|
|
 |
Bones: The Complete Sixth Season - Cradle to the Grave Edition
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Ethan Stevenson (29th January 2012). |
|
The Show
 Procedural crime dramas are a dime-a-dozen on TV. And that statement has been true for years. Since “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” (2000-present), the forensic procedural has become a particularly popular subgenre of the primetime staple: a cop-drama, but not, because they focus less on the Lenny Briscoe’s of the world and more on the Gil Grissom’s and Jordan Cavanagh’s. Debuting on the Fox network in 2005, “Bones”, based on real-life forensic anthologist Kathy Reichs’ popular series of novels, is a procedural that’s really no different than a dozen other shows. Except, actually it is sort of different, in one very small—but very important—way. And now in its sixth season, that tiny difference means everything. I watched the first couple of seasons of “Bones”, initially interested because it starred the guy who played Angel in two Joss Whedon’s series, and they really kept to that typical forensic crime-drama formula: focused more on the cases, than the characters. And, so I stopped actively watching and instead followed by proxy, because my parents love the show, hearing what sounded like a change in direction for the better. (I still haven’t seen every episode—I’m a casual viewer, who’s seen more episodes in syndication than on the Thursday night FOX lineup.) And change it did. Creator Hart Hanson changed the game, and the show, keeping it from stagnating into a familiar, formulaic bore. Over the course of the last few seasons Hanson has smartly shifted the spotlight onto social-inept and awkward Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel, sister of blue-eyed hipster girl Zooey and daughter of academy-award nominated cinematographer Caleb) and her team at the Jeffersonian Institute in Washington, D.C., who assist in solving cases alongside FBI Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz). Rather quickly, it became the characters—and not the cases—that were important to the overall direction of the seasons and the series. Of course, some of character interactions—namely between Brennan and Booth, who’ve had a will-they-or-won’t-they friendship-relationship in the Mulder-Scully fashion since the near-beginning—are familiar. But Hanson and his writing team do unusual things—usually darkly comedic things—to shake it up. For one, Booth and Brennan have the constant interference of Dr. Lance Sweets (John Francis Daley), the boy-faced psychiatrist that’s talked them through counseling since season three. Also, the show isn’t just about the cop and the doctor, both with alliterative B-names. Temperance’s team—her best friend Angela (Michaela Conlin), a forensic artist, Hodgins (T.J. Thyne), the conspiracy-obsessed entomologist, their boss Dr. Camille Saroyan (Tamara Taylor), and a recurring cast of lowly interns and students, chiefly Wendell Bray (Michael Grant Terry), a smart student on scholarship—have had considerable time devoted to their development and own relationships and subplots throughout the series. Season five ended with the complete disbandment of the team, but not before Booth and Brennan put their feelings for each other out in the open. Fitting for a season finale, each elected to hold off on following though with their feelings for a year: a hiatus, if you will. Brennan went off to study in the field; Booth went to Afghanistan to train soldiers. It turns out, as season six begins, funding dried up in Brennan and Booth’s absence and almost everyone else fled the Jeffersonian too. Sweets put on a fedora and took up the piano. Cam took a job in the government. And Wendell lost his scholarship… again. It’s only Angela and Hodgins, now married, who have any happy news; they’re expecting a baby. Season six includes what’s probably the final wrench in the plan to make the Booth-Brennan relationship a reality. When Seeley returns from the Middle East, he does so with a new girlfriend, Hannah (Katheryn Winnick), a war correspondent he met in Afghanistan. And although she’s happy for him, it’s clear the usually emotionally reserved and social-stunted Brennan is hurt, just a little, by the turn of events. The turn alters the main duo’s dynamic just enough to make the storyline fresh again, while still traipsing on familiar ground. The subplot comes to a boiling point in “The Blackout in the Blizzard”, one of the better—possibly best—episodes of the season. But don’t think for a second that just because Booth and Brennan have considerable time devoted to them, the others are left untouched. With the introduction of Hannah, Sweets salivates over the psychosis of Brennan and Booth two-some gone threesome, while dealing with his own troubled on-again/off-again relationship with Daisy (Carla Gallo). Cam has to deal, further, with her increasingly uncontrollable stepdaughter. And Angela and Hodgins have the pesky pregnancy, and all the mood-swinging and false-labor inducing insanity that comes with it. Those fans looking for more crime-themed subplots need look no further than the conclusion of the epic, five-season spanning, Grave Digger arc. But the death of Heather Taffet (Deirdre Lovejoy), the serial-killer attorney with the alter ego who shares a name with a deathly monster truck, only brings a new villain to light—a sniper named Jacob Broadsky (Arnold Vosloo), who has connections to Booth’s past. It’s a rare thing that a show is still entertaining—and not horribly stale—in its sixth season, but unbelievably, “Bones” still delivers with dark humor and finely acted, well-developed characters. As a piece of sorta-predictable TV procedural crime fiction, “Bones” is one of the best. But it’s still only a predicable procedural, and is not among TV’s true cream of the crop, strong characters or no. It’s certainly good, but definitely not great. “Bones: The Complete Sixth Season” includes all 23 episodes from the original broadcast run on four discs (two episodes—“The Daredevil in the Mold” and the “Bikini in the Soup” are given the “extended” treatment and offer both the TV and longer, disc-exclusive, cuts). The episodes are: - “The Mastodon in the Room”—The team returns to the Jeffersonian to help Cam with a controversial case involving the remains of an unidentified child. - “The Couple in the Cave”—A gruesome discovery at a national park leads to an investigation. Meanwhile, the unexpected appearance of Booth’s girlfriend causes Brennan to re-evaluate her relationship with him. - “The Maggots in the Meathead”—Booth and Brennan encounter a deadly situation at the Jersey Shore. Meanwhile, Booth and Hannah prepare to take their relationship to the next level. - “The Body and the Bounty”—The decaying head and hands of a bounty hunter lead the team to an unexpected suspect. Meanwhile, Brennan gets a new “squintern”: Professor Bunsen Jude (guest-star David Alan Grier), the science dude! - “The Bones That Weren’t”—The team investigates the murder of a former ballet dancer turned hip-hop street performer. Meanwhile, Hannah is shot while conducting an investigation of her own. - “The Shallow In The Deep”—The investigation of a young man’s body bound amid the remains of a slave ship leads Booth, Brennan and Sweets aboard a different type of ship: a Cougar Cruise! - “The Babe in the Bar”—Booth and Brennan are called to investigate when the world’s largest chocolate bar is discovered to contain a creamy human center. Meanwhile, Cam is upset by stepdaughter Michelle’s (Tiffany Hines) choice of college. - “The Twisted Bones in the Melted Truck”—A body found melted into the dashboard of a burned car leads Booth and Brennan to the halls of a local high school. - “The Doctor in the Photo”—Brennan is both intrigued and distressed when she closely identifies with a murder victim, a brilliant doctor who resembles Brennan is more ways than one. - “The Body in the Bag”—A days-old corpse found in a shower leads Brennan and Booth to a Chinatown herb shop and a counterfeit purse operation. Meanwhile, Booth tells Hannah about Brennan’s feelings for him. - “The Bullet in the Brain”—The hunt is on when a sniper’s bullet takes the Grave Digger down for good. - “The Sin in the Sisterhood”—Jealousy among sister-wives may provide a motive for murder of a polygamist found dead in a cornfield. Meanwhile, Cam seeks relationship advice. - “The Daredevil in The Mold”—The death of a bicycle stunt-rider leads the team to a BMX Park. Meanwhile, Booth and Sweets both make plans for marriage proposals. - “The Bikini in the Soup”—Valentine’s Day brings love, romance and murder as the team investigates the liquefied remains of a wedding planner found stewing in a tanning bed. - “The Killer in the Crosshairs”—Booth comes face-to-face with Jacob Broadsky as the vigilante sniper sets his sights on another victim. Elsewhere, with some help from her father (Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, guest starring as himself (!)), Angela and Hodgins try to decide on a name for their baby. - “The Blackout in the Blizzard”—A power outage traps Booth and Brennan in an elevator and forces a murder investigation to go low-tech. Meanwhile, Angela and Hodgins face a frightening discovery. - “The Feet on the Beach”—Brennan reluctantly teams up with a Canadian forensic podiatrist (Scott Lowell) when eleven human feet are found on the border between the U.S. and Canada. - “The Truth in the Myth”—The host of a television “Mythbuster”-type show is found murdered, and the evidence points to a mythical blood-sucking creature known as the Chupacabra. - “The Finder”—A mysterious death in the Florida everglades leads Booth to call Walter Sherman (Geoff Stults), a strange man with the uncanny ability to locate anything. - “The Pinocchio in the Planter”—The team investigates the death of a wealthy advertising executive whose personal policy of uncompromising honesty had made the man numerous enemies. - “The Signs in the Silence”—The team works to uncover the identity of a young, deaf girl who is suspected of murder. Meanwhile, Hodgins and the very pregnant Angela make a disastrous trip to the hospital. - “The Hole in the Heart”—the hunter becomes the hunted as Booth focuses all of his efforts on capturing Jacob Broadsky, the rouge sniper. - “The Change in the Game”—Booth and Brennan go undercover and join a bowling team when the unidentifiable and gruesome remains of a male bowler are found at a bowling alley. Meanwhile, Angela anticipates going into labor at any moment but continues to work diligently.
Video
“Bones” made the move from 35mm film to HD video a few season’s ago and it’s been a smooth transition (in more ways than one). In broadcast, the older episodes always had a few unusually grainy shots interspersed throughout—an odd anomaly that hasn’t appeared in season’s five and six. But, the graininess aside, the older seasons looked cinematic and filmic, something that the newer seasons don’t. The digital photography of season five-on also lends the series a polished, smooth, but somewhat flat look that’s unmistakably video-based. That’s not to say the show transfers terribly to Blu-ray. Far from it, actually—the sixth season is sharp, with nicely saturated colors and deep blacks, and artifact free. A few fleeting moments of aliasing aside, the 4-disc set’s 23 1.78:1 widescreen 1080p 24/fps AVC MPEG-4 encoded transfers are basically flawless, making waste of the broadcast versions. “Bones” generally looks excellent for a TV show on Blu-ray. But the series looks like a TV show, and would never be mistaken for a feature film.
Audio
Likewise, the 23 English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks are good (48kHz/24-bit)—approaching greatness for TV—but can’t compete with better-budgeted theatrical releases. A few episodes come close; “The Daredevil in the Mold” features a ton of rear activity from the scenes with BMX tricks backed by blaring music, for instance. Light on atmospherics, and not quite as dimensional or dynamic as bigger feature mixes, “Bones” lacks low end LFE and sounds quite small. But, most episodes have consistently intelligible dialog, but are front focused, low-key affairs, with the main theme by The Crystal Method the most energetic thing in the entire runtime. Each episode also includes optional subtitles in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese.
Extras
Despite the promising “Cradle to the Grave Edition” subtitle, “Bones: The Complete Sixth Season” includes a surprisingly small, if serviceable, selection of supplements: a gag reel, two audio commentaries, two extended episodes, two featurettes, a bonus episode of the 20th Century Fox-produced “The Killing” and a bonus trailer. Somewhat unusually, although Fox has authored the sixth season of “Bones” with optional bookmarks and the resume playback function, the set doesn’t appear to come with the useful "SeasonMode" feature found on many of the distributor’s other Blu-ray boxsets. DISC ONE: The only extra on disc one is a pre-menu bonus trailer promoting "Fox TV on Blu-ray and DVD" (1080p, 1 minute 3 seconds). DISC TWO: The second disc includes the first of the set’s two audio commentaries. “The Doctor in the Photo” features commentary from series creator Hart Hanson, producer Stephen Nathan and episode director Ian Toynton. The track is a decent listen—fans will probably find plenty to indulge in the production particulars—but I’m a little surprised at how unpolished the trio’s talk really is. They interrupt each other, occasionally lapse into describing the action on screen and leave a few dead spaces too. Hardly the stuff you’d expect from a top members of a production team who’s been doing commentaries on an established show for six years now. That’s not to say they don’t offer a least superficial insights, and the intermittent factoid that’s actually interesting—they do with routine regularity, as a matter of fact—I’m just taken aback at the messiness of it all. DISC THREE: Extended episodes—two episodes on disc two are offered in an "extended cut", slightly longer from their broadcast form. “The Daredevil in the Mold” (1080p, 46 minutes 45 seconds) and “”The Bikini in the Soup” (1080p, 44 minutes 58 seconds) are both extended by about three minutes. The better audio commentary (by far) of season six’s two tracks is the one included on disc three. “The Blackout in the Blizzard” features optional audio commentary from Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz. It’s a terrific track for two reasons: Deschanel and her co-star have a solid rapport making for a fun conversation between two friends, whose characters on the show just happen to have a more complicated relationship (the episode’s subject matter also gives them plenty to talk about in that regard). But secondly, and perhaps more importantly, Boreanaz helmed the episode from behind the camera too, so he does (dutiful) double duty as actor and director on this track, giving it a decidedly different tone than the messier discussion found on disc two. Want a less satisfying, more superficial and shorter version of the commentary, with more voices (and faces) offering input? Look no further than “Breaking Down: ‘The Blackout in the Blizzard” (1080p, 8 minutes 22 seconds), a featurette in which the cast and crew talk about season six’s Boreanaz-directed bottle episode. DISC FOUR: Season six’s final disc kicks off with a gag reel (1080p, 4 minutes 24 seconds). Executive producer Stephen Nathan, actors John Francis Daley and T.J. Thyne, visual effects supervisor Christian Cardona and others talk about expanding sets (and creating faraway locations from backdrops of Washington D.C. to the sunny beaches of Florida) with green screening, making more murderous makeup for the corpses and—very subtly—enhancing the show through CGI in a featurette titled “The Visual Effects of ‘Bones’” (1080p, 11 minutes 50 seconds). The talking head interviews run the gamut—some annoyingly self-serving and superficial, others quite interesting—but the copious amount of behind-the-scenes material, from composite breakdowns to scene deconstructions and even simple things like color grading, are well worth watching for fans. As an added bonus—or gross cross-promotion, take your pick—Fox has also included a full episode of Veena Sud’s hit AMC series “The Killing” (2011-present), starring Mireille Enos, Joel Kinnaman, Michelle Forbes and Billy Campbell. A remake of the Danish series “Forbrydelsen” (2007-present), set in soggy Seattle, the show follows a woman’s investigation into the murder of a young girl. Fittingly, Fox has included the series’ “Pilot” (1080p, 45 minutes 31 seconds) directed by Patty Jenkins. It’s a great episode, of mostly-good series, and I bet most watching will by dying to know one thing by the end, like the rest of us who watched when it aired: Who killed Rosie Larsen? Disappointingly, the episode only includes lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 sound. Those wanting to watch with lossless surround will have to wait for the full season Blu-ray release coming soon.
Packaging
“Bones: The Complete Sixth Season – Cradle to the Grave Edition” arrives on Blu-ray from Fox Home Entertainment in a 4-disc package. The set includes all 23 episodes from the series’ sixth season across 4 dual-layer BD-50 discs and is reportedly locked to region A.
Overall
Even as a casual watcher of the series—and not typically a fan of procedural primetime crime-drama—I admit, what “Bones” does, it does well. The easily foreseeable forensic mystery plots in each episode aren’t really the focus. The characters are. And well acted by the actors who portray them, those characters are surprisingly developed for an otherwise at-times clichéd crime drama. The Blu-ray release of “Bones: The Complete Sixth Season” features fine video and audio qualities and a serviceable selection of extras. Recommended for fans.
|
|||||
|