nkotb

These are such quick swerves of Finn. 1. Finn & Liam were working out at the Forester gym, together, & Finn is the one who talked Liam into going to Rome to find Hope. Now, he’s all of a sudden persona non grata in Finnworld? We know Waffle waffled, but Finn doesn’t. 2. Finn hasn’t so much as mentioned Sheila, & now, all of a sudden, her hug is what’s been missing from his life? Another mention of the nanny leaving. Sheila’s turn as Mrs. Doubtfire , in 3…2…1… TN/Finn is pretty good in non-love scenes. He is not as good on the romance, but in Sheila scenes, & Liam scenes, he’s much better. Focus on that. Damn, Brooke, read a room. Deacon was about to sob, & she’s dancing on Sheila’s grave so much she didn’t notice. Remind me again, what did Ridge do to capture Sheila?? I know he watched the video, & paid the ultimate sacrifice by not getting a haircut, but $Bill did all of the work! $Bill has to feel like I do on Christmas morning, I put in the work & money, & that jolly man in the red suit gets all of the credit!

I’m completely over Liam, completely, but, SC was really good today. His shock that Hope has papers already (mine, too, wasn’t Carter in a meeting with Katie & Ridge, while Hope was boning Thomas, & stepping up to Brooke, which was like 15 minutes ago?), his grief at the loss of the marriage, his sorrow at walking out the door. Again, Liam is a dolt, to be generous, but SC brought it today. AN is totally upping her game, too, I’ve never been more impressed with her.

Pretty sure I’ve used the clapping reaction, to more posts in the last week, than all of the years I’ve spent on this forum, combined. 😏 You’re all on fire! I didn’t realize how intensely I dislike Liam, until I saw how amazing a Liam-free Hope is. This is the Hope I want to see, backbone, genuinely sorry for hurting Liam, but not groveling, afterglow-glowing, AN is absolutely crushing Hope right now. Like some of you, I’m wondering if this material is from the regular writers, or the ones filling in during the strike (I presume they have temp writers). Whoever is writing for Hope, I wish they’d stay, she’s been awesome for a month or so.

I was thisclose to fast-forwarding the Spencer brother scenes, (literally been having the exact.same.conversation for daaaaaaaaays!) but I’m SO glad that I didn’t. Holy cow, that’s what I’m talking about, Wyatt. Could’ve gone in a bit more, but, considering you’re in a relationship with a baby-napping conspirator, at the minimum, that might have blowback you don’t want to deal with. Finally, Liam admits the kisses, & Wyatt reacts. I wish anyone else in the world would read him for filth, too, but it’s a start. I totally felt Hope’s passion in today’s show. It would be exhausting to be on the TOD II merry-go-round, & it’ll never truly end, because at the first sign of trouble, he’ll waffle back to whichever one he isn’t currently with, just like Ridge. However, I felt like she made that point to Brooke. If Brooke had half-of-a-brain, she’d realize that she & Doc McShoulderblades set the tone for both of their daughters, & that loser, Liam. I’m not all in for the Thomas Insta-redemption, but, damn, those were the hottest scenes I’ve seen in a while. Plus, Brooke busted into Thomas’ house, then, inexplicably, his bedroom, & he didn’t even scream at her, or worse, for being ridiculously inappropriate, & she would’ve deserved it. Even when she was hurling insults at him ~ again, after busting into his house, then, bedroom, uninvited ~ he still barely reacted. I joked about it a few days ago, but it was odd that Kelly was up, having daddy dreams, & Steffy mentioned what Liam told her (that he loved her to the moon & back). I legit think she might be the one to bust up the Steam kisses, no joke. I’m guessing she overheard. No spoilers, obviously, but that’s my prediction.

Damn. Just, damn. I know it’s so wrong to not hate Thomas for his past, but, damn. I’ve never felt that heat with Lope, in the decade+ they’ve been off-&-on. Just, damn. That’s the hottest scene B&B has shown in years. Just, damn. I was so happy to see Sheila, & even more happy that she gobbled up some scenes, so Liam didn’t. I wish Wyatt would remind Liam about his looooong history of cheating on both Hope & Steffy. He’s not innocent, & Hope has forgiven far more than a kiss, far more times than she should’ve been asked to. It’d be awesome if Liam was alone for a while, or permanently.

Gah. I get so frustrated with this show. I’ve always been kinda whatever on Liam, I don’t get the hype, but he’s not been a bad dude. But, today, ~ Steffy, Steffy! ~ showed that she’s feeling guilty about their kisses, & Liam hasn’t uttered a peep, to anyone about them, while berating Hope for a single kiss (as far as he knows). Steffy, who had to have paternity tests for both of her children, feels guilty. Steffy, who rigged a gondola, to hold Hope captive, forcing her to watch Liam marry Steffy, in what can only be described in a bizarre wedding ensemble, feels guilty. Steffy, who completely disregarded that her father was married to Brooke for years, & spent a year trying to parent trap her parents, feels guilty. But, our leading man has absolutely no remorse. God help me, but I found Thomas & Hope ickily hot today. I fully believe what she said, & I said it yesterday, Liam’s loyalty will always be divided, but Thomas is all about Hope. I think this will crash & burn, after it takes down Bridge & Sinn, reuniting Steam, but I also think Hope will have a WTD storyline coming up. Gotta keep both sides of the TOD II even. I’ve never seen a tv character do more laundry than Steffy has since JMW started showing, but I’ll take that over WTD#3, any day.

Liam is getting me to Jason Morgan levels of soap opera character hate. I just can’t with that sniveling asshat, I truly need a break from him. Where’s Sheila? Please let her eat the show for a few weeks, so I can have a break. I did feel like the longer that Hope stood there, the more she realized that Liam wasn’t worth fighting for. I wish she’d said to Liam “yes, Thomas has done some horrible, reprehensible, awful things, & I’ll likely never fully forgive him for that. But the one thing that I know for sure about him, is that no matter what, I wouldn’t have to share him with another woman.” She put it together fast that he’d run straight to Steffy; the “seat at the table” line was perfect & long overdue. If there was a fleeting moment of guilt, in Liam, I might feel something other than hate, but all he can do is focus on Hope’s 1 kiss with Thomas, knowing he sought out Steffy, & kissed her twice. They need to show Douglas, soon, he’s the only rootable character right now, besides $Bill. I’m over Bridge, Dr. McShouoderblades, Steffy (when she’s not shutting Liam down), definitely Liam, & I’m sick of Hope groveling, when Liam isn’t worth the breath she exhales. Hoping that the writer’s strike is solved, soon, & they fix this mess they’ve made. I am just cupcakes & rainbows today. 😏

I don't exactly remember the dynamics of kiss #2, but I think it’d be funny if Kelly was actually home when her parents were kissing, saw them, & then pulled a Douglas, & told Daddy Finn. Douglas is her bio-cousin, (& adoptive half-brother, only in BelLA), it’s in her genes. I’m over Hope groveling, too. She made a colossal mistake, but the score isn’t close to even, especially since Liam sought out Steffy ~ twice! ~ post-Thope kiss, & kissed her, which is a secret. Liam owes her several affairs, both physical & emotional, before she should ever, ever grovel to that nothing.

Totally forgot what it felt like to like Steffy. She was great today, setting boundaries, shutting him down, & reminding him that she’s in a respectful marriage. Liam is just a waste of space, I get that he & Hope have kids, but beyond that, & his dad's money, he doesn’t bring much to the table. She should drop him & be single for a bit. AN has been really good in this storyline, I know she’s going through some stuff, personally, she’s probably working through that on-screen, because I feel it.

I mean, there’s a writer’s strike going on right now, you got plans for the next few weeks/months? I’m in for $50 to buy you a ticket to BelLA, to right some wrongs. Guarantee you what you just wrote will be 1,000,000x better than what we actually see.

Sadly, & inexplicably, yes. Neither of those cheating cheaters who cheat, have offered up details about their Rome kiss to their clueless spouses. Liam may have told Wyatt, I can’t remember, but he didn’t tell Hope when he was berating her.

I’m still thinking this is the beginning of Steffy’s 3rd wtd story. She’s batting 1.000. If Liam had an iota of self-awareness, I’d feel something for him. But, he sees Hope kiss Thomas, & immediately kisses Steffy. When he blows up at Hope, he fails to tell her that he kissed Steffy minutes after the Thope kiss. Then, after telling Hope he wants a divorce, he hightails it to Steffy, & again, kisses her. If I was Steffy, I’d slap the taste outta his mouth. I figured Finn would walk in right then. Today’s positive…I was waiting for DB to sneak in a “shit”-bomb, past the censors. That was the longest “shhhhhhh” in tv history.

I would drop a C-note, if Hope would wipe her tears, look Liam dead in the eye, & say “kissing really is a mortal, marital sin. As Thomas & I were strolling through Rome, hand-in-hand, I saw a couple, also on a balcony, in a passionate kiss. He could barely reach her, while his arms are shockingly muscular. she had an odd bag in front of her the whole time, & there was something hideous planted on her hair, but it was definitely a passionate kiss. They looked vaguely familiar, any idea who they were? Now, go unpack that bag, & fire up the grill, tit for tat, we’re staying put, because that’s what I want, & you owe me more than I owe you.” However, I also wish she’d just toss his bag out the front door & say “this is my mom’s property, see yourself out.” Taylor & Brooke, I just can’t.

I just realized her kids are named: Stormi Aire. Sounds like an airline, kinda like North West.

There is a LOT to unpack today. How in the bluedilly hell can you build all of that momentum on Thursday & Friday ~ Thope kissing, Liam spotting it, Thope holding hands & grabbing lunch, like a couple, in Rome, Steam kissing ~ & then totally, totally ignore it?? How is Liam already back in BelLA, & Thope haven’t discussed the kiss, while Steffy didn’t even know Liam had left? This is ridiculous. Assuming that Thope didn’t have sex, but how did they end the day? Details are what makes soaps, soaps. Every time I see Andrea Bocelli, I’m reminded that he performed at both TomKat’s (Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes) wedding, as well as Kimye’s (Kim Kardashian & Kanye West). I’m as into celebrity stalking, as I am over Bridge, so do your thing, Bocelli! It doesn’t seem like Steffy & Liam are working back towards each other, which is a relief. It also seems like Hope is seeing the kiss as a momentary lapse, totally wasn’t, but that’s how she’s seeing it, & she thinks she’ll just waltz back into Liam’s shockingly ample arms. I’m on Liam’s side in that Thomas is a horrid person, & Hope should avoid him at all costs, but what did I hear him say? That Thomas is the one person Hope knows could blow up their marriage? What.The.Hell? Liam has blown up his marriage multiple, multiple times, with Steffy, & the minute he sees Hope kissing Thomas, he immediately grabs Steffy & kisses her. I’m not a Thope fan, but, damn, Liam needs a mirror. JMW looked fantastic in that dress, that’s actually what I picture Hope for the Future couture to look like. Soft, feminine, wispy, it was a great look. Carter sure is pretty, that’s all I got on him. However, not a fan of him making excuses for Bridge, while those asshats drink coffee, get a serenade, & make out on every balcony in Rome, knowing that the jet is waiting on them, & their grandkids’ parents are on that jet, anxious to get home to them. They deserve each other, but I feel like if Lope break up, & Thope happens for real, Bridge will be done for a while. I’m not sure if I’ll word this in a way that makes sense outside of my head, but knowing that SC recently separated from his wife, IRL, & Hope’s portrayer recently split with her fiancé, again, IRL, I’m thinking their upcoming breakup scenes (I assume they’ll at least separate, no spoilers), will be super emotional. I thought SC seemed genuinely pained today, in a good way, probably pulling from real life. **I didn’t realize how many name mashups are on this show until I was typing. But, I’d like to add, instead of Tann, for Taylor/Finn, I think it should be Faylor, or Filor, kinda sounds like failure, or filler, both of which would be true.**

Kris absolutely shouldn’t get in the middle of this, but Kris is in the middle of most of her daughter’s relationships. Remember when she set up Lamar to meet Khloe at the gym, on-camera, just before his OD? I’m just saying, while she shouldn’t involve herself, she usually does, & Community Peen brings a ton of bad press to the family, I’m shocked she hasn’t attempted to fix it. Just thinking about it, I’ve never seen anything good about TT in the press, IE volunteer hours, charitable ventures, etc. He’s just a cheater, seed-spreader, & absentee father to 1 of his kids, it’s a surprise that Kris hasn’t done anything, publicly, anyway, to change the narrative. Khloe will be associated with him for the rest of her life, no matter what.

I’m honestly surprised that Kris hasn’t forced Tristan to meet Theo, & cultivate a relationship with him, even if it’s just a social media relationship. It looks super, super bad that he has all of the time in the world, for the kids he has with the rich, famous, mom, but can’t even meet the kid who’s 18+ months, & everyone in the world knows about, but who’s mom’s claim-to-fame is having a baby with Khloe Kardashian’s boyfriend (at the time). Bet if she won $1 billion in the lottery, he’d make time to meet Theo. At least I haven’t seen a gushy, Father’s Day post from Khloe, about what an amazing father Tristan is. Facts: if a kid is going on 2 years old, & his dad, with means & time, has never met him, no matter how he treats his other kids, he’s not a good dad, period.

2 things from yesterday…I’m not 1 to rag on an actor’s looks, so please take this as an observation, & not a judgment, but yesterday, I noticed that Ridge/TK is looking really old. I think it might be the hair. I couldn’t help but think that if his hair was gray, he’d resemble Grandpa Munster. It legit looked like Brooke was having a conversation with her father, instead of her decades-long-romantic-abuser. I’d prefer that the convo was with her actual father, Bobby Ewing, but I digress. To be clear, having older-looking hair doesn’t mean someone isn’t gorgeous, “Pretty Woman”-era Richard Gere, for example, just saying, if they’re gonna actually show them age, as they should, let them grow up, mentally, too, & quit the triangle. As inexplicably obsessed with Thomas as Hope is, her obsession with him has nothing on Liam’s obsession with him. Dude can’t utter more than 2 sentences without mentioning Thomas.

True is Tristan, Jr., hopefully, just in looks. I think Dream is absolutely beautiful, & a good combo of Angela (Blac Chyna no more) & Rob. I don’t think Stormi overwhelmingly looks like either parent, but I can’t remember Kylie’s original face. Chicago definitely looks exactly like Kim’s original face; Kanye comes through in North, & both boys, but Chi is all Kim.

This episode was released Thursday, & in the 4+ days since, we’ve had 1 post related to it. In the old days, there was at least 10 snarky post-episode posts. Maybe the empire is starting to crumble. My episode comment: whichever one, Dolce or Gabana, that had the caramel poodle in the meeting, the dog was darling.

I’m going out on a limb & guess that today’s episode was the first one featured after the writers’ strike started. Half-naked men, working out, thought bubbles popping everywhere, this is new! Liam: “I don’t want to be the creepy stalker that follows his wife to Italy, with the father of her other child. Listen, you guys both know Thomas, he’s your brother, RJ, & your brother-in-law, Finn. Steffy is in Italy, hiding behind a bag, Wyatt is trying to help Dad scrub Sheila from his memory, & I haven’t really blathered on & on to either of you, about my concerns with Thomas, like I have the others, so here goes…” Hope, a week ago: “Liam, you should come to Italy with me.” Finn, today: “Liam, you should fly to Italy, not in the Forrester jet, which is already there, but on your own, & surprise Hope. She’ll be so happy!” Liam: “That is a great idea, Buddy! Why didn’t I think of that?!?!” Finn: “But, if you get there, & you see Thomas in a passionate embrace, make sure it’s actually Hope, & not a mannequin, before you blow up, you silly goose!” *giggles* Liam: “Good advice. Remember the last time I did that, I went straight to Steffy’s, &…by the way, how is Hayes?” Finn: “On second thought, maybe I should tag along to Italy, too, I’m at Forrester Creations’ rooftop gym, mid-day, with my wife’s ex-husband, & brother, working out, I clearly don’t need to doctor or anything.” On the Forrester jet: Hope: Looking at a design on her iPad. Thought bubbles be a poppin’. Steffy, thought bubble: Look at Hope, checking designs, for her upcoming show, which we all know is a huge deal. I just know that she’s hoping that Thomas will brush her hand, or sketch her. She’s soooooooo obvious. Brooke, thought bubble: Hope, can’t you see?? Thomas is not your destiny.Destiny is a decades-long love triangle, that’ll never, truly end. Don’t settle for less. Ridge, thought bubble: You know, Brooke should show her shoulder blades more. I love shoulder blades. Taylor has nice shoulder blades… Carter, thought bubble: Those younger kids, working out shirtless, I’ll wear my second-skin shirt, & show them they’ve got nothing on me. My face is awfully pretty, too, especially when I smile, see… Me: Carter, you’re correct. 🤞Hope the writers’ strike ends soon. 🤞

I can’t believe Taylor is a trained, mental health care professional. Her level of delusion is ridiculous, as is her complete denial of any fault, & her codependency on her adult children. Those are the 3 words I remember from college psych. 😆 Really, though, to immediately go to her kids, leave out most of her faults in the current situation, & then to blame Brooke for everything. I’m no huge Brooke fan, but all she did was not blab to Taylor a suspicion about Hope, & run to Taylor to reign in Steffy (the reigning in Steffy was ridiculous, & I was Team Taylor for a few seconds, but that didn’t at all break their sacred pact, Taylor pushing Deacon to share his feelings with Brooke, while she tried to jump on Ridge, are what broke their pact). Her nutter kids will be ready to jump in & parent-trap Mommy & Daddy again, no matter what Steffy says. Poor Deacon, has anyone checked in him?

I mean, sleeping with your husband‘s father really isn’t better or worse than sleeping with your daughter’s husband, in the real scheme of things. Brooke vs Steffy, potato vs potahto. I’m sure that Saint Taylor would flip her lid if Brooke brought up Steffy’s indiscretions, or the fact that she has to have a paternity test for both of her children. Again, I haven’t seen every single episode, but when Brooke was pregnant with Hope, there wasn’t a question as to her paternity, correct? I’m calling Brooke the winner of that round.

It was so nice seeing a genuine female friendship, though, or, so I thought it was genuine. Brooke was just devastated. She was truly happy with that friendship.

Taylor.Is.SUCH.A.Bitch. Seriously, I’m about to stroke-out, I’m so pissed at her. So many layers… 1. First & foremost, this drama is over a Neanderthal, that most sane women wouldn’t take to the curb on trash day, let alone anything else. 2. Taylor, did, in fact, break their pact, in 2 ways. First of all, the double-whammy of trying to get Deacon to circle back to Brooke, & later confessing her lingering feelings to Ridge (which Brooke overheard). But, she also trashed both Hope & Brooke, by calling them “Logan women”, which was supposed to be an insult. Friends don’t pull that shit. 3. Brooke was devastated (more on KKL later), absolutely devastated, crying with both eyes, telling Taylor how much she valued their friendship, & how deeply hurt she was. Devastated. Taylor, the mental health professional, seeing her supposed friend having an absolute mental breakdown, because of her (Taylor) actions, chooses to laugh in her face, repeatedly. Brooke was pouring out her heart, deeply emotional, & Taylor just smirked & laughed the entire show. Ugh, I’m livid just typing this. On the positive side, damn, KKL was absolutely on fire today. She was legit showcasing how very hurt Brooke was. I’ve not watched every single episode ever, but I can’t recall her acting ever being any better than it was today. She sold that pain & hurt to the highest degree. If they dare nominate JMW for lead actress, in next year’s Emmy’s, when they have this winning performance, I legit might give up the show. But, I do hope that Ridge chooses Taylor. Brooke deserves so much better, Deacon, single, whatever is better than Ridge. *To be clear, I’m not at all a KKL worshipper, I’m usually fine with or without her, but, damn, she brought it all today.*