"Mommy knows best" might make your life worse

Douglas misses his mommy now, but would he miss her if she was making mischief in his adult life? In the battle of the mothers, Taylor wants Thomas with Hope, and Brooke wants Hope with Liam; however, Quinn's plans for Wyatt and Flo might reshuffle the romantic deck in ways Taylor and Brooke hadn't anticipated -- this week on The Bold and the Beautiful.

Mommies can make the best macaroni and cheese, but do we really want them mixing up mischief in our adult lives? My mom always tells me what to do. "Remember to lock your doors. Don't forget to take your vitamins. Floss like the dentist told you..." I get messages like these all day long from my mother. Even though she's just looking out for me, I want to type back in all capital letters, "I am grown. I know what to do! You taught me, remember?"

Whenever I tell my mother this in the politest way I can muster, she always replies, "Well, Miss Pooh, you'll always be my baby." So, I'm a forty-five-year-old baby. A middle-aged Miss Pooh -- and that's Winnie the Pooh, mind you, not any other "poos" you might be thinking of.

I have to accept that my mom will always see me as her baby. At least I thank God that my mother isn't next door, slapping other mothers, upending marriages for my benefit, or planning my future over coffee with my ex. Or is she? Neither has texted me for a while...hmm...

Hope, Thomas, and Wyatt's moms are far worse than mine. Thomas packed his mommy off to Europe, and that still might not be far enough to stop her from interfering in his life. Wyatt could probably blast Quinn to Pluto, and it wouldn't stop her. And there's Brooke, defending her daughter's marriage like a pit bull snarling at the end of its chain.

Taylor hopes that everyone will heal if Hope gravitates toward Douglas and thereby toward Thomas, but Taylor's game of musical relationships won't end up quite as she thinks it will if Quinn and Brooke have their way. Quinn is shoving Flo toward Wyatt at the speed of light, and Brooke is determined to protect Hope's marriage with Liam.

Let's get two scoops deep into which mama knows best about her child's romantic future, which mama needs to hang her matchmaking hat back in the attic, and what pairings might result from the maternal meddling. We'll scoop on what tacky celebrity would want Sally's activewear line in her video, who Bill and Katie's extravagant mystery cupid might be, and what demon Quinn might cause Flo to awaken in the search for Flo's father this week on The Bold and the Beautiful.

Brooke conjured within me flashbacks of her brawls with Stephanie when she fiercely defended Hope against Taylor's marriage divisiveness. Brooke was also livid about Taylor kissing Ridge, who'd conveniently slipped out of the house during the argument between Brooke and Taylor.

Upon finally returning home, Ridge bellowed at the women then abruptly switched from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Husband with a smooth, "Hi, honey. I'm glad you're home. I missed you." He kissed Brooke on the cheek and defused the whole argument by basically ignoring Taylor's drama.

Ridge didn't really want to hear what Brooke and Taylor were griping about. He just wanted them to shut up before they awakened Caroline from the dead. Brooke couldn't summon any proper indignation for the kiss between Taylor and Ridge because the Tridge ship already sank years ago, and Taylor was the only one drowning in history.

Now, on to the business news. If anyone -- like me -- was expecting Spencer Fashions to emerge and pit Thomas and Sally against each other in a summer fashion show in Monte Carlo, you might be disappointed by the new developments. There will be no spring filled with designer energy, witty competitive remarks, or backstage jitters. Ridge squashed all of that when he learned there was actually a market for couture athleticwear -- or whatever it was Xander and Tiffany called what they found themselves pilfering to wear to a launch party.

Xander and Tiffany lifted prototypes from the sewing room. They'd better be glad they weren't Marty McFly's hoverboard shoes or some other futuristic fashion invention that would have melted all over their bodies. Interns will never get enough of taking clothes without permission, will they? Remember what happened when Oliver and Hope did that?

Musicians can make or break your fashion line -- or your life. Just ask Hope, whose life was completely changed by her Daddy Yankee graduation party. Sally chose to risk her life on a musician's whim when Xander and Tiffany told her and Ridge that a musician had seen them in the prototypes and wanted to feature the activewear line in her video.

The artist is nameless and faceless, but I'm guessing it's Olivia Newton John remaking "Let's Get Physical." Or maybe it's some other artist who wants fans to get so distracted by the fugly clothes that they don't notice the fugly song in the background.

The get-ups didn't even look that original to me. In fact, Douglas wore something similar on Friday. Check out the pictures above for a comparison. Maybe Douglas ought to have his own line of Superhero Underoos. Done before? Kind of like Sally's designs? I feel you.

Speaking of style, Ridge had the nerve to say Bill didn't know anything about fashion because he dressed like an unemployed pirate. How can Ridge talk about how anyone dresses when he looks like Scarface after a cocaine binge in the toilet? Ridge's look must get him pulled over by not only the fashion police, but the actual police as well.

Like a true gangster, Ridge made Sally an offer she couldn't refuse. Just like that, Sally dumped the enormous opportunity that Wyatt had risked his own future to garner for her. Wyatt was disillusioned because he had imagined working with Sally and rebuilding Spectra together. Wyatt had opened doors for her that she hadn't been able to open at Forrester, but with one word from Ridge, Sally decided to continue working under him.

Sally regurgitated to Wyatt everything Ridge had told her to get her to stay. Ridge had offered to give Sally her own name and all the accolades she deserved. In other words, it was nothing different from what Wyatt had negotiated with Bill. Just like at Spencer, Sally would still be under Forrester. Just like at Spencer, Sally would have a label, not a company over at Forrester.

Ridge and Sally claimed that the difference is that Bill doesn't have experience running a fashion house. I guess everyone forgot when Bill actually ran Forrester with Katie as the CEO, and under his leadership, Intimates and HFTF were born. You know, the only two lines Forrester has right now?

Oh, besides the new activewear line. Can you imagine the clients' discussions about Forrester? "My, is that a Forrester original couture gown? I hear they make fabo yoga pants, too. And hoodies. It's like a revamped Kmart over there."

Wyatt is disillusioned because he risked so much for Sally and feels that their relationship will change because they won't be working together. He doesn't have to worry because they will still share a bed, the only other place the couple exists -- and we'll soon see how well that bed holds up when Wyatt is no longer sculpting Sally into a success. Perhaps the new confident and career-driven Sally will turn out to be less attractive to Wyatt.

Wyatt likes to date and rehabilitate wounded women, not women who have their crap together. For example, he dated Hope, revamped her life, her line, and her career. He helped Ivy blossom and propped up Steffy when Liam "left" her. Wyatt helped Katie get her groove back, too. Has he ever been in a relationship where he didn't have to scrape the woman's self-esteem off the curb?

Luckily for Wyatt, Alison mysteriously quit her job with no notice, and there's a new, needy birdie limping around -- Flo. Something tells me Flo will be Bill's new Alison and Wyatt's next romantic project. This will please the snakeskin dress off Quinn, who thinks the couple is meant to be.

The only problem is -- if Quinn loves Flo and Flo's mom so much, those two must be Shady Grady! Can any of you believe Quinn ever had a female friend? Donna and Pam had better watch out if the evil axis powers reunite in L.A.

In the past, Wyatt mentioned that Quinn used to have these "parties." The whole thing sounded risqu, and if you ask me, they were probably where she picked up her sexual proclivities. I wonder if Flo's mother attended those parties. If Flo's mother comes to town, will what happened in Vegas stay in Vegas, or is Quinn's past about to haunt her?

Bill wasn't fazed by Sally reneging and returning to Forrester. He is fine as long as Wyatt is at the family business. Bill doesn't even seem fazed by Alison leaving without giving him notice or hiring a replacement. What in the world happened there? I'm a thousand times more curious about why Alison suddenly departed than by any of the current storylines!

Nothing much frazzles Bill these days-- not Ridge stealing Sally from under him and not even a mystery cupid spending his money on expensive Champagne without his permission. That's because Bill is falling back in love with Katie, the third love of his life behind Brooke and Steffy.

The mystery cupid struck again, and no one can figure out who it is. When we last scooped, I predicted that the culprit is either Brooke or Will. After watching Will warn Donna that he'd counted his money, I'm leaning more toward it being the poker-playing little boy who stands to benefit the most from a Batie reunion.

If it is Will, someone should inform him that he just gave Katie a free pass to manipulate his love life in the future. That also holds true for Thomas and Steffy, who interfered in Taylor's love life. It's Taylor's turn to shuffle the romantic deck for Thomas, but when playing against pros like Brooke and Quinn, should Taylor take Justin's lead and not even play the game?

Brooke, Quinn, and Taylor have one thing in common -- a desire to see their children happy and in loving relationships with whom their mothers chose for them. Brooke and Taylor's desires directly contradict each other. Taylor thinks her daughter ought to be with Hope's husband and that her son ought to be with Brooke's daughter. Quinn's ability to force her vision of Wyatt's future onto him might be the deciding factor on whether Taylor or Brooke gets what she desires for her child.

Quinn goes to any length to get Wyatt the woman he wants, from trying to kill Liam to kidnapping Liam so that Wyatt could have Hope and then Steffy. Usually, Quinn works in line with Wyatt's wishes, but lately, he hasn't made the best choices, in Quinn's view. This time, Quinn knows who's best for Wyatt, and it isn't Sally. Quinn believes that Wyatt should be with his first love, Flo, and Quinn won't take "I love Sally" for an answer.

For some reason I have yet to grasp, Quinn is ecstatic about Flo being in town. As Sally pointed out, Quinn never gets that excited about anyone. Sally took it as a warning that Flo might actually be competition for her. Sally's decision to take Ridge's job offer just opened the playing field for Flo to have another shot with Wyatt.

Wyatt is used to working with his lovers. While Sally is all the way over at Forrester, he'll be vulnerable to Flo's frequent, friendly visits and Quinn's never-ending pressure to make him see Flo in an old light. Meanwhile, Sally will design away at Forrester, where Thomas will inevitably return to work, setting up the triangle between Sally, Thomas, and Hope.

Thomas isn't over Sally. We learned that not only did Caroline and Thomas have merely a co-parenting relationship, but Thomas actually carries a torch for our favorite redhead. He said as much to Hope when he revealed that there hadn't been a romantic involvement between himself and Caroline.

Will Thomas make a move toward Sally, or like he did with Caroline, will he gravitate to Hope because Douglas has grasped onto her as a new mommy? Sally was once willing to be a stepmother to Douglas and even flew across the country to be with Thomas. It's possible that she could fill the motherly role that Douglas is carving out for Hope.

It's also possible that Douglas remembers Sally as an obstacle to his family in New York and might reject her at every turn. Of course, it all depends upon whether Wyatt will fight for his relationship with Sally or give in to his old feelings for Flo. Quinn will be cheerleading for her and probably orchestrating some chance encounters with Sally and Thomas in the steam room that Wyatt can just "happen" to walk in on.

Ridge is about to tell Brooke about Taylor's plans for Hope. Once Brooke knows the danger Douglas poses for Hope's marriage, Brooke will warn Hope against seeing so much of the child. Hope will disagree, creating a rift between her and her mother and husband, who will strive to keep Hope from confusing her feelings for Beth with her feelings for Douglas.

Mothers know best, but sometimes, fathers know better. Will Ridge discourage Hope's unhealthy attachment to Douglas or root for Thomas and Hope?

Make no mistake -- Douglas is a threat to Hope's marriage to Liam. It's noble to reach out to a sad child; however, Hope is using him as a coping mechanism instead of dealing with her grief and her husband's desire to have more children. Because Douglas has been raised in unconventional settings, he doesn't understand the burden that "mothering" him could put on Hope's marriage.

Douglas hasn't witnessed the romantic bond between parents because his parents lived together without being in love. Additionally, Douglas grew up seeing that Caroline had two mommies -- and he might think Hope can be his actual mommy, too. He doesn't understand, though, that mommies don't grow on trees for the picking.

If the already married Hope becomes Douglas' mommy, it puts Liam in a position similar to the one Thorne found himself in with Will, Katie, and Bill. Liam becomes the odd man out. Some will say that Liam isn't the odd man out because he can just be with Steffy and raise her children with her. If Liam wants that, fine. As it stands, he has professed his commitment to Hope in no uncertain terms.

Which mother do you think knows best and should prevail? Is Brooke right in believing that Hope and Liam should remain together and work through their grief? Is Taylor right in believing that Liam belongs with Steffy and her kids and that Hope should be Douglas' new mommy? Which of you thinks that Quinn knows best and that Wyatt should revisit a romance with Flo, leaving Sally to pursue her career or reunite with Thomas?

Personally, I'm disgusted with the show's theme that parents and children are interchangeable. This whole "Douglas is motherless and Hope is childless" thing doesn't beg the conclusion that Hope should become the mother of a four- or five-year-old.

I'm disillusioned because Hope is bonding with Douglas and forgetting all about her connection with "Phoebe," her real child. Was Hope's bond with Phoebe genuine, or is Hope just desperate to mother someone but afraid to try to give birth again?

It's also insane to me that anyone would think that a man has to be a father to an ex-wife's adopted child. I'm confused by why any of the players in the storyline think that Phoebe is somehow being deprived when Steffy chose to raise this child without a father, just as Karen chose to raise Caroline without one.

Which is it, writers? Are you telling stories that illustrate that patchwork families are just as good as traditional families, or are you saying kids grow up more stable in father-mother homes? As in the case of Katie and Bill, can there be no place for a stepfather like Thorne? Is there no way for a child to have its needs met without the parents sacrificing their lives? If a parent dies, a child can just plug-and-play with another one like a new gaming device?

I have to side with Brooke on this one. Hope and Liam's marriage isn't any less important just because they do not have kids. Liam shouldn't be pressured into fathering a child that he didn't agree to adopt. Douglas can lean on Hope, but it should be crystal clear to him that she is not his plug-and-play mommy.

Thomas should resist developing feelings for Hope because it is too confusing for everyone involved. Hope needs to start concentrating on her husband and her own life instead of seeking out diversions and shutting Liam down for calling her out on it.

As for Quinn, she needs to mind her own damn business because I like Sally and Wyatt together. Each of them has been jilted too many times, and I do not want to see either of them hurt the other. Flo is not a prize. She's pretty, but she seems to be a money-grubbing grifter. If her father is who he's rumored to be, it's no wonder that she's the way she is.

Coming up next, Quinn and Wyatt convince Flo to question her mother about her father. Rumor has it that Flo's father might be none other than Deacon Sharpe, which would explain Hope's draw to Flo. I love me some Deacon, but are we really going to stir that demon up out of his cell again just for the sake of ratings?

Brooke is disgusted by Taylor's thoughts about Douglas and Hope and warns Liam of the threat to his marriage. Thomas begins to bond with Hope. Katie and Bill finally discover who has been playing matchmaker on Bill's dime.

Let us know what you think about the Bold and the Beautiful by email or in the comments below. Until we scoop again, here's something to remember. You don't have to replace a child's parent or become a child's parent, but showing love and attention to a child in need can be truly bold and beautiful, baby!

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