A Brill-iant summation

A short but eventful week saw reduced quality in a quadrangle and Hope's full support of the Fullers. But the bill and cooing of Brooke and Bill was enough for Two Scoops' Mike to take aim at their scandalous love nest! Read why B&B fans have declared open season on Brill!

Has your week been bold and beautiful? Did the spring in your step come from bouncing between two women? Did you find out Mother really does know best? Were you so turned on that everyone else was turned off? These and more situations faced the Forresters et al this week!

It's Mike back with you, Scoopers, and, like wearing white after Labor Day, the big Brill romance is feeling like a major fashion faux pas. In the '80s, I used to say, "Oh, brill!" when I did something stupid or if I was being sarcastic. Okay, so it wasn't the original phrase I thought it was as a teenager, but I find it's an apt way to describe how I'm feeling about B&B's Commanders of Controversy. But first, a visit to our other couples, or attempts at coupling, because they don't seem to be doing much better!

Raroline/Marter, or Raya/Carterline, whatever: this foursome is officially fractured. After months of contrived conflicts, Maya dumped Rick, who rebounded with Caroline like he was made of rubber. And Carter, who hasn't exactly been Dudley Do-Right in all of this, just comes off as creepy. I want to care about these folks, but it's all devolved into such a puddle of primordial soap goo that I can't even pick a side.

"Maybe someday you'll care enough about a woman to not let an argument and a couple of drinks get in the way," Maya chided as she turned her back on Rick and HFTF. Mighty words from a woman who did exactly the same thing when Rick couldn't make the Room 8 premiere; she's no better. And isn't Maya contractually obligated to Forrester Creations? Eric could sue her for ditching her role as HFTF's spokesmodel right after the public bought her as the face of the line! And he'd win!

Caroline's been so all over the map between acting sincere, acting bitchy, and play-acting at being sincere that I can't believe a word she says, especially when she sympathizes about Maya. "I want to start a life with you," Caroline gushed to Rick. How can she even think that's a possibility when Rick was with Maya not 24 hours ago? That fact makes Rick's switch-over even harder to swallow. Now he's supposedly torn between Maya and Caroline, when he made it very clear to Caroline he'd fallen out of love with her!

Maya just seems like a cry-baby, while Carter, who I'll allow probably had good intentions as he told Maya she deserved more, actually commented, "You and Rick are over, and yet you're still holding back." I know it's a soap, but what message does it send to imply that people are supposed to turn their feelings on and off like a light switch? The only thing that would save this story now is for Jesse to come back and hold everyone at gunpoint, and you know that's not going to happen.

I've actually found myself missing Amber. I still think Ramber got a raw deal when B&B had Amber sabotage her redemption over a goofy scheme that wasn't even worthy of her previous trickery. As it turns out, Ms. Moore showed up in The Young and the Restless' Genoa City this week to pay her respects to one very much missed Katherine Chancellor. That one sequence had more substance than Amber's whole 2010-2012 B&B return. The red hair looks good on her! And she's still in L.A.; who knew?

Why do we never hear about Amber? She's still Rosie's mother. Are Marcus and Dayzee raising Rosie now? Amber looked like she had gotten it together at Katherine's memorial -- wouldn't this be a great time for Amber to come back? I don't think Rick has ever gotten Amber out of his system, and it would be a good reason why none of his subsequent romances have worked out. Amber's never forgotten Rick, either. Maya and Caroline would be history if Amber showed up on Rick's door, believe me!

Maybe Maya and Carter were always meant to be the endgame because of their portrayers' Guiding Light connection. But this quadrangle has taken too many implausible turns, and now the car's out of gas. The same can be said for Hope and Liam's relationship, which now only seems to exist because it's about to be torpedoed by Wyatt. And that's fine by me, because I can't think of anyone who deserves that kind of comeuppance more than Liam.

No sooner did Liam boot Wyatt out of "his" house for the second time in a month (the Post Office must have a hell of a time delivering Wyatt's mail), did Wyatt ask Hope to ditch the place with him! Of course, Wyatt correctly picked up on Hope's mixed signals. The most interesting part of this story is that Hope is finally free of Steffy's interference, but so obviously weary from two years of Liam's waffling that Wyatt is looking like a fresh option. He's fresh, all right!

Hope said no, but she sure looked like she was ready to call U-Haul, didn't she? And it led to another interesting scene: Liam and Hope arguing over Wyatt. Liam has a right to be pissed about Wyatt kissing Hope, but Liam is so busy kissing Daddy Bill's ass right now that he can't see Wyatt has a point about Will getting caught in the Brill crossfire. And Hope's defense of Wyatt became a little too transparent. Hence the intrigue: neither Hope nor Liam is completely wrong, but they're not completely right, either.

Wyatt, in the meantime, went running back to mama. Wasn't their reunion awfully chummy, considering the last time Wyatt saw Quinn, he told her to get with it or get left behind? Quinn should have boxed his ears first! But I guess he made points when he admitted that Quinn was right about Bill. I felt B&B missed a beat by not having Wyatt properly apologize to Quinn and ask if he could move back in after the way he treated her, but the way B&B is Missed Beat Central anymore, I'm not surprised.

By the same token, Quinn, who was ready to go to war with Hope for digging Bill out of mothballs, suddenly joined Team Hope when she saw how gaga Wyatt was over her! Huh? And Wyatt, who just two weeks ago wanted to muscle his way into Spencer, now feels he doesn't fit in with the Spencer men. Ping pong must be a favorite game of the Fullers. They'll certainly fit in well with the Forrester-Spencer-Logans, but I wish B&B would make up their minds about the viewpoints of these people.

Now, I'm no fashionista, but HFTF just went through a major rebranding with a high-profile fashion show to introduce it. Why only now is Forrester adding accessories? Oh -- so Hope could bring Quinn Artisan Jewelers into the picture. Check it: Hope has met Quinn, seen her work, even worn a piece from her inventory. And Hope couldn't recognize the lady's designs in a line-up? I'm all for Forrester partnering with an outside designer, but I've always had the impression they fashioned their own accessories.

Hope ran straight to Quinn to make a deal, and, though Rick approved it, you'd think Hope would also have to get the green light from Eric. No matter; Hope ignored that and rushed headlong into creating another conflict with Liam. I'm guessing "Yoga Boy" won't be too happy about this maneuver, given that he and Hope are already on opposite poles about the budding backlash that is Brill!

On paper, Brill must have sounded like soap opera gold: man cheats on wife and takes up with wife's sister. Surely it's been done on every show. But when the man is Bill Spencer, Jr., and the woman is Brooke Logan Forrester, the skank factor multiplies about a millionfold. Having Bill and Brooke betray Katie after Katie's postpartum-induced matchmaking was one thing. I can even appreciate the shock value that went into it. But having Brill enter into full-on relationship is only inducing nausea for most viewers.

I actually have to look away when Brooke and Bill kiss. "What we have is rare and wonderful," Bill declared. Um, no, Bill, it isn't. Brill is based on cheating, lying, betrayal, and pain, which isn't exactly the foundation of anything wonderful. And Bill simply cannot be trusted. I'd love to see Bill screw Brooke over the way he screwed Katie over! Brooke would get her karma, and it might actually give Brooke and Katie something to rebuild their sisterly bond with, having both suffered at Bill's bejeweled hands.

When Brooke pulled away from Bill's steamy liplock, I thought maybe we were getting somewhere. Brooke still feels guilty, and it would be poetic justice for Brooke to freeze up in bed with Bill the way Hope froze up with Liam. But no such luck; Brooke merely exclaimed, "I just want this to be right!" The only way for this to be right would be for Brooke to slam the brakes on Brill for good. That would show growth, maturity.

Instead, we get Brooke saying, "We have to keep the family together." Shades of the matriarch Stephanie wanted her to be? This would be the perfect time for Brooke to start seeing Stephanie everywhere, to recall the times Stephanie wanted to believe in her, to wonder if maybe Stephanie's "slut from the Valley" label was an accurate one. Brooke could realize she tried to block the pain of losing Ridge and Stephanie with Bill's affections, then she could tell Bill they can't go on! What a turning point that would be!

We're nowhere near it, considering Brooke souped up Bill's phone with a stallion ringtone. The moment was meant to be cute, but, in truth, it was gross. You know it's bad when even Brooke's staunchest supporters, who have loved Brooke through everything, find themselves leaving Miss Logan. And now Brooke, who shamed Katie for trying to change Bill, is telling him, "I'm not going to let you be estranged from Wyatt -- that's not acceptable to me." Geese and ganders, eh, Brooke?

At least hypocrisy is something Brooke and Bill have in common. Bill agreed he wanted a relationship with Wyatt but insisted "that starts with respect." Steffy, Hope, Liam, Katie, and Quinn could give lectures on what Bill doesn't know about respect! But Liam seems okay with Brill, probably because he also threw one (step)sister over for another and is living with one while in the process of divorcing the other. Wyatt's right: Bill and Liam are more alike than anyone knew!

B&B's a hot mess right now, ain't it! Though I am curious to see how Wyatt's going to upset the apple cart. What are you curious about? Tell us on the Soap Central message boards or the comments section. Send e-mail or leave a voicemail. And there's always Facebook below. Your comments could end up in a future column. Like these!

• "I think it is sick how they portray these couples going from one to another. And to think that Brooke could be in love with someone who wrecked her daughter's life let alone now her sister's. I have decided that the show no longer interests me. I don't like what Rick has done to [Maya] either. They are all pretty childish and spoiled rotten. I will find something else to waste my time. No more B&B." -- Peggy

• "I hate stupid Katie, she is whiny, a brat and a pity party. She looks so stupid on the monitor at Spencer Publications. Who does she think she is, Bill made the company, threw Bill and Brooke together and now all she does is whine! Endless idiots, Katie, Hopeless and spineless Liam. About time Bill said she is nothing but a train wreck. Now wonder boy Wyatt, maybe he will end up with crazy Katie or Hopeless." -- Lauren

• "I agree with [Tracy's] Two Scoops! I knew Liam was weak, but he really is at an all-time low. He knows what Bill and Brooke is doing is wrong...I figure as much since Wyatt came along, [Liam] has some competition and probably feels obligated to side with Bill. Good for Wyatt, he has a backbone and to me that says a lot about him. Hope needs to dump weak Liam for Wyatt. He is sooooo much better than Liam on all levels...I can't blame Hope for siding with Katie. I hope the writers continue to improve on [Katie's] character...fierce and savvy." -- Angel

It may have been a short week, Scoopers, but there was no shortage of Points to Ponder:

"There was one reason I rushed into work every day," Carter said, referring to Maya's Forrester resignation. When has he even been at Forrester? He's spent all of his time on Room 8!... The Forrester compound is on a big swath of land in the Hollywood Hills. Would sirens from the city really be audible from there?... "And now, your son, Wyatt, is one of [Katie's] supporters," Brooke lamented. That's called exposition, Brooke, merely for the audience's benefit; Bill knows who his son is... How did Wyatt figure he could spirit Hope away when he knows she has obligations at Forrester?

Why does Bill suddenly keep reminding Liam that the cliff house is his? Though at least Bill admitted he treated Wyatt "a helluva lot better" than he treated Liam initially... Hope told Rick she loved that HFTF was getting so much attention, and Rick replied she'd better get used to it. Shouldn't she be used to it already, between the previous success of the line and the "adulteress" beating she took that drove her to pills?... So Quinn, who has been sporting her signature, chunky necklaces since her first appearance, makes the biggest business deal of her career with a bare neck. Someone in the wardrobe department really slipped up! Speaking of wardrobe, why has Wyatt suddenly started dressing like Bill?

Why were Bill and Brooke left alone together at Spencer? Katie made it clear she wanted Brooke out of the building, and Bill had no business being there, either. Yet there they were, kissing and carrying on... "You're here to work," Bill commanded Liam. Seriously? Nice to hear someone's conscious that business needs to be transacted, but Liam's almost always out of the office with either Hope or Steffy, and Bill's attendance record wasn't much better. Plus, Bill's not even Liam's boss anymore!

Interesting that Bill's getting calls about Katie's ineptitude as Spencer's CEO. Of course, Katie has no real experience; she might have run Forrester, but a fashion house is way different from a publishing conglomerate. Maybe running Spencer into the ground will be Katie's ultimate revenge!... Bill scoffed that Wyatt was arrogant and insubordinate -- like looking into a mirror, isn't it, Bill?... Did Brooke really snag Bill's smartphone to install horse neighing effects as his ringtone? Wouldn't a man with as many secrets to hide as Bill does see to it that his devices are password-protected?

Alas, my Scoop is now empty. Thank you for once again inviting me onto the monitor of your choice and letting me pop off about all things B&B. Tracy's on deck next week, and you're not going to want to miss that. I'll see you September 23, and remember: keep watching, be alert, and most of all, be bold!

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