Bold & Beautiful’s Taylor Is Playing a Dangerous Game That We’re Totally Here For — Plus, We’ve Got Questions for Paris’ Mom

Credit: Howard Wise/JPI

This was a surprisingly strong week for Bold & Beautiful thanks to strong performances and the fact that we got a fair number of characters in an umbrella story with some actual gravitas. If there was a downside, it was… well, that’s what we’re here to talk about. So let’s look at what worked and what didn’t as the fallout from Brooke and Deacon’s New Year’s Eve kiss played out… 

Previously, on Bold & Beautiful

On thing viewers of this soap never, ever have to worry about is getting lost in the plot. Why? Because it makes sure to remind you exactly what’s going on every five minutes. Tuesday’s episode featured at least seven flashbacks, including both Brooke and Deacon remembering the same moment.

Above: Be warned… slip us non-alcoholic champagne instead of the real thing and we’re gonna be having words. Angry, very bad words. 

Credit: Howard Wise/JPI

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We also got a whole lot of scenes in which Brooke reflected on New Year’s Eve while asking herself, “How did this happen?” All I could think of was a fantastic story Eileen Fulton — who played vixen extraordinaire Lisa on As The World Turns — used to tell during her cabaret show.Apparently, fairly early in her run on the soap, Lisa found herself pregnant. As Fulton tells it, her alter ego spent weeks wandering around asking herself, “How did this happen?” Eventually, a fed-up viewer sent a fully-illustrated sex ed pamphlet to the studio with a note which read, “Dear Lisa… this is how it happened.” 

Brooke may not have understood how she got drunk, but we got so many flashbacks to Sheila switching the labels on those champaign bottles that it started to feel like one of those DIY shows. “Today on Crafty Crafters, Sheila shows us how to build a wagon and then push someone off it!”

Shrink Rap

My favorite scenes this week had to be the ones in which Sheila swung by to pay Taylor a visit. Clearly, Finn’s mom is really, really hoping to forge a friendship with Steffy’s… and I’m kinda here for it. I know, I know, Sheila is insane and has done awful things in the past, but maybe a few sessions on Taylor’s couch (assuming her swanky new office has one) would do the trick. I’ve never really thought of Taylor as being the greatest shrink on the planet, but this would give her a chance to prove naysayers such as myself wrong!

Above:“You shot me, I shot Bill,” says Taylor. “It’s a whole circle of life thing.” 

Credit: Howard Wise/JPI

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Taylor is, of course, playing a dangerous game even as she remains mostly unaware that Sheila is out to destroy Brooke. Sure, Taylor’s picked up on Sheila’s animosity, but she hasn’t yet figured out exactly what’s going on. I’m actually dying to see how this plays out given that in a way, the two women have a similar goal. Sure, Taylor doesn’t necessarily want to push Brooke under a bus, but would she prevent someone else from doing so? I suspect that’s the moral dilemma the former Moroccan princess may soon have to face!

Sing Along If You Know the Words

You had to know that when Douglas peeked through that window and saw Brooke kissing a Santa-cap wearing Deacon, it was coming. And this week we finally got it. There was the adorable tyke telling Liam, “I saw grandma kissing Santa Claus” and Hope’s clueless-as-ever hubby responding, “I think the song is actually I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.”  Not gonna lie, I laughed at that… the first time. The second time, when the kid told Hope and Liam what he’d seen only to be shushed by his pseudo-stepdad, I felt bad for poor Douglas. Man, is that kid gonna need therapy.

Above: Maybe when Douglas is still “singing” about grandma kissing Santa in July, someone will finally start to listen! 

It struck me this week that Bold & Beautiful is actually telling several interconnected plots using a decent number of characters. Brooke kissed Deacon who wants to reunite with Hope but keeps hanging out with Sheila who’s bonding with Taylor in an attempt to get closer to Finn and Hayes despite Steffy, who wants to see her mom reunite with Ridge. I mean, it’s been quite a while since we’ve had that complex a story on this particular soap. Of course, there are still a ridiculous number of major characters who have been largely sidelined, such as Bill, Quinn, Liam , Eric and Wyatt…

Come to think of it, has anybody told Quinn that Deacon is back? And how interesting would it be for Sheila to pay Quinn a visit to say, “Look, you don’t like me and I don’t like you, but we both hate Brooke more so… “

I Hardly Recognized You

When Brooke confessed to her concerned hubby that she’d fallen off the wagon, Ridge was actually supportive of his traumatized wife. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Ridge do much more than rant and rave and generally behave like a hypocritical, tantrum-throwing overgrown child. Don’t get me wrong — Thorsten Kaye plays Ridge’s worst traits beautifully. But in these softer scenes, we got a reminder of why Ridge is loved by his wife and children and, heck, why we’ve been invested in him for so many years.

Above: “Wait,” mused Brooke, “if we’re going to do trust falls, aren’t I supposed to turn my back to you? Or should I not trust you that much?” 

Credit: Howard Wise/JPI

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In fact, so supportive was Ridge that I couldn’t help thinking Brooke should have fully confessed to everything, including having kissed Deacon. It’s not like Ridge would have been angry at his wife. We all know he would have immediately placed 100 percent of the blame on Deacon. But of course, Brooke keeping the secret (and Ridge inevitably finding out down the road) is far more dramatic.

Make Room for Mama

I’m stoked about the imminent arrival of Paris’ mom, but I really, really need her to be more than another member of the Paris Is Awesome fan club. In fact, I’m sorta hoping that when Grace arrives, she reveals that her youngest daughter has a dark side. Of course, as always happens when this soap suddenly decides to introduce a never-before-mentioned character with close ties to one of our regulars, I can’t help wondering where she’s been. Why did Grace not get in touch with Paris or Zoe during any of the various traumas they’ve been through since we met them?

Above: Clearly, Paris is wondering what her mom will think about her beau, Thomas. Er, Carter. Sorry, we meant Zende. 

Credit: CBS screenshot

This is something of a recurring problem on this particular soap. Finn and Steffy never discuss his family and then, poof, he’s suddenly obsessed with telling her he’s adopted so we can kick off the Sheila story. Taylor doesn’t show up when her children are being sent to rehab or making out with mannequins thanks to brain tumors. It works in reverse as well. Ridge and Brooke almost never mention their off-screen children, and as far as I recall, Carter hasn’t mentioned his brother Marcus in years.

Random Thoughts

• Friday’s episode gave us some Bill/Liam scenes and with them, a much-needed bit of humor. Don Diamont and Scott Clifton play off each other with such casual ease that it feels like you’re watching a real father and son. And Bill not remembering his assistant’s name? Not only funny, but feels completely natural to the character.

• Anybody know where I can get one of those magically-refilling vodka bottles Brooke has? One day, she very dramatically poured the booze onto a plant in the living room, and the next there it sat, practically untouched. Also, if Brooke was so upset about having gotten drunk, shouldn’t she have gotten rid of all the booze on that bar, not just the vodka?

That’s it for my take on this week’s episodes… let’s hear what you have to say! After hitting the comments section with your opinions, check out the photo gallery below featuring the gorgeous 2022 cast photos of your favorite Bold and Beautiful stars.