For those of you who have forgotten, Bones was a fantastic crime procedural drama that lasted for 12 seasons and aired from 2005 up until 2017. It followed the escapades of forensic anthropologist Temperance ‘Bones’ Brennan and Special Agent Seeley Booth (who shared amazing chemistry) as they teamed up to investigate suspicious deaths.
Brennan’s specialty lay in determining vital information from bodies that were severely damaged beyond all recognition. The show itself was a mix of comedy and drama but despite the series having garnered a large fanbase, there were still a lot of storylines that were left hanging after the series finale.
The Sheer Amount Of Trauma Inflicted Upon The Cast
Bones didn’t just focus on Brennan and Booth. In fact, the show had quite a large cast. Brennan needed help at the Jeffersonian Institute, and so she had support from Jack Hodgins, Angela Montenegro, and Camille Saroyan. Booth was also assisted by Lance Sweets and Special Agent James Aubrey.
Throughout the 12 years the series spent on air, the main cast went through an awful lot. Some were kidnapped, paralyzed, beaten, and even killed. The peculiar thing was that this amount of trauma was barely mentioned after a couple of episodes.
Booth’s Brain Tumor
In Season 4, something was going on with Booth. When he was kidnapped by the Gravedigger, he saw the ‘ghost’ of one of his old friends who had died during battle. Then, when Brennan asked if he would donate his sperm so that she could have a baby, Booth began seeing Stewie from Family Guy.
It was this last encounter that tipped Brennan off and she shipped off Booth for an MRI. Unfortunately, it transpired that Booth had a brain tumor. The doctors operated immediately and everything went like clockwork, but Booth’s memory loss as a result of the procedure was never mentioned again.
What Happened To Wendell?
Wendell Bray was easily one of the best interns on Brennan’s team. Wendell definitely went through the wringer on Bones. As with most of the other interns, Wendell first appeared in Season 4 to help fill in the void left by the sudden incarceration of Zack Addy. He went on to have many significant storylines.
Wendell’s first major story arc was when he was diagnosed with cancer. This plot showed a vulnerable side to Wendell but again, once he beat it, it was like it had never happened. Secondly, in the last season, Brennan told Wendell that she didn’t think he was cut out to be an anthropologist. So what did he do next?
Jared Booth
With the exception of his grandfather, Booth’s relationship with his family was portrayed as slightly rocky. It was established fairly early on that his father was very abusive towards his wife and sons and that he was also an alcoholic. Unfortunately, Booth’s brother, Jared, seemed to turn out like his dad.
Jared was never abusive towards anyone but he did also suffer from a drinking problem. He was also selfish and used his brother to escape punishment. After the early seasons, Jared disappeared from the show until his death in Season 11. It would have been nice to see him and Booth repair their relationship.
Zack’s Life After The Psychiatric Hospital
Dr. Zack Addy was Brennan’s assistant and part of the main cast for the first three seasons of Bones. He was incredibly smart and, like his mentor, seemed to have a weak grasp of current pop culture references. He got on well with the rest of the team though, even after they learned he was working with Gormogon.
Gormogon was a serial killer who was allegedly training Zack to be his apprentice. Zack was then locked up until the final season, when his friends at the Jeffersonian were able to free him. Although the show had ended, it would have been interesting to see how Zack would have coped with being a free man again.
The Mystery Of Daniel Goodman
For all the unexplained storylines in the show, this one is probably the most bizarre. Daniel Goodman wasn’t just a side character in Season 1, he was part of the main cast and the Director of the Jeffersonian to boot. He played an important role in the show, right up until the second season’s premiere.
In the first episode of Season 2, it was explained that Goodman had gone on a ’two-month sabbatical’. This was fine at the time since everyone assumed he would be back at some point. However, Goodman never returned and Cam took over his role, with Goodman never being mentioned ever again.
The Gravedigger
Technically, the Gravedigger’s storyline was almost finished in Season 6 but the way she was finished off just seemed lazy. Heather Taffet had tormented half the team at the Jeffersonian before her eventual capture and she had made for quite the interesting antagonist.
Unfortunately, she was then killed off minutes into what would be her final episode. It was actually quite anticlimactic as she was shot in the head, dying instantaneously. While this was a rubbish send-off, she still had so much potential as a great villain for Booth, Brennan and the rest of the team to face off against.
Angela And Hodgins’s Unborn Child
In Season 6, Angela and Hodgins were expecting their first child and so they were understandably excited and nervous. They were also the first couple to start a family together on the show. However, there was a 25% chance of their child being born blind due to both Angela and Hodgins being LCA carriers.
Fortunately, however, upon birth, their son appeared to be able to see perfectly fine and so all was well. This was forgotten about until Angela became pregnant again in Season 12. Due to the show ending before their child was born, viewers never knew if their second child was blind or not.
Lance Sweets’s Death
Lance Sweets was an incredibly popular character on Bones and he definitely had a lasting impact on all of the other characters. Sweets was particularly close to Booth and Brennan as he acted as their psychologist early on in the series. When and Daisy broke up, he moved in with the couple who enjoyed his company.
Sweets was basically adorable in every way, which was why when he was killed off, everyone was devastated. While Sweets’s demise was sad and tragic, it felt a bit unnecessary. The episode in which he died wasn’t even focused on the character and he left Daisy carrying their unborn child.
Christopher Pelant
Pelant was easily the best villain that the series ever came up with as he was cocky, clever, and terrifyingly dangerous. He knew everyone’s weak spot and how to push their buttons, which made for an absolutely enthralling antagonist. He was particularly obsessed with Dr. Temperance Brennan.
However, Pelant’s reign of terror came to an abrupt end in Season 9 when Booth finally shot and killed him. Viewers were left wondering, though, could it really have been that easy? This was further reinforced when Pelant appeared in the Season 10 finale, taunting Brennan via a pre-recorded message.
