Burning the waffle on both sides

Last week, Finn learned about Eric's condition but didn't ask the magic question: can he or Li help? Both sides of Liam's waffle are burned, and Bill has no triangles. Are the Spencer men going extinct? Li revealed that she can be not only petty, but envious and vengeful, too. Plus, in an effort to respect Eric's wishes, his family disregarded every single one of them. Let's scoop!

Eric's dying wish was to go out at the top of his game without pity or tears. So, what do his family members do? They lie to him about him winning the competition and stand around him with long faces and tears, mourning him in real time. The lie that he won the competition has inspired Eric to design more and to go to the office, the very things Dr. Colby advised him to stop doing. So, not only is lying to him behind his back humiliating, but it could cause him to work himself into an even earlier grave. Way to go, Ridge.

Family members think that Ridge sacrificing his win for Eric is a beautiful, selfless gesture, but how selfless is it if Ridge keeps telling everyone that he, not Eric, actually won? Did Thomas and Steffy really need to know that Ridge let his dad win? Brooke told Hope about Eric's prognosis, but she didn't tell Hope about Ridge's victory because Donna was standing right there. Thomas will probably fill Hope in on that detail later, but it seems to be secrets on top of secrets because they are not telling Donna that Ridge is lying about Eric's win.

While Ridge is sending up smoke signals to reach his siblings about Eric's condition, and Brooke desires to tell her kids in person, no one has gotten around to clueing in the grandson who lives under Eric's roof, Zende. Once Katie blabs to Carter, Eric will be the last to know that everyone is aware that he's dying. Knowing Eric, he'll use his relic of a stapler to staple together his orders and then figure out he didn't really win, either. Has Ridge thought about how that news will affect his dying father?

I found it strange that while Steffy was sobbing to her husband about her grandfather's mysterious illness and prognosis, Dr. Finn did not ask his wife, "What are his symptoms? What specialists did he see? Do you want me to go to the house and evaluate him on the sly?"

It just seems to me that the Finnegans will do anything to save a family member, even kidnap dying patients. Maybe Finn doesn't have time for all that because, after all, "Surf's up, Dude!" And as for Li, she's too busy forcing her sister to swallow bitter pills at the moment.

Li discovered Poppy at Forrester and read Poppy's whole life for guilt all the way down to Poppy daring not to use her given name, Penelope. Li decided Poppy needed to know just how unfair things were between the sisters, and what I got out of it was a bunch of jealousy about Poppy's audacity to even breathe. How dare Poppy call herself Poppy. How dare Poppy have an affair? How dare Poppy not know the man in question was the married chief of surgeons? How dare Poppy have friends and happiness? And how dare Poppy have a baby when Li can't!

Whoa. Li was giving me way too much, too late, and with too much pettiness. First, I do not know much about Asian names, but is Li as a first name short for anything? Because, if so, Li can take several seats on the name game, especially since it's okay with her to refer to Jonathan Finnegan as "Finn." Maybe I'd get it if she referred to Steffy as Stephanie, but she doesn't.

While we're on the subject of Finn, I'm frankly shocked and appalled that Li expressed such jealousy that Poppy could achieve birthing a baby, but Li couldn't. Listen, I get her empty-womb syndrome. In fact, I have it in common with Li, but I'm speechless that she looks at herself and Finn as "different" from Poppy and Luna. Not only that, but I am also appalled, frankly, that her inability to have her own biological baby would cause her to revile Luna instead of love her more.

This soap manages to put its foot in its mouth regarding biology. Countless times, the narrative has hypocritically upheld biological ties over non-biological at a storyline's convenience. For example, Ridge is not a biological Forrester, but Taylor asked where the "biology" was in Hope raising Douglas. Additionally, Taylor wanted Douglas with his biological family, as if Liam wasn't Douglas' blood-related cousin and godfather.

Li's revelation stomped all over adoptive parents again at a time when the show is telling a love story between a father and his non-biological son, Ridge. Li argued that Sheila and Finn had that biological tie, but not Li and Finn. That led me to start questioning whether Li's advice to Finn about Sheila isn't a bit tainted by her jealousy over that tie. And why didn't we hear about her jealousy over functioning wombs before now? Like around the time Sheila first appeared?

I understand that Li is an overachiever. I know that it's devastating that her marriage failed and that she was run out of a hospital. (She thinks it was because of Poppy's affair, but it could have been the hospital's chance to get rid of the cold and stern Li.) I can even understand being envious of women who achieve motherhood. What I cannot accept from Li is that she shunned Luna for it. That cute Luna-Petuna! Insert heart emoji. I'll bet she was an adorable child. How the heck could anyone hate on cutie pie Luna? If anything, I feel the story should have been that Li tried to take over mothering Luna to weed out Poppy's influence on the child.

What are your thoughts about Li and her problem with Poppy?

While Li busily judged Poppy, "the one who will not be judged" continued to judge others. Hope refuses to let others tell her how to live her life or who to be with, but she decided that Eric was wrong about how he wanted to live out his last days and that Deacon was wrong for loving Sheila. When Liam and Brooke tell Hope that she is making a mistake with Thomas, all hell, accusations, and resentments break loose.

First, let me judge Hope for setting up a romantic evening of boinking right after Thomas finds out his grandfather is dying. Thomas is her puppy dog and will come, sit, or kneel on command. Yes, she loves that he puts her needs and priorities first, but could she please tell the man to go be with his grandfather as much as possible before his death instead of crooking her finger at him for some sex? That's all I'm asking. Just a little bit of care for what Thomas is going through.

Next, let me judge Hope for having sex at the cabin. She knows her mom doesn't approve of that sex-ship, and she shouldn't flaunt it, asking for Brooke's candles. Brooke should have vetoed it and claimed to be out of cheap sex candles. Brooke, however, did get her point across when she offered to loan out her lingerie. It was a funny throwback to when Brooke lent Hope lingerie for her first sexy night with Liam years ago. If Hope can tell Deacon that he can't see his grandkids because of Sheila, Brooke ought to be able to tell Hope to get off Brooke's property if that's the lifestyle Hope wants to lead.

Also, let me judge Hope because she knows good and well that being a co-parent means the other co-parent is bound to show up unannounced with a shoe, a sock, a hair bow, a bookbag, a soccer ball, basketball, hair net, slinky, a stuffed animal, E.T. alien, or sleeping bag belonging to their child. Part of me thinks she was glad Liam showed up and witnessed what he did. Now that she has finally gotten his attention again, what will she do with it?

Lastly, let me judge Hope for saying she loves Thomas "for that." She tells Liam that she loves him right in front of Thomas. No qualifiers. She just loves Liam, but for Thomas, all she's got is an "I love him for that." The "that" she referred to was that Thomas basically lets her put her wants and needs before anything. What kind of selfishness is that?

This whole thing reminds me of Hope's Wyatt days, when she used Wyatt to get to Liam. Where did that storyline leave Hope? Married to Wyatt, pregnant with his baby, but wanting Liam. The other day, Liam warned her about using birth control, so she can't blame him if she winds up pregnant the way she's blamed him for everything else she's done this year.

Liam told Hope that he'd begged her not to go back to work with Thomas, and then she'd wound up kissing Thomas in Rome. Hope's reply? "You still ran to Steffy." Yeah, after you cheated, Hope. Hope expected Liam to do her a solid and forgive her the way she claims she has forgiven him. In fact, she requested it before she even cheated. She claims that her world had been turned upside down when he hadn't given her a free pass to cheat.

I just wonder what would have happened if he had forgiven her and moved forward. Do any of you out there think she really wouldn't have cheated with Thomas again but worse?

Hope claims that she's with Thomas now, and Liam needs to accept it. Steffy told Liam that no one would get between her and Finn, not even Liam. Liam's waffle is burned on both sides, so where does that leave him?

We touched upon the fate of the Spencer men the last time we gathered to scoop. Wyatt is off the canvas, and Bill barely has more than a cameo here or there, even though he was supposed to be in a triangle with Katie and Carter. Bill hit a dead end in his triangle story with the Logan sisters when he asked each sister on the same day, one after the other, to make a life with him.

Liam put himself on the line and asked Steffy to make a life with him. Steffy politely said, "thanks but no thanks," and she'd take her chances with Sheila because nothing would separate her from her husband. All the talking in the world to the photo of Steffy on his desk won't change it.

Liam's scene with the photograph almost made me think Liam was losing his grip on reality and might wind up carrying on a relationship with Steffy's photo, similar to Thomas' relationship with Manne-Hope, the mannequin, or Aly's relationship with Darla Headroom, her mom's talking head bubble. If Liam could fetch Manne-Hope from Forrester and have a Steffy mannequin crafted, he'd finally have everything he ever wanted, both women complacent with his divided heart.

As it stands, Hope claims that she is with Thomas, and Steffy stands firmly with her husband. Katie is not studying Bill one bit, and neither is Brooke. So where does this leave the Spencer men? Eric declared that he wouldn't go quietly into the good night, but will Bill and Liam? How would you feel if there were no more Spencers on the show?

Next week, Bill has a surprise reaction to Sheila. Let me guess, he breaks out in hives? Zende approaches Ridge about R.J. getting special treatment. I can't blame Zende. He's been trying to come up at Forrester for a long time, and to see R.J. do it in a summer is kind of tough. Zende is set to make a bold move. What would that be? Calling his mommy? I hope so, because Kristen needs to know what's going on with her son and with her father.

Thomas and Hope approach Ridge with a request for their line. Wait. I thought Eric was the boss now? What is this request? To reopen the steam room to give them a private place to create? Speaking of the steam room, Brooke and Ridge share a romantic evening and recall their love story. Hey, when are these kids getting married? Ridge and Eric both designed entire collections, and Brooke hasn't finished her gown yet?

It's Thanksgiving week, Scoopers, so expect a rerun on Thursday and a preemption on Friday. Have a happy holiday, and until we scoop again, stay bold and beautiful, baby!

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