Bold & Beautiful Mystery: Where’s the *Real* Bill Spencer? Plus, an As the World Turns Flashback
History, schmistory. This week, Bold & Beautiful rewrote everything from Finn and Steffy’s wedding anniversary to Bill’s past with Poppy. In fact, it spent so much time recreating the past that it didn’t do much in terms of servicing present storyline. It did, however, set up what looks like some pretty big twists set to unfold during next week’s episodes. Ready to dive in? Let’s do it!
Repeat After Me
Is it just me, or is the repetitive dialogue getting worse with each passing week? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again (although I’d love never to have to): All this does is teach viewers that they don’t have to watch every day. Not a single new bit of information was shared nor story progress made during Tuesday’s episode. There was, however, a flashback to Luna and Li discussing the former’s paternity which started with the younger woman literally saying how great her childhood was. Which, of course, is diametrically opposed to all of Luna’s present-time dialogue — in the same episode — in which she ranted about what an awful mom Poppy had been.
Later, they tried to sell us on the fact that Bill always suspected Poppy was trouble. He spoke of there being something “wrong” and “off” with her, explaining that was probably why he never tried to find her.
Yet we sat through weeks and weeks of Bill getting downright doe-eyed when remembering the magical night they’d spent together, and we heard him say how much he regretted not reaching out to her later.
Jesus, take the wheel… and drive this show toward a continuity editor! Perhaps that person will also remind the writing team that Steffy and Finn were married in August. Then again, these are the same folks who named Steffy’s child after Taylor’s abusive first husband, so all bets are off.
Come to Papa!
Everyone in Los Angeles asking who Luna’s dad might be reminded me of a story Eileen Fulton — who played the iconic Lisa on As the World Turns — told during a cabaret show I saw years ago. She was talking about the early days on the show, when they weren’t allowed to say the word “pregnant.” For weeks, her character — who was having a baby — wandered around, hand on belly, saying, “How did this happen?”
As Fulton tells the story, a fan, fed up with the endlessly repeated question, sent a sex education pamphlet to the CBS studio along with a note: “Dear Lisa… this is how it happened!”
I couldn’t help recall this story as the show kept cutting from characters talking about Luna’s dad to Finn and the voices in his head. I had voices in my head, too, shouting things like, “You’re a doctor… run your own paternity test, dude!” and “So because she told you once you couldn’t possibly be the dad, based on nothing, you believed her?”
I assumed that by Friday, we’d know once and for all whether Finn fathered Luna, but no. Instead, we ended with him yet again pondering whether it might be true. (That said, the scenes for next week certainly made it hard to imagine those test results will reveal anything other than his tie to Luna.)
She’s Outta There
The week’s one big development came in the final moments of Friday’s episode. Poppy, apparently having decided that she needed to tell Luna the truth about her dad (likely before Finn figures it out), headed to the prison. Once there, she was told her daughter wasn’t there.
I’m willing to bet that next week, Poppy will be told that Luna’s been moved, perhaps into solitary confinement. But this again raises the question of just how long Bill plans to have a houseguest. Bill keeps saying that Luna has to prove to the world she’s changed. But how, given that nobody knows where she is (and presumably won’t for the next 20 or so years)?
How does her living in the lap of luxury as opposed to serving her sentence prove she’s changed or rehabilitated? Is she getting bonus points for not killing the gardener?
More: Romy Park spills the tea on Poppy’s secret!
Perhaps the biggest question of all is how the character of Bill rebounds from this. And I need him to, because Don Diamont has created one of the strongest, most fascinating men in all of daytime. I want the real Bill Spencer back, and I know I’m not alone.
A (Daphne) Rose By Any Other Name
In other news, Steffy set the irresistible-to-any-man-or-woman Daphne on Carter. During Friday’s episode, when Daphne said that everyone, male or female, wanted her and what she has, it occurred to me that this story would be a lot more interesting if Hope were the one to fall under Daphne’s spell.
This twist would also make more sense in a way. Over the past year or two, we’ve seen Hope following her heart from Liam to Thomas to Carter. Why not let her be drawn to Daphne, too? If this were to happen naturally and unexpectedly, it would also feel a lot less icky than what’s happening now: Steffy is essentially whoring Daphne out. Sure, Daphne seems OK with it, but I’m not sure why she would be.
I’m also not sure I get where this plan is going. Are we to assume that Carter and Hope breaking up would send him scurrying back to best friend Ridge, hat in hand? And if Daphne’s fragrances are as intoxicating as has been indicated by all the air sniffing and tinkly music, won’t the company make a small fortune… thus proving Carter was right all along?
Yeah, I don’t get it either.
Random Thought…
Why in the world is Jack spending so much time at Il Giardino? First, he went with Poppy for a post-paternity-test drink. The next day, he met Li there after assuring her he’d called to make sure Sheila wasn’t working. But why go to those lengths? I have it on good authority there are at least two other restaurants in the Los Angeles area… and that’s not even including the Peach Pit over in Beverly Hills!
