Bones Season 10: Boreanaz & Deschanel Tease What’s to Come

Bones fans were swept into a whirlwind last season with the introduction of a conspiracy storyline that almost ended in the death of a major character. Now with season 10 about to hit our screens, the fallout continues with Booth (David Boreanaz) recovering behind bars for crimes he did not commit, while Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and the Jeffersonian team attempts to prove his innocence – or at the very least find a way to free him from prison before he meets an untimely death at the hands of those who would prefer to see him silenced forever.

The show returns on Sept. 25 with “The Conspiracy in the Corpse,” an episode which is set to pick up on those threads from last season’s finale and use them to weave fresh trouble over episodes to come. ScreenSpy sat down with Bones stars Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz this week to talk about what challenges lie ahead for our favorite detective duo, how the fallout from the finale has effected their characters and where and how this road will take them in the future. Also under discussion, the show’s 200th episode, which will involve a ‘classical’ look for Deschanel, a special Daddy bonding moment for Booth and much more.

Full highlights from our call follow below.

On the severe impact of Booth’s incarceration 

Emily Deschanel: Booth’s in trouble! We’re worried about him. We think he’s not going to survive being in prison. We have different ideas on how we’re going to get him out of there. It brings up a lot of stuff for Booth. He’s suffering from P.T.S.D. because of being there, as well being tortured and whatnot in the military and Army Rangers. He’s gone through a lot in his life, and we’re dealing with a lot when we come back this season. He’s not safe [in jail]. All these people want to kill him there which puts a real strain on the relationship – even when he does get out of prison. It’s a big deal and it’s not going to be healed over a single episode. There are long-lasting repurcussions.

David Boreanaz: It will last throughout the season but I don’t think it will necessarily be as dark as people think it will be. In the first two episodes we have a sense of how dark things can be, who he trusts, how he decides to take things into his own hands and how Bones deals with that – and [how she] gets him back. There’s a great moment in Episode 2. It’s a very strong moment between both of them. He has to decide what to do. I’m not going to really say what that is [laughing] but it’s a page turner for their relationship. We’ll see how that unfolds.

Brennan (Emily Deschanel, L) visits Booth (David Boreanaz, R) in jail. Co. Cr: Ray Mickshaw/FOX

Will the introduction of a PTSD storyline for Booth shed any more light on his past?

David Boreanaz: I think it will. I think through the challenges that he has being in prison, and trying to get out of prison, and trying to deal with the people in prison, and obviously trying to deal with his life outside and his relationship with Bones, you’ll get an insight into how he reacts to certain things. [Such as ] maybe why he’s not the same when he gets out and when he’s with Bones, and how she may tiptoe around him and may not understand him in certain ways. I think that [storyline] will creep in and out throughout the season. I don’t want to say that it’s going to be a really heavy arc but we’ll play it out in the beginning of the year and we’ll come to realize that these characters are there for each other.

A Note on Baby Christine

David Boreanaz: There’s a really touching moment that happens. I think the fans will really enjoy the first episode a lot, and you’ll see that bond. It’s something that will be reflected through Bones’ character and how she sees it. It’ll be a very impactful moment. I remember shooting it. It’s going to be a lot of fun.

Brennan (Emily Deschanel, R) welcomes Booth (David Boreanaz, L) home in the “The Conspiracy in the Corpse.” Co. Cr: Adam Taylor/FOX

On how the conspiracy storyline has impacted not just the characters, but the actors also

David Boreanaz: For me, it was a long and arduous road even from the end of last season, then going into again this season figuring out this whole conspiracy within the FBI and playing this arc that went on for some time.

It’s always challenging when the storyline is of that nature. It’s been fun and rewarding as well as different. We’ve really been able to examine the character’s relationships when they’re at home and when they’re dealing with the conspiracy and how it ended last season. Things have changed dramatically, and this season we’ll see that the reward for going through this fire in their relationship, and how it affects them, is how it opens new doors. I know there is some light at the end of the tunnel once we get through Episode 2 and go into Episode 3.

Emily Deschanel: David directed that episode [refering to the season 9 finale]. That was incredibly intense. The shoot-out scene took three days to shoot. It’s been really intense. There have been long hours. That means intense emotions. It takes a toll on you both emotionally and physically. We’ve come back in a similar space for these charcters. I can’t say they were happy times shooting these episdoes. They were intense, but in a way nice to jump into strong emotions. There are some really big conflicts that Booth and Brennan have in the first couple of episodes that you don’t see very often. So it’s nice to do something different in that way, but it definitely is demanding and a bit exhausting.

There are new dynamics in the show that take new and different directions, which you’ll see in the first few episodes. We’re not just resting on our laurels here. We’re taking this to a new level. We always try to challenge ourselves as actors. The writers are always taking things to the next level and doing different things – taking the show to different place and changing the dynamics of the characters. It does keep it interesting.

Booth (David Boreanaz) awaits trial in jail in the “The Conspiracy in the Corpse.” Co. Cr: Ray Mickshaw/FOX

Will the resolution of the conspiracy storyline come as a big surprise to fans?

David Boreanaz: You know what? We’ve been dealing with this since towards the end of last season. It started in Episode 17 and it just slowly builds and builds. It exposed itself in a major ugly way at the end of last season. Then we start off with it again, where I can’t do much about it because I’m stuck in prison. When I do get out, there’s a sense of closure that will wrap things up in a very neat way. It will show it in a way that’s like, “Wow! It was right under our nose the whole time!” but how that effects their relationship and how it effects Booth as he continues to work in the FBI is still to be determined throughout the first half of the season.

On the show’s 200th episode

David Boreanaz: Well, I know that we’re prepping now and we don’t start shooting until October, so that will tell you how big it’s going to be. It’s going to be pretty big.

Emily Deschanel: It’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s going to be very different, but you’re going to see a lot of characters, one of which you might not have seen in a little bit.

David Boreanaz: It’s going to be a throwback to a time when things were simpler in life, something that’s … a Film Exposé of fun and laughter!

Emily Deschanel: [Laughing] And David’s directing that episode, so we’re super-pscyhed about that!

David Boreanaz: It’s going to be a great opportunity for fans to enjoy the 200th episode, but on top of it to kind of give something back to the fans. Just hold on, it’s going to be a lot of fun. Emily’s going to look so beautiful. I mean she always does, but classically beautiful.

Emily Deschanel: Aw! You’re going to look very handsome.

Bones returns Thursday Sept. 25 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.