Over the years, Bold & Beautiful has scene literally dozens of characters come and go. Some, such as the O.G. Sally Spectra, will never be forgotten. Others… well, let’s just say nobody is sitting around wishing Samantha Kelly would show up to redesign the offices of Forrester Creations. (Even as you read this, you’re trying to picture her, aren’t you? Maybe the photo below will help!)
“Nope, I’m afraid I got nothin’.”
Credit: Aaron Montgomery/JPI
But if there’s one character whose absence truly changed the canvas forever — and whose presence we miss on a near-daily basis — it would be that of the late, great Stephanie Douglas Forrester, played by the inimitable Susan Flannery. When the wildly-talented winner of numerous Daytime Emmy Awards decided to leave the show in 2012, her beloved alter ego was diagnosed with lung cancer and eventually died in the arms of longtime nemesis Brooke Logan.
It was without doubt the end of an era, and a storyline twist which reduced us to tears and forever changed the course of both the Forrester family and the show on which their lives unfurl.
While fans tend to become extremely upset when a soap’s well-established history is upended, something tells us most Bold & Beautiful viewers would welcome a Stephanie return with open arms. “But she died, right there in front of our eyes,” naysayers might whine. Our response? So did (insert the name of numerous characters, including Macy Alexander, Sheila Carter and Taylor Hayes).
In fact, perhaps it was one of those not-as-dead-as-formerly-believed characters who has been keeping Stephanie hidden away from the world as she recovered from her very very very near brush with death: Her daughter, Felicia Forrester.
“Trust me, Felicia. Some day, you’ll have an opportunity to return the favor!”
Credit: Aaron Montgomery/JPI
You might recall that years ago, Stephanie allowed everyone to believe that Felicia lost her own battle with cancer, supposedly dying in her mother’s arms. In reality, Stephanie had spirited her off for treatment. Given this show loves nothing more than to repeat revisit past storylines, it’s not hard to imagine them reversing the fortunes of these two characters. Might Felicia have returned the favor, so to speak, by taking mom Stephanie somewhere to recover?
If there’s one major fly in the ointment, it is that Flannery has made it clear that she is loving retirement, meaning it’s darn near impossible for us to imagine her returning to the soap. And while we’ve definitely declared Stephanie a character who could (and should) never be recast… well, never say never, right? Desperate times call for desperate measures, and fan dissatisfaction with current Bold & Beautiful storylines have left us thinking that’s the case here. The real question — which you should head to the comment section to answer — is who in the world could even possibly step into the role?
