"Hello, Doctor? Yes, I need an immediate appointment. I can't figure out what head writer and executive producer Brad Bell has done to my favorite soap, The Bold and the Beautiful! Do you have some time on your couch for a confused viewer?" Yes, it's gotten that bad. My head is spinning from this past week's antics on the show -- that is when I've recovered from the twists and turns caused by Thorne and Taylor's instant romance after years when they barely said hello to each other at family dinners!
It hasn't all been dreadful. Although it came out of the blue, I liked the setup for Taylor's mystery man to appear. Anthony's sudden ability to read the future, the creepy thunderstorm, and a cat crossing the patio of Taylor's Beverly Hills mansion (where did that cat go, by the way?) -- it was all good storytelling, and I was on the edge of my seat to see who would show up on Dr. Hayes's doorstep. We knew it wasn't going to be Whip; that was certain. He's gone into Witness Protection since being mistreated by Taylor...or maybe he's just hanging out at Starbucks, waiting for another psychiatrist to walk into his life? Seriously, fans, have they said where Whip went? I must have missed it if they did. I would have liked if it had been Rick. That would be a more interesting combination than Thorne. I mean, really, Thorne?
It just didn't match the buildup and the anxious moments. Taylor's savior, her knight in shining armor, her hero... was Thorne. Thorne? Say what? Really. Hasn't she already used/abused and discarded Thorne after accidentally killing his wife? Are we really supposed to believe that Taylor would tumble for Thorne again after all this time? It seemed like a very poorly set up romance -- really lame -- when there's nothing preceding it. You can't keep Thorne in the basement for three years, without a plot or even a few scenes of motivation to explain where his head is at, before you suddenly throw him into a romance with Taylor. And it's not just a hot time between the sheets for Thorne and Taylor. No sooner did he get in the door than he was playing on her heartstrings about how Ridge has mistreated her and he's giving Taylor a way to get revenge -- a corporate takeover of Forrester!
Now, granted, Thorne has good reasons for wanting revenge on Ridge, but Taylor? No. She can say all she wants that she's tired of being hurt by Stephanie and Ridge, but she was a willing participant in the last whirlwind wedding that ended with her being stood up. She knew what she was getting into; she knew that Ridge still loved Brooke. And no matter what she's saying about revenge, she still loves Ridge! You don't seek revenge on the man who still floats your boat!
Here's the only way this storyline works for me: Thorne has to be a sneaky, lying manipulator who's using Taylor to get control of Forrester Creations. If that's the case -- bravo, Brad Bell. That would make sense. Brad would be taking the legitimate heir to the Forrester family legacy -- Stephanie and Eric's true son -- and having him take the company over because it was his birthright. Ridge is the brilliant designer who should be in charge and inherit Eric's mantle, but the real Forrester in the room in Thorne, not Ridge. Ridge's pop was a Marone, not a Forrester.
Thorne's motivation should not be to ensure that Steffy and Thomas take over the company, not at all. Those are Ridge's children. Thorne should be out for himself -- or for Allie. All this hogwash he's telling Taylor about how she and her kids deserve to have a seat at the table should be a con game. I'd also love it if we found out that Thorne was getting back at Taylor for dumping him years before -- breaking his heart -- and never giving him a look since.
Meanwhile, Steffy and Thomas are making me ill. I know some fans are siding with them, but really -- they are so shallow and selfish. How can you feel for them? They are not the poor kids they make themselves out to be! Not at all. They have not been on the outside looking in! They have not been mistreated by Dad or anyone else in the family. They both have been in the executive suite long before they deserved private offices and assistants to bring them coffee. Thomas had his own line, remember? And Steffy is a part owner of the company. How can they pretend that they've been shunned and treated shabbily? Don't they know what it's really like to be abused and denigrated? Apparently not.
What Thomas did by lying about the island and his thing with Brooke was despicable. He deserved to be demoted to the shipping department. And Steffy is the architect of her own misery. She chased after Bill, a married man, and got her heart broken. Now she's been warned not to interfere with Liam and Hope, and still she persists in being a troublemaker. How can you have sympathy for either Thomas or Steffy?
And getting back to this corporate takeover plot... that Taylor thinks she could take over the company and not run it into the ground is laughable. But I also don't see this as a logical direction for Taylor to go. For starters, she's not a vindictive character. She wouldn't feel right doing what Thorne proposes. To contemplate a move like this means she'd have to change her entire philosophy of life. She'd have to be someone who's not Dr. Taylor Hayes. She's supposed to be a respected psychiatrist with class, integrity, and morals. If you take advantage of a legal loophole and convince yourself that you're doing this for your children, you're rationalizing negative behavior. If that's the case, Taylor dear, you're no better than Stephanie, whom you claim you despise.
I guess we have to talk about Hope and Liam. I'm so tired of this storyline I could fall into a coma. Who cares? It's just about sex! If it's that important to Liam to have sex with Hope before the wedding, what does that say about his love for her? If you love someone, you can wait. If you love someone, you respect her feelings. If you love someone, just being with her is enough until the wedding night! It's not that big a request really. The longer this goes on, the more I'm thinking that there's something wrong with him. Three months is not that long to wait to have sexual intercourse.
Do you think the writers know how distasteful this story is for viewers? Sex is not a right given to a man when he puts a ring on a woman's finger! What is the message they're trying to send anyway? And considering how characters like Stephanie and Taylor have judged Brooke to be a slut from the Valley, why are Steffy and Taylor harping at Hope for not being as promiscuous as her mom? That's a mixed message if ever I heard one! Because Steffy likes Liam, she thinks he's earned the right to have sex with Hope, is that it? Wasn't there a time not too long ago when Steffy resisted having sex with Rick until she was emotionally ready to do it? I don't recall Brooke telling her to just get into bed because Rick needed her!
Then we had the "ick" moment of the week -- maybe of the entire year. Bill and Steffy agreeing that Liam would be better off with Steffy! Are you freakin' kidding me? Bill lusted after Steffy just a few weeks ago -- he was ready to dump his wife for Steffy -- and now he wants her to be served up on a platter for his son? Isn't that just about as gross as you can imagine? It's just unseemly that Bill would be sticking his nose in Liam's love life, but then to want the woman he rejected to be Liam's lover? That's just wrong on so many levels!
I know what some of you are going to say: what about Brooke having been with both Eric and Ridge. Well, at least when Eric and Ridge had Brooke, it was not with each other's approval. Ridge didn't say, "Hey, Dad, I'm done with Brooke. You can have her." And Eric never liked the fact that Brooke went back to Ridge. Before Ridge's last aborted wedding to Taylor, Eric made a point of disapproving of Ridge's philandering ways.
Random thought of the week: What on earth was Steffy wearing in the office the day Hope returned from Paris? Were those velvet green hot pants? Holy cow, she looked hideous!
Oh, another thought. You don't hold up the production of a magazine for a Letter from the Editor. In fact, if you do, you're an idiot publisher. You have someone else write it or do it yourself. You get the presses rolling and move on. It's completely ridiculous what they pass off as typical business on this show.
By the way, what qualifies Liam to be the editor of a magazine? He was an IT guy. That means he fixed computers. When did he suddenly gain the wherewithal to write, edit, and publish a fashion magazine? Did he take a class at the Learning Annex? Were there some Phoenix University classes online that he took when he wasn't smooching with Hope? Seriously, could there be more blatant nepotism on this show? Everyone gets jobs just because of their biological connections! (I wish I had relations like that!)
Here are some letters from readers. Click the Feedback option at the top of the page, the email me link at the bottom, or click here.
• I'm a new watcher of since All My Children has been cancelled and I've watched for over 20 years. Thought I'd try the show Jacob Young is going to. I was surprised to realize its only 30 minutes an episode. But I was more shocked about the in-your-face virginity of the character Hope. Since when does one broadcast to the whole world that you're a virgin? I realize I'm a very mature lady and out of touch with young people, but is that the current trend in real life? What if the couple is incompatible physically? Isn't it better to realize that before the expensive wedding? Just saying. Anyway, I've been watching B&B for only a couple of weeks, but I must say my concern lies with Liam and his feelings rather than Hope and her selfishness. I'm waiting to see Jacob Young's character later in the month and will decide then whether or not to continue with the soap. I really wanted to get into another soap now that I will soon be experiencing separation anxiety from AMC. BTW, I enjoy reading your scoop columns, this is just my second one, but you help supply backstory for characters I don't know yet. Thanks. - Caroline
