Bold & Beautiful’s Steffy/Finn Fans Don’t See The Writing On the Wall — Plus, Sheila Who?
Credit: Howard Wise/JPI (3); CBS Screenshot
There are certain things about the soap opera universe we know to be true. Secrets will always come to light (and probably at the worst possible time). Two sets of characters traversing a dark road in different cars will inevitably collide. And in the case of The Bold and the Beautiful, plot points which worked once will definitely be broken out again.
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Don’t Shoot the Messenger
How many times must we go down a road before people realize that it’s actually a circular race track and we’re just spinning our wheels? Take, for example, when Taylor returned in the form of Krista Allen. There were a million directions the show could have gone with the character, but in our heart of hearts, we all braced for another round of the Brooke/Ridge/Taylor triangle.
Why? Because they’ve been playing this story for decades.
“Listen, guys. I just finished my latest round of waffling. Sorry, but it’s Liam’s turn again!”
Credit: Image: Howard Wise/JPI
Earlier this week, we ran a piece suggesting that the whole point of moving Douglas into Steffy and Finn’s orbit was to cause problem in that marriage. Why? Because it’s been a hot minute since the writers played the Hope/Liam/Steffy triangle, and it’s clearly way past time to revisit it.
To be clear, this isn’t something we want. It’s not something anybody really wants. But to borrow a phrase from Brooke, it’s destiny. Fans of the pair — and they are a vocal lot — were… well, let’s say they were not pleased by our predictions. But time will tell…
Play It Again, Sam
About a year ago, I chatted with Scott Clifton (Liam) about a wide range of topics. During that conversation, he revealed that about a year into his stint on the soap, executive producer/headwriter Bradley Bell told him his vision for the character. “He said that for many years, it was Brooke/Ridge/Taylor,” recalled Clifton. “He said, ‘I need that trio for a new generation.”
“Look, babe, I took the whole ‘I slept with Bill’ thing pretty well, but there are limits… “
Credit: Howard Wise/JPI
Given that the original Ridge-centric trio played for around 30 years, and Clifton’s only been on the show since 2010… well, you do the math. (I would, but I’m terrible with numbers.) Seems to me there’s miles and miles to go before the show is done with this triangle. Thus, our prediction that Douglas’ request to bunk with his aunt is less about moving him into a new environment than about pushing Steffy back into a familiar storyline.
Boy, Please
I want to feel sorry for Thomas, but the dude just does not understand how the whole “redemption” thing works. This week, he showed up in his grandpa’s office, asking (again) for his job back. If that weren’t bad enough, he then began kinda sorta bragging about the fact that Steffy having temporary custody of Douglas meant he could spend more time with his son.
“Thomas, make one wrong move, and this hand is poised to slap you.”
Credit: Howard Wise/JPI
More: Wait… Sheila’s related to who?
But here’s the thing, boo: You could have been doing that all along. Nobody was trying to keep you from Douglas. In fact, you were actually hanging out with him when you dropped on Hope and Liam the bombshell that there’d be a court hearing the next day. All anybody has been asking is that you make changes in your life. For example, shouldn’t a guy who was fighting for his son have — call me crazy — secured a place for them to live? Thomas has been talking about buying a house for ages, and yet he’s still couch surfing at Paris’ pad.
I know some will think I’m bashing Thomas — Jayde is probably already cursing me out in the comment section — but the fact is, I just want better for the character. Thomas is young, rich, sexy, talented… he should be written as a playboy with the world at his feet. But to get from where he is now to where a lot of us want him to be, there has absolutely, positively got to be a big change in the way the character’s being written. In a world where Brooke and Taylor can become besties, anything is possible.
But given the way Friday’s episode ended, I suspect we’re going to see Thomas go even darker. In fact, I’m willing to bet he’ll see Finn as “influencing” Steffy and decide to target their marriage!
Be Our Guest
Like with Brooke and Taylor, the bonding of Hope and Steffy came on a little quick for my taste. That said, I thought the scenes in which Steffy tried to reassure her former rival that Douglas would be safe in her home were lovely. “I will protect him like he is my own,” she promised. And it made perfect sense that Hope would raise concerns about her son possibly being in danger if he fell off the cliff on which Steffy and Finn’s house is perched. (After all, more than a few people have tumbled over it!)
Here’s hoping Douglas doesn’t follow in his father’s footsteps where the cliff is concerned.
Credit: Howard Wise/JPI
More: Can Bill make Sheila’s dream come true?
Oh, and Douglas telling Liam, “Don’t let mommy be sad”? Yeah, that just about broke me. Legally questionable as this whole storyline might be, it’s got some really great, emotional stuff at its heart. But there’s one question I really wish someone had raised…
Sheila Who?
The problem with this soap’s tendency to tell one story at a time created a very strange situation this week. Why? Because not one person said, “Should we be concerned about the fact that Douglas living with Steffy puts him directly in the path of lunatic Sheila?” After all, Finn’s mom has made it pretty clear she will do whatever it takes to be part of her son’s life. I can’t help wondering if these two storylines are on a collision course, leading to Sheila kidnapping Douglas, whether to use as leverage or because she’s finally gone ’round the proverbial bend and mistakes the little boy for her beloved Finn.
“With so many kids running around, I should be able to visit you without anyone even noticing!”
Credit: Howard Wise/JPI
In fact, Sheila was hardly mentioned at all most of the week. The few times she was, it was in passing, before everyone went back to talking about Douglas.
The beginning of the week, however, gave us some pretty incredible Deacon/Sheila scenes. We even got that classic moment when, after saying she had no real feelings for the hunk, Sheila walked out and let us see that Deacon was a whole lot more to her than just a bedmate. I’m still not sure how I feel about the show basically turning Sheila into a romantic lead, complete with her own love triangle, but I can’t deny that Sean Kanan and Kimberlin Brown got me in the feels with their performances.
Random Thoughts
• It’s absolutely ridiculous how often the writers have someone strip down in the main office at Forrester. For one thing, all of the usual suspects — Katie, Carter, Thomas — should have their own offices. At least when Carter walked in on a half-naked Katie this week, she made reference to thinking she’d locked the door.
• I don’t know whether to laugh or cringe at what may have been the funniest/strangest/most-true-to-character line of the week, so I’m just gonna drop it here and let y’all decide: “Are you sure there’s not, like, one little catfight left,” Deacon asked Brooke and Taylor. “Because personally, I’ve never seen one and the thought of you two together? Daddy like!”
• Silly as the things taking place in her chambers were, I really liked the judge who presided over Douglas’ case. She was empathetic to everything going on and took everyone’s feelings into account as best she could.
Ready for a massive flashback? Check out these then-and-now photos of the Melrose Place cast… just don’t trust that shifty Kimberly in apartment 7!
