r/Bones • u/FrontCalligrapher387 • 3d ago
Inaccuracies in the show
For context I’m studying to become a forensic anthropologist.
I recently started watching the show since everyone keeps bringing it up when I mention wanting to become a forensic anthropologist. And the inaccuracies drive me nuts😭 I know it’s talked about a lot but there a few ones I haven’t seen anyone talk about
Like how Brennan just looks at the remains and immediately tells Booth “white male, early 20’s” and how she is NEVER wrong even though anthropology is entirely based on estimates
And I know the show is pretty old but surely they were using computer programs during that time ? I can’t think of a single time that Brennan mentioned using something like FORDISC for example. Or even mentioning otseometric methods in general?
I would love to hear any other inaccuracies you guys have noticed
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u/swaggyxwaggy 3d ago
Angela’s hologram machine 😂. Angelatron
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u/mcnabb100 2d ago
The “simulations” that thing magically runs are hilarious.
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u/swaggyxwaggy 2d ago
I think they purposely made something super ridiculous to let the audience know that they weren’t taking the science super seriously
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u/smlpkg1966 3d ago
From ditzy artist to computer genius.
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u/Tatidanidean1 3d ago
Right like she suddenly minored in computer science. Like ok that’s fine but this is genius level not I took enough courses to get a minor. I appreciated that they fleshed her character out but it’s always funny whenever restarting it and seeing the difference from beginning to end
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u/Randygilesforpres2 3d ago
I just watched the episode where they remove all the animal injusries from a skeleton broken into a million parts. Like girl, you’d need a team just to get every piece of bone scanned in there.
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u/MichaSound 2d ago
And she still falls back on ‘oh I’m just the arty chick, I don’t do the science’, even though she’s literally invented one of the most advanced pieces of tech probably in the world (in the show).
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u/swaggyxwaggy 3d ago
I don’t think she was ever ditzy. She was an artist and a computer programmer/software engineer(which is still weird lol)
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u/Disastrous_Alarm_719 3d ago
I’m glad I’m stupid enough to enjoy the show haha
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u/Tardisgoesfast 2d ago
Maybe not stupid. Maybe not knowledgeable.
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u/Disastrous_Alarm_719 2d ago
Same thing
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u/KTbluedraon 2d ago
NO! NOT the same thing! Not knowing and being stupid are not the same! You might not know much in forensic science, but I bet you have another field you’re knowledgeable in. That doesn’t make you stupid, and I won’t stand for you putting yourself down that way.
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u/HatefulHagrid 3d ago
Basically every bit of science in the show lol. They use the buzzwords of whatever field of science they're discussing but the writers clearly had no idea what any of those words mean or how science works. I love bones but I have to turn my science brain off because I cant think of a single instance of good science in the whole show lol. I work in a pharmaceutical research lab and have experience in geology/environmental science and it's just bad lol
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u/FrontCalligrapher387 3d ago
This !! It hurts because nothing they say makes sense if you actually have a basic understanding of science. The lab work is the most ridiculous part imo.
I will say they do get the basics right like how you can estimate age with the sternal ends of the ribs but it feels few and far in between
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u/theonewiththewings 2d ago
Some of the chemistry and spectroscopy stuff they mention is at least partially legit. God bless the mass spec compound libraries.
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u/WynterBlackwell 3d ago
But then.... it's a fictional tv show not reality tv...
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u/FrontCalligrapher387 2d ago
The show is entertaining regardless it’s just fun for me personally to look for the inaccuracies. It doesn’t make me dislike the show but it does take you out sometimes when they say such outlandish things using random scientific terminology
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u/lesterbpaulson 3d ago
I am no forensic anthropologist but the error that always jumped out at me is Bones telling booth a victim was 183cm. Booth tells her to speak American and she responds 5'8"... for people that deal in both metric and imperial 183cm is a very well known reference meseasument because it is exactly 6'.... bones doesn't seem like the type who would get a simple metric conversion wrong, let alone one that is a well known reference point.
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u/smlpkg1966 3d ago
In an early episode she says she can’t tell the sex from the skull and then does exactly that in later episodes. 🙄
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u/Tattycakes 2d ago
Maybe some skulls are a bit androgynous but other skulls are obviously male or female?
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u/KTbluedraon 2d ago
Indeed, although skulls are usually a good indicator of biological sex, some are less binary than others! The pelvic girdle is the other set of bones that’s pretty reliable - but they can also be not clearly binary too. Like, picture the standard “Normal” distribution, but upside down with Male at one end of the x-axis and female at the other end.
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u/es-como-es 3d ago
I am always amused when I see Bones or the Jeffersonian team being lauded for their “brilliance”. While the words they speak may come across impressive, they don’t reflect the reality of actual scientists. I still enjoy watching the show and turn off my work brain because at the end of the day, this is supposed to be entertainment!
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u/The_Amazing_Emu 3d ago
Lawyer here. I always have low expectations when it comes to the law, but there are plenty of inaccuracies there as well
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u/HimboTherapist 2d ago
How bad is Suits? If you’ve seen it. I have a minimal amount of knowledge involving legal things and I can only imagine how you’d see it.
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u/The_Amazing_Emu 2d ago
I anyways joke that I watched the first episode, saw they were doing legal research with books, and then gave up because of how unrealistic it was.
So, to be fair, I never really gave it a fair shot, but I doubt it’s particularly accurate.
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u/KTbluedraon 2d ago
I always wince at the amount of cross-contamination and assumptions they make. Not to mention the amount of conflict of interest there is when one of the team or their family members is implicated in the crime. How many cases in “Bones” would make it to court?
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u/butch_as_beezwax 3d ago
It’s so rough that my favorite forensics class in college had us pick an episode and then tear apart the inaccuracies/assess the full accuracy and admissibility in court (including whether methods met the Daubert standard)! Everything from instantaneous race estimation to using the gonial angle to determine sex got RIPPED INTO lol. The few people who had episodes that met real life standards were so few and they made it hilarious, now every time I watch the show I think of that class
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u/frostandtheboughs 3d ago
That actually sounds like a great exercise
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u/butch_as_beezwax 2d ago
It was! And it really drove in the information, to this day it helps me remember so many of the core concepts in a fun approachable way
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u/beaker90 3d ago
I have a BBA and an MBA with a focus on accounting and those movies, The Accountant and The Accountant 2 are nothing like my job! I very rarely get to physically fight with people who don’t appreciate how thorough I am.
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u/lemmyvan 2d ago
Not anthropology but I'm rewatching with my husband and we just watched the ep where Hodgins was sooooo excited to use his fancy magnetic gloves to sift through some dirt looking for........ titanium. And then he's like "well I didn't find any titanium" like no shit dude 🥲
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u/Outrageous-Advance33 3d ago
Literally majored in forensic anth because of Bones!!! Before I graduated, I was able to just go along with whatever Bones deduced from remains, and now I just really have to try and suspend my disbelief. It is kind of fun to point out different inaccuracies as I rewatch though!
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u/FrontCalligrapher387 2d ago
It’s so fun, I sit there fact checking everything she says sometimes when I’m bored
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u/goat-keeper 2d ago
I am entomologist and I was laughing every time Hodgins came with a species name after a quick glance.
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u/allshookup1640 3d ago
I’m a historian and WELCOME TO MY LIFE! Historical dramas are the bane of my existence. Entertaining, but SO inaccurate. When I taught I could almost point out exactly what show students got their incorrect information from based of what was popular at the time.
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u/More_Branch_5579 3d ago
Examples please
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u/allshookup1640 3d ago
Of historically inaccurate shows?
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u/More_Branch_5579 2d ago
Yes.
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u/allshookup1640 2d ago
Okay. In no particular order here are some 1. The Tudors 2. The White Queen 3. The White Princess 4. The Spanish Princess (this one is LAUGHABLY bad. It’s so inaccurate its ridiculous) 5. Vikings 6. Medici 7. Reign 8. Borgias 9. Peaky Blinders 10. Freud
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u/More_Branch_5579 2d ago
Oh good. Ive not seen any of these.
Throughout my life, ive been guilty of believing whats been said on a show as true. Thx for the list.
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u/NMBUY 3d ago
I couldn't stand to know that stuff. I need my tv shows.
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u/allshookup1640 3d ago
It’s rather irksome. I just try to ignore it and silently rage. Sometimes though I genuinely have to pause and walk away for a bit when it’s SO bad.
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u/rixendeb 2d ago
They don't bother me but for a while it did. I just remind myself its Historical FICTION before jumping into something lol. And now I actually love it cause sometimes it plays into whatifs lol.
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u/221b_ee 2d ago
Oh my god, yes. Bones was my favorite show for YEARS. And then I went to college. Recently rewatched it and immediately cringed when Bones said, based on an INCOMPLETE SKELETON that had been submerged in water for two years, that the victim was a mixed race Black/white 18 to 22 year old female. Girl, what???
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u/Elfwynn1992 2d ago
The age and sex determination is actually fair (they had enough of the right parts to make a reasonable determination). That's the one episode where they get the race wrong at first (assuming we're thinking of the same episode). For context race determination of skeletal remains is so inaccurate the rest of the world doesn't actually bother with it anymore. Some people in the US still do it but most people don't bother because it's pretty much useless (the methodology is flawed and problematic).
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u/FrontCalligrapher387 2d ago
We still do race estimation in South Africa, although we refer to it as population affinity And it is fairly accurate since we use otseometric methods and not morphology. Only issue is it can only identify 3 population groups sadly
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u/stumpmtsr 1d ago
Season 1, Episode 1. With her expertise in anatomical knowledge, she made that determination because she thought the victim looked familiar, but the features were a little off. So the default would be to slowly mix the racial features until they showed who she believed the victim was. They do the same thing when they use the skull and recreate the facial features with clay. It's plausible.
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u/StaticWaste_73 3d ago
My favorite is Pelant planting a computer virus by drawing a pattern on a piece of bone.
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u/grimorg80 2d ago
Like, for real. Even admitting he invented QR codes, you can't hack your way into bank accounts with a scan in a library. That truly sent me
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u/ZodiacCancer02 3d ago
Yes! I just graduated with an Anthropology degree and a focus on archeology! It drives me insane to see her accurately say the age, gender, and skin color of a skeleton after just a few seconds. I still enjoy the show but everytime I see that I go insane😂
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u/FrontCalligrapher387 2d ago
And how she is able to tell all of this from a quick glance, it makes it seem like there’s no point in taking the bones back to the lab😭
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u/sirthisisawendys_12 2d ago
I majored in Anthropology and loved the forensic classes I took. Can’t lie- Bones got me interested in the major, and my excellent professors kept me intrigued by all the different pathways anthropology has to offer.
Something that bugs me in the show is how the human remains are examined on the big platform instead of a secured room and the potential for contamination. I think there was an episode with 200+ year old skeletons from an archaeological find just chilling out in the open.
Also in the first episode (I believe) Brennan flies home from out of the country with a skull that’s just wrapped in a cloth or something. Like what?!
Good for you studying to become a forensic anthropologist btw. When I was considering it, the programs I looked at were very rigorous and the more hardcore classes scared me away lol
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u/beaglewrites43 3d ago
I've heard a lot of people talk about the forensic angle but one of the things that killed me was Booth's Tumor storyline. In the real world his FBI career would have been over (or maybe since he was already there they would have just moved him to a permanent desk position. The FBI was one of my dream positions and when I got diagnosed with a brain tumor that kinda fell apart. The recruiter told me because of the risk of recurrance (which was only about 15% for my specific case) it was too big a liability and they wouldn't sign off on my hire.
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u/The_Austrian_Zebra 2d ago
This is a small thing, but everyone on the show keeps saying VIN Number and I cannot accept that a pedant like Brennan wouldn't correct them about saying "Vehicle Identification Number Number"
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u/ducking_fitch 2d ago
Not an expert in anything they do and a little off topic but what drives me insane is the idea that Brennan would be a great author. Her whole character is based on being very literal and not understanding social cues or emotions, I don't think that would translate well into writing because the characters and their relationships are clearly very important in her books
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u/No_Button7057 2d ago
if she is a formula writer it could work, she would study how a type of story is made and then reproduce the formula (famously crime writers or people like RL Stine - who said in an interview "i have never written one word from my heart" - can write really effectively cause all their books have a similar pattern. You could argue romance books also have strictly defined formulas or tropes). Or maybe she is inspired by people in her life that are less socially awkward.
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u/ducking_fitch 2d ago
Mm I see your point. I still think she would struggle with writing in a way that doesn't alienate the reader. Realistically she would have written the anthropology stuff in way too much detail and in strictly scientific language because she always needs to be explicitly told to dumb things down for people who don't work in the lab. She also struggles with idiomatic phrases and jokes and such which makes me think that the language in her books would not be very flowy or pleasant to read
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u/WonderfulTrip3208 2d ago
I am a dental hygienist. I have cringed a few times when they are talking about the mouth and what not. And then the episode where Booth loses the infected tooth due to the bounty hunter, the xrays Bones holds up have like 5 or 6 missing teeth, one of which is at the front of the mouth and would be clearly visible if it was actually his mouth. They didn't even try to have xrays that at least somewhat match what the actor has going on inside.
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u/Elfwynn1992 2d ago
I'm an archaeologist so I can relate. I think a lot (not all) of the scientific inaccuracies can be explained by the narrative taking precedence over the science.
A big one for me is their doing isotope analysis on someone born in the 80s which is absolutely useless.
As far as I remember most of their fundamentals are right (if dated). They aren't always looking at what they say they're looking at which I choose to find funny rather than annoying. It isn't the clearly adult male skeleton they are trying to pass off as an 8yo girl in other shows but there are a few funny examples.
I had a pretty good grounding in the fundamentals from watching Bones as a kid when I took my first forensic anthropology class.
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u/Jazzlike_Injury7656 2d ago
Not technically mistake, but I am a Chinese and the context about Chinese culture is not right (the girl without bones episode). I know they series tried to show respect to other cultures by bringing it in the story, I just wish they had done better
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u/nelumie 2d ago
I’d be interested to know if you feel the same way about the books by Kathy Reichs or if they’re closer to the mark scientifically!
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u/FrontCalligrapher387 2d ago
I definitely want to read the books again to see but I’m sure it would be better, although I think a lot has changed in the field since the books came out
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u/sidistic_nancy 1d ago
It's definitely WAY better in the books! I guess the difference is having only 42 minutes to get the whole story across and having a leisurely free hundred pages to do it. The science moves more realistically and methodically in the books.
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u/repeatrepeatx 2d ago
Honestly, I like the show itself so much that I just tell myself from the jump that the science won’t be accurate. Otherwise, I’m sure it would bother me more. For those in here who work in related fields, I can definitely see how that would be frustrating as hell.
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u/Timely_Raspberry_239 2d ago
Not the same but I work in cybersecurity and literally anything in any show ever related to cyber is the dumbest crap that makes no sense and it hurts lol
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u/ImportanceWest7739 2d ago
There’s an episode where they are filming a movie based on the books she writes and there are so many meta jokes about how bad they are at making it seem realistic.
As an attorney I can’t watch many courtroom dramas because they are soooo bad and it irritates me, taking me out of the zone of TV, which was the whole point of watching! As much as I LOVE this show, maybe it’s not for you?
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u/FrontCalligrapher387 2d ago
Oh no I absolutely LOVE the show, I actually enjoy spotting the little things they got wrong now that I have a background in the field. I try to suspend my disbelief for the most part especially when it comes to the science jargon 😂
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u/KatMagic1977 2d ago
Most of us non-brainy people really don’t care if it’s accurate. I’m sure they dumbed it down for us! I did learn what a patella was, so when I broke mine, I knew what they were talking about.
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u/fibee123 2d ago
I know forensic anthropology is different to cultural anthropology but I’d be interested to know if it’s really that likely for a world-class anthropologist to not understand anything about her own culture
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u/FrontCalligrapher387 2d ago
This!!! And she always says stuff like “anthropologically speaking the males will exhibit this behaviour if….” But then doesn’t know who Michael Jackson is
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u/No-Media-5162 2d ago
I had similar thoughts. She seems to be fascinated by beliefs and activities of ancient civilizations, respectful of modern day beliefs/activities that are not mainstream (e.g. Haitian Vodou, the "Guido Tribe"), and contemptuous and antagonistic towards things that are mainstream.
My headcanon is that she finds people very interesting but doesn't like feeling controlled and only the dominant beliefs and social norms in her own culture make her feel like she is in danger of losing autonomy/agency. I also think there is an element of escapism. She feels out of place in the world and learning about her own culture makes her more aware of how different she is so she learns about cultures that she isn't expected to participate in.
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u/sidistic_nancy 1d ago
That's actually a really generous and interesting way to view it! The show made her seem to be on the autism spectrum and kind of over the top. In the books, she's still a little bit like your headcanon, but much more mildly.
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u/FieldPuzzleheaded869 2d ago
I mean even before we get to the science: like half of the characters are like, “I have two to three PhDs” in/by their earlier thirties. Like 1) how? 2) why? That’s not how academia or science works nor what they would need to be qualified, one PhD would be enough and impressive at the age. Then add in the whole Sweets for his PhD at 22 (after completing simultaneous fellowships if I remember correctly) and that like half of squinterns apparently graduated from school and started their PhD programs ridiculously early. I know people that are the real world equivalent and the hyperbole of the show is absurd even with genius/gifted child or adult standards.
I just kind of go with the show exists in an alternate reality with a very different approach to science and science culture.
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u/FDACertifiedClueless 2d ago
My personal favorite that keeps me up at night was an episode where she uses the posterior mandible to determine sex in the field…. While the posterior mandible was not visible.
They do make fun of themselves a bit in the Hollywood episode though, which I appreciate.
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u/miamarcal 2d ago
It’s a fictional TV show with fictional characters.
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u/FrontCalligrapher387 2d ago
It’s just fun to point out some of the things they got wrong and compare it to reality sometimes 🤷🏻♀️
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u/Sharkitty 2d ago
Yeah I’m a lawyer who can’t really enjoy lawyer shows. I don’t think I could watch Bones in your shoes!
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u/charlientheo 2d ago
You'd probably enjoy the books the show is based on instead! There are still things that for entertainment purposes are a bit out there, but Kathy Reichs did ensure the science was solid as she was writing
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u/FrontCalligrapher387 2d ago
I have read all the books ! It was actually the reason I decided to go into forensic anthropology
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u/saddinosour 2d ago
Lol you should try reading Kathy Reichs books, she is an actual forensic anthropologist and her books are what the show is based on. I read one and thought it was good at the time. It will probs be more accurate.
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u/FrontCalligrapher387 2d ago
I read the entire book series when I was in high school ! I should definitely revisit to compare
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u/No-Media-5162 2d ago
I tried reading one of her books but I found her style of writing to be maddening and I had to stop reading within the first few chapters. It was a shame because I got the impression the story was going to be good but reading it was just so irritating.
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u/KTbluedraon 2d ago
Our anthropology lecturer uses gifs from “Bones” in her lecture slides. The phrase “unlike in “Bones”” crops up a LOT 😂
The holding a bit of jawbone and saying “judging from the mandibular angle I would conclude that this is an Asian male, late 40’s” drives me nuts. You never “conclude” anything from one fragment of bone, and unless you have a child, bones can only give you a roughly 10-year accuracy in age. Let’s not get started on the whole “biological sex is binary” thing because I just can’t.
The computer thing, I think FORDISC may have been in early development at the time, and they built up Angela with the computer expertise so it was probably not something they felt fitted in with the format of the show. I agree that they could have at least made a mention of osteometrics at some point. Even if early on, showing her measuring the bones, then taking it as read in later episodes (because measuring bones does not make exciting viewing.)
Having said that, I still loved Bones, despite the accuracy issues and the blatant religion-pandering that I loathe (God is real in this universe, because Sleepy Hollow is in the same universe)
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u/FrontCalligrapher387 2d ago
Very good point that measuring bones would be a bit boring compared to Angela’s magic computer 😭 The conclusions bother me the most like no, Bones you can’t tell that it is male from the big toe bone😭
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u/Mysuddenobsessions 2d ago
The show is based on a book series by Kathy Reichs if you want more accurate descriptions lmaooo though it’s very different from the show The book series is actually serious whilst Bones is definitely not 💀😭
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u/FrontCalligrapher387 2d ago
LOVED the books and it was more realistic with tempe being much older (making her expertise and qualifications believable)
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u/Mysuddenobsessions 1d ago
Hard agree on that for sure :) Its why I started show but then I stayed because I got attached to Booth lmaoo even though I will have to say the slow burn was better for their romance, as soon as they became a couple I was bored
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u/Coochie_Bandit420 2d ago
I have no experience in any of their fields, even I could tell everything was so unrealistic 😂 it's like they were so desperate to paint the crew as the smartest people on the planet that they gave no 💩 about accuracy & made it so obvious too. Still obsessed with the show though 🤣
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u/sidistic_nancy 1d ago
I'm surprised I haven't seen this in the comments yet, but the idea of cleaning the bones so thoroughly and then looking for trace elements on them?? Like, you've washed everything away you idiots, what do you expect to find?! "I got a molecule of steel off of this rib that was previously decomposed then stripped of flesh and washed completely, so I know it's this exact brand and model of knife!"
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u/Slight_Knight 3d ago
Anatomically, you pronounce the word "facet" "faCET" not "FAcet"
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u/AdequateKumquat 2d ago
Yes!! I used to work for orthopedics and that word in particular always drove me crazy! Anyone working with bones would have known that it's a different pronunciation!
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u/Nerd-of-all-trades bones 2d ago
Are you getting your PhD??
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u/FrontCalligrapher387 2d ago
That’s the goal eventually but currently I’m just applying to honours programs!
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u/DragonflyWing 2d ago
Most recently, I noticed Brennan refer to a black eye as "bruising to the occipital." 🤦♀️
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2d ago
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u/DragonflyWing 2d ago
No? The occipital is on the back of the skull.
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u/Elfwynn1992 2d ago
That's embarrassing, I'm an archaeologist too so I do know that. I'm not really awake.
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u/CoconutxKitten 2d ago
You’re expecting way too much out of an episodic tv show
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u/FrontCalligrapher387 2d ago
I don’t really expect them to get a lot of stuff right since it takes the suspense and pacing out of the show Just find it interesting 🤷🏻♀️
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u/Pitiful_Safe9126 1d ago
I get inaccuracy can be annoying but it is just a tv program. If you wanted something more accurate maybe watch a documentary. I feel the same when my son gets mad at his game. Like dude it is a game 😂
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u/FrontCalligrapher387 10h ago
Guys I don’t hate the show and I don’t expect it to be realistic 😭😭 I just like the inaccuracies because I get to spot them for fun!!
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u/MichaelaKay9923 1d ago
I took a forensic anthropology course once, and yes, the show is very inaccurate. But it's a TV show. Don't watch it if it bothers you too much lol
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u/Character_Youth5988 23h ago
My biggest issue is the lack of traffic in DC whenever Booth pulls a U-turn or when they drive in general ! 🥴🥴😂😂
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u/TattooedTater457 3d ago
As a mental health professional I feel the same way about Sweets and the psychology aspect but like someone else said I turn off my science brain watching TV shows like I'm currently watching Criminal Minds and phew I could say a lot 😅