“Bones” focuses so heavily on Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) and Temperance “Bones” Brennan (Emily Deschanel)’s relationship (which was great both on and off screen) that the majority of the biggest “Bones” moments ever revolve around the duo. But before the main characters fully committed to a relationship, the series often relished in creating circumstances that conspired to drive wedges between them … and one of the finer hours of Booth and Brennan’s will-they-won’t-they era is that one time when Brennan briefly dated Booth’s younger brother, Jared (Brendan Fehr).
Jared Booth enters the picture in “Bones” Season 4, Episode 9 (“The Con Man in the Meth Lab”), and promptly charms Brennan — to his big bro’s annoyance. The infatuation doesn’t last beyond this one episode, but then again, “Bones” creator Hart Hanson didn’t intend it to. In an interview with The Futon Critic, Hanson explained that Jared’s narrative function was to explore Brennan’s belief that a relationship with her and Booth won’t work. Having this involve a family member was also a handy way for the show to flesh out Booth’s backstory, which was largely unknown at the time.
“There’s a spark between Brennan and little brother Booth, as is the way things go on ‘Bones,'” Hanson explained. “Since she, in her own mind, can’t have the older Booth, maybe this younger one is a good copy. It turns out not to be true but it gives us some fun with them but, mostly, to shed some light on Booth, who [is] a guarded character.”
David Boreanaz and Brendan Fehr’s shared hobby added to the tension between their characters
Jared Booth, a naval officer with a stellar career and charisma to spare, initially seems like a far friendlier version of his brother. However, the events of “The Con Man in the Meth Lab” reveal that he has an immature streak a mile wide and that Seeley has had to protect Jared so much that it has actively hurt the older brother’s career. After learning this, Brennan understandably recoils from any potential romantic ambitions toward Jared — and gains a more powerful understanding of the older Booth’s personality and past.
Due to Seeley’s view that he needs to watch over his brother and Jared’s frustration over this, the two brothers’ relationship, while caring, comes with a side order of animosity. According to Hart Hanson, Brendan Fehr and David Boreanaz shared a surprising real-life history that helped the two actors convey the brothers’ sometimes confrontational attitude toward each other. “It didn’t hurt a bit that [Fehr] and David had conflict on the ice,” Hanson told The Futon Critic. “They both play hockey in the leagues and they’ve had some conflicts on the ice that comes into their relationship on the show.”
Jared went on to make a handful of appearances in Season 4 and Season 5, even risking his own career to save Seeley. Unfortunately, “Bones” Season 11 ultimately brings a tragic end to the story when Jared’s dangerous lifestyle and debts catch up with him. In an interview with TVLine, Boreanaz reflected on Jared’s off-screen death. “You have to continuously change things up by killing characters,” he said. “I don’t think anyone’s safe. My character’s not even safe on the show. One of the hardest things is to be able to make that change.”