It was a big week on Bold & Beautiful thanks to backstage drama at the fashion show and Liam’s reaction to his fatal diagnosis. What worked, what didn’t? Let’s dive in…
Can we just take a moment to sing the praises of Scott Clifton? I know, I do that pretty regularly, but it’s well-earned. After watching this week’s performances, I couldn’t help thinking there’s not much point in anyone else submitting themselves in the Outstanding Lead Actor category next year.
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As Liam railed at the heavens and denied what he was being told, most viewers seemed to agree with his “I can’t be dying” declaration. After all, this is Liam we’re talking about. This is Clifton. They ain’t gonna let the character go. Not when they can continue to play the Finn/Steffy/Liam/Hope quadrangle for another 15 years, ala Brooke/Ridge/Taylor. (More on that trio momentarily.)
But honestly, that’s exactly why Liam has to die. A good soap writer will always take the most dramatic route possible. When the audience expects a zig, you zag. Especially when said audience has good reason to believe you couldn’t, you wouldn’t, you dare not zag.
Play It Again, Sam
This is a show notorious for doing the whole wash/rinse/repeat thing where storylines are concerned. The less things change, the more they stay the same. So it’s understandable that the audience is watching Liam’s Sturm und Drang with a weary, cynical eye. “We just did this exact same story with Eric,” they’re thinking. And they’re 100 percent right.
Which is why Liam has to die.
The fallout of Liam’s death would define the word “epic.” There’s so much story to tell in the weeks ahead. Does Steffy tell Hope? What about Bill, who is currently on the outs with his son but would spend every last dime trying to find a way to save him? Will Wyatt return to be there for his brother’s final days?
Is it crazy to think they would kill Liam? Sure… but no crazier than a nine-toed murderer becoming a romantic heroine or her serial killer granddaughter being pardoned. (Consider the impact of Liam’s demise in this new photo gallery.)
Lights! Models! Guest List!
Confession: I’m not a huge fan of Heidi and Spencer… or influencers in general. But it was a fun idea — and felt like a real-world possibility — to have Forrester “collab” with the reality-TV star by having the models sashay down the runway to her song. It kinda worked. I also loved that they recreated the very first episode, which also featured a fashion show. Didn’t pick up on that? Watch the clips below. It’s kinda awesome!
Less awesome was Steffy hanging out at Forrester, smiling and acting as if nothing was going on. Why wasn’t Finn there, so she could duck into a corner and talk to him about how stressful it was putting on a show when nobody else knew what was going on?
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It was fun seeing the backstage action, but I found a lot of what was going on involved people being… well, flat-out rude, especially where Taylor was concerned! Katie rolling her eyes at Taylor, not to mention the way Brooke treated her. And I get that Eric is 100 percent #TeamBrooke, but teaming up with her to turn the fashion show into a visual slapping down of Taylor and Ridge’s relationship seemed out of line to me. Also, in what universe would Ridge and Steffy — you know, the co-CEOs of the company? — sign off on the idea of sending a showstopper down the aisle without either of them having a clue as to what it looked like?
Random Thoughts
• So Deacon thinks that Liam — who broke Hope’s heart over and over again — deserves a billionth chance, but Carter doesn’t? Sure, Jan.
• I don’t love Sheila and Deacon being played for romantic comedy, but they did have this week’s best lines. First, there was him suggesting, “They could have named a breakfast waffle after Liam. It would have to be vegan, right? Are waffles vegan?” Then there was this exchange:
SHEILA: This is what gets men in trouble.
DEACON: Well, it’s one of the things!
• When Ridge took an opportunity to sing Carter’s praises at the fashion show, we should have had a cutaway to Hope watching via livestream. Meanwhile, Hope telling Carter that she, Liam and Beth are still a family was definitely a case of the writers telling us something instead of showing us. I don’t even remember the last time we saw that particularly family unit interacting.
• I will never, ever get tired of the flashbacks to Brooke riding that little canoe into the Portofino fashion show. It’s simply iconic.
If — or should we say when — Liam dies, his will join the ranks of daytime’s most shocking demises. See who else has made that list in the gallery below!
