Alexandria (Aly) Forrester finally came back from the garden this week. (Last time we saw Aly, she and her cousin, RJ, were playing in their grandmother's garden.) Here is some quick backstory for new viewers. Aly is Thorne's daughter. Her mother, Darla, died on Aly's birthday after a drunken Taylor accidentally hit her with her car.

Aly popped in for a quick visit with her father and grandfather this week. She was to do an independent study at a law firm and didn't really like the politics in the office. Eric offered her the chance to do her independent study at Forrester instead. Why not get the experience she needs at the family company?

During the family reunion, Aly mentioned that she hadn't worked in fashion, but she was a quick study and always eager to learn. She did express her thoughts on possibly creating a women's shoe line, with the urging of faux maternal grandmother, "Mustang" Sally Spectra. We also learned that Sally had given her the nickname "Einstein." Ally thought Sally had given it to her because she'd won the science fair, but we long-time viewers know that Darla's maiden name was Einstein. Very clever move, writers. Very clever.

Anyway, Eric thought that doing her independent study at Forrester would be an excellent idea. He also loved the idea of a shoe line. Eric requested that Aly shadow Hope and learn the ins and outs at Forrester. If Hope could get a fashion line straight out of high school, Steffy could revamp the lingerie line, and Thomas could succeed with his Taboo line, I think Aly should be able to have her shoe line, especially because she's technically a true Forrester heiress.

Hope seemed excited to have Aly on board. When Hope introduced Aly to Wyatt as her cousin, Aly quickly pointed out that they weren't really related. She's right. I don't think she said that in a mean way. I think she said it because she had an instant crush on Wyatt and didn't want any kind of complications in her way. It looks like Aly Cat is on the prowl. Watch out, Hope. I can't wait.

While Hope and Aly were catching up, Eric and Thorne were having a heart-to-heart. It seemed that Thorne had something to tell Aly. Eric was trying to convince his son to tell her. Thorne just wasn't sure if it was the right time. I was thinking that the writers were finally going to kill off Mustang Sally. Sally's portrayer, the late, great Darlene Conley passed away several years ago. The writers didn't want to kill off the character of Sally because she was an iconic, vibrant, larger-than-life character. I think it's time to give the character, and actress, the proper send-off she deserves.

However, the big news that Thorne wanted to share with his daughter was that he had sold their house. Naturally, Aly was hurt because she grew up in that house and that was where she felt close to her mother. Eric showed Aly that there were lots of memories in the Forrester mansion as well. He told his granddaughter that Aly brought a bright light and positive energy into the home -- just like her mother had. Eventually, Aly and Thorne agreed they would reside at the mansion.

I'm glad that Thorne didn't tell his daughter that he was leaving for Paris or something. Finally, he has the potential to have some sort of a storyline. If the character of Taylor were still on the show, I would love to see how she and Aly would interact. Would she be delighted to see Taylor or disgusted? This was just another great storyline idea down the tubes.

While learning the ropes of the underworld (basement) of Forrester, Aly got to see her dad in action. She saw how he remembered employees' birthdays and even played on softball leagues. Aly asked her father if he thought it was weird working for Uncle Rick. (Great reference because I forgot that Thorne and Rick were brothers.) Thorne said that he didn't really care about the big chair upstairs. He had the best job of all -- being a father. I just wish we viewers actually had gotten a chance to see Thorne being a single dad. Oh, well, I guess seeing it now will be better than never seeing it at all.

I really like Aly. I think she's young, smart, vibrant, and quirky. I hope the writers don't turn her into a brat. She and her dad have a great relationship. It's very rare you see a father/daughter duo actually get along on soaps. I really hope we get to see more of Thorne. It's about time he had a storyline.

Okay, Hope is really starting to get on my nerves with this whole Liam/Wyatt saga. Yes, Hope, I think it is nice that Liam is finally getting to walk in her Christian Louboutin red-bottom heels and is really feeling what she had to go through with all the flip-flopping with Steffy. Great. But let's keep it real. The chemistry between Hope and Wyatt is off the charts. HOTT.

Things sure got steamy in the steam room this week. That's something that I don't get. Why are you in a steam room when you're supposed to be working? Anyway, Wyatt followed Hope into the steam room, hoping to get lucky, but he was politely turned down.

Hope and Wyatt have a fun, carefree relationship. She seems very flirty and sexual with Wyatt. I don't really see that side of her with Liam. Wyatt is all about Hope. He doesn't have designs on anyone else at the moment. He truly cares for her, that's pretty obvious.

Liam on the other hand, talks a good game. He and Steffy are over (for now...). He's ready to move on with Hope. Here's my question for Liam. What happens when Steffy returns? Are you truly over her? I mean, you married her twice and conceived and lost a child together. That's pretty deep. Feelings like that don't fade so quickly.

I thought that the interaction between Bill's elder sons was kind of corny yet a little humorous. What did I find corny? Two grown men playing tennis and eating hot peppers as a competition to win Hope's heart. I would like to see them play as a bonding moment. I want to see two brothers shooting the breeze.

What did I find humorous? Wyatt laughing in Liam's face when Liam tried to issue a warning about disrespecting Liam's relationship with Hope. Yes, Wyatt, I was cracking up too. He laughed even harder when he teased Liam about sending daddy to tell Wyatt to play nice.

I also don't think that Bill should be taking sides in this situation. Hasn't he interfered enough already? It's not cool to show favoritism towards your kids, Half-Dollar Bill Spencer. You better be careful -- one son might shoot the other. Don't believe me? Ask Ridge and Thorne.

I'm glad Wyatt put Bill in his place about taking sides about the Liam/Hope/Wyatt triangle. Wyatt is right. Hope is single. Liam put a ring on it, and he (Wyatt) took it off. She's free to see whomever she pleases. What really irritated me was when Bill told Wyatt that Liam and Hope were in a relationship first and that Wyatt should respect that. "You stand by your family. You don't interfere!" I had to rewind my DVR to make sure I had heard this hypocrite correctly.

I guess Quinn had to have Bill repeat himself as well. She was eavesdropping when she heard Bill advise their son to let Liam and Hope have a chance at happiness. Quinn wanted to know why Wyatt's happiness should be sacrificed for Liam's.

Yes, Bill is correct. Hope and Liam were in a relationship first. However, Bill didn't respect that. He pushed Steffy into that relationship, and he has interfered on numerous occasions. Now Liam, the sorry sap that can't seem to fight his own battles and has daddy fight his battles for him, wants Bill to make Wyatt stop pursuing Hope? Really?

Anyway, back to Quinn and Bill. The last few minutes of the show made me crack up. Quinn grabbed Bill's sword necklace and said, "See, it's been so long, but I remember the day I gave this to you. It represented how I saw you, fiercely protected, strong as steel, a man who would never, ever turn his back on his blood."

She then scratched him with the sword necklace, and he started to bleed. Bill was obviously freaked out and a little turned on by this. She then got blood on her finger and licked it off, saying, "Revenge tastes so sweet." Honestly, that was the highlight of the show this week. I need more Quinn on my screen, please! She is a force to be reckoned with.

Speaking of Half-Dollar, doesn't he still own 49% of Spencer Publications? (He's not CEO. Quinn gladly reminded him of that little tidbit.) Doesn't he have money in the bank? Why is he shacking up with his son? Bill needs to stop being lazy and just get a penthouse or something. I thought it was funny when he kept reminding Liam that the beach house was technically his house.

Bill claims that he loves both Katie and Brooke. I don't think he does. I think that Bill loves money, power, and himself. I remember way back when Bill and Katie first got together, Katie was the only woman for him. She made him want to be a better man. She challenged him. She wasn't a "yes, sir" kind of woman. He liked it -- liked being the operative word.

Brooke is the complete opposite. He claims that Brooke accepts him, flaws and all. She supports him with whatever we wants to do. She's a "whatever you want, Bill" type of woman. He likes that too.

So, here's my take on this situation. Bill loves Katie. She was his first love. She was the first woman who got him to open his heart completely. She opened his eyes to the importance of family. She's also the one who fought death to bring his youngest son into the world. For that, I think he'll always be grateful.

Bill is in love with Brooke. He's captivated by her sex appeal. He likes the fact that she seemed to support him in whatever he did. I mean, Bill has gone to lengths to destroy her daughter's happiness, and she slept with him and accepted an engagement ring from him. But now that Brooke betrayed Bill with the envelope of leaves, does he still want her? Apparently.

It seems like Brooke is still very hesitant on her breakup with Bill. Although, I do believe she was somewhat sorry for what she did to her sister, I still think that deep down inside, Brooke wants to forgive Bill about his duplicity towards her and Katie.

During the whole confrontation, Brooke kept saying, "You lied to Katie, and worst of all, you lied to me." No one gets away with hurting my sister like that. Doesn't Brooke realize that this isn't the first time Bill has hurt Katie? Why does he seem to be the scum of the earth now? Is it because he played on Brooke's emotions as well?

I think that Brooke and Katie's relationship can be salvaged. It won't happen overnight. It will take time. There's really no trust there. I mean, can you really blame Katie for not trusting her sister? Just the look on Brooke's face alone is a dead giveaway that she's still in love with Bill. Be strong, Brooke. Put your sister before the mister.

I'd like to see Brooke get involved with Forrester business again. Get her back in the lab, creating a new formula or something. How about going through a sickness. Something like posttraumatic stress disorder from the time that creepy Andy guy assaulted her. Or have her really grieve the death of Stephanie. I'm tired of her being in a scandal.

Here are my thoughts on the triangle that is turning into a quadrilateral. Hope will make a final decision and decide to give Liam one more chance. Wyatt will suddenly develop an interest in Aly, prompting Hope to be jealous. Aly will find out Wyatt was just using her to get to Hope and will be heartbroken. Wyatt will then actually have genuine feelings for Aly. All of this will leave Hope with a bad taste in her mouth.

Or it could go a totally different way. Hope could actually choose to be with Wyatt. She'll be happy for a while. Then Aly and Liam will take comfort in each other, which will prompt Hope to be jealous and then remember her epic love story with Liam. Aly and Liam will be happy, and Hope will tell Liam that she loves him and has to be with him. When she kisses him, Aly sees and runs off crying, feeling rejected.

What are your thoughts on the latest shenanigans of the Forrester, Spencer, and Logan families? Are you as tired of Hope and her men as I am? Are you happy that Thorne's daughter finally came home? Do you think that Brooke and Katie's relationship can be saved? Share your "you scoops" on the Soap Central message boards or the comments section. Send us some email or leave a voicemail. And then, there's a little thing called Facebook below. Your comments could end up in a future column. Like these!

So it's okay for Quinn to butt into the Hope/Wyatt/Liam relationship by sending the video Liam made of himself and Steffy to Hope. Yet it's a problem when Bill suggests that Wyatt leave Hope alone? Regarding that last scene in which Quinn stuck Bill with the sword necklace & tastes his blood; that was psycho and weird. I still believe that there is more to Quinn and Wyatt that has not come to surface yet. -- Mrs. Andy Gibb

Yeah, Mrs. Gibb, I said the same thing in regards to meddling in the relationships. The whole sword necklace thing was a shocker. I didn't really expect her to taste the blood. But when she did, I saw a little chemistry between them.

Hope hasn't been lying to either of her suitors, and she isn't obligated to tell either of them the details of her life. Both Liam and Wyatt know this game. If Hope commits to either one...ok, then they deserve the whole story. But right now, it is all fun and games. -- Penny B.

I agree with what you're saying, Penny. You are correct. I don't see a ring on Hope's finger. What aggravates me is that Hope has always said that she would never treat Liam, or anyone for that matter, the way Liam treated her during the Liam/Hope/Steffy ordeal. Mind you, I love the fact that Liam is getting a taste of his own medicine. It's just getting kind of old now.

I like the fact that Aly looks a bit nerdy and intellectual. We don't need more Hopes, Steffys or other glam girls. We need a smart, slightly nerdy, REAL girl like Aly. I hope they keep her that way because not every woman needs to act like a vixen (Steffy) or princess (Hope). -- Abbott & Newman

The Thorne/Aly interaction was the sweetest, most genuine thing I've seen on this soap in a very long time. I am amazed at how natural their father/daughter bond seemed. I love both of them and their relationship and I just hope that Thorne will not disappear into the basement again. I am officially Team Thorne and Aly now. -- AnnMagda

I so agree with both of you. I also loved seeing the Darla and Sally flashbacks.

I said it before I will say it again. Bill loves no one but Bill. Brooke is just the "Fun for the moment girl'. Katie made him want to be a better man. Right now that is not the flavor of the month he wants. It is typical. People usually cheat when they are looking for excitement. They want to be with stable when they think of serious. When he gets tired of Brooke he will be begging Katie for real to take him back. -- CINTA

It's like some of you are in my head. I agree 100% with this comment.

Well, Mike will be back with you next week to serve a hearty helping of Thanksgiving SCOOPS. I can't wait to see what the Forrester, Logan, and Spencer families are serving for the main course. But before I go, I'd like to leave you with a few thoughts.

• Bill said that he loves both Katie and Brooke. But who is he really in love with?
• Will Hope chose Liam, the man that she has been yearning for since the beginning of time? Or will it be Wyatt, the handsome prince who gave her that magical kiss?
• Does Aly have a crush?
• Will the Logan sisters ever be sisters again?
• What do you think will happen when Ridge, Steffy, and RJ step back on the scene?

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