Credit: Howard Wise/JPI (5)

This is gonna be hard to watch, Hope fans.

Bold & Beautiful viewers were already up in arms about the twist that revealed that Thomas had framed Brooke for calling Child Protective Services on him. Some were mad about the fact that he’d been thrown under the Logan bus that never seems to stop rolling. (Read more on that here.) Others were ticked about the free pass that the eventual reveal of the truth is going to give Ridge for his flip-flopping. (Read more on that here.)

But there’s another element to this story that may just be the most upsetting of all: what it’s going to do to Hope. As a fan named Rose pointed out on Twitter, the Thomas twist may be “not surprising at all. But a bit disappointed. They finally had Hope showing an ounce of backbone and standing up to Brooke and Liam for treating her like a baby. And this is gonna backtrack all her progress.”

Scott Clifton, Annika Noelle"The Bold and the Beautiful" Set CBS Television City Los Angeles, Ca. 08/10/22 © Howard Wise/jpistudios.com 310-657-9661 Episode # 8845 U.S.Airdate 09/05/22

“Are you having pesky thoughts again, babe?”

Credit: Howard Wise/JPI

And does anyone want that to happen? Obviously not. A Hope with a backbone and the strength to speak her truth is infinitely more interesting than a Hope who just caves under pressure. Why should Steffy be the only protagonist with the wherewithal to not shy away from a fight? When next Hope and her stepsister are pitted against one another, wouldn’t the clash be more interesting if Hope was able to give as good as she got?

But it would appear that it isn’t meant to be. When Thomas’ wrongdoing is revealed, Hope is going to end up with egg on her face and Brooke and Liam saying — or at least thinking — “I told ya so.” The next time that Hope tries to assert herself, they’ll not only poopoo her effort, they’ll be able to say, “Now, honey, you remember what happened last time you thought for yourself. Let the grownups do the thinking for you, mmkay?”

Review Hope’s whole life story, from loving on Liam to bonding with Dad, in the below photo gallery.