs, almost everyone here - especially the assistants in the lab - are a bit young. There's a guy here who honestly looks about 14.

Also, our female lead, despite being pictured as a brainiac who never gets out of the lab and has no social life, can kick the crap out of any man. Yeah, right!

How the lead female "Dr. Temperence Brennann" came to all these accurate conclusions is a little far-fetched, but what do I know about that science? Anyway, this first episode shows how she and FBI Agent "Seeley Booth" will team up the rest of the way.

The story? The bones of an intern who had sex with a senator and became pregnant, was found in a pond. She had been dead for about a year and a half. Who killed her and why?