Pilots are often among the worst episodes of a show, either because they take place before the series finds its groove, because they’re too crammed full of exposition and set-up to work well in themselves, or because the networks have had months to mess around and change things.  Bones bucks that trend, establishing some strong characters and some future story arcs as well as the tone of the series against the background of one of the strongest cases of the entire show.  Of course, the pilot has its awkward moments, but it works well as an episode as well as a set up for the series.

As an aside, I didn’t watch the pilot at the time of original broadcast.  The first episode I watched was The Santa in the Slush (in fact, the first Bones I watched was the extended kiss scene on the DVD), and then I jumped about watching a whole bunch of episodes from seasons one, three and four before I got to the pilot.  So if I had seen it at the time, would I have stuck with the series?  I think the combination of strong female lead, solid procedural, and the firing range scene would have kept me tuning in.

What I Liked:

-         The firing range scene.  Of course.  The hottest scene of the whole series so far (‘sex’ included) and the moment when the show could have gone in a completely different direction.  It really played on the tensions between Booth and Brennan at that time, as well as dropping the first anvil on the viewers.

-         Brennan’s involvement.  I think this episode does a great job of explaining Brennan’s skills and so establishing why her involvement in cases is necessary, and why Booth is willing to offer full involvement to someone he doesn’t like very much.  The scene where Brennan reconstructs the skull is excellent; it tells us so much about the woman and her work without saying anything.

-         Booth and Brennan characterization.  I like the fact that neither Brennan nor Booth is presented as a wholly sympathetic character.  Brennan is very harsh and abrasive, Booth is a bit of an arrogant jerk, and both of them are manipulative of the other.  Of course, it’s tempered by their positive qualities and professional respect (the scene outside Cullen’s office is nice), but it’s risky because if your audience doesn’t like the lead characters, they’re not likely to tune in.  Nevertheless, in the long term it sets the series up nicely, because it allows for more character exploration rather than simply issues to be resolved.

-         Squint family.  Even though there’s a lot going on in the pilot, I love how the closeness of the Jeffersonian team is already established.  It’s nice to see them eating lunch on the steps (I’m kind of sorry they weren’t used again) and the scene where they’re drinking out of lab-beakers is one of my favourite ‘team bonding’ moments.

-         “Sociopaths”. Awesome delivery for a one word part.

-         “Rat bastard”.  Hee.  I love that she calls him that.

-         Scully and Mulder reference. How can I but love this show?

What I Didn’t Like:

-         Brennan’s ass-kicking. I love that Brennan is a strong woman who isn’t afraid to kick ass, but in the pilot she breaks out her skills a little too much, testing her martial arts skills on the homeland security guy and the Thompson, and shooting Thompson.  Less is more, it’s much more effective when she isn’t doing it so much (I think they had this balance just right at the end of season one).  But it’s fantastic when she threatens to kick Laurier’s ass!

-         DC establishing shots. The pilot goes out of its way to set the scene in DC, but in doing so it’s one of the least convincing episodes (political story aside).  There’s awkward juxtaposition of DC landmarks into background shots, the street near Brennan’s apartment is like nothing I’ve ever seen in DC, and the footage used while driving is awful (they’re on the footpath next to a never-ending WWII monument, what the hell?).  The best scenes are the ones in Arlington cemetery, but there’s a similarity of design between military cemeteries the world over (there’s an American cemetery in my home town in Europe which could also pass for Arlington).

-         Booth at the airport.  Why does he bring her book?  Super-awkward exposition.  It’s also awkward that the squints chat about the book when it’s clearly been out long enough for a random homeland security guy to have read it.

The Case:

Having a case right out of the headlines is attention grabbing and helps the series to start off strongly.  I agree that Bones isn’t so much about the cases as the characters, but beginning with some strong cases helps to keep attention while the audience is getting to know the characters.  It’s also a strong case in that from the outset there are a bunch of viable suspects, and it helps justify the series’ premise, because it wouldn’t have even got off the ground without Brennan and her team, much less been solved.  It’s good that in the first episode it’s Brennan who solves the case; it helps to keep her involved as well as with the character stuff.

Brennan:

She’s harsh and somewhat abrasive, but I’m a lot more sympathetic to Brennan than to Booth in this episode.  Through her conversations with Angela and the insights into her back story we already get some indication of how she got to where she is now, and these things also make here character interesting and make me want to find out more.  Or maybe it’s just because determined, oblivious women have a lot more appeal to me than smarmy, arrogant guys.

Booth:

I understand why a lot of the FBI stuff was phased out of the series, but at this stage it’s good to see him operating as part of a larger structure, and I always enjoyed the interaction with Cullen.  Booth’s old office was pretty minging too.

Ships and Anvils:

Brennan and Booth are established as the couple to watch from the get go, but it’s equally obvious that it’s going to be a long time coming.  The firing range scene establishes the sexual tension, but I think “I don’t care if men like me” in the conversation with Angela is also important in establishing where things are going.

Other Characters:

Early Angela was really wonderful, lots of fun, but also intuitive and understanding.  Here we see her being a great friend to Brennan, but she’s also sympathetic to Booth.  I think if any character has got a raw deal as the series progressed it’s been Angela, and I hope that turns around in season five.  At this stage she’s the most fully developed and rounded of the supporting cast: Zack and Hodgins seem likeable, but with most of the attention necessarily devoted to Brennan in this episode, all we really learn about them is that Zack is a loveable nerd with an innocent crush on his boss, and Hodgins is an anti-authoritarian conspiracy theorist.  (Watching this episode again made me really realize how much character development Hodgins has undergone).

Best Line:

Zack: “How much warning did you give people before you sniped them?”

…or maybe, “FISH!!!”

Random Stuff:

-         The hand of Fox is on this episode (or a desperate attempt to attract the male demographic), but at least not as much as in many other Fox pilots.  We get to see Angela’s fancy underwear, and Brennan appears to sleep in a strappy top and push up bra…

-         The exposition of Brennan’s backstory is fairly awkward, both when Pete comes to pick up the television, and when Angela explains to Booth – but it’s somewhat justifiable, as this is stuff they really need to get into the pilot.

-         In these early episodes, there was a humungous black Jeffersonian van that came to crime scenes.  I wonder why it disappeared; I suppose because it didn’t really serve any point.

-         I really hate gum, so that scene with the senator totally grosses me out.

-         OK, it’s dark, but Oliver Laurier has a pretty nice apartment for a guy who lives in DC and makes his living handing out tracts.

Bones Fashion:

-         Zack tells Brennan, “the eco-warrior look works for you” and he’s right.  However, he outfit at the funeral is really unflattering.  Her dress sense has really changed over the last four years.

-         Season one Zack is adorable; he’s such a mess, but also kind of really cute.

-         Hodgin’s trousers at the funeral, OMG. 

-         I’m probably the only one, but I like the belt buckle Booth wears in season one a lot more than the cocky belt buckle.