David Boreanaz

Two new characters will be recurring on Bones this season, and according to the exclusive information I have just received from Bones boss Hart Hanson, both of those new characters are third parties who will get between the happy (re)unions of our two favorite Jeffersonian lab couples, Booth (David Boreanaz) and Bones (Emily Deschanel), and Hodgins (T.J. Thyne) and Angela (Michaela Conlin).

Who are those third parties, and what are their intentions? Well...

According to Bones executive producer Hanson, Angela’s rekindled (female) flame will not burn out quickly! He told me, "Roxie (Nichole Hiltz) is not a one-off character. We expect to see her a few more times this season. She is a very real complication for Hodgins and Angela." Aaah!

But that’s not the worst of it. According to Hart, Booth’s younger brother will also be joining the fray and will definitely become an obstacle to the Booth-Bones romance we all crave. He told me, "Jared Booth is also conceived as a multiepisode character. There are very real sparks between Brennan and Jared Booth. He is a very real complication for Brennan and Booth. We are very close to casting him, and we really hope the person we’re pursuing works out."

Oh lord. This is just what we fans were afraid of. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I have no doubt that the writers will deliver long-term, but as far as the short term is concerned, this does seem to be a bump in the nonsmooth road to true TV love, doesn’t it?