Has your week been bold and beautiful? Did you preview your parenting skills? Did you come home to prevent the filming of Stepmommie Dearest? Did you realize you'd have plenty of leftovers from your wedding? These and more situations faced the Forrester-Logan-Spencer-Avant clan this week!
What it is, Scoopers! I'm back from Baltimore, where I proffered my Bewitched book at a classic TV convention. Fittingly, I binged watched classic TV in my hotel room: episodes of B&B from 1987 on YouTube. Watching Eric's disintegrating marriage to Stephanie, and Brooke before she even met Ridge, is fascinating! Especially on the eve of the show's 30th anniversary.
Those early scenes force me to "print" a retraction: in my last column, I said I never recalled the Forresters entertaining buyers at the mansion. Well, guess what they did in 1987? Of course, Brooke first encountered Ridge at a Forrester party, though that was a charity affair. Flashing back 30 years is really informing our character profiles; we only have so many hands, so those updates will post as soon as they're ready. Stay tuned!
Coming back to 2016, this week seemed to be all about weddings and the changing statuses of them. R.J., whose voice is now deeper than mine will ever be, managed to weaken mama Brooke's resolve about Bill, and across town, practically the entire remaining cast debated boycotting Eric and Quinn's ceremony. Yet these marriages are interconnected. Let's take stock of it, shall we, and Scoop about it!
CROSSING SWORD (NECKLACES)
It's always a risk when soap children are SORASed. Not only does a show have to craft a reasonable explanation for the age jump and why the kid was missing for so long, but sometimes new junior actors aren't quite up to snuff. So far, R.J.'s return, under the guidance of Anthony Turpel, is working for me. Yeah, Ridge Jr. is a little one-note, but he's bringing some intensity, and at least B&B has attempted to justify his absence.
Still, I don't know how I feel about R.J.'s rationale that he stayed away because Ridge was married to Caroline. And R.J. is fully Team Bridge now, but he didn't mind when Brooke was going to marry Bill before. Did R.J. keep the sword necklace Bill gave him? Good thing R.J. wasn't wearing it, otherwise he might have poked Bill in the eye. Dollah's right: R.J.'s got some...bulldogs! And Turpel held his own with Diamont easily.
If I were pre-K William Logan Spencer, I'd be worried what was ahead for me with Daddy. Bill was right to take R.J. down a few pegs, and I rather enjoyed watching Bill apply his corporate no-nonsensing to parenthood, but his eventual dismissiveness even had Brooke asking, "And you, of course, are an expert on teenagers." Too bad she didn't directly mention Bill missing Liam and Wyatt at that stage of development.
I guess third time isn't the charm, because Brooke derailed Bill's latest attempt to whisk her down the aisle, citing R.J.'s objections. (I can just see Katie smirking.) Bill got nervous after hearing how R.J. had seen Brooke connecting with Ridge; Brooke swore she had no lingering feelings for her former destiny, but that constipated expression she borrowed from Liam and Steffy told me otherwise.
STOCK EXCHANGE
In the ultimate irony of ironies, Steffy worried about her li'l bro's interference and insisted Brooke had to marry Bill. Five years ago, Steffy wanted to wear Bill's ring herself, and I've never been able to shake the feeling that her whole fascination with Liam has been one big rebound. At any rate, no one bothered to tell R.J. how Bill's 12˝% stake in Forrester factored into Brill's wedding, and I can't understand why not.
This isn't like when Brooke and Thomas went missing at sea and everyone was trying to shield R.J. from that grim reality. Even being shelved at school in Ojai for years wouldn't keep R.J. from understanding his relatives' need to neutralize a threat to the family business. The Forresters are only shooting themselves in the foot by not explaining Bill's stock to R.J.; their own silence is causing R.J. to sabotage their takeover plan.
Of course you know I've gone on for weeks about how Ridge et al already have majority interest in Forrester because Liam controls Bill's shares. However, someone made me aware Bill only gave Liam his proxy that one time last year. I haven't heard the show confirm that stipulation one way or the other; if you guys recall that, let me know. But now I have to allow that this stock story has more validity than I've given it.
A RIVER IN EGYPT
I don't know what Eric and Quinn are smoking, but I wouldn't mind a contact high, because they are blissfully happy no matter what opposition befalls them. Despite Wyatt's not-far-off prediction that Eric's family would show up to a Queric wedding, brandishing torches and pitchforks, Ms. Fuller and her Forrester chipperly planned their nuptials and couldn't fathom why no one could see how happy they are.
Again, I love that Eric is front and center where he should be, brimming over with enthusiasm and laying the smackdown on his wayward brood. But I still have so many problems with Queric. Quinn keeps saying she's changed. Yeah, first time she said that, she claimed she checked herself into a mental health facility, which was never substantiated. Five minutes later, she dumped Ivy into the Seine.
Quinn implored Steffy to believe she's shown everyone she's changed, but it's all been talk. Quinn, if you really want to win Eric's resistant family over, why aren't you making overtures and gestures to back yourself up? Truly reach out to Pam to atone for your fake attempt at friendship. And you could earn a million points with Steffy by making things up to Liam, which you said you would do and haven't even tried.
As for Eric, I took a fair share of heat in my last column for implying that he might have dementia, but it's the only plot point that even makes sense. I stand by my assertion that it would be a real tour de force for John McCook, plus I can't see any reason why Eric can, in sound mind, romance and defend Quinn after what he went through with Sheila. Okay, I'm sure some of you weren't watching 20 years ago. Let me recap.
OH...OH SHEILA
Sheila Carter was the notorious nurse from Y&R's Genoa City who came to work at Forrester after letting everyone in Wisconsin believe she was dead. When Eric married Sheila, the whole family was up in arms like they are now. Eric continued supporting his wife until he found out Sheila had switched a baby, tried to kill her mother, and finally held him and his family at gunpoint. Is Quinn's résumé any different? Not really.
So, in the present, Eric stood there and told his heirs that everyone deserved second chances and forgiveness. I agree, but did Eric give Sheila a second chance in 2002 when she begged him for a reconciliation? No. Eric called Sheila "crazy as hell," which prompted her to whip out a gun; Brooke and Taylor were shot in the altercation, and Thomas and Steffy had to grow up without their mother for years.
Eric talks of Quinn's misdeeds being in her past. Okay, maybe trying to shish kebab Liam happened in 2014, but Quinn absconding with Liam and telling the amnesiac they were married went on only six months ago. And then Eric says Stephanie's greatest strength was her capacity for forgiveness. Eric must have a degenerative disease, because bitch-slapping Gangsta Granny held a grudge like nobody's business.
I did love Eric noting that Stephanie had turned Brooke, her "biggest enemy," into her "dearest friend" in the end; it's still B&B's finest full-circle moment to me. But none of that cosigns Eric defending Quinn until Quinn actually makes concrete demonstrations that she's changed. At least Sheila did make that attempt for a few years until she decided to get back on the crazy train permanently in 1998.
EVERY INTERVENTION HAS ITS THORNE...AND FELICIA
Tuesday's episode ended with Eric and Quinn sending out their wedding invitations. Wednesday's episode opened, and suddenly, Thorne was just there. It was really great to see him, but he's a legacy character who needs to be a full-time player; he deserved a way better entrance than that. And Eric must be tired of walking into interventions by now; Papa Forrester endures one in every other scene.
You think that's an exaggeration, but first Thorne took part in one at the mansion then attended another at the office the next day. Interestingly, Steffy told Thorne that they only mentioned the crimes of Quinn they could prove. Wasn't it a little weird seeing Thorne and Steffy talking as if it were a normal day, considering the last time they saw each other, Thorne was berating Steffy for her part in the death of his daughter, Aly?
Perhaps it's part of the forgiveness Eric was talking about. Now, Thorne was there when Eric wanted to marry Sheila -- and for the aftermath. Did Thorne remind his pop that he already tried wedding a wacko in the '90s? Nope. Instead, the true Forrester son led with "Mother hasn't been gone that long." Seriously? Stephanie passed away four years ago! Thorne, you sure as hell didn't wait that long to marry Darla after Macy beefed it.
In 1993, when Eric asked Thorne to be best man at his wedding to Sheila, Thorne politely but firmly turned his father down. This time, Thorne tells his father, "Sure thing." No wonder Rick's reply was "They snip off your manhood overseas?" Felicia had more balls than that, storming into the room demanding, "Why are you people letting Dad marry this crazy person?"
Everyone compares Steffy to Stephanie, but Felicia really channeled the grand dame, telling Ridge "I love you, but you always act like the head of this family until something goes wrong." Oh SNAP! Maybe surviving cancer twice removes your filter; we have to assume Felicia's still in remission. No word on that, or baby Dino, who, by virtue of SORAS, should be about in the same grade as R.J. by now.
It took Miss Felicia to ask, "What about everything [Quinn did] to Liam Spencer?" Apparently Pam burned up Skype and FaceTime keeping forgotten Forresters Felicia and Thorne in that loop. Even Maya, after getting into a strange convo with Felicia about watching football for the men in uniforms (my choice is baseball; with football you can't see their faces), spoke up about the lengths to which Quinn had gone.
IS THERE A LAWYER IN THE HOUSE?
It's too bad Storm isn't still alive, because the attorney would tell this flailing family they would have a much better case if they produced more effective witnesses. Brooke, who has deemed Eric her best friend, is surprisingly absent; she even inexplicably begged off Eric's wedding to spend time with R.J. Brooke was as close to Sheila as Eric was, in her own way; Brooke would be the first to tell Eric not to go there again with Quinn.
Check it, Scoopers: who's the one person who has suffered the most at the hands of Quinn? And who's the one person who is nowhere to be seen as everyone tries to stop Quinn's marriage to Eric? That's right -- Liam! I can't tell you how relieved I am that I haven't had to listen to him pining over Steffy, but he should be in the thick of dissuading Eric from Quinn. Just think how impressed Steffy would be with Liam then!
All Liam has to do is describe how it felt having Quinn sit on top of him with a sword, seconds away from death. Liam also knows Quinn was obsessed with him to the point she risked jail to attempt reconciling with him; as that was barely four months ago, Liam would be able to convince Eric that, at best, Quinn is on the rebound. It's baffling that Liam isn't a part of this; Eric wouldn't be able to claim hearsay if Liam was there.
One lawyer that is around is Carter, and amazingly, he's actually working at the Forrester Sky Lounge instead of working out. Eric at least had the presence of mind to draw up a pre-nup, and Quinn signed it without even reading it, though she'd have made some serious headway had she done so in front of the family. Then Carter handed Eric a power of attorney document in which Ridge had given himself control of Eric's affairs.
Eric was told he could name anyone he wanted and left the line blank, moving on to throwing a wedding together so fast, even Brooke would be jealous. It makes you wonder -- whom did Eric name? I hope it wasn't Quinn, because we already had a similar story with Donna in 2007. But in the soap world, would Eric be signing a document like that if he wasn't going to need it?
SUPPOSE THEY GAVE A WAR AND NO ONE CAME
Steffy came back from her umpteenth argument with Quinn, feeling heartless and selfish after Quinn said all the right things and pointed out "You want everyone to stand up for what you think is right." Steffy decided that not stepping over certain lines with Eric was getting them nowhere and told la familia it was time "we start crossing them." Now she's acting like Stephanie!
Everyone seemed on board with Ridge decreeing they boycott Eric's wedding, which was good; I was a little afraid they'd show up wearing black like they did when Eric married Sheila in 1993. Suddenly, we were into the wedding day, and Pam and Charlie were helping in the kitchen. Huh?? Bad enough Ivy was upstairs doing her new BFF's hair in her fake American accent, which I am seriously over already.
Ridge demanded that Pam and Charlie ditch the ceremony, insisting to everyone that they had to present a united front. But Thorne, Felicia, and even Zende (who was strangely about to attend a wedding without Nicole) wavered, not wanting to hurt Eric. I wasn't expecting that. I thought they'd either all avoid the wedding or all show up for it; this in-betweening was a nice conflict and generated a fair amount of suspense.
Despite only Ivy, the caterers, and minister Perez Hilton in attendance (does B&B's stunt casting have no end?), Eric made the mystifying decision to start his wedding anyway. Do you still say dementia isn't playing a part here? Anyway, Quinn came down the stairs, genuinely hurt that even Wyatt was a no-show. She should be used to this; no one came to her wedding to Deacon, either, except Hope via Skype.
I have to admit, I found myself closer to the edge of my seat than I thought I'd be. Would the Forresters arrive at the last minute? I so hoped not, because it would be the better story. I even found myself thinking of 1993 when the visiting Lauren Fenmore stood up to stop Sheila from marrying Eric. Definite parallels there. Quinn looked around and told Eric she wasn't worth it. She couldn't let him give up his family for her!
What do you think, Scoopers? Will Queric go through with their wedding? Will the Forresters truly stay away? Does acquiring Bill's stock even matter anymore? And do you think Thorne and Felicia should come back full-time? Dish it all in the Comments section below or on the Soap Central message boards, or simply click here to submit feedback. Your comments could wind up in a future column! Like these!
• "Quinn and Eric as a couple is such a sick story line...Eric has lost his horny mind...bring Deacon back to mess up Quinn's hustle...They do more bed hopping on this story than the law allows...All of them are extremely messed up...a family of crazies." -- AudreyI'm running a little long so I'm going to skip Points to Ponder this time, though there's lots to ponder with Quinn thisclose to being the next Mrs. Eric Forrester! I'll see you guys again in two weeks -- come follow me on Twitter, and don't forget: keep watching, be alert, and most of all, be bold!• "Love Quinn. Hope Eric gets her pregnant. Steffy makes me want to vomit. Can't figure out why either one of those Spencer boys want her." -- Laurie
• "[You] mentioned Eric developing dementia and [being] happy about it. I certainly hope not. I want Eric to be in his right mind and not given this horrible disease...Eric and Quinn's storyline is fun, exciting and funny. Dementia is not...to give Eric dementia would just be cruel. And also he could not get better; he would only get worse and die. No miracle cures yet with that one." -- "cupcake"
• "Think [B&B is] playing fast and loose with dementia. This is a very serious illness and the show is using it for a really stupid situation...if it is going to be part of the story, then let the real symptoms be given and not just ridiculous mouthing of the word by self-serving, hateful characters." -- "Shadow15"
• "I love Eric and Quinn. I may have preferred another partner for him, but I like Rena Sofer so much, I'll get on board. Some of us have been watching John McCook since he was Lance Prentiss on the Young and the Restless and continue to find him handsome and sexy to this day. Thanks, writers, for understanding [that] baby boomers are a large part of your audience!" -- "SuzyQ"
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