Welcome back, Scoopers! Last week, Bold hit another beautiful milestone when it celebrated its 35th year of engrossing storytelling. Despite the preemptions, fans finally watched the show's anniversary special, a stand-alone show dedicated to Brooke and her five true loves. Most fans know that Brooke can't have true love without the three D's -- Destiny, Desire, and Disaster.
Following her destiny -- or desire -- usually leads Brooke to disaster. As B&B commemorates Brooke's five true loves, Eric, Thorne, Nick, Bill, and Ridge, we'll commemorate some of the true-love disasters that came along with them. Additionally, we'll ponder why Steffy didn't snatch her brother out of that back alley the moment she saw Sheila with him, and I'm curious: did anyone else feel cringing doom during Finn and Steffy's romantic afternoon together?
And Steffy already knows this, especially when it's the duplicitous Thomas and her dastardly mother-in-law. Steffy had the right idea when she tracked Thomas to Il Giardino to uncover what her big brother might be up to, but her follow-through on it was terrible. I give Steffy a perfect ten for the silent and sexy way she slipped into the alley with her unnecessary attaché case in hand. She did it effortlessly, without kicking a can or snagging gum under her Christian Louboutin's.
Not that there was a can to be kicked or gum to be snagged in that alley. It was the cleanest back alley I've ever seen; however, Il Giardino has got to be failing health inspections by letting criminals inhabit the broom closet, allowing bloody brawls near the produce, and granting patrons permission to traipse through the kitchen and out the back door at will.
I expected Steffy to burst through the orderly garbage, hulking out at the sight of Sheila and Thomas conspiring together. You know, kind of like Steffy did when she heard Liam had married Ivy or when she'd seen Quinn with Eric on their business trip. But nope. Steffy slinked back out of the alley and went home. There, she changed clothes, thank goodness, and wondered to Finn why Sheila and Thomas were in an alley together. Finn guessed Thomas was warning Sheila; however, why aren't Finn and Steffy pondering what would prompt Thomas to warn Sheila? And who agrees to meet someone in a back alley to get a warning? No, there's more to this, Finn.
I have a question Finn could answer for Steffy. Why did he visit Sheila without telling his wife? If you want the answer, watch the bonus scene for the day. There, Finn does admit that he saw Sheila earlier that day -- just to make sure she wasn't up to something. That's a scene I would have preferred to watch over Finn and Steffy's ominous lovemaking.
"It's been too long..." Finn uttered. He's right, and with a busy household, he and Steffy need to get it in when they can. To me, their love scene was out of sync with the other scenes of the week. I mean, why are these two suddenly making love, and it seemed like they were doing it for the last time. Maybe it looked that way because the sex is just that good, or maybe something bad is about to happen involving Steffy and Finn.
The Bold and the Beautiful's episode honoring Brooke and her five true loves was whimsical and fun with memorable music. We got to hear Bricky's signature song, "Going Back Again," and Bridge's "Unforgettable." I love the two actors who played Ridge, and the only thing that would have delighted me more about the show would have been if half the "Unforgettable" dance had been with Ronn Moss and the other half with Thorsten Kaye.
The writers also did a nice tie-in, linking the rose petals Ridge dropped down the fountain with the rose in Brooke's living room. The rose was wilted at the beginning of the episode, but by the time Ridge arrived, it was in full bloom. The theme of the episode was that Brooke was never alone because she'd always have wonderful memories.
I'm over the moon to see my all-time fave honored in such a way. The only character who deserves it just as much, whose original actor is still on board, is Eric Forrester, who was featured in the episode. Jack Wagner (Nick Marone) was there, still handsome in his uniform, and so was Windsor Harmon, my go-to Thorne Forrester.
Bill Spencer rounded out the list of Brooke's four true loves, who all understood that they took a back seat to Ridge, Brooke's one true love. They stood in a line before her, smiling, and she said all she wanted was to hear one word, "Logan." What I heard was a record scratch in my head. Wait. These four fine men are kowtowing to Ridge Forrester's greatness? Really?
Eric might concede to Ridge, but there ain't no way Dollar Bill would admit defeat to the dressmaker. There ain't no way Nick would set sail on the idea that Ridge is better for Brooke than Nick is, and I highly doubt Thorne is eager to relent to "Big Brother," either. No. This is something that happens only in Brooke's dreams, and I have to wonder if, in the true light of day, these men would think life with Brooke was all exotic trips, boat rides, and hot air balloons.
If you ask me, it was a hot mess of disappointment and scandal because the big "D," Destiny, always led Brooke's love life, even when Destiny was living in someone else's house. Whenever the big "D" loomed its head, that usually meant disaster, divorce, or paternity tests for some of Brooke's great loves -- and for the women who loved those men. So, in honor of Brooke's great loves, we'll take a look back at some of the true disasters associated with each of Brooke's true loves in the five sections below.
Only Brooke can get herself into a situation in which paternity test results change over time. After cheating on her husband with her "Destiny," Brooke was counting on blood test results to reveal that "Destiny" was her baby's father. They did, but Ridge stayed with Taylor, anyway. As it turns out, her husband was really her baby's father after it was revealed that a doctor had been paid to rig the initial test. Want to hear how much more of a disaster this was for "true love" Eric?
There are two women who never believed Breric was true love. First, there was Stephanie Forrester, Eric's ex-wife on whom he'd cheated with Brooke. Stephanie set things in motion by faking a letter from Eric, telling Brooke that it was over and thereby convincing Brooke that she could sleep with her Destiny, Ridge. Enter Sheila Carter, who sought to unseat Brooke as the matriarch of the family. Sheila set out to fake Brooke's paternity test results, ensuring Ridge would be the baby's father. Brooke was in on it until Eric and Ridge's unlabeled blood vials got spun around, and she and Sheila had to guess whose vial was whose.
The first test indicated that Ridge was the baby's father. A disappointed Eric moved on with Sheila, leaving Brooke alone in her disaster -- until everyone learned that the baby was really Eric's, which is a whole other can of worms!
I'm not a fan of declaring true love with your Destiny's brother. I didn't like it when Caroline Senior did it, and it wasn't a good look for Brooke -- especially not when Thorne was already "destined" for Macy Alexander. That's another woman who wouldn't have a glowing report of Brooke. In fact, she tried to kill Brooke after a divorce paper delivery "gone wrong."
This disaster could have been avoided if Thorne hadn't been using Macy to hide his relationship with Brooke. Thorne used Macy as a "beard," so that Stephanie wouldn't know he was in love with Brooke -- but he forgot to tell Macy that their relationship wasn't real. Thorne wound up marrying Macy when Ridge and Eric set Thorne up to see Brooke with Ridge.
Brooke and Thorne took up with each other again, and Thorne had a bittersweet parting with Macy at Big Bear. The thing was, the divorce papers he'd ordered had just arrived in Brooke's hands, and being "helpful," she decided to drive her little self to the cabin to drop them off.
Thorne was gone by the time Brooke arrived, and Macy caught Brooke leaving the papers on the doorstep. After a heated argument, Brooke jumped into Macy's car as Macy sped off. The women continued bickering with each other, and when Macy heard Brooke say that nothing would stop Brooke and Thorne, Macy intentionally wrecked the car. It resulted in an explosion, the death of a tanker truck driver, and the assumed death of Macy Alexander. Let's just say Macy and Brooke did not become friends when Macy returned from the dead.
Some say it was cheating. Some say it was rape. I'd say it was one big disaster when Brooke's Destiny went up in flames, and she longed to die with him. Nick pulled Brooke back from the burning oven, and sex ensued. I don't label it as cheating because Ridge was presumed dead after the South America battle with Sheila, but I don't know if it was rape, either, even though Brooke was too bereaved to consent. Whatever it was, a baby was on the way, and everyone needed to know who the baby daddy really was.
It wasn't disastrous enough that Brooke slept with her brother-in-law/maybe-not-brother-in-law due to Ridge's sudden "death." To make matters worse, everyone from Sally to Jackie to Deacon had stakes in how Brooke's paternity results came out. And they all had a hand in tampering with the test, too. With all that tampering, I'm thinking we might need one more test just to be sure of who R.J.'s dad really is.
That wasn't the only baby disaster of Brooke's to befall her "true love" Nick. When he was married to Taylor, the two sought to have a baby through IVF. Around the same time, Brooke just so happened to freeze some of her eggs for posterity. One Mrs. Marone's eggs got confused for another's, and disaster followed. Taylor gave birth to Brooke's baby, and it destroyed Nick's marriage to Taylor.
After the fallout from Brooke's affair with Deacon, no one ever thought Brooke would tangle with another relative's spouse, but ironically, it was contact with Deacon that made Brooke vulnerable to a disaster with Bill. Brooke was distraught because Ridge had left her for lying about communicating with Deacon, and Stephanie was dying. In the meantime, Katie thought she'd die on her husband and son, and she set Brooke and Bill up to fall in love.
Bill and Brooke were too smart for that, and they resisted, much to Katie's relief. That didn't stop Brooke from meddling in Katie's marriage and telling Katie how to handle her alcoholic husband. When Katie found Bill in Brooke's bed after he'd slept off a drunken binge that had resulted in a car accident, Katie took her rings off and said Brooke could have Bill. And have Bill, Brooke did.
Brooke became pregnant and tried to get Eric to claim the baby. Taylor, who was with Eric at the time, wasn't having Brooke messing up another of her relationships. Brooke miscarried, but Taylor still exposed Brooke's pregnancy disaster at Brooke's birthday party. It was the spark that lit the match that ignited a brutal rivalry between Katie and Brooke.
On the one hand, I call it a disaster, but it has to be a compliment to Oliver Jones that he has enough sex appeal to be confused with the greatest playboy that ever lived, Ridge Forrester. Either that, or Ridge is terrible in bed! Some think Brooke should know fake champagne from real, but come on, guys, she didn't know her husband from a college graduate.
I fondly dub this disaster, "Pose! Pose! Pose! Wall Sex" for the music that played during the scene. Daddy Yankee guest-starred on the show, playing at Hope's graduation party, where some Jabbawockeez masks and identical bomber jackets and dresses set the stage for a disaster for the ages. Brooke uttered, "I'm ready," but none of us were ready for this!
In the daring storyline, viewers suspected that Steffy would crash the party and don a mask and a blue sequined dress to get the jump on Hope and have sex with Oliver. The pieces fell together as Brooke intercepted Hope's necklace, and Hope offered Brooke a blue sequined dress. Brooke and Hope had separately given Ridge and Oliver cues to look out for when the ladies were ready to get it on, and in a case of mistaken identity, Brooke and Oliver had sex on Stephanie's patio outside the party.
While it was a disaster for Hope and Brooke's relationship, Ridge strangely accepted the mistake, chalking it up to another, "Logan..." growl moment.
I love me some Brooke, whether she's headed toward her destiny, a divorce, or some other impending disaster. I hope all the Brooke fans can laugh at her blunders, and I also hope that this reminds some anti-Brooke fans that Brooke indeed has her highs, but also her very lows.
Let me know what you think in the comment section below about the anniversary special and your fondest memories of The Bold and the Beautiful.
The label-switching storyline creaks forward as Steffy learns what Sheila has done and conveys the information to Finn. Sheila is enraged that Steffy says Sheila will never be a Forrester. Shelia should relax. All she has to do is off Quinn and marry Eric. Or she can take a shortcut and marry Thorne, Rick, or Thomas, and bam! Instant Forrester.
Sheila becomes enraged when Steffy tells Finn about her labels plot against Brooke. Thomas overhears Taylor and Ridge discussing Sheila's mental health, and Ridge warns Taylor to stay away from Sheila. If you ask me, it's about time people remember who they are dealing with. Crazy Sheila, the one you have restraining orders pending against and the reason for the guards and the moat around the cliff house.
I also heard that Deacon will receive the shock of his life. I'm guessing it's one of three things. One, Hope is really Ridge's child. Two, Brooke announces that she actually does have feelings for Deacon. Three, Deacon goes to talk to "Taylor," and winds up in Diane Jenkins' Los Angeles office. Isn't it nuts that Diane Jenkins is alive? Click here for Soap Central's story about it.
Thanks for taking the time to scoop about the 35th anniversary. Please comment below with your thoughts on the stand-alone episode, Brooke's true loves and disasters, and how exhilarating it was to have all those handsome men packed into one romantic half hour! Bah, only in Brooke's dreams, right? Until we scoop again, let's hope the next 35 years are just as bold and beautiful, baby!
Chanel
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