Has your week been bold and beautiful? Did you finally act like an adult, but the adults around you wanted you to regress? Did you think your daughter's life was an episode of The Amazing Race? Did you rub your tummy so many times people started calling you Buddha? These and more situations faced the Forresters et al this week!
We all know the soap opera's favorite shape is the triangle. But Brad Bell's favorite shape seems to be the circle, because Leffy/Lope went round and round for another five episodes without really going anywhere. All that kept me from chucking my laptop across the room (and by B&B's logic, it would just start recording, anyway) is that Liam, Steffy, and Hope all suddenly demonstrated amazing growth and insight! Well, for them, anyway. Can't quite say the same about their parents!
Steffy started the wisdom ball rolling by telling Liam that she didn't want him to waste her time. "Give Hope and me a little respect," Steffy insisted. Steffy is at her best when she's strong, and it was good to see that Steffy back in da house. I liked that she didn't want to take the Bridge/Tridge madness into another generation.
However, she weakened her argument a bit by claiming she was learning from the past in one breath, and declaring she didn't want to lose to a Logan in the next. Wanting Liam to be 100% emotionally available is reasonable, but trotting out the tired Logan/Forrester feud makes the whole thing the exact competition Steffy says she doesn't want to have. And that's a criticism of the sloppy writing, not the character of Steffy.
I'm also on the fence about whether Steffy should tell Liam she's carrying his baby. I get that Steffy doesn't want Liam to feel obligated, but she knows the chaos that ensues when Liam doesn't have all the information. Steffy's "Hope will use it against us" claim was really out of left field. And what is up with the constant belly rubbing? Steffy grazed her stomach sixteen times this week! She practically wore the pattern off her blouse! B&B, message received: Steffy is pregnant. We're not stupid, you know. We can remember.
At any rate, Steffy did show signs of growth. As for Liam, when he asked Steffy to move out, at first I thought he was merely parroting Hope's suggestion. But wow! Liam finally took a little responsibility for himself. "I can't keep turning to you when there's a crisis with Hope," he admitted, "then return to Hope when the crisis is over." He said he didn't want to keep rebounding, and that he couldn't be with either Steffy or Hope until he had some time alone to figure things out. Dude! It almost made me feel bad for the creative demises I've invented for Liam in recent weeks!
Hope made a few strides, too, by giving Liam that space, and by ultimately demonstrating the same compassion for Steffy she wasn't aware Steffy was demonstrating toward her. But Hope can't keep popping off that Bill and Rick's lies forced Hope and Liam apart. Hope did end up marrying Liam in Italy; it was just that she didn't sign the marriage license after she found out about Liam and Steffy's tonsil hockey. Then Hope dumped Liam at the do-over wedding. Hope's memory of the past is more than a little convenient.
For that matter, so is Taylor's. Now, let's just address this here and have it over: some of you have written in painting me as a Logan lover. That is so not true. I am neither Team Brooke nor Team Taylor. But I do insist on accuracy in the writing. For Taylor to keep saying that "our family was ripped apart because Brooke never respected my marriage" is complete lunacy.
Brooke did do everything her power to try to steal Ridge away from Taylor in the '90s! There's no disputing that. But Taylor's marriage ended because she was presumed dead, which Brooke had nothing to do with. I loved that B&B finally brought that up by having Brooke remind Taylor of the years Taylor was gone, and how Stephanie manipulated Ridge and Taylor's vow renewal in the hospital. Not to mention the fact that Taylor slept with Brooke's father! I'm not a lover of Logans; I'm a lover of continuity. I don't care whose mouth it comes out of, as long as it's consistent with what I saw on my screen.
And Taylor got some continuity in, too, when she made the interesting observation that Brooke tends to have fantasies and thinks if she talks about them enough, they'll become real. That certainly is indicative of Brooke's long-held "destiny" claim when it came to Ridge. But Taylor suggesting that Brooke wants to replace Stephanie as the matriarch of the family? If that were true, Brooke would be pursuing Eric right now. Oh, wait, Taylor -- isn't it you who's doing that?
Sure, no mother wants to see her child held back. But let's remember one thing: Thomas wasn't "put down in the basement" because of anything Brooke or "the Logans" did. Ridge demoted Thomas as punishment for lying that he had sex with Brooke, which destroyed Ridge's marriage! Didn't Taylor also get very hurt as a result of that lie? You'd think Taylor would agree that Thomas' behavior deserved repercussions. Taylor is generally a smart, insightful character; I hate when she's written otherwise.
Don't you think there's also something off about how hard Taylor is pushing Steffy to be with Liam? Yes, there's a baby involved. But Steffy's contention that she doesn't want to live Taylor's second-hand life should give Taylor pause. Instead, Taylor seems more concerned with beating Brooke than she is with the welfare of her own daughter and unborn grandchild. I've gotta say it -- Taylor really seems obsessed with Brooke. You don't have to be a celebrated shrink to see that that's not healthy!
Brooke doesn't seem to have a desire to beat Taylor, but the way she's pushing Hope to reunite with Liam isn't any more healthy. In that sense, it does feel like Brooke is projecting her "Ridge is my destiny" fantasy on to her daughter. If Brooke and Taylor really wanted to be better mothers, they'd sit Hope and Steffy down together and tell them that they should run from Liam like a frightened deer! I can't imagine how any parent would want their child with a partner who is incapable of making a true commitment. Of course, if Brooke and Taylor were to act so sensibly, we wouldn't have a show.
Liam's choice of girlfriend may change every few months, but one thing that doesn't change is Bill's pro-Steffy prattling. I had to remind myself that it's now 2013, not 2011 or 2012. Bill hasn't grown at all, a fact made more obvious when Liam actually put his foot down about needing space to make a decision, which Bill refused to hear. I've said this before, and I'll say it again: I think Bill still wants Steffy for himself. Notice how Bill keeps telling Liam that Steffy is the best thing that happened to him? Bill's not talking about Liam. He's talking about himself.
Let's not forget that Steffy only became interested in Liam after Bill rejected her, and Liam saved her from drowning in the tub the same day. You know, when Steffy was near the tub in the loft, I thought: "This would be a really cool place for a flashback." Who knew B&B would actually indulge me? That's how you use a flashback. Nicely done. Really bookended Leffy's story.
The funny thing is, everyone talked about how high the stakes are -- but they really aren't. Leffy/Lope is still very much ado about nothing. Of course, we ended on a cliffhanger that was meant to make us think otherwise, but first let's talk about the other storyline that B&B addressed for about five seconds: Dayzee and her adoption dilemma with Maya.
I don't understand how Maya could think that she could put her baby up for adoption and then be able to get the kid back once she got out of jail. Not only was Maya in denial, but how selfish is this woman? She had to know her child would be well established in a family with two parents by the time she was set free. Now she's ready to rock her kid's world just so she can get what she wants? I wouldn't let Maya take care of my cat, let alone trust her with a child.
That said, I'm afraid I'm finding all the legalities surrounding the adoption Dayzee arranged a little murky. I don't get how Dayzee can actually be in any kind of trouble. And why did B&B pop the bubble with Marcus so quickly? Marcus shouldn't have found out what Dayzee was hiding until it was impossible for Dayzee to keep it a secret. Instead, Marcus inexplicably went through Dayzee's paperwork in front of Carter and came upon the info himself. Can you say "contrived", boys and girls?
Not that it mattered, because they were on-screen for a third of an episode on Friday, while Hope and Steffy took up the rest of the airtime having yet another argument. I'd like to be able to say that Hope was out of line when she pushed Steffy. But Steffy kind of had it coming, the way she was hitting Hope below the belt about Brooke. So much for the growth the young ladies were exhibiting. Is Steffy's pregnancy actually in jeopardy, or are we being subjected to another one of B&B's red herrings?
How about this: Liam could become a Mormon and propose to both Steffy and Hope, and they could all move away to Utah to live a polygamous lifestyle. Either that, or Prince Omar could kidnap the three of them back to Morocco, where they'd never be heard from again. Liam would be happy to know harems are allowed there. Problem solved! Just a thought. At least this week, all three sides of the triangle showed some uncommon sense. Now if we could just extend that sensibility to their very deluded parents!
I know for a fact I'm not the only one who has strong opinions about B&B. That's evident from the comments you send in! So keep 'em comin': write to us anytime, or call the Soap Central Feedback Line at 267-341-7627. Your message could be broadcast on our SoapCentral Live radio show! Or, your written comments could find their way into a future column. Like these!
• "Has everyone forgotten all of the things Steffy has done to Hope?...Not to mention her relationship with Bill. If I were Liam I would have to pass on my father's sloppy seconds...Remember, you sleep with whoever your partner sleeps with. YUK!!!!" -- Helen
• "Steffy must not believe she did anything wrong when she and Bill were scheming against Hope and Liam. If you do the crime, own up to it. She needs to get a medical opinion whether she [actually] is pregnant..." -- Joan
• "...I wish that Jacob Young would return to AMC. His character of J.R. was way more interesting than the character of Rick on B&B...geez, the writing on B&B is awful, boring, and plain uninteresting...." -- L.B.
• "...I am not on board with the writers trying to make Steffy the heroine all of a sudden. She's been nice for like 2 months, but so what...she hasn't really paid for anything she's done...Brooke paid many times over for her mistakes and I think Steffy needs to go through something in order for me to take her seriously...the writers seem to have this rule that only the Logans get judged by the public and media and humiliated on a regular basis. I say it's time for Taylor's family to feel this awful; then maybe I'd finally agree with one of Taylor's rants." -- "Soapstef"
• "Everyone forgets that Brooke was with Ridge, and Stephanie pushed Taylor at him. [Stephanie] manipulated his relationship with Brooke. So Taylor [was] the interloper, not Brooke...also, to put Brooke and Taylor's daughters in the same situation is just plain stupid...everyone forgets how Hope stood by Liam in the [beginning]. He really needs to think about that..." -- Diane
Ridge and Stephanie got an awful lot of mentions this week; it's kind of comforting and makes it feel like they're still on the show. But if Ridge is supposedly so miserable in Paris after dumping Brooke, you'd think he'd race to her side as he's done a million times before... Katie was awfully amorous for someone who was having trouble making love to Bill. But did they have to discuss Leffy/Lope after their romp? So much for afterglow!
It was a lot of progress for Steffy to admit that she felt Taylor had always hung on to her relationship with Ridge when "clearly Dad wanted to be with Brooke." Shame Taylor wasn't as wise when Brooke called Taylor on sleeping with Stephen. "Those little setbacks didn't come from me," Taylor insisted, citing Ridge and Stephanie as the problem. I don't recall Ridge and Stephanie putting Taylor in bed with Stephen.
Liam shot himself in the foot when he declared he was mad at Bill and Rick and Deacon for messing with his life. Bill and Rick and Deacon didn't make Liam kiss Steffy on the day he was supposed to marry Hope! I guess Liam can only take so much responsibility, considering how foreign the concept has been to him...
How was Steffy able to leave Liam's house empty-handed and then show up at the loft with a full suitcase? What did Steffy mean when she told Taylor "if I have this baby?" If? Does that mean she's considering an abortion? For all of Taylor's talk about how her kids are a blessing, I'm surprised she didn't mention that they're more so because at first Taylor couldn't conceive, and then she almost died giving birth to Phoebe and Steffy... Best Use of History and Best Line of the Week came during the convo between Brooke and Taylor. Brooke: "All these years I never once -- once -- considered you an enemy." Taylor: "Well, maybe you should start!"
And so began February sweeps on B&B. Will Steffy lose her baby? I actually hope not, though I still have a tough time seeing Steffy as a mother. As for the Triangle That Wouldn't Die, I can only glean hope from the implication that this is supposed to be Liam's final decision. Let us pray to the soap gods that this is so!
And will Taylor step up her game in her battle to beat Brooke? That would be okay, and anything that gives Eric more screen time is a plus. Wouldn't it be great if everyone else -- including Steffy and Thomas -- could see Taylor was losing it, and Taylor couldn't? Hunter Tylo would have a ball with it. And from what I read in a recent interview, even Ms. Tylo knows her alter ego isn't exactly playing with a full deck these days!
Next week, it's Allison's turn to Scoop for you, and I'll be back to do the same February 25. Until then, keep watching, be alert, and most of all, be bold!
