St3phForrester

Scott Clifton real-life adopted the white cat at the end of today's show, and later tweeted that Walter will be on occasionally as Hope's cat. So it looks like it'll be Hope & Cat solving mysteries now. Whatever happened to Felicia anyway? Last time I saw her (other than Stephanie's farewell shebang) she was whinging about Eric & Donna. Imagine the headspins if Felicia had become involved with Bill Spencer, Scum of the Universe! Opportunity gone begging. Devil's advocate would say that Katie hasn't done herself any favours by blueballing Bill out of a job and out of a responsibility as a parent and that this blackmail is a last resort, but I agree that the way the show presented the situation at the end was a little unsettling. So Triumphant Brooke returns from Spencer Publications and stares down Ridge, who receives instructions to wave the white flag and slinks off into the distance without so much as a parting shot? I'm not sure if it's writing or acting but Ronn Moss would've been wagging fingers and growling threats on his way out (to be followed immediately by Stephanie barging in and doing much of the same), but from TK there was nothing and I was disappointed. I think if there had been angst in the closing shots between Brooke and Bill, particularly from Brooke, about how she didn't want to do what she did re: the papers but had no other choice, the situation wouldn't look quite so bad. YMMV of course. On the shallow end, I loved KKL's "Did I say that?" game-changer line, nice and subtle. Also, one thing that really struck me today was when Bill was talking to Ridge about how Katie had taken everything away from him, and how vulnerable Bill became being open about how hurt he is that life isn't working out for him. Ridge Forrester is Bill's enemy #1, and yet it almost felt like Bill was trying to find a friend in him, someone who could understand the situation. It reminded me that no one on this show has any friends, particularly the men, which is strange given that the "bromance" is a popular thing these days. And those characters who do act chummy are more or less related to each other (Caroline and Aly recently; they are aunt and niece by marriage if I've worked that out right). Surely building a friendship over time only have it fall apart explosively is a soap opera gold mine? I wonder why TPTB don't use it more often.

Just read a spoiler and I almost don't believe it - - Could fantasies become reality after all? Some more spoilers for May 12:

Puppies and babies today? Right in the feels! I've changed my mind now, too, on this idea I had for the animal welfare story, in which Eric joins forces with a rescue dog to solve mysteries - if Bill's doing nothing all day, then maybe he's the better candidate for this position. It'd be like Inspector Rex meets Magnum PI. (Hey, there have been worse ideas. Acapulco H.E.A.T, anyone?) . True. I imagine Susan Flannery got a lot of Emmy attention during her B&B run because, apart from being a fantastic actor in the first place, she was always being paired up with KKL or JMC who also plays a lot of stuff quietly so that Stephanie's volcanic outbursts (great phrase, by the way!) had more impact. If I'm thinking correctly this may be another Heather Tom win for that reason if Katie's birthday party meltdown is included in this year's tapes - that took up a lot of room in those scenes, perhaps to the detriment of KKL who just about stood there and weeped the whole time. Without knowing what scenes were submitted it's hard to tell. Except for that one time when she went crazy and ran off to God knows where and lost her mind with those dolls and Stephanie & Eric won custody of Rick & Bridget, and that other time when she passed out drunk on the highway and left Hope & RJ alone in the Logan mansion, and that other other time when they set fire to the house with Nick's lighter, et cetera. Brooke's just not fit to be a parent! Seriously though, RuntheTable, you've hit the nail on the head. Shipping Will back and forth a thousand times in an afternoon is causing more disruption to his schedule than anything else. Looking forward to the Ridge vs Bill showdown tomorrow. Anyone else notice today as Katie ran her hands through Ridge's hair, it stuck up at the back? I thought the "what's a shower?" look was just that, but apparently it would appear that Thorsten Kaye may not actually wash at all. Disappointing.

You know, I was thinking today while watching the flashbacks (someone here once called them "flashbacks to yesterday" which I find appropriate, particularly lately) - there's just about an entire opening credits cast who could be having screen time here, peddling some kind of alternative storyline however banal or outrageous, but instead we're subjected to the same footage time and again to remind us of what we already know. I mean I understand why TPTB want to use the location shoot stuff over and over (Italy, Aspen, Monaco, etc) because that's expensive to film and they want to get their money's worth, but it's become totally oversaturated and they're losing their value. Less is more, right? This too-tight focus on Hope & her brother-husbands has the effect of stalling everything else; it's hard not to imagine everyone at FC sitting around, twiddling their thumbs, waiting for Hope to make her decision so that they can go back to sewing dresses or attempting coups or whatever it is they do there. Back in the good old days there were three parallel stories in each episode - whatever happened to that format? Anyway, no point whinging. Nice to see Brooke & Bill today, even if it was only for five seconds. Happened to notice today that Brooke's papers of DOOM were copy/pasted from various legal precedents with names replaced, if anyone else here is into that kind of thing. Also enjoyed Don Diamont & Rena Sofer's scene towards the end despite not caring for the subject matter, I really like those two acting together. I'd love for Aly to kill Taylor. That reads horribly, but it would make for a fantastic storyline.

So today's show just had a whole bunch of people sucking face? I'd like my half hour back please, CBS. Seriously. Hope saying to Wyatt that the pregnancy scare made her think of Liam and their plans for their future together should have been a huge red flag for him (among all the other red flags being flown around with this storyline of late). Hope just can't get Liam out of her system, no matter how hard Wyatt tries to win her over. Doesn't he realise that Liam will always be there in their relationship regardless of whether or not they date exclusively or share the love around? And who wants that for themselves? Polyamory only works when all participants are in agreement and are complicit with the arrangement; no one in this setup is either of those things. I didn't have any vested interest in this triangle in the beginning, and I absolutely do not care for it now. You know what Bold needs now? A murder mystery. Or a kidnapping. Or both! Preferably something that unites all the families into one story, but at present there's no common denominator. As much as I can't stand Hunter Tylo, I'm hopeful she & Ashlyn Pearce can deliver something at least half interesting with Taylor & Aly that will drag the show out of this perpetual love-triangle black hole.

Well, sweet holy Yeezus. Wasn't she also involved with Storm at one point? I've read as much somewhere but don't know for sure if that's canon or just speculation. And hey, at least Taylor doesn't have to move any of her stuff out of the Forrester Mansion. It's a win/win! Yeah, but when has Liam had the time to do anything remotely connected to doing his job in and around all that moping and interfering he's been doing lately?

Good point, Ms Sugarbaker. I'm only as old as the show so I've grown up with the assumption that everyone on this planet has at least one diagnosis from the DSM-IV - not taking anything away from anyone who has, of course, but just saying. It doesn't help matters when the only psychiatrist in town is a complete quack (which reminds me of something Quinn said the other day, along the lines of "I'd ask a psychiatrist but I don't know any!!" Made me laugh).

Thirded. Linsey Godfrey seems like one of those actors who have potential to do great things with decent material but for some reason doesn't get much. Admittedly I wasn't watching when Caroline 2.0 first came on the scene, so I missed the Thomaroline thing and also her balcony fall (push? I've read conflicting recounts) so I could be wrong about LG, but I hope I'm not. It's a shame we may not see much of her in the future with her baby on the way and hopefully motherhood doesn't end her career. I really liked Caroline when she was trolling Maya - B&B could do with some more comedy every now and then. So are we as the audience to assume that Aly has bipolar disorder, given her sudden and extreme shifts in attitudes and behaviours? I noticed one character yesterday made the joking suggestion that she had taken her medication. I hope you're right about the hounds, RuntheTable (or the bees? or the hounds with bees in their mouths so when they bark they shoot bees at you?) - remember that time when the Forrester men collectively laid into Deacon in the FM courtyard? When was the last time we really had any Fists of Fury on this show? I think we're due. I hope it's for

IIRC he lives in Connecticut, so he works in LA on a fly-in, fly-out basis. ETA: found the interview he did with Michael Fairman before his Ridge episodes went to air - it's interesting to read back on that kind of stuff and see what meant to play out and what didn't...

That spoiler, RuntheTable, about Trying to find things to say about the last few episodes but all I can come up with is "underwhelmed", "lackluster", "when's May sweeps start?" because I'm totally bored. Well okay, I lie a little, Joy the Puppy was fun. I really don't care about the Hope/Liam/Wyatt brother-husbands thing and I care even less about the Aly & Oliver creepfest (I love a good inappropriately-aged couple story, but not like this); the Spencer Publications not-so-hostile takeover attempt with Karen had no momentum and fell flat; and Ridge Forrester, a frontline character who has the potential to wreak havoc wherever he goes, is missing in action. I realise TK has a tight filming schedule but Ridge really should've been at this bedroom line meeting today, such as it was - gotta disagree with my main man Eric on this one! You're in a soap opera, honey, and they feed off the tension! At least everyone's reactions to Aly's Bedroom today were worth the price of admission, especially Wyatt & Quinn's "Aly's gonna flip in 5, 4..." with DB & RS counting down together, and that collective "She said no oh thank God" sigh of relief at the end of the last scene. But otherwise, wake me up when something interesting happens. Actually, I've been spending the last few nights trawling through Youtube finding a whole heap of guest appearances by B&B actors (JMC mostly, of course) and I'd go so far as to say that's been a lot more fun than watching the show lately - I even found Susan Flannery's guest spot on The Green Hornet from 1967, and in not-too-bad definition either. The Internet never fails to surprise me. ETA: the other thing that bugs me about this show when they do the big FC meetings is the shots of people sitting on the other side of that big conference table, where Aly & Oliver were sitting today - I'm pretty sure in scenes past that's been a window and not a wall but that aside, the biggest thing that irritates me is that the directors abandon the 180 degree rule and it throws me out of the scene completely, I have no idea where characters are looking half the time. It's basic cinematography, guys! Get it right!

I can just imagine Bill making endless jokes about Ridge being the fastest man alive.

Now that's something you don't read every day. I couldn't help but wonder whether Eric was also speaking from his own experience - he mentioned the strong connection that Ridge & Brooke share and implied that they will inevitably return to one another... much in the same way that he & Stephanie inevitably returned to one another after periods of Eric trying to move out of Stephanie's orbit. Not only does he know how the Kridge relationship will play out because he's had courtside seats to Brooke/Ridge/Taylor for 25 years, but he knows what it's like to be in their position thrice over - he knows the thrill of seeing "beauty in the unexpected", he knows that destinies change and he knows, perhaps more than anyone else, how it feels to be in a relationship that no one in his family or friendship group supports (I'm thinking principally of Donna but of course this category also includes Sheila and Brooke). He also knows that there are just some things, some people, and some relationships that you don't get over. That's no justification for trying to manipulate Ridge into dropping Katie for the top job but I can appreciate the attempt to accelerate the process in the aim of minimizing damage. Another thing I caught today was Brooke's white outfit - someone upthread (I don't remember who, sorry!) mentioned about it being striking against Katie's ensemble, which I also thought was significant because Ridge also dresses in dark colours, but the other thing I thought of was Stephanie's white outfit she wore to the 1989 fashion show, the one with the enormous shoulders that they flashed back to on occasion recently (when Stephanie was dying). Now I know those outfits are apples and oranges, but cinematic elements like costuming & mise-en-scène are no coincidences and with the implication that Brooke is trying to rise up to the position of Forrester matriarch I couldn't help but draw the parallel in my mind seeing her dressed like that. And I thought she looked fantastic in it, too, but I've been known to hold the unpopular opinion when it comes to fashion choices on this show. (Except Rick's clashing patterns, I realise that is a no-no.)

Re:

Guys I can't tell you how buzzed I am for next week - As much as this "Is Hope Pregnant?" story is a little tiresome, I am enjoying Kim Matula's performance and how she's playing the stress about the possibility of being pregnant at a time when one's not ready for that kind of commitment and responsibility. I'm willing to believe, as far as protection is concerned, that Hope's on the Pill and that it's possible she thinks it could have failed either through non-absorption (e.g. stress-related) or mistiming (remember she did cross time zones recently with travelling to Paris), and in this situation I know from experience that your mind will always put 2 and 2 together to get 5 and that the worry drives you mad - I felt a little ill watching Hope freaking out like that. So kudos to KM. Although it's always distracting to hear people say "I'm late", because I can't help but think of Frau in Austin Powers - "No, Dr Evil, I mean - I'm laaaaate." Quinn & Wyatt / RS & DB were good fun yesterday, they do the lighthearted comedic stuff well. Same with Bill & Liam / DD & SC - whoever was selling tickets to the Bill & Liam Show the other day, I'd like two please! ETA: Trying to post some spoilers but for some reason the tag is dicking around with me, so apologies if anyone's read anything they didn't want to read! Try again:

Forget the Shallow Bus, I'm on the midnight train to Shallowsville with today's episode, and especially with that scene at the end between Bill & Ridge (is that a haircut I spy on TK? It's not much, but it's a start). I don't know what it was about him holding those pins in his mouth but I liked it. And the rolled-up shirt sleeves, don't forget the rolled-up shirt sleeves! Such a shame TPTB dropped the "Bill thinks Ridge is gay" story like a hot spud, it would have been fun watching Bill writhe with revulsion as Ridge fakes a flirt here and there to get him to piss off. Loved KKL's little "What do you care?" spit at Katie, and LOVED Don Diamont's "Rumour has it that you like po-ems" line delivery - I know I say this every time but the actors do something else with a Patrick Mulcahey script, all his lines are sharper, sassier - it's like it's a different show (well, almost). "Bully" being the key word here - I didn't see Brooke so much decide that she wanted Bill as she submitted to him and his stomping around about how he can't wait any longer to be with her. If it was Brooke explicitly saying that a relationship with Bill will nicely complement her new businesswoman aspirations, in a kind of the-new-woman-can-have-it-all type scenario, then sure, why not jump back on the Stallion? Sex and intimacy is, after all, part of a healthy lifestyle! But instead we saw Brooke essentially crumbling under the weight of her own mouth, and it wasn't pretty - it was all a bit too "I'm going on a diet after this Big Mac" for mine (and we all know how that plays out). Yeah, in about six months' time when someone figures he might as well be let in on what's happening around him. Also - Hope's handbag...!!!

I wonder, as I am prone to do at such an hour, how a child raised by Bill Spencer Jr would turn out - Liam and Wyatt were raised in Bill-less, fatherless environments and they both meet Bill as grown men with their own personalities and motivations. Do we suppose that Will Spencer III (IV?) and/or RJ as adults have a ruthless, cutthroat, hedonistic outlook on life if raised by such a paternal figure? TK's NuRidge and RM's OldRidge both have those qualities about them, some more than others depending on the performer. And Bill was RJ's uncle until recently, although arguably if RJ has spent most of his time out of the country in a boarding school then that leaves little opportunity for Bill to influence (or corrupt, take your pick) RJ. And didn't Bill Jr supposedly grow up outside of Bill Sr's orbit? All I've seen of Jim Storm's Bill Spencer is the very early episodes where he spends most of his time hectoring Original Recipe Caroline and spitting vitriol about Ridge, and some clips with him trying his luck with Stephanie, so I don't know much about his business acumen to compare him to Don Diamont's Bill Spencer. Really, Will & RJ should count their blessings to have two fathers instead of none! I keep forgetting to comment about how everyone's throwing around the word scandal as if this is the one to break the camel's back - the worry surely is misplaced here. If anything, the media (or should I say, Spencer Publications, according to Katie) would be rolling their eyes. Ridge leaving Brooke for her younger sister? Please. The CEO of Forrester Creations stranded butt-nekkid on a window ledge, now that's a scandal.

What a letdown today! I feel so deflated. Bill gently brushing Brooke's hair after all that stomping around made me laugh, though. Yes, but don't forget that Katie is the paragon of virtue and decency here, whereas Brooke and Bill have clearly given into their carnal desires like two basic animals. Katie needed to be saved from Bill, who did nothing but hurt her - and with her sister, no less! And now that she's with Ridge she won't have to worry about any more (figurative) broken hearts, because Ridge is committed to her and only her and has her best interests in mind and will protect her from scandal, et cetera, ad nauseum. For me, the fact that the Kridge relationship is built on mutual emotional distress serves only to reinforce the familial nature of their previous relationship with each other and in turn sours the romance and passion that TPTB are attempting to show between the two characters. Katie's insecurities and constant whinging about being in so much pain, teamed with Ridge's reassurance and protectiveness of Katie and his relationship with her, highlight the older-brother/younger-sister thing above any grand love affair that they think they've got going. True, and I think the reason for Ridge being the #1 son of Eric's is because Eric sees much of himself in Ridge, or perhaps even wants to see himself in Ridge. There's a great scene between Ronn Moss & John McCook around the time of the Taboo/boinkberry storyline, when Ridge asks Eric to be his best man at his wedding to Taylor, wherein Ridge expressed his hurt and anger over Brooke & Thomas only to have Eric remind him that in some ways history was repeating itself - Eric tells Ridge that a son is "a younger, better version of yourself" and as a father "you take great glee in every accomplishment he makes as if it was one of yours, and it one of yours because he is a part of you", but also that "he's just another man who wants what you have", so be wary. It's possible that Eric has resigned himself to living his life through Ridge if he's trying to play matchmaker between Ridge & Brooke both for them personally as well as for the company's sake, but having only seen about five minutes of Eric this year it's hard to tell what his motivations really are. (If anything - I always overthink this stupid show.) School's out! Oh no you didn't! I wonder if Medieval night was a nod to Game of Thrones...?

I fast-forwarded through so much stuff today! I think I watched about five minutes of the show and then surprised myself when the credits started to roll all of a sudden. JMC's "I made him an offer he couldn't refuse!... and he refused it." was the line of the day for mine. Will Katie go to Eric and chew him out for trying to bribe the love of her life??? I sure hope so (won't happen). Also liked Brooke's "What are you talking about?!" because I'm pretty sure we've all said the same thing these last few weeks/months re: Katie banging on about being involved/committed/etc with Ridge. Her presumptuousness, smug attitude and insistence on rubbing Brooke's nose in it are doing her no favours if she wants to claim the "win" against her sister, which I think is the ultimate problem - both Ridge and Katie are trying to score points against Brooke (and Bill), and I saw Ridge's refusal of Eric's offer as just showboating in this regard. YMMV but I thought I saw TK play a bit of doubt when Ridge was talking to Katie about the offer, there was a look on his face like he was still contemplating the idea, or wondering whether he had really made the right decision as if Eric's words about Ridge loving Brooke his whole life were niggling away at him. But then again I may be giving away too much credit. What's the phrase? When you hear something often enough that you believe it's true? We can't really blame Eric for not having any original thoughts of his own, seeing as whatever ones he did have were consistently shot down over the last 25+ years. Once bitten, twice shy! In other news, if anyone's on Twitter, Don Diamont and Rena Sofer are live tweeting during tomorrow's east coast show which should be good fun.

Someone pinch me, I must be dreaming! It's pathetic, I know, but I got so much joy out of those scenes with Ridge & Eric, especially when they started yelling at each other, it wouldn't have mattered what it was they were talking about, I mean they could have been debating the merits of tea versus coffee for all I cared, the fact that both actors were putting a whole lot of passion into what they were doing it was great to watch. I think I've watched this episode about five times already (now that's really pathetic). Re: Eric's offer at the end: But it always gives me a pang of sadness inside whenever they talk about succession plans and "the future of Forrester" as if Eric's on his deathbed. I'm not ready! I'm just going to fanwank that this whole "Put Ridge & Brooke Together in a Room" thing is a test to see if Brooke can cash the cheques her mouth is writing about not needing a man in her life. What the hell is up with Katie? This is exactly what she was doing with taking over Spencer Publications - moving on with her life and focusing on her (Bill's) job and her son and making sure Will had a healthy environment to grow up in and blah blah blah, and now she's chewing Brooke out for trying to do the same? I get that Katie would be suspicious of this co-vice-president's thing because as she accurately pointed out, this is Brooke's MO and has been for years, but to say things like "Doesn't Ridge have the authority to [fire Oliver]?" when she knows full well that Ridge hasn't had much to do with FC for the last 18 months or so AND that Rick and Eric are the decision-makers, was just silly. I'm a fan of Heather Tom and I enjoy it when she plays Katie as a snarky bitch calling people out on their shit, but I'm over this high-horse gloating thing the writers have her doing. The promo for next week had me all excited (Bill & Ridge oh boy oh boy oh boy) - until

Holy cats! I don't believe what I'm hearing. Eric actually made a decision? I knew about this before seeing the episode because I read the spoilers but I'm still excited about it and I really enjoyed today's show. I like this "I'm here for my children" angle Brooke's working rather than having her out for blood over Ridge's betrayal specifically - I posted at The Other Place about character growth vs character change and I'm hoping this is more of the former since we're all assuming Bridge is still endgame. And the scene towards the end with Eric & Rick was super sweet, I love their father/son relationship. Not looking forward to tomorrow's show, though, if the promo is anything to go by: To be fair, I think everyone has. Bingo. And it's love with a capital L with Brooke & Eric, a love that has a fair few strings to its bow - started out (as far as I can tell) as compassion from Eric over Brooke's family being torn apart by Stephanie, then turned to physical attraction, then their emotional bond grew and weathered all kinds of storms (Ridge principally). Whether it's been a romance or a friendship or somewhere in between, it's a connection that's lasted for over 25 years now, and while it's true that Ridge & Brooke have also had a history lasting that long, it's involved more hurt feelings and broken hearts along the way. And Eric's always been there for Brooke when she's needed support, much in the way that a father would (I picked this up in his relationship with Donna, too, and more so with her than with Brooke), whereas Ridge is quite happy to make Brooke sleep in the bed(s) she makes. The Palm Springs tent recreation setup is a good example - Eric doesn't necessarily go along with Brooke's plan, but he doesn't completely leave her in the lurch. (These were the first scenes of B&B I sat down and watched, so I might be a bit biased.)

Adam Gregory worked well looks-wise as OldRidge & Taylor's son, but with the TK recast for Ridge they look nothing alike and so the original casting choice has lost its shine. I don't have a new idea for a recast, though. I wonder who will played RJ when he's SORASed to teenager/young adult? Ideally you'd want the most beautiful looking man on the planet given he's meant to be Brooke & Ridge's offspring. I don't understand why they don't do more with Carter/Lawrence St Victor (apart from the obvious fact that he's a lousy actor). That guy is RIPPED.

Two days of Eric & Brooke? Two weeks of FC stories? I'm tempted to say that I've died and gone to heaven but that might be a bit preemptive. And to play Devil's advocate/Eric Defender, at least in today's show he attempted to get his voice heard and control the situation, only to get yelled over by Ridge or Rick or Brooke or whoever else was in the room - it would have been better if he looked exasperated by the whole thing ("not this old song and dance again", etc) but beggars can't be choosers I guess. I laughed when he asked "Katie, as in your sister Katie?" Like, how many Katies do you know? Oh, I love JMC & KKL together. More please! I read a spoiler today that said And so I guess Brooke's big secret that could affect the Forrester family business was actually just Kridge - Eric left in the dark once again! Also, I really enjoyed TK today - he must be doing a good job with his material if we all hate Ridge! - but it was more the little things that entertained me, like some of the looks he gave Rick while Caroline was giving him a serve, and then again when Rick said something about he hopes Ridge will respect Eric's decision, whatever that may be, and TK does this great double-take that made me laugh. Still needs a haircut and a shave, though. Did anyone else notice Brooke saying FC was "Our family business", as in hers and Eric's? If the spumours about are true, then that's a play right out of Stephanie's book, no?

In my head, he's the head designer, meaning he draws all the heads on the designs. Haven't watched today yet but RuntheTable, you've got me more pumped than I was before. A Forrester Showdown?! RedSuitBrooke?! Can't wait. Also, I don't think I've actually had a jaw-dropping moment before seeing Quinn come out in all her leathers & cat-o-nine-tails the other day. Yowzers!

Just popping in to say hello, and ooh, the shiny! Glad so many familiar faces have jumped over to keep the conversation going, you guys are the only people who I can talk to about this stupid show.