Well, well, well. Could it be that the writing corps in Hollywood has read a few of my columns over the last few months or have they heard the resonating screams from viewers all across the land for something...ANYTHING new to keep us watching? It's gotta be something. Maybe I am being too enthusiastic but for the first times in months I feel like there is intriguing times afoot in B&B. Ok, so all the conventional boundaries of reality have been stretched a little bit with all this 'secret trust' stuff, but who cares? Nothing really makes much sense in their world. I don't care and suspect many viewers might not care either. There are many things about this latest twist that make me happy and hopeful for he near future...I know, I haven't even written anything like this in months (ok, longer).
Happiness is...having a break from the Brooke+ Any Man triangle that we have suffered too long with for SO long I can barely remember when we DID NOT have it? I would have been happy if she had a normal relationship with Nick and sailed off into the sunset with him. She needs to experience a healthy pairing for a change but after this week...it will never happen. She will never be in a true loving, romantic relationship with anyone NOT named Forrester. I feel like my faith in 'Brick' is shaken now. So, better that it's all over and we can move on to other people in the show. Brooke and Nick made their decision for better or worse and we have to just deal with it until either A) Bridget miscarries or B) RJ is revealed to be DJ. I'm not holding my breath on either. But nonetheless, we finally can come up for air.
Happiness is...seeing Eric finally get his for all that he has done to Stephanie over the years. I know, she has done her share. I get that. But really, she made a lot of valid points last week about all his poor choices and 'philandering'. He screwed up by giving away so much of Forrester to Brooke (sorry, wouldn't that piss any female off in the same situation??) and has been a walking talking jellyfish for most of his professional life. He alienated Thorne and basically told him he could never climb out of the basement unless he was prepared to lick Ridge's boots. He is getting what he deserves. Period. He and the Cryptkeeper lawyer of his are in the deep doo-doo and I, for one, cannot wait to see what the next few weeks will bring.
Happiness is...finally getting some corporate intrigue. It's been a long time and I think with so much time being spent on who Brooke is obsessing about week-to-week (or who is doing wrong by her...trying to be fair), we have gotten away from what made those early years so cool. Spectra vs. Forrester. Who is stealing whose designs? Who is spying on whom? I liked all that and it's nice that someone in the writing staff remembered that the roots of this show lie here. Even better now, though, that we have an internal power struggle and a family sure to be divided. Boy, I would want to be sitting at the Forrester family dinner table this holiday! Someone hide the carving knife!!
Happiness is...getting a chance to see Thorne and Darla for a change. Yes, there is another Forrester son! Oh my, I had nearly forgotten about that whole side of the cast! I have always liked Thorne. He has shown integrity and though not always the best business sense (see Tommy's latest company-crushing rags), he has proven that if he has someone who believes in him he can achieve a lot. I think he and Darla are cute and how refreshing to see a couple onscreen that have a healthy and supportive relationship that everyone can cheer for. Word is that he gets the CEO position at Forrester after Steamrollin' Stephanie begins her wave of changes. Most may disagree, but I think it is high time Thorne get his shot to run Forrester. It's a long way from the basement, Baby!
Happiness is...watching Bridget and Dante spending time together. They are another potentially cute couple and if I may say so, a much better overall fit. He's gorgeous and inexplicably willing to put up with her incessant whining. He doesn't seem to mind the princess routine and she could do a lot worse herself. He loves her...ONLY her. No obsession with Brooke, no divided attention. With the threat of another new triangle between Nick-Bridget-Dante, I just have to hope that the result is a realistic one and that Bridget tells Nick to pound sand as she finally has someone with NO interest in her mother. The kid will be fine and Nick can be involved all he wants.
Happiness is...seeing some faces from the past coming back onto the canvas. Seeing Rick was nice and I had hoped that he might stick around...oh well. Wouldn't want to do that, huh? Makes too much sense? Yep. And Felicia coming back will be interesting as we all are chomping at the bit for the juicy details. Is she coming back with Nick's little sailor? Is she cancer-free and lookin' to get busy with Nick again? Maybe she will be more 'hands-on' at Forrester and help Mommy with her transition? Who knows but the bottom line is that ANY new faces onscreen are welcome now.
Kudos to Brooke for her turn at 'reverse psychology' with a hot and lusty Nick on the Marlin. I have to hand it to her...she took a gamble by playing the 'what kind of man are you' card. It could have backfired and she could have been rockin' the boat for hours! I suppose they feel they are doing the 'right' thing but I can't help but feel that this whole thing was unnecessary and a huge letdown. Oh well...I have to get over it and move on, right? Ok...but I won't shelve my Brooke-Nick voodoo dolls just yet. Brad is a master of 'dangling the carrot' and the pulling back only to produce the carrot yet again somewhere down the road.
I do have a weird feeling about something, though. With Felicia coming back to town, I began to look at all of Nick's romantic's conquests since he came on the scene. Brooke, Felicia, Bridget. Bridget would have to be a little uneasy with the fact that Nick has gotten busy with her Mother and her half-sister. I guess it is a little too close for comfort, huh? Ok, time for another hot non-Forrester female to hit the scene to keep time with our beleaguered Captain.
Head-scratchers for last week...exactly WHAT is Taylor doing up in the middle of all this Forrester company intrigue? I like her character but she does not belong in the fashion world. I like that she is the Beverly Hills shrink. That's all. And since when does Ridge so wholeheartedly support Eric? Has he forgotten he has a father in Massimo yet he barely acknowledges him anymore. He was just fuming last week about Daddy marring his beloved Brooke, so what gives now?? And how about that scathing Bob Dylan-esque rant Stephanie went on with the 'LIAR', 'CHEATER' and 'YOUR FIRED' signs?? I loved it! I wasn't expecting that at all but the head-scratcher element is the fact that the writers have kept Stephanie on the back-burner for so long that the great scenes and acting ability should never have taken so long to come back onscreen. Why did they wait so long?? And I would have added a couple of signs, actually - 'JELLYFISH', 'HORNY GEEZ', 'WEENIE', 'BANKRUPT'.
Question of the week: With the Forrester Creations changing of the guard, where does this leave Brooke and her BeLief formula? Does it matter? Does she get any cash on her way out the door? What happens to her? Be creative as it's obvious her future is up for grabs. If we know Brad at all, she'll end up in a box on the street for as much as he likes her character these days. Hey, just calling it like I see it.
The Soapbox will be back next week as we have gone through a little 'technical tweaking' on the Scoops. Keep the emails coming and I will devote much of my column next week to all of your emails...the good, the bad, and the ugly. I enjoy them all! Have a safe week!
