This week, the Spencers and the Forresters struggled in the aftermath of incidents that seem just a little too purposeful to be chalked up to accidents. Bill Spencer's "accidental" fall from his balcony might trigger a Spencer family reconciliation, but over in the Forrester camp, Eric's fragile family aprons strings just ripped from the hem when Quinn's boot heel sliced through Stephanie's precious portrait during a scuffle between Quinn and Pam.
Ridge and Thorne can't respect Bill as Will's father. Pam can't respect Quinn as the Forrester family matriarch. Brooke and Eric feel caught in the middle, but should it really be that much of a quandary for them to support their spouses? It might be easier for Brooke if her husband stopped committing crimes, but is it fair for Eric to have to choose between his wife and a woman who is practically like a sister to him?
Let's get two scoops deep in whether Pam is asking way too much to have her wedding at the Forrester mansion or if Quinn is being a little too cold to the woman who caters every family occasion without one complaint. While we're at it, we'll delve into how Ridge can hate Bill with every cell of his body but still expect anyone to believe he pushed Bill over the balcony by accident this week on The Bold and the Beautiful.
When Bill fell over his living room balcony, did anyone besides me yell, "Oh, man, not again?" Bill was just in the hospital, fighting for his life, about six months back. Not only that, but Bill isn't the only Spencer to accidentally do a backflip onto the family lawn. Caroline survived it without so much as a headache, so the question never was whether Bill would survive. Rather, the question that was and still looms is will Ridge go to jail for pushing Bill over the edge?
Thorne and Ridge called the paramedics after a brawl between them and Bill took a frightening turn when Bill wound up falling two stories from his own balcony. Bill's sons and the Forrester brothers' wives gathered at the hospital and questioned the unusually silent Thorne and Ridge about how the incident could have occurred and what business the Forrester boys even had for going to the Spencer estate to begin with.
"Bill hit us first!" Thorne and Ridge kept crying with all the honesty of third-grade playground bullies. Katie questioned why two adult men had to follow it up with a second, third, or tenth punch. She guessed talking to Bill about Brooke had just been so important. Brooke asked to be left out of it, and Katie quipped, "If only Bill could." In a rare moment, Katie and I completely saw eye to eye on things.
Wyatt was pissed off that Thorne and Ridge had been over at Bill's house, and Liam wanted to know what the men had expected to happen when they'd gone over there to double-team Bill. Ridge and Thorne kept claiming that they'd just wanted to talk to Bill, but no one, including Sanchez -- who still has Ridge on the shooting suspect list -- is buying that.
Wyatt and Liam have reached their ostracizing limit. Seeing Bill in the hospital again has shaken their resolve to remain angry at Bill until the end of time for the way his obsession with Steffy destroyed the family. Steffy might have to find herself a new social media manager because, from the way Wyatt was talking about sticking together as a family, I wouldn't be surprised if he returned to work at Spencer to help Bill once Bill recovers.
Maybe even Liam, too. Liam was at Bill's bedside, more torn than a dog choosing between a treat and a toy as he vacillated between his anger and concern for Bill. The Spencer brothers want to get to the bottom of whether the Forrester brothers intentionally threw their father off a balcony, and viewers have to wonder how the Spencer boys can keep drawing checks from the Forresters if they feel that the Forresters tried to kill their father.
It was an accident. That's Thorne and Ridge's story, and they are sticking to it, even if Ridge did confess to Sanchez that he did indeed push Bill. Sounds like attempted manslaughter to me, but I'll let the detective sort that out. Ridge needs to sort out how he can say he wishes he was the one who shot Bill, but he doesn't wish to see Bill, the man he'd beaten up and tossed over a balcony, dead. I guess Ridge thinks two plus two is five, too.
Ridge's feelings don't add up, and neither do Brooke's. Brooke can't stand violence. In fact, she walked out on her marriage to Bill when she learned Bill had punched Liam, but she was silent when Katie said "so what" in response to Thorne saying that Bill had thrown the first punch. One punch had done it for Brooke last year. Maybe she's a little more open-minded this year.
Brooke also took herself into Bill's room for a confusing pep talk aimed at rousing him after a long day of unconsciousness. She roused something within Bill, all right. Ridge, who has convinced himself that Bill is obsessed with him and not Brooke, wanted to snatch Brooke out of the room, but the others told Ridge to let her do it because it might be the last time they saw Bill.
Yeah, right. All Sleeping Sexy needed was to hear Brooke telling him to come back and find her, and his eyes fluttered open. Brooke told him that she was by his side, and she asked him to remember their time in all the exotic cities they'd been to around the world. The flashbacks Bill has been ruminating over for weeks now played on-screen, and Bill was back.
If Brooke thinks she can evoke those memories in Bill and still come out smelling like a Forrester matriarch, she's got another thing coming. Leave you out of it, Brooke? That's like trying to leave the mystery out of the Bermuda Triangle, because no matter what Ridge says about Bill being obsessed with Ridge, Brooke is the true center of their deadly triangle.
Speaking of Forrester matriarchs, Quinn is tired of Pam treading on her, and Quinn ain't gonna take it anymore. The problem is, Eric might not be able to take it, either, if Pam and Quinn persist in making him choose between the two women.
Eric insisted that Quinn bite her tongue, take her portrait down, and just suffer through Pam's big day. After all, it's just one day. Quinn contends that it's more than one day. It's all the days that Pam has antagonized Quinn about her place in the family, and it will be all the future days that Pam can gloat about getting her way in Quinn's house yet again.
When Eric wouldn't see things Quinn's way, Quinn tried to reason with Charlie about whether he really wanted to marry crazy-ass Pam. Charlie told Pam what Quinn had said. Oh, boy, what did he do that for? Pam melted like the lemon bar witch and stormed over to the mansion to confront Quinn.
Pam tried to explain to Quinn that Pam was already hiding having a nervous breakdown about the wedding, and she'd been trying to convince herself that she could get married and have a loving relationship. She didn't need Quinn undoing the progress she'd made.
Quinn tried to explain to Pam that Pam took every chance she got to put Quinn down and belittle her role in the family. Quinn didn't want to be marginalized in her own home, and she didn't want to constantly be put second to Eric's deceased wife. Oh, yeah, also, in Quinn's view, Pam is freaking crazy -- for real -- and Quinn wouldn't back down about it.
Pam wouldn't back down from her belief that Quinn was no Stephanie and no Forrester matriarch. Pam asserted that she was having her wedding at the house, and she'd have Stephanie's portrait on the wall. The women tussled over the portrait, and Quinn told Pam to let her dead sister go. Pam couldn't believe Quinn said it, and Pam yanked the portrait. Quinn swayed off balance and stepped through the bottom of the portrait, ripping it three-fourths of the way down to the frame.
Eric was mortified. Pam accused Quinn of doing it on purpose and of actually wanting to rid the house of Stephanie. Quinn denied it and told Pam to leave the house. Pam asked if Eric would really let Quinn throw her out. Eric said he couldn't choose between the two women he cared most about in the world, but Pam stated that he'd already chosen.
Alone with Quinn, Eric said he'd thought she'd understood his family ties. Quinn did understand them, but she also didn't think everyone who'd lived there should take priority over her wishes. He claimed he hadn't seen that side of her in a long time, but Quinn told him that it wasn't a side. It was her defending herself -- something he wasn't used to seeing.
When is it ever appropriate for a spouse be at liberty to choose between his or her spouse and someone else? Should Eric side with Pam over Quinn?
As for Brooke, after seeing what her relationship with Bill has done to her and Bill's families, is it wise for her to keep doing whatever she feels like in relation to Bill? Or is Ridge wrong to dictate her relationships with her exes?
Eric and Quinn are back on the front burner. It's refreshing to see them deal with an important real-life issue and an issue that delves into the roots of the Forrester family. Likewise, it's thrilling to see Pam and Charlie get a wedding and a storyline! I have always rooted for Pam and Charlie, and I have always rooted for Eric and Quinn. For me, the writers have created a conundrum. Who to root for? Quinn or Pam?
It's complicated trying to balance family life with in-laws, let alone ex-in-laws, and it's an even more touchy subject when the in-laws are still around after a spouse dies. In Pam's case, she might even be the last Douglas. Stephanie might be gone, but Pam is still Aunt Pam to Eric's children with Stephanie -- just as much as I'm still aunt to my nieces and nephews even if my siblings die before me. So, I have a hard time saying Pam has just got to go.
On the other hand, I have a hard time with Pam running all over Quinn, too. I never want to imagine my siblings' spouses marrying other people. I've never thought of what it would do to my place in their families; however, I also realize my boundaries and that I can't just take over people's homes or disrespect anyone's spouses regardless of familial ties.
I'm not crazy like Pam, either, so there's that.
On the surface of the issue, one might agree with Eric. Quinn should just host the wedding and get through the day. After all, Pam is an important member of the family. Pam has made sure every single one of them had a memorable wedding -- well, not Quinn -- but Pam and Charlie did show up for Quinn's wedding when other family members didn't. Pam and Charlie had to be talked into leaving that wedding. That should count for something with Quinn, shouldn't it?
Except Quinn's problem really isn't the wedding. I believe Quinn would happily host Charlie and Pam's wedding and put up Stephanie's portrait for the day if Pam would just accept Quinn's place in the family and treat Quinn like any other member of the family. Quinn didn't resist giving Brooke and Ridge the same thing -- or Zende putting up a portrait of Nicole for his wedding day to Nicole, and it was because these couples gave Quinn the respect she deserves.
Pam says that respect is earned, not given. While that could be true in certain instances, in others, respect is not "given" but is "a given." It's "a given" that you respect people in their homes. It's "a given" that one shouldn't constantly put down one's boss's wife. It's "a given" that if Pam really wants Eric to be happy, she would embrace the fact that he's no longer having martinis alone beneath Stephanie's portrait.
Pam should accept Eric's marriage for his sake because Eric had really needed to move on. After six years, isn't it time for them all to move on, including Pam? I wonder how Pam would feel if Eric treated Charlie the same way that Pam treats Quinn.
In my opinion, Eric should be urging Pam to accept that Quinn is Quinn, not Stephanie's replacement. Instead, Eric allows Pam to make her barbs against Quinn and lets Pam think she actually can have priority over Quinn. To anyone else, it probably sounded nuts when Eric said he couldn't choose between Pam and Quinn, two women he cared for most in the world, and Pam had the nerve to reply that he already had.
Shouldn't Pam have told Eric that she wasn't asking that? Shouldn't Pam have said she didn't want him to do that? Well, instead, she pouted about him already choosing. It boggles my mind that Eric would even say he cares as much for Pam as he does his wife, but then again, Eric always seems to give some other woman a place equal to Quinn's.
Wasn't it recently that Quinn had to put up with Sheila in her home? Before that, Quinn had to put up with Steffy's interference. Before Katie got a life, Quinn also had to put up with Katie coming over and doing what she wanted to do without regard to Quinn as the woman of the house. Heck, Eric even made Quinn work with Katie. Eric needs to think about how he feels about his wife because he's showing everyone else that he doesn't think very highly of her.
The only way I see settling the matter between the women is for Eric to get them together and set Pam straight in front of Quinn's face. He needs to tell Pam that he loves her like a sister, and she is indeed family. She is welcome in the home, and she can get married there -- as long as she recognizes that Quinn is his wife, the Forrester matriarch.
Pam doesn't have to respect Quinn if Pam doesn't want to; however, at Eric's company and in his home, Pam will not speak ill of his wife, Pam will not compare his wife to her sister, and Pam will abide by the decisions that he and Quinn make regarding the home and the business. Period. No further discussion.
Oh, and the portrait business is out of business. Eric needs to give that raggedy portrait to one of his daughters. That daughter can keep it or discard it, but it is time to let Stephanie rest in peace. Eric should have never started that portrait mess to begin with.
If Pam wants Stephanie at the wedding, Pam can put a picture on the mantel or in the front row of guests. If Pam doesn't want Quinn's portrait up for the wedding, it's understandable, but Stephanie's portrait will not go up in its place. Put up a paper wedding bell and be done.
I mean, could you imagine how Pam and Charlie's guests would react to Quinn if they saw Eric's dead wife on the wall? It would be like when Ridge switched out Maya's portrait for that Forrester event at the house. Quinn would have a whole house of people who disrespected her because the bride has no respect for her. Of course, Quinn could leave for the day to escape it, but the gossip about it will reach social media, no doubt.
What is your opinion about Pam, Eric, and Quinn? Should Quinn not take Pam's jabs seriously? Should Quinn be above it all and let Pam do what she wants for the day? Or would you tell Pam to kick rocks and get married on Skid Row if she wants to be close to Stephanie?
What do you think of Quinn discouraging Charlie from marrying Pam because Pam is crazy? My first thought was that Charlie has known Pam almost as long as Quinn. If he doesn't know Pam by now, he will never, never, never know her.
Besides, Charlie was the one to make Pam get her prescriptions and take her pills. Trust me, Quinn, he knows exactly what he's getting into. My next question is, does Brooke know what she's getting into by continuing to disrespect her husband about Bill?
Dollar Bill got double-teamed in a brawl. Dollar Bill had a great fall. Justin wasn't around, but Brooke, Bill's new best friend, put Dollar Bill back together again.
Can Brooke piece her marriage back together if she can't stay away from Bill? I guess it won't really matter if she can only see Ridge for conjugal visits in prison. They still have those, right?
Bill protected Taylor for his shooting, but Ridge has already confessed to pushing Bill. Sanchez hasn't found Bill's shooter, and he could very possibly decide that Ridge, who declared that he was just as angry with Bill as back then, is the shooter and should be arrested before he finally kills Bill.
Where is Justin, anyway? He sure was hovering like a buzzard when he thought he could get control of Spencer the last time Bill was in the hospital. Hopefully, Justin will be around soon to talk some sense into Bill, who has awakened with his mind in the clouds on a balloon ride thanks to Brooke. In an effort to revive Bill from his coma, she rejuvenated his fantasies about her and probably unconsciously confirmed to Bill that she shares his feelings.
Ridge really put himself in a difficult position if Bill awakens in his right, manipulative mind. It would be so easy for Bill to awaken and accuse Ridge of pushing Bill on purpose to try to kill Bill. Just like that, Ridge is in the big house, and the path is open for Bill to go after Brooke.
Even if Bill doesn't go that route, Sanchez can get Ridge and Thorne for manslaughter. All Sanchez has to do is look at the living room. The men fought so hard that the coffee table broke. That's coffee-table-slaughter right there. Ridge might not have meant it, but it was still a consequence of willful fighting. Same thing goes for the push. Ridge might not have meant for Bill to go over the edge, but it happened as a consequence of willful fighting.
I won't even try to predict where this storyline is going for Ridge because no one ever winds up in jail in that city. It looks good for Bill, though. A fall off the balcony might be a small price to pay to have his sons rally around him after everything he has done to them. If Bill gets Brooke back, then he ought to be thanking Thorne and Ridge for putting everything back right in Bill's life.
According to next week's preview video, if Eric thinks he's got trouble brewing with Pam and Quinn, he's about to learn that he's in for a bewitching time when he finds Donna wearing nothing but lingerie in Katie's house. Donna still has feelings for her honey bear, and Pam and Quinn still have feelings for each other -- the bad kind. Eric sees Quinn in a witch's hat and guesses he is in for toil and trouble.
Bill is awake and going after Brooke. Ridge calls Bill out on it, and Bill asks if Ridge is nervous because Bill is more of a man than Ridge will ever be. Looks like Ridge is in for some toil and trouble, too. And maybe a set of handcuffs next week on The Bold and the Beautiful.
Until we scoop again, let us know what you think in the comments below. Here's a little prayer to hold you over until the next Two Scoops: if you go off a balcony, may the ground hit you where the good Lord padded you. Stay bold and beautiful, baby!
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