On the Anniversary of Heather Tom’s Young & Restless Debut as Victoria, a Look at How Bold & Beautiful Is Tragically Wasting Her Talent
It’s past time for Heather Tom’s Katie Logan to become fed up and ferocious.
It was apparent from the beginning of her daytime career, when Heather Tom debuted on The Young and the Restless on December 12, 1990, that she was an acting force to be reckoned with. It was 30 years ago when Tom began playing Victoria Newman, daughter of iconic Genoa City couple Victor Newman and Nikki Newman, and she was just the dynamo to depict the strong-willed rich girl navigating her way through the trials and tribulations of first love, forbidden love, and following her ambitions with a powerful and protective man as her father. She stayed in the role for 13 years before moving on.
Young & Restless’ loss was One Life to Live’s gain as Tom did a stint as Kelly Cramer on the ABC sudser before moving on and being cast as Katie Logan, younger sister of staple Brooke Logan, on The Bold and the Beautiful, a role she’s played since 2007.
Heather Tom in a scene with Y&R’s Eric Braeden as Victor’s headstrong daughter, Victoria.
Credit: Jesse Grant/JPI
Katie’s storyline has often surrounded medical drama as she’s had a few near-death experiences that have landed her in the hospital, and wound up with body parts from two near and dear relatives, her late brother Storm, who killed himself so she could have his heart, and Storm’s daughter, Flo, who donated a kidney to save Katie, which just happened to help redeem her after an act of reprehensible deception. She’s also battled crippling post-partum depression and alcoholism.
Katie and Bill’s love story has been a centerpiece of her time on Bold & Beautiful, but feels like it has run its course what with Bill developing an obsession, or love, depending on the day of the week, for her sister, Brooke, that has reared its ugly head one time too many, leaving Katie and Bill’s relationship with little to no rooting value despite the fact they share a son together.
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In the wake of Bill’s latest transgression with Brooke, Katie has been largely off-screen, presumably deciding whether she can trust him or take him back yet again. It’s a disappointing state of affairs for an Emmy-award winning actress to be saddled with the prospect of replaying a stale plot-line while sitting on the back-burner. Using Katie as a tool to redeem the unpopular Flo, and portraying her as a meddlesome dupe when Sally faked a terminal illness, was a disservice to the character too. It’s past time for Katie to become fed up with repeating patterns, being too forgiving and an apologist, and for viewers to see her roar with all the ferocity we know Heather Tom can bring.
Katie and Wyatt were sexy and fun. Pizza delivery anyone?!
Credit: Howard Wise/JPI
Given her ex-husband’s penchant for jealousy and control, the resilient Katie could be pushing Bill’s buttons with any number of men, including his right-hand man, Justin Barber, who also needs a storyline, his son, Wyatt, with whom Katie shared a sexy and fun relationship with in the past, or his old enemy Deacon Sharpe, a character everyone loves to see return to the show.
Aside from potential love interests, Katie is in an executive position at Forrester Creations and would be a powerhouse in a smart, snappy business story or rivalry. The good old days of the warring fashion houses are so missed! A personal rivalry would also be welcome, as few can hold their own with the likes of Quinn Forrester like Katie can, given Tom is such a strong scene partner.
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There should also be loads of drama for Katie to play with her sister Brooke, as it’s frustrating to see Brooke follow her destiny and hurt Katie time and again, with Katie’s only response being to forgive her because that’s just who Brooke is. Please. Allowing Katie to have some well-deserved animosity toward Brooke and delving into these issues would bring some family drama to the Logan sisters and give both Katie and Brooke something else to do besides appear in predictable love triangles.
What storyline would you like to see for Katie? See soap characters who crossed over to other shows below. Get your free daily soap-opera fix for The Bold and the Beautiful — and all of the other daytime dramas — delivered straight to your email inbox by signing up for Soaps.com’s newsletter.
