Forgot How Funny “Bones” Was? These 8 Moments Will Remind You Exactly Why You Loved It

On the surface, Bones may appear as one of the darker procedural crime series of the 2000s. The crime series follows a dynamic duo of FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth and Forensic Anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan, who work together alongside a crack team of scientists to work on complex crime scenes with skeletal remains. Bones is a unique series due to the gory crime scenes depicted.

However, the dark storylines and shocking crime scenes in Bones don’t always match the tone of the series itself. Bones is undeniably quirky, and the characters have no shortage of wacky moments. The contrast between grim topics and zany characters leads to Bones having some incredibly funny moments throughout the series.

Booth Experiences Strange Medical Side Effects in “The Man in the Fallout Shelter”

“The Man in the Fallout Shelter” is the first Christmas-themed episode of Bones. As the Jeffersonian team prepares for the holiday, they end up potentially infecting themselves with a virus from a cold-case body. As a result, Drs. Brennan, Hodgins, Goodman, Zack, and Special Agent Booth are quarantined in the Jeffersonian Forensic Lab over the Christmas holiday.

The CDC gives preventative medication to the team to combat the potential infection, and Booth experiences some bizarre side effects. The normally serious Special Agent Booth became loopy and transfixed by all the shiny features of the lab. He also incidentally overshared with the team, which led to some tough conversations when he came down from his high. This moment was also one of the first occasions of Booth letting his guard down around the scientists. It adds a particular feel of cabin fever to the intense yet jolly episode.

Wendell Accidentally Told Hodgins He Posed Nude in “The Doll in the Derby”

Wendell Bray is one of Brennan’s most competent forensic anthropology interns, nicknamed “Squinterns” by Booth. Wendell has been a consistent recurring character since Season 4, and as a result, he has grown incredibly close to the Jeffersonian Institute team and their FBI counterparts. Wendell had a brief tryst with the team’s artist Angela Montenegro, which ended amicably before she married entomologist Dr. Jack Hodgins.

Wendell is the intern working with Brennan in “The Doll in the Derby”, and it’s also his birthday. Wendell’s birthday leads to Hodgins asking him about bucket lists, and asks if he’d ever posed nude for an artist. Hodgins soon comes to regret asking, because Wendell has, and that artist was Hodgins’ wife Angela back when they were seeing each other. The trio of friends meet for a birthday drink, and Wendell shows Hodgins the painting, which he has defaced with a pair of heart-patterned boxers over his unmentionables.

Brennan and Booth Steal a Corpse in “The Double Death in the Dearly Departed”

“The Double Death in the Dearly Departed” is one of Bones’ most hilarious episodes. The unorthodox episode sees the team attending the funeral of a Jeffersonian Institute colleague, but Brennan soon uncovers evidence that their colleague did not die of natural causes. Now the team must work in secret to uncover the killer before cremation occurs, and without disturbing the funeral services. This whole episode is a masterclass in crime-solving and comedy.

The antics that the team gets up to during the investigation are hilarious. Their boldest act overall is Booth and Brennan stealing the corpse from the coffin with Dr. Saroyan as the getaway driver. This moment sets the tone for the entire episode. By stealing their colleagues’ corpse to perform a covert autopsy, Bones is saying that the gloves are off for this episode, and anything is possible. The body snatching by two devoted and serious investigators is both shocking and hilarious.

The Bones Team Aces Halloween in “Mummy in the Maze”

With the spooky tone set by the graphically detailed crime scenes, Bones is the ideal series to have some great Halloween episodes. The Bones team takes on Halloween with a unique case involving a mummy, and they do it in style. The whole team gets in on the holiday action, and they do it in style. Having the team all participate in Halloween with this level of nuance and creativity helps add a layer of vibrancy to Bones and brings the characters’ personalities out even more.

Brennan dresses as Wonder Woman while Booth decides to dress as a “Squint” for Halloween as a joke for Brennan and her team. Angela stuns as a showgirl while Cam shocks as Catwoman. Hodgins goes as the captain of the Titanic, while Zack is the back end of a cow, while a friend/crush from the Paleontology department is the front end. The wide range of costumes is the perfect decision. Even if every costume isn’t comedic on the surface, the personality of the character brings it to life and has fans chuckling along as the Bones team navigates both Halloween and a truly challenging case.

Intern Colin Fisher Makes a Unique Introduction in “The Crank in the Shaft”

Season 4 of Bones is easily defined as a season of introductions to some of the best characters in the series. With the exit of Dr. Brennan’s previous assistant, Dr. Zack Addy, Brennan has implemented a rotating cast of forensic anthropology students to serve as her assistants on investigations. One such intern, or “Squintern” as Booth nicknamed them, is Colin Fisher. Fisher is a unique character, to say the least.

It makes sense that a person working with skeletons constantly may experience moments of depression, but Fisher takes that to a whole different level. Fisher is constantly making glib and darkly hilarious remarks about life having no meaning and other nihilistic quips. However, his character expertly toes the line between depressed and funny. He doesn’t bring the mood down, but rather contributes to the comedic tone of Bones in a unique way. He would go on to appear numerous times in Bones and become a fan favorite intern.

Sweets and Daisy are Caught With Their Pants Down in “The Shallow and the Deep”