The Bones Character That Still Gets Fans Heated Today

Considering Bones lasted for 246 episodes across 12 seasons, it's safe to say it was a popular show that still has a devoted fan base. Its run may have ended in 2017, but plenty of fans still go back to watch the old episodes, and sometimes when you go back to watch an old show, you're reminded of certain facets of characters' lives you overlooked the first time. 

FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) had numerous painful moments over the course of the show, such as getting rejected by the woman to whom he proposed. Throughout the series, we learn little tidbits here and there of Booth's earlier life, which involves his mother leaving her family when he was still a child. Well, fans finally got to meet the woman that caused Booth so much pain in the season 8 episode "The Party in the Pants." 

After years of hearing about her and the damage she caused Seeley and his brother, Marianne Booth (Joanna Cassidy) finally came to the forefront, and fans naturally had strong opinions. Redditor /u/Stannette12 started an online discussion about how much they detested Marianne appearing on the show, saying things like, "I can't stand her. She leaves her children with her abusive husband, obviously she should leave him but leaving her kids with him is screwed up. She'll save herself but not them, nice. And she apparently never gets in touch with them." While fans can forgive some scientific inaccuracies on Bones, they can't forgive this woman who should've done more to protect her children. 

Marianne appears in a few episodes across seasons 8 and 9. Her main character arc involves her wanting Seeley to walk her down the aisle as she marries another man. Of course, this comes years after she left Seeley and his brother with an abusive father. Fans get rather... heated by this storyline, with many believing Seeley didn't have any responsibility to forgive his mother and obey her wishes. Redditor /u/passthepeas75 shared their distaste at her presence by saying, "I hate everything about the storyline about Booth's mom. I always just assumed she was dead, and even after the episodes she is in, I still do. The canon is better that way. LOL."

Not only do fans just plain not like Marianne (for some valid reasons), but some even feel like the show missed a potential storyline opportunity by having Seeley forgive his mother. Redditor /u/Jorgenstern8 points out, "I think it would have actually been kinda cool to see a network TV show where people who were damaged by their neglect actually weren't forced into apologizing and reconciling despite the opposite party not showing a single bit of remorse for what they did." After eight seasons, it makes sense to amp up the drama and bring new characters into the mix. It's possible fans would've tolerated Marianne's character a bit more had her presence helped Seeley grow as a more interesting character rather than do what's expected of television shows. 

Bones lasted for 12 seasons. Fans became invested in these characters, so to see someone come out of the woodwork expecting forgiveness where perhaps forgiveness wasn't due, it naturally ruffled some feathers. Still, despite a few questionable choices, Bones remains a beloved TV show fans still enjoy rewatching.