Bones' Season Premiere is a Nail Biter

After a season finale last spring full of surprises, Bones opens its third season with a nail biter -- or should I say bone biter -- of a mystery.

A reluctant Temperance "Bones" Brennan (Emily Deschanel) pairs up with Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) to hunt for cannibal serial killers who use an abandoned D.C. bank vault full of priceless treasures as their sacrificing altar.

While the duo finds one killer due to a diamond tooth, his mentor remains unknown and on the loose. And unfortunately, the one in jail just committed suicide with a dagger, placing himself in a death pose associated with a secret society favoring widow's sons.

While I am thrilled that Bones is adding a serial killer to the overarching storyline, I am most interested in this episode is the interaction of the team itself.

Let's start with Bones and Booth. Over the summer, Bones has thrown herself into her work and avoided opportunities for field investigation with Booth, something she relished last season. Booth thinks it's because he threw her father in jail. Angela (Michaela Conlin) thinks it's because she and Hodgins (T.J. Thyne) left Booth and Bones at the altar last spring when they fled from their nuptials and it made Bones unconsciously uncomfortable about her relationship with Booth.

We find out, though, that Bones is really upset with Booth because he didn't stop Zach (Eric Millegan) from going to Iraq. When Zach returns, Bones is ready to go back on the road with Booth. I'm glad they didn't draw that out too long. I didn't like that kind of tension between Booth and Bones.

Yes, Zach, complete with buzz cut, returns to the lab after about three months in Iraq just in time to save the day (or at least further the case) with his expertise. Why? Because the Army psychologist doesn't think Zach adapted to that environment very well. Do you think? But regardless of what the Army says, Zach fits in nicely at the Jeffersonian. In fact, he fits in so nicely there that they couldn't replace him. Although, I did feel bad for the poor guy "auditioning" for Zach's slot when he returned.

Meanwhile, Angela and Hodgins, who is sporting a new 'do, are still not married and have hired a private detective to locate her husband. It was interesting to see Hodgins struggle with his own insecurities as he found out more about the man Angela married.

Personally, I was astonished with how much information the detective found and how quickly he found it given the little amount of information Angela gave him to begin with -- she thought his name started with a B and her sketch looked more like modern art. It'll be interesting to see what happens when they actually find this guy.

Not a mind bending episode, but a nice piece to work us back into the groove with the team. It had a nice mystery that wasn't easily solved (yet) and great chemistry between the cast. I'm looking forward to another great season on Bones which airs on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on Fox.