For months now I have been lobbying for Massimo to return to the canvas of B&B with a juicy story befitting such an accomplished actor and interesting character. Well, it's true what they say about being careful what you wish for...you just might get it! And did I get it in spades!!! Not only is he back but now we have the special amnesiac Mojo who doesn't remember anything he did or felt about people in the past and now is content channeling Marlon Brando from 'The Godfather' in nearly every scene. Did I miss something? Mass was a huge supporter of Brooke and Nick being together right from the beginning. Massimo has been hammering the RJ angle so hard that it makes me wonder why he doesn't practice what he preaches more and love and support his sons equally. And I don't seem to remember him ever being as hard on Ridge leaving Taylor this last time as he has been about Nick and Bridget splitting up. It all just makes no sense to me. The shift is just too severe when you look at how he felt about all this before. Since when does he even care about RJ anyway? He never sees the kid and has never, until now, referenced him much anyway. Now he is so obsessed with backing Ridge that he is willing to destroy Jackie to get his way? And Megan, of all people, is the willing pawn in his little game? WHAT??? We dusted her off for this? One day a Forrester secretary and Massimo's hatchet-woman the next?? WHAT??? There are so many problems with this current storyline that I am surprised that viewers aren't lining up in front of the studio in LA. protesting all of this silliness. I wanted him back but not like this.
Evil Massimo seems to have forgotten all about which of his boys deserves his loyalty the most. I know I have said this before but I don't remember seeing Ridge helping at his bedside very often when he had the stroke and my memory is a little cloudy on how many times Ridge ever even saw Massimo over the last year or so. How many times did Ridge and Taylor have Grandpa Marone over to play with the kids? Aside from weddings or funerals, I rarely ever saw Massimo and Ridge in the same scene. So all of the sudden we are tortured with flowery father-son speeches designed to make us believe that Mass truly sees Ridge as his favorite and 'first born' son and therefore due everything in the world that Ridge wants. Like a petulant child and a no-show Dad, all Ridge has to do is scream and stamp his feet and Mojo will give in. Am I on a different planet or something??? Funny...for all the Nick-haters out there, I have to ask exactly how many times has Nick ever acted like that, much less with his father? Never. He's a real man that despite his flaws seems perfectly content to fight his own battles.
As for Ridge, could his character become any more of a caricature at this point? It's like watching a bad Saturday morning cartoon starring Ridge as the evil Dr. Ego! It has to be embarrassing at some point for Ronn Moss to continue to spew such outrageous dialogue as he has had to these last few weeks. He doesn't see the handwriting on the wall through his puke colored glasses and it makes me wonder exactly how far the writers are going to take this. Rumors abound about Ridge having a heart attack or some other life-threatening visit to the hospital and, of course, only Brooke can save him. YUCK!! I am SO done with bedside manipulations I can't see straight!! Bedside confessions, bedside marriages, bedside miracles....ENOUGH!!! I personally am going on record to say that it is time for Ridge to 'do a Taylor' and go away for a while. His character has become too painful to watch and some Ridge-free scenes would be a welcome change. Besides, he could always come back thanks to Omar...I'm sure he doesn't have enough Forresters to resurrect!
His ignorance of the whole situation is highlighted by his decision to bring Brooke's dad back as if that will win her over. WHAT? How would that happen considering how Steven feels about all the Forresters? Again, I have to ask the question of whether or not the current stable of writers have had any access to previous shows? So he comes back to help champion Ridge's cause now? What I hope happens is that the whole crazy idea backfires and Ridge is left even further out in the cold. Daddy hasn't had such a hot track record of doing the right thing for his family and I can't imagine he would be around Nick for a few minutes before realizing he is a thousand times the man that Ridge could ever hope to be and immediately back their relationship. Besides, I am still having a hard time envisioning The Man From Atlantis as Brooke's dad. The other guy from CHIPS was much more believable. Come on everyone...even the pictures on the Net of the two of them playing their scenes together show that they look like they could be brother and sister more than father and daughter! But I have to keep telling myself that Patrick Duffy won't be around much longer anyway...none of the name ever are (except Hector, who has surprised me a little). Hey, while we are trolling for old TV actors, maybe Julie from the Love Boat can be cast as a new love interest for Mojo?
Well I have to hand it to Bridget...she has won my 'Selfish Crybaby of the Week' award for her deeply nauseating performance at the bedside of her newly revived sister Felicia. I absolutely could not believe with my own eyes what I was watching! The nerve of her character to harbor ill feeling about watching a mother be able to bond with her son again after thinking she had died was awful. That level of writing surprised me because it seems that these days the powers that be are intent on having all of Los Angeles be sympathetic to Bridget's feelings and no one else's. Now we have to suffer through her half-hearted dialogue towards her sister only to then see all the hurtful far away looks of pain and resentment as Felicia holds little Dino (I'll get to that in a minute). COME ON!!! Just because you can't continue to use that child to speed up healing your own emotional wounds doesn't mean you should be anything short of joyful that the family has their sister/daughter back. What does she get off being that self-centered??? It doesn't help that the poor lovesick Dante is fueling this and giving Bridget the audience for all this boo-hooing. Suck it up sister and face the reality of the situation...that child should spend every minute he an with his mother, period. I know Felicia wants to be magnanimous and split time and duties with the baby but honestly, would that further confuse him? Felicia may not have unlimited time with that child (with the writers tendency to axe people every time the wind blows) so I say Felicia spend the vast majority of time with her son and Bridget goes off somewhere to grow up a little. Or maybe she should just concentrate on a relationship with Dante...he loves her (God knows why) and seems focused on making her happy. Now that makes sense! Until then, she's nothing but Boo-Hoo Barbie to me. And 'Dino'??? I loved the comment Felicia made about it being a great name for a purple dinosaur!! Classic! Could not have said it better myself!
I wasn't mad at the show ALL week, though! I did like the scenes with Eric and Stephanie telling the kids that their sister was alive and explaining why they waited to tell them. Those scenes really felt natural to me and just further proves my point that John McCook and Susan Flannery are true professionals. Gosh, I hope they never leave this show!!!
I loved every scene with Brooke and Nick. Duh? Didn't see that one coming, did you? Well, yes, I love seeing Brooke stronger when she's around Nick and nothing made that more evident than watching her go toe-to-toe with Massimo. Not only does she smile ALL the time when she is with Nick but there seems to be a more self-assured posture about her. I guess that what being with a real man will do to a woman who for half of her life had to look over her shoulder and wonder when the other shoe was about to drop.
Poor Jackie. Here's another character that is off the screen for a while and when they bring her back, she's in the pokey. And for what? Because he is such a weak father and man that he can't mind his own business and instead has to channel Stephanie Forrester and meddle in his son's lives. Jackie is not perfect and she has done her share of things to upset Mass but to be used like this and her life ruined so she is forced to tell her son to give up the love of his life to save her is ludicrous. I like her defiant attitude and that just makes me cheer for her even more. She knows Nick loves Brooke and she, unlike Massimo, actually loves her son enough to let him make his own decisions without using herself as a wedge (something Stephanie never learned).
Ok, here's a questions I have never asked and would love to know how you all would answer...why do you like or dislike Ridge? I know how I feel about his character but I am mystified as to why anyone would like him. Let me know and I will feature some of your answers next week.
I hope everyone has enjoyed their Easter/Passover holidays and I would like to send a special Happy Birthday wish to my husband Mike who is truly my rock and my inspiration for everything I do in my life.
Have a great week....
