"Bones" Season 10, Episode 22, titled "The Next In The Last," aired Thursday, June 11, on Fox. It brings back an old villain, but Brennan (Emily Deschanel) finds the strength to somehow tell him, "It's over; Booth and I are moving on."
Spoiler alert: This review contains spoilers on "Bones" Season 10 finale. Read on at your own risk.
"Bones" showrunner Stephen Nathan and longtime writer Jonathan Collier wrote "The Next in the Last." The same duo penned the finale episodes of Seasons 8 and 9, both of which were Pelant-connected.
Incidentally, the finale episode of "Bones" Season 7 (written by Carla Kettner) also carries the Pelant story. It has been that long.
There is a moment toward the end where Nathan and Collier seem to have expressed that they, too, are just as tired of Pelant as many of the viewers are. Using Brennan, they seem to have sent the message that Pelant is finally with the Grave Digger and the Gormogon - buried in the past.
The video teaser for "Bones" Season 10, Episode 22 shows Booth (David Boreanaz) telling Brennan that the Pelant case is his last. In the end, viewers saw Hodgins and Angela putting off their Parisian plans, while Booth and Brennan leave the Jeffersonian for a new chapter in their lives.
It would not be plausible for Angela to leave the Jeffersonian and come back later on. It make sense, however, for the brain (Brennan) to rest a bit. It remains to be seen whether the new showrunners would bring back Booth and Brennan to the Jeffersonian, but it is the most practical thing to do. Otherwise, they would have to invest in new sets and locations to have two somewhat tangent worlds in one show.
Overall, "Bones" Season 10 finale would have been a lovely way for the series to exit primetime programming. As fate would have it, Fox gave the characters a chance for an encore.
Avid fans of the show are still hoping the dynamics among the characters would not completely change given Booth and Brennan's situation. There are a couple of Season 11 clues that were delivered with the Season 10 finale -- One: Cam (Tamara Taylor) and Vaziri (Pej Vahdat) are going strong. Two: Daisy Wick (Carla Gallo) is very much a part of the family. Three: The viewers may soon see Wick's baby with Sweets. Four: Little Christine will be a happy big sis. And five: Angela is probably not going to bring up Paris again, so soon after her enlightened moment with Hodgins.
Here is Brennan's "closure" spiel in "Bones" Season 10 finale -- something that probably mirrrors Nathan's sentiments about stepping down as a showrunner:
"In our culture, we all search for closure. But closure is an illusion. Science shows us that the universe is constantly in flux. It's what allows our friendships and our love to constantly surprise us. Pelant is in the past. I won't have him steal the new life Booth and I are going to live."
Nathan is passing the show reins to Collier and Michael Peterson, who have been writing "Bones" episodes since Season 7 and Season 4, respectively.
Director Ian Toynton managed the heavy drama of farewells in a manner that Brennan herself would be happy about. "The Next in the Last" may be less action-packed than the Season 9 finale, but it stirs the viewer's heart and mind just the same. So, what happens next?
"Bones" Season 11 has been ordered by Fox. It is believed all the cast members are coming back for another chapter of Jeffersonian crime-fighting stories.