On the road... again!

After a forced three-month break because of COVID-19, B&B came roaring back, wrapping up Sally's ''I'm dying'' scam with Steffy literally retracing her steps from 2013 to kick off a new era. Was it all worth the wait? Kick it into overdrive with Two Scoops' Mike!

Has your week been bold and beautiful? Did you catch someone up using other peoples' memories? Did you literally travel the same road you did seven years ago? Did you discover the writing was not on the wall, but on your ass? These and more situations faced the Forrester-Logan-Spencer-Spectra-Fulton clan this week!

B&B is back, Scoopers! After three months of cold sets and encore performances thanks to COVID-19, your favorite and unfavorite denizens of Los Angeles have returned with some interesting pandemic workarounds already visible. But how are the stories -- isn't that really what you want to know? Well, if it's possible for plots to move slowly and at lightning speed at the same time, this is your week. Let's Scoop about it!

SHE SEES YOU WHEN YOU'RE SLEEPING, SHE KNOWS WHEN YOU'RE AWAKE

The first new B&B scene since April 23 began with Katie showing some spiffy footage to Carter. "We" were bold, beautiful, and back! I somehow expected Heather Tom and Lawrence St. Victor to speak to us as themselves with what I knew would be a "previously on B&B" episode. Instead, Katie unveiled a PR campaign for the reopening Forrester boutiques that had nothing to do with boutiques. Oh, here we go.

If the fact that the boutiques were reopening was a gentle acknowledgement of COVID, I liked that. Even more, I liked that Carter got something to do out of the gate. He said he had been busy "this quarter" -- was that meant to mark the three-month gap? In the middle of a business meeting Katie and Carter would probably never otherwise have, Carter decided he needed to get caught up on the latest gossip.

Hey, given Carter's hardly ever on the canvas, it's no wonder he wouldn't know what was going on. So, Katie sat down to give the lawyer the straight dope. First, she recalled what had happened at Ridge and Brooke's reunion party, where Quinn had uploaded the video of Brooke kissing Bill to Ridge's digital frame for everyone to see. Katie and Ridge had expressed disappointment and outrage appropriately. So far, so good.

Then, Katie went on to tell Carter about Quinn encouraging Shauna to pursue Ridge, and Ridge tracking Shauna down in Las Vegas. Now, we've gotta stop. Was Katie having flashbacks of events she didn't personally experience? Or were those scenes just meant as illustrative recaps? Because they were set up the way the show's flashbacks usually are, my internal continuity alarm went off.

Zoe soon replaced Katie as Carter's catch-up buddy. Her recollections of her nowhere wedding to Thomas and his demented plot to win Hope reminded me just how much I haven't missed Thomas or his story. But I did like that arc's apparently continuing repercussion -- the mild flirting between Carter and Zoe. They seem like they could make a good couple. Even if Zoe did have Leffy/Lope's flashbacks for them.

Katie returned to talk about Sally, warning Carter that Sally's saga had to stay between them. Didn't everyone already know Sally was "dying," or am I remembering incorrectly? Anyway, watching the beginning of Sally's "illness," now knowing she was faking it, was interesting. Too bad it devolved into a giant scam...and that Zoe took the time to touch up Flo's halo again. Only on B&B do you help steal a baby and get a halo.

As a recap, Monday's revisit got the job done. I just think it would have worked better with either the actors catching us up as themselves or the characters involved having their own flashbacks. But what do you want? It's COVID time, and I've got to cut the show some slack for even being back in production during all this. No, the recap wasn't the way I would have done it...but it was done; that's the important thing.

BABY COME BACK

Before I forget, this week, we got three unconscious women in just four episodes! Talk about making up for lost time! But I digress...Bill hung around to lobby for a reunion with Katie, while Brooke did her best to persuade Ridge to come home. Bridge, I would like to see back together. Batie...well...sorry, Batie, but three months away from you did not convince me you deserve a fourth go-round.

Katie wasn't buying it, either. Good for her! She wanted to forgive Bill but wasn't sure she could, and when Bill asked for another chance, Katie reminded him that his returning to her after Will's successful matchmaking was his chance. You go on, girl! Katie even wanted to tell Will what was going down! I hope our youngest Logan sister stays strong. Surely there's someone better for her than Bill somewhere.

For Bill's part, he listened to Wyatt saying that Bill needed to understand where Katie was coming from. "I do understand," Bill snorted, "I just don't accept it!" Classic Bill! Wyatt seemed to get through when he told Bill that he couldn't control everything, but Bill hasn't done right by Katie since the initial months of their first marriage, when he played tonsil hockey with Steffy. Bill needs a woman as rat bastard as he is. That could be fun!

Finally, we can't forget the hypocrisy of Ridge not being ready to move home because of Brooke kissing Bill when Ridge slobbered on Shauna any number of times. Bridge was, for all intents and purposes, separated; it can't be wrong for Brooke but right for Ridge. And I still haven't forgiven Ridge for having his head up his ass about Thomas when all the signs were as bright as an ad in Times Square. Get a clue, Ridge!

BUT WE'RE NEVER GOING TO SURVIVE UNLESS WE GET A LITTLE CRAZY

The very last moment of the final episode before the break showed Wyatt walking into his house and yelping, "What the hell?" Well, when Wyatt returned, making the same entrance, he uttered, "What is this?" Maybe not the best bookend. Getting Sally on the phone, Wyatt wondered why she had left her walker behind. Sally claimed she had fallen but could get up. And Wyatt bought it.

Even Bill knew better -- when he saw the wreckage and was told that Sally fell, the Dollah blurted out, "How many times?" Nice to see Bill hasn't lost his linguistic edge. As for Sally, she had indeed made off with the unconscious Flo, tying the baby-stealer to a radiator in her apartment. Soooo many questions there. To begin with...a radiator? That size? In an apartment in usually hot Los Angeles?

Never mind the fact that Sally tied Flo to the radiator, using pantyhose and leggings, and Flo couldn't get herself loose from it. Sally must have been a Boy Scout to tie knots that sturdy. The next question is, where did this apartment come from? She only just that "day" was told to move out of Wyatt's. Was this where she was living before? It's not the same pad she had with her sister, Coco, so I'm wondering.

Then, at one point, Sally told Wyatt she'd "be home soon" -- this when she was home and was supposed to be leaving Wyatt his key. Something went wrong in the writing room there, methinks. Sally hadn't intended to kidnap Flo, and she realized that her scam had gotten out of control. So, Sally did the only logical thing -- she decided to have Wyatt impregnate her as her "dying wish!"

Anybody remember when Fonzie water-skied over a shark on Happy Days? That became known as a "jump the shark" moment, the catalyst for a show starting an irreversible slide. Sally sliding Flo out of her apartment and waylaying her with L'Eggs is an undeniable "jump the shark" moment for the character. I don't recognize Sally anymore. I miss the spunky 2017-2018 version and am not loving the pathetic 2019-2020 version.

One thing I will say is that Sally did get some good zingers in during this part of her escapade. Asking Flo if she had any dietary restrictions was hilarious, and when Flo insisted Wyatt would never forgive her for faking a life-threatening illness, Sally sassed, "Well, he forgave you, didn't he?" Extra, extra mega points for reminding the audience that Flo is not the saint she's again being portrayed as.

More than once, Flo deemed Sally crazy, and I wonder if that's how we're going to redeem her going forward. True, Sally had a lot of bad stuff fall on her -- including a building -- but we've already got enough crazies on B&B to fill a loony bin: Quinn, Taylor, Thomas... It's just too overused a plot device. We all do crazy things for love, but damn, Sally girl...Wyatt's cute and all, but he just ain't worth it.

Sally decided to have Penny, the wussiest accomplice ever, text Wyatt, pretending to be Flo, and give Wyatt "permission" to sleep with Sally. Was Sally chatting with Ridge one day, and he let it slip that Morgan did the same thing to him via his email back in 2000? Imagine if Morgan had had a smartphone. Anyway, before Sally left, Flo grabbed Sally's leg and tripped her, knocking her unconscious.

Unconscious Lady #2. Flo grabbed one of Sally's design markers and...did something. Later, Flo played Penny, telling the timid doc how she would have phrased her "it's okay to sleep with Sally" texts. Was Wyatt such a horndog that Flo knew he would get Sally's clothes off and discover what Flo had done? Because that's how it played...and the shots of Wyatt staring at Sally's cleavage did nothing to make me think otherwise.

Sally lied to Wyatt that she was going to seek treatment, after all -- which was a nice touch -- before Sally decided to treat Wyatt to a view of her underwear. And wouldn't you know...Wyatt can read backwards! He saw the reflection of Sally's butt in the mirror and saw that Flo had scrawled "help me" on her rival's glutes! Okay, these are all good plot twists. And a way of wrapping up this story, "butt" quick!

Wyatt actually threatened to call the police if Sally didn't tell him where Flo was! Wow! And Sally actually 'fessed up that Flo was at her apartment. "This isn't me," Sally admitted. Damn right, it isn't! Though why would Penny leave Flo by herself? Ah, so Wyatt could break down Sally's door and free Flo in a slo-mo montage that I thought was a bit overkill. Flyatt had only been separated a few hours!

Flo did exactly what Sally knew she would do -- she told Wyatt that Sally wasn't dying. Now, if your scam just blew up in your face, wouldn't you hit the road? Having learned nothing from Thomas, Sally just sat on Wyatt's couch, boo-hooing to Penny. My money says Sally will get off scot-free, because nobody ever pays for their crimes on this show. But at least Sally didn't watch somebody die like Thomas did!

HA HA HA HA HA HA! WIPEOUT

Steffy proved she could handle CEO-ing and hide-and-go-seeking at the same time as she reemerged with phone in one hand and one of Kelly's board books in the other. Then, Liam came over for some hang time with Kelly (Kelly talks!)...and for Steffy to see his wedding ring. Even though Lope's pre-COVID ceremony was officiated by Douglas, I guess they legalized it at some point, after all.

Steam spent two episodes talking about how they were doing, with Steffy happily saying, "The best thing about us is honesty." I'm sorry, I just dropped my Crystal Light, hold on...okay, girl, seriously? Y'all started out with you trapping Hope in a gondola so you could marry Liam, and your last major breakup came because you slept with Liam's pop and kept that a secret. I love you, Steffy, but you tried it.

Liam kept wanting to be there for Steffy and Kelly, and he made promises and vows thusly; it was like he had to be reminded that he has a wife, a child, and an adopted child waiting at home. What was that about? Maybe when Liam shaved his beard down, most of the memories encoded in it twirled down the sink, too. Anyway, Liam did rightly tell Steffy that she needed to get in some "me" time, so Steffy did.

Did she ever! I want to flame the show for this so bad, but...I just can't. Steffy got on her motorcycle and hit the road...in footage from 2013, when Steffy got into an accident and miscarried her child...and I think there was a 2016 clip from when Wyatt encouraged her to hop on her bike again. I will cut B&B a break here because I realize they're having to work around COVID, hence reusing these shots. It was funny, though.

Well, like 2013, Steffy wasn't a motorcycle mama for long, because she barely had time for a bug to bounce off her helmet when she unfortunately bounced off a car. Ouch! At least she wasn't pregnant this time! Next thing we knew, Bill was at the hospital, sobbing. He was sorrier about Steffy than he was about Katie a few episodes earlier! And no wonder...since it was Bill's car that hit Steffy.

Adding that he was on his way to see Kelly was a realistic touch, and Don Diamont gave Bill an unexpected level of emotionality here. But y'all know L.A. is a city of four million people, right? That Bill just happened to hit Steffy is right up there with Bill just happening to crash into Brooke's car...back in 2013. Hmm, the circle of life? Bill said Kelly was her mother's daughter. I wonder when we find out Kelly is Bill's daughter?

A Dr. Finnegan informed Bill that Steffy was stable but remained the week's Unconscious Woman #3. If I didn't already know that Steffy was supposed to finally get a non-Spencer love interest, I'd have written Dr. F off. Steffy has had sooooo many doctors. I still can't believe B&B let slip the chance to cast ATWT alum Jon Hensley on a permanent basis! Dr. Finnegan could be a fly-by-night physician, too.

Bill finally whipped out his phone (in a hospital, where I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to make cell calls) to tell Ridge that his daughter had been injured. Ridge and Brooke got there super fast, but Bill neglected to tell Bridge why he was there or exactly how Steffy got hurt. I'm guessing Ridge won't be too pleased when he finds out. But I've never seen Bill so remorseful. Is Steffy the love of his life, after all?

Ridge went in to see Steffy, holding her hand and kissing her on the forehead. You could tell this was shot during COVID, because the edits were such you never saw any actual contact between Ridge and Steffy. The same was true when Flo was giving Wyatt thank-you-for-saving-me kisses. The cuts are obvious and weird...and necessary. It's just one more thing we have to adjust to in these times, and it's okay.

If Dr. Finnegan is going to end up with Steffy, it certainly wasn't obvious from his intro. Hey, at least Finn didn't kiss Steffy while she was knocked out, like Wyatt did with Hope in his first episode! Also, considering that Steam started with that whole Florence Nightingale effect after Liam saved Steffy from Mr. Bubble, Finn is also getting off on the right foot on that score. I guess that means hunky Leo is now free for me!

How do you feel about B&B's official return? Did the catch-up episode work for you? Are you able to appreciate the ways the show is working around COVID-19 so far? Do you think the butter has slipped off of Sally's noodle? And do you think Steffy is ready to "wipe out" her dreams about Liam and move on to an attainable romance? Put it into park in the Comments section below or the Soap Central message boards, or simply click here to submit feedback. Your comments could wind up in a future column!

Before I toddle along, I need to mention this brief moment between Ridge and Zoe, who made a from-the-headlines pitch regarding Hope for the Future. The "message of inclusion is very important to Forrester, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't reinforce it." Hope and Zoe felt the line was the perfect platform to speak from concerning the issue. Ridge liked it (and suspected Zoe wanted to be more than a model).

I liked this very much -- it's an obvious nod to Black Lives Matter and the call for embracing diversity. I just hope this isn't all we're going to get. I know this is a soap, and there's story to tell...it's just that the dialogue on this was pretty vague, and I think tackling the topic directly is more in line with good old-fashioned storytelling and eye-opening. It's a good start, though. Let's build on it! And build some more!

B&B is back! So, there's nothing else to say except keep watching, be alert, and most of all, be bold. And remember: wearing a mask to help tamp down a virus and respecting everyone -- even when they're different than you -- is always beautiful!

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