B&B Opinion: Deacon and Sheila Sizzle in a Pervy Way, Irresponsible Parenting From Hope and Thomas & No Consequences For Criminals

Insulting Fans with Silly Shocks, Neutered Villains, and Female Hysteria But No Actual Stories

Last week on The Bold and the Beautiful, Taylor confessed shooting Bill to Brooke and Katie, Steffy forbid her mother to turn herself in, and Katie and Sheila had another catty confrontation that ended with a threat.

This week, Douglas shocked Thomas and Hope by choosing Steffy as his guardian, Brooke invited Taylor to move into her mansion (unfortunately not a cheeky metaphor) and Deacon made another play for Sheila.

Douglas finds his way out

I wonder if any of the B&B writers know what it’s like for an abused kid like Douglas to spend time with his abuser and be told the abuser loves him, as Thomas keeps telling his son. 

That kind of confusing message equating love and abuse sticks in a kid’s brain somewhere forever.

Some of you know terrifying that is – to love the parent who’s supposed to take care of you but to live in fear of the abuse they inflict on you.

It’s insulting to the show’s many fans who are also child abuse survivors to be so careless about this subject. 

In a time when every media outlet is careful about what they present, the mishandling of Douglas’s story is a glaring oversight on the part of not just the show but the network, too.

douglas in family court B&B recaps
CBS

The drama is in the details

Letting Douglas decide where he lives seems to me like exactly what rich, earthy-crunchy Californians would do… in that it’s stupid and not a thing responsible parents do.

“Who will Douglas give the final parent rose to?” was so eye-wateringly dumb, I figure it had to come from someone who’s never watched a soap opera or has any understanding of raising a child.

No psychological evaluation, no social worker, no family members giving their opinion. Just a child making their own legal decision before a judge, while his abuser pressures him to “pick me pick me!”

Laying all this stuff on a kid is really messed up. I hope the Forresters have set up a generous trust fund for all the therapy Douglas is going to need.

hope frets douglas wants to live with steffy B old and Beautiful recaps SoapsSpoilers
CBS

The trouble with Thomas

This week, as in every week, Thomas seemed very annoyed at all the effort he’s having to make to convince Hope to trust him again. Is that the vibe you get, too?

I think the writers want us to be into Thomas, but his smug attitude and careless way with people’s feelings don’t make him seem like a reliable father or in any way trustworthy.

Is Thomas going to be a bad guy or a good guy? I’d prefer he was somewhere in between, but B&B doesn’t do shades of gray in their characters and that always limits story options.

Instead of circling the drain on this custody story for the second time in less than a year, the writers need to decide what they want to do with Thomas before we all stop caring.

thomas talks baby doll voice B&B recaps
CBS

Deacon and Sheila have heat!

I can’t believe I’m saying this – Deacon and Sheila are the only interesting thing happening on B&B

The twosome that just a few months ago I wanted to never see again, now seem to be the only reason to watch the show.

Deacon and Sheila may not have a story, but they have heat and pervy kind of sizzle together that neither has with anyone else. 

There are times when writers need to scrap planned story and write a new plot capitalizing on actor chemistry. This is one of those times.

sheila fights attraction to deacon Bold and Beautiful recaps SoapsSpoilers
CBS

What should happen next for Sheacon?

B&B would be wise to get Deacon and Sheila together, get them scheming and get them in trouble!

Deacon could find out his investors are setting up an illegal operation to run through the restaurant, so he gets Sheila to help him work with his shady new bosses.

Or Bill could find out Deacon and Sheila are having an affair and stage an elaborate revenge on them. 

Or Sheila could pick up that stash of cash she mentioned months ago, somehow buy up shares of Forrester and get a seat at the boardroom table. 

DRAMA!

sheila deacon pizza bold and beautiful recaps soapsspoilers
CBS

 

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Taylor’s female hysteria

This week, we finally got an explanation from Taylor for why she shot Bill – and it was it a dud.

Taylor gave a lot details about that fateful night, but it seemed mostly like an outdated concept of “female hysteria.”

The problem is, no excuse will work because I just don’t believe Taylor didn’t know what came over her when she shot Bill in the back.

When Ridge lied and said Bill raped Steffy, Taylor wanted to kill Bill and what mother couldn’t understand that?

Taylor may have gone off the deep end, but she knew what she was doing when she picked up that golden gun and shot Bill. That’s the truth and that’s where the dramatic story potential is.

taylor mirror bold and beautiful recaps soapsspoilers
CBS

Actions should have consequences

Just to be clear, Taylor deserves whatever the law decides for her, regardless of and separate what Sheila has done and not been punished for. 

They’re both criminals, albeit of different breeds. 

But let’s get real about how the law applies to people like the Forresters and the Logans – rich, white folks with connections typically have a very different experience with criminal justice.

In the real world, Taylor’s hysteria excuse and a friendly judge could result in nothing more than a slap on the wrist. 

One day picking up garbage at the farmer’s market and Taylor’s debt to society would be paid!

If the writers really want to put Taylor through soapy hell, they shouldn’t be afraid to blow up her life. 

Taylor confessing her crime, facing a trial, losing her license and business, and finding a new career path would have years of dramatic consequences and iconic scenes.

That’s the kind of story I watch soaps for – to see a woman fall all the way down to her lowest point and climb her way back up again, doling out some sweet revenge along the way.

DRAMA!

taylor writing on couch bold and beautiful recaps soapsspoilers
CBS

Plot points but no stories

Why make just a few characters dumb when you can write a story plot point that requires not only the entire cast but the whole world to be dumb?

That seems to be the B&B writers’ mantra post-COVID when long-form stories were abandoned for shock moments full of plot holes that spiked ratings with little creative effort.

The sad fact is B&B just doesn’t do soap opera stories anymore. Have you noticed it, too?

Most of the show is made of surprising plot points like the reveal of Bill and Sheila’s affair or Douglas’s custody hearing (more on that later) strung together with weeks of characters recapping that plot point repeatedly until the next story plot point falls from the sky.

There’s no excuse for this lazy storytelling style. B&B has a rich history of colorful characters, decades-long rivalries, and iconic moments to inspire and inform new stories.

Instead, we’re getting nonsense like Sheila being set free and a child deciding his own custody.

Silly moments that require fans to forget everything they know about the real world and the very history of this show do nothing but make the show look bad.

brooke rouses taylor B&B recaps
CBS

Quote of the week!

Brooke, to Taylor: “I’m sure the time will come when there’s another man in your life and in my life and we need to agree that it’s not gonna be the same man.”

Well, at least not at first!

taylor moves in with brooke B&B recaps today
CBS

What do you think? 

Will Steffy take a child she didn’t ask for?

Will Deacon tempt Sheila away from Bill with the promise of endless pizza?

Will Taylor admit the real reason she shot Bill?

Leave a comment and feel free to read more of my opinions on B&B on SoapsSpoilers, which includes some fun alternative storytelling ideas!

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