Jump to content

B&B: Old/Classic Discussion & Articles


Recommended Posts

  • Members

The Bold and the Beautiful- Report Card (From the August 31, 1993 SOD)

ACTING-B-

STORIES-A+

ROMANCE-A

HUMOR-B+

LOOK-A+

By Carolyn Hinsey

The Bold and the Beautiful is the most entertaining show on daytime. This show goes from bittersweet to boffo without missing a beat, and is always terrific drama.

B&B is not exactly reality-based, which is ironic, because it is the only soap opera set in a real place- Los Angeles. For example, Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) lives in the heart of L.A. Her doorbell rings. "Come in-the door's open!" chirps Ms. Logan. Is it a serial killer? No. it's the terminally preppie Connor (Scott Thompson Baker). He's there to confess his undying love to his former high school crush, who has been very busy since her cheerleading days. (Brooke has borne two-count em, two-illegitimate children since then, by father/son tag team Eric and Ridge Forrester.) With the door still unlocked, Brooke and Connor embrace.

But so what? People don't tune into soap operas to watch their favorite characters pick up their dry cleaning. B&B is never better than when its powerhouse women are going over the top- any combination of Stephanie, Brooke, Sheila and Sally, and my day is made. It's been especially fascinating lately to watch sworn enemies Stephanie (the formidable Susan Flannery) and Sheila (talented Kimberlin Brown) team up against Brooke; patent formulas do indeed make strange bedfellows. Here's Steph during one of the BeLief (Brooke Logan Forrester- Get It?) battles: "You tramp!" Brooke: "You thief!" Stephanie: Slap. Brooke: slap. There's the stoic Eric jumping in to stop them from killing each other. Just another day in Forrester Creations....

I used to think that Brooke was a whiny spoilsport, but lately her story has been the best on the show. (She refers to her enemies now as "the frigging Forresters.") Brooke's battle with the F clan is fraught with peril- and only a Bell show could turn someone that annoying into a sympathetic character. It;s bad enough that Brooke is continually up against that old batlle-ax Steph; add Sheila to Brooke's battle and viewers feel downright sorry for the girl. Who'd have thunk it?

It's particularly refreshing to watch the evolution of Brooke's feelings toward Ridge. I have always found Ridge to be a little stiff. He doesn't have much of a sense of humor, and in the battle for Brooke's affections, it always seemed more logical for Brooke to pick sexy Eric, or now the caring Connor, over the incredible hunk. Of course, there's a lot we don't know about Connor, but knowing talented Head Writer Bradley Bell, we'll find out soon enough.

Ridge (Ronn Moss) and Taylor (Hunter Tylo) seem much better suited for each other, and their recent attempts to make a baby, have steamed up the screen. Taylor's run-ins with Sheila have been tantalizing, and i hope the good doctor gets to treat the bad nurse very soon. Doctor/Patient confidentiality will be the least of Taylor's worries.

Of course, it's not realistic to think that an attempted murderess like Sheila could have actually pulled off her marriage to high-powered Eric (The excellent John McCook). But if ace detective Paul on YOUNG AND RESTLESS had spotted her wedding photo in the Genoa City Chronicle, we wouldn't be watching her delicious antics today. And what fun would that be? Nobody arches an eyebrow better than Kimberlin Brown; I wonder if her evil eye is scripted. But where have Sheila and Eric's love scene been lately? Aren't they newlyweds? Their wedding was strangely perfect, and it was nice to see old do-the-right-thing Eric stand up to his snooty family for the love of a bad woman.

Sally Spectra (Darlene Conley) would be in danger of becoming a caricature if it weren't for her touching relationship with sad sack daughter Macy. Macy and Thorne's (Jeff Trachta) tenuous reconciliation has been an interesting twist, and Bobbie Eakes has given the formerly one-dimensional Macy previously untapped layers. Keith's (Ken LaRon) crush on Macy is intriguing, as race has not been the issue keeping them apart- her alcoholism and her feelings for Thorne are the obstacles. It's tough on a half hour show to properly integrate minority characters but bar owner Keith and his mentally challenged brother Kevin (Keith Jones) are a fresh approach to this dilemma. Maybe Macy's inevitable AA sponser will turn out to be a beautiful Naomi Campbell-ish model.

It's hard to understand Karen's (Joanna Johnson) role in the action as of late. She seems like a poor man's Brooke, rather than the cherished Caroline's reincarnation. Her presence doesn't seem to bother Ridge at all, and she has been shut out in the romance department by both Thorne and Connor. Where is Karen's father, Bill? What does she think of Bill and Darla? How does she feel about Macy and Thorne's rekindled romance? It's hard to get a handle on that character these days and Johnson deserves better.

But all of the other women on B&B more than make up for that by handling - or should we say manhandling- each other. "You Bitch", Sheila snipes as she wheels around to face Stephanie, "Nobody controls Sheila Carter". "Not even Sheila Carter", Steph shoots back.

And here's Brooke promising Sheila that she is going to "give it to Stephanie Forrester in spades". There goes Sheila's eyebrow! We Can't wait.

May the Forresters be with you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 7.4k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Members

Thanks for sharing this. It's overwritten, as typical of Hinsey, but I agree with most of what she said. They did use Karen very badly, and Sheila was a fun character in these years.

They dropped Keith and Kevin very quickly. It's a shame. But a good example of why I don't think B&B has ever been what it could have been. They always take the easy road.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Your Welcome!

Reading this again made me a little sad as to what the show could have been. It is nothing without all these interesting characters.

I laughed at the part where she said she found Ridge and Ronn "stiff" and had no sense of humor (sooo true) If only this article came out a couple months later when Ridge nearly killed Brooke by pushing her in the pool and cracking her head open, I can picture her writing something like " I find him stiff and not having a sense of humor (Of course that is probably a good thing since when he tried using his so-called humor by pushing the "focused" Brooke into the Forrester Pool , he nearly put her in a coma"!) LOL biggrin.png

As entertaining as it was, it's sad that Sheila and Eric pretty much were terrible as a married couple. So their wasn't any love scenes. They were much better before they got married IMO.

You know, i have never scene any clips involving Macy's early stories that much, so i have no idea what Keith/Kevin and even that Sly guy are like.

Sheila never actually teamed up with Stephanie right? I know what she was talking about but i thought Stephanie just laughed Sheila off when she wanted to team up with her to take down Brooke.

Edited by yr9190
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

John McCook is a handsome guy but I can't say I ever found him sexy, or his pairings on the show to be sexy. He just doesn't have that spark, for me. The only guy I ever thought was hot on B&B was Scott Thompson Baker. I remember an episode where he and Karen were going to have sex and Sally and the gang walked in just as his shorts were flying across the room.

Keith and Kevin weren't much at all. I don't even remember it played as any type of attraction. Keith looked out for Macy and clearly cared for her, but I don't think it was reciprocated. Kevin was just there to make some appearances for PSA reasons. He was also fond of Macy.

Sly was just kind of a fun guy, a bit oily, but charming, sometimes. He was more of a rascal. It wasn't until the end that he became, inexplicably, a monster. 1996 was the beginning of the end for B&B.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • Members

B&B Synopses Section (March 5, 1991 SOD)

Covering the weeks of February 4-8/11-15 1991.

Felicia arrives at Brooke and Eric's condo, desperate to explain things to her father. She tells Brooke that she'd never have accepted the job offer with Sally if she'd known Eric was going to make a similar offer. Brooke understands, but when Ridge drops by, he angrily informs his younger sister that she's merely being used by Sally in her war against Stephanie and forbids her to work with Spectra.

NO ESCAPE:

Felicia asks Storm for his legal expertise regarding her dilemma. If Sally leaked their deal to the press, Felicia asks, would that make the contract invalid? Yes, says Storm, be he's under the impression that it wasn't Spectra who leaked it, so the contract is airtight. The Young designer will be forced to honor her commitment.

Meanwhile, Eric makes a personal appeal to Sally to release Felicia. She adamantly refuses. Eric is livid and vows that Felicia will never work for her.

JULIE HATCHES A PLAN:

Julie makes an appointment with Sally. When Clarke hears of it, his heart sinks. Ms. Delorean arrives and requests that her meeting with Sally be private. Despite his fear that Julie will betray him to Sally, a panicky Clarke has no alternative but to leave them alone in the office. Julie lies, telling Sally that she has a husband and that the two of them feel the real story is about Sally Spectra Garrison and want to write a book about her. Sally is relieved to hear Julie is married and thrilled to be the subject of a book.

STREET RULES:

Stranded on the streets after her mild stroke, a confused Stephanie Forrester is learning about survival from her new friend, Ruthanne. She's aghast at the living conditions in the condemned hotel. Ruthanne's offer of dinner (canned baked beans) and accommodations ( a filthy mattress on the floor) reduces Stephanie to tears, but her alternative is a park bench, so Mrs. Forrester. grits her teeth and settles down for the night.

Next morning after little sleep, Stephanie tells Ruthanne she could never learn to live like this. Why doesn't she look for a job? the wealthy woman inquires of her protector. What would she wear to a job interview? Ruthanne laughs bitterly, attempting to explain to Stephanie how life on the streets is about survival: finding your next meal, keeping warm. Ruthanne suggests they go to the police, but Stephanie doesn't understand why. Ruthanne's getting tired of Stephanie's confusion and lack of gratitude and begins to leave. Mrs. Forrester panics and begs Ruthanne not to leave her alone.

TINKLE,TINKLE:

Jake is again beginning to question himself: Did he just imagine his childhood sexual abuse at the hands of his father? He confides his doubts to Margo, who finds it difficult to believe that Jake isn't sure about what happened. She invites him and Felicia to a nice dinner with her and Bill, and Jake thinks it's a great idea, until the tinkling sound that periodically torments him returns. It's starting to drive him crazy. He rushes from the room, telling Margo that he must go see someone.

Jake barges into Dr. Hayes office and insists on speaking to her, He tells Taylor that he's afraid he's losing his mind and describes the tinkling sounds he hears. She suspects his auditory hallucinations are related to sexual abuse. She assures him he didn't simply imagine the abuse, and Jake decides to go home and resolve this issue once and for all.

WEIRD SCIENCE:

Eric discovers Brooke conducting an experiment at home in a quest to make cloth diapers waterproof. Her husband is impressed and when Brooke says she misses working at the hospital, Eric suggests they build a lab for her at Forrester. She's thrilled.

BACK AT SPECTRA:

Felicia's feeling gloomy about working at Spectra, but Sally warns her that she'd better put her heart into her designs because Felicia's reputation is on the line. Later, Felicia tries again to avoid the inevitable, asking Macy to help her get out of the contract with Sally.

Later, Ridge tries to involve Thorne in Felicia's problem. Can't he speak to Sally? As her son-in-law, Ridge notes, he must have some influence over her decisions.

DON'T LEAVE ME:

Stephanie and Ruthanne got to the police, but they're too busy to be of much help to the two homeless women and suggest the unlikely duo contact Social Services. Stephanie's upset but Ruthanne promises not to abandon her.

JUST FRIENDS?:

Clarke's upset with Julie for planning a book on Sally. Julie says she knows it's over between them but she hopes they can still be friends. Then she embraces the ambitious designer, kissing him passionately. Clarke finds that he can't help but respond with the same fervor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Thanks for yr9190 for those synopses and review of B&B. I agree with you its a shame we don't have many early Macy clips. Macy was one of my favorite characters throughout the 90s, although I wouldn't have necessarily called her a sad sack like Hinsey did.

Here's a review from 2000 by soap columnist Tom Smith :

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

All Brad Bell ever did was ignore natural story opportunities. That's why he can only write about bad attempts at social issues, and relatives nailing each other.

I thought the Becky story was good, and not campy, but they shouldn't have killed her off. That was also the last story Amber had which didn't suck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



  • Recent Posts

    • This opening scene is hilarious...it's like someone wrote out the script for Philip with one hand. And Rick...I haven't seen so much scarf-sniffing since Blue Velvet. And in their next scene they are still sniffing the [!@#$%^&*] scarf. Did our dear David Lynch watch GL?

      Please register in order to view this content

       
    • I'm back! We are back! Me and my husband are finally back at our favorite hobby! How could I postpone returning to this amazing show for so long??? What was I thinking??? Another World - February 2nd, 1989 The dead will revenge the living 

      Please register in order to view this content

      Bay City better be ready, because I'm back!   At Vicky's apartment she is once again drowning in doubts and jealousy. Deep down she realizes that her dream wedding will be a farce and nothing can change that. Bridget tries to calm her down, but the heroine is determined to suffer. She is not hearing any positive thoughts. She doesn't believe Jamie will marry her. At the Cory Publishing building another farce is in process. Iris, once again pretending to be the angel of love and sisterhood... is telling Mac and Rachel some wonderful news. When Iris has good news, you really need to look out for yourself. That's when things are bad. So what are the news? Miss Devil has put Amanda up for an award! Mac is smiling from ear to ear, and Rachel is suspicious. Maybe that's the effect Iris is looking for. To once again accent on the fact that Rachel doubts and criticizes her daughter. Iris will do anything to destabilize their relationship. She is like a cancer. Back to Vicky! Jamie is at the door. Looking like a sad puppy, he has come with a surprise. No, he is not gonna leave her and her unborn... Not yet. He has bought her earrings. Sad face. How nice. NOT. Victoria, of course... manages to break one of them the moment she touches it. Bad premonition maybe? She was back in hysterics. It's not easy to trap a man into marriage. Then you have to live with someone that didn't want you in the first place.  We were introduced to a new character (to me at least she is new) - Cass's sister - Stacey. She is giving me "hidden skeletons in the closet"-vibes. Love a girl like that. Stunning actress. I like her. The highlight of the episode was the strange and creepy reveal of Evan the escort... hugging someone named Janice's grave. I remember she had an issue with Rachel... and Rachel killed her in self defense I think... It was hinted in prior episodes, but I lack the context and story. I just know that everyone at the Frame house was mad that Rachel killed the bish. But I also got the impression that this Janice was sick in the head. So Evan is now talking to her grave and telling her he is going to ruin Rachel's life basically. Oh, Evan... I liked you better as a sexy gigolo.  Overall - 10/10 - how can I rate it lower when I haven't watched in months!!!

      Please register in order to view this content

    • Once again, Marlena and Kayla were used very effectively and I couldn’t be happier.  Marlena counseling Johnny and then Chanel was the best part of today. They’re really delving into the human emotion of this storyline and I think that’s a good thing. It feels so much mature than it was before. EJ’s fear about what could happen to Johnny if he doesn’t let go of his anger could lead to some really good storylines in the future.  I also really appreciate the way that Paula/Jeanne are mixing it up and having different characters interact with each other. It was nice to see Shawn and Johnny remember that they’re cousins and share a scene together. I liked the parallel that was drawn between the two of them, and what’s going on with their fathers. I did have mixed feelings about everything with Cat though. I enjoyed Chanel warning her about EJ, mostly because it played into the way that she was written today. But I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Chad/EJ scenes. The two of them discussing Chad’s potential feelings for Cat didn’t really keep my interest.  But above all, I feel that everyone is being used more effectively and that we’re getting a better understanding of everyone as well. And that was exactly what Days needed.  
    • It's a wild story for sure, especially the final conclusion (and fireworks offcamera, like Victoria Wyndham tearing into Michael Logan).
    • @I Am A Swede @DRW50  

      Please register in order to view this content

       
    • Please register in order to view this content

         
    • I did some research and the story wrapped up with Eric,a caretaker responsible for Georgina's death who then  tried to do away with Laurie but a vision of Georgina spooked him and he smashed into a mirror, dying of glass wounds. So there was a supernatural element. I wonder if the Brody character in the credits was Eric Brody?
    • AI has it wrong. David was working as an aide at PV Hospital due to failing to save his brother's life and refusing to continue as a doctor. His true profession was revealed later. Edna had divorced him while he was in Vietnam and he had no reason to be in contact with her. He had no idea that he had a daughter.  Ruth was Ruth Martin, she was still married to Joe, not Jeff. He was not deceiving Ruth as he believed that Edna was his ex. The poisoning story happened late in his run and probably introduced when they knew Gleason was leaving. AI's interpretation of him as conniving seems to based on that short lived poisoning story and other misinformation. For most of 76 he was involved in the Ruth/Joe triangle to the point where Ruth was ready to divorce Joe and leave town. Joe had to have surgery, David operated and Ruth suddenly realized she wanted to stay with Joe despite all the problems they'd been happening. David then got involved with Christina with Jeff and then Edna as complications. And he arrived late 75 not 76.
    • Interesting that they started going into a supernatural direction with ghosts - I don't think they really did that before? I wonder if it was a response to getting put so late in the afternoon and I guess trying to appeal to that former Dark Shadows audience? 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy