A very good week

Brooke is the poster child for hypocrisy, and nothing proved that more than her blowing into Nick's house, ranting about him sleeping with Bridget.

Maybe I need the shrink more than Brooke! I sat and watched all 5 episodes back to back (thank goodness for DVR...the best invention since oxygen! Hahaha) and I have to say it was a decent week filled with just the right amount of sex-crazed antics, scary background music, and monumental hypocrisy. Ah, what a glorious time to be a B&B fan....well, maybe not that much. But I loved the verbal sparring between Ashley and Brooke, the banter between Katie and Nick, the fight between Storm and Ridge, and a half-naked Rick lying in bed. I'd say that makes for a stellar week, wouldn't you?

No, I haven't gone around the bend. And even though I loathe Ridge on a daily basis, I actually am starting to see why I liked him with Ashley more than anyone else (including 'She That Shall Not Be Named'). I will always say that he seems to have more backbone when he is around Ashley and maybe that's just due to the very un-Brooke like attitude she has. Ok, she has had her issues and I did chuckle a little when she said Brooke was sick and needed professional help. I guess stealing a man's sperm to have his kid because you can't have HIM is healthy behavior? No, but at least that really is the worst of Ashley Abbott from what I can see. She has not even scratched the surface of Brooke's life-long rap sheet. She is good for Ridge and makes him more palatable, period. And by the looks of things, he still loves her. She's makes a lot of sense too and maybe there is hope...well, at least I know I am hoping!

But...and there is always one of those...Ridge can't have his cake and eat it too. That's Brooke's job. He can't freak out about Storm having lunch with her, make flirty little comments to her, and then almost have 'destiny' sex with Brooke on the office floor. For as much as it was true for Ashley to tell Brooke to 'pick a man already', the same can be said to the Wooden One. Hypocrisy must have been the buzzword in the writer's lounge on set when these shows were penned. Brooke is the poster child for the word and nothing proved that more than her blowing into Nick's house ranting about him sleeping with Bridget. And how about Nick lecturing Taylor about 'being involved' with her daughter's ex-boyfriend...that's rich! Everyone seems to be forgetting about their own transgressions when judging everyone else. But then again, this is the world of soaps and there is no such thing as long-term memory, right?

So why can't I stomach this Rick-Taylor thing, huh? Is it just me? I'll tell you the one element of it I actually do like...the overall passion of the scenes. I know it's unnerving but hear me out. This show has lacked one BIG thing that many soaps seem to have going on with at least one couple...HEAT. Romance, sex, longing...call it what you will but ask yourself this question-when was the last time we saw a couple that had a slow but powerful ramp-up to romance and sex? None. It's just 'add water, instant relationship'. It's like Brad has forgotten one of the inalienable rights of all soap viewers, the right to watch some hot and steamy romance build between two characters that probably aren't right for each other but we tune in every day to see if they actually will be together. I swear I can remember one like that on B&B. Ridge and Ashley, Taylor and Nick, Thorne and well, everyone, and the list goes on. There is no build up, nothing to look forward to. The characters will meet Monday, kiss on Wednesday, and be engaged by Friday. That's it. The best example I have seen of a soap getting this right was Nick and Phyllis on Y&R (I watch that too). It was slow to build and there was so much sexual tension between them in every scene that I couldn't wait to see them in action. That's what this show is missing.

If there are any two characters that could be on the verge of this, right now, it may be Nick and Katie. Now I think that Nick's logic about getting away from Brooke and Bridget as the way to avoid drama is a bit flawed since Katie is THEIR relative for heaven's sake! Besides that, they have great chemistry between them, they are getting some of the best dialogue I have heard in a long time. By the way, I loved the burp. Yes, I thought it was a very 'un-soap like' moment but it fit's the OLD Nick and that's what gives me just a little bit of hope. Plus, I like both actors a lot and think they could, if allowed to, carry off some incredibly romantic scenes. Of course, Brooke and Bridget will both become homicidal, but that's beside the point.

And who else is a little scared of Bridget, huh? How many daydreams can one woman have? It's a wonder she was even at the hospital at all with all the Nick-obsessing she has been doing lately. This is going to end up BAD!!! Maybe the scary background music should have been reserved for her, not Storm! I was waiting for her to start brandishing a knife when she walked in on Katie and Nick at the dinner table. I guess I really don't understand why it was necessary to have Nick sleep with Bridget so soon after Taylor left...if this was supposed to be some kind of weird plot device, it's lost on me totally.

As for the Viagra-for-Ambien switcheroo that Crazy Pam did, I guess I am still not getting too much of a thrill from this storyline either. It's gone on too long. And know that Stephanie knows what she has been doing, she should stop it before it completely backfires on both of them. If the old man wants to have his trophy wife/sex kitten/HO, let him. These couples never last in the soap-world anyway and Donna will be sleazing around with some hot young janitor or mailroom clerk in no time. The sad part was watching a character like Stephanie sitting at the Love Shack begging for him to reconsider their marriage. What a shame that the women in this soap are almost always written as fools and now Stephanie is, too. She should be moving on and showing Eric she can bow out gracefully...that may do her well in the future. I started fast-forwarding through some of those scenes between Eric and Donna simply out of boredom. Marry them or break them up...but let's move on.

Things that make you go 'hmmmmmmmmmmm'......show of hands-who didn't wish for even one fleeting second that they couldn't have been Taylor walking in on a half-naked Rick laying in her bed?...why can't we see more of Thorne other than the 2 minute scene with him fondling a file folder?...is Phoebe that out to lunch that she didn't not notice that Rick stuck around after she left for the office? What a dunce...doesn't the costume department communicate at all with each other? Storm and Ridge in the exact same get-up like a bad Prom Night with two girls in the same dress walking in at the same time (ugh!)...am I the only one on the planet that can't stand him being called 'Stormy'?...and will everyone stop saying that Storm is a homicidal maniac? I'm glad at least he called out Ridge for Shane's death and his role in it while he was being painted out as Charles Manson's little brother...

Ok, why can't Storm be given a break already? The Forresters have a list as long as an encyclopaedia of misdeeds and attempted homicide yet Storm, clearly a man with issues, is painted out as a dangerous man that can't be roaming the halls of Forrester Creations. Whatever. I say let him have a relationship and see where he could go in this show. B&B is already a little light on guys anyway, right? I thought the lunch scene was nice and if Ashley is not destined to be with him, why not let Felicia do a little horizontal hold with him. That would be just the kind of forbidden romance this show could use. Stephanie would lose her mind and would try to stop it but as we all know, Felicia is the one Forrester woman that cannot be tamed.

One more thing before I go...many people that answered last week's question agreed that Nick is becoming more and more like Brooke everyday. I was a little surprised I think due to the high amount of emails I have received in the past supporting Nick in general as a decent guy and great to watch. But the writers seem intent on ruining his character and if this dabbling into the attraction to Katie doesn't pan out, I'm afraid more people will continue to be turned off by Nick. It's such a shame...he was the breath of fresh air this show needed years ago. Well, I will be optimistic and hope he becomes more like the 'old Nick' soon. Maybe Katie is the one to help him get there....

QUESTION---------Do you like Katie Logan and would you want to see her with Nick?

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Lisa K laments: 'Just wanted to let ya know how much I hate NICK! There is no one on this show single or couple to root for anymore. This show needs more MEN! And a gay couple!' Shelly writes: 'I think you're absolutely right Kristine, but I'll see your Nick is becoming Brooke, and raise you that so are Ridge and Taylor. Hear me out:Ridge is totally bouncing back to Ashley - why is he even holding on to Brooke at all at this point? That's only something BROOKE would do, right?Taylor, well, she's just about to sleep with a man her daughter is in love with. Hmmm, who else has done that?Seems that everyone is trading places with Brooke these days, not just Nickeee!'

Sunny proclaims: 'First of all, your column was dead on this week, regarding Brooke, Nick and especially Taylor. If she sleeps with Rick (yuck!!), she can never, ever accuse Brooke of being one sick puppy ever again.Is Nick the male Brooke? Yeah, probably but you know what -- I don't care!!!! Nick is still my favorite character because he is played by the funny, gorgeous and sexy-as-hell Jack Wagner.Do I hate the way the writers have trashed his character? Absolutely! Has the warp speed partner-swapping and total lack of romance on this show cost B&B viewers? You bet. But when I come home from a long hard day at work, I want me some eye candy. And not just any eye candy will do...he has to be sexy, charismatic, intelligent and very, very good at what he does. Now you tell me -- doesn't that sum up Jack Wagner (AND Nick, at least according to Brooke, Felicia, Bridget and Taylor) to a tee?One final thought -- if Nick is scum of the earth, how come none of his ex's hate him? They have all said how he made them feel safe and loved, what an attentive and giving husband he was. As a matter of fact, it seems any and all of them would be happy to warm his bed again anytime.Oh well -- Don't worry Jack...no matter how Bell trashes Nick, you're still the best thing that's happened to this show in 20 years!' Jerry says: 'I don't think that Nick is becoming the nuBrooke but I think Rick may be the nuBrook. I agree they Kyle Lauder is a vast improvement over the last actor to play Rick Forrester. And he is woefully underused as Rick. He like Bridgett is half Logan and Forrester and is connected to almost everyone on the show. In many ways he should be the new Ridge handsome, a womanizer and I would love to see him start designing and he and Ridge go at like Eric and Ridge did years before.How about Jackie having a 20 ish niece who's a gold digger and comes to visit Aunt Jackie and sets her sight on young Mr. Forrester or after they recast Thomas gets involved in a triangle with both Forresters. It's just time for them to move forward with show and build on its foundation.' Have a great week everyone!!

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