Bones: An End of an Era

September 13, 2005 would be a date that I still remember. I was just in my second year in high school, that was also the night of the season premiere of the second best medical show on television, House, MD. but mostly a new series premiered. Jumping to 12 years later, we say goodbye that's been a part of my life.

Bones was a show that really got my attention with it's series trailer, something that looked like a familiar crime drama but with a different take on it. Watching a Forensic Anthropologist on television seemed new and watching how this character could solve a murder by look at the bones was just completely a game changer in my book. And as soon after the pilot premiere, I was hooked to these characters, but mostly Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan.

Temperance (Emily Deschanael) is one of the most interesting characters that I've seen in years on television. She's different, new and she can really kick ass unlike any other female character. Watching her, I just feel connected to her even if I didn't know a lot of the science behind all of the science stuff. And along with her are some of the most interesting and so well balanced supporting characters. The balance and chemistry between Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) might looked the same to other crime series partners like Scully and Mulder but this was different as each of them learned from each other's strength and knowledge and learned.

If you look back at each season, you could really named each season a a chapter section. There have been many, many episodes that have been truly my favorite. The pilot really tops the list because it's where we are introduced to the characters.

Here's my favorite episodes from the show:
Season one: "The Man In the SUV", "A Man on Death Row", "The Woman in the Airport", "Two Bodies in the Lab" (this episode really got the ball rolling on how strong Brennan and Booth partnership), "The Man in the Morgue" and "The Woman in Limbo."

Season Two: "The Titan on the Tracks", "Aliens in the Spaceship", "Judas on the Pole" (my personal favorite).

Season Three: This my be one of my favorite seasons still to this day. "The Widow's Son in the Windshield", "Soccer Mom in the Mini-Van", "Death in the Saddle" (a hilarious episode), "The Santa in the Slush" (all time favorite Christmas episode), "The Baby in the Bough" (personal favorite), "The Wannabe in the Weeds" and "The Pain in the Heart."

Season Four: This was another great season and probably my second favorite. "Yanks in the U.K." "The Finger in the Nest" (such an emotional but beautiful episode), "The He in the She", "The Con Man in the Meth Lab", "The Bone that Blew", "The Hero in the Hold", "The Critic in the Cabernet" and "The End in the Beginning".

Season Five:  "The Bond in the Boot", "The Plain in the Prodigy", A Night at the bone Museum", "The Garner in the Grease", "The X in the File", "The Death of the Queen Bee", "The Witch in the Wardrobe", "The Beginning in the End".

Season Six: "The Mastodon in the Room", The Couple in the Cave", The Bones That Weren't", "The Doctor in the Photo" (Another personal favorite), "The Body in the Bag", "The Blackout int he Blizzard", "The Finder", "The Hole in the Heart" and "The Change in the Game."

Season Seven: "The Memories in the Shallow Grave", "The Male in the Mail", The Twist in the Twister", "The Crack i the Code", "The Prisoner in the Pipe", "The Bump in the Road", "The Family in the Feud" and "The Past in the Present."

Season Eight: "The Future in the Past", The Tiger in the Tale", "The Patriot in the Purgatory", "The Maiden in the Mushrooms", "The Pathos in the Pathogens" and "The Secret in the Siege."

Season Nine: "The Secrets int he Proposal", "The Cheat in the Retreat", "The Woman in White", "The Nazi on the Honeymoon", "The Fury in the Jury", "The Drama in the Queen" and "The Recluse in the Recliner."

Season Ten:  "The Conspiracy in the Corpse", "The Lance to the Heart", "The Geek in the Guck", "The Puzzler in the Pit", "The 200th in the 10th", "The Teacher in the Books", "The Putter in the Rough", "The Verdict in the Victims", "The Next in the Last."

Season Eleven: "The Loyalty in the Lie", "The Brother in the Basement", "The Death in the Defense", "The Murder of the Meninist", "The Fight in the Fixer", "The Secret in the Service", "The Movie in the Making", "The Jewel in the Crown" and "The Nightmare within the Nightmare."

Season Twelve: (So far) "The Hope in the Horror", The Brian in the Bot", "The New Tricks in the Old Dogs", "The Flaw in the Saw",  "The Scare in the Score", "The Radioactive Panthers int he Party", "The Day in the Life" and I'm saying this no matter what because I know they'll give us a great ending "The End in the End."

How luck have we, the fans, have been to watch this show, (a little show that could) making it this long on television. Since the beginning I would compare both Brennan and Dr. House (from House) as a brother-sister type characters because they both stood strong and believed what they know and also they were on the same nights with each other (that's mostly why so please don't hate me on that).

But the reason why this show is so popular is not just the crime stories or the science (even though it's proven that this show has really given viewers inspirational to be someone like Bones), but mostly it's about family and how these characters learn and grow and they've have learned and grown in front of us. I'm proud to call them my family. And let's just say that every time I hear "Hot Blooded" I think of Bones and Booth.

As the hours tick to minutes and as the minutes tick to seconds til tonight's series finale, I would just want to finish this off by just saying thank you to the creators, the cast and crew of Bones. For the past 12 seasons there have been a lot of laughs, tears and memorable moments that I'll still remember after the show has ended. I know that tonight's finale will be a tear-jerking emotional one with I hope with a happy ending to say the least.

You can catch the series finale of Bones tonight at 9/8c on FOX.

Through the Eyes of a Cop: Shades Of Blue "Daddy's Girl"

For one case it brings one person to face his own demons, while Harlee's daughter is looking for her dad by asking one person.

"Daddy's Girl" was a very intense let a long well performed by Ray Liotta, probably his best performance on the show so far. When Woz and Harlee get a call of two drug overdose girls at a party, Woz takes matters into his own hands, because his own daughter killed herself while taking drugs.

Woz goes the distance in finding the man selling the supply and when he does he really pushes it to the guy as he tries to get answers. He pushes so far that he stuffs an entire small bag of them in the guy's mouth and gets him to spell, for which he did but needed an ambulance fast.

But it was after we see Woz walk out and headed towards his office with a look of almost relief and exhausted. He soon talks to his son and explains to him that it wasn't his fault that his sister killed herself that it was his and not only that apologies for not being there as a father but he still thinks that he's done right by his father and grandfather.

While Harlee tries to protect Woz and her crew from Intern Affairs, her daughter ask Stahl to find her daddy and hopes that he'll return. But instead of looking for him (because he's dead and all and they don't know that) he messages her as her father in one of the most creepiest ways possible.

But also Harlee tries to come to Julia about money laundry at a tavern that is connected with the mafia and after a couple of times Julia tries to tell Harlee to stop it. Harlee records the conversation but gets rid of it after listening to Woz about how she helped him back then with something personal.

This was a fantastic episode that Ray Liotta really shined. The expressions in his eyes was just unbelievably amazing. The writing was so so good and left us with s cliffhanger if you didn't see as Harlee was walking towards her car a guy was standing next to it and even talked to her about having a good night. He broke into her trunk of her car and done something. Hell I thought it was a bomb or something but in next week's episode looks like something that she'll be framed for which will be another intense episode for Harlee to overcome. Overall, I give this episode a 8.5/10.

You can catch Shades of Blue Sundays at 10/9c on NBC.

The Meaning of Things: Shades Of Blue "Ghost Hunt"

What Harlee thinks she knows is not really what Stahl wants at all.

"Ghost Hunt" started off very good and dramatic with such thrilling music playing between Harlee and Woz as they prepare for their morning. Harlee talks with her daughter, who seems to be quiet at times and yet not much to tell her mother about things, let along hanging out with her grandmother's place. While Woz is at home alone after his wife left him after learning his affair with David and just dwells over with booze til his son gets there.

Stahl and his FBI team head over to Harlee's place to take her in after the previous episode had Woz choking him almost to death. Harlee tells him that she can talk Woz down to a level that he'll help with his investigation but he'll have to give her some time and that's what he did and also mention that he's still looking into Miguel and tells her that he's been off the grid.

Woz has a plan and he does it without Harlee but she won't take no for an answer as she'll be along his side til all of this is over to say. He goes after the guy that ordered the bank robbery and tries to get him to show up at the park, but during a stake out, Woz thinks that he might not show and turns out he wasn't but was up on the roof about to take out one of his guys while seating with Harlee. Woz takes the guy and lies to Harlee about it.

But it wouldn't be too long til she figures that Woz has the guy but also gets a call about Christie stealing from a local grocery store. But after picking her up she heads to a local tavern where Woz left someone there and wanted her to let that guy go after spilling out about his boss to Woz.

It was later that Harlee figures out what Woz was doing and gets Stahl to meet her with their guy that they caught. Harlee explains to Stahl but that's not going to cut it with him and shoots the guy dead. There Stahl tells them that Julie was the one that killed his partner and we finally know the reason why he's going after her in the first place.

This was a very good episode and just like This Is Us, this show plays some great music for scenes that just brings the intense feeling to it. The relationship between Harlee, Woz and Stahl have been nothing but great television and this episode was just another level  I do worry about that Internal Affairs dude on where he's sniffing around the team investigating David's disappearance. There were some very good scenes with him and Harlee, mostly at the basement at the Tavern. I can't wait for the next episode to see where these characters goes next. Overall, I give this episode a 9/10.

You can catch Shades of Blue Sunday nights at 10/9c on NBC.

Difference of Opinion: Chicago Justice "Friendly Fire"

When a solider is found murdered, it'll lead Stone and the team to one secret that the victim was trying to fix what was right.

"Friendly Fire" could be one of the most intense episodes so far as there's a divided line between what's right and what's not and that's mostly coming from Jefferies and Stone.

When a solider is found murdered, the State's Attorney's office investigates and as it goes interviewing a waitress to even the victim's fiance nothing really was coming together til it just fell right to their lap or in this case on the victim's chest. The autopsy showed a USB disk in the victim's body for which he had kept in there. After trying to see what was in it, they finally saw that it was a video taking place during a mission that went totally wrong, killing someone that they were suppose to rescue and ended up covering it.

Stone and the team learns more that the victim had a book deal and was going to write a tell all book of his experience. Even more that also he sent a check of a lot of money to the victim's family that was killed on their mission because of guilt he had kept for so long. But soon they figure that this might be a cover up and which lead to the arrest of the victim's best friends and also solider buddies that were also on the mission too.

With leverage, Stone's got a slam dunk case, even after getting a judge permission to use the USB disk on trail. But here comes Jefferies and ordering him to not use the video in the case and after telling Stone he's opinion about it and a very specific one at that (because he served in Vietnam), soon Stone stands his grounds and tells him that he should and they conversation ended with if Stone uses it, make sure he has his resignation papers ready.

During the trail things were going good, Stone gave one of the suspect's testimony about what had happen and why him and his partner killed their best friend. But soon word of the tape was mention and after Stone saw Jefferies in the room, he went on using the tape and after all of that the jury found the suspect guilty.

Later on, Stone walks into Jefferies' office to hand him his resignation paper but he wasn't really gonna take it at all. But later we see Jefferies walking into the victim's father's bar and shared a drink with him and talked about medals and their experiences as well.

This was a very good episode along with this being Carl Weather's first time that we get to see his character evolved this time was pretty darn good. As much as I enjoyed the case, I was more into the Stone-Jefferies face of which was just intense and daring. Those two are gonna to make some excellent intense moments down the road. The writing was so good in this episode. Overall, I give this episode a 8.5/10.

You can catch Chicago Justice Sunday nights at 9/8c on NBC.

The Heart to the Floor: Grimm "Zerstorer Shrugged"

Okay. Okay. After waiting more than a few hours and eating the remainder of my birthday cake (2/3) to process last night's second-to-last episode of Grimm. All I have to say is that my emotional meter went haywire.

Picking up from where we left off, Nick and Eve tried to battle the Zerstorer, but nothing affected him. On the other side, Monroe, Adalind, and Renard try to figure out who will go in and get them out, and one option is using Diana to open it.

Meanwhile, at the spice shop, Hank, Wu, and Rosalee search for anything they can find in the books. Hank found a page where the skull creator image shows two different circles, by which it says that to come through the mirror, it needs Nick so it can go through. Rosalee tries calling Monroe about it, but it is too late as Diana opens the portal using the stick. Nick and Eve got out, and the Zerstorer, too, didn't come along with them as it landed in a gas station bathroom.

After Nick and Eve return, Eve isn't a hero anymore. Her powers or spirit is left back on the other side, as Diana tells her. Diana senses that the Zerstorer is coming, and so Nick has the idea to use the cabin where he caught his first Wesen criminal and hide both Renard, Adalind, and the kids there til everything blows over or the beast is dead.  But they place a potion to protect Diana from the beast, so he has no clue where she is.

As Nick, Adalind, and Renard get to the cabin, some flashbacks from memory lane come as not only was it the place that Nick caught his first Wesen but also where he and Renard battled it out, and he gives Nick the first key. After settling in and hugging Adalind, she rushes out to Nick and tells him to be careful, and from that moment, he kisses her for a perfect couple of seconds and tells her that he loves her and that she, too, loves him. It's one of those heartwarming moments I need a tissue for.

Nick meets with Hank and Wu at a crime scene where two dead bodies are found at a gas station, the same gas station that the beast came out from in the bathroom. They see what the beast looks like, and he looks like a steroid-buff Bobby Flay. Soon, they get another of a homeless guy who was attacked by the same guy but with a snake.

As they arrived, Nick received a call from Eve telling him he needed to get to the spice shop. As he comes, he sees that Trubel has returned and tells him that Black Claw is all gone. We learn that the stick that he and Monroe found is apart from the beast's stick, so this turns into a keep away from him, not only Diana Kelly but also the stick (Kelly too because Diana had a bad dream of the beast coming to get her and him).

As Nick meets Hank and Wu at the precinct, Trubel tells him that the beast is heading towards them as they get ready with machine guns. Quickly, the beast is in the building and takes out everyone and almost the entire place, but Nick and the guys come in with guns blazing but don't hurt it and wipe them back with its stick power.

Wu wages and attacks it but suddenly gets killed by the stick as it stabs him in the stomach, shocking Nick and Hank. Hank goes all Scarface and goes after him, but he too gets killed by the stick to the throat, and right then and there, my heart sinks to the floor and probably through the earth to China, I assume. But also the moment comes when Nick is very pissed and goes after the Zerstorer with all he has, but it uses its stick and pushes Nick to the wall as it's unlike he has ever seen or battled before, and after there, we wait to next week.

This was the episode no one should have missed. This was a very, very good episode, as it felt so much like a feature movie. As I said before, I emotionally meter going bonkers from Nick and Adalind's "I love you" moment to the return of Trubel and even the last scene of Wu/Hank's death, not to mention watching Nick fly through the air like that, really sank my heart. Everyone played so well in this episode, but give much credit to Hannah R. Loyd, who gave an excellent and chilling performance. It seems Nick will have to provide his all in the final hour. The promo very much scares me trying to guess what will happen. The writing was outstanding and so memorable (but for me, it'll take some time til I rewatch this again, but I will rewatch it again). Overall, I give this episode 9.5/10.

You can catch the series finale of Grimm this Friday at 8/7c on NBC.

The Blacklist Redemption "Operation Davenport"

When a group of criminals escapes prison, it turns out to be more than what it seems.

When Scottie and the team get called to search for four criminals that has escape prison, these high terrorist, the search didn't really take too long to find them as they were settled in an apartment. But there was one more who had escaped and that person turns out to be not what we would all assume he was to be.

Tom and Nez go after this guy that is still on the run, who is about to take down the NSA and steal secured documents with a little help from Dumont's brother. Their suspect went all the way to go into an underground meeting and take them down and upload their secret files into his flash drive to expose them.

When Tom and Nez get him and tries to bring him in, they get stopped by another team that also brought their suspect in the first place but this time, they wanted to kill him for good. Tom and Nez takes their guy and hides out in a warehouse dodging these guys and realized that this guy might be as innocent as he may seem.

After killing the leader of the group and escaping, the team searches for who these guys were and figured out that these guys were part of the undercover NSA agents that was ordered by the head of the NSA too and caught the guy in the act when using the dead cover agent's cell phone.

Meanwhile, Scottie seems to find the adoptive parents of her son but it turned out not to be her son at all and it was a misguided form Howard to get her hopes away. And not to mention, Scottie growing suspicious with Tom and his appointments as she had Solomon following him but for along can Tom keep dodging this even though Scottie hasn't figured it out yet.

"Operation Davenport" had a very good A plot but the B plot was a bit slow and away at times but after re-watching it . The performance from Ryan and Janssen were very good and there were some very good character development. There were some good scenes, like Tom and Solomon taken down the escaped terrorist and trying to get the cops out of the place after they were called there to check the place out. This was a good episode. Overall, I give this episode a 7.5/10.

You can catch The Blacklist Redemption Thursday nights at 10/9c on NBC.

Chicago Fire "Telling Her Goodbye"

Chicago Fire returned last night with an intense episode; talk about a birthday episode to remember.

"Telling Her Goodbye" really made a return (after two weeks) with a bang. The Firehouse 51 deals with a gang coming in and taking over after they need a place to hide from other members trying to kill them.

The episode began like any other day; Dawson and Brett get a call and head out to take care of them, but as soon as things were slow for the 51, gunshots were heard. By the time they tried closing the doors, it was too late, and a group of gang members with one injured forced their way in.

Kidd takes care of the injured one, but things don't go as hoped when she tries to explain the guy's injuries. But one of the members thinks that she's just trying to kill him and not only threatens her family but also knocks her out after she punches him.

Severide sneaks his way to call for help, and as soon as he does, Dawson and Brett get word to stay away from the firehouse, but that doesn't stop them til they open the door and Casey is running to get them to turn away and gets shot in the shoulder.

Now, things go from bad to worse when you think it couldn't get any worse. Herrmann suffers a heart attack, but he gets out and is taken to Dawson and Brett. He only pretends to have a heart attack. I do say that he pretty much fooled me with how he was acting with the sweats and discomfort he was showing.

But at the moment of the episode, the gang member's mother, a young member, gets him to leave and give up. But not listening to her, he goes with what his boss tells him, and they try to make a run with the Squad truck with the help from Cruz and Boden, but as soon as they make their way to the car, the SWAT team goes in and are in a stand as Bowden and the two members get in the truck.

But moments later, that young kid holds his boss' gun down, and Boden tries to get him to let go, but the gun goes off, and the bullet bounces off and lands in the neck of the young kid. The guy is taken away, and Dawson saves that young kid, pulling the shot out of his neck, which blocks blood flow to the brain and heart.

Casey and the gang looked at each other and around them and, after, walked back in as they carried on with their day like they always do.

This episode was excellent as it had me on the edge of my seat and yelling at the television from scenes like Kid D, who's threatened by one of the gang members who also slams her head against the locker doors. Also, watching Severide sneaking around got me on the edge and shaking while yelling be careful! The writing was excellent, as well as the performance of the cast. Overall, I give this episode a 5/10.

You can catch Chicago Fire on Tuesday nights at 10/9c on NBC.