Credit: Howard Wise/JPI (2); CBS Screenshots
Last week, Bold & Beautiful revealed Carter’s plan to basically steal Forrester out from under Ridge and Steffy. It was a thrilling moment that capped off a rather tedious week. As a result, I was left excited to see what would happen next… apparently forgetting that on this show, the next phase of the plot would be talking it to death, leaving me to issue unanswered prayers that a second storyline be folded into the mix. There were a few highlights, but they were few and far between…
It Takes One to Know One
I fall more in love with Jacqueline MacInnes Wood’s performance every week. She is stuck with the unenviable task of making Steffy’s words make sense, even as the character insists that firing Hope wasn’t personal, it was because Hope threw herself at Finn… which, um, makes it entirely personal. But even as Steffy is unironically insisting that Hope’s a bitch — her words, not mine — you can tell that Wood is having a great time. When actors are having fun, so am I… or at least as much fun as I can have when the show is treading water.
Steffy was named after her late grandmother, the indomitable Stephanie Forrester, and Wood fully embodied that legacy this week. Like Stephanie, her namesake wasn’t in the mood to hear anything positive about the Logans in general or Hope in particular. For years, the show has positioned Hope and Steffy’s rivalry as basically a reincarnation of the Brooke/Taylor feud. But in the current story, it’s much more a flashback to the animosity Stephanie spent years curating toward Brooke… and man, am I here for it.
Out, Out Damned Steffy
Who knew that Hope would be playing the role of Lady MacBeth, basically manipulating Carter into doing her bidding. Sure, Carter seems to think this whole takeover attempt is his idea, but let’s not forget one very important fact: Only a few weeks ago, he totally agreed with Steffy and Ridge that Hope’s line was going down faster than an express elevator.
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Now look, I’m no lawyer, but I find it hard to believe that Carter’s plan to grab control of Forrester Creations would actually work. At the very least, it seems likely that he’d wind up being sued for fraud or some such thing. Meanwhile, he and several others have spent a lot of time talking about how the fashion industry at large and Forrester’s client base in particular would react to the shock of Hope being so publicly excommunicated. If that’s the case, how, exactly, would news that the company’s COO staged a hostile takeover go down?
I still think this story would have been more interesting had Hope and Carter said, “Screw this place… we’re outta here!” and started a competing fashion house, perhaps with the backing of Bill.
Like Frasier Crane, She’s Listening
You’ll never hear anyone on this show tell a “knock-knock” joke, because none of them know what knocking is. They just barge into one another’s homes and offices at all hours of the night and day. Had Brooke knocked rather than letting herself into Hope’s cabin, she’d never have been able to listen in on her and Carter’s talk of a coup. Thank goodness they didn’t speak in generic terms but instead explained every detail, right down to Hope saying their move would put “you, Carter Walton, in charge.” You know, just in case Carter wasn’t aware of his name or how this plan would work.
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Again, I really like the idea of this story, but the execution has been dreadful due to pacing. Every single day, the writers act as if they are dealing with an audience of goldfish, with their notoriously short attention spans. It’s one (annoying) thing to repeat dialogue every day, but on Thursday, we watched Ridge and Steffy sign the LLC paperwork and then, moments later, listened as Carter explained everything that had gone down to Hope. You can’t create suspense or even good drama when all you’re doing is telling us what we literally… just… saw.
If there’s one thing that surprised me, it’s that Brooke immediately went to Ridge with the truth. But again, that’s in keeping with this show’s pacing problem: Nothing happens all week, and then on Friday… boom! I’m shocked that Brooke seems not to have even considered the consequences of her actions, especially where Hope is concerned. I would have expected her to at least give her daughter a chance to explain before running off to her destiny. So much for #TeamLogan loyalty, right?
Stalker Alert
Speaking of Friday, we also jump-started the Electra story. After two weeks of her dropping cryptic clues about something which happened in the past, she crossed paths with Remy. Up until now, I’ve assumed that Remy — whom we know to be seemingly obsessed with Electra — was the person who drove her to this new life in L.A. So I was definitely surprised by how cheerfully she greeted him.
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While it still seems likely that Remy is responsible for whatever “bad thing” happened in the past, it’s looking as if perhaps Ivy’s niece packed up and moved before uncovering the identity of her presumed stalker. That’s my guess, and I’m sticking to it… although I’ll be interested to hear what y’all think. Where is this story headed? And how adorable are Will and Electra?
Random Thoughts…
• How wildly hypocritical was it of Taylor to question Hope’s mental health and her unhealthy choices? Taylor, have you heard yourself talking about Ridge? Have you even attempted to move on? Why are you constantly hanging out at Forrester Creations and offering your input on the business you don’t work at? (Perhaps she should take Ridge up on his week-ending offer to get her a job — and a parking space — at Forrester!)
• Add the words “international luxury brand” to our patented Soap Opera Drinking Game. Every time the phrase is uttered, chug!
• Everybody’s expressed a lot of concern about Zende, what with the HFTF line being shut down. But where’s the worry for R.J.? Heck, they’ve pretty much ignored the fact that his girlfriend was a serial killer, playing zero fallout from that.
This isn’t the first time someone has taken over Forrester Creations. Check out the past attempts detailed in the gallery below, and it might give us a clue as to how Carter’s plan will play out!
