Why no bold characters among these beauties?

Just when it seemed that things were looking up, with the focus shifting to Caroline, Little Miss Hope downed too many anti-anxiety pills and fell off the diving board! Is it really believable that Hope would go down this path, or that she'd befriend Amber of all people? Meanwhile, for some comedy, Donna and Pam are going to share a desk at Forrester Creations. Watch for the lemon bars to start flying in this week's Two Scoops!

It's time to review what the name and theme of this soap opera are. It's supposed to be about bold and beautiful people in the fashion business. Lately, however, we've had plenty of pretty faces, but is anyone bold? You have to wonder based on last week's episodes, because after a couple of Caroline Spencer-centric weeks, dear Brad Bell served up a major dose of Hope, Liam, and Steffy again. Sorry, folks, but I'm really bored with this as our afternoon delight! I want some variety. I want a different daytime dish -- maybe one from column A and one from column B?

But no; this last week was more of the same, and it seemed like gruel. The same old "same old." Did anybody really think that something horrible was going to happen to Hope when she fell into the pool? You knew that she wasn't going to be hurt or, heaven forbid, drown. It was simply an extreme moment that only illustrated that Hope is an idiot for abusing prescription drugs, and the people around her are mighty dim-witted for not picking up any of the clues that she's a very troubled young lady.

Considering that Hope is essentially the ultimate good girl, she should be the last character to reach for a pill to solve her problems. Even though it's true that Dr. Barton gave her a couple of pills, Hope all too quickly fell down the rabbit hole, and it was the antithesis of her character. She's a very careful girl who doesn't take chances. Taking drugs is not in Hope's DNA.

It's also unbelievable that Hope would trust Amber in any capacity. Again, what is Brad Bell trying to sell us? Amber has hurt Rick in the past and all through Hope's childhood. And since returning from Genoa City, Amber has wreaked havoc on Liam's life. She made Liam believe he was the father of her child and kept Liam and Hope apart for almost a year! Given all that, Hope would never give Amber the time of day.

For Amber to suddenly worm her way into Hope's life with prescription pills just doesn't ring true. Before taking help from Amber, Hope would go to Dr. Taylor Hayes, practically part of the family -- and a medical professional. Sure, Taylor is Steffy's mom, but Hope would feel safer with Taylor than Amber, right? And if she asked Taylor to keep her confidence, Taylor would have to do it as a psychiatrist. I just don't think Hope would be this reckless. She's programmed to do the right thing. Hope strives to be a good girl!

Of course, good is a relative term on this show. Steffy thinks she's a good and loyal wife by making Liam wait six months for a divorce. Taylor thinks it's a good thing that Steffy is holding on to the dream of reuniting with Liam, even though she knows that Liam is living with Hope. To Brooke, it's a good thing that Hope is having premarital sex with Liam despite the fact that Hope is being vilified in the press for abandoning her vow of abstinence. What's really good and what's not? It's all relative.

If there's one character that consistently drives me crazy on B&B, it's Liam. He continues to have no backbone. When Steffy went to see him and tugged on his heartstrings about their marriage -- all 30 days of it! -- Liam smiles and agrees with her that it was magical. Is that really helpful? Why can't Liam just gently push Steffy aside and say, "I've chosen Hope. Please move on without me, Steffy."

Not only would it be the right thing to do for himself and Hope, presuming that he sincerely wants a future with Hope, but it would also be the right thing for Steffy. By being so darn wishy-washy, all Liam has done is lead Steffy on and feed Hope's insecurities. Maybe it's just his ego that's driving him to keep two women dancing on a string?

Of course, it's more likely that he has residual feelings for Steffy or is secretly still yearning for her. Perhaps his heart really does belong to Steffy and this thing with Hope is just a youthful romance and not the real thing? It may turn out that the future direction of this storyline will be a happily ever after ending for Liam and Steffy. But for right now, Liam is being selfish. And yes, that is precisely what Ridge did for years with Brooke and Taylor. It was wrong then, and it's wrong now.

Here's what I'd like to see happen: another man comes along and dazzles Steffy. Right now, she's so focused on Liam that she isn't giving herself a chance to explore the other fish in the sea! I'm surprised, in fact, that Steffy hasn't realized that if she were to begin looking for someone else, Liam might snap to attention and recognize that he doesn't want to lose Steffy to another man! It would also make him question if his heart really is one hundred percent Hope's! If it's not, Liam needs to rethink marriage at this point in his life.

The problem with the entire Liam-Hope-Steffy saga is that they all are in too much of a hurry to get married. It really makes you wonder why. After all, they're all under 25. They have a lot of living to do, and yet they all want home, hearth, and marriage with the idea that it's going to last forever. It's such an old-fashioned idea.

Not that there's anything wrong with getting married and settling down, but shouldn't it come after a character's done some actual living? Sure, Steffy spent a few months in Paris, and Liam knocked around for a while before turning up in L.A., but in essence, aren't they all really just kids? Hope's barely out of high school.

If they were a bit worldlier, they might have a better handle on their emotions. For instance, Hope might have a better understanding of the difference between annulment and divorce. According to this past week's rant, Hope can't survive another day without Liam annulling his marriage with Steffy.

Puh-leeze, Hope, get over it already. You've already made love to Liam. The horse has left the barn. What difference does it make if Liam is still "legally" a married man because Steffy prefers a divorce to an annulment? And why is Hope so worried about what the world thinks of her? She should have more self-confidence and self-worth.

The comic relief of the week was provided by Pam and Donna. Every month or so, Mr. Bell turns the cameras on these two ladies and has them do something outrageous and, hopefully, funny. The current sitcom setup for the pair is that they're both going to share the receptionist's job at Forrester Creations, including the desk.

So, in the tradition of Lucy and Ricky, and Ralph and Alice, and Laverne and Shirley, they drew a line right down the middle, and each will have to operate in only one-half of the office. You can anticipate that it will get sillier in the weeks ahead, with lemon bars, honey, and itching powder on the agenda. I'm wondering if either of them has cornered the market on whoopee cushions.

Finally, Caroline has fit right in with the Forrester crowd. After seeing Ridge bawl like a baby when she showed him her cancer symbol tattoo (and how over-the-top was that reaction?), I thought she might hop the first jet out of town, but she's stayed! For now it looks like Rick has gotten a head start with Caroline, but if I were laying a bet on whom she'll wind up with, I'd wager it's Thomas. The show is already projecting them as the once and future Ridge and Caroline, don't you think?

So, that's it for now. Please share your thoughts with me about what's going to happen in the weeks ahead. Your comments are always welcome at Soap Central, so stay in touch. And tell me which other characters you want to see fixed or changed, or return to the show. Contact us at Soap Central. And keep on reading Two Scoops every week!

Meanwhile, here are some letters from the readers!

• Please enough is enough! Steffy belongs with Liam (enough though he is a bit dumb about working out what's best for himself let alone anyone else). Poor little dumb ass Hope needs to go back to her sex therapist to realize that her one true love is Oliver, but she has been blocking it out because of what happened with her mother and him. Oliver and Hope belong together as do Steffy and Liam belong together and Bill and Katie deserve each other. -- Mel

• Okay, we're tired of Hope and Liam trying to be together. They have no chemistry. ...We love the soaps and truly miss the ones we lost. We're so tired of talk shows telling us what to do with our lives and tired of Hollywood's fake stars. There's better acting on soap than at the movies. - Margaret

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