Click here to read Mike's take on 2014 in part one of The Bold and the Beautiful: The Year-In-Review
2014 was a year of romance, heartache, and lots of fashion. We got to meet an extended part of the Forrester family. Two major characters took time away to reflect on their lives, while an old character came back with a brand new attitude. Get your dishes ready; it's time to scoop out the best and worst of B&B from 2014.
Best New Female Character: Ivy Forrester
The Aussie beauty boomeranged her way into Los Angeles right into Liam's orbit, much to Hope Logan Spencer's dismay. Ivy seems to be a straight shooter, no-nonsense type of gal. She's held her own against a few adversaries with Forrester style and class. I would love to see if this character has any skeletons buried in her closet.
Most Annoying Character: Hope Logan Spencer
This was a tossup between Maya Avant and Hope, but I think Hope beat her out in the end. The reason I feel this way is because for the past four years, we viewers had to endure the painful triangle of Hope/Liam/Steffy. We've listened to Hope whine about how she was robbed of a life with Liam due to people interfering in their relationship. We've heard her say multiple times that she would never treat Liam or any other person the way Liam treated her in the whole Steffy debacle. Well, that was a bald-faced lie. For the past year, we viewers have watched Hope pull a "Liam" with shotgun weddings, blaming others for her own actions, and finally pining over someone she can't have. I'm glad Hope took time out to get her life together. Hopefully, she'll come back with a brand new attitude.
Best Rivalry: Bill vs. Ridge
There has never been any love lost between these two handsome men. Ridge has never liked Bill. He's always thought of him as the egotistical pig that tried to steal Forrester Creations, carried on a ten-minute affair with his daughter, and also had an affair with his "Logan," breaking Katie's heart in the process. Bill has always thought of Ridge as nothing more than a punk dressmaker who isn't worthy of anything or any woman, especially a woman that Bill cares about. I was very happy to see these men finally come to blows. It was a long time coming. Bill blames Ridge for his foiled wedding to Brooke in Abu Dhabi and for flirting with his niece, Caroline. Ridge blames Bill for ordering the helicopter to take a nosedive in the ocean, causing Ridge to lose his passion, his ability to design. I'm hoping their hatred for each other will boil over into the New Year. I have a feeling it will.
Best Rivalry #2: Caroline vs. Maya
This year, we've seen Maya break up with her fiancé, Carter, to foolishly throw herself at a very married Rick. Maya vowed that being nice never got her anywhere in life. She had a taste of the good life, and she wanted it back. What other way than to become a glorified sidepiece? Maya blew the whistle on a potentially dangerous budding relationship between Caroline and Ridge. Caroline admitted to her husband, Maya's former flame, Rick, that she had shared a few kisses with his half-brother/ex-stepfather. This caused a drunken Rick to turn to Maya. She did not turn him away. Maya has always blamed Caroline for her failed relationship with Rick. I don't recall how their breakup could be Caroline's fault. Rick was with Caroline while he was pursuing Maya. When Rick finally broke it off with Caroline to be with Maya, she was working with Carter on their awful Internet show, Room 8. Rick was late to the Room 8 premiere, which caused Maya to turn to Carter, and Rick to return to Caroline. Now, Caroline is fighting to save her marriage, and Maya has lost all self-respect and is living it up as Rick's mistress until he can get his hands on Forrester Creations.
Linsey Godfrey (Caroline) and Karla Mosley (Maya) have really blossomed this year. I'm very happy that these women are finally getting the airtime they deserve. I hope we get them on a regular basis in 2015.
Worst Male Character: Rick Forrester
Over the past few months, we've seen Rick step into the role of a doting husband and leader of Forrester Creations. Then, things started to deteriorate. Caroline's mistake threw Rick into a tailspin. Yes, what she did was wrong. She should not have kissed Ridge. Caroline's mistake should not give Rick the green light to have a full-blown affair with Maya and flaunt it right in front of his wife's face. Two wrongs don't make a right. I need Caroline to grow a spine and call Rick out on his infidelity. Now, he's trying to pull one over on Eric and take over full control of Forrester Creations, the same thing he accused Ridge of doing. I have a feeling that Pretty Ricky will not have a Happy New Year!
Best Comeback: Deacon Sharpe
I like the fact that Deacon got a chance to bond with his daughter, Hope, this year. I didn't like the fact that he was ostracized from her early years. The scenes that he shared with Hope when she had her miscarriage were very touching. We've also had the pleasure of viewing Deacon as a sane confidant to his psycho girlfriend, Quinn. What will Deacon's New Year's resolution be? Will he try to make an honest woman out of Quinn? Or is Quinn just a bedwarmer until Brooke returns from Milan?
Worst (temporary) Comeback: Taylor Hayes
See if you can follow me on this one, Scoopers. Taylor broke up with Eric, fled to Paris, and hooked up with Thorne, whom she claimed to love. She even returned to Los Angeles to force Aly to deal with Taylor's presence in Aly's father's life, even though Taylor had inadvertently caused Darla's (Aly's mother) death. Thanks to Oliver, Aly has a breakthrough, forgave Taylor, and gave the green light for a Taylor/Thorne relationship. About three months later, Taylor appeared again to "check up" on Aly and reconnect with Eric. That's right, Scoopers. I said Eric. What happened with Thorne, you ask? I can't tell you what happened because it was never really addressed. So basically, Taylor went from father, to son, back to the father again. This is the same woman who constantly berates Brooke for "going through the Forrester family of men" Pot, meet kettle.
Waste of a Couple: Aly Forrester and Oliver Jones
Thanks to Maya and her jealous ways, Aly and Oliver might not have even happened. Luckily, Aly and Oliver overcame that hurdle in their relationship to come back stronger than ever. Aly has been able to open up to Oliver about her visions with "bobblehead" Darla. That's pretty much it. Aly, was so busy hating on Wyatt and interfering in Hope's relationship, she was neglecting hers. I thought it would've been great if Oliver had said something to Aly about her lack of attention toward him. I'm hoping to see this couple develop into something more in 2015. Maybe since Hope is gone, Aly could become the new face of HFTF. All of the modeling success might go to her head, and Oliver would have to bring her back down to earth. See I have all sorts of ideas. Hey, Mr. Bell, if you need an extra writer, email me or call me. I'm available.
Worst Use of a Character: Donna Logan
For the life of me, I can't understand why a beautiful, talented actress like Jennifer Gareis isn't being utilized on a weekly or biweekly basis. Her character, Donna, has been reduced to a ditzy secretary. When Donna first came on the scene, she had a bit of an edge to her. She wasn't afraid to go after what or whom she wanted. Nowadays, Donna is arguing with Pam or trying to play peacemaker between her sisters, Brooke and Katie. I would like to see her bring the sexy back. I think that Donna and Eric were very cute together. When Queen Stephanie died, she did give Donna her blessing. Maybe they can be together in 2015.
Worst Use of a Character #2: Justin Barber
I'm really upset that the writers have reduced Justin to "faithful sidekick" status. Justin is supposed to be a hotshot executive lawyer. Not lawyer by day and pilot who likes to dump people in the ocean by night. A few years ago, the writers were prepping Justin and Donna to be a couple. Heck, they even got married then the writers had them break up two months later. What a missed storyline. I would have liked to see them grow as a couple, parents to Marcus and grandparents to Rosie. Speaking of which, where are Rosie and Amber? I digress.
Best Breakup #1: Ridge and Katie
I have to admit, in the beginning, I was all for Ridge and Katie. I thought their budding romance was beautiful, even though I didn't like the way they got started. Unfortunately, their budding romance quickly withered and died. After Ridge's fall, something happened between the new couple. They seemed disconnected. Ridge didn't even buy Katie an engagement ring -- he gave her a ribbon. How many engagement rings did he buy Brooke? Anyway, their passion for each other fizzled quickly. Both parties knew it and agreed to go their separate ways without a big production.
What's in store for Ridge and Katie for 2015? I'm predicting that Katie and Bill will reunite. No matter how much Bill has disrespected Katie, the woman loves him. I feel, deep down, he loves her too. Maybe they will be that couple that will finally make it against all odds. Ridge, on the other hand, is a different story. Everyone knows that Ridge and Brooke are endgame. But since Brooke is away, Ridge has been bonding with Caroline 2.0. Will history repeat itself?
Best Breakup/Best Goodbye #2: Bill and Brooke
I hated the fact that Brooke and Bill got involved. It was bad enough that she had an affair with her daughter's (Bridget) husband (Deacon). To hook up with Bill, during Katie's postpartum depression or any reason at all was just wrong. I think Brooke made two steps forward only to take five steps back. Toward the end of this year, Brooke had an epiphany. The blonde bombshell decided that it was time for her to stop repeating the same mistakes. She wanted her sister and her nephew to have a chance to have a family. She broke it off with Bill and boarded the Forrester jet to Milan to get Forrester Creations and her life in order. Hopefully, when she returns, she won't fall into the habit of needing a man. I want Brooke to be more independent. I want her to focus on her work and being a mother to her children. I want her to be the matriarch that Queen Stephanie wanted her to be.
Best Chemistry: Ridge and Caroline
It all started with a stroke of a sketch pencil. The touch of hands, deep eye contact, the magic of seeing your art come to life is pure magic! Scoopers, Ridge and Caroline have the chemistry that Ridge and Katie lacked. I loved how Caroline transformed from flighty young girl to mature young woman. I wish she would bring some of that old Caroline spunk back when it comes to dealing with her husband's two-timing, two-faced ways. Don't even get me started on Ridge. In my eyes, Thorsten Kaye can do no wrong. I think he's taken the iconic role of Ridge Forrester and made it completely his own. His predecessor, Ronn Moss (ex-Ridge), and Joanna Johnson (ex-Caroline) created the iconic supercouple of Ridge and Caroline. Maybe Thorsten and Linsey can recreate that same magic with Ridge and Caroline 2.0. I wonder what Brooke will have to say about all of this?
Worst Breakup #1: Liam and Hope
I don't even know where to begin with these two. I'm just sick and tired of both of them. For years, we've watched Liam flip-flop between Hope and Steffy. Liam wound up with Hope. They were finally getting their life together. Liam couldn't put his jealousy aside. Hope enjoyed the attention of Wyatt as well. Hope begged Liam to join her in Paris for a photo shoot. After the photo shoot, they would meet at their special spot and begin their lives together. Liam was five minutes late, andHope ran off with Wyatt. She didn't even bother calling Liam to see if he was coming to town. Liam didn't call her to let her know that he was in town and was running late due to traffic. Basically, Hope did the same thing Liam did to her years ago when he ran off and married Steffy in Aspen. Can you say recycled? Thank you, writers, for putting us out of our misery with this couple.
Worst Breakup #2: Hope and Wyatt
I liked Hope and Wyatt as a couple. Yes, Wyatt can be very annoying and egotistical. However, Wyatt was always faithful and devoted to Hope, and she knew it. That's why I think she ran off and married him. Usually, when a young couple gets married, they wind up getting pregnant. When a couple gets pregnant, they usually tell their spouse first, not their ex-fiancé/current brother-in-law. When a couple has to go through a terrible tragedy such as the loss of a child, they usually would want to comfort each other. One usually doesn't run off to Europe and share emotional goodbyes with their ex. One normally doesn't blame the other for the tragedy.
And finally, one should never tell the other that the only reason they were married was because their psycho mother orchestrated their union. If I recall correctly, Quinn never held anyone against their will and forced them into marriage. In my opinion, Hope completely disrespected Wyatt and her marriage. She should not have married him to begin with.
Best Enemies That Would Be a Really Hot Couple: Liam and Quinn
The chemistry between Scott Clifton and Rena Sofer is off the charts. Anytime these two are on-screen together, it's pure magic. Whether it's when Quinn was trying to stab Liam with a homemade Spencer sword or when Liam was truly trying to have a heart-to-heart about Hope's baby and Quinn's presence in its life, I would watch these two characters go at it all the time. Please keep up the good work, Scott and Rena.
Most Overused Line: Ivy Forrester saying, "You Logans"
Seriously, this has got to be one of the most overused putdown lines on this show. Whenever Ivy would attempt to say something about Hope, she would always start off with "You Logans..." It got to the point where both Hope and I rolled our eyes at the same time. Viewers had to deal with that same line for years with Steffy; now Ivy comes on the scene with the same tired line? Yeah, I think it's time for a new catchphrase, please.
Character Blamed for the Sun Not Shining: Quinn
Did you know that it's Quinn's fault that Ridge decided to charter a plane, fly halfway across the world to Abu Dhabi, sucker punch Bill in the face, put Brooke in a helicopter, and oh yeah, not put on his seat belt while in the helicopter? We all remember what happened there.
Did you also know that it was also Quinn's fault that Hope decided not to wait or call Liam to see if he was coming to meet him at their "special spot" in Paris? Quinn also made Liam not call Hope to tell him he was in route to meet her. Quinn forced Hope to marry Wyatt. Are you seeing a pattern here, Scoopers? Any and everything that can go wrong in these characters lives is somehow tied to Quinn. No one ever really wants to take blame for anything anymore. Here's a New Year's resolution to all of characters on B&B: start taking responsibility for your own actions.
Best Social Issue: Mission Work
For the past few years, characters from The Bold and the Beautiful step out of character and step into real-life situations. It was nice seeing the stars of the show interact with real people tackling real problems on a daily basis. The Christmas mission episode really put things into perspective for me. I'm sure it had a lasting effect on you Scoopers as well.
Best Couple: Pam and Charlie
For two years in a row, the best couple award goes to Pam and Charlie. They are genuinely happy and crazy about each other. I loved how John Forrester, Eric's brother, was flirting with Pam, and Charlie got jealous. I wonder if John will be a bump in the road for this happy couple?
Worst Couple: Wyatt and Hope
Two words: Liam Spencer. Hope will always be pining away for Liam Spencer. I thought they might have a chance, but I guess I was completely wrong.
Best Goodbye: Brooke
I'm going to have to agree with my partner in crime, Mike, on this one. Brooke has had moments of clarity before. This time, I think she seems really sincere about stepping aside so that her sister can actually try to have her family back. I don't think she's doing it because she feels guilty about the affair and what happened. I think she's at a point in her life where she wants to know exactly who she is and what she is doing. Brooke is supposed to be the matriarch of the family. Lately, her antics are nowhere near matriarchic.
Worst Goodbye: Hope
I was very upset with the way Hope left town. I felt that if you were a Hope/Liam fan, you got a perfect send-off. It was sappy and romantic, just like their relationship. If you were a Hope/Wyatt fan, I feel that you got cheated. I felt that Hope was a bit cold-hearted toward her husband. Yes, she's upset with him because of his mother's actions. However, I think she needs to remember that he lost a child as well.
What is up with the whole fade-away sequence? It's not like she died. When Steffy had her miscarriage, viewers got to see her go through layers of emotions. The story played out for a few weeks. Hope's miscarriage story, on the other hand, felt rushed and forced. I wanted a little more.
Closing Thoughts
I have just a few more thoughts about the past year's events on The Bold and the Beautiful.
• I wish they would bring back Queen Stephanie as a ghost. If they can bring back bobblehead Darla...why can't we get the Queen's portrait to talk?
• I love the fact that the show is getting back to couture fashion design. It reminds me of the good old days when Spectra Fashions was always trying to keep up with Forrester. Wouldn't it be nice if Caroline opened her own fashion house and called it "House of Spencer" or "Caroline"?
• Can someone buy Maya a lifetime supply of Evian to quench her thirst? My goodness, how can someone be satisfied being a sidepiece?
• Rick really needs to get over himself.
• Eric needs to wake up and take control of his company.
Well, I think that pretty much sums up my thoughts on B&B for 2014. Mike will be on next week to give you his annual "If I wrote B&B" column for the week of January 5, 2015.
I'd like to thank you for taking time out to read and comment on our columns (even if we don't see eye to eye on certain things). It really means a lot to us. We're looking forward to scooping it out with you next year.
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Happy holidays, Scoopers.
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