Inflation and the almighty Dollar Bill

Los Angeles experienced an inflation of egos, of grudges, and of the almighty Dollar Bill. Some butt-hurt residents need a little Preparation H to handle the power quakes that rocked Los Angeles during the Forrester power grab. Slap on your plastic gloves and watch where you step as we sort the BS from the good storytelling this week on the Bold and the Beautiful.

A penny saved might be a penny earned, but with a Dollar Bill in your pocket, you can rule an empire -- this is if you can survive the inflation cost of Dollar Bill's ego. This week, warring camps tried to inflate their chances of running Forrester by 12.5%, but when opportunity knocked, Dollar Bill taught them all a lesson in opportunity costs. Notorious B.I.G. once said, "The more money we come across, the more problems we see." The same can be said for stocks, agreements, and sons. Eric should know it. He's spent a lifetime participating in family feuds, bad agreements, and takeovers. Why, after 27 seasons of the Bold and the Beautiful, can't Eric figure out how to mediate with his sons and in business?

When you can't clean your own house, someone will do it for you, and Eric can only blame himself that the fate of his company fell into the hands of Bill Spencer. All Eric had to do was be fair and even-handed with his two sons and the rest of the family instead of sponsoring Rick's grudge against Ridge.

As a parting gift upon her death, Stephanie handed Forrester to Eric on a silver platter, but due to Rick's deceit and miscalculations, Eric double-lost control of it in under a year's time. He lost it by giving Rick chance after chance to be fair. He lost it by allowing Rick to poison him with false history, and he lost it by believing in Rick and Maya over the rest of the Forrester team. And, lastly, he lost it because his first reaction to Ridge, Steffy, and Liam's power declaration was to threaten to destroy Forrester.

Eric hoped Ridge, Steffy, and Liam could sew. Well, Ridge probably can, as a matter of fact. What we know for sure is Rick can't draw, and Eric was a pitiful mess that one day Ridge threatened to quit. Ridge jumped right back on board when he knew Forrester would need him due to the upcoming scandal. What did Rick and Eric do when the scandal finally hit? They threatened to implode the business and preferred making deals with the devil over working within the family to bring stability back to Forrester Creations. What a way to hold a grudge, Eric and Rick.

Eric called Ridge's takeover a revenge fantasy. The real revenge fantasies danced in Eric's head as he puffed himself up like a blowhard blowfish and claimed that, with one word from him, the employees would volunteer for a ticket in the unemployment line. Someone tell me what "dumbass" brain virus infected Eric to make him think the employees loved the gun-slinging Rick and preferred welfare to working for Ridge?

Under Rick, they couldn't take vacations to save their marriages; they had to massage Maya's stank feet, give up their bedrooms, work around the clock, and stay out of the steam room. Eric claimed that the employees think Ridge is an egomaniac. It must mean that Rick, who joked that Wyatt should kiss his ingrown toenails to be rehired, is the Gandhi of Forrester, I guess.

Watching Eric this week showed where Rick gets his tantrum gene from. Eric threw about twenty fits within the first five minutes of Monday's show. He accused Ridge of being infantile but then barricaded himself in the CEO's office as if the stock bogyman was chasing him. What did he lock himself in there for? To keep people from reasoning with him like adults? He could have flushed himself down the toilet for all Ridge, Steffy, and Liam cared. They were done trying to talk sense into him.

Ridge's camp has a right to be bitter with Eric -- and for more than his obstinate refusal to force out the Bratty Bunch, Rick and Maya. Ridge, Thomas, and Steffy have a right to be furious at Eric for allowing Rick to keep power just because he believes that Ridge stole Brooke and Caroline from Eric and Rick. They should not forgive Eric for pointing out that they are Marones, not Forresters.

Here's a history lesson for the "real" Forrester men. Ridge did not steal Caroline. He kissed Caroline. He tried to woo her into siding with him in his bid for CEO. But steal her from Rick, Ridge did not. After Maya exposed the kisses between Caroline and Ridge, Caroline would have crawled on broken glass if Rick had told her it would save their marriage.

Rick treated Caroline like radioactive toilet paper until pretending to reconcile with her got him control of the company. He cheated on her behind her back as she waited in an empty bed, racking her brain to figure out how to get through to him. When he had what he wanted, he returned to Maya and plastered her on the mansion walls. It wasn't until then that Ridge and Caroline began to see each other.

As for Brooke, during Eric's marriage to her, Ridge and Brooke were trying to find a way to be together. That's true. But Eric got in a car accident. He expressed to Ridge the fear of losing Brooke, and Ridge did everything he could to push Brooke away -- including marrying Taylor! It wasn't until Sheila cooked Bridget's DNA tests, making her Ridge's daughter, that Eric divorced Brooke to marry Sheila.

So there were never any stolen damsels. While I'm at it, I need to correct Ridge on some history, too. No one was sitting around the dinner table, silently pushing peas off their plate and onto the floor for the dog to lick up while Stephanie's monumental secret sucked the air out of the house.

According to history, Stephanie was so nave that she had no idea sleeping with two men within 28 days of each other and not having a period might mean that she had to question Ridge's paternity. Back then, it had been a hard pea for me to swallow, and I remember debating other viewers about how Stephanie had to be lying because there was no way she couldn't figure this out.

But there Stephanie was, surprised and humiliated upon realizing that Massimo was Ridge's father. The history before this revisionist paternity revelation had been that Stephanie had been a virgin before sleeping with Eric and creating Ridge.

But Ridge's life as a zygote shouldn't matter. Just as in Maya's case, Ridge's birth certificate says he's a Forrester. Ridge cannot help that he has Marone DNA any more than Maya can help that she has male DNA. Just as Maya has always felt like a woman, Ridge has always felt like a Forrester. Just as Rick shames anyone for claiming that Maya was a male birth, I shame Rick and Eric for continuously pointing out that Ridge, Steffy, and Thomas are Marones by birth.

Eric is a miserable excuse for a father for holding Ridge responsible for the circumstances of his paternity. Eric should be glad that things happened as they did. If they hadn't, there would be no Brooke, therefore, no prodigal Rick. Had Stephanie not named Eric as Ridge's father or mistaken him for such, Eric would have married Beth. No Logan children would have been born from Beth and Stephen.

It's always been ironic to me that Stephanie's choice back then brought upon her the very person she reviled for decades. Her choices also brought Bill Spencer to town. His father had also had a thing for Stephanie, and Dollar Bill came to town to take down Eric due to his father's unrequited love.

Which brings me back to Rick's asinine attempt to get Dollar Bill in his pocket.

Firstly, why the stockholders couldn't unite to remove Eric's so-called power to name a CEO before the ink dried on Rick's contract is a mystery to me. Carter should be fired for his inability to develop Liam's supposedly genius plan back during the winter holidays while Eric was traveling with John.

Secondly, Ridge should have told Steffy the last time she was in town to put her bitch-in-heat mission for Liam on pause, and we could have had this takeover in the bag months ago.

As Rick said, we can't change the past. We have to put up with a segmented story that decided to resurface this month. Bill has been very proud of his sons, the way they've gone after what they wanted like a school of piranha after an injured guppy, but if the opportunity presents itself, Bill will eat his own young. It knocked in the form of Rick, a man who'd grind his own family into breakfast sausage to get ahead. Just who would eat whom for breakfast?

Rick was a fool to think the inflated Dollar Bill would fit in his pocket. As desperate as Rick is to have the support and loyalty of his father, I'm not sure why Rick would expect Bill to side with him over Bill's own son. Knowing the way Rick treats his employees, why would it be appetizing for Bill to become Rick's president?

Bill could never be anyone's employee, and "God" certainly wouldn't be answering to "Napoleon." So did Bill act out of character when he accepted Rick's offer in front of everyone? Was Bill really going to side with Rick if Rick had agreed with Bill's demand?

My answer is no. I believe that Bill wanted Liam to make the deal and grow in business. But I also believe Bill wanted to teach Liam a lesson about weakness and letting emotion cloud his judgment. Bill had already felt Rick out and knew that if he asked Rick to get rid of Maya, Rick wouldn't do it. Is Rick's refusal out of love, recalcitrance, or egotism? Take your pick. It might be all three.

I pick recalcitrance and egotism because, if it had been love, Rick would have agreed to Bill's demand for two reasons. One, Maya had already resigned. Two, he could bring her back later after he got control again, just as he did when he was faking being married to Caroline and seeing Maya in secret.

Maya and Rick have already shown the lowly levels to which they are willing to sink for power. They've proven they have no problem faking it until they make it. Rick just couldn't stand losing, so he did what he always does -- committed a violent act. And it's the second violent act in two days, mind you. He just hit Ridge a day earlier in soap time. This is the man that Maya says isn't violent.

Bill used Rick's temper and violence to show Liam not to let emotions and feelings interfere with opportunities. Recall that, in the meeting, Liam was livid with Bill for turning on Liam's decision. Liam was so livid that he didn't hear Bill murmur that Liam was making a premature conclusion. Hell, Liam was standing there in a newly tailored suit Bill had just given him as a gift for the takeover. Bill didn't dress his son up to show him up.

Before appearing to side with Rick, Bill told Liam how proud he was of him. He'd sided with Liam and Liam's emotional reasons for the takeover. But Bill said that when a better opportunity knocked, Liam had to learn to put emotional convictions aside. He'd tried to tell both his sons that about the Maya media story, too, but they hadn't listened.

To drive his point home, Bill sided with Rick -- on the condition that Rick get rid of Maya. Bill gave sound business reasons to get rid of Maya. I'm sure if Rick bothered to read Maya's resignation email, he'd see the same reasons listed for her resignation. The reason to get rid of Maya was for Forrester, because Forrester had to do damage control. It's also nothing new. Brooke should have given Rick her free ebook on how to step out of the limelight and creep back in once the scandal passes.

Bill was right to tell Rick that he needed to find a way to bridge the gap between the buyers who embraced Maya and those that didn't -- for whatever reason they didn't. Maybe some buyers don't approve of transgender people. Maybe some are confused about how the clothes will fit if they are designed around what those buyers consider to be a male body. If Maya had been just a lead model and nothing else, there might not be this confusion; however, Rick had made every little stitch about Maya's feminism, and for buyers who now question how feminine Maya is, Rick did need to do something to ameliorate the situation and keep them buying.

Bill didn't have to say that the customers think Maya is a disgrace. That was as gratuitous as Rick's fist in Bill's face. Rick should have accepted Bill's demand and said that Maya had quit, but they would accept her back for next spring if she chose to return. He should have said he would work on a new campaign that no longer centered on Maya's feminism and body structure out of respect for customers who didn't understand Maya's transition, but they would continue to have transgender models, Forrester does not discriminate against people, and Forrester would find ways to bridge understanding between the two communities through fashion.

Instead, Rick punched Bill and rushed out to brag about it to Maya, his perfect mate, who thinks it's okay to hit Bill until Bill "learns" to think how they want him to think. That statement alone proved that Maya and Rick were not humbled by their experience, and they didn't learn from the press "bullying" them not to bully others. Being a minority in this country has taught me that people are going to say nasty things, racist words. I can't hit everyone who does that. I don't even want to hit them. I just pity them. Why didn't Maya and Rick learn a lesson like that?

But what can you expect from a couple who has one member in it so self-absorbed that she doesn't even stop her own self-pity party to ask questions about her man being in a car accident? Rick tells her that he was in an accident, and she just whines, "Oh, I thought you didn't love me...." There was no "how are you?" or "where you hurt?" It was more like he tripped instead of collided with trees.

Nick must be a detective to sense that Maya needs a friend and to somehow locate her hideout at Dayzee's without her calling him. How can Nick and Carter figure out the hideout and not Rick? Saint Nick appears at Dayzee's and is unfazed to hear that Rick was in an accident, too. But maybe Nick was in a hurry to deliver another PSA lecture -- and force Maya to uphold her rights to delay opening up no matter how many times she told him she felt she should have done it sooner.

In Maya and Rick's fairytale, all is well that ends well. Rick shows up in the place they first met, wearing the clothes he'd worn, changes who he is again, and pushes aside his own feelings, doubts, and issues to satisfy Maya's insecurities. The big, bad media mogul gets punched in the face, and love wins out over the mean, Ridge-loving family. With a chuckle and shrug, Rick lets go of the thing he fought tooth and nail to have for the last three years, and all the degrading things the couple did to others is water under the bridge -- except to Aly, who barely, if at all, got a mention in any of Liam's "protect the women" speeches. The end -- or is that wishful thinking?

While begging the heavens for this plot to end, I was reading the soapcentral.com message boards this week. I saw a poll that asked if this storyline had succeeded. As I write, the poll is at about seventy-five or seventy-six percent failure for the storyline. Here are some of the reasons, as quoted from the message board:

Epic Fail. It could have been a really terrific story full of drama, pathos, self re-evaluation, and redemption. But it just wasn't any of those. There was never a payoff for the time we spent hearing Maya and Nicole or Maya and Carter talk about whether or not Rick could know. Or how about the huge amount of time Rick spent talking about how honest Maya was and how Caroline's lack of honesty is what ruined their relationship? Then when he finds out, it's like, "Oh that's not a lie. She just hadn't told me yet." And lets not forget the complete arse-hole behavior by this couple who we are supposed to develop a fondness for once they get hit with diversity. So badly written. I'm really disappointed... --Bfuddled.

I don't know why in the world a soap would take on real-world issues unless they are prepared to do them correctly. This s/l has been an epic fail from the beginning -- they picked the wrong couple -- so totally unlikeable and loathsome! So next they bring in a "real" trans person just to lecture us -- way to fail. --MeWriter

I work at an LGBT outreach center... I also moderate a group for transwomen who have experienced dating violence... imo Bell failed just about every way you could fail...I turned [the show] on in the TV room the other day, and there was not one positive comment from anyone in there...That should tell you all you need to know about the level of fail right there. --LL2Fan4Life

I must say that I am so far very pleased with the outcome thus far... I just love Nick too and hope to see his appearances more often as he is compelling and pretty down to earth! --JR2463

If they really wanted to do TG story then bring in someone else. Nicole would have been so much better. [Even before] Maya said she was a TG, I hated her. Hearing those words didn't change my option of her one bit and I just could not root for her...Adding King Tyrant didn't help this story one bit. I can't see a love story. I see 2 people that brought out the worst in each other and just enabled each other's bad behavior. --Pnbear/tt>

What is your opinion? Would the story have been better if Nicole had arrived as Maya's transgender sister instead of the show revising Maya's life to fit the role? Have you been happy with the storyline? If not, what would have made it work for you?

Like Aly, I want to see some humility, some apologies, and Stephanie back in her place of honor. I also don't appreciate Maya hiding in the rundown apartment over Dayzee's instead of the penthouse Rick gave her -- as if the Dayzee's set would make me forget what a gold-digger Maya was last fall.

Instead of Maya giggling about Rick hitting Bill, I would have liked her to call him on the carpet about violence and remind him that people hit and kill transgender people because the transition doesn't agree with their beliefs. She should have told Rick that tolerance, not violence, was the answer, and if they want people to tolerate their beliefs, they have to tolerate other people's beliefs.

A few others had better learn to tolerate some different beliefs, including Ivy, Aly, and Liam, who all got directed to talk to Steffy's hand and quit their bitching about what she's gonna do or not do with Liam. Why Aly is so obsessed with Liam's love life and not her own is another mystery for the annals. Does she not know that if she steers Steffy away from Liam, there's a good chance that Steffy will hop on Oliver in her lingerie again?

Ivy's sexing her look up with puzzle-piece outfits from the new junior miss line, and who can blame her as Katie and Wyatt keep instilling floozy terror into her about Steffy launching seduction strikes on Liam. They weren't wrong, seeing as Steffy planted a congratulatory kiss on Liam. Aly witnessed it, and we'll surely hear her singing like a canary about it to Ivy. What will Ivy pull out of her closet to trump the red teddy Steffy shows Liam in the previews?

Ivy's already made a preemptive strike by urging the disgruntled Wyatt to date Steffy. Why is Wyatt disgruntled? He believes that Bill -- who made Liam let Wyatt live with him while Wyatt was after Hope, made Liam accept that Wyatt had married Hope right out from under Liam, and almost gave Wyatt the house Liam lives in -- favors Liam over Wyatt.

I had hoped that the sibling rivalry had ended between these two, but Wyatt just loves to compete with Liam for some reason. This time, it'll be over Steffy. I think I'll root for Wyatt this round. Liam has assured Ivy that she's the new love of his life. If he waffles again, he's toast in my mind. Wyatt and Steffy have never waffled in their affairs of the heart. Maybe they can have a real commitment.

Wyatt's disillusionment with Bill won't translate into a family feud about business. It is a plot set up for Bill to back Liam in a bid for Steffy. A few weeks ago, Bill listed Ivy when he claimed he was protecting the women in his family. Watch how quickly Bill kicks Ivy to the curb when he sees Liam flash Steffy that look -- you know the one.

Rumor has it that a wedding could complicate things. From what I hear, Ivy has trouble with her visa, and Liam rides in with a tux and ring to save Ivy from deportation. Are you ready for a rectangle if three points of it involve Steffy, Liam, and Wyatt? How would you like to see the parings wind up, and can the adventurous Wyatt keep up with the outrageous Steffy? If Hope is still set to return, will she hop right back on a plane to Pillville if she sees Steffy with both of her exes?

In other musings, we heard mention of what a "Son of a Brooke" Rick is, but where is Brooke? It's been a whole day since Rick's accident. She hasn't noticed he wasn't there for her to read him a bedtime story the other night? Please don't tell me that without Deacon, she drowned in another Beta bottle.

Rick dressing up in the old waiter's uniform was sweet, even if I hate the couple. Ridge and Caroline were also pretty sweet this week. I was moved by Caroline's retelling of her accident, especially because I felt that some of it was coming from the actress' heart, and Caroline's struggle has been real for Linsey Godfrey. Let's wish her a speedy and full recovery.

What the hell kind of Catholic schoolgirl get-up did Aly have on on Friday? For some reason, she reminded me of one of the redrum twins from The Shining in that thing. Maybe it was the crazy looks on her face. Thorne needs to check the house for axes when he gets back.

Speaking of Thorne, where will he and Eric live when Thorne returns? Does the house go with the CEO? Maybe the place above Dayzee's will be free when Rick remembers that plush penthouse he got for Maya. Until next time, work your family problems out within the family, avoid your exes like the plague, watch out for inflation, and stay bold and beautiful, baby!

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