Let's hear it for loopholes

Not so fast with the corporate takeover, Thomas! It turns out that Stephanie made sure there was a loophole in her incorporation documents, so Thomas is going to have to put aside his million-dollar expansion for a while. It's fitting that even in death, Stephanie gets the last word -- well, not counting what our Two Scoops columnist has to say.

Just when it looked like Thomas Forrester was about to put the screws to everyone and anyone standing in the way of his grand vision for the future of Forrester Creations, a voice from beyond has emerged with a loophole. You've got to love this development. It's just the kind of twist that makes you tune in tomorrow and next week to see what will happen.

As I pointed out in my last Two Scoops, I have big problems with the way Thomas has been conducting business. You know the old saying, "You get more flies with honey than you do with vinegar?" Well, Thomas has been squirting vinegar in everyone's faces. He clearly has no idea how to be diplomatic with members of his own family. For instance, Eric is his grandfather. So if Thomas is so intent on putting forth his ideas, why not try to convince his grandfather by having a man-to-man talk?

Granted, Thomas does not get along with Rick. They will always be rivals. But in the board meeting on Friday, Thomas, Steffy, and Taylor were just nasty in the way they approached the rest of the family. The way I saw it, they were shoving it in the faces of Eric and the Logans that they were in charge. You would think the way they were acting that they had been treated shabbily over the years, and that's just not true. Yes, Thomas has been relegated to the basement for a while. However, that was Ridge's decision and was in part a punishment.

Look, I'm not saying Rick deserves to run the company. But I'm also not happy with what I'm seeing out of Thomas. And I'm really not happy with Taylor's involvement in all of this. I like Taylor as a character, but her attitude is completely inconsistent. Taylor shouldn't be so competitive about her children, especially when it comes to the family business. It's so materialistic, and she's not that kind of a woman. Frankly, I think Taylor would have preferred it if Steffy or Thomas had chosen a different line of work. Their decision to go into the family business has put them right in the middle of all the family conflict.

And when it comes to conflict, we're going to get plenty of it now, once Stephanie's DVD is played. I have no idea what the loophole is, but I think Thomas' plan to use his power to take over the business is going to be thwarted. It should be really interesting to see how this is going to be decided.

Even though I'm happy with the developments I saw last week, I cannot get over the fact that Brad Bell is letting the character of Ridge remain missing in action. What are we to believe? Is Ridge going to return and tell us that he'd been through a midlife crisis? Are you going to buy that one? Here's a guy who was CEO of the biggest couture business in Los Angeles, the head designer, and yet he couldn't even return home for his mother's memorial? No matter how they try to write it, I don't think it's going to sound true or realistic.

I cannot mention Ridge without talking about Brooke. For as long as I've written this column, I've been inclined to give Brooke Logan the benefit of the doubt. I've forgiven her and felt that she's been a victim of conspiracies and situations beyond her control. Many of you have accused me of being a Logan lover. Well, after her latest slip-up, I've had a change of heart. That recent kiss at Big Bear with brother-in-law Bill has thrown me off the Logan bandwagon.

What on earth was Brooke thinking? I couldn't believe what I was seeing, that she was allowing Bill to get that close to her and then she responded to him with the kiss. I just couldn't believe it. I even was yelling at the TV screen! "Brooke, what are what are you doing? Are you crazy?"

Just think about this, she's not only betraying her sister Katie, but she's undermining any chance of a reconciliation with Ridge when and if he returns. How is she going to explain the kiss to Ridge? He couldn't even handle her responding to Deacon's text messages.

Sorry, Ridge and Brooke fans, but I think Brad is determined to destroy destiny's darlings. The chances of Ridge coming home and reuniting with Brooke now look very slim indeed. And based on what Taylor said last week regarding Thorne, I don't think they're destined to stick together either. That means we might be seeing yet another resurrection of Ridge and Taylor.

I do believe that Liam, on the other hand, will be staying with Steffy. Even the most loyal Liam and Hope supporters have to concede that Liam seems much happier with Steffy. It doesn't matter how they have found each other or the lies that Rick told to drive Hope away from Liam. The bottom line is this: Liam and Stephanie are good together.

Of course, next week we are probably going to see Liam flip-flopping again. The truth is going to come out because Caroline, Rick, and Othello are determined to tell Hope that she's been the victim of a monumental lie. Hope will invariably run back to Liam to tell him that it was all a big misunderstanding. They'll both agree that they were played, but I don't think it will change anything. Liam is not going to dump Steffy and run back to Hope, even though that's exactly what Hope wants. So it will be one more big cry-fest for Hope and one more opportunity for Liam to question his decision.

Steffy, too, will have to wonder why Liam allows Hope to have this hold over him. But if Steffy is smart, and I think she is, she'll realize that first love is a very powerful emotion. That's precisely what Hope and Liam share. They were each other's first loves. And reality tells us that most first loves do not work out.

By the way, have you ever seen a more slow-moving storyline than Caroline and Rick deciding to tell the truth? These two have been talking and talking and talking about Hope and the big lie for weeks. The longer they wait, the more Steffy and Liam become bonded to one another. Also, Hope becomes more and more miserable. If I were in that office, I would tell Rick and Caroline to get moving. Enough time has passed. Just tell Hope the truth.

I also have a question about all those shares of Forrester Creations stock. How is it possible that Ridge walked away from the company and left the door open for a hostile takeover, even if the hostile takeover is coming from his own son? And if I'm not mistaken, I believe Bill Spencer also owns a chunk of Forrester stock. Steffy also has shares, as does Eric. I'm no accountant, but something tells me that there would be a way to stop Thomas, even without Stephanie's DVD.

Oh, one more thing. Apparently the family is in touch with Ridge. Stephanie said she had spoken to him, and I think Thorne was going to see him in Europe. So why doesn't somebody tell Ridge what Thomas is up to? If Eric is so down on Thomas' new radical vision for the company, he should just call Ridge and have him talk to Thomas. It would only take an email for Ridge to stop the million-dollar expansion that Thomas is proposing. See, it all comes back to Brad Bell and how he's concocting this story.

So, that's it for me. Please share your thoughts with me about what's going to happen in the weeks ahead... I'm anxious to read what you all have to say. I welcome your comments 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. And keep on reading Two Scoops every week! All you have to do is click here to send me a message. And keep on reading Two Scoops every week!

Meanwhile, here are some letters from the readers!

• Am I the only one who asks the question why Caroline is on B&B? She is an incredibly boring character and I feel has no chemistry with anyone on the show. She is a one note character with nothing to care about or root for. People who watch soaps watch them because they look forward to watching distinctive characters with traits. They are wasting a slot for another actor/character to be at B&B. Jacob Young's acting ability is being wasted on having to act with this character and in this story line. -- L.B

• I for one want to see the Hope/Liam/Steffy thing come to an end once and for all. I love Steffy and Liam together; they have chemistry, they have fun and they clearly adore each other. Find someone new for Hope so everyone can move on, please. It was sad to see Stephanie die, but I thought she and Brooke did a great job. I am not a cryer, but they got me. This is my favorite soap and watching it is my favorite half-hour of the day (I wish it was an hour long). -- Christine

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