Has your week been bold and beautiful? Did you find out your mom was in the missionary position? Did you want your illicit lover to walk down your aisle? Did Mother's Day come way sooner than you wanted it to? These and more situations faced the Forrester-Logan-Spencer-Walton-Finnegan clan this week!
The bitch is back, Scoopers! Yeah, me, of course -- but also one Sheila Carter Grainger Forrester Warwick. Despite B&B letting the cat out of the bag, Sheila's arrival still registered as a surprise, considering the red herrings that were wisely placed ahead of her. But there's only one way in our soap's timeline that Finn could be Sheila's son. It's the Summer of Sheila 2021, so if you're ready, let's Scoop about it!
I have only one word to say about the introduction of GH/OLTL alum Ted King as Jack Finnegan: DADDY. Or make that two words: Dad. Dee! I think Thorsten Kaye just got some serious competition in my ranking of B&B's most crushworthy males. Although Thorsten did lead my eye back to him in that tux. But y'all don't wanna hear about that! You wanna hear why I have an issue with Finn's papa being named Jack!
That's not meant as an affront to all you Jacks out there. It's a perfectly awesome name. We've just already had enough of them in our fictional L.A. First there was Jack Hamilton -- Taylor's dad and Steffy and Thomas' grandfather. (Thomas' middle name is Hamilton for that reason.) Then there was little Jack Marone, the baby Taylor hatched with Brooke's egg, who was also named for Jack Hamilton.
I think it must be a Bell thing to name characters Jack -- who could forget Y&R's Jack Abbott? And I'm guessing that John Juniors get nicknamed Jack. It's just an overused moniker in the Y&R/B&B world. First Steffy's baby gets misnamed and now this? I would have liked if we could have chosen something more original for Finn's daddylicious dad. Pick something new out of the phone book!
And, as Li, Naomi Matsuda is a delight. Digging having some Asian representation for a change! Can you remember the last time B&B had an Asian character on for any length of time? I think the last one might have been Lindsay Price's Michael Lai, who left in 1997! So good on the show for adding a little diversity. Of course, there's no word yet on how long Jack and Li will be sticking around.
Finn had just about been ready to drop his familial bomb on Steffy when Jack arrived, and Jack wasn't there five minutes before Finn turned his teacup upside down -- Jack and Li were Finn's adoptive parents. Steffy, who's been riding the blurred lines family train since she was born, took it in stride. Once Li joined her hunky husband, Steffy could see that Finn was the way he was because of them.
Steffy asked the Finnegans not to believe everything they'd read about the Forresters, a nice touch considering the latter family's public presence. Li revealed that Finn had been in a punk rock band in high school, embarrassing Finn thoroughly -- though I hope we get to see Li's promised pics. Finn was sure that Steffy was glad his family wasn't full of crazies. Is that a breadcrumb I saw?
B&B has not been as great about foreshadowing this millennium as they used to be, but this week, I have to say they kicked it old school in that regard, which pleased me very much. The next hint came when, during the big happy fracas caused by the Forresters meeting the Finnegans, Eric blink-and-you-miss-it suggested that they all get a big table at Il Giardino. Gee, I wonder who was last known to work there?
If you've seen even the slightest of spoilers the last week or so, you already know what these clues are about. But they were gloriously subtle, and not so on-the-nose as these things have become. I admit, I did scratch my head a bit when Steffy revealed that Taylor couldn't come to her wedding to Finn because Taylor was off doing missionary work. What the hell?
I know a lot of you have gripes about Taylor never being around for her kids' weddings, injuries, etc. And I don't blame you. But if Hunter Tylo can't be there, I'm okay with writing in excuses for her alter ego. It's just...a missionary? Taylor couldn't be off at a psychiatrists' conference or something like in days of old? Does Taylor even have her head screwed on straight again? This is something I need to know.
The other Taylor-made boo-boo of the week was Steffy reporting that Taylor was pleased her grandson Hayes was named after her. Are you kidding? Taylor would be like, "Steffy, why did you give your child my a**hole ex-husband's last name?" No, I am not letting B&B off the hook for that, ever. Not even when they eventually SORAS Hayes into being a libidinous young adult. Which will probably be next year.
At any rate, other Easter eggs were found, such as Steffy alluding to her addiction and Thomas snarking that Finn was a refreshing change for his sister. (Take that, Liam.) Then Steffy proudly displayed her wedding announcement...with her sitting on a motorcycle. Did that seem weird to you guys? It was only her chopper accident that led to said addiction. Although, appropriate, I guess, since that's how Steffy met Finn.
Jack was all smiles until Steffy excitedly readied to post the announcement on social media. This on top of the "Do I tell them?" question he asked himself just after meeting Steffy, there was definitely the implication that Jack could be the rain that showered on this parade. Of course, we already know what his secret is, which was kind of a shame. I never would have had the first inkling if B&B hadn't spilled the beans.
Moments after Steffy clicked "send," a shadowy figure checked an email account and got a full view of the upcoming Forrester-Finnegan nuptials. This person then zoomed in on Finn. But hold the modem! Steffy posted this on social media. Not to individual email accounts! How could B&B get this wrong? Would it have been so difficult to dummy up a version of Facebook or Twitter for this stranger to scroll through?
Geez, this isn't 1998. Though, if you listened carefully to the underscore happening during this implausible email check, you may have picked up on another hint, since it was music that became associated with a particular past character who just happened to be around in 1998. I will definitely give it up to B&B for the slow(ish) build-up. So much more tantalizing the "old-fashioned" way.
After Eric shocked the hell out of me by telling Finn's parents that they just missed Phyllis Summers (did Eric have another Y&R crossover that I somehow didn't get the news of?), the Forrester patriarch offered for Steffy to have her wedding at his house. Naturally, Steffy wasn't going to say no to that, although I seem to recall our characters used to have weddings in churches, for the most part.
I guess it's a budget thing to not have to create extra sets and just use the established ones, but still. Anyway, Steffy added to the invitation by asking if Eric could put Stephanie's portrait back up for the ceremony. Hey, there wasn't anything else up there since Eric handed Quinn's portrait to Carter. I'm just not into these portraits. Giving Stephanie one after she died was one thing, but now everyone's gotta have one.
Still wish they would have done a likeness of '80s/'90s Stephanie in all her elegant glory instead of scowling Gangsta Granny, but what can you do. Steffy continued her wedding planning; while bummed that Taylor couldn't be there to be her matron of honor, Steffy headed for the Logan cabin and asked Hope if she would step into those shoes instead!
I really did like this week's arc with Leffy/Lope. Never thought you'd hear me say that, did you, Scoopers? I just really enjoyed how Steffy was over Liam and how Liam endorsed her relationship with Finn. It seems that godawful triangle is finally freaking over for good. "We can only fight the same battles so many times," Hope noted. Amen, sister. Amen!
"Imagine what it would have been like if our moms got along," Steffy mused in response. Before you get all down on the Steffy/Hope kumbaya, their talk about coming together is a natural extension of the more-often-than-not rivals deciding when Kelly was born to create a harmonious extended family. They've pulled it off for the most part, despite a bride-switch here and a paternity test there.
There's just something really heartwarming about Hope and Steffy burying the hatchet, and not in each other's heads. Even Liam got on the bandwagon by telling Brooke the drama between Steffy and Hope over the years was "mainly because of me." And lo, Brooke herself was excited to all hell when Hope announced she would stand up for Steffy at her wedding!
Not that we can have a soap without conflict, but some of them are really old and dated, and I'm just as happy to move past them as Hope and Steffy were. I truly hope this is the end of Liam bouncing back and forth between them. It will be, if Finn has anything to say about it. He told his parents that Steffy could never feel secure with Liam, and that's the damn truth.
But when Finn told his mom that he would never want to bring complications into Steffy's life, Jack's face blanched as if he had gotten a bad piece of Liam's tofu. Again, already knowing what was coming kinda ruined it, but then again, we don't know precisely what it is about that spoiler that has Jack freaking out. This is actually pretty major drama to throw a new character into who's only been on three episodes.
Something was in the air in Los Angeles, and it wasn't the night-blooming jasmine you sometimes get a whiff of there. I say that because everybody was horny. Quinn, who we had last seen going upstairs with Carter to do you-know-what, showed up later that evening to basically go in for Round Two. Carter surmised Quinn needed the distraction because she was bummed about Steffy's wedding being at Eric's.
Why would Quinn care? She said something about it being because the whole family was there, but Quinn knows that "whole family" pretty much hates her and always has, even if they tolerated her for a while. "I know we're risking a lot," Quinn admitted, again falling into her oh-we-shouldn't-until-we-do pattern. I wonder just what will befall Quarter when their quivering gets found out?
After their cabin was devoid of visitors, and the kiddies were all asnooze, Liam and Hope also decided to get busy. I admit I had wanted to be Liam's shirt, the way it was clinging to his even more built-up chest, which he showed us once the shirt found its way to the floor. Cue lots of lovey talk and devotion and whatnot. Hey, Lope deserves it, but it was all just filler to me, albeit sexy filler.
Then Finn had low lighting and a boatload of candles ready for when Steffy came home. And get this -- the dude had a fire going in the fireplace in August...in L.A. Sure, it's a little cooler at the coastline than in the valleys, but for real. Steffy was a little worried that she and Finn were tempting fate by getting it on the night before their wedding, but soon, they were starting their own fire they didn't need a fireplace for.
You don't usually get three couples humping around in one episode. I'm surprised Eric wasn't upstairs watching Pornhub or that Thomas wasn't in his room, humping a mannequin. What's up with Thomas' new manbun, anyway? Kind of makes him look all samurai. Can't decide if I like it. I guess as long as he keeps the beard with it, I can hang. Especially the way he looked in his tux!
And I'd better not say any more about how Thorsten looked in his own tux, because I could fill up the rest of this column with it! But, as wedding prep started and the old-time Forrester theme from the '80s accompanied the establishing shot of the mansion, it wasn't lust in the air, but love. Helping the bride get ready, Hope agreed with Steffy that they actually liked each other. Awwww!
Paris brought up some Champagne to get the party started early. Ridge talked to Steffy about what a wonderful woman she had turned out to be, and that he was sure deceased sister Phoebe was there in spirit. And then Steffy mentioned that Hope's dress looked like a nightgown compared to Brooke's Dynasty-esque number. Kidding, Steffy didn't say that. But I sure did.
The real action was downstairs as the wedding guests kept pouring in. Jack flinched when a woman in an elaborate gown and a thick veil made her way inside. Jack excused himself and told the guest that she was invading a private ceremony. "Is it you?" he asked worriedly. Then the woman lifted her veil...and it was Pam! Hey, that's better than when the Lemon Bar Lady barged into Eric and Taylor's boudoir, brandishing a spatula!
Much was made about how this veiled mystery woman was going to interrupt Sinn's wedding, but psych! Pam was a McGuffin. (Look it up.) And I'm really glad the show went in that direction. It would have been too obvious for the veil to be lifted and to see...well, someone who revealed herself with a veil as far back as 1993. Another nice touch, I gotta say.
Pam was nearly in tears when she saw her sister's portrait back up above the mantel. Maybe now that Quinn is hasta la vista baby, Pam can actually have her wedding with Stephanie gazing down on her like Pam wanted three years ago. Where was Charlie, anyway? Pharlie has only been together for eight years in real time, which is 55 years in soap time. B&B's longest-enduring couple should get to tie the knot already.
Then the music ushered the bride in. Only...where was it coming from? There were no musicians; did Finn find a wedding playlist on Spotify? Not that it mattered, because after Kelly won the award for Cutest Flower Girl EVAR, Finn saw Steffy coming and his whole face shouted "holy s**t." I'm surprised he didn't blubber "liberty bibberty" as Steffy floated down the aisle.
Ridge then gave an impassioned speech, asking how he was supposed to give away someone who made him breathe. Ridge even got weepy, and I got the feeling this week that Thorsten Kaye ad-libbed a lot, not that it wasn't all in character. Hope got a chance to speak and noted that Finn was a little too good to be true in that he was so decent, kind, and honorable. Hmm...
A lot of time was spent on Steffy and Finn exchanging their vows, which I won't reiterate here. But Steffy did tell her about-to-be-husband that she wanted to "know every little thing about you." Did you hear that? That was another hint. Dang, it almost threw me when the Judge Judy guy playing the minister referred to Steffy as "Stephanie Forrester." You rarely ever hear the namesake cited thusly!
Well, what do you know, Finn and Steffy made it through the "I do's," and Steffy began the wedding reception as Mrs. Steffy Finnegan. I admit I half wondered if I'd see a scar from Steffy's wedding ring tattoo she'd gotten with Wyatt when Finn put his ring on her finger! Much conversation ensued, with baker Pam saying she was happy to be a guest for a change, and former alcoholic Brooke drinking water! Love that detail!
The one nitpick I have is that, somehow, Finn was on call on his wedding day. At least he didn't have to go into the hospital, but he did have to make a phone call to check in on a patient. A little contrived, but I'll go with it. Also, Finn could have run upstairs to dial his digits, but he went all the way out to one of the Forrester guesthouses. Again, I'm gonna have to let that one slide. Because Finn was not alone in the smaller quarters.
A female voice congratulated Finn. The newly married doctor asked who the woman was, and she replied that she was his mother. Someone stepped out from the shadows...and it was SHEILA! Yes, of course, by this point we already knew who it would be. And it's not like Sheila has never made enigmatic returns before. But this one still worked. Sheila Carter is back, baby!
Annnndddd...that brings up a mountain of questions for me. Ordinarily, I might keep such queries to myself, but Sheila was my jam from 1992 to 1998, which was her heyday on B&B, and when she was the best written. She'd only gotten more cartoonish with each of her comebacks, which was a shame. What made Sheila great in the '90s was that she tried so hard to reform but couldn't quite pull it off.
Now, the last time we saw Sheila was in early 2018, just after Bill had gotten shot. At Il Giardino, Sheila's place of employment, Ridge accused Sheila of pulling the trigger. And then, Ms. Carter just disappeared. Has she just been shining silverware and serving up garlic bread these past three years? Has Sheila actually reformed this time, or are we going to play the insanity card all over again?
The next big question is how it's possible that Sheila could be Finn's biological mother, assuming this is actually true and not one of the naughty nurse's famous manipulations. See, I'm really dubious about any sudden mystery children Sheila might have, because this isn't the first time such a revelation has come to light. It's not even the second.
Back in 2003, when Sheila took Ridge and Brooke hostage on their South American honeymoon, Sheila presented a baby she called Diana, whom she claimed was her offspring from the one night she shared with titan Massimo Marone. But that was never confirmed, and it seemed Sheila was more interested in using the infant as a human shield than about the infant itself.
Then there was the cockamamie appearance of Ryder and Daisy Carter on Y&R in 2010, long after Sheila was supposedly dead. Somehow, in the middle of kidnapping Lauren Fenmore for the umpteenth time with Terrible Tom at her side in 2005, Sheila had managed to get knocked up by Tom to later give birth to Daisy and Ryder. Never mind that these kids never had a scene with Sheila, and that the twenty-somethings were only five in real time, making for the worst case of SORAS I'd ever seen.
So, yeah, not really trusting this. The only child of Sheila's we know about for sure is Mary Warwick (whom Sheila raised on the run as Erica Lovejoy), because we witnessed Mary's birth on-screen in 1997. And mind you, we haven't seen Erica since 2002, although when Sheila returned in 2017, she said that she and Mary were in touch. Now Sheila is saying Finn is her son. And there are very few ways that could actually be.
We really don't know what -- or who -- Sheila did while she was on the run in the late '90 and early aughts. We know Sheila and Mary ended up in Mystic, Connecticut, but they were all over the place before that. It's not impossible that Sheila could have gotten pregnant by someone during that time (Jack Finnegan, maybe?)...although that would have meant giving Finn away while keeping Mary.
Some have suggested Finn is Sheila's child with Eric. Not even close. Sheila was never pregnant by Eric during their 1993-1995 marriage -- in fact, Eric got a vasectomy in 1994, and Sheila actually tried to get lawyer Connor Davis to impregnate her to pass the child off as Eric's! However...when Sheila took off with Mary in 1998, Sheila was still married to psychiatrist James Warwick, whom Sheila blackmailed in 2017.
It is not out of the realm of possibility that Sheila was carrying James's second child when she left, and maybe she gave it up because it was hard enough being a fugitive with one baby as it was. That's really the only scenario I can see working. And I hope it's the one B&B went with, because anything else is going to be as preposterous as Ryder and Daisy supposedly being Sheila's kids on Y&R.
I don't know what B&B has planned for Sheila this go-round, but everything hinges on the correct circumstances of Finn's birth. I really want them to get this right. I'm just holding my breath, because our soap has a way of giving stories slam-bang beginnings, only for them to lose cohesion in the middle, to the point that by the time they end, you're relieved. Don't disappoint me, B&B. This is Sheila we're talking about here. And her 2017 run left a lot to be desired.
Where are you at with all this, Scoopers? Are you glad Sheila is back? Who do you think is Finn's bio-dad? Did you like this week's hint-dropping? Does the idea of the Leffy/Lope triangle finally, truly being over bring a smile to your face or make you sulk? Do you buy Taylor working as a missionary? And what are your first impressions of Jack and Li? Sign the registry 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!
"What Carter is doing with Quinn is UNETHICAL. If/when this comes out he will be all set up for a law review board and he will lose. His recommendation about the fashion line may have 'good business' sense, but in divorces people oft-times do not wish to deal with each other so WISH to split their finances. Like if you own a house together, are getting a divorce, neither wants to live there, so they sell, but they cannot sell for a profit. People I have known don't care, they JUST WANT OUT. Eric MAY find it painful to even deal with seeing Quinn's name on a balance sheet! So 'even if' there is a sound financial reason to keep the Jewelry Line, it is NOT what the client asked for." -- "evave2"
"I can't wait to see Finn's parents...something is definitely up there. Finn's facial expression after Steffy said she couldn't wait to meet his parents spoke volumes. I can't wait for Quarter to get busted. I'm really not sure why Eric would want Carter to represent him...I hope Eric is the one who busts Quarter this time." -- "thomascd"
"Re: Carter representing Eric in the divorce: apart from the fact that he's not a family lawyer, surely there's a conflict of interest there. I'm not a lawyer, but surely the co-respondent cannot represent the husband against the respondent. It's just so off. Shouldn't Eric, with all his resources, get an independent expert on the matter? It looks like he's just trying to make Carter suffer, and Carter is wearing it." -- Eva
Carter who? It's all about Sheila now, so keep watching, be alert, and most of all, be bold. And for soap's sake, get vaccinated! Because protecting yourselves and others from a virus and its variants is always beautiful.
Mike
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.
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.
