There's a line from an old series called The Shadow that goes, "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" Well, call me the Shadow, because I'm here to tell you that the hearts of two major characters on The Bold and the Beautiful -- Bill and Steffy -- are cold, nasty, and evil. The former might be forgiven for his nefarious deeds, given the situation with Liam, but little Miss Steffy has shown her true colors this past week, and they aren't very attractive.
There are many reasons to admire a woman like Steffy. She's bounced back from the tragedy of her twin sister's death and a failed love affair with Rick to pick herself up and become a dedicated, determined businesswoman (albeit at her family's company where she really had a leg up compared to anyone else her age with that little experience). But as Steffy has matured, she's grown mean, callous, selfish, and narrow-minded. Take, for example, her reaction to hearing that brother Thomas was taking Dayzee to a charity event in San Francisco. Steffy didn't see it as a sweet, romantic adventure for Thomas. Instead, Steffy was appalled by Thomas' choice of a date.
How dare Thomas take a girl like that to a society party and let her represent Forrester Creations? In Steffy's mind, a former homeless nothing like Dayzee wasn't worthy of wearing a Forrester gown. She was the wrong type to be presented on the arm of a Forrester man. But reading between the lines, there was something more sinister in Steffy's reaction. It sounded racist...at least that's how I interpreted her words and Ridge and Taylor's reactions.
Oh sure, Steffy once dated Marcus, so how can I think she's racist? But there was something quite bigoted about Steffy's condemnation of Dayzee. She accused Dayzee of having hypnotized Stephanie and Thomas and everyone else in the family into thinking that she was a good person. What made Steffy assume that Dayzee isn't a good person -- just because she was homeless? Was there some other reason Steffy was so negative about a woman who's impressed most of the other members of her family? You have to wonder.
Steffy is two-faced. That's my estimation. It was all right for her to date Marcus, but she disapproves of Thomas dating Dayzee. If it's not racism, maybe it's a question of class? Dayzee is lower class, practically a pauper. Marcus, on the other hand, was middle class and educated. In Steffy's mind, he was better than Dayzee. So that makes Steffy a snob instead of a bigot. Either way, I think she's out of line and needs to be put in her place. Stephanie is just the person to do it, too.
Before I switch gears and talk about Bill, let's examine Steffy's other outrageous statement last week. Her declaration that she had returned to Los Angeles to take Bill away from Donna definitely qualified as outrageous. It was beyond bold; it was audacious and unseemly. In what world is it okay to tell your mother and stepmother that you intend to steal another woman's husband? In what world is that considered decent or nice or ethical? It's not like Katie hasn't been a good spouse for Bill, or that Bill hasn't been a new man since marrying Katie. Steffy's fixation on Bill is based on attraction, yes, but also a kinship. Steffy thinks that they're two of a kind. They understand each other. That may be true, but Bill chose Katie, and Steffy should respect that he's unavailable.
What makes Steffy's actions so unacceptable to me is this: if a Logan girl said what Steffy did, Steffy and Taylor and Stephanie would accuse that Logan girl of being a man-stealing wench! So why is it okay for Steffy to set her sites on Bill and assume it's kosher? That's a question I would like to hear Steffy answer. I would like her to justify the double standard.
Bill believes in double standards. He thinks he's above the law, that's why he spent the week obsessing about how to kill Amber. Really, Bill, is that how you solve Liam's problem? Isn't that overkill? -- pardon the pun. As I wrote before, Bill doesn't need to resort to murder. He can get Amber and her child out of Liam's life without opting for homicide. What's wrong with paying her off and sending her out of town? Instead, Bill has been hellbent on watching Amber fall to her death from the cliffs of Malibu.
Even if Bill had come up with the perfect murder plan, he'd still be the prime suspect. He owns the house. He put Amber in a pricey beach house when nobody believed he'd pay for her room at a flea-ridden motel. And he had asked the cops to arrest Amber for trying to kill Liam in the trailer explosion. Bill would have been in lockup before Amber's corpse was on a slab in the morgue. So, given all that, would a smart guy like Bill really plan such an obvious crime?
What happened, of course, was completely unexpected -- and as shown, a bit sketchy. Bill looked like he was ready to send Amber over the edge, but then a tree branch seemed to do the job for him. Now, was that an act of nature or had Bill been working on that branch to loosen it? I couldn't tell because for most of the episode, he was watching Amber and luring her to the lookout. When the branch did fall, however, he looked shocked. But instead of acting like a compassionate human being and going to the edge to see if Amber had fallen to her death, he turned to leave. And he told Steffy to leave, too.
Not only did he assume that Amber was dead, but he didn't want to do the right thing. He didn't want to discover if she was really dead or in need of help, and he really didn't want to call the authorities. And he sure didn't want Steffy to peer over the cliff and figure out what had happened. It's all very strange and troubling. Bill could wind up paying in spades for this lapse in judgment. Amber survived -- thanks to Steffy's quick action -- and may be convinced that it was an accident, but Steffy is suspicious. (Okay, Steffy did one good thing last week: she saved Amber's life!)
Here's how I see it playing out: Steffy will blackmail Bill to get him to give up his shares in Forrester Creations, or she will force him to dump Katie and marry her, or she'll ask him to do both! Bill won't want to play ball with Steffy, but he might have to because Steffy holds all the cards. If Steffy tells Amber about Bill's inaction, Amber will threaten to tell the cops. If Steffy tells the authorities, Bill could be arrested for attempted murder. If Steffy tells Liam and Katie, Bill loses the love of his family. Bill's in a tricky situation. How do you see this one playing out?
Another development this past week was Liam and Hope agreeing to part. It was heartbreaking and sad, but as with all great love stories, there has to be sorrow to get to the happy ending. Liam and Hope might be destined for a future together, but it's going to take some time to get there. I actually thought Liam showed a lot of maturity by ending it with Hope. He realized that he's not in a good place right now. He's recovering from a serious medical condition, and his personal life is upside down. For him to hold onto Hope would be selfish. They're boyfriend and girlfriend, not husband and wife.
The romance between Thomas and Dayzee took a step forward with the trip to San Francisco. I liked the way Thomas tried to sweep her off her feet. Girls do like to be romanced, Ridge was right about that. And Thomas hit all the right notes with the jet and the champagne and the daisies. On the other hand, Marcus was just a presumptuous jerk. What made him think that Dayzee was his property? And Marcus needs to "check himself before he wrecks himself" because while he was pursuing Dayzee, he was enjoying booty calls with Amber. That's not cool. Heck, he even went out to Malibu to see Amber while he was home for just a few days, which struck me as a way to keep tabs on the girl he knows likes to party.
Finally, there's one more item on my list of things to discuss...that Malibu beach house. Who decorated that set, the sales clerk at the Home Depot? Have you ever seen such a crummy looking California mansion? What was in the living room, lawn furniture? Where were the pink flamingos? This is supposedly a showplace with a fantastic view. It's supposed to be magnificent, like something you'd see on Million Dollar Listing or Charlie Sheen's beach house on Two and a Half Men. Instead, Amber's new digs looked like a poorly lit, claustrophobic dump. Other than the lookout, it was a dud.
And as for her freaking out about being alone in such an isolated location, why on earth didn't she invite Tawny to come for a visit? The trailer's gone, right? Amber could move Mom in without worrying about how they were going to pay the rent. For Amber to stay there by herself just didn't strike a true note for me. Amber's smarter than that; she'd have called out for someone to move in with her ASAP.
Here's some letters from the readers!
• I love 'The Bold and Beautiful,' but lately it is becoming stale. I'm tired of seeing Brooke and Ridge doing the bedroom scene. Does she ever keep her clothes on? Both have grown children, but it goes to show that love never dies. Then Brooke with her and her husband's son... This is not the usual, but goes to show that it keeps the viewers watching. As a mother of four children, and a deceased husband, I would like to have some romance, but not with a young man. Keep this show going and think about other scenes other than Brooke and Ridge always in the bed. -- Virginia S.
• Please do not end the relationship with Tom and Dayzee by killing him off or sending him or her away. It's 2011 and these stories never seem to last on B&B and your creator's other soap Y&R. It's time to let it play out since our world is more diverse than ever. Nice touch with Donna and her new husband, the father of her child. -- Natalia
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