Thank You "Bones", For Everything!

Well, the day is finally here. The Bones series finale airs tonight, and I am experiencing an overwhelming multitude of emotions. While I am mostly feeling very sad that my favorite show is about to take its final bow, I am also excited to see how it ends, and I am feeling mostly hopeful. I have mentioned previously that I want to try to process my emotions through my writing, so I will attempt to do that now. This will be my thank you letter, to both the show and the amazing cast and crew who have made the last twelve seasons possible and great. Additionally, it will serve as a way for me to get nostalgic as I look back at everything. This will be detailed, and very long. But, it also won't include everything, because some things are reserved for my series wrap-up post. I hope that you enjoy! 

*Additionally, I wanted to talk about my viewing history with the show. It may not be interesting to read, but I still thought it was important to include. If you don't want to read it, you are welcome to skip to the third paragraph* 

The first episode of Bones I ever watched, was Season 3's "Intern in the Incinerator". Back then, (2008) I did not watch as much television as I do now, and I certainly had not yet discovered the wonders of the Internet, (former luddite alert). As a result, I had never heard of Bones, and did not even know that is was what I had been watching. I filed it away as a cool episode of tv, and unfortunately did not think much about it until years later. 

Flash forward to August of 2011. I was on vacation and visiting family. We had some down time in the hotel room, so I flipped to a random channel. Thank goodness the channel happened to have Bones re-runs on, or this story could have been very different. The episodes were Season 2's incredible "Judas on a Pole", and "The Man in the Mansion". After that day, my life changed. I know it seems cliched and hyperbolic when people say that, but in this case it is absolutely true. After seeing those two episodes, I understood that I had just watched something brilliant. As it turned out, the family we were visiting that week, were massive Bones fans, and they introduced me to the wonders of Netflix, where five seasons were waiting for me when I got home from the trip. By then, I had become friends with the Internet, and I started scouring it for as much information about the show as I could find. My sister and I then spent the following seven months making our way through the first six seasons, (and watching the newest and seventh season live). It was during this initial Netflix watch that I realized that I had in fact seen "Intern in the Incinerator" live, and I sometimes kick myself for not realizing it at the time, because I could have been in this fandom for so much longer. However, I think that the show found me when I needed it most. I also don't think it was an accident. My favorite quote from the entire series is "Everything happens eventually", and I think that is applicable to me finding the show too. It was always going to happen, it just took some extra time.

The rest of 2011, and most of 2012, was spent immersed in the world of Bones. At the time, I was struggling through my senior year of high school, and was mostly feeling very very lost, confused, and upset. It was around that time, that I realized that I had depression. I had already known that I had really bad anxiety, but because I left it un-managed, it teamed up with depression, to create what I like to refer to as the "toxic twins". In conjunction with all of this, I was going through the transitional struggles of any teenager. I did not know what I wanted to do with my life, I felt the overwhelming pressure to compete with my peers, I had a toxic family dynamic, and I hated going to school. Back then, I really did not know how to be my own person. I did not know what I wanted from life, or the people around me, and I also did not know how to ask for help. I was in a dark place, I was angry when I wasn't sad, and I often did not see things improving. However, despite all of the inner turmoil I was experiencing, Bones was there for me. 

As an important aside, to anyone who ever tries to argue against the importance and value of art, I say a very sincere "Fuck You" to those people, because art and storytelling have the power to change lives, and save them! Bones is one of the three most important pieces of storytelling I have ever experienced. (The other two being Rent and The LBD). This show matters! It has mattered since I first started watching, and will always matter to me! It has been there during many personal struggles, but it has also been there for some of the greatest joys in my life. For the past five and a half years, this show, this fandom, the cast and the crew really have been part of my family. While I will never be ready to say goodbye tonight, I still thought I would say thank you. The rest of the post will be devoted to trying to articulate how special this show is to me, and giving some individual thank you's. 

Thank you, Bones for giving me well-rounded, diverse, dynamic, strong, flawed, and incredible female characters. Brennan is probably my favorite fictional character ever, because she is portrayed with such nuance, strength, and heart. Thank you to Hart Hanson for deciding to create a show that centered on such a brilliant and dynamic woman, and thank you, Kathy Reichs for existing, and for being the inspiration for this show. Thank you to every writer, who brought a new component to Brennan's characterization. Thank you for making her flawed, because it made her real. Thank you for giving her realistic growth over twelve seasons, and thank you for giving her other strong women as friends. Thank you, Emily Deschanel for being a strong and wonderful woman. Thank you for playing Brennan in such an earnest and heartfelt way. 

Thank you for having diverse women in positions of power. Thank you for making Cam strong, tough, brilliant, and powerful, without reducing her to a stereotype, or having other people feel threatened by her. It would have been all too easy to make her character a male, so thank you for not doing that. Representation matters, so thank you for making Cam exactly who she is. Thank you, Tamara Taylor for portraying Cam with nuance, and humor. (Also, for rocking the hell out of many a nice dress). I appreciate having multiple strong female role-models on this show, so thank you for being one of them. 

Thank you for having a character that is openly bisexual, and whose sexuality is not questioned or ridiculed. This is so important to see represented, so thank you for making this part of Angela's characterization! Angela is such a great character because she has so many facets to her personality. She is smart, creative, passionate, energetic, complex, and beautiful. Additionally, the friendship between her and Brennan is beautiful to witness, They truly make each other better, by supporting each other, but also being there to tell each other uncomfortable truths when they need to hear them. Thank you, Michaela Conlin, for portraying Angela with such warmth, and making her a character that is so full of compassion and love. 

Part of what makes this show work so well is because of these three women. Their dynamic is integral to the team dynamic, and it is what keeps the show balanced. Thank you, Bones for these amazing women! 

Thank you, Bones for creating honest and healthy depictions of marriage, and for creating some of the greatest fictional couples, ever! Booth and Brennan really are the best couple, and watching their growth as both individuals and as a couple, has been beautiful to witness. Their relationship has been portrayed with such nuance by David and Emily, and the dynamic would not have worked nearly as well without them. Thank you for bringing the most to every performance, and for making Booth and Brennan's love feel so real. Thank you for showing the complexities of real relationships, but still showing the deep love two people can have for each other. Thank you for every longing glace, sizzle of chemistry, and deep display of passionate love! 

Thank you for giving us more than one couple to root for. Angela and Hodgins have also had complex obstacles thrown their way, but they have overcome them in ways that are so realistic, and so beautiful. Thank you for showing that despite hardships, relationships can still be healthy, vibrant and functional. 

Thank you for showing diverse couples. Cam and Arastoo are two of the most loving characters, and they are so so well matched. Thank you for showing Cam's softer side with this relationship, and for letting her relationship with Arastoo flourish! Thank you, Pej, for portraying Arastoo with such compassion, integrity, and heart. 

Thank you for making your male characters well-rounded. It is important to have balanced characters across the board, and it would have been easy to make Hodgins feel like an unapproachable conspiracy nut, Zack a socially inept, and out-of-touch egg-head, Sweets an endearing, but unimportant therapist, Aubrey a gimmicky caricature, and Booth brainless, aggressive, and cruel. Instead, all of these characters were given extensive and layered backgrounds, that made us root for them. We already had amazing, layered women, but having characters like Booth and Hodgins brought the balance the show needed. Thank you for giving us characters who have emotional scars that they are not afraid to display, and for making them have moments of honest growth and change. Thank you to TJ Thyne, David Boreanaz, Eric Millegan, John Francis Daley, and John Boyd for giving great performances, and for bringing nuances to every facet of your characterizations. 

Thank you, Bones for making your minor characters just as defined and nuanced as your main characters. Each squintern brought something unique to the Jeffersonian dynamic, and they are just as much a part of the family as those who have been here since the start. Thank you, Pej, Eugene, Michael, Laura, Carla, Joel, Luke, Brian, Ryan, and Ignaccio for every single performance. You are all incredible actors, and amazing people, and I look forward to what you do next! 

Thank you to every writer who has ever worked on this show, whether you were a showrunner, staff writer, assistant, PA, or script supervisor. Whether you have been with the show since day one, or you joined recently. Whether you wrote twenty episodes, or just one. Thank you, Thank you,Thank you! This show is so special and important because of your words. You gave these characters life, and you gave them voices, and you made them resonate with people. I am grateful for all of the hard work, and countless hours that went into your writing, because I know how hard it is, and I bet that in reality it was even harder. I wish every single one of you continued success; you deserve it! 

Thank you to the entire Bones crew! To every camera operator, line producer, director, hair/wardrobe coordinator, PA, Craft's service person, stunt person, sound operator, set designer, editor, casting director, and props person. This show turned into a success because of all of your hard work. Every individual job you did was valuable, so thank you to anyone who has ever been a part of the Bones crew. 

Thank you to every guest star, and extra. Whether you played a central part, or were just part of the background, you were important, and I am grateful for you. 

Thank you to the critics and entertainment journalists who have always been in our corner. Thank you to the lovely people at TV Guide, BuddyTV, TV Fanatic, and to Michael Ausiello, of TVLine. Your long time coverage and support of our show means a lot. I am grateful for all of the behind-the-scenes insight, interviews, commentary, spoilers, and adoration you have given us over the years. We have always been an underappreciated show, so thank you for seeing the value of Bones, when others did not. 

Thank you to the fandom. I seldom interacted with you, because I am not huge on social media, but I appreciate everything you have done to make this a vibrant community. We all share a deep love for this show, and it has been nice to see how Bones has impacted your lives too. For every gif, fan video, fan art, fanfic, blog post, meta commentary, and appreciation post, thank you! Seeing the amazing talent of so many of you brings me joy, and it brings me closer to the show I love more than any other. Even if I never spoke to you directly, know that I am grateful for you. This fandom is special because of you! I know that saying goodbye to the show is going to be very hard for us all, but at least we will have each other to lean on in the coming days and weeks. 

Finally, thank you to Hart Hanson, Stephan Nathan, Micheal Peterson, Jonathan Collier, and Kathy Reichs. Thank you Kathy, for being the incredible woman that you are, and for being an incredible writer. Thank you Micheal and Jonathan for taking over as showrunners when Hart and Stephan left, You both did such an amazing job, and thank you for bringing the series to (what I know will be an amazing) close. Thank you Stephan Nathan for playing such an integral role in the writing process. Thank you Hart Hanson for deciding that this was a story worth telling, and for starting it all. 

My life has changed a lot since 2011, with both highs and lows, but Bones has always been there for me. At this point, I am very close to graduating from college, and I have a better handle on both my depression and anxiety. I still don't always know what to do with my life, but I have some ideas. I am less concerned with the viewpoints of others, and more concerned with my own personal growth. I have a better idea of who I am, and I am overall, much happier. Things are still not perfect, because they were never going to be, but despite the challenges of adulthood, I am excited about the future. Even though the future will exist without my Bones family, these characters, people, and show will always be a part of me. I will always be: Chloe Leadbetter, Bonehead. I will continue to take this show with me throughout every struggle, and every triumph, so while I am very sad to be saying goodbye, I know that it is more of a "until we meet again" deal, and I am feeling hopeful about the future. I am hopeful for these characters, for the cast and crew, for the fandom, and for myself. Thank you Bones, for everything! I love you, and I will miss you, but I know that I will always re-visit you. 

Okay, that is everything I want to say for now. I will be back tomorrow to say a real goodbye, and do my series wrap up post. Until then, I wish you all a very good finale day!