Progress! Bones has been stagnating for so long that significant development is welcome simply because little has actually happened these past few years. There are lots of arguments why this latest development might not be optimal--it results from the trauma of Vincent's death so it lacks meaning, it's too sudden, we see little of the transition--but I like it just because it sends the show on a new trajectory. Instead of the will-they-won't-they dynamic, which has dominated the show and has gotten less returns as the show progressed, the show can firmly transform itself. Booth and Brennan can still be friendly, but without all the awkwardness.
The plot of "The Change in the Game" is mostly fluff with the murder of a bowler and the conclusion doesn't matter. Booth and Brennan spend their time undercover at the bowling alley, unnecessarily, I have to add, but it gives them something to do while Angela is giving birth and the other characters do the lab work.
During the undercover scenes, there was definitely something different about the way the characters acted. Brennan is smiling a lot and seemed a lot happier than she usually is, and Booth was a touch cheerier as well. Max didn't really need to be around to clue us into the changes.
The question going forward is, of course, how the writers handle this situation. Will they put Booth and Brennan together immediately at the start of the next season, or will they drag this out even longer, making a season of "Booth wants Brennan to marry but she's afraid to commit, until she gives birth?" The latter would be very problematic, possibility more so than the Hannah stuff. But for now, I'm willing to give the writers the benefit of the doubt and assume they won't drag their feet any longer.
Score: 8.6/10
