'Bones': Emily Deschanel, David Boreanaz and Producers Reflect on Their Favorite Episodes

David Boreanaz (Booth)

I always go back to the pilot, because it was so young and unpredictable. There's an inkling of understanding where the characters could go, where they could be, what the possibility of it is, how kind of raw it is. The pilot is big for me. I love the 200th episode, because I love going back [in time]. I love the cool plane stuff and old clothes. I love that stuff."

I like the circus episode. Watching Emily direct [the Season 12 premiere] was fantastic. Honestly, being a part of that—these are moments that are new and raw. And when you go through these episodes, there are so many that are there that I will always take to heart.

Emily Deschanel (Brennan)

There are so many episodes that it's like choosing a child. I think for fun the 100th, the 200th, the circus episode. And dramatic stuff, "The Doctor in the Photo." I liked working on that episode—what Brennan was going through with that story. There are so many.

Hart Hanson, Creator

We had weirdo shows that were fun. I call them the weirdo shows: the one told from the point of view of the skull—the fact that you could do it and people would like it. The one where Brennan, it seems to her that she solves her own murder and she was a little bit crazy. The alternate reality [in the Season 4 finale] when it was a club and Mötley Crüe came to play.

My saddest moment, which I think you try for, was the death of Vincent Nigel-Murray. I wrote his last words with Brennan and Booth.

Booth and Brennan's vows when they got married. Karine Rosenthal, who is one of my favorite writers in the world, wrote the episode, and then I elbowed her to write the vows. I thought that was a great moment.

Here's what it is: my surge of joy and optimism, which is a rare, rare thing, came in the pilot, with the scene in the pilot where there's a scene where [Booth] says, "I've got to get my ducks lined up in a row," and she skips and says, "I can be a duck! I can be a duck" without knowing what that meant. That's where I went, "I want to work on this show for years. I love these people. I love them." When I wrote it, it was just another quip. I'm a glib and quippy writer. And those two made it into something fantastic. It gave me a great deal of joy. That was in the pilot, before we even really got going.

Jonathan Collier, Showrunner

As a team, I'm really proud of how we handled the beginning of last year. When we were hit with some unforeseen circumstance, I was really happy with the staff and crew and actors as they stepped up as we made the adjustments. And I like where it sent us in terms of the series.

Michael Peterson, Showrunner

The one that grabbed me and I said, "I really have to be a part of this," is the first Gravedigger episode. It was so emotional on so many levels. It wasn't just the danger our characters were in, but how that danger impacted everyone's relationships and brought relationships to the forefront. That was the one that really inspired me.

I think the two I always come back to professionally were the finale from last year when I got to work with David as a director and our season opener with Emily. Those were great fun for me. I like the scary stuff, and a lot of character stuff. And getting to work with our actors and see them interact with the material they know and love, it's even more rewarding.