Bones

[AuntCloud]

I've been living under a rock and recently discovered this gem on Netflix. I'm almost halfway through season 4, after the Gormogon's identity has been revealed, after Max Keenan has been set free (where is he, anyway? haven't seen him for a while).

The logic of the plot is sometimes questionable, and I have an issue with the not-so-realistic work environment, but the characters are brilliantly written. Bones is endearing, Booth is Booth, and their unquestionable loyalty to the ones they love is admirable.

Again, the one thing I would change is making the environment a little more realistic. M*A*S*H and ER, two seminal workplace shows, don't gloss over the underbelly of working for a large organization: the bureaucracy (hey, I can spell that correctly!), the little spats, the day-to-day routine, and especially the relationship of the workers with the boss. Have we ever seen Bones wash her hands, clean a table or complain why it hadn't been cleaned, interact with someone other than her team? Have we ever seen her tired, bored, sick or grumpy? This is the forte of ER and M*A*S*H, wish I could have a world with the writers. Also, the set drives me nuts as part of the charm of workplace shows is me being able to say "yup, that's how it is in a real office/lab/classroom".

[jesssnerch]

I've been living under a rock and recently discovered this gem on Netflix. I'm almost halfway through season 4, after the Gormogon's identity has been revealed, after Max Keenan has been set free (where is he, anyway? haven't seen him for a while).

The logic of the plot is sometimes questionable, and I have an issue with the not-so-realistic work environment, but the characters are brilliantly written. Bones is endearing, Booth is Booth, and their unquestionable loyalty to the ones they love is admirable.

Again, the one thing I would change is making the environment a little more realistic. M*A*S*H and ER, two seminal workplace shows, don't gloss over the underbelly of working for a large organization: the bureaucracy (hey, I can spell that correctly!), the little spats, the day-to-day routine, and especially the relationship of the workers with the boss. Have we ever seen Bones wash her hands, clean a table or complain why it hadn't been cleaned, interact with someone other than her team? Have we ever seen her tired, bored, sick or grumpy? This is the forte of ER and M*A*S*H, wish I could have a world with the writers. Also, the set drives me nuts as part of the charm of workplace shows is me being able to say "yup, that's how it is in a real office/lab/classroom".

I, too, found Bones late (I'm in Season 6). I know that the situations are far fetched (do they have to call the FBI out for everything?), but I absolutely adore the characters- even in spite of the fact that I think they go a little bit overboard with Bones' lack of knowledge of pop culture.

[slickcat79]

Bones is a favorite of mine. Enjoy through Season 5, then expect it to go downhill somewhat (IMO, of course). I got into Bones on nexflix a couple of years ago and BLASTED through the first 4 seasons, loved it. I went and bought most of the season 5 eps on amazon because they weren't out on netflix yet so that I could be ready for season 6 to run on FOX. I loved most of those too.

Apparently there was a period of time near the end of S5 that they thought the show might not be renewed, so they were attempting to set up some closure at the end of that season. Then they did get a renewal and had to unravel most of what they'd done in S5 (relationship-wise), so S6 was weird in a lot of ways. They just finished showing S7 a few weeks ago, which was short and disjointed due to Emily Deschanel's pregnancy IRL. I think if they had been able to meld the end of S6 on to S5 instead of the way that it actually ended, they would have a smoother storyline at this point.

If you like Bones, you should also try Castle on ABC.

[mama_bear]

I would also recommend reading the series that the show is loosely based around. Kathy Reichs is the author of the books and I believe works with the show. The show and the books are very different in terms of details (set in different locations, different period in Bones life, etc. and yet I really enjoy both.

[terranova]

I like the Temperance Brennan character, but overall I feel the show has jumped the shark.

Kath Reich's books are awesome, although I do think the first 7 or so are better than the later ones. She needs to re-hire her editor and move Brennan back to Montreal :D

[mama_bear]

I don't know that I've read her more recent ones. I tend to pick up stuff at the library and not worry about reading in order. I do find that most of the authors I like tend to start sounding repetitive after multiple books and so I usually read some, don't read any of their stuff for a while and then come back to it. Although that does sometimes leave me a bit confused with authors like Kathy Reichs or Patricia Cornwall where you have an ongoing set of characters. I just read the first in her young adult series...drat I cannot remember the name of it but it's set on an island where experimental work is done. Oh good grief, my daughter had it checked out a few weeks ago and I read it then.

[terranova]

I don't know that I've read her more recent ones. I tend to pick up stuff at the library and not worry about reading in order. I do find that most of the authors I like tend to start sounding repetitive after multiple books and so I usually read some, don't read any of their stuff for a while and then come back to it. Although that does sometimes leave me a bit confused with authors like Kathy Reichs or Patricia Cornwall where you have an ongoing set of characters. I just read the first in her young adult series...drat I cannot remember the name of it but it's set on an island where experimental work is done. Oh good grief, my daughter had it checked out a few weeks ago and I read it then.

Virals? Yeah I liked the first one, second was awful. :(

I started reading KR because her books were set in Montreal where I lived as a teenager. :) Some of the later ones have gotten a bit dumb imo.

[hoipolloi]

Don't have a TV so haven't seen the show. I've read most of the books & they're OK but I'm glad I get them from the library.

Here's a blogging bioarchaeologist who critiques the shows: http://www.poweredbyosteons.org/search/ ... s%20Review

I'm also a bioarchaeologist & worked in forensic anthropology for a time, so I can tell you that the blogger's comments are -- forgive the pun -- dead on!

[mama_bear]

Virals? Yeah I liked the first one, second was awful. :(

I started reading KR because her books were set in Montreal where I lived as a teenager. :) Some of the later ones have gotten a bit dumb imo.

[AuntCloud]

Gee, thanks. All I needed right now, having to wade through the phone book, oops, tax course, is more interesting books and blogs :naughty:

How come I can recall almost every one of the 60 or so episodes I've watched so far while having a hard time remembering if landscaping expenses are deductible or not? (it is)

The blog is fascinating, and as usual - anthropology is so much more than it's made to look on TV. I've ordered KR's books from the library, and now I'm seriously going back to study capital cost allowance. Why can't I make a living reading books and blogs?

HoiPolloi, can I bug you on your work, how you got there, and what you're currently working on? only if you're comfortable answering, of course. I started my professional life studying biology, and now (obviously) branching out into something completely different.

[hoipolloi]

Aunt Cloud - Sorry I didn't pick up your question till now. Sure, you can bug me! I may take some things to PM if details are needed.

[AuntCloud]

Thanks a bunch! I'll start with the easy one - which field of anthropology are you at?

[hoipolloi]

Thanks a bunch! I'll start with the easy one - which field of anthropology are you at?

I'm a qualified archaeologist (according to the Secretary of Interior's standards) and a qualified physical anthropologist (regular member of the AAPA). For work in Cultural Resource Management (CRM), I do a lot of archaeology & some osteology (human & faunal). So, I fall into the increasingly popular category of "bioarchaeologist."