Like a black widow, baby

Quinn crashing Hope's ultrasound appointment proves she thinks she has the monopoly on being a black widow -- but Taylor, whom Aly might define as that type of lady, offered up some free psychological advice, while Maya may prove to be the most dangerous dame of them all! Find out what makes these babes so bewitching with the return of Two Scoops' Mike!

Has your week been bold and beautiful? Did you get into the literal spirit of things? Did you trade being a lead model for being a puppet master? Did you give an Amsterdam? These and more situations faced the Forrester-Logan-Spencer clan this week!

Well, step away from B&B for four weeks, and you find it's very different -- and also very much the same! That's right, Scoopers, as promised when I last left you in front of CBS Television City, I'm back, after much traveling for my new book, The Bewitched Continuum. It's out now; click the link for your copy and like the Facebook page here. Commercial done -- and hey, it's better than those pharmaceutical spots that accompany the soaps now. Not to mention without 45 seconds of side effects!

"We're really going to do this again?" Ivy wanted to know when Hope tried to tell the saucy Aussie to give Liam more time. Yeah, Ivy, I was asking myself the same question. Even though Hope makes the good point that Liam shouldn't rush into another relationship, it's not like Hope didn't. Hell, everyone on this show rebounds like they were made of rubber! No wonder their relationships always tank; no one's couplings have a chance to begin with, given how they start.

The one relationship I really enjoyed was the one between Ivy and her returning father, John Forrester, who flew all the way back from Australia just to take a fishing trip with Eric. Where was John the five million other times Eric needed some R&R? Oh, well; John and Ivy have a natural rapport it would be nice to see more of. John falls asleep a lot, though, doesn't he? I keep hoping B&B will let him do more than crack jokes -- maybe John is narcoleptic or afflicted with some other sort of disease?

The only medical care needed this week came in the form of Hope's first ultrasound. Her obstetrician might want to look into why Hope looked nauseous one minute (as Ivy reminded her she's expecting a baby with her husband), only to be all joyous and blissful once the future Spencer was on screen. And it seems Quinn, who four weeks ago nearly threatened to harm Hope if she didn't give her access to Wyatt and her coming grandchild, is still on that mission: she sneaked into the hospital in disguise.

Is Quinn taking a Sheila Carter correspondence course online? The original naughty nurse skulked in scrubs any number of times. What I want to know is, how did Quinn get those blue latex gloves over her big-ass ring? "I'm not dangerous," a chipper Quinn insisted to Hope when Wyatt snagged her. "I'm eccentric!" Honestly, I still don't blame Hope for putting Quinn on blast, and I'm glad she's sticking to her guns. There's no coming back from Quinn trying to kill Liam. There just isn't.

But Wyatt, who should be siding with Hope on this one, feels caught in the middle. Yes, I know Quinn's his one and only mother. But come on, that mother is capable of murder -- a murder Wyatt barely prevented. "It's time for that restraining order," Hope told Wyatt, "I don't ever want to have this conversation again." Ms. Logan-Spencer has never been more right; if Wyatt didn't have the balls to put his mama in jail, Liam should have had no qualms. Why is this woman running around free?

And Deacon, Deacon, Deacon. The usually sharp Sharpe is apparently so blinded by Quinn's...charms that it doesn't matter Hope wanted to boot him out of her life for the involvement, nor is it a concern that Quinn waved a gun in Deacon's face for (probably correctly) accusing her of killing Ricardo Montemayor. What happened with that, anyway? Big juicy story thread just left on the curb to rot while Deacon dirty dances with Quinn. Deacon's big, but he's never been stupid.

The diamond that Quinn likely murdered for was set to go on display in Amsterdam, followed by the debut of Ivy's new accessory line. Why am I feeling like jewelry is overshadowing couture over at Forrester these days? Ivy and Hope established an uneasy truce after Hope denied she wasn't over Liam -- but then Ivy made the dunderheaded move of inviting Liam along on her trip to Holland with Wyatt and Hope. And, of course, Liam said yes; he had to, to facilitate B&B's latest overseas remote.

Okay, here's the thing. I recall that, during my 2012 Best & Worst column, I groused that B&B was only doing shoots in Aspen and Cabo San Lucas and pushing them as exotic. So I shouldn't complain that the show's frequent flyer miles have spiked this year. I shouldn't -- but there's just something off about doing three big trips in six months. At least Abu Dhabi and Dubai featured Bill and Brooke; Paris/Monaco, and now Amsterdam, are all to prop up Wyatt/Hope/Liam/Ivy, and the story just doesn't justify it.

But B&B thinks so, and we left Wyatt in Holland, trying to set Liam and Ivy up on "the love boat" (not much of a Friday cliffhanger). The real story is that Kim Matula has decided not to renew her contract! So, Hope is leaving -- and I hate to say it: I'm relieved. I like Kim, but Hope's love life being in my face for five years is about four-and-a-half years too many.

Many seem to think Hope's absence will be a boon for the show, but I'm not sure. Brad Bell's favorite subject in school must have been geometry, because he likes his triangles, and he likes to overexpose them. If the spotlight isn't on Hope, it may just swing onto someone else. I'd really like to see something different. As for Hope's exit, wouldn't it be great if Quinn kidnapped Hope just as she's about to have Wyatt's baby and then disappeared with her? Please, B&B,make it happen. We could use a mystery.

Speaking of psychos, or psycho-for-five-minutes psychos, Aly took a break from yammering about Liam to actually give Oliver some attention -- when suddenly, Taylor breezed through the door! Good thing Ms. Hayes was wearing blue, because that's what her appearance was out of. Not that I wasn't glad to see her, but the shrink was concerned that Aly was still having visions of her dead mother, Darla. Um, didn't we already resolve this? That was so six months ago!

Seriously, Aly recovered from years of anguish in one afternoon, all because Oliver's love inspired the girl to forgive Taylor for mowing Darla down with her car. Wrapping that up so quickly was the missed opportunity of the year, and Aly's only ever had further Darla sightings at Medieval Times this summer. So why now is this a problem? I'll tell you what my problem is: that damn floating Darla head. It's so wonderful to see Schae Harrison; why can't we see all of her?

Aly did make a keen observation when she said everyone's reality is different, and Taylor offered a unique perspective on herself when she said she approached things too scientifically. But why would Taylor view Aly's ghostly glimpses as abnormal? Didn't Taylor have an out-of-body experience after nearly dying in childbirth in 1999? Interestingly, spectral Darla was able to blow Taylor's earthly hair! So Darla's real, after all! Wonder if she and Stephanie are hanging out in the afterlife? That I'd love to see.

Now, let me get caught up. Eric was ready to appoint Ridge CEO until Maya blabbed about the sparks flying between Ridge and Caroline. Eric decided Ridge lacked integrity and so offered the chair to the wronged Rick, who responded to Caroline's momentary indiscretion by bedding down with the waiting Maya. "He did something egregious," Eric explained to John. Ridge's kisses are egregious, but Rick cheating on his wife is all right? What are Eric's standards measured by?

You know the recent Iggy Azalea/Rita Ora song, Black Widow? "I'm gonna love you until it hurts/Just to get you I'm doin' whatever works" -- does that fit Maya, or what? It's like her theme song, and her sideways looks of the past several months have finally blown up into full-on manipulations. She started by convincing Rick to sign the papers that would make him CEO, telling him they would run Forrester together. "I am never letting you go," Maya added. Black widow, baby!

But I have to give it up to B&B. I was furious that Maya had so suddenly switched personalities for no reason -- one line, I begged for; give us one line to make it reasonable. Well, the show did. "I've been nice my whole life," Maya admitted. "People just ran right over me: my family, my boyfriend, the system..." And there you have it: Maya decided she had enough and that she was going to just take what she wanted -- her new direction finally makes sense! Thank you, B&B!

"That conniving tramp is not taking him away from me," Caroline swore of "Myrna." How the tables have turned since Room 8! In a way, Caroline is getting karmic payback for trying to steal Rick from Maya last year. But, by the same token, Caroline accused Maya of being a gold-digger then, and now Maya's making that accusation true. Was Caroline just seeing a side of Maya that Maya couldn't even see in herself until now?

After promising Eric he wouldn't make CEO decisions based on emotional reactions, Rick turned around and did just that, shutting Ridge and Caroline out of a meeting that involved their designs. Jacob Young does angry so well, but his hard line feels just a little too hard. Sleeping with Maya alone is far worse than what Caroline did with Ridge, plus, in the past, Rick seduced Ridge's daughters and gave stolen designs to Jackie M. And Eric would rather see Rick as CEO?

It's rather a shame that the Ridge/Caroline flirtation is over because it brought a heat the show really needed. I don't think it's salvageable, and, admittedly, maybe their fire is best as forbidden. I just still have a first-degree burn from how much they scorched. Now Ridge is cooling out on the backburner of the story while Caroline keeps trying to put a salve on her charred marriage. Rick softened for a moment, admitting he saw Ridge every time he looked at Caroline, but he insisted it was only Maya he could trust.

Rick might feel differently if he were aware Maya went straight to Carter, commanding him, "We have to get Rick and Caroline's marriage annulled today." Say what? Rick and Caroline exchanged vows almost a year ago; I think they're past the annulment phase. And where does Maya get off, making major life decisions for Rick? I have no doubt she never fell out of love with him, but Carter's right: Rick has not fallen out of love with Caroline, and it scares Maya...spitless.

"How would it look if your boyfriend lost half of his net worth?" Carter asked, noting that, if Caroline wanted to, she could ask for that kind of settlement. Carter was just messing with Maya's head, which was fun to see, but that's a very real possibility. Would Maya love Rick only half as much if he had half as much money? More importantly, shouldn't Maya be worried that Rick is only rebounding with her? I know he looks hot in those suits, but even that shouldn't have Maya this blind!

Can Rick and Caroline's marriage be saved, or will Maya's machinations prove too much for it? Will Taylor ever see Darla's floating head? And how would you like to see Hope written off? Share your thoughts below this column in the Comments section, post a message on the Soap Central message boards, or simply click here to submit Feedback. Your comments could wind up in a future column, like these! Check it out!

• "They need to recast Hope Logan...Liam and Hope deserve happiness -- it's so unfair [the way] they have been cheated...I hope [Hope] finds out [about] all the scheming that Wyatt and Quinn are doing; she's gonna be so stressed and lose the baby, then all her connections with Wyatt and Quinn will be over. Then her and Liam can move away and get married and be happy." -- Lynne

• "It is a shame Kim [Matula] is moving on. She is a very vibrant person and I really look forward to seeing her on the show. It is a shame that the writers didn't put Liam with [Hope] but I suppose they had their reasons. A lot of people were upset about this. [I hope the show tries] to talk her into staying." -- Dale

• "I am shocked and saddened by the news of Kim leaving. I just can't believe it. Please CBS do everything to make Kim stay. I love her so much as Hope Logan especially when [Hope] is [with] Wyatt... [I] just can't imagine not seeing her [on] B&B." -- Emrakeb

• "The character [of] Ridge is boring, anyone could anticipate his next move...Maya is very devious and is an opportunist, very destructive...Rick should forgive Caroline, it did not even take a day before he [fell into] bed with Maya. very disloyal...it is time to catch Quinn and put her behind bars...Brooke should stay alone...Hope is hopeless and needs some sort of direction, she wants to eat her cake and have it; leave Liam and Ivy alone. Donna is just getting by, also Pam. Lets see how they go from here." -- Leslie

• "Well, without the character of Hope gracing the B&B screen, I surely will not be watching...they have overdone the breakup between Liam and Hope and if I were playing Hope's character, I surely would leave for better scripts. If they do not retain the Hope and Brooke characters, this soap will not bring in the viewers, in my opinion.....yes, what happened to Brooke???" -- Suzanne

Well, Suzanne, Katherine Kelly Lang took some time off to appear on the Italian version of Dancing with the Stars! I haven't been following it, but the implication when she left B&B is that she would be back in a few months. Wonder if Brooke will get a chance to say goodbye to her daughter?

Speaking of goodbye, we'll bid each other that after some Points to Ponder!

"I want you to feel comfortable coming to me as a mother," Taylor told Aly. Um, Taylor, considering Aly doesn't actually have a mother because of you, that's not your smoothest piece of advice... John was all excited about spending a week at Eric's ranch in Oregon. Since when does Eric have property there? And where were Pam and Donna while John and Ivy had their conversation, sitting at the co-receptionists' desk, where they should be stationed manning phones?

Why are Maya and Carter suddenly sitting in on all Forrester meetings? Maya was thrilled to become the lead model -- wasn't she already HFTF's spokesperson? And wasn't she not cutting it as a model a few short months ago? Conversely, if Maya's new gig is being the face of Forrester, shouldn't she be in Amsterdam for HFTF's photo shoots? Finally, Maya gushed how Rick was kind, generous, honest, and sensitive...well, she sure didn't know him in the guise of Kyle Lowder in 2008 and 2009, did she?

That's it for me...see you all on November 24 as we finish up 2014's November Sweeps. In the meantime, come follow me on Twitter (@magicallyAMJ). As always, keep watching, be alert, and most of all, be bold!

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