Has your week been bold and beautiful? Did you go on the ultimate staycation "trip"? Did you get promoted to a position you weren't qualified for? Did the do-over wedding you were planning mean things were over for you? These and more situations faced the Forrester-Logan-Spencer-Walton-Buckingham-Fulton clan this week!
Hey ho, Scoopers! This turned out to be a big week for Steffy, who realized her addiction to painkillers...about as quickly as she got addicted to them in the first place. Still, Jacqueline MacInnes Wood knocked her scenes out of the park. We then flipped to Ridge's sidelined do-over wedding...which he decided to go through with? Ridge is more in denial than Steffy was. Y'all ready? Let's Scoop about it!
By the way, my column title this week is taken from the chorus of a country song by Dan Seals. Surprise! I'm not just about Madonna references over here!
Psych! I lied. But "crazy" does about fit the way Liam and Hope recalled Steffy behaving the previous night, with Steffy pulling a knife on everyone. Lope was happy that Kelly was up at the main house with Donna. "We should really do something nice for Donna," Liam suggested, noting the former waitress' adventures in babysitting. How about giving Donna her own story? That would be nice!
It's too bad, during all her talk with Liam about Steffy's plight, that Hope never mentioned her own brief-but-consequential addiction to antianxiety meds back in 2012. Granted, it went by super fast, and Hope went cold turkey on her own, simply because Liam asked her to, but Hope mentioning that bit of her history would have added another fascinating and, I think, important layer to this story.
Deciding to bring a doc to a knife fight, Liam called Dr. Finn, immediately laying into him about his inappropriate intentions toward Steffy and how they caused him to miss Steffy's signs of addiction. "Liam, this isn't helping," Hope reprimanded. Word up, Hope. Also, Finn didn't miss the signs because he was a besotted doctor. He missed them because, when he saw Steffy the day before, she didn't have the signs.
And that is my biggest problem with this story, well-acted, emotional scenes aside. "How did we get here?" Liam asked. Truer words, buddy. When I columnized for you two weeks ago -- just two weeks ago -- Steffy had just gotten one bottle with maybe half a dozen pills in it via her care package from Vinny, and she hesitantly decided to risk taking one. One. Next thing you know, she's knocked out and can't be woken up.
Finally brought around by Liam, his tight shirt, and his Superman cape, Steffy becomes Superbitch and begins acting out of character. (Though she probably waited ten years to mock Liam; I think we all did!) Hostile, dismissive, paranoid...from one pill? I still say what Vinny "prescribed" was different than what Finn did. Granted, she sweet-talked an extra legit scrip from the Finnster, but...
Steffy going rogue and taking Vinny's pills, whatever they were, was the true beginning of the addiction story -- not the end of it. Instead, Liam and Finn decided to pull an intervention on Steffy, with Hope wisely agreeing she shouldn't attend because it would antagonize Steffy more. Steffy's constant lying and personality changes had become too much.
Why did we take the time to beautifully build up an addiction story for Steffy just to blow the wad all at once? Steffy constantly lied for what...two soap days? Steffy's been in that damn gray sweatshirt so much, it deserves its own credit...you know, like the ones Reese, Xander, Taylor, and Sally still have -- and Finn doesn't. (Hey, at least we're finallygetting new credits next week, so you don't have to hear me bitch about that anymore! Thanks, B&B!)
Steffy's addiction just happened too fast. It was like we were cruising along in the Millennium Falcon and suddenly jumped into hyperdrive. Even if Steffy had taken more than the one illegal pill we saw her swallow on-screen, and had more than one bottle, she still couldn't develop this strong of an addiction in a couple of days. And I realize she's been on meds for two real-time months...I just can't see how one extra prescribed bottle could get her hooked. We missed some major steps here.
All right, '60s reference: these "dolls" were pills as depicted in the book and movie of that name. Speaking of addictions, Thomas was back hovering around Hope, and all I have to say about that is, I. Don't. Like. Thomas. Being. Around. Hope. So much. Even if Thomas is getting this off-screen help Hope hinted at, it's just too damn soon to have him and Hope interacting normally as co-parents, as if he hadn't pulled anything.
Thomas did score a point by reminding us that he was the one who called Ridge to check on Steffy after she had seemed so off the day before. And then, when Hope told him the story of how Steffy was ready to cut everyone for "stealing" her daughter, Thomas. Actually. Cried! No, no, no! You're supposed to remain a heartless psychopath in my eyes. How dare you actually show a real human emotion!
Hope stopped Thomas from adding himself to Steffy's intervention-in-progress, feeling the more people who took part, the more Steffy would feel ganged up on. But Steffy didn't need her bro to feel that. She repeatedly ordered her dad, her ex, and her future ex-boyfriend to get the hell out of her house! She accused Ridge, Liam, and Finn of emotional abuse! That's gonna make that eventual first date with Finn awkward.
Steffy did lots of yelling about how Liam and Hope had kidnapped Kelly, even comparing them to Reese, who, of course, actually stole Beth and replaced her with a dead child. I have to say, I love the detail that Steffy is still hurting over the loss of "Phoebe" -- even though Steffy has been without her much longer than she actually raised her, it's rare when a B&B character doesn't just get over a loss like that.
Maybe Liam was right to doubt Finn's skills as a doctor, though. The first thing you'd think he'd have done was to demand to see the pills Steffy had taken. What happened to that bottle Liam found between Steffy's couch cushions, anyway? Steffy simply lied that she had gotten the "dolls" at the pharmacy, which Finn could have instantly checked out, knowing which pharmacy Steffy uses, but didn't.
In between biting off heads like she was on stage at an Ozzy Osbourne concert, Steffy had little moments of admission, like when she cried, "There's no help -- I need my pills." Then, after another rage, she bawled, "I can't...I can't stop!" That felt like the big turning point of the arc. But when we returned from commercial, Steffy was back to erupting and being in denial. She wasn't addicted to any damn pills!
Whaaaaaat? Did a couple of scenes get switched in the editing room by mistake? Because crafting the sequence of events that way on purpose made absolutely no sense. We didn't even see Steffy go from sobbing to snarling; we just cut to the snarling as if the sobbing hadn't happened. So, we went around the circle again, until Steffy got fed up and dashed to her kitchen cabinet to grab some more dolls!
Where did those come from? Did Liam just let her keep the bottle he ripped up her crib to find? Even so, that bottle was never so full she could scatter pills on the floor like confetti. And we never saw, or were told, that Vinny supplied her with more. When Steffy spilled her stash, I was sure she was going to crawl on the floor and scoop them up. She gasped as if she had just lost her lifeline.
But I guess the prospect of "picking pain pills out of [her] breakfast," as Ridge put it, was enough for her to finally hit that all-important bottom...you know, the bottom it took her two days to hit. Steffy realized the tablets were the only thing that gave her peace. And indeed, she sat on the floor and cried that she was addicted. She had a problem. She needed help!
All (major) plot holes aside, it was a great scene. I really felt Steffy's pain, and, as Chanel said last week, the fact that social distancing kept any characters from embracing Steffy actually added to the moment instead of detracting from it. Afterwards, Scott Clifton did a PSA for drugabuse.gov, which, for any of you who might be having a problem similar to Steffy's, I hope you will avail yourself of.
The next episode began with Quinn asking Ridge if he wanted breakfast. Huh? Didn't Ridge just talk about Steffy dumping pills in her own breakfast? Perhaps it was supposed to be the next day, but Ridge was wearing the same shirt he had on during Steffy's intervention, just with a jacket over it. But lo! Steffy was in rehab and settling in well! How many damn days ahead did we jump?
After a kind of halfhearted "Yeah, your daughter's in rehab, so sad, too bad" rejoinder from Quinn (and I'm paraphrasing there), Quinn immediately started pushing Ridge into holding the do-over wedding with Shauna that everyone had already forgotten about. Ridge looked like a horse being pulled into the stable with a rope, and Shauna actually seemed the same way during her video call with Quinn!
It really seems like the only one who wants this wedding is Quinn. And why? To stick it to Brooke. "Quinn's always hated me," Brooke lamented to Zoe. When always? Since January, when Brooke slapped Shauna in front of Quinn? Since 2015, maybe, when Brooke opposed Deacon's wedding to Quinn and attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings with him? I don't seem to recall that Quinn's Brooke hatred really became a thing until this year.
Quinn put Ridge on the spot and asked him, while on the call with Shauna, how he felt about Brooke. And you'll notice that Ridge didn't answer, which tells you all you need to know. But instead of realizing it and telling the BFFs no wedding could happen, Ridge decided to go for the new ceremony! Somehow, Steffy having told Ridge not to put his life on hold from rehab was enough to turn the nuptial tide. Just wow.
Ridge broke the news to Brooke that he had decided to give Shauna a proper wedding, one that he would actually remember from not being drunk this time. Ridge would only say he had made a commitment to Shauna but never mentioned being in love with her. Oops. "When are you going to wake up and realize that you're being manipulated?" Brooke shrieked. Oh, come on, Logan. That's not his deal these days.
Look how long it took for Ridge to clue in that Thomas had turned into Snidely Whiplash, and that was with all the clues in front of him. Now, Brooke herself said she didn't have any proof Ridge was being hoodwinked...and that's the part I keep complaining about with this story. You got no proof, Brooke? Go and get it! Even with COVID restrictions, how hard can it be to have Brooke go to "Vegas" to nose around?
We're not above green-screening these days! Just having Brooke twiddle her fingers and shout her suspicions isn't good enough. It makes her look like as much of a putz as Ridge is looking these days. Then Carter came in at Ridge's request, only to do what a doubtful best man should and ask the groom-to-be-again if he could really remarry Shauna when he was still in love with Brooke.
Finally, someone with some sense. Carter was rewarded with a rather cruel joke about no longer being Forrester's chief legal counsel...until Ridge revealed that was because Carter had been promoted to the design house's Chief Operating Officer position! Hey! That's...great? Hold up. Carter is a lawyer who does side gigs acting in web series and officiating weddings. How does that qualify him to be a COO?
Seriously, I did some cursory research, and at the very least, a COO position requires "a bachelor's degree in business or a related subject," or a Master of Business Administration degree. Are we supposed to believe Carter has either? A COO is responsible for all aspects of the day-to-day operation of a company. I know, Steffy had no experience outside the mail room when she was pegged to head up PR, but this is ridiculous.
Then, Eric came in, having heard about the do-over wedding, and the Forrester patriarch let Ridge know that he wasn't having it. Eric was on the opposite side of Quinn on this one, and Eric didn't think Ridge should have to honor a wedding he'd been too drunk to remember. You know, all these reminders about Ridge being unable to recall anything about marrying Shauna...I have to wonder...was he drugged?
The big feeling I'm getting with this -- and this week, it's one helluva irony -- is that Ridge constantly came off as if he's more in denial about Shauna than Steffy was about her addiction. Didn't Ridge just spend a whole intervention trying to convince his daughter she wasn't facing reality? We're all "do as I say, not as I do" to some extent, but the contrast was really striking with Ridge during his scenes with Carter and Eric.
Skipping yet another day (which was hard to tell because Ridge never changes out of his navy blue suit; come on, Wardrobe!), Eric entered the office to find Ridge actually designing. Not simply glad because someone was, ya know, working at the place, Eric said Ridge did not seem like a man on his wedding day, and Carter arrived to help Eric tip the scales. Ridge didn't appreciate it and sent them on their way.
At the Logan manse, Donna came over, looking for her storyline...er, I mean to counsel Brooke yet again. Donna was amazingly astute, telling Brooke that if Brooke wanted Ridge's trust, then Brooke had to trust Ridge to do the right thing and bail on the ceremony. Brooke was hard to console, however. "I really gotta just do something!" she yelped. How about riding into the wedding on a horse? That worked before!
As I've alluded, Brooke's determination would ring truer if she actually got up and did something. Did Stephanie teach her nothing? To my previous comment about green-screening, Shauna made an appearance through that device, supposedly getting ready for her own wedding at a friend's house? Denise Richards must not have been able to get to the set, but if we can do that, Brooke can sleuth in Vegas.
Oh -- and get this. Brooke actually told Donna that "Ridge doesn't do anything just for show." OMG, Brooke, have you not watched your own old scenes on YouTube? What do you call Ridge proposing to Taylor on the Forrester runway because he was jealous of you and Grant? Smashing a Spencer award and smearing his face with blood? Those are just two examples that immediately come to mind. Someone doesn't know history.
After having been told by her bestie the night before never to mention facilitating Ridge's divorce and insta-marriage ever, ever again, what was the first thing Shauna did on a new video call with Quinn? Mention the exact same scheme. Shauna does this. She acts all guilty about pulling s**t, but that doesn't stop her from pulling it in the first place. She wanted to tell Ridge before the "I-do-agains!"
Quinn was like, girl, are you crazy? She bemoaned that she and Shauna could lose everything! Then, they went through every excruciating detail of the scheme at length...but someone was listening at the door! Who could it be? I liked that the show left some mystery about that for a while. But it turned out to be...Katie, who had gone to Eric's to drop something off from the office! Eavesdropper Girl strikes again!
Why Katie was in the den and not in the living room, I don't know. But there was a genuine moment of suspense when it sounded like Katie had made a noise, which would get her found out by Quinn, only to discover the noise came from Eric descending the staircase! And he'd heard Quinn and Shauna discussing Brooke. Quinn deflected, saying that Shauna was admitting she felt bad for Brooke.
Eric bought that, but not with all his money, because he made the point of telling his wife, "You've made enormous strides toward quelling your most troubling impulses." He didn't want to see Quinn's animosity toward Brooke lead her back down that path! That reminder was good, because Quinn's previous, criminal behavior pretty much got buried once she married Eric. A marriage which, I think, is about to be over!
Ridge stared at a press release featuring Brooke's picture and flashed back to all his familiar recollections (though I could watch Thorsten Kaye shirtless in bed with rose petals all day). Then Katie burst in! I would have thought she'd have gone to Brooke with what she'd overheard -- and why drive all the way to Forrester from Beverly Hills instead of just calling? Oh, well.
Ridge kind of fumbled over voicing his feelings for Shauna, thinking of her as a friend...and then, on his own, Ridge decided he couldn't go through with the do-over wedding! "No, you can't," Katie warned, because what she had to tell him about his drunken night in Vegas with Shauna was gonna shock him into a new color suit! Or maybe shock him out of his shirt and cause rose petals to fall!
Yes, I bag on the show a lot, but I have to admit, it was a really cool twist that Ridge came to the decision to back out of having a second ceremony with Shauna on his own, without even finding out what Katie's bombshell was first. That's not the usual way these climaxes go, and it does rather redeem Ridge! Well, to a certain point. In 2020, his IQ has dropped along with the number of colors in his closet!
What say you, Scoopers? What do you think the fallout will be from Katie busting Quinn and Shauna? Was Steffy's addiction plot rushed, or did the pace work for you? Would you like to have seen her in rehab? And do you think Carter will learn to be a COO by watching YouTube tutorials? Get clean in the Comments section below or the Soap Central message boards, or simply click here to submit feedback. Your comments could wind up in a future column! Like these!
"I hope the dressmaker never goes back to Brooke. He is a pig and should be condemned to spend the rest of his life with the she-devil Shauna...I am also very happy that the other pig Wyatt is stuck with Felony Flo. They deserve each other." -- Rob
"As for Dr. Finn, I'm not really convinced he is what the doctor prescribed...and I don't see why [Steffy] should suddenly have fallen in love with him, he was just sitting around in the living room a few times...?" -- "Suzannah14_54"
As always, thank you for reading my take on this bold and beautiful soap of ours. If you like this work, you might also like my new "Bewitched" book, "Samantha's Seventies," coming out October 17. Check out my Facebook page for deets about the virtual book launch and reading I'll be having that night! Hope to see you there!
And hope to see you continuing to follow the capers of all our B&B characters as we navigate these...times of ours. Keep watching, be alert, and most of all, be bold. And remember, wearing a mask to help tamp down a virus and respecting everyone is always beautiful!
What are your thoughts on The Bold and the Beautiful? What did you think of this week's Two Scoops? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
