Bones: Why Temperance Brennan is One of the Best Female Characters on TV

We can all learn a little something from Temperance Brennan.

To say that the strong-willed, brilliant character played by Emily Deschanel on Bones has overcome adversity is an understatement. She has overcome unthinkable life circumstances and complicated tragedies, yet she only grows stronger and more stable. (Spoilers below.)

The appeal (and the humor) of Brennan comes from her inability to understand social cues contrasted with her high intelligence and focused determination. If you think that sounds like the character has Asperger’s, you’d be right on the money, though the show has not labeled her as such.

Creator Hart Hanson stated in 2010, “If we were on cable, we would have said from the beginning that Brennan has Asperger’s. Instead, it being a network, we decided not to label a main character, for good or for bad. But those elements are in there.”

And those moments make her lovable. “I don’t know what that means” becomes an endearing catchphrase and a reason to laugh, while her passion and dedication for her work — and for justice — are traits we should all try to live up to.

Brennan’s personality contrasts with that of Seeley Booth, who believes in faith, understands popular culture, and was most certainly one of the popular kids in high school.

In fact, when Brennan shares a story from her childhood that she finds traumatic and embarrassing, Booth has trouble coming up with a similar story.

On the other hand, Brennan believes in science and logic. The things she finds fun aren’t typical, and she has trouble in social situations.

When we first meet her in Season 1, she has few personal connections and a serious lack of trust, which stems from the fact that her parents disappeared when was a teenager. Yet she manages to keep those personal connections close, and she is nothing if not fiercely loyal.

She’ll drop anything to be there for Angela or to support her assistant and friend, Zach (we miss you, Zach!) and she develops that same sense of loyalty for Booth. As the series progresses, she learns more and more how to open herself up to new relationships and to accept help from others.

No doubt, it’s her growing relationship with Booth, along with her friendship with Angela, that helps her to learn those skills. More importantly, though, she’s willing to try.

In Season 10, she consistently offers small acts of kindness to her interns, almost intentionally proving how far her character has come. She’s even found it within herself to forgive her father for all the crazy things he’s done, and she’s let him back into her life.

Within her relationship with Booth, she has also learned to bend and accept things that an early Brennan wouldn’t have. From the way they were married to the the fact that she allowed Christine to be baptized Roman-Catholic shows not only how much she loves Booth, but also a sense of open-mindedness that she didn’t previously have.

Another change for her character is the willingness to learn from others, something she was resistant to early on. Well, even now she’s resistant, but not nearly as much as she was in early seasons.

In Season 10, she sets aside her ego and lets herself learn about social media from her intern, resulting in some of the best (and most fun) Brennan moments we’ve seen in a long time.

Brennan is also fearless. Early in the series, she demands to be able to use a gun when she works with Booth — and when she sets her mind to something, she gets it. She isn’t afraid of the new challenge, but instead, embraces it.

Even without a gun, though, her self-defense skills would make any superhero jealous.

Now that she’s a mother, she doesn’t spend as much time in the field or showing off those self defense skills. Instead, she represents the working mother, learning to deal with the struggles of parenthood, and finding a balance between her work and her family.

She strikes that balance well, remaining successful in her career, continuing her writing, and being a loving, dedicated mother (who also has a lot to teach her little girl).

So, Brennan is a smart, strong woman who is loyal and willing to grow and change, but what’s even more significant is how she deals with adversity. And boy has she dealt with her share of that.

Her decisions may not always be the best (going on the run and leaving her husband behind) but she always plays an active role in dealing with trouble.

She doesn’t throw on her pajamas and sit around eating ice-cream, and she doesn’t give up. She always does something about it. Husband in prison? She puts her focus on getting him out. Close friend dies? She focuses on finding out who’s responsible. (RIP Sweets! Still not over that one.)

As trouble comes around, she draws closer to her friends and her family, and finds herself even more willing to change — all without sacrificing her own ideals.

The end of Season 10 leaves us with her decision, along with Booth, to change their lives entirely to focus more on their family and keeping them safe. As for how that will pan out in Season 11, chances are, they’ll be returning. But we’ll see.

Bones returns Thursday, October 1st at 8/7c on FOX.