Why Is Bold & Beautiful Being So Awful to Steffy, Thomas and Taylor? — Plus, Hope’s *Big* Mistake
Credit: Howard Wise/JPI (4)
It was a good news/bad news kinda week for Bold & Beautiful‘s Taylor. On the plus side, she found out Ridge is once again a free man. Unfortunately, this meant that she’s willingly walking right into a scenario she’s already played out numerous times. But maybe she and her children deserve what’s coming next… read on, and we’ll discuss why.
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No Signature Required
Let’s be clear right up front: This whole annulment thing makes absolutely no sense on several levels. For one thing, they’ve yet to explain on what grounds Ridge is filing to have his marriage erased. For another, Brooke has all the power in this scenario, but refuses to use it. All she had to do was say, “You want me to sign? Fine. But before I do, you need to answer my very simple question: What the hell is going on?”
As ridiculous as this entire scenario is, Katherine Kelly Lang and Thorsten Kaye turned in fantastic performances, especially during the final moments of Thursday’s episode. I’ve long said that there are certain things Bold & Beautiful does better than any modern soap, and using every tool at their disposal to play a big, emotional moment is one of them.
Seriously, Dude?
Speaking of the whole annulment thing, there was one moment in particular which absolutely floored me. I mean, it had me literally shouting obscenities in Ridge’s general direction. Why? Because… I mean, damn, this guy is a piece of work.
The moment in question was toward the very end of the episode, when Brooke went to sign the papers. Before she could pick up the pen, Ridge reached out and grabbed it. And for, like, half a second we — and clearly she — were left to believe that maybe, just maybe, he’d had a change of heart. Perhaps he’d realized that such a major move deserved at least a bit more consideration.
But no, after holding the pen for a moment, he handed it to Brooke, breaking her heart yet again with this seemingly cruel moment. (Honestly, it was kind of brilliant on the part of the director. Who knew something as innocent as a pen could, without any dialogue whatsoever, create so impactful a moment? Turns out, the pen really is mightier than the sword.)
Credit: CBS screenshot
This Is Gonna Hurt…
I honestly don’t get why the writers are being so awful to Taylor and her children. Every day, they are being set up for what promises to be a rather epic fall. Imagine if Steffy and Thomas were allowed to show even a little bit of compassion toward Brooke? I’m not saying they have to like her or anything, but maybe just… not take every opportunity to gloat about their family being reunited.
Meanwhile, Taylor has again and again expressed how often Ridge has hurt her. This week, she literally said she was worried that “something’s going to come along and make him change his mind and he’s going to do the old switcheroo again.” In other words, she knows — as do Steffy and Thomas — this man’s history. Yet here she goes again, rushing in where angels fool to tread.
Next week, Ridge is going to propose to Taylor. Despite all the reasons she should say no — most of which she’s fully aware of and has actually voiced — I think we all know that she will say yes. I’m willing to bet that by the end of November sweeps, the truth about that CPS call will come to light and Ridge will smack his head — like something right out of a V-8 commercial — and go right back to being torn between two women, each of whom deserve better.
Move Along, Young Man
Meanwhile, Hope made it perfectly clear to Thomas that absolutely nothing was going to happen between them. While she made a huge mistake in not telling her husband that his nemesis had attempted to kiss her — you know that’s gonna bite her in the butt — she handled the situation beautifully.
This would have been a perfect opportunity for the writers to at last allow Thomas to change. He could push aside his feelings for Hope and find himself a new love interest. Heck, he could make a play for Paris, setting up a triangle with Zende. Does the show need another triangle? No. But they don’t really seem capable of writing any other type of story. Just ask any of the backburnered happy couples.
Instead, I suspect we’ll see Thomas continue to make inroads with Hope even as their bond causes Liam to unspool. Eventually, just when it looks as if Thomas might have a chance with Hope, the truth about the CPS call will come to light, because Taylor and her children can’t have nice things, including redemption.
Random Thoughts
• We know her as lovable former nutjob Pam, but if you haven’t caught Alley Mills as General Hospital‘s Heather, you should really swing by and check it out. In particular, Thursday’s episode — which found the escaped loon swinging by the local diner to torment a teen while enjoying a BLT — was a blast. You can check it out on Hulu.
“I don’t suppose you have lemon bars on the menu?”
Credit: ABC screenshot
• What were we supposed to make of the scene in which Taylor — told by her children that they had big news which would impact her and Ridge, but make Brooke sad — went from guessing that Steffy was pregnant to thinking she and Thomas had joined a cult?
• In what universe did Donna think she had the right to try and overrule Thomas by suggesting it was fine for Douglas to keep playing with the app on his phone? We know what Thomas is trying to keep hidden, but she doesn’t, and it was 100 percent wrong of her to interfere with his perfectly reasonable request that Douglas stop playing with the app.
• Why are we not getting to spend time watching Katie and Carter go on dates and get to know one another better? Instead, they spend all their time talking about — what else? — Brooke and Ridge.
While the Forrester clan has experienced their share of scandals, they pale in comparison to some of the tragic, sad and occasionally salacious real-life events which have arisen around shows such as Blue Bloods, Yellowstone and even… The Brady Bunch?
