Wait… What? Bold & Beautiful’s First Week of May Sweeps Left Us With Questions
Credit: Howard Wise/JPI (4)
I’m gonna be honest right up front: This week’s episodes of Bold & Beautiful left me completely uninspired and more than a little frustrated. So when I sat down to write this week’s column, I shouted to the heavens — or at least deputy editor Charlie — “What in the world should I write about?” Given that he was blasting music under his headphones, he didn’t answer. So instead, I turned elsewhere for inspiration and wound up visiting my all-time favorite soap opera blog, Dark Shadows Every Day. And sure enough, author Danny Horn — in writing about episode 1,090 of that much-missed gothic serial — provided exactly the spark I needed. So without further ado, I present…
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This Week’s Five Things That Made No Sense
• Jack Visiting Sheila
Fun fact: Just because someone sends you an E-mail suggesting you do something doesn’t mean you actually have to, you know, do what it says. That’s why I rarely, if ever, provide my banking information to lawyers representing deposed Saudi prince’s who want to give me a share of their vast fortune in exchange for helping them to transfer their money out of their under-siege countries.
And if Jack’s such a hot-shot attorney, why didn’t Sheila call him when she was first arrested? Or at any other time she’s needed legal help over the years?
More: Oh no… what’s going on with Thomas?
• The Wine Tasting Test
Count Boucie’s entire scam revolved around Deacon being dumb enough to write which wines were in which glasses — and doing so in huge letters which could be read across the room by the guy’s grandson. I’ve been to my fair share of blind wine tastings in the past, and I can honestly say I have never seen that particular technique used.
The scam also relied on Deacon serving Boucie’s grandson three dishes which just happened to correspond to the individual wines being served. Speaking of the kid…
• R.J.’s Career Path
Every now and then, soaps decide they’re going to make a big push for the elusive “youth market.” In the past, that meant every soap would dedicate the summer months to stories about teenagers on the run. (“Hey, it worked for General Hospital, so just copy them!”) Because today’s most desirable audience is all about the internet, Bold & Beautiful decided to make R.J. an influencer.
More: Annika is taking a stand against hate!
To be clear, that’s not the worst decision ever. It’s actually very real. There’s a whole generation out there looking to get famous by posting pics or videos of themselves doing… stuff. But those people aren’t watching soaps and they’re not likely to start just because you start using the word “influencer” in every scene. In fact, most of the audience is going to agree with Ridge, whose reaction was, “That’s not a career!”
But if the show is going to say that R.J. is an influencer, why not have him work in the marketing department with his aunt, Katie?
• Deacon’s Pizza Palace
So according to what we’ve seen on screen, chef Daniele Uditi owned Il Giardino and for some reason, sold it to the busboy who’d been living in the storage room. The first thing we saw Deacon do upon taking ownership was start trying to perfect the joint’s pizza. Which is all well and good except for the fact that pizza is the thing Uditi — a real world chef — is most known for.
I also had to laugh that when Uditi — who did a pretty great job of playing himself — left the restaurant after chowing down with Deacon, he did so wearing his apron. Like, they couldn’t let him take it off before exiting? Perhaps in the mind of the writers — who tend to think in cliches — chef’s literally live in their trademark aprons.
• Ridge’s Lecture
While trying to force convince R.J. to work at Forrester Creations, Ridge spoke about the talent that is the young man’s birthright, having been passed down from generation to generation. Ridge said that he’d gotten it from his dad… which is all well and good except one small thing: Eric isn’t Ridge’s biological dad. He’s the product of an affair Stephanie had with Massimo Marone.
When I mentioned this on Twitter — you can join the conversation @soapsdotcom — Jamaire Revis suggested there was another way to see (or hear) the scene. “There are other ways to obtain a gift than biology,” she pointed out. “Remember, Eric did Raise Ridge, and I’m sure he taught him everything he knew.”
I thought that too, but there are other ways to obtain a gift than biology. Remember, Eric did raise Ridge, and I’m sure he taught him everything he knew. Ridge passed those talents down to his kids. Maybe talents would have been a better word. Either way, it’s still a gift. 🤷🏽♀️
— Jamaire Revis (@JamaireRevis) May 4, 2023
That’s a 100 percent valid point… and if this scene had taken place on any show other than Bold & Beautiful, I’d have totally bought into it. So why do I think the writers forgot? Because this show doesn’t do subtle. Had they remembered that bit of history, it would have been awkwardly jammed into the dialogue, with R.J. making a crack along the lines of, “True, but let’s not forget you’re actually a Marone, and your biological father, Massimo — who had an affair with grandma Stephanie — was a shipping magnate. That’s why your half brother, Nick, owned that fishing boat, the Shady Marlin. Hey, shouldn’t I have a half-brother who was fathered by Uncle Nick and kinda-sorta mothered by Brooke and Taylor? Boy, his reintroduction would really screw things up for the family, huh?”
Random Thoughts
• While the Thomas/Hope story did play quite a bit this week, there isn’t much to say about it as there was no forward movement until the very end of Friday’s episode. We got more of Steffy asking Thomas (again) if he was obsessed with Hope while, across town, Liam and Wyatt had the same conversation. As Thomas did an epic eyeroll which kinda summed up my feelings about the endlessly repetitive dialogue, I realized that he is the only person in this story who isn’t obsessing over something.
• The final scenes of the week featured Steffy witnessing Hope and Thomas holding hands… which she couldn’t possibly have seen based on how closed the door was and their positioning. And frankly, if Steffy is so concerned about Thomas’ emotional well being, shouldn’t she be looking for another designer to work with Hope and moving Thomas onto the couture line?
• It’s kinda sad that my very favorite thing of the week was the caricature R.J. drew of Ridge.
Ready to find out who the winners and losers are in our 2023 Daytime (Dream) Emmys? From Best Display of Muscles to Worst Love Scene, we’ve got all the details here!
