It shouldn't be much of a shock that Bones can pull off its season 8 opener with flair. After all, this is the TV show that remained fun throughout four seasons of "just partners," two seasons of poorly timed pining (from first Booth and then Brennan), and the season-7 rush into love and a baby.

Getting Brennan and Booth back together in season 8 should be easy for Bones after all that. And I guess it is -- the Bones season 8 premiere is excellent.

Still, the road to season 8 was a bit of a mess. Evil mastermind Christopher Pelant successfully framed Brennan for murder while simultaneously absolving himself of pretty much everything. Thus Brennan -- with baby Christine in tow -- had to skip town. Poor Booth just got to stand in the road and look lost.

It was a sad end to season 7.

That sad chaos doesn't get much of a run in season 8 -- Bones wisely plucks fugitives Brennan and Christine out of their Sound of Music-style hidden valley and reunites them with frustrated-desk jockey Booth. And everything is better when Booth and Brennan are together.

Fortunately, the good people at Bones are well aware of this. There is a reunion. Very satisfying kissing follows. Then everybody gets down to the daunting task of exonerating Brennan and throwing Pelant in jail. Crime-solving mixes with interpersonal drama and Booth-Brennan flirting... Just like old times!

While the season 8 premiere as a whole is excellent, a few highlights must be mentioned:

• Christopher Pelant is still the creepy genius we saw in season 7. Even when we get to know him better in "The Future in the Past," everything from the man's brilliance to that awful smile remains horrible. It's great.
• All of the chemistry between Brennan and Booth remains thoroughly intact.
• Caroline the D.A. is in this episode, cheri! 
• Brennan herself starts the team down the road to proving her innocence. And she does so in a very Brennan-like fashion .
• "The Future in the Past" has a big twist at the end. Trust me when I say that you will not see it coming.
  

What are the 8 things you should know about the Bones Season 8 premiere?

Naturally, the Bones season 8 premiere isn't perfect. Close to perfect, sure. But not quite. There are a couple of points in the investigation when the characters make leaps I can't follow. For example, even after three viewings of this episode, I'm still not entirely sure how Booth figures out exactly where Brennan is. Also, Brennan's blonde hair is awful.

But these are minor distractions, and there is an important aspect of my complaint that sums up my real feelings toward this Bones episode: I watched it three times. Unlike some shows that make me want to throw rocks at the screen after even one viewing, I enjoyed Bones almost as much on the third as the first time.

This is the genius of Bones: We always enjoy watching it. A good episode of the show is a pleasurable way to spend an hour of an evening. That little bit of creepiness mixes with entertaining characters and genuine emotions to keep us entertained.

And Bones, even in season 8, is nothing if not entertaining.

The Bones season 8 premiere, "The Future in the Past," airs on Monday, September 17 at 8pm on FOX.

(Images courtesy of FOX)