Bones Producer Explains Loss of a Beloved Character, Teases What's Next

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Last week, Bones Season 10 episode 1 left us with a shocking death... and an awful lot of questions.

How will the shooting affect Booth and Brennan? And just how dark will this season be? Executive producer Stephen Nathan may just have a few answers and he shared them with press during a recent conference call.

Booth and Brennan Pic - Bones Season 10 Episode 2

We’ve lost a beloved character in Lance Sweets. And it was a heavily emotional scene when Booth and Brennan watched him die. “The entire situation for us was very, very painful,” Nathan said of the death.

“We tried to treat it with as much respect and truth as we possibly could and really focus in on what was going to be the best for the show and most emotionally truthful for the characters. And it seemed that Sweets and Booth and Brennan had grown so close over the past three or four years especially that it seemed as if they were the people who should be there when he died.”

The way Sweets died was especially significant, and his words to Booth and Brennan made it that much more emotional.

“It really was a testament to Sweets and to kind of the nobility of the character really that his last words were about Booth and Brennan,” Nathan said. “His last words were of concern for his friend, not in any way thinking of himself. He was concerned for Daisy and at that moment concerned for Booth, that Booth didn’t lose faith, that Booth didn’t lose hope in the world and that the world actually was a good place, even as he was dying.”

Between the death of Sweets and the conspiracy against Booth, it seems as though it could become a pretty dark season. But Nathan said very specifically that, “Bones is not going to turn into a dark show where they’re dealing with all these demons all the time.”

Yes, what’s happened will be dealt with, but we can look forward to the fun aspects of the show, as well. “Certainly episode three, episode four the show is back. Our show is yes, we’re procedural, yes, people get murdered, but it’s funny. It’s romantic. It’s bizarre and all of that, the oddities and the unique nature of the show will return.”

Nathan also talked a bit about James Aubrey’s character, including whether or not Booth will accept him. “Booth is going to have to learn to trust Aubrey and Aubrey is going to have to earn Booth’s trust… We will be getting to know Aubrey in these first five or six episodes because he’s going to be a very valuable member of the team and slowly become a member of the family as well. He’s a strange guy, but he’s a brilliant agent who is un-intimidated.  

Sweets was very deferential to Booth. Sweets being so young when he started he wanted to fit in; he wanted to make sure he was doing the right thing. Aubrey is somebody who really has, socially, he’ll just blunder into things, but at the same time Booth will learn to trust the fact that he is a great agent.”

As for what else we can look forward to in season, Nathan hinted that the 200th episode would be something pretty fantastic, calling it a “little gift to the fans.”

And it sounds like the second half of the season will offer something interesting involving Max and we’ll be seeing plenty more of his character and his secrets. And as usual, there will be another overarching storyline to keep us in suspense.

“There’s always something lurking out there,” said Nathan. “I can safely say that there is going to be something else lurking out there. I don’t think the world ever exists with simple murders no matter how horrible.  I think we need something a little more evil and that will be coming our way.”

How did you feel about the premiere, and what else do you expect to see happen in Bones Season 10? Leave a comment to let us know your thoughts!

Need more Bones? You can always catch up with Booth and Brennan when you watch Bones online via TV Fanatic.

Ashley Bissette Sumerel was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in September 2017. Follow her on Twitter and on Google+.

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Bones Quotes

You're looking at her fruits?

Booth[to Sweets]

Brennan: What have you done?
Hodgins: Baking soda. It's not just for cooking any more.

Bones Music

  Song Artist
Fearless Cyndi Lauper iTunes
The World Is... Matthew Ryan iTunes
Song Rain Or Shine Matthew Perryman Jones