How Bones Fans Really Felt About Katheryn Winnick's Hannah
Created by Hart Hanson, the Fox crime procedural dramedy "Bones" follows the working relationship between forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz). Set in Washington, DC, the two pursue various legal cases, relying on the remains of human bodies for the bulk of the investigations. Despite Brennan and Booth being starkly different in many ways — for one, Brennan is an atheist, while Booth argues for the importance of faith — the pair have palpable romantic chemistry and, eventually, get together. By the end of the series, the two are married and have children together.
However, before they get together, Booth dates a woman named Hannah Burley, played by Katheryn Winnick, in Season 6 (following Brennan rejecting Booth at the end of Season 5). Hannah, a journalist, meets Booth in Afghanistan when he saves her from a situation involving terrorists. Hannah surprises Booth by moving to the US to be with him and they continue forward with a relationship, despite Booth seemingly still being interested in Brennan; Hannah even befriends Brennan. The two ultimately break up when Booth, trying to convince himself he is serious about Hannah, proposes to her — but Hannah turns him down, saying she isn't the marrying type. In typical television format, the breakup ultimately makes way for Brennan and Booth to finally get together.
Considering that Hannah acts as a hurdle for the central couple to get through before they can finally start their relationship, it makes sense that fans may have some mixed feelings about the character — here's what they really think about Hannah.
Some fans liked Hannah, but others did not
In a post to the r/Bones subreddit, u/hgblidy asked if other fans enjoyed Hannah's character as much as they did. "She was funny, a good friend to Brennan, and a complex character," This user wrote. "She helped the story move along to Booth and Brennan being together." Another fan, u/MorganaMevil, jumped in to agree that they also liked Hannah and suggested her arc worked perfectly to finally bring Booth and Brennan together. Later, u/messythelioma added, "I thought she was great, she was a lot different than I expected. I thought she was just gonna be a bland character who only served as a plot device solely to be linked as "Booth's gf" but she was given more than that."
On the other side of things, u/Bones206-447 found Hannah's arc unnecessary and thought that her screen time could have gone to other storylines. Expressing mixed feelings, u/Swimming_Peacock97, wrote, "I liked Hannah. What I didn't like, however, was that she evidently knew she 'wasn't the marrying kind,' yet went as far as quickly as she did with Booth."
However, u/FloweredViolin, pointed out that Hannah is repeatedly outspoken about not wanting marriage. As this user reasons, Booth is aware of their long-term incompatibility, but he ultimately chooses to move forward with the relationship anyway. To some fans, the fact that the relationship ends as it does only speaks to Hannah's honesty.
Meanwhile, u/Dfoz gave another suggestion as to why some fans dislike Hannah: "I actually think the more I watch it, it wasn't Hannah that was the worst issue — just how Booth changed when she was around (which made you resent Hannah as a result)."
Katheryn Winnick knows not all fans liked her character
During a press conference for "Bones" in 2010 ahead of the Season 6 premiere, Katheryn Winnick was asked if she had heard about the fact that some fans were already not pleased about Hannah entering the picture (via TV Mega Site). Winnick responded, "I heard that I may be causing a stir. But, I'm excited about it. I think people are going to be excited about my character. I hope that they will welcome me."
Winnick also noted that the characters of Hannah and Brennan, who become friends in the season despite Brennan realizing she is in love with Booth, are actually quite similar. She explained, "They're both driven by facts. They're both very motivated, intelligent, adventurous women ... I think it's this understanding that we both have a similar path and a similar, I guess, motivation to really get what we want out of life. I feel that we have that. That is one of the reasons we really bond together."
If you would like to revisit Hannah's arc to see if your opinion on the character has changed at all after hearing fans' — and Winnick's — thoughts, "Bones" is available to stream on Hulu.