Bones: The Secret in the Siege

Emily Deschanel Talks ‘Bones,’ Pelant’s Return & Being a Working Mom

Bones: The Secret in the Siege
Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz in a scene from the season 8 finale of “Bones” – “The Secret in the Siege” | Fox

Emily Deschanel plays forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan on the Fox hit series “Bones.” The show was recently renewed for its ninth season, and the season eight finale, “The Secret in the Siege,” airs tonight — Monday, April 29th.  It promises to be an emotional finale, so be sure to tune in.

I participated in a conference call with Deschanel last week; here are a few tidbits from the call:

On Christopher Pelant’s return to the show: “It’s very close to home, involving the FBI and a case Booth is involved with, and so it feels like it’s very targeted toward Booth and, of course, that’s terrifying to Brennan because she realizes that Pelant could get him.”

On Pelant’s effect on her relationship with Booth: “I think his presence — and intense presence and targeting Booth and feeling Booth’s mortality and the possibility of him being in danger and the concept of even living without him — kind of brings things to the forefront for Brennan. When she thinks about Booth and Brennan’s relationship — and I think that she would be thinking about things in that way — Pelant kind of makes things happen more quickly and maybe in a more intense way.”

On Brennan’s emotional season and her mindset going into the finale, especially when Pelant is attacking: “It’s scary … she hasn’t seen somebody quite as terrifying and challenging as him and targeting them … she’s been raising their child with Booth. There are so many things that have happened in the last two years, and they kind of don’t really have a moment to think about their lives and themselves and their relationships … when this happens with Pelant, it really forces her to look at her life and herself and her relationships and feeling and why she feels certain ways about things and makes her question some of her core beliefs. It’s a very pivotal time for her.”

On what goes on at the Jeffersonian in the finale: “So, we may see multiple victims in this episode with Pelant. It actually feels more targeted toward the FBI than the Jeffersonian, but of course, we’re partners with the FBI as a whole, and then Booth being Brennan’s partner in life and in their work. So, it feels personal, even though nobody seems to be specifically at the Jeffersonian … He’s not just killing some person at random. There’s a reason he’s chosen the victims he’s chosen. There’s a reason he’s killed them in the way he has, and there’s a meaning behind it. It affects not only Booth at the FBI. It affects Sweets…”

On whether there’s going to be closure with Pelant after this episode:“There will be some closure, but the story is definitely ongoing. That’s kind of a tricky answer, but I don’t know how better to answer it. The story continues into next season. That’s not to say that we haven’t captured him in some way by the end of this season, but with Pelant, it’s never as simple as we think as we’ve learned…”

Bones Star Emily Deschanel
“Bones” Star Emily Deschanel

On the challenges of filming emotional scenes: “It depends. It really depends on what it is. It depends on the emotion and the way the scene is written and the circumstances. I find it challenging to go from comedy to humor and lightness to sadness … I think that when you’re supposed to have emotion out of nowhere, that’s challenging for me.”

On the relationship with Booth, Brennan and Sweets — and Sweets living with them this season: “Well, we had a fun kind of parent/child relationship for a while where we had Sweets staying with us. He’s kind of like our child in a way, or we’re kind of treating him that way, and we don’t believe he’s able to move out on his own and then he does … He’s a person that Booth and Brennan both like equally and where you can qualify emotions. So, I think they’ve become very close to Sweets having lived with him, and I think it’s hard when he moves out.”

On the return (or not) of Brennan’s brother Russ: “I don’t know of that happening. I love having Russ. Loren Dean is a great actor, and I like him so much as a person. We keep in touch a bit here and there. I don’t know of any plans to have him back, but I would love to have him back, and we like having Ryan O’Neal, as well, as my father. It’d be great to have everybody back and maybe meet some extended family, as well.”

On why “Bones” resonates with viewers, and the appeal to fans: “People ask me this question or similar questions and it’s hard to have an answer, but I can guess that the reason why it’s  been a popular show is that it has a lot of different things for so many different people. When people are interested in solving a case and they like the puzzle of that, or somebody’s interested in the science or somebody loves watching the kind of repartee between the characters or the sexual tension between Booth and Brennan or between the other characters, the dynamics of the relationships, whether they’re friendships or partners in life or partners in work … and there are some episodes that seem like a farce and some episodes that seem like an action film and some that just feel like a good old-fashioned mystery…”

On working long hours on a hit TV show while raising a child at the same time: “Can you hear him screaming in the background? It’s incredibly difficult. I can’t say that it’s easy. It kills me every day. It’s kind of like this — I want to be with him, but I have to do this interview. Not saying that I don’t want to do the interview, but it’s like you’re constantly feeling like you’re pulled in both directions, and it’s very difficult. I think that this job, if done well, is extremely difficult. Parenting is way more difficult … I don’t have a good answer for it. I don’t balance it very well. It gets better and better as he gets older, but it’s hard. I struggle with it every day.”

On how Brennan’s self awareness strengthens her character, and whether she’s more compatible with Booth: “I think becoming self-aware, no matter who you are, is always a positive thing. To Brennan, it may have seemed like a weakness, to be more vulnerable and open emotionally, but now, hopefully she’s realized that it actually can be a strength to admit she’s not always made of steel … I think it’s a wonderful thing, and just the fact that she’s even trying to do that is great, and hopefully Booth sees that and appreciates it.”

Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz of "Bones"
Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz of “Bones”

“Bones” happens to be to my favorite show, and I encourage people to watch it.  Starting from the beginning (season one) will be a task, but what a rewarding one it will be.

What drives the show, first and foremost, is the characters – then the stories, the humor (it can be laugh-out-loud funny), and the wonderful cast.

There’s a reason this show has been renewed for its ninth season … it is special.

Comments

10 responses to “Emily Deschanel Talks ‘Bones,’ Pelant’s Return & Being a Working Mom”

  1. Stacy Avatar
    Stacy

    Fun interview. I loved to hear Emily’s take on the show and her personal life. It is refreshing to know that she struggles with screaming kids too. Can’t wait for tonights finale, it should be intense.

    1. Jane Boursaw Avatar

      That’s the first thing I said to Kim re the kid screaming behind the door. “We’ve all been there!” Nice to know that celebrities struggle with the same stuff as the rest of us. Well, not nice in that it’s a struggle, but nice that we’re all dealing with the same stuff.

  2. Julia Avatar
    Julia

    This post is really cool mom! Can’t wait for the show tonight! 🙂

  3. […] Emily Deschanel Talks ‘Bones,’ Pelant’s Return & Being a Working Mom (reellifewithjane.com) […]

  4. Liz Avatar
    Liz

    Great interview. I agree with Stacy, it was nice to get a glimpse of her personal “mom” side. Bones is such a fun show to watch (once you get passed the first 2 gorey minutes :)) all the charactors (except Pelant) have such a likeability to them – you almost wish you could meet them at the Diner for lunch 🙂

    1. Jane Boursaw Avatar

      Yeah, now that Kim’s got me watching “Bones,” the first few minutes sometimes make me feel a little faint. Then again, it’s not as bad as watching heads get lopped off in Game of Thrones.

  5. Kim Strand Avatar
    Kim Strand

    I am commenting on my own post. I thought Emily was very sweet during her conference call. Answered all the questions without any hesitation; even with her son there wanting her attention. 🙂

    Now, the finale last night – I have never been so heartbroken and disappointed (during a TV show) as I was with the last scene. I can’t believe the writers/creators would do that to all of us (actors and fans) after all these years. Ugh, so sad… I just pray they get rid of Pelant and back to being engaged and happy a few episodes in. They have come too far for this to happen! 🙂 Hope you agree.

    1. Jane Boursaw Avatar

      Oh dear. Now I’m worried. Especially after seeing the promo for the finale. (I’m, uh, still in season one.)

  6. […] all knew Pelant was coming back (read the conference call with Emily Deschanel) and that his reign of terror would be worse than ever. We just never thought it would change (or […]

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