BONES Season 11 Premiere: ‘The Loyalty in the Lie’ You Ask, I Answer

When BONES returns for its 11th season premiere, a key member of the team promptly goes missing: after a normal morning with his family, Booth vanishes.

Unfortunately, the circumstances around his disappearance are questionable, at best, and it takes the Jeffersonian discovering a bit of truly disturbing evidence for anyone to find out how dangerous things have gotten.

It’s a tough blow for his family and friends, since Booth and Brennan left their jobs at the end of season 10 for a fresh start and he should have been out of danger.

So what went down? I had the chance to screen the season premiere, “The Loyalty in the Lie,” and was able to answer a few of your questions/give a few teases of my own…

[C]an you tell us baby boy [B]ooth’s name? – ‏@jordanjoelle1 via Twitter

I’m sure it’s out there at this point, but I don’t feel comfortable ruining that reveal for those who don’t know. There are some things that can be teased; this feels like it’s either silence or flat-out ruining it. Apologies if that’s disappointing!

[A]re we seeing any of the extended family this season? Brothers? Parker? Grandparents? Daisy’s baby? Michael Vincent? #Bones – ‏@Dani0307 via Twitter

Uh, on a show like BONES, sometimes it’s best if loved ones stay far away from this world. It’s safer when they’re not looped into the storylines. (But, yes, you’ll see some non-core characters relatively early into the season.)

Is Jared Booth’s wife Padm[e]’s return to Bones a red herring in the ep or a key part? Thanks – @DelectableDavid via Twitter

She’s a key part. And it’s been a very long time since we’ve seen Padme, so we get insight into what’s gone down in her life (and the latest on her relationship with Jared).

Is Brennan in on whatever Booth is working on? Does she have a clue why he could go missing? #Bones – ‏@susanmeeuwesen via Twitter

She is not; when Booth goes missing, Brennan is baffled, because his new assignment was supposed to keep him out of the field. And, unfortunately for Brennan, throughout the investigation, she discovers he’s kept a few key things from her.

And a few teases…

• Kim Raver works so well on BONES. Given the nature of her character, I’m not sure how often she could plausibly pop up, but I hope they find a way to bring her back beyond this arc.
• I’m also very curious to see how fans react to Raver’s Agent Miller, since — as BONES’ Tamara Taylor previewed — there’s a bit of tension between her and the rest of the team. It doesn’t help matters that Miller is suspicious of Booth’s disappearance, but her reasons for doubting him appear valid. (BONES fans, naturally, know Booth and know what he is/isn’t capable of. But Miller doesn’t have that history with him.)
• There’s a flashback sequence in the premiere that is just incredible. Not to oversell it, but it’s emotional in a way that I was completely unprepared for.
• Hodgins may be King of the Lab, but he’s also King of Walking in at the Very Wrong Moment.
• Though Booth is missing for the majority of the hour, we do get a few (brief) glimpses of what’s going on with him.