Brooke and Deacon’s Inevitable Hook-Up Is Exactly What Bold & Beautiful Needs — Plus, Why [Spoiler] Being Sidelined Is Everything Wrong With This Show

Credit: Howard Wise/JPI (2); CBS screenshot

Call me crazy — you wouldn’t be the first, you won’t be the last — but for my money, Deacon is the best thing to hit Bold & Beautiful since my beloved, underused Shauna. But I’m downright flabbergasted by the explosive (and fun) beat the writers seem determined not to play. What the heck am I talking about? Read on and find out… 

#sorrynotsorry

I’m literally counting down the moments until Brooke does what she’s most notorious for doing and follows her heart… straight into Deacon’s arms. Not only have recent episodes (along with a generous dollop of flashbacks) reminded me just how much chemistry portrayers Katherine Kelly Lang and Sean Kanan have, but… well, I kinda want to see Ridge’s head explode. He’s been outlandishly obnoxious for a while now, but things got really bad when he refused to butt out of dad Eric’s marriage. Now, the way he’s talking to Hope and Brooke is kinda reprehensible.

Above: Without saying a word, Deacon’s entire body is asking Brooke, “How you doin’?”

Credit: CBS screenshot

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Take, for example, this particular snippet of dialogue: “Bridget loved this snake, and you slept with her husband,” Ridge barked at his wife. “You had a child. biggest betrayal of your life, and that’s what you want? You want this clown, here, you want this constant reminder in your life?”

Hey, Ridge, you know what Deacon’s not doing? Slut-shaming your wife the way you are. Brooke doesn’t need Deacon to serve as a reminder of her past indiscretions… she has Hope, who also happens to be a bright spot in her world. Do you see Douglas as a constant reminder of that time you tried to steal Thomas’ son away from him? Is Steffy a constant reminder of all the times you hurt her mom in order to be with Brooke?

Yeah, I’m definitely ready for karma to smack Ridge around a little bit. And that was before he had the nerve to kick Hope out of the cabin… which happens to be owned by her mother!

Sheila Who?

A very big deal was made of Sheila’s return to the canvas but as far as I’m concerned, her storyline has been a yawnfest. As with the character’s past few visits, Sheila seems completely neutered. She hasn’t hatched one good scheme since showing up at son Finn’s wedding, and several of her moves (like telling Finn she had no clue who his dad was even as she urged Jack to come clean) have made no sense.

Above: “Finn, I’m not just your mother. I’m your — say it with me now! — biological mother.”

Credit: Howard Wise/JPI

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But Deacon? I get this story. Even during his scenes with Sheila, Deacon has never wavered from his determination to be in daughter Hope’s life and prove he is a changed man. He doesn’t want to hatch schemes, and he genuinely did not set out to create dissent in Brooke’s marriage… Ridge managed to do that all on his own.

Waiting In the Wings

Knowing that the show has recast Taylor and the character will soon be showing up, I’m surprised there hasn’t been more talk of her. Like, say, when Steffy suggested Deacon should be kept at arm’s length in case he went on another bender. How did Hope not say, “You mean the way your mom has? And I know he took a few shots at Quinn, but he missed… unlike when Taylor shot Bill in the back!”

I’m also curious as to why Bill hasn’t been brought into this storyline. Imagine if Liam were to vent to his dad, who decided to deal with the Deacon situation himself. How? By teaming up with — of all people — Ridge. “I don’t like you, you don’t like me, but we need to do this for the sake of our kids,” Bill might say. I’ve long been a sucker for rivals having to work together toward a common cause. Scenes in which Don Diamont and Thorsten Kaye’s bickering alter egos exchange verbal jabs are always a blast, so the characters being forced to put aside their differences (as best they can) temporarily in order to achieve a common goal sounds like storyline gold to me!

Above: The Dressmaker vs The Stallion? I’d buy tickets to that prize fight!

Credit: Howard Wise/JPI

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But this plays to a bigger issue, which is the complete and total sidelining of Bill, who is one of the show’s most dynamic characters. This is a recurring issue with Bold & Beautiful, where a handful of characters dominate story for weeks on end while others completely vanish, even when their presence would vastly improve unfolding plotlines.

Meanwhile, I nearly choked on my lunch when, after a ticked-off Hope stormed out, Liam said to Steffy that this wasn’t how he and his wife normally handled problems. “We don’t leave. We listen to each other. We talk things out,” said that man who is best known for jumping to conclusions which propel him directly into the bed of whichever woman he’s not currently involved with.

Liam also spit out this plum: “I’m not trying to control you. Steffy’s not trying to pick fights with you, and Ridge is not trying to be a jerk.” All I could think was, “Well, you’re all succeeding at this things brilliantly, so imagine what it would be like if you were actually trying!”

Random Thoughts

Above: “Have I told you lately how awesome you are? I have? Hmm… what else could we discuss?”

Credit: Howard Wise/JPI

• I kinda loved the really casual moment when Katie, in walking past Paris on her way out of the design office, said, “You look so cute!” That was a nice moment that felt real because it happens a thousand times a day in real life. But this was followed by more scenes of Carter talking about the fact that Paris is “the kind of person who lifts a person up just by walking in the room.” We desperately need Paris to develop some character traits beyond being awesome.

• Deacon has repeatedly made it clear that he has no job or money… yet we still have absolutely no idea how Sheila is supporting herself, especially given that she’s not renting an apartment… she’s living in a swanky hotel room!

•.Talk about a missed opportunity. When Deacon asked Brooke if she knew what it’s like “having someone point out all the sins of your past every single day when you’re… trying to be a better person,” the show easily could have cut to a montage of Stephanie bad-mouthing Brooke. Heck, they could have allowed Brooke a moment of remorse by showing her trash-talking Quinn before saying, “I do… I’ve been guilty of that very behavior myself.”

Now that we’ve looked at all the action which unfolded last week, hit the comments with your highs and lows. Then, as we ponder what’s next for Brooke and Hope, why not dive into the gallery below in which we explore the branches of the Logan family… including a few you may well have forgotten!