Bold & Beautiful Viewers Revolt Over the Mere *Suggestion* of a New Pairing
“Crazy” and “sick,” they called it. “Intriguing” and “different,” we called it.
After The Bold and the Beautiful recently put Brooke and Taylor in one another’s arms rather than at one another’s throats, we pondered the possibility that the former enemies might discover that they wanted to be more than friends. In response, viewers, whether due to an unawareness that some people discover later in life that they are gay or bisexual, or because they feel that television should be the sole province of straight characters, freaked.
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But How Do You Really Feel?
A number of audience members called the notion of the women finding the love with one another that they hadn’t with Ridge “stupid.” We might argue that continuing to circle the same fickle commitmentphobe would be “stupid.” But that’s a discussion for another day.
Others who read the article suggested, as one fan did, that it would be “sick to put two women together.” Presumably, as opposed to Brooke marrying Eric, his sons Ridge and Thorne as well as Ridge’s half brother Nick, and having sex with two of her daughters’ significant others, sometime brother-in-law Bill and almost stepson Thomas while high on boinkberries. The implication is also that Brooke and Taylor exploring a romantic relationship would be abnormal whereas Taylor’s involvement with most of Brooke’s exes as well as her and Eric’s son Rick would be… normal. Mm, OK.
Bill’s sister might have something to say on this subject.
Credit: Howard Wise/JPI
‘Clean,’ Redefined
Another viewer, insisting that she’d no longer be tuning in if “Braylor” happens, vowed that she’d be turning to “clean programs.” Which we can infer that she thought Bold & Beautiful was back when it was playing out wholesome stories like Amber wondering time and again who’s the daddy, Stephanie attempting to drug Morgan into miscarrying, Sheila donning a disguise to schtup an unwitting Deacon and Eric and Quinn taking turns betraying their marriage vows.
In comment after comment, audience members railed that a love story, simply a love story, between Brooke and Taylor, two women who have been through so much, would be “nasty” and “disgusting.” Reaching for absolute clarity, one went so far as to note that she “dint (sic) believe in two women together or two men.” Another, perhaps hoping to sidestep the label of “homophobe,” declared, “I don’t care what people do behind closed doors but don’t want to see it.” Except, it would seem, when it comes to Steffy getting it on with Finn (or, before him, Liam, or, before him, Wyatt… ) or Deacon shacking up with Sheila (and, before her, Quinn, and, before her, Macy, and so on).
“So, what? Is it back to the mannequin for us?”
Credit: Howard Wise/JPI
So This Is the Show’s Destiny
As one commenter admitted, “I’m about to puke,” another cried, “We see enough of this crap in the real world… I don’t know why they want to put this in our face.” Got it. So clearly, a portion of the audience prefers their gay people to be like their wardrobes: in the closet. A portion of the audience doesn’t want to see new and different kinds of storylines. (Maybe that’s why the powers that be wrote off Maya, the only series-regular character in the series’ entire history.) But what does that tell us? About the show’s future, that is, not about viewers.
What it tells us is that we should give up complaining that stories are predictable. We shouldn’t even bother to remark that the same ones are recycled over and over. We should take a good look at Bold & Beautiful today and just accept that it will never change. In 2034, 2044 and beyond, Brooke and Taylor will still be fighting over Ridge (probably trying to run over one another with their wheelchairs). Sheila will still be cutting off body parts to fake her death (maybe an ear next, since she already only hears what she wants to?). And Bill and Katie will still be doing the whole on-again/off-again dance (because they somehow are convinced that the definition of insanity is not doing the same thing and expecting a different result).
Got an idea for a storyline that’s new and different? Drop it in a comment. In the meantime, count down the show’s all-time greatest couples in the photo gallery below.
