Without a special Thanksgiving episode this year, I thought the show would skip the holiday altogether. After all, Eric probably wouldn't want to host Thanksgiving while he's coughing blood into the cranberry sauce. And seriously, whose house was Liam going to this year when he can't stomach Hope and Thomas, and Finn can't stomach Liam? I was wrong. Apparently, they did gather in some fashion for Thanksgiving, and I'm intrigued to know how it went.
Did the family pretend not to notice R.J. steadying Eric's trembling hand as Eric struggled to cut the bird? It's a wonder that Zende's dagger glares didn't kill R.J. before he could pass the gravy. Finn probably invited Li, and R.J. invited Luna and Poppy, seating Poppy conveniently to Li's right. If so, I would have paid good money to hear Li compliment Poppy -- I mean, Penelope -- as Bill looked on, silently puzzling about what hotel he'd bedded Poppy in.
As the praises of the person on the right continued, I can only imagine Finn glowering at Liam, who probably strategically placed Steffy on his right. I have no doubt hearing Liam laud Steffy would have sent Hope colliding with the nearest sink for some Thomas praise sex in Eric's bathroom. Outside the door, Douglas would tell Beth, "You hear that? Mommy likes my daddy better than your daddy now."
Frankly, I don't know how Eric made it through the Thanksgiving holiday without a stack of handkerchiefs and a biohazard basket at his feet. Somehow, he survived, and the family pretended not to know he might die. Elsewhere in the city, Sheila and Deacon made the most of it on their own, despite the fact that their children didn't want them around. Finn understandably wouldn't give thanks to the woman who'd shot him, and Hope excluded Daddy Dearest to punish him for putting his happiness before her.
When Deacon called Hope over to discuss missing her and the kids for Thanksgiving and to have a word with her about Thomas, I thought maybe the writers were ready to pick the bones of the hypocritical turkey in the room. Hope and Deacon each claim to worry about the other's choice of mate, and I hoped they'd find common ground in both caring for people that others deemed crazy and/or dangerous. I figured Hope would see that she had more in common with her father than she thought due to the grace they showed people in need of redemption.
This could have been the start of the town softening just a tad bit toward Sheila, because if they don't, this character is boxed in. Who better to extend the first olive branch than the ever-loving and ever-forgiving Hope? The woman that Deacon believes sees the best in people? Deacon has tremendous faith in his daughter to love and forgive. Hope could have been the bridge to bring Sheila at least into a place where people could see her and not sock her in the face.
But no. That's not what happened. Hope's bitterness toward Sheila proves that Hope isn't the forgiving person Deacon wants to believe she is. If Hope really believed in redemption, she would have asked her father what made him believe that Sheila had changed. Instead, Hope went off about how he hurt her with his choice of mate.
Imagine if Brooke told Hope that Hope had hurt Brooke by choosing Thomas. What if Brooke had told Hope that, after all Thomas had done to Brooke, Brooke couldn't allow Hope access to Brooke's life as long as Hope was with Thomas?
Hope asserted that Thomas was a saint compared to Sheila. Before we give Thomas a date of his own on the calendar, let's remember that Rick will never start a car without caution, and when he smells gasoline, he probably always thinks of Thomas. The last time I checked, setting off bombs in relatives' cars and sprinkling their front doors with gasoline are attempted murder. The only difference between those things Thomas did to Rick, and Sheila loading bees into Lance's apartment is that Lance actually died, and Hope should thank God that Rick survived Thomas. When that psychiatrist fell off that balcony, how was that any different from Thomas and the Emma road-rage incident?
I should have known Hope wasn't there to be honest with Deacon or to mend fences the moment she tried to tell Deacon she didn't have time to talk because she had to get back to work. What work? The work of banging Thomas on the drafting table? HFTF has been shelved. There is nothing to do around Forrester except working Thomas' zipper.
Hope refused to let Deacon around her children because of his association with Sheila. She should be careful about using her kids as bargaining chips. When she tried that with Taylor, who'd shot Bill, it ended in baby-napping. Then there was the time she forced the same ultimatum on Brooke if Brooke didn't force Ridge to let Deacon come and go at the mansion as he pleased. Hope even threatened to move out of the cabin. Look at how that ended up.
Now Hope is at it again, carving the grandfather the kids missed and loved out of their lives because Deacon hurt Hope by (in Hope's mind) choosing Sheila over Hope. Hope railed against Deacon for choosing himself over her.
Umm, wait a minute. Isn't that what Hope is doing right now? Isn't Hope telling everyone who'll listen that she will do what she wants to do, and no one will stop her? Didn't she even defy her boss who tried to stop her from having sex in the office? Isn't Hope declaring to everyone that she was making herself a priority? However, Deacon cannot do that, too?
Hope wants people to treat her like a grown woman, but she is talking to her father as if she is a nine-year-old child. She even told Deacon that he hadn't considered how his relationship would affect her or the family, but if she took the time to listen to him, she'd learn that all he did the whole time he was attracted to Sheila was to fight it for Hope's sake.
It's easy to launch off into a debate about who's worse, Sheila or Thomas; however, the point is respecting people's decisions. Hope wants everyone to respect her decisions and judgments, but she'll be damned if she accepts theirs in return. The way she acted with Deacon showed this viewer that she can't stand it unless she is the center of attention in the lives of every man she associates with. Hope freezes Deacon out because, in her words, he'd gone and made Sheila more a part of his life than Hope was. Hope runs out and cheats on Liam because he dared to still have love for his ex and baby mama in his heart. Thomas' days on that Hope tightrope are numbered. If he dares put anything or anyone above Hope, he's toast.
Lastly, Hope told Deacon there were consequences for his actions. If that's true, I would love Hope to reap some consequences for her relationship with the family maniac. I would love for Liam to tell her that she can't have access to Beth as long as she's with Thomas. It would be great if Beth herself told Hope that she can't condone her mom running around with a man who was happy to mourn Beth's death on her every birthday.
Speaking of death, we heard way too much about it this week, and I now get why Eric doesn't want his family to know he's dying. It's because he doesn't want his family worrying him about hospitals and treatments. He doesn't want them mourning him to his face instead of enjoying the time that he is actually there. With all the crying, the long faces, and scrambling around him like a paramedics team each time he coughed, R.J., Katie, and Donna are driving him into an early grave with all the nagging. He's now burdened with reassuring them instead of comforting himself, and if everyone let on that he knew, the queue of people he'd have to console would be longer than Santa's line at the mall.
And that's not fair.
The family claims they want to be there to tell him they love him and support him. They can do that without revealing what they know. I'll bet if they knew, each one of them would walk up to him at his desk as if it's a casket and cry and boo-hoo for themselves and what they are losing the whole time. No, I'm glad Eric is skipping that. They can mourn when he's dead. However, Eric is getting on my nerves about designing. He needs to sit his butt down and rest. Just like the mourning can wait, the gowns can wait.
Eric already created a legacy in the world that will live on forever -- his family. Now is the time to spend with them, not working himself into a frenzy over lace and diamonds. I understand why he wants to do it, but his family is the thing he should be enshrining in the vault of his heart, not the dresses in some Forrester vault.
Another thing that wasn't fair was Ridge's insistence that Zende, Eric's grandson who lives with Eric, not be told about Eric's illness. However, Ridge said Carter "deserves" to know because he's "family." Yes, Carter is overseeing changes to Eric's will, but that's a weak sauce reason to decide Carter should know. Lawyers oversee changes like that all the time, and they are not suspicious. Telling Zende to relieve tension in the family, however, would have been a valid reason to go against Eric's wishes. Plus, how can Ridge insist that he won't go against Eric's wishes again, but then he turns around and tells his BFF Carter? I don't know. Zende might be right. It's looking like favoritism to me.
Oh, and in just one last random thought, who was expecting Eric to ask Donna to marry him before he collapsed? Eric changed his will and power of attorney. I assume he took Quinn off it finally, but what is he leaving Donna, I wonder?
Next week, Eric has collapsed, and Donna panics. It would have been nice if Donna had asked Dr. Colby what to do if Eric actually did pass out. I guess that along with the change in his will and power of attorney, Eric should have drafted some sort of living will to direct Donna in how to proceed when he can no longer decide his own treatment. Should she send for an ambulance and let him wake up in the ER, or respect his wishes and let the chips fall where they may?
Zende goes after R.J. again about his new rank at Forrester. R.J. went against Eric's wishes and told Luna, so for the love of fashion, can he please do it again and tell Zende?
Eric sends out his invitations to his party off-screen, and apparently, only Thorne and Bridget can make it. Maybe if Eric told Felicia and Kristen he was dying, they'd put off washing their hair to make the party. Surely, Rick would leave the ski slopes if he knew it was the last time he'd see dear old dad. Marcus would definitely return to help his mom with his adoptive dad. Ridge should have called and told them the full truth to make sure they all showed up.
Eric's party forges ahead without them and without Finn, who has decided to do some evening research instead of bulldog-guarding his wife from Liam at the party. Hopefully, Finn is looking into what might be killing his grandpa-in-law.
Lastly, Donna overhears the truth about the fashion challenge. Will she think it was a loving gesture for Ridge to forgo the win? Or will she be pissed because letting Eric win made him work even harder?
That's it. That's all the scoops! Until we scoop again, stay bold and beautiful, baby!
Chanel
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