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Bold & Beautiful Put Steffy Atop Sheila’s Hit List But Missed the Mark With Finn’s Death
Friday, April 8th, 2022
Credit: Howard Wise/JPI; CBS Screenshot (2)
Not surprisingly, this week’s episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful revolved entirely around the fallout from Finn and Steffy’s shooting. As a whole lot of furious fans vented about the fact that Steffy’s husband had been killed, Finn sort of became a non-entity in his own storyline. Meanwhile, at least one cast member gave a performance that can only be called stunning. Read on for more…
“Finn Didn’t Make It”
As the week began, most viewers pretty much assumed that Finn wouldn’t make it. But what really surprised me was how sort of casually the show let him slip away. No scenes of doctors at the hospital working to save a co-worker’s life. Heck, imagine if Jack — aka Finn’s doctor dad — had been seen forcing his way into the operating room, hoping against hope to save his son’s life.
More: What’s next for Steffy?
Instead, we had Bridget — who oh-so-conveniently happened to be working at University Hospital this week — serving as our only recognizable medical staffer. (More on Bridget in a moment… )
Finn Has Two Mommies
Li taking such a strong stance against the idea of Sheila seeing Finn was interesting in that it led to Taylor feeling sympathy for the she-devil. Heck, Li was so cold toward Sheila that even I felt sorry for the shooter for a second! But again, this was another set of scenes in which I couldn’t help feel robbed.
More: Tanner Novlan on Finn’s shocking exit
How could they not give us scenes of Sheila weeping over Finn’s unconscious, but not yet dead, body? Imagine cutting from Ridge’s beautiful speech about how when a child hurts, so does their parent to Sheila imagining the life she could have had — complete with fantasy sequences — if only she’d been allowed to be part of the family. That’s soap opera gold right there.
The Mirror Has Two Faces
Speaking of which… how incredible has Kimberlin Brown been? That scene in which Sheila looked into the mirror and howled in pain sent chills down my spine. And who else could make brushing her hair into riveting drama? I haven’t loved Sheila’s visit for the most part, mainly because until recently, the iconic daytime villain was reduced to hitting on Deacon and congratulating herself for switching labels on a bottle.
These past two weeks, however, have reminded all of us exactly what made Sheila such a fascinating character. I love that they didn’t have Brown do that soap thing where the character acts guilty in a way that the audience sees but the characters with whom they are speaking don’t. Does that make sense?
Take, for example, when Li said that whoever shot Finn had to be a cold, vicious monster. Rather than have Sheila flinch or react in any way, Brown remained stone faced. This was true when Deacon told Sheila that Finn had been shot, too. Brown played that scene as if Sheila really was hearing this news for the first time… which is how a sociopath like Sheila would play it. She’d have a total poker face!
Is Steffy Next?
Of course, the next phase of this story will revolve around Steffy’s recovery and how it will impact Sheila. Because, of course, should Steffy wake up and spill the beans, it’s game over for Finn’s mom. The teasers for next week indicate that Sheila might have at least a little bit of time, as it appears that Steffy will remain unconscious. But how long can that last?
More: Much-loved soap vet dead at 87
Well, maybe longer than you think. After all, Jacqueline MacInnes Wood will eventually be taking her maternity leave. What better way to explain Steffy’s absence than by having her shipped off to a clinic which specializes in longterm care. You know, the kind of place that General Hospital‘s Lulu has been lingering in for ages now. Once Wood has the baby, Steffy could wake up and come home, raising the question of what she does and doesn’t remember from the night of the shooting.
How Convenient!
Bridget’s visit is this show in a nutshell in that it is 100 percent plot driven. Is it nice to see Ashley Jones? Always. But instead of suddenly having Bridget “helping out” at the hospital the very day that Finn and Steffy got shot, wouldn’t it have made more sense to explain she’d asked for a transfer in order to help mom Brooke deal with everything going on in her life? They’d have gotten the same end result — Bridget being on hand for the shootings — in a way that would have both felt natural and not telegraphed what was about to happen.
Random Thoughts
• Anybody else find it odd that Brooke and Hope didn’t go to the hospital with Liam? It had already been established that the kids were spending the night with Donna. Certainly Brooke would want to be there for Ridge during this major trauma, no matter the current state of their marriage.
• Y’all know I’m a big advocate of B-stories. But I’m gonna let Bold & Beautiful slide this week because everything surrounding Finn’s death deserved to be front and center. Plus, the only real secondary story this show has right now is the Paris/Carter mess and the only thing that might possibly get me invested in that will be if and when Zoe returns.
Ready for something “aww”-inspiring? Check out this photo gallery of soap stars with their adorable kids!
Image: John Paschal/JPI
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<p>At the <em>Days of Our Lives</em> star’s side in 2005, when he married wife Pat, was Peter, his son with his late first wife. Sadly, Mascolo himself passed away in December 2016.</p>
Image: JPI (3)
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<p>Once Thorne on <em>Bold & Beautiful</em>, the actor has one son with ex-wife Candice Harmon: Dewey, whose first name is also his pop’s middle one. (As you can see, he looks more like Dad all the time!)</p>
Image: WireImage/Getty Images
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<p>In 2010, the Emmy winner — now Nina on <em>General Hospital</em> — walked the red carpet with daughters Emma and Sadie, her twins with former husband Curt Gilliland.</p>
Image: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
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<p>In 2010, the <em>Young & Restless</em> leading man who plays Nick attended a benefit with wife Tobe and their boys, Cooper (oldest), Crew (the middle child) and Cash (the baby of the family).</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
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<p>The<em> Days of Our Lives</em> have gone by like minutes for Lucas’ portrayer. Photographed here in 2005, son Gabe, from his first marriage (to Jessica Denay), now has a son of his own.</p>
Image: John Paschal/JPI
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<p>In 2014, lil’ Delila, with the actor’s second wife Elizabeth Cameron, was added to the family portrait.</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
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<p>In this shot from 2011, Gavin — aka the son of the <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> knockout who plays Donna — shows us just how enviably easily he can touch his toes. Kid, we haven’t even <em>seen</em> ours in years!</p>
Image: Lisa Rose/JPI
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<p>In 2003, the <em>General Hospital</em> Emmy winner had her hands full — literally — with son Dylan. Mind you, it was nothing that Anna’s portrayer couldn’t handle with aplomb. Is there <em>anything</em> that the on- and off-screen badass can’t handle with aplomb?</p>
Image: Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images
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<p>After being snapped at the Hollywood Christmas Parade Supporting Marine Toys for Tots in 2022, the actress <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CljbUG4Jgck/" target="_blank">joked via Instagram</a> that the instance was the rarest of rarities. “We threw a parade,” she joked, “in order for me to get a photo with my daughter,” Sadie.</p>
Image: Sean Smith/JPI
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<p>The actress, Kate to <em>Days of Our Lives</em> fans, turned the 2011 Daytime Emmys into a girls night out with Milli Kate, one of her three children with makeup-artist husband Nicky Schillace. A decade after this, the soap MVP was reunited with her firstborn son. They’d been “lost to each other for nearly a lifetime,” she said. (<a href="https://soaps.sheknows.com/days-of-our-lives/news/613844/days-of-our-lives-lauren-koslow-reunites-long-lost-son/" target="_blank">Read their story here.</a>)</p>
Image: Vinnie Zuffante/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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<p>In 1994, just five years into his epic run as Jack on <em>The Young and the Restless</em>, the Emmy winner was snapped with wife Mariellen and their children, Connor and Clare.</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
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<p>Talent clearly runs in the family. This shot of the <em>Days of Our Lives</em> leading man, who plays John (duh!), was taken in 2006, just a year after son Ben made his own daytime debut as Lucas on <em>General Hospital.</em></p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI (3)
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<p>Tomfoolery was obviously the order of the day when the future <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> leading lady and son Jake hit the town in 2004 — gee, 17 years before she’d start her run as Taylor.</p>
Image: Howard Wise/JPI
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<p>They had a point. Two, it appears. But since this photo of the <em>Passions</em> alum who plays <em>Young & Restless</em> baddie Jeremy and son James was taken all the way back in 2007, we may never know what either of those points were.</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
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<p>We suspect some popcorn and soda was plundered when the <em>Days of Our Lives</em> MVP — Sami when she’s in Salem — took in <em>Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales</em> — with son Ben Sanov in 2017. But what about his sister?</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
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<p>Ah, <em>there’s</em> Megan, the actress’ little girl with hubby Dave Sanov, hitting a screening of <em>Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2</em> with Mom in 2013.</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI (2)
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<p>Hunter, seen here with his late dad in 2007, hasn’t gone into showbiz like the much-missed soap vet who played <em>Young & Restless</em>’ Abbott family patriarch, John; instead, the now-grown youngster has become a real-estate investor.</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
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<p>The actor behind <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> pot-stirrer Deacon put his honey where his mouth was, planting a kiss on the cheek of his baby girl Simone during a 2009 father/daughter outing.</p>
Image: Ron Galella/Getty Images, Robin Platzer/FilmMagic/Getty Images
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<p>The daytime MVP, who won Emmy after Emmy for her work as Reva on <em>Guiding Light</em>, hit the 1999 award show with husband A.C. Weary and their brood, sons Max and Jake, and daughter Rachel. Jake (right) went on to briefly play Will on <em>As the World Turns</em> and star in TNT’s <em>Animal Kingdom.</em></p>
Image: John Paschal/JPI
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<p>Yup, guessing from this 2012 image of Cane’s former <em>Young & Restless</em> portrayer and his boys, Ford and Sebastian, they’re what you’d call a close family.</p>
Image: Lisa Rose/JPI
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<p>There must be soap in their DNA: Two years after this 2002 photo was taken of Brook Kerr (then Whitney on <em>Passions</em>), he’d join <em>The Bold and the Beautiful</em> as Jimmy. Now, of course, Mom is back in daytime, playing Portia on <em>General Hospital.</em></p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
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<p><em>Bold & Beautiful</em> is the perfect description for the family of Finn and Caitlin’s portrayers, shot here in 2021 with their firstborn, daughter Poppy. On second thought, maybe “shot” was a poor choice of words, considering the way Steffy’s husband was “killed.”</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI (2)
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<p>Had the <em>Days of Our Lives</em> Emmy winner (who plays Eric) and firstborn Jathan not already been awarded ribbons back in 2011, we’d have had to have given them to the father/son duo for their sheer cuteness.</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
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<p>The word “squee” was all but <em>invented</em> to try to encapsulate the relative adorableness of little Ford, the son of <em>The Bold and the Beautiful</em> leading man who plays Liam. The tyke’s not even smiling in this picture from 2019, and he <em>still</em> looks like he’s seconds away from out-cute-ing Bambi.</p>
Image: John Paschal/JPI
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<p>“They tell you it will go by fast… well, 18 years went by in a flash,” marveled Cameron Mathison on son Lucas’ birthday in 2021. Also seen here in this 2010 portrait is the <em>General Hospital</em> star and wife Vanessa’s adorable daughter, Leila (who’d turn 17 in 2023).</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
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<p>In 2016, the <em>Days of Our Lives</em> legend and son Jack Daggenhurst (from her second marriage) pitched in at the L.A. Mission. Missing from this shot: Alfonso’s firstborn, son Gino Macauley. He’s in the next photo, though, from 2006…</p>
Image: Paul Skipper/JPI
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<p>Aww. Look at Hope’s portrayer giving Gino that adoring look that we’ve all gotten at one time or another from our moms in those blissful instances when they’ve totally forgotten how many times they’ve had to send us to our rooms or ground us!</p>
Image: Bruce Glikas/WireImage/Getty Images
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<p>The soap stars — who met playing sweethearts Tom and Margo on <em>As the World Turns</em> — stopped for a family portrait with son Joe following a 2020 performance of the play <em>The Perplexed</em>, in which Colin appeared. Justin is perhaps best known for his long run as Buzz on <em>Guiding Light.</em></p>
Image: John Paschal/JPI (2)
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<p>In 2016, the same year the veteran of <em>Young & Restless</em> (as Rey), <em>Days of Our Lives</em> (as Dario), <em>All My Children</em> (as Griffin) and <em>Guiding Light</em> (as Tony) welcomed his second daughter with wife Kaitlin, the Emmy winner and their firstborn, Riley, had a ball — literally — hanging outdoors.</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
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<p>The force of nature who gave <em>All My Children</em> — and the world — Erica Kane watched daughter Liza Huber enter the soap world for a few years as <em>Passions</em>’ Gwen. Since this 2011 pic was taken, Liza has retired from acting and become an entrepreneur.</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI (2)
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<p>Good angle, bad angle… who cares? We love the absolute joy on the Emmy winner’s face in this 2002 snap in which she’s sweetly sandwiched by husband Helmut Huber (who, sadly, passed away in 2022) and their son, Andreas.</p>
Image: Sean Smith/JPI
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<p>The <em>Young & Restless</em> scene stealer, who plays Lauren, may have been horsing around with son Austin Recht (with former husband Ron Recht) at this 2014 photo shoot, but they still managed to take a gorgeous portrait. Missing from this shot: Austin’s brother, Landon.</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
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<p>Here’s Landon, with Mom at the 2008 Emmys. C’mon, we weren’t gonna let the horse get more facetime than Landon!</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
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<p>The <em>Days of Our Lives</em> vet — who comes and goes as Jack like the seasons, it seems — has four kids, two with first wife Christina Saffran, two with his second, Lana Buss. Pictured with Dad in 2006 is his firstborn, daughter Grace.</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
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<p>In 2007, not too long before the launch of her reality show, the future <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> actress (who plays Shauna, as if you didn’t know) posed for paparazzi with Sam, one of her two daughters with ex-husband Charlie Sheen. Not for nothin’, Sam, but we feel ya, kid; sometimes we hate having our picture taken, too.</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
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<p>In 2007, the year that her superlative work as Laura on <em>General Hospital</em> finally won her a Daytime Emmy, the soap icon was able to share the experience with daughter Elizabeth, her second child with husband Jonathan Frakes of <em>Star Trek: The Next Generation</em> fame.</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
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<p>No need to be camera-shy with a face that cute, kiddo! On the left in this image from 2013 is, of course, the <em>Days of Our Lives</em> heartthrob who plays Eli; nestling into his shoulder is his firstborn, son Caden. Maybe daughter Gaia, born in 2012, is even better at hiding.</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
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<p>His hair’s gotten darker as he’s gotten older but Jesse, the son of <em>The Young and the Restless</em>’ Ashley and husband Vincent Van Patten sure had Mom’s sun-kissed blond locks back in 2009. On an unrelated note, does anyone know where we can get a head of hair that gorgeous?</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
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<p><em>Bold & Beautiful</em> perfectly describes the young women who are near and dear to Quinn’s former portrayer: Pictured here during a 2017 visit to the set are daughter Avalon, with second husband Stanford Bookstaver; Meghann, the daughter of first husband Wally Kurth (Ned to her Lois on <em>General Hospital</em> back in the day); and daughter Rosabel, with Kurth.</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
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<p>The <em>General Hospital</em> Emmy winner who plays Alexis has said of her singer/songwriter daughter, Kate, “I birthed her and <a href="https://www.nancyleegrahn.com/family/" target="_blank">take no credit for her</a> talent and, more importantly, her beautiful soul. She came in that way.”</p>
Image: John Paschal/JPI
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<p>Say “Cheese!” <em>Days of Our Lives</em>’ Galen Gering (Rafe) and his sons, Dillon and Jensen, nailed it during a 2013 photo shoot. None of them even blinked!</p>
Image: Aaron Montgomery/JPI
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<p>“I am so proud of the man that you’ve become,” the <em>Young & Restless</em> Emmy winner — Jill on screen — told son Cole on his 2021 birthday (or 17 years after this pic was snapped at a party for the CBS soap).</p>
Image: John Paschal/JPI
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<p>The real-life daughter of <em>Days of Our Lives</em>’ Steve — photographed with Dad in 2008 here — is now a recording artist who puts out music under her own first name, but with a twist: She adds an extra L.</p>
Image: Aaron Montgomery/JPI
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<p>Aww. That’s the late, great <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> star — the original Sally Spectra, as if you didn’t know — with son Raymond on the set in 2014.</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
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<p>“Smile for the camera,” you can just imagine the photographer saying right before this shot was snapped in 2018. Dad Jason Thompson (Billy, <em>The Young and the Restless</em>) and mom Paloma Jonas obliged, of course. But kids Rome and Bowie? Being kids, not so much.</p>
Image: AFP/Getty Images
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<p>On hand in 2011 when the <em>General Hospital</em> vet took home the fourth of his five Emmys for playing Lucky were his older kids with former castmate Lisa Vultaggio (ex-Hannah), Caleb and Adora. Missing here is son Titus, who was only 1 at the time.</p>
Image: Sean Smith/JPI
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<p>The <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> patriarch, Eric to his on-screen friends and family, has three kids with wife Laurette Spang in real life: Jake, Rebecca and, seen here with Dad in 2012, Molly, a regular on the sitcom <em>Last Man Standing.</em></p>
Image: Jesse Grant/JPI
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<p>In 2002, the <em>Bold & Beautiful</em> patriarch celebrated an Italian remote with his missus and two of their three kids, son Jake and, once again, Molly.</p>
Image: John Paschal/JPI
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<p>The <em>General Hospital</em> MVP, Carly on screen, got into the swing of things, so to speak, during a 2010 photo shoot with Lauren and John, her kids with former husband John Wright.</p>
Image: Jill Johnson/JPI
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