B&B December 2021 Discussion Thread

[Ponds]

Why would Deacon feel it's okay to walk into Brooke & Ridge's home without even knocking?  I guess my other question is why would the front door be unlocked?  I keep my doors locked all day long.

[janea4old]

I didn't see the episode, but I've seen commentary online, that since COVID, on some of the soaps, you rarely seen anyone answering a door because that would be too hard to film with social distancing.  So thus, beginning in summer 2020, we started seeing most characters walking into homes they are visiting, without anyone answering the door.

Of course, we have all complained for many years that on various soaps there are random walk-ins, such as the DiMera mansion on Days.  But it got worse on all the shows since the need for sets to observe COVID protocols.

Would this ease as more of the actors are vaccinated? But we don't really know who is or is not vaccinated on B&B, Y&R, and Days -- unless an individual actor announces on the actor's social media that he/she is vaccinated.  And now with omicron, who knows what will happen with set protocols.

I guess the answer to your question is another question --
Did Deacon enter Brooke's home because:
1) This is an intentional piece of the storyline that she lets him do that, or that she's lax with her home security.
2) This is part of a COVID set protocol.
3) Neither #1 or #2 ... The show got lazy and messed up and didn't realize it would be odd to have a visitor simply walk in.

[Taoboi]

12-13

 

Yay!!!! Deacon made it into the credits!!!

 

Ooooooh Heather Tom...how I miss you. 

 

Yeah, no that wig is hit or miss, but darn it if KA does not resemble Taylor so good casting.

[Jeff]

Brooke and Taylor come face-to-face. This is such a ho-fest, and I am here for it.

Edited December 22, 2021 by clubkidjeff

[Soapsuds]

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[FrenchBug82]

So another wrinkle for why the wig was not just that her hair was short but that it was also blonde. So they thought a wig would help her look familiar to viewers while she transitioned her natural hair back to something more Taylor-like

 

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Her natural hair looks great here and I definitely love how complimentary she is to Hunter Tylo. Not necessary but classy

Edited December 23, 2021 by FrenchBug82

[Soapsuds]

Thanks for posting this!  How did I miss it? I would've called in. I see nothing wrong with her natural hair. Why didn't she tape using it? The wig they have her wearing is hideous. 

I saw her scenes with KKL yesterday and they were fine.

Deacon but especially Sheila is so played out. I kept thinking why are these two back on? They are boring and doing nothing. 

[Taoboi]

12-17

 

For a week that only really featured Taylor's return and Ridge vs Deacon, I thought it was a good one. But yes, KA's discomfort of the wig is starting to show. 

 

Meanwhile I do like that Taylor's return had such a build to it. I could say the same for the Deacon conflict. It was great to see TK and SK have enemy chemistry down. And I do like how it is dividing up Ridge and Brooke nicely...just in time for Taylor's return. Perhaps her and Deacon should get together and watch everyone's (and Sheila's) heads explode. Or is that where this is going?

 

Well, I cannot say that I hate Sheila slithering around. For now. But she better get to scheming if she's jealous Deacon has been making headway with Hope and (especially) Brooke. 

 

And I've loved Steffy and Thomas banter. So like a brother and sister. Which reminds me thank you to whoever in wardrobe has been dressing Ms. Wood, cuz I LOVE the beret and just about everything she had on. 

 

But watch. I said this past week was decent and B&B will probably do that thing where they rush through stories now. lol. 

[FrenchBug82]

It is damning with faint praise that Bell NOT writing Ridge storming of Brooke's after finding Deacon there to immediately sleep with Taylor after seeing her because he is mad feels like him doing better than usual.
He does seem invested in making KA work as Taylor enough that he took the time to introduce her with proper talking scenes with Ridge, the kids and Brooke. What do you know! The dialogue was a bit too stiff for me but at least there was an attempt at a little bit of character development so I'll take it.

I said it before and I know I am in the minority but I actually like Deacon being a source of tension between Ridge and Brooke. SO much more plausible than contrived triangles like the Shauna mess. You understand both their POVs - Brooke's dilemna with Hope and Ridge not feeling it, noone is wrong or right, it feels like a real issue that could cause organic tension in a marriage while not cheapening their feelings for each other, etc.
This is proper soap storytelling - even the repetitive beats. And if he takes the time to introduce Taylor in the mix not as a immediate spoiler but a further source of tension that can later turn into a plausible alternative for Ridge - without the usually hackneyed "I slept with her on a whim and now secret" scenario - it would be vastly superior to 95% of what we got from BB in 2021, even if it is less "exciting" or headline-worthy.
I am not optimistic (and neither am I enthusiastically hooked) but so far I appreciate that storyline.

[Taoboi]

Same. I rolled my eyes a few times at how some of the dialogue was too 'on the note.'BUT that is what soaps tend to do with recasts so I can't fault it too much. 

 

I agree with you that I like that Deacon is the source of the tension and what I liked about last week was that I could see both points of view as well. 

[Aback]

After all, Deacon was the reason why Ridge dumped Brooke back when Ronn Moss left the role.

[Chris B]

I thought yesterdays episode was very well done. I know she’d never get noticed by them, but Kimberlin is giving very strong, nuanced performances as Sheila. She had me fully buying everything she said yesterday and by the time we reached the FaceTime call I thought it was so touching.

[BoldRestless]

Yes. I'm actually enjoying it not in an ironic way. I'm sitting there like I hope Taylor says she can come! Yes! Looking forward to the Christmas ep.

[YRfan23]

KB was amazing during that final scene!! We don’t get to see that side of her acting as Sheila a lot but she definitely can pull off the vulnerable nuanced stuff as well as the crazy.

Ridge really should have no room to judge Deacon now that Taylor invited Sheila over….but him being the hypocrite he is probably will think it was admirable of her, while continuing to trash Brooke and Hope trying to have a relationship with Deacon. 

[FrenchBug82]

That's what I have been resenting with the caricature that Sheila become in the past few visits Bell wrote.
Initial Sheila on Y&R and even better Sheila on her first BB run had some real vulnerabilities. She wasn't sympathetic per se but she wasn't randomly vicious.
You could see how that awful relationship with her mom made her crave Scott's love. You could see she genuinely was desperate to be accepted by the Forresters and her resentment growing from their actions, even if her starting point was delusional.
She wasn't a mustache-twirling cuckoo bird. 
Hence this kind of scene working because they give her a thoroughline - a weak one since Mary is still out there and she is not even mentioned - but a clear motive for her to have feelings.