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The Best Episodes of Bones

Every episode of Bones ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Bones!

Binge this in 7d 12h•Peaking at 9.1/10

Dr. Temperance Brennan and her colleagues at the Jeffersonian's Medico-Legal Lab assist Special Agent Seeley Booth with murder investigations when the remains are so badly decomposed, burned or destroyed that the standard identification methods are useless.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Bones Season 10 Episode 1 - The Conspiracy in the Corpse
    9.1/10(12 votes)

    #1 - The Conspiracy in the Corpse

    S10:E1

    Brennan and the team attempt to absolve Booth and get him released from prison. The remains of a man who has been dead for over sixteen years prove to be significant.

    Director:Ian Toynton
    Writers:Stephen Nathan, Jonathan Collier

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  2. Bones Season 2 Episode 9 - Aliens in a Spaceship
    8.8/10(17 votes)

    #2 - Aliens in a Spaceship

    S2:E9

    The bodies of twin boys, kidnapped five years earlier, are discovered. The investigation lead Booth and Brennan to a notorious kidnapper known as the Grave Digger. During the investigation, Brennan and Hodgins become the Grave Digger's next victims.

    Director:Craig Ross Jr.
    Writer:Janet Tamaro

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  3. Bones Season 6 Episode 21 - The Signs in the Silence
    8.8/10(14 votes)

    #3 - The Signs in the Silence

    S6:E21

    When a 15-year-old Jane Doe is found on the streets, it is up to Brennan, Jeffersonian Intern Arastoo Vaziri and the entire Jeffersonian team to figure out her history and if she is responsible for a recent murder

    Director:Dwight H. Little
    Writers:Stephen Nathan, Janet Lin

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  4. Bones Season 1 Episode 22 - The Woman in Limbo
    8.7/10(18 votes)

    #4 - The Woman in Limbo

    S1:E22

    Brennan receives some bones to identify, but is stunned when she discovers that the remains are those of her mother who disappeared when she was 15 years old. The determined date of her mother's death leaves Bones confused and angry.

    Director:Jesús Salvador Treviño
    Writer:Hart Hanson

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  5. Bones Season 11 Episode 22 - The Nightmare Within the Nightmare
    8.7/10(12 votes)

    #5 - The Nightmare Within the Nightmare

    S11:E22

    The team dives back into investigating a serial killer from the past, attempting to find “The Puppeteer,” who lives with his victims’ bodies before disposing of them. Meanwhile, Brennan works through her guilt over her retirement last year, blaming herself for not stopping the serial killer earlier. However, little does she know she might be in some trouble of her own.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Bones Season 12 Episode 1 - The Hope in the Horror
    8.7/10(11 votes)

    #6 - The Hope in the Horror

    S12:E1

    Booth and the rest of the lab desperately search for Brennan who was kidnapped by her former assistant, Zack Addy. Brennan's rescue is, however, just the beginning of their problems.

    Director:Emily Deschanel
    Writer:Michael Peterson

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Bones

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  7. Bones Season 2 Episode 11 - Judas on a Pole
    8.6/10(18 votes)

    #7 - Judas on a Pole

    S2:E11

    Booth and Brennan are called to the scene where a man's body was found hung like a scarecrow, gutted, and burned on the roof of a building used by the FBI to hide witnesses.

    Director:David Duchovny
    Writer:Hart Hanson

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  8. Bones Season 5 Episode 16 - The Parts in the Sum of the Whole
    8.6/10(14 votes)

    #8 - The Parts in the Sum of the Whole

    S5:E16

    When Dr. Sweets' book gets published, both Booth and Brennan read it and tell him about the first time they met: 6 years ago. The episode will give a new perspective on Booth and Brennan's relationship, and will also give viewers the chance to see Zack Addy again, and Dr Saroyan as a New York Coroner.

    Director:David Boreanaz
    Writer:Hart Hanson

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  9. Bones Season 6 Episode 22 - The Hole in the Heart
    8.6/10(14 votes)

    #9 - The Hole in the Heart

    S6:E22

    Rogue sniper Jacob Broadsky returns once again, claiming another victim and making Booth determined to put him away once and for all.

    Director:Alex Chapple
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Bones Season 10 Episode 2 - The Lance to the Heart
    8.6/10(10 votes)

    #10 - The Lance to the Heart

    S10:E2

    Aubrey works alongside the team to investigate a government conspiracy. DNA found on a previous victim helps the team to narrow down the suspects.

    Director:Dwight H. Little
    Writer:Michael Peterson

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  11. Bones Season 2 Episode 12 - The Man in the Cell
    8.5/10(14 votes)

    #11 - The Man in the Cell

    S2:E12

    The notorious serial killer, Howard Epps, sets his prison cell on fire as part of a daring prison escape. Brennan is his target and her entire team is placed in danger.

    Director:Jesús Salvador Treviño
    Writer:Noah Hawley

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  12. Bones Season 5 Episode 17 - The Death of the Queen Bee
    8.5/10(12 votes)

    #12 - The Death of the Queen Bee

    S5:E17

    The team’s latest case takes Brennan back to her alma mater, Burtonsville High School, where she and Booth investigate the discovery of an unidentified skull and upper torso. With Angela’s help, they identify the victim as one of Brennan’s classmates, and notice a possible connection to a second murder committed 15 years prior. Brennan and Booth go undercover as a married couple at her class reunion to interrogate a set of suspects, where even as an adult, Brennan is still predictably misunderstood and her only friend lies in a strangely dark and offbeat janitor. Meanwhile, Hodgins spills a lab secret

    Director:Allan Kroeker
    Writer:Mark Lisson

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  13. Bones Season 5 Episode 21 - The Boy with the Answer
    8.5/10(14 votes)

    #13 - The Boy with the Answer

    S5:E21

    The trial of The Gravedigger hits close to home for members of the team, and everyone at the Jeffersonian must work overtime to uncover the forensic evidence to elicit a conviction.

    Director:Dwight H. Little
    Writer:Stephen Nathan

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  14. Bones Season 1 Episode 9 - The Man in the Fallout Shelter
    8.4/10(19 votes)

    #14 - The Man in the Fallout Shelter

    S1:E9

    Brennan and her team are brought in to identify the body of a man found in a fallout shelter. While cutting into the bones of the man, Zach accidentally releases a deadly fungus, causing the team to be quarantined over Christmas.

    Director:Greg Yaitanes
    Writer:Hart Hanson

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  15. Bones Season 2 Episode 4 - The Blonde in the Game
    8.4/10(16 votes)

    #15 - The Blonde in the Game

    S2:E4

    After digging up the skeletal remains of a young girl, the investigation points to a convicted serial killer on death row. The team follows cryptic clues that lead to another body, an accomplice, and a victim who may still be alive.

    Director:Bryan Spicer
    Writer:Noah Hawley

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  16. Bones Season 3 Episode 5 - Mummy in the Maze
    8.4/10(12 votes)

    #16 - Mummy in the Maze

    S3:E5

    On Halloween, two mummified bodies are discovered and found to be people reported missing the past two Halloweens. When Booth and Bones learn about a missing girl, linked to the suspect of the previous murders, the race is on to save her life.

    Director:Marita Grabiak
    Writer:Scott Williams

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  17. Bones Season 3 Episode 9 - The Santa in the Slush
    8.4/10(13 votes)

    #17 - The Santa in the Slush

    S3:E9

    Booth and Brennan investigate a mall Santa named Kris Kringle who was found dead by two elves. A series of clues makes the murdered mall Santa seem like he's the real deal.

    Director:Jeff Woolnough
    Writers:Scott Williams, Elizabeth Benjamin

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  18. Bones Season 5 Episode 10 - The Goop on the Girl
    8.4/10(15 votes)

    #18 - The Goop on the Girl

    S5:E10

    When a man dressed as Santa Claus blows himself up during a botched bank robbery, Brennan and Booth work to identify the bomber and determine his motives. Meanwhile, Brennan makes plans to spend Christmas in El Salvador, but her father convinces her to spend the holidays with him and Margaret Whitesell, a newly discovered distant relative.

    Director:Tim Southam
    Writer:Carla Kettner

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  19. Bones Season 6 Episode 9 - The Doctor in the Photo
    8.4/10(14 votes)

    #19 - The Doctor in the Photo

    S6:E9

    Brennan gets a glimpse into her own life when the body of a brilliant and career-driven surgeon is found in a rough neighborhood with multiple fractures in her skull and no indication as to how or why she was there. While the team investigates the case objectively, Brennan struggles to separate her own life from the victim’s as she perceives many parallels between them the more she learns about the victim’s past. Meanwhile, evidence found at the crime scene brings the team closer to solving the case, but it’s Brennan’s unique perspective that propels her to retrace the final events of the victim’s life. With the reassurance of a new friend and Jeffersonian security guard, Micah Leggat, Brennan makes a discovery about herself and learns a lesson about taking chances.

    Director:Ian Toynton
    Writer:Carla Kettner

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  20. Bones Season 1 Episode 5 - A Boy in a Bush
    8.3/10(21 votes)

    #20 - A Boy in a Bush

    S1:E5

    Booth asks Brennan to help locate and identify the remains of a six-year-old boy, Charlie, who went missing from a local park.

    Director:Jesús Salvador Treviño
    Writers:Steve Blackman, Greg Ball

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  21. Bones Season 1 Episode 15 - Two Bodies in the Lab
    8.3/10(19 votes)

    #21 - Two Bodies in the Lab

    S1:E15

    When Brennan decides to give online dating a try, she ends up the target of a shooting at the local restaurant where she's meeting her date. The resulting investigation reveals that the shooter could be connected to either of the two cases she's currently working on.

    Director:Allan Kroeker
    Writer:Stephen Nathan

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  22. Bones Season 1 Episode 19 - The Man in the Morgue
    8.3/10(16 votes)

    #22 - The Man in the Morgue

    S1:E19

    A trip to New Orleans leaves Bones beaten, bloodied, and suspected of murder while plunged into the world of voodoo.

    Director:James Whitmore Jr.
    Writers:Noah Hawley, Elizabeth Benjamin

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  23. Bones Season 1 Episode 20 - The Graft in the Girl
    8.3/10(17 votes)

    #23 - The Graft in the Girl

    S1:E20

    The team helps Deputy Director Sam Cullen's daughter, Amy, when she contracts a rare form of lung cancer after receiving a bone graft. Booth and Brennan learn she is not the only victim with this rare form of cancer.

    Director:Sanford Bookstaver
    Writers:Laura Wolner, Greg Ball

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  24. Bones Season 2 Episode 3 - The Boy in the Shroud
    8.3/10(17 votes)

    #24 - The Boy in the Shroud

    S2:E3

    When the body of a young man, who's been missing for nearly three weeks, is discovered, the investigation leads them to his girlfriend, who is a foster child. Bones becomes emotionally involved in the case since, she too, became a foster child after her parents disappeared.

    Director:Sanford Bookstaver
    Writer:Gary Glasberg

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  25. Bones Season 3 Episode 13 - The Verdict in the Story
    8.3/10(12 votes)

    #25 - The Verdict in the Story

    S3:E13

    Brennan's father Max Keenan is on trial for the alleged murder of FBI Deputy Director Kirby. Everyone on the team, except for Brennan, is called as a witness for the prosecution during the trial. Brennan on the other hand is the forensics advisor for the defense, and she must rely on both her dedication to her family and her skill as an anthropologist to help free her father.

    Director:Jeannot Szwarc
    Writer:Christopher Ambrose

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Best Episodes Summary

"The Conspiracy in the Corpse" is the best rated episode of "Bones". It scored 9.1/10 based on 12 votes. Directed by Ian Toynton and written by Stephen Nathan, Jonathan Collier, it aired on 9/25/2014. This episode scored 0.3 points higher than the second highest rated, "Aliens in a Spaceship".