Bo and Hope met when Doug Williams’ daughter tried conning Roman’s little brother into buying her a drink at a bar. It didn’t work – but it did earn her a ride on Bo’s motorcycle so he could make sure she made it home safely! (Thank God that didn’t turn into a #Metoo story…)
It didn’t take long for Bo and Hope to fall madly in love, but Doug was determined that his little girl would marry the slimy DA Larry Welch. Fortunately, Bo was on-hand (with a little help from Hope’s “double,” Howie) for motorcycle rescue #2 to whisk away/kidnap her on her wedding day!
After another kidnapping or two (how else was Larry supposed to get her back?) and an ISA adventure for three powerful “prisms,” Bo and Hope married in a mock wedding in New Orleans. On a plantation. Dressed as plantation owners. We get it, the fan and cravat are cute… but there’s so much wrong with this, we’re just moving on.
The two married in a real ceremony courtesy of Queen Elizabeth herself. Bo and Hope had earned her loyalty when they helped take down the nefarious Dragon, who had been killing members of the British royal family. Yes, all of those words belong together. The ‘80s were wild.
Next up, Bo and Hope ran off to join the circus! OK, fine, this is Peter Reckell and Mary Hart from Circus of the Stars… We couldn’t resist. But Bo and Hope did run off to sail around the world on their boat ,“Fancy Face,” with their son, Shawn and weren’t seen for years!
The two came back eventually, but all the hats in the world couldn’t save Hope from getting kidnapped again by the dastardly Ernesto Toscano. This time, she ended up in a cave in cage hanging over a vat of acid. When that literally blew up, she was presumed dead for the next four years. That or she became the Joker… BatBo? Is that you?
Once Hope was gone, Bo was devastated. All he could do to hold himself together was frolic in the water with Carly. Truly heartbreaking.
By the time Hope came back to life — thinking, at the time, that she was Princess Gina — Bo had moved on from Carly to Billie. (He’d also gotten a new face in Robert Kelker Kelly.) He then proceeded to bounce from a marriage to Billie, to an engagement to Hope and back to another Billie marriage… with Hope as the bridesmaid.
Things got really weird when Stefano turned Hope back into Gina. She slept with the Phoenix, she slept with John, she flirted with animal prints, then she was replaced by the real Princess Gina… who tried to shoot Shawn. That was about when Bo finally caught on and decided to do something about this doppelganger nonsense.
After some shenanigans, Bo rescued Hope, restored her identity and the two married once more. She was pregnant at the time with what she thought was John’s baby, but it turned out to be hers and Bo’s. They only learned that, though, after raising a kid who actually belonged to the niece of a rando Stefano henchman for a year. Because… plot? We’ve got nothing.
Or not. Life was good for a bit with their now-grown son Shawn and young boy Zack (after they got rid of the weirdo Stefano henchman baby). But then Billie ruined it all again. Or rather, her and Bo’s secret daughter Chelsea did when she killed poor Zack with her car! She was not welcomed into the famliy with open arms.
The couple managed to find happiness once again once they had their third child. They just had a little trouble keeping track of her. Ciara was kidnapped, rescued by a Salem cop, then kidnapped by him again when he was revealed to be the mastermind. And you thought Satan gave her a rough time…
Things were strained for a bit after all that kidnapping, and then Bo left on an undercover assignment — or so Hope thought when she moved on with Aiden Jennings! Instead, Bo had been taken prisoner and tortured for years, only to return just in time to save Hope from Aiden’s double who was working for Stefano to kill her! Lord, the Phoenix was obsessed with doppelgängers.
Bo and Hope finally found everlasting happiness when they — oh, who are we kidding? Bo was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor (which is one of those no-way-out soap deaths) then passed away in Hope’s arms. Cue the tears in three… two…
Believing that Bo’s death was Stefano’s fault — because what wasn’t? — Hope decided the villain had to be stopped for good. Ghost Bo tried his best to get her to abandon her revenge plot, but no go! Hey, it’s tough to stop someone when you can’t even touch them. Hope put the Phoenix down with what seemed to be a ressurrection-proof bullet.
Ghost Bo made one last return (until Beyond Salem!) and this time he brought their son Zack along with them. Oddly, Zack had kept growing in death, but let’s not overthink it. The two told Hope it was fine to move on with Rafe, seeing as how he had helped her cover up Stefano’s murder. It was all very dramatic for a relationship that, let’s face it, we’ve all pretty much forgotten already…
Beyond Salem saw Hope and Bo reunited in heaven for a swoon-worthy dance… after which she returned to earth. But then that final scene revealed that Bo is every bit as alive as his beloved. And their reunion is right around the corner as they’re both making their return to Salem!
Advertisement
