5 Essential Bones Episodes That Everyone Should Watch At Least Once

For a seasoned "Bones" fan, it may seem like a travesty to condense Hart Hanson's 246-episode series into just five examples. The undeniable charm of Emily Deschanel's Temperance Brennan, David Boreanaz's Seeley Booth, and the rest of the show's colorful characters is at its best when the viewer experiences their entire arcs, after all. Still, there's no denying that every series has casual viewers, and many people will no doubt want to find out what all the buzz around the show is about — especially with a "Bones" revival seeming more likely than ever right now.

To this end, I've picked what, to me, are the five quintessential "Bones" episodes that even the most casual procedural drama fan will want to check out. Some of these episodes are there for the lore, others because of their particular placement in the series, and others still simply because they're damn fine hours of TV. The one thing they have in common is that everyone should absolutely watch them at least once.

"Pilot" isn't the best episode of "Bones" season 1 — if you want the absolute finest stories of the inaugural season, you might be better off with the dramatic season closer, "The Woman in Limbo" (season 1, episode 22), or the excellent Christmas quarantine mystery of "The Man in the Fallout Shelter" (season 1, episode 9). However, "Pilot" is the episode that sets up the story and characters, introduces the all-important Jeffersonian Institute and its famous Medico-Legal Lab, and establishes the dynamic between Brennan and Booth. It doesn't hurt that the central mystery of waterlogged remains found at the Arlington National Cemetery is pretty intriguing and introduces many of the investigation beats the show goes on to remix in countless interesting ways.

The assorted elements "Pilot" introduces go on to experience a great many changes, but the episode nevertheless establishes the core aspects of the show's main characters and marks the beginning of their tales. "Bones" evolves above and beyond what's seen here, but the role of "Pilot" in the grand scheme of things still makes it essential viewing. And hey, if the viewer finds themselves wanting to check out another episode or six, there's no better place to start binge-watching.

IMDb considers "Aliens in a Spaceship" the best "Bones" episode, and honestly? That's not a lie. The season 2 standout is not only a brilliant episode in its own right, but it also does so much grunt work to advance the show's narrative that viewers will only realize its full impact in hindsight.

"Aliens in a Spaceship" opens when Brennan and Jack Hodgkins (T.J. Thyne) wake up inside a car that's been buried underground. Through dialogue and flashbacks, we discover that Brennan, Hodgkins, and the rest of their team have been investigating the case of two teenagers whose bodies were found in a similar predicament ... five years after they were kidnapped.

Without going into spoiler-y details, the episode combines a clever, claustrophobic survival story with some particularly chilling case of the week stuff. It also features a frankly shocking amount of the show's signature personal life subplots, character development, and heartwarming moments that the series winds up referencing several seasons down the line. If all of this wasn't enough, the serial killer in "Aliens in a Spaceship," the Gravedigger, becomes one of the show's most memorable archvillains — one whose actions are so terrifying that "Bones" had to scale back on one of their worst kills. As a whole, "Aliens in a Spaceship" makes for appointment viewing, and it's a great example of all the things that make "Bones" so unique rolled up in one convenient package.

"The Parts in the Sum of the Whole" is a wonderful episode of "Bones." It also happens to be the show's 100th episode, and its flashback-heavy nature and many interesting developments make it a magnificent way for a novice to acquaint themselves with the story so far.

The episode revolves around Booth and Brennan discussing a book manuscript Lance Sweets (John Francis Daley) has written and reveals that "Pilot" wasn't actually the first collaboration between the two. What follows is a flashback-driven story about Booth asking Brennan's help to solve a tricky murder case before the events of "Pilot," which is fun enough. However, the true shock to the show's system comes with certain pivotal revelations about the central pair's relationship, as the episode delves deep into the core reasons why a romance between the two is doomed to fail despite their obvious chemistry ... and why it just might work one day despite all that.

Apart from reshaping the show's very history, "The Parts in the Sum of the Whole" is among the most important "Bones" episodes when it comes to Brennan and Booth's personal relationship, if not the most pivotal one. Seeing as the two are the beating heart of the show, this makes it an easy choice on any list of must-see episodes.

One of the three highest-rated "Bones" episodes on IMDb, "The Recluse in the Recliner" is a stellar example of the show's latter-day charms. The season 9 finale is a standout "Bones" episode that takes a personal story about Booth's promotion and combines it with the death of a conspiracy theorist named Wesley Foster (Trevor Eyster) to create one of the show's finest and most dangerous mysteries. The secrets of the case take Booth and Brennan deeper and deeper into shady government agency machinations, which puts them in massive danger and impacts Booth's career greatly.

All cases on "Bones" are high-stakes ones, but "The Recluse in the Recliner" takes things to a whole new level by putting them up against a seemingly invincible enemy that wields great power. A show that runs as long as "Bones" has to find a way to raise the stakes, which can be a problem because many of the series' finest hours take place during the first half of its 12-season run ... but with episodes like this, "Bones" reminds the viewer that it can easily ramp things up when it wants to (and avoid jumping a single shark in the process).

Since the beginning of the "Bones" story is on this list, it's only fair that the show's final episode (so far) also makes the cut. Series finales can be a tricky thing, but "The End in the End" gets just about everything right. The episode's case of the week — tracking down season 12 main antagonist Mark Kovac (Gerardo Celasco) and his sister, Jeannine (Brit Shaw) — is deliberately a touch out of focus so the show can turn the bulk of its attention to the aftermath of a dramatic lab explosion and Brennan's subsequent head injury.

Though the situation is hectic and dramatic, character relationships are front and center here, and if you watch "The End in the End" back to back with "Pilot," you'll be shocked to see how much the main characters and what they consider their status quo have changed. Chances are, you'll also be impressed by the way the episode manages to close the case, deal with Brennan's situation, deliver a number of fun moments with returning characters, and give every main character a satisfying ending that still keeps them hovering around the murder investigation scene for the foreseeable future. "The End in the End" is the rare finale that manages to both have its cake and eat it. For that alone, it's well worth watching.