Never-ending New Year's

10...9...8...7! 10...9...8...7! New Year's Eve kept a hold on everybody, as Brooke obsessed on her midnight drinking, Paris kept reliving her kiss with Carter, and Sheila itched to find out if her champagne switcheroo worked. Even Douglas was stuck on December 31. Is B&B feeling more like "Groundhog Day" than New Year's Eve? Circle the date with Two Scoops' Mike!

Has your week been bold and beautiful? Did you bring things full circle by pulling the same stunt your sister did? Were you worried over your marriage for nothing? Did you accept "she's not that into you" as a personal challenge? These and more situations faced the Forrester-Logan-Walton-Buckingham clan this week!

I take no responsibility for the content of this column, Scoopers! Well, I mean, I do, but I am still fevering as a side effect of the COVID booster I got yesterday, so some of this may be written in delirium. I, however, am not so out of it that I didn't notice that almost everyone on B&B seems stuck in New Year's Eve, even though we are halfway to Valentine's Day by now. Holy time loops! Let's Scoop about it!

(But before we do, I just have to say that I found myself disappointed by the Betty White tribute the show did on Monday. Not because of the tribute itself! Honoring Betty White at the end of the episode in a still was just fine. But it had been hyped as this "moving tribute," as if there was going to be some kind of retrospective or actors sharing memories. Can we get a little better at truth in advertising here?)

Let's just be perfectly clear from the top: in pursuing Carter, Paris is doing the exact same thing to Zende that Zoe did to Carter. Only I suppose one has to give Paris credit -- she opened up her relationship with Zende, unlike Zoe, who was eyeing Zende while committed to Carter. These Buckingham girls need a talking-to from their mama. Where is Grace, anyway?

Yeah, she was introduced with great fanfare last week, and this week it was like that intro never happened. Paris got called out for her jealousy after Zende accepted a date with model Sequoya. Why was Paris even having issues? I'm more and more getting the feeling she doesn't really care about Zende, anyway. And Zende was only doing what Paris asked him to do -- establishing a non-exclusive relationship.

"I can't be greedy and keep you all to myself," Paris acknowledged, mulling over Zende's moving on for about five seconds before Carter waltzed in. Paris said she felt better instantly and admitted that she couldn't stop thinking about the kiss she and Carter had shared over New Year's Eve. And you knew she meant it because she told him that three times over the course of the week.

For Carter's part, his sudden friend Max and oldest friend Ridge ganged up on Carter, trying to get him back onto the dating scene. Ridge figured that Carter's reluctance signified that Carter already had his eye on someone. Was it Quinn? Oh, is she still on this show? At any rate, Carter assured Ridge it wasn't Quinn, and Ridge advised Carter to stop going after women who were already spoken for.

But Carter didn't listen to that. Indeed, he escorted Paris to his bachelor pad to go over her financial portfolio (is that what we're calling it now?). Paris was much more interested in investing in Carter's lips, and the two went for it once again. There was a quick moment of, "What do we do about Zende?" -- only for Paris to respond, "Okay, I care about Zende..."

No, she doesn't. And I don't really care about who she ends up with. Carter, Zende, Paris...and Zoe, before her exit...all they do is go after O.P.P., as the Naughty by Nature song goes. I can't take any of them seriously because they don't take themselves, or each other, seriously. Why would I want to watch these flighty people? Even Zende didn't let any grass grow under his feet by immediately accepting Sequoya's invite.

Both Brooke and Deacon stayed stuck in December 31, 2021, but for different reasons. Deacon had decided he was still (or again) in love with Brooke, and he was tired of denying it. Surely, they had kissed on New Year's for a reason; it was a sign from the universe! And no matter how many times Brooke told Deacon to get a life, Deacon kept thinking there was a future for them.

Somehow, it's not like Deacon to be pathetic enough to completely ignore a woman when she's telling him "I don't think so." Of course, I do realize this is Brooke we're talking about -- she follows her heart no matter what quagmire it leads her into. But she was pretty steadfast and wanting to maintain her marriage to Ridge. "If he finds out what we did, he will leave me!" Brooke cried with her infamous one tear.

Yeah, it's true that Ridge ditched his new/again bride Brooke in 2012 in the middle of their European honeymoon simply for texting with Deacon. But Ridge is also the same man who, when he learned that Brooke had mask-boinked Oliver, thinking Oliver was Ridge, replied with a mock-aghast look at the heavens and a wistful, "Oh, Logan." If Ridge could be so blas about that, Brooke shouldn't be worried.

Is it just that Ridge is more threatened by Deacon? I mean, I get it -- Freaky Deaky is a stud and a half. But Ridge wasn't even with Brooke when she and Deacon were achieving the Big O in Brooke's office behind Bridget's back. And Ridge was so supportive about Brooke's sobriety this week, I find it hard to believe he'd ditch her over one kiss. Bridge turned oops-I-kissed-someone-else into an Olympic event ages ago.

Deacon strolled back into Il Giardino, where he had a multitude of Breacon flashbacks! Awwww yeah! Now that's how you use flashbacks, not by showing us Brooke's drinking six times in one week. We're not so unobservant that we need to be shown the same sequences over and over to remind us what the current story is. If people have missed something because they didn't tune in, that's their problem!

Having noticed the red flag that had gone up when Hope came over to lecture her and Steffy about staying out of Ridge and Brooke's marriage, Taylor paid a visit to Brooke and offered her friendship and help. Taylor knew that something was weighing on Brooke. You know, I have to say, Krista Allen is really settling into the role of Taylor, making it her own while somehow channeling Hunter Tylo while she's at it.

I actually did believe Taylor here when she reached out to Brooke. Maybe because Taylor doesn't seem like she's going to flip out at any second anymore. I still say there hasn't been enough acknowledgment of Taylor having ridden the crazy train the last few times we saw her, though at least she said, "We all have things in our past we're not proud of" and admitted to Ridge that she had "done a lot of self-exploration." It's something.

I am also liking that Taylor is not buying wholesale what Sheila keeps trying to sell. Taylor is trying to give Sheila a chance -- pretty altruistic, considering Taylor got shot in the heart because of Sheila -- but Taylor's guard is clearly up. As for Sheila, she paced around her hotel room, wondering what had happened as a result of replacing Brooke's non-alcoholic bubbly with the real thing...three weeks later!

Yes, Sheila mentioned that Deacon was keeping mum, but would the Sheila of old have sat around the better part of a month, trying to figure out if one of her nefarious plans had worked? That was just weird. As if catching herself, Sheila decided to pump Taylor for information. But Taylor saw through things and wondered if Sheila was once again becoming obsessed with Brooke.

Fair question, because I still say that Sheila targeting Brooke misses the target. So, Brooke threatened to keep Sheila away from Finn and Hayes -- oh, boo-hoo. Steffy bitch-slapped Sheila twice and was far more vocal about denying Sheila access to her family than Brooke. Sheila should have gone after Steffy, and months ago. Attacking Brooke and trying to befriend Taylor to get to Finn (where's he been these days?) both seem like indirect actions for a very direct woman.

From what I saw on social media this past week, Steffy took a lot of heat for being a 30-something woman bleating on about wanting her parents together. And deservedly so. She was less in-your-face about it this week, but as her convo with Ridge and Thomas continued, Steffy tried to impress upon Ridge that Brooke was just one scandal away from uprooting Ridge's life once again.

Not that there isn't some truth to that, but Steffy was still so pro-Taylor that Ridge finally erupted that it didn't matter who he was married to. It was his life. Steffy wanted to know why Brooke hadn't made an appearance at Forrester and why Ridge wasn't confiding in her and Thomas about what was going on with Brooke. The following day, Steffy and Ridge were laughing in the office when Taylor dropped by.

After much merriment that eventually included Thomas, Steffy decided their family should all have dinner, as if Brooke weren't part of the equation at all. When Ridge mentioned his wife, Steffy snarked that Brooke should be able to do without Ridge for one night and then made such a show out of making Thomas exit with her so their parents could be alone that Taylor dubbed her "Steffy Forrester: Queen of Subtle."

I mean, seriously, Steffy, why not just start sending fake text messages between Brooke and Ridge to break them up like you did in 2008? Anyway, Taylor admitted to Ridge that she had stayed away because of Brooke, because she couldn't stop thinking about what might have been if Sheila's bullet hadn't torn Tridge's marriage apart. At least someone is remembering the history right.

But, as the great psychiatrist Taylor supposedly is (and how did she get a practice again after having severe mental problems not that long ago?), what would she tell a patient who was still jonesing for a man she hasn't been romantic with for a dozen years in real time? Yeah, she'd advise that patient to live in the now. Isn't it time that Taylor moves on? Besides, I don't know if a new Bridge/Tridge triangle will work with two recasts.

Liam and Hope lost the award for Best Parents of the Year as they tried to navigate Douglas' repeated insistence that he had seen Grandma kissing Santa Claus. They kept blowing the kid off, sure he had been confused or had had a dream, but Douglas, true to form, held to his word. So, Lope believed him. Until they started questioning him again. Can you believe this went on a full episode?

It wasn't that they didn't believe him, but... Never mind that they should take whatever Douglas says as gospel as soon as he utters it, because he was only the one who let Liam know that baby Phoebe was really Beth. But poor Douglas, though. He's going to be one of those kids that gets beaten up at school a lot because he's always ratting someone out. This time, it was Brooke and her ho-ho-ho with Deacon.

Strangely, even Liam pondered why Deacon hadn't even texted Hope -- this when Liam had been dead set against Hope having anything to do with Deacon. Hope teased that it was because Liam was starting to like her dad! But when Douglas dropped his Santa-on-New-Year's bomb, Hope decided she needed to get answers from Brooke. I was sure Brooke would keep clamming up, and we'd go on with this forever.

But glory be, soap gods, Brooke spilled the tea! She probably wouldn't have, except Hope astutely asked if Brooke had come clean about everything that had happened on New Year's Eve and if there was anything Douglas shouldn't have seen. Hope suspected that Deacon had done something, since Brooke had beyond social distanced with Hope's dad since January had rolled around.

Hope actually thought that Deacon had gotten Brooke to drink! And that's a reasonable analysis; I liked that Hope had some moments of doubt about her father. But Brooke let Deacon off the hook -- about that, anyway. Brooke then relayed how Deacon had returned for his phone and joined Brooke for a drink, which indeed led to Grandma kissing Santa Claus.

At least Grandma wasn't sitting on Santa's lap! I was glad that Brooke finally told somebody, because, as I've mentioned before, in 12-Step programs, they say "you're only as sick as your secrets." Meaning that Brooke could end up drinking on her own again to blunt the guilt of keeping Deacon's kiss to herself. But what I don't understand is why Brooke told Hope that she and Deacon were talking about "the good old times."

What "good old times" were there? Outside of some hot sex, there was much hand-wringing about what Deacon and Brooke were doing to Bridget, though that wasn't enough for them to stop shtupping each other. It's not like Breacon had this whirlwind romance, and/or that they were extremely happy. Even Hope herself was a symbol of their betrayal, despite Breacon deeming Hope their beautiful daughter now.

Brooke finally came completely clean by describing how Deacon had put her drunk ass to bed, even though she woke up next to him in the morning. Hope reminded Brooke that "it was just a kiss," but Brooke was still panicky that Ridge would leave her, probably for Taylor, if the truth came out. I still say that Bridge is way beyond dumping each other over one kiss. If Brooke sexing Oliver was no big, Bridge should be laughing about a single smackeroo within hours!

How does all this seem to you, Scoopers? Are you liking Krista Allen's depiction of Taylor? Are you Team Zaris, Team Parter, or Team I Don't Really Care Do U? Were Liam and Hope right to question Douglas so much about what he said he saw? Has Sheila lost her edge? Did B&B drop the ball by ghosting Grace so soon after bringing her on? And do you think Ridge would really leave Brooke over her kissing Deacon once, given Bridge's history? Tell it like it is in the Comments section below or the Soap Central message boards, or simply click here to submit feedback. Your comments could be in a future column! Like these!

"I'm just so sick of this Logan vs Forrester feud. It's 2022. Enough. Bring back some legacy characters and make new storylines of their adventures the last decade. Bring back Kristen, Felicia and Bridget Forrester. Even Eric Forrester!" -- "Dorinda's Pajamas"

"I think Sheila is trying to play nice with Steffy for Finn's sake. And ... KB has said in interviews, Sheila seems to be TRYING to be a better person for the most part. She may not always succeed (this is Sheila after all), but she's trying to be a better person for Finn and Hayes." -- Mariko

"They are going to have Carter boink everyone to see if the chemistry is there. Right now they don't know what to do with the character and until they can find him a worthy partner, they are trying different actresses on for size." -- Nikkie

"Doesn't Ridge notice that his kids (son AND daughter) both go NUTS when their mom is around?...I did not 'blame' [Taylor] for wanting her life back after Sheila shot/then Prince [Omar] kidnapped her...it's just she has NO insight into any of her own issues...I also think [Taylor] weaponized her own children and is very much responsible for the dissension between Brooke and Tom/Steffy...Ridge has handled this all badly (he 'loved' having both women on the line for decades) and I hope he ends up alone. (I would love Brooke to suddenly realize her 'destiny' was stupid and she should've stayed with Eric all those years ago; I never believed he loved Quinn the way he loved Brooke.)" -- "evave2"

I think my vaccine-related fever is subsiding, but I still can't tell if the show makes more or less sense in that state. I guess I'll just have to keep watching, be alert, and most of all, be bold. And for soap's sake, get vaccinated, side effects be damned! Because protecting yourselves and others from a virus and its variants is always beautiful.AMJ

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