And the Award for The Bold and the Beautiful’s Most Utterly Perplexing Character Goes to…

We. Are. Mystified.

From time to time, The Bold and the Beautiful makes us stop and go, “Wait, whaaat?” And lately, we’re doing that whenever Grace is on. Somehow, she seems to have gotten it in her head that she must intervene in daughter Paris’ relationship with Carter, lest she wind up saddled with a significant other who is…

Wait, whaaat? A rich and handsome executive?

It makes no sense, right? We can understand why Grace would like the idea of Paris marrying rich, handsome Zende. But for her to be so vehemently against her daughter’s involvement with rich, handsome Carter is a real head-scratcher.

Does Forrester Creations’ CFO come with some baggage? Sure. Not only is there the whole Quinn affair, but in Grace’s mind, he was the bad guy in his relationship with her other daughter, Zoe.

But Zende has some miles on him, too. He cheated on Nicole with her half sister and ultimately divorced his wife for reasons that are only known to the file marked “Say Nothing, and Eventually, People Will Stop Asking.” He’s a red-flag factory come to life!

What would really have helped sell this story — as well as the character of Grace, as well-played as she is by the estimable Cassandra Creech — would have been if Bold & Beautiful had made one of the guys in the triangle a have-not. Then you could have had Mom pushing her daughter to choose love and money over just love.

Of course, characters whose bank accounts don’t bulge are harder to find on this show than characters who don’t look like they live, work and sleep at the gym. (Thank goodness for Deacon, our sole rep from the ranks of those of us who don’t have trust funds and rich relatives!)

Making Grace’s behavior extra befuddling are two things: 1. The fact that her daughter is a grown woman who is perfectly capable of making her own choices (but we can overlook that one, as meddling moms are a tried-and-true soap staple). 2. The fact that Paris, Carter and Zende are all single. Zende’s even dating a model. So where’s the scandal in Carter and Paris getting involved?

Plus, there are only what, a dozen people in L.A.? Of course they’re all going to hook up. That’s why in the past Thomas has obsessed over his sometime stepsister Hope, and both Brooke and Taylor have loved their way up one side of the Forrester family tree and down the other! (They even both married Ridge’s half brother, Nick!)

What do you think, Bold & Beautiful fans? Are you as mystified by Grace’s objection to Carter as we are? On your way to the comments, stop off at the below photo gallery, which shines a spotlight on some of soaps’ all-time best (and worst) mothers.