It’s Time for Taylor and Deacon to Stop Playing Nice and Start Shaking Things Up — Plus, the Upcoming Sheila Twist We Actually Thought Might Be a Joke

Credit: Howard Wise/JPI (4)

We spent most of this week watching Bold & Beautiful‘s Taylor hug people — all of whom managed to avoid asking about her not-so-great wig. Meanwhile, Deacon bonded with Hope, flirted with Brooke and pushed Ridge’s buttons. Now, it’s time to kick this story into high gear by letting the two newly-returned characters cause the kinda trouble that the defanged Sheila can now apparently only dream of creating. 

Who’s Your Daddy?

Taylor was in town about five minutes before she looked around and said, “Hey, shouldn’t Douglas be living with you, Thomas?” And seriously, why is the adorable moppet still spending all his time with Liam and Hope? I mean, the real reason is that this show hasn’t known exactly what to do with Thomas for ages. The mannequin story was a blast, and Matthew Atkinson proved just how talented he is by making what could have been a laugh riot into an intense little thriller. But since then… well, Thomas has just sort of drifted.

Above: “Destroy all Logans! Whoops, did I say that out loud?”

Credit: Howard Wise/JPI

More: Krista Allen shares the moment she thought her career was over

For a while, it looked as if maybe he was obsessing on Hope again. Then for a hot second his attentions shifted to Paris. But in a moment that was as real as it was drama-free, Paris basically told Thomas she was committed to his cousin and, well, that was that,.

Taylor pushing Thomas to reclaim his son is just one of the many storylines she has the potential to goose. And how perfect is the timing, given that Hope bonding with her dad has the potential to cause big problems between her and hubby Liam. So far, Ridge has done most of the anti-Deacon huffing and puffing, but if Liam mans up and joins in, Hope might start leaning on Thomas again.

Fear (No Longer a) Factor

Remember when Sheila Carter was the baddest rhymes-with-witch on daytime? She could send shivers down the spine with an arched eyebrow or bone-chilling laugh. Now, she’s become — and it pains me to say this — boring. The most interesting thing she did all week was mock Deacon’s desire to be a better man. It really feels as if the writers brought the character back with absolutely no clue as to what they’d do once she’d crashed the wedding. Or maybe it’s simply that Deacon showed up and, like Dug the Dog in the movie Up, the writers were instantly distracted by the shiny new object.

Above: “Oh, Sheila seems like a nice lady who would… Deacon! I want to go play with him now!”

Credit: Walt Disney Company/Courtesy of The Everett Collection

There seems to be a lot of that happening in the writer’s room of late. Remember when it looked as if Steffy might try and force Brooke out at Forrester Creations? (Although maybe with mom Taylor throwing not-so-subtle shade at the Logans, that story will finally resurface.) And when’s the last time we checked in on Eric and Quinn? We’re occasionally told that Bill’s been fighting to prove himself to Katie, but we haven’t seen him in ages. Maybe he’s somewhere hanging out with fellow no-shows Flo and Wyatt.

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?

Sheila, however, seems like an especially egregious case. You could make an argument (lame thought it may be) that characters like Bill, Carter and Wyatt are simply being “rested.” But Sheila was brought on with much fanfare, and anyone aware of the character’s history got excited about how she would shake things up. Instead… wait, let me re-read the spoilers, because this can’t possibly be right. It is?

Sigh.

Next week, Sheila is invited to join the Forrester family for Christmas. I know, I know, you think I’m making that up. But you can read it for yourself here. Oh, Sheila… how the mighty have fallen.

Above: “Sheila, I’m downloading the LinkedIn app to your phone. If you’re going to be this mundane, you might as well get a job like the rest of us.”

Credit: Howard Wise/JPI

More: Sean Kanan shares Deacon’s true motives

Now I get that Bold & Beautiful has a long-running tradition of gathering family, friends and foes around a dinner table and making them say nice things about one another before everyone joins hands around the piano and sings “Kumbaya” or, in this case, a Christmas carol. But there’s a big difference between inviting, say, Bill Spencer and throwing open the door to a woman who literally tried to kill several members of the family.

If Sheila’s so desperate to reunite with Finn so they can be a family, why isn’t she pursuing Jack? Wouldn’t it make sense in her twisted little mind that if she and Jack were together, Finn would want to spend time with his parents? Heck, the Sheila we once knew and loved would have pushed Li out of the picture (and possibly a window) years ago!

Random Thoughts

• Hey, we got all the way to Thursday before anyone said the words “biological mother” or “biological father.” But when talking to Finn, Taylor proved she’d gotten the memo by using the correct vernacular when referring to Sheila and Jack.

• It drives me bonkers when Ridge talks about “his” house when the fact is, he’s living in Brooke’s home. The least he could do is acknowledge that by saying “our.”

Above: “This house? Not yours. That ugly statue over there? Yours. All yours.”

Credit: Howard Wise/JPI

• The stuff with Deacon teaching Hope self-defense is an obvious shout-out to the fact that his portrayer, Sean Kanan, starred in Karate Kid III and has been studying martial arts for years. But it’s also been fun to watch because it feels like a very natural way for Hope and her dad to bond. Do the scenes add anything to the story? Not really. But they allow us to see another side of Deacon, who is quickly becoming one of the most well-defined characters on a canvas which is often occupied by one-note caricatures.

So what do you think, gentle readers? Do you agree that Deacon and Taylor have made things a whole lot more interesting, and that Sheila is a sad, pale shell of herself? Share your thoughts in the comments section, then get yourself into the spirit of the holidays by flashing back to some of our favorite soapy memories from Christmas’ past!