Midseason report card: Did ‘Bones’ season 9 succeed beyond the wedding?

Is there a show that nine seasons in, is as inconsistent as we find “Bones“? In looking at the first handful of episodes from the show’s ninth season, that is the question that we are personally wondering. There were very good episodes, questionable episodes, and the a few that we have already forgotten about.

Part of the reason why the show does frustrate us at times is because the format that it follows is so hit-or-miss. When you have stories that are so standalone, they have to be fantastic every week to really be memorable. Otherwise, you run the risk of them being the sort of thing that just blends into all of the others, and quickly forget about.

The shining stars – To us, the biggest thing that “Bones” had going for it this fall was the Booth / Brennan wedding storyline, and almost everything related to that was very entertaining. You could argue that Pelant’s end on the show was a little rushed (and we will), but the moment with Brennan walking down the aisle was beautiful, and worth the nine years of waiting. Then, we had some other fun stories surrounding it, including the bachelorette party and the honeymoon. Anytime that the show ventures into this sort of serialized territory, it brings us something new that has us a little excited.

Also, feel like the gymnastics-themed episode to end the season was pretty strong, and that along with the sweets-centric hour make up some of the best episodes that the show has put out there. We’d give the couples’ retreat an honorable mention.

What needs work – To us, the biggest thing that “Bones” sometimes stumbles with is just not taking enough risks. For one, why give us some Pelant at the start of the season, and then bail on the story for a few weeks? Why can’t we have a run straight through of stories about him? We’d rather move up the wedding and make that happen, and save the procedural stuff until later.

We also just in general would like to see the show take a few more risks when it comes to how some of their episodes are put out there into the universe. There are times when it feels like we’re watching a show that tries to play it a little safe, and we don’t really want that.

Overall – We admit that some of our issues with “Bones” are there just because we’re not the biggest fan of procedural television out there, unless it is a swing-for-the-fences one that you’ll remember years from now. But in taking that sort of preference out there, this was probably the best fall run of the season for the past few years. While there are certain elements we would have done differently, the stronger episodes and the emotional wedding scenes make up at least in part for some of the missteps. Grade: B-.

What was your take on “Bones” this season so far? Be sure to share your thoughts below, and click here to read some other entries in our Midseason Report Card series.

Photo: Fox