Making an entrance quite marvelous-Li

Sheila's pal Mike got it from all sides for helping her, while Deacon played doctor with Taylor in a very endearing way. But who knew that Bill "I Don't Give A Rat's Ass" Spencer would be the one to help a stranger -- a stranger who turned out to be a very much alive Li? Get into a Two Scoops that's unmistakab-Li by Soap Central's Mike!

Has your week been bold and beautiful? Was your time with a new friend more than a Freudian slip? Did you get pressured to be like Spike Lee and do the right thing? Did you ally with someone in an alley? These and more situations faced the Forrester-Logan-Spencer-Finnegan clan this week!

Holy chemistry tests, Scoopers! Deacon and Taylor sat down for a session that made for some very intriguing moments. Might these two casualties of Bridge build their own? Meanwhile, Sheila's '90s cohort Mike took heat from Finn, the cops, and Sheila herself, and still managed not to squeal. But B&B sure likes their alleys, because Finn and Steffy were shot in one, and Li turned up alive in another! Let's Scoop about it!

First, gratitude to the soap universe -- we didn't have to see the libidinous travails of Paris, Zende, Eric, Donna, Carter, and Quinn, whose jealously over Donna seems out of place with the way Quinn amicably let Eric go. Even Carter was like, "the hell?" But enough about that. This week, we got Deacon having a follow-up visit with Taylor, and it was a hoot and a half.

Seriously, who could resist Deacon doing his best Sigmund Freud in theorizing that Taylor and Brooke would never be BFFs? Deacon even got Taylor to open up about Bridge's reunion and unload some of her feelings about Brooke (not that latter-day Hunter Tylo's version wouldn't have told anyone within hearing distance). Deacon and Taylor never shared any screen time in the aughts, to my knowledge, so this feels fresh.

Maybe, too, it's that Krista Allen's Taylor and Deacon have a different kind of vibe. And Deacon has flown solo for a long time, never really having any kind of substantial relationship. He ditched Becky when she got pregnant, his hook-up with Carmen seemed fly-by-night, Amber didn't want him, Bridget was a substitute for Amber, Brooke was taboo...there did seem to be something genuine with Macy, though I never could figure out Deacon and Jackie.

There were his liaisons on Y&R, which all had something seedy about them, and then his marriage to Quinn. I've heard of falling head over heels, but falling off a cliff because your ex-wife pushed you to preserve her time with an amnesiac enemy definitely lists as unhealthy. Deacon seems to be holding true to his word that his time as a con man is over...could Taylor be exactly what he needs?

He needs to brush up on his history, though. "If anyone has a reason to unleash on Sheila," Deacon said to Taylor, commiserating, "it's you," citing Sheila shooting Steffy as that reason. How about Sheila shooting Taylor? That "minor" detail seems to be flying under the radar these days. Though when Deacon told Taylor that "I have a pretty sturdy shoulder" if she needed it, I was in full agreement. Over here, Deacon.

Poor Deaky is having to deal with everyone thinking he knows where Sheila is, however. First Taylor, then Ridge -- even Hope asked for reassurances after talking Ridge down. Interestingly, Hope suggested that Deacon seek out professional help after the trauma of finding two shooting victims on the premises of his job. Also interestingly, Deacon understood how Mike could get caught up with Sheila, even though the "familiar" security guard was long gone before Deacon ever arrived.

The "familiar" security guard obediently brought Sheila the meds she needed for Finn. Seeing Finn knocked out, Mike asked if Sheila had killed Finn "again," but Finn was only doped up on sedatives that Sheila had given Finn. Yet Sheila was not all buddy-buddy with Mike. Indeed, she's gotten increasingly hostile with him. I don't recall Sheila ever treating Mike so badly.

And it does make Mike, who still seems to be hung up on Sheila after all these years, appear weaker. Weaker, maybe, but not dumber. Sheila reported that she had "scoured the Internet" and found nothing relating to Li's body or her vehicle...but then suddenly decided to call Li. "Why are you calling a dead woman's phone?" Mike asked incredulously.

No more incredulously than me, because we watched weeks ago as Sheila stomped on Li's phone! The flashback a few episodes later confirmed it! So, I would amend Mike's question as, "Why are you calling a dead woman's destroyed phone?" Mike held up Finn's death certificate and suggested that Sheila cut her losses and run away with Mike, because "we could be real good together."

The implication being, of course, that Finn was already dead to the world, so if he truly died in his hospital bed, no one would be the wiser. But Sheila wasn't having any, and she was downright cruel regarding Mike's intentions. Seems to me that when Mike tried to connect with Sheila romantically before she took off in 1998, she was a little more compassionate about it. Of course, then, Sheila wasn't written like a cartoon character.

With Mike in residence, Sheila decided to take a long-needed shower. And how odorous Sheila must have been, considering she was wearing the same clothes she had on when she found Li and ran her off the road! Finn had woken up at that point, and he saw an opening as Mike pleaded Sheila's case to him. Mike admitted that he had a weakness for Sheila and always had, owing to the way Sheila could look right into a person.

When Mike insisted that Sheila loved Finn, Finn countered that if Sheila really loved him, she'd take him to a hospital. Finn told Mike that Mike would go to prison alongside his biomom, unless Mike helped Finn escape her clutches. And Mike looked about ready to -- that is, until Sheila emerged from her shower. Mike couldn't get out of there fast enough, and Sheila was immediately suspicious.

Finn reiterated how much he wanted to see Steffy, which Sheila again shot down. (Too soon?) Sheila said that Finn's family needed him to recover first. And that's actually a solid point; as a doctor, you'd think Finn would have given himself the same advice. Get strong and then attempt a getaway. Instead, Finn yanked all his tubes out and got out of bed, knocking himself out when he could barely stand on his own two feet!

Is that because of his spinal injury? Did the bullet hit his spine? I don't feel like we've gotten enough detail on exactly why Finn is in such bad shape. As I said in my previous column, I'm having a hard time connecting a spinal injury with Finn's heart giving out. There's something else going on. Okay -- I realize B&B isn't a medical procedural. But it can't be good if Finn is still medically unsound after all this time.

When Deputy Chief Baker mentioned Mike Guthrie to Brooke and Ridge, Brooke seemed like the name was tickling her memory, but she couldn't quite scratch it. This week, Brooke seemed to have total recall, though there was no Point B between Point A and Point C. Didn't we need to see Brooke realizing who Mike was? The guy only held a gun on her back in 1996; you'd think Brooke wouldn't have needed the contemplation.

Baker visited Bridge again, and this time the connection was made. Except Baker listed Mike as "RICHARD Michael Guthrie"! That tidbit hasn't come up in 30 years! I mean, sure, why not -- I suppose that's how Mike was able to get his job at the prison. But Baker wasn't terribly enthusiastic about Mike's link to Sheila. The Hot Dog Man (glad we haven't trotted those out) said he needed video evidence that Mike busted Sheila out of the joint.

And that makes you wonder, doesn't it? How does any correctional facility not have cameras in every single nook and cranny, even the bathroom? And no one saw Mike break Sheila out? Other prisoners? No other guards? Of course, if we had been treated to the escape scenes, not only would it have given us more drama, but more information. Suddenly Sheila was just gone, with Mike's culpability an afterthought.

Well, "Richard," as his fellow guard knew him, showed up late to work and was treated to an immediate sit-down with Baker, Ridge, and Brooke. Gotta say, Mike has gotten a little smoother over the years. Used to be, when he was questioned, he'd get all nervous and blubbery. Here, Mike calmly told his accusers that he had nothing to do with Sheila's jailbreak.

Baker even offered Mike a deal! If Mike 'fessed up -- and even helped catch Sheila -- Mike would not face nearly as stiff a punishment as he might otherwise. Mike seemed briefly tempted, revealing that he used to like to walk on the wild side in his younger days, which was how he'd gotten mixed up with Sheila. But Mike would not sing. Still, you have to wonder how long it'll be before Mr. Guthrie cracks under all the pressure.

So, apparently, Ridge and Taylor had both separately been trying to get in touch with Steffy but hadn't been able to get through to their daughter for days. Fresh off of his encounter with Mike, Ridge went to impart news of Mike to Taylor...and Tridge completely acted like this wasn't the first time they were seeing each other since Ridge decided to go back to Brooke.

Did you catch that smell? It was the herd of elephants in the room, and man, is that carpet ever going to need cleaning. It was just weird that Taylor and Ridge interacted just as they did before Ridge dashed her hopes for the bajillionth time. Anyway, they were worried for Steffy, since Sheila was on the loose, but they received a new worry when a Dr. Chevalier called from Monaco, reporting that the grief-stricken Steffy had checked herself in to Chevalier's mental health clinic.

Wait -- I thought Steffy went to Paris when she took off? Did I miss something? Or did Steffy really schlep her kids to the other end of France? There wasn't a facility Steffy could have checked into in Paris? (Yes, I know why Steffy is suddenly in Monaco, but that hasn't unfolded yet.) Dr. Chevalier assured Steffy's parents that Steffy was essentially living with her kids and the nanny in the "resort."

The good doctor also advised against Steffy having communication with her relatives, since they were essentially triggers for Steffy's grief. Maybe Sheila should have taken pointers from this woman! Taylor and Thomas teared up, but Ridge was ready to demand that Chevalier put Steffy on the phone -- or even ambush Steffy in Monaco, despite the health professional's recommendation!

Maybe Ridge was jealous because nanny Amelia got to travel to France, while Ridge is still toiling around Los Angeles, assuming anyone actually works at Forrester anymore. I'm still chewing on the Paris/Monaco conundrum and why Taylor and Ridge didn't even mention their "split" once Thomas and his newly minted chest hairs left the room.

The floored Finn didn't want Sheila to touch him, but she managed to get him back into his bedded prison. Taking a different tack, Finn reached into his doctor's bag and began asking questions about what specific treatments and medications Sheila had been applying to him. She hemmed and hawed to the point that Finn knew Sheila couldn't have been working alone, because she hadn't been a nurse for years!

But let's back up a second! Sheila must know something about how to treat Finn, or else what was that bag full of drugs that Sheila had Mike snag from the prison infirmary? When Finn's interrogation wandered into how Sheila could have gotten Finn out of the morgue, Sheila finally confessed that Li had done so. "Mom saved me?" Finn asked with awe. "I am your mother," Sheila sassed.

Hearing about Li's role in his quasi-recovery, Finn couldn't understand how his adoptive mom would save his life just to turn him over to Sheila. And so, Sheila told the story about her confrontation with Li, adding the new nugget that Sheila had escaped jail specifically to find out where Finn's resting place was, only to find out that Finn was resting in Li's new place.

Sheila explained how Li had betrayed her by calling the cops (and having the very flashback of destroying Li's phone, as I mentioned earlier, so Sheila couldn't call it). Sheila followed the tale through to how Li had gotten away, and how when Sheila followed Li, she witnessed Li losing control of her SUV and plunging into the water. Now, that did seem to be a pier that Li sped off of...

...but you wanna tell me what L.A. freeway runs right next to a pier? And you could tell from the twinkling lights of the city below that Sheila and Li were racing down an overpass in the middle of town. Sheila skipped how a pier suddenly showed up in the city, as she did the part where she rammed Li's vehicle, which forced Li off the road, and how Sheila stood there watching it sink instead of diving in to rescue Li.

Oh! And Sheila mentioned that she saw the SUV sink into the bay! What is this, San Francisco? I lived in L.A. for 18 years, and I don't recall there being a bay. Much less one to be driven into off a freeway! Anyway, Finn didn't take issue with that, but he did take issue with Li's death being caused because Sheila had hunted Li down like an animal!

"You were protecting yourself!" Finn growled when Sheila defended her actions. Sheila claimed that she had needed Li to help take care of Finn. For that matter, Li was no saint, because she was the one who had faked everyone into believing that Finn was dead! Sheila's been doing a lot of rationalizing lately, even for her, but I couldn't really find fault with that statement. Li committed a crime, too!

But Finn was done with his mama. "I hate you, Sheila!" he yelled. "You gave birth to me, but that's it -- Li is my real mother!" Tanner Novlan really has been turning in some killer performances in this arc, probably because he's finally gotten some really meaty material to sink his teeth into. His scenes with Kimberlin Brown have been the main reason to watch lately. Brown's brought something new and wonderful out of Novlan.

Sheila swore she'd only detain Finn for a few more days and that she wanted to make up for shooting him by nursing him back to full health, but...well, you remember that old song? You don't step on Superman's cape, you don't spit into the wind, and you don't call Sheila crazy, at least to her face. That's exactly what Finn did! He really let loose on Sheila, and once again, he ordered Sheila to tell him what she did to Steffy!

I can't imagine that's going to go too well. When Finn finds out that Sheila also gunned Steffy down...well, Sheila had better not count on getting any Mother's Day cards in prison. In the meantime, Ridge was right when he said Sheila had no passport, no ID, no credit cards, and no money. So how has she been able to feed herself -- and Finn? Oh, well, it'll be interesting to see what fate befalls Sheila now.

Well, the Dollah himself, Bill Spencer, has been popping up in a lot of restaurants lately after long absences -- first at Paris and Carter's not-wedding, and again by taking Wyatt and Liam to lunch at Il Giardino. Liam was properly grossed out, dining mere feet from where his one-time cha-cha-cha went bang-bang-bang. But hey, at least the Spencer gents weren't talking about Brooke...for a change.

No, this time, the subject was Sheila. What ensued was much filler, so there's no need to go into that. The real meal got served when Wyatt took Bill to an entirely different seafood place on one of L.A.'s wharves. We found out that absolutely nothing was happening between Bill and Katie, which is how it should be. But can you imagine the Stallion pining for a woman who ditched him two years ago?

That would never happen. Though Bill did admit that having his sons come into his life had changed him. He had grown and even developed some compassion. Too bad that didn't kick in when Bill left Vinny for dead last year; I guess it took Finn's death to make Bill acknowledge life's frailty. Bill even seemed sad, between Steffy losing her husband to murder and Bill's hinted-at loneliness.

Now, why Bill walked into the back alley of this restaurant he had only been introduced to is a complete mystery to me. He wouldn't have been parked back there, and if the grub hub had valet service, that would have been in front. But Bill heard something bumping around and turned to find a filthy, disheveled figure crawling on the ground. And. It. Was. Li!

I knew she wasn't dead! Not only did we not see a body, but with the fire raging in the rear of Li's SUV, it wasn't likely the flames could have extinguished her. The actual crash into the "bay," sure...but it seems you can't kill Finnegans! First Finn and now Li! It's been weeks since her supposed dispatching by Sheila...how has Li survived? Is that why Li's hanging around behind a restaurant? For the discarded food?

We also now know why the subject of Bill's newfound compassion came up. Because Bill didn't just walk past someone who could be one of the over 60,000 homeless people in L.A. He reached down and offered to help. Li seemed feral and couldn't talk, though she did become animated when Bill wanted to call an ambulance for her. So, I have to rule out amnesia, because Li had enough presence of mind not to go near a hospital after she spirited her "dead" son out of one.

Bill actually offered to take the pathetic creature home! He was street smart enough to ask if her plight was a set-up, but that didn't extend to bringing the mystery woman into his own house. Maybe he got a sense from her that she wasn't a criminal or a psycho, though she did create a hospital in an apartment and let people continue to believe her son was dead. Bill might have done better to tune up his "Spencer senses."

Li walked into Bill's house like a frightened animal, tentatively sitting on the couch with her eyes darting around the room. I have to say, it was kind of a new side to Bill as he tried to coax some information out of Li, like her identity. It was also confusing, because Li clearly said "No, no, no" in the alley when Bill suggested a hospital, but she could barely form a word once at Bill's pad.

But Li sparked when Bill asked if she had a family. Children. A son! She desperately tried to sound out something, but that's where we left off for the week. So why can't Li talk? The psychological trauma of crashing her car into a body of water? Did a near drowning cause brain damage? Did she suffer a stroke? I hope we get more detail into Li's condition than we have Finn's.

Some are already seeing a Bill/Li pairing, but let's not rush into anything! At least let Li get a shower. Sheila was entitled to one! I'm very intrigued by the new combinations of Deacon and Taylor, Bill being in Li's orbit, and Mike now interfacing with more than just Sheila. Yet the big question remains, what's next for Sheila? Will she sacrifice her freedom for Finn? Is she going to the slammer for good this time? Or will the one-time Houdini aficionado perform another one of her great escapes? Comment profuse-Li in the the Comments section below or the Soap Central message boards, or simply click here to submit feedback. Your comments could end up in a future column!

Li's back, and the vultures of justice are circling around Sheila, so keep watching, be alert, and most of all, be bold. And, no matter where you are in the world, democracy and freedom are always beautiful.AMJ

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