The ties that blind

Everyone on B&B wanted to believe in their varying relationships, but that kind of belief doesn't always come easy. Thomas thought himself a better match for Caroline, who hit a wall when telling Ridge she wanted a baby. And Maya thought her papa was finally coming around, only to overhear him say he will never accept her as transgender. In other news, Bridget came home! How is nu-nuThomas doing? And was Julius' tirade good for our soap? March down the aisle with Two Scoops' Mike!

Has your week been bold and beautiful? Did you want a girl just like the girl who got with dear old dad? Did you bring the sour cream to your new family's caviar celebration? Did you put something extra spicy in your writing? These and more situations faced the Forrester-Logan-Spencer-Avant clan this week!

Is Aly dead? You'd never know from the way B&B completely avoided her demise this week. I admit, in rewatching Aly's death, it did seem Steffy didn't just hit her legs with the tire iron, as I'd thought. But even if Steffy smacked Aly in the head, it still isn't murder like Ivy and a lot of folks are saying; it would be self-defense at best. Aw, forget about Aly already, since everyone else has -- Thomas is over here trying to rock the CaRidge, and Maya's dad whipped himself into such a froth, we might as well call him Orange Julius! (Had to work that one in somewhere.) Let's rip it up, Scoopers!

That's exactly what Ridge did to returning son Thomas' new design, which seemed harsh, even for the formerly chiseled designer. Seriously, that seems like something Ronn Moss' Ridge would have done, not Thorsten Kaye's. Speaking of recasts, let's talk about newcomer Pierson Fod, who has stepped into Thomas' haut couture shoes. Confidentially, I was nervous when I heard we were getting another new Thomas. I really liked Drew Tyler Bell, though Adam Gregory's Thomas always left me cold. He was an all right actor, but he was just too pretty, and look at what B&B had his Thomas do: Berry Island with Brooke and drooling over stepsister Hope. Eww.

But so far, Mr. Fod seems like Drew Tyler Bell and Adam Gregory had a baby, in the best possible way. His Thomas is sexy without seeming unapproachable, and there's a definite spark in the acting. That came through when Thomas reminded Ridge that Thomas had traveled around Europe and suggested that maybe Ridge didn't have his finger on the pulse of fashion anymore. A little strange there would be this father-son friction; even Thomas said Ridge had always been supportive. And let's not forget, Thomas has been designing since 2005 -- he contributed to the Men's Line and did up the scandalous Taboo line. It's not like Thomas is a fashion newbie.

So, Thomas ran to former flame Caroline, their relationship having been the best part of Adam Gregory's tenure. Caroline tried to smooth scruffy nu-nuThomas' feathers until her still-healing ankles got stiff (awesome how they're still working in Linsey Godfrey's real-life accident, even showing her scars), at which point Thomas rubbed Caroline's legs, putting him in a similar state. He turned up the heat, double-locked the door, and busted a move on Caroline; her response made her seem like a flake who would kiss any man, and Thomas sorta came off like a creepy rapist!

Ah, but it was only Thomas' fantasy, as indicated when Ridge knocked on the door to his own loft, having inexplicably forgotten his keys. Amazingly, Thomas could still stand up, which was good, because Ridge offered up an apology for trashing Thomas' design and told his son he believed in him. That was a relief. Ridge echoed my own thoughts when he admitted he had gone too far trying to make his point. Thomas accepted the olive branch then nearly stumbled out of Ridge's kick-ass pad to go take his shirt off, um, I mean work off some steam at the very silly Forrester Sky Lounge. That didn't take long, did it, Scoopers!

You know, maybe the reason Ridge has never given his son this kind of grief before is because Ridge senses that Thomas wants Caroline, and Ridge feels threatened. Thomas made sure to tell everyone, including pal/cousin Zende (nice to see a friendship between them, though, because they're new, I did rather feel I was watching a different show) that Ridge basically uses up women and moves on. That's hard to dispute; Ridge has left a trail of broken hearts behind him over the years, some of them repeat customers like Brooke and Taylor.

But it seems Ridge really does love Caroline. Have you guys ever seen Ridge Forrester cry over a woman? Okay, maybe the two times Taylor died, but that doesn't count. Caroline suddenly got the news that her divorce from Rick was final (a six-month waiting period that actually lasted six months! Caroline filed on January 27), which seemed to throw Caroline for a loop. Caroline lamented that she had never failed at anything before. Um, honey, Rick fired a gun at you, and you've had a half a year to come to grips with this, with Thorsten Kaye's big arms around you to boot. 'Nuff said!

What ensued was a comparatively deep discussion, at least for B&B characters. Caroline had to face letting go of her plans with Rick, which included having children. She wanted to be a mom. Whoa! I think maybe I heard Rick and Caroline discuss that once. The rest of the time, Caroline was a selfie-taking, adulation-seeking socialite whose one and only interest in the world was Caroline. Now suddenly she's got motherhood on her mind?

Thankfully, the script saved it by having Caroline add that her accident had put things into perspective for her, as well it would have. Ridge listened intently as Caroline said she wanted to have a family with him, and he was forced to admit that he didn't see himself being a father again. Is there any scene CaRidge can't rock? I don't want Thomas messing with these two! And y'all who keep crying age difference, step off. How come Ridge is too old for Caroline but everyone's okay with the idea of Bill and Steffy, who never even had a real relationship? I'm just sayin'.

Caroline told Ridge that she'd choose being with him over being a mom, but she choked back sobs as Thomas and Brooke, of all people, commented on this CaRidge ride. Brooke must finally be becoming that matriarch Stephanie wanted her to be, because La Logan has suddenly cast herself as confidante to the family's younger crowd. That's better than being Scandal Queen of Los Angeles, but it seems weird. Then Brooke told Zende she didn't see how Ridge and Caroline could last, while telling Thomas, "I could see how they could be a good couple." Huh? Brooke, did you drink some of Liam's waffle juice?

And let's not forget, it's just unsettling seeing Brooke and any incarnation of Thomas in a room together. It brought back the fruity scent of Berry Island, that 2011 travesty of a storyline that had Thomas lying about boinking Brooke (at Stephanie's behest) so he could earn 25% of Forrester's stock. Yet they dished CaRidge as if all they'd shared was some berry Jell-O. Oh, well. Thomas having a different face does take the edge off that a bit. But how did Brooke think any of this was Zende's business?

Zende didn't give it much thought, though, because he went to the Forrester showroom, only to stumble on Nicole working the runway like she was trying out for So You Think You Can Dance. Othello's presence annoys me; either give the guy a storyline or send him on his way. However, the deejay did redeem himself by punching up a slow jam and flicking on the disco ball so Zende and Nicole could recreate the prom together. I do like that B&B is letting these two take it slowly.

Later, Nicole kept it real with Zende while talking about their struggles growing up, though that struggle may not be over with one Julius Avant in da house. Nicole knows Papa J is full of something that comes out of the back of a horse, bringing Eric an expensive golf club. Oops, Eric doesn't golf. Awkward! Everyone hung out at the Forrester compound, before and after the wedding rehearsal the show skipped over, though the other guests were all outside like they were for the Fourth of July wingding and the California Freedom afterparty. Uh huh.

For a guy who wants to gouge his daughter as some sort of repayment for how her being transgender embarrasses him, Julius is not very subtle. He keeps dropping loaded comments about money and gender identity. You'd think, instead, he'd be charming the checks out of everyone's checkbooks by saying just the right thing at just the right time. I have a bad feeling we're not going to see Julius use Maya, after all, which is a shame, because dressing her in white all the time does not make her pure as the driven snow, as she's being made out to be. Maya can be redeemed, but we have to take that journey with her. Julius dragging her through the mud would do it.

No, I guess Rick served some of the Maya Kool-Aid at his wedding, because everyone was sipping it, even big bad Dollar Bill Spencer, who came over specifically to apologize to Maya for the humiliation that publicly exposing her as transgender caused her. At least Maya put him on blast, and I did think it was interesting that Bill conceded he should have asked Maya for an exclusive rather than get his jollies running a story he knew would make him some serious bank. Really, you know Katie totally made Bill do that. Meow! Bill is whipped, if you know what I mean!

But who's that breezing through the door in a cascade of lace and mauve? It's BUDGE! Yes, Bridget Forrester came back for big brother Rick's wedding, prompting the nickname she's had since the mid-'90s and speaking of baby Logan, who's old enough for kindergarten now even by real-time standards. And Logan camping with Jackie and Owen? Say it isn't so! "If you'd just be sensible and move back," Eric deadpanned to his absentee daughter. It would be nice to see the former Madame X more often. Even Brooke said "we need more Forresters!"

Yet, amidst all this happy, snappy repartee, Julius was having a harder and harder time keeping his mouth shut, even asking Zende if he really wanted to make clothes for a living. Mr. Avant is just about making Bill look tactful! Vivienne damn near dragged Julius away by the ear, telling him to knock it off and heed Nicole's suggestion to just be happy for Maya, since that would leave him nothing to adjust to. But Julius wasn't having it. He didn't think Rick, a Hollywood type, would stick it out with Maya because he wouldn't be happy with a woman made by surgery, and eventually he'd want the real thing!

Oh, yeah, Julius let it all hang out, bitching about having to march "what used to be our son" down the aisle and hand him over to a man -- a man who was marrying into a freak show! Julius would resign himself to focusing on the goodies the marriage would bring into Maya's life, and, by extension, his and Vivienne's, but he couldn't accept a son who became his daughter! He wouldn't accept it! And wouldn't you know...Maya heard the whole thing as she got ready to make her bridal entrance. Hope she's using that waterproof mascara, 'cuz she already boo-hooed her way through Bill's apology; imagine the waterworks that are gonna come from her daddy's debilitating diss!

Now, I will confess something to you, Scoopers: I found myself smiling through Julius' tirade. Not because I agree with it; I believe in equality and fairness for everyone, regardless of differences. I enjoyed the scene because I found it one of the more realistic aspects of Maya's entire transgender trek so far. B&B lost serious points by having Rick accept Maya so quickly -- he should have freaked out for a month or two before coming around to Maya's truth, which would have shown growth in Rick's attitude and his love for her. Everyone else was Team Maya right away, too, except for Aly, apparently, and Bill, definitely. It was too easy. We just don't live in that world.

That's what makes Julius so delicious, even if we can't seem to decide if he's going to fleece Maya or just plain not accept her. He's not wrong when he says he can't just flip a switch and support Maya's transition. Maybe he might eventually, but Julius' current resistance gives this story some weight, especially because Vivienne also came around too fast. And it was a well-written scene, one that gave Obba Babatund something to sink his teeth into. It's just good drama.

I also want to point out that this week offered up some really, really good writing all around. You guys know that I am constantly picking apart the show's continuity. It's not merely for the sake of being critical; I want our soap to be the best it can be, and paying attention to detail is important. Hell, I wrote a whole book about continuity, albeit regarding another show. So when B&B characters suddenly do or say things that contradict what they did and said earlier, without a reasonable explanation, it drives me crazy.

These past episodes, the show mined for gold and came up with quite a few nuggets, particularly Ridge and Brooke talking about their history. "You thought I was too young for Eric," Brooke recalled, adding how, despite her and Taylor fighting over Ridge for so many years, a younger woman won out. The throwbacks continued with Eric joking that "Brooke loves everything about a wedding, especially getting married;" Rick smiling that usually it's only his family that acts up at weddings; and Zende acknowledging that there are two or three weddings for every Forrester. See, now that's how you work from a show's history: don't dwell on it, just include casual mentions that make the viewer feel like they're part of what they've invested in for years, even decades. Great stuff!

So, what do you think of Thomas wanting to pull the wheels off the CaRidge? Aly's death/murder being dropped for a whole week? Maya hearing what her father really thinks of her? Pop off in the Comments section below or on the Soap Central message boards, or simply click here to submit feedback. Your comments could wind up in a future column! Like these!

• "Why, oh why does Thorne always pull the short straw in life?! Can this man EVER have a decent storyline for once?! Poor guy has to fly coach & come home to find his sick daughter is deceased!" -- Shari

• "I am giddy to see Thomas steal Caroline from Ridge and [get] her pregnant. Ridge should just leave if they are not putting him and Brooke back together. Have him and Donna fall head over heels [and] send them to Paris, and put Brooke with Eric or Thorne, or better yet, Eric with Pamela and Brooke with Thorne." -- Timmy

• "They made [Aly] so nuts, and no one did anything about it, that made this soap almost unwatchable, I'm sorry to say. It took only days to do this to her character, but months to make us believe that Maya should be exonerated for her lying and conniving to get Rick back and for him to treat Aly like she was a hired hand, and do a one-day apology and everyone was supposed to accept [his] and Maya's contemptible behavior." -- Tammy

Now, shall we wrap this up with some Points to Ponder?

Did you notice that Rick, Ridge, and Maya all have the same ringtone on their phone?... Julius griped that he was never going to be a grandfather -- did he forget that Nicole can most likely have babies?... Nick toasted Maya and Rick, "my two dearest friends." Maya, sure, but Rick? Nick's only known Rick a couple of months. And though it was a little weird that Nick was deputized for a day just so he could perform Rick and Maya's wedding, I guess it would have been awkward for usual go-to Carter to do it, being Maya's ex and all. Eric even asked Carter how it felt to have someone else officiate!

I didn't believe Brooke when she told Bridget, "I'm enjoying being single," but Ms. Logan did have a non-alcoholic drink in her hand, a nice nod to her forgotten alcoholism storyline... Why was Deacon hanging around Forrester Creations? And now Eric is complimenting Quinn, after teasingly pretending to write her and Deacon up for making out on company time?

Nicole's turn on the runway was supposed to be cute, but she just did that two weeks ago. At least her timing was better; this time it wasn't just after someone died. And Nicole might want to be careful with her odd foray into music, considering she's both interning at a fashion house and wanting to be a model. She'd best not take notes from Othello, who had Nicole working the runway to the same song that was played during the Forrester Fourth of July party...And there you have it, Scoopers! Chanel's here next week to columnize about what's sure to be the fallout from Julius' diarrhea of the mouth -- not to mention the appearance of Ghost Aly! Hey, like mother, like daughter! And I will return August 24 with more of my take on B&B happenings. Keep watching, be alert, and most of all, be bold!

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