Has your week been bold and beautiful? Did you do more than kiss the cook? Did you discover that blood is thicker than trophies? Did you seriously call out your incubator? These and more situations faced the Forresters this week!
Well, it's Valentine's Day, kiddies, and appropriately enough, love was the topic of the week. Let's start with the most obvious -- Whip, Taylor, and their developing relationship. We've all been there -- out with a new someone while still hung up on our ex. But Ridge's name sure came up a lot during this "Kiss the Cook" date, didn't it! Whip's references started to smack of insecurity, and why not, after Taylor admitted she still fantasizes about Ridge! It was dinner and dancing there for a while, with Whip and Taylor moving forward, then waltzing back, by each setting up roadblocks to their wonderful evening.
Thankfully, the normally playful Whip got serious (how endearing that he was so awkward trying to talk about his feelings!), and the normally serious Taylor got playful ("Jonesy" has to be an instant classic). Even taking the next step and making love felt natural. And hey -- not only did we get great continuity with recovering alcoholic Taylor choosing water over wine, but we finally got to see Whip's apartment! No more dates at Jackie M! This is the best coupling B&B has coupled in a long time. More more more!
Now for love with splinters. Bridget Marone is mad as hell and she's not going to take it anymore! For the most part, can you blame her? Still carrying scars from Deacon's machinations years ago would be enough by itself to make her go ballistic in the face of another betrayal -- real or perceived. But our boy Nick has an unfortunate history of hurting Bridget, even if he genuinely seems to be reforming now. Fans haven't forgotten about Brooke and Katie, and Bridget hasn't, either. So it's understandable that Bridget would lash out after more secrets were kept from her, even though Nick was only asked to keep them and not trying to cover up any wrongdoing on his part.
Still, here's hoping Bridget's fury doesn't escalate. Ashley Jones is probably having a blast playing the doctor-designer with a backbone, and sure, it was great fun watching her rip down the banner at the impromptu Jackie M party (didn't Jackie, Owen, Pam, and Whip feel like extras during that scene instead of contract players?). But Bridget will do a lot more damage to her marriage than her surrogate will if she keeps blowing up -- and signs indicate that the volcano isn't finished erupting. Bridget says she doesn't blame Nick for the secret-keeping, and she only wants a healthy baby. Well, she ain't gonna get one if she keeps antagonizing its birth mother!
You'll notice I haven't used The Incubator's name just yet. That's because, to quote Jackie, "We are all just a little bit confused." She's Sandy Sommers! But her real name is Agnes. But wait! She likes to be called Aggie! Never mind that "Aggie" isn't much of a soap opera name (my genuine apologies to the Aggies of the world), but it all begs the question -- did Agnes Jones change her name legally? Between signing surrogacy contracts (apparently as Sandy Sommers, or Bridget wouldn't want to have the contract rewritten) and the paperwork that allows her to get paid at Jackie M, she would need government-issued ID that bears one name or the other. Yet, it was mail addressed to Agnes Jones that revealed her identity to Nick. Aside from not knowing what to call her now (she seems much more like a Sandy), there are still plenty of unanswered questions -- like why she dyed her hair after she appeared, and why the whole surrogacy arrangement seemed so shady at first. "I might as well have picked a stranger off the street," Bridget fumed. Well, honey...you sorta did. Bridget needs to take some responsibility for not checking Sandy's background herself. She's lucky she didn't find someone with way more sinister intentions!
But The Artist Formerly Known As Sandy and her newfound feelings for Nick aren't sinister -- just inconvenient. It was great that Brooke came to Bridget's defense -- almost as if she's trying to make up for her own...ahem...interference with her daughter's marriages. But there's a very slippery slope here. Aggie says she won't act on her feelings -- but how many other ways can this story go now? And if Nick eventually responds, then his character will be ruined for good, given his already dubious history with Bridget, Brooke, Taylor, Katie, Felicia -- the list goes on. Maybe Aggie could have the baby -- but then go psycho and stalk Nick and Bridget! Or, at the very least, petition to keep the baby, which is how most surrogacy stories go. Anything less than giving Nick and Bridget something to fight for together, and Jack Wagner will be hoping the new Melrose is still around to take him back.
Quick question: what was up with mentioning that Oliver is staying at Owen's beach house? Don't Bill and Katie live there now? Are there two beach houses? "We are all just a little bit confused"!
Speaking of the Spencers, they sure teetered closer to Divorce Court in record time! We barely saw hide nor hair of Bill for a month, and suddenly he and Katie are at war -- because Steffy is trying to see more of Bill's hide than hair. At least the story is starting to move, because when Ridge declared for the billionth time that he feels like he's in a cage, the audience probably did, too. Being February Sweeps and all, someone probably decided it's time to get to the point already. But what was up with Ridge smashing that award and then smearing blood on his face? What weird attempt at drama was that? And then Ridge says his blood on Katie's desk is symbolic? Valley girl Katie would definitely say "Eww" if she found out. Doesn't Ridge have his own office to break things in?
Steffy ramping up her vamping by making sure Donna got an eyeful may not have been all that realistic, but the ensuing fight between Katie and Bill was. It almost felt like we were peeking into the window of a real battling couple -- of course, Steffy was doing that already. Now, my dislike of Steffy can't have gone unnoticed in my columns so far. But there was something in her impish flirting, her determination, her brazenness, that somehow made her seem not as annoying this week. You still have to question her logic, though. Buy back the company, Steffy? With what -- your lunch money? True, Katie shouldn't bail on Bill whenever there's a problem, but how does Steffy figure "whatever happens, Katie only has herself to blame"? Katie's not making anyone play tonsil hockey over there. And how exactly does Steffy know about Bill's feelings of abandonment? Was she also lurking outside when Bill confessed that to Katie? Because Katie was the only one he admitted it to.
Toot toot -- hah -- beep beep! Steffy's making herself one of Donna Summer's bad girls, essentially prostituting herself to make Bill relinquish control of Forrester. Yet, I get the feeling Steffy is only play-acting -- and Bill knows it. Her expression said she was in way over her head once Bill started seriously responding to her come-ons. Could Bill simply be testing Steffy to see how far she'll go? Not that it matters, because it's all about to hit the fan in more ways than one. Katie is literally "in da house," about to catch her husband busting a serious move on Steffy. (Wouldn't she have seen Steffy's car outside? Unless Steffy parked down the street.) Plus, Ridge is getting closer to finding out how much of a "bad girl" his daughter is being. Personally, I hope Katie does tell Ridge about it! But will Ridge pull a Bridget and be mad at Brooke for not admitting she already knew about Steffy's antics? Because what Brooke and Ridge don't need right now is yet another reason to almost break up.
Much as the prospect of the company being returned to the Forresters pleases me, I'm concerned that some of the welcome shake-ups caused by the takeover might be unshook -- most specifically, if Stephanie were to return to Forrester. Joining Jackie M has been the best thing to happen to her maybe ever. She's never been this likable. Yes, Stephanie is -- and always has been -- a force to be reckoned with, and we love her that way, but I'd hate to see her become a shrew again. And what would Jackie M do without Team Stephanie? Does Forrester really need her back? I'm just saying.
Well, that's all the Scoop I've got for you guys this week. Thanks, as always, for letting me pop off about all things B&B -- I do welcome feedback! And you can do some popping off of your own here on the soapcentral.com message boards. See you next time, and whether you've got a Valentine or not (I've certainly been on both sides!), let's make the day a celebration of all the different kinds of love we're lucky enough to have in our lives. Most of all, don't forget to be bold!
