Liam's dilemma: abandon the preview or his dignity

Liam took a stand for his marriage's sake. Though Hope drew closer to Thomas, here's why leaving the preview was the best thing Liam could do to save face. Sheila thinks she'll get what she deserves, but is that a second chance at life inside or outside of prison? Let's scoop on why our writer had a problem with Lauren's spooky visit and ponder why Forrester is acting like HFTF is brand new. Plus, our writer hereby declares Brooke's slutty days are over. Let's scoop!

For Halloween, the Bold and the Beautiful treated us to a stand-alone episode honoring Survival Queen Sheila Carter. It was perfect for the sexy, nine-toed nurse, who has proven that she'll live to vex her enemies another day. Sheila might get the second chance she longs for, but the question is whether it will be at life inside or outside of prison.

I love Sheila for her ability to turn missing toes into chocolate jokes. It's that outside-the-norm thinking that has kept her viable for years. Every time she's back, I'm intrigued to know how she'll make it out of the next jam, no toe joke intended. It seems that the writers have painted Sheila into a corner with her newest crimes, but she still manages to pull off a life of not only surviving but also thriving as a criminal in her hideaway.

The thing I find most fascinating about Sheila is her cunning way of proffering herself as the victim. For example, Deacon was glad her hostages Molly and Lauren had survived the fire, but Sheila was like, "What about me? She's the one who started the fire!" Deacon said it would take more than an inferno to take Sheila down, and he's right. Can anything take Sheila down?

Sheila keeps coming back to Los Angeles, just like Michael Myers keeps going to his house, Freddy Krueger can't resist Elm Street, and Jason Voorhees loves hanging out at Crystal Lake. Just as I watch to see what those guys will do next, I'm also keeping an eye on Sheila. Besides, she's much prettier to look at, and she's kind of endearing while in her romantic fantasy la-la land with Deacon. It's the most incredulous and suitable romance we've seen to date.

Thanks to B&B for bringing us a fun Halloween special, complete with eerie theme song music. There were only two tiny problems I had with the stand-alone show. One, Hope didn't bring her kids by to see their grandfather, and two, Lauren's role in the episode. If Hope for the Future is a yesteryear line, why was Lauren Fenmore loading up on it even before the preview?

Forrester threw a fashion preview fraught with an unusual amount of pressure for Hope to succeed. It was as if she'd never done a showing before in her life. It confused me because, even though we haven't seen a show in a while, they alluded to having one last spring. Also, anytime we hear about HFTF, everyone applauds Thomas and Zende for outdoing themselves. So, why, all of a sudden, is this preview pivotal to Hope's career? And why were the buyers acting as if HFTF is a faded, leftover line? I could have sworn HFTF is just about the only line Forrester has been working on for years. How did I miss HFTF being on life support?

This is where my problem with Lauren's visit comes in. Lauren, an HFTF buyer, raved about the line. She was convinced of its success before the preview even happened. She pre-ordered and planned to return for more. Because of that, I didn't get why Steffy heaped pressure upon Hope to sell the line that's already sold like hotcakes even before the preview.

And it was just a preview, not even a full-blown show. I don't see what the big deal was. Seriously. How was it career-breaking, and why was Hope so nervous?

Hope has worked on HFTF for years since her return, played by Annika Noelle. Also, she did plenty of shows during the first iteration of adult Hope, played by Kim Matula. Hope is an international model. She modeled around the world with Wyatt and with Liam. Hope has owned the runway so many times that her tears about Liam missing one single preview perplexed me.

Plus, Taylor wasn't there. Yeah, she was the keynote speaker somewhere, but it was probably at a Ridge Fan Club convention, anyway. Taylor hasn't been there for Thomas for over a decade, and she owed it to him to put her career in the backseat for once and show up for her kid. Speaking of absent parents, if the preview meant so much to Hope, where was Deacon?

I think it's a little unfair for Hope to be so bitter about Liam missing one show because he didn't want to see Thomas fawning all over her. Thomas told Hope up-front what he wanted the audience to see, and I don't blame Liam for not wanting to be there to see how badly his nemesis lusts after his wife.

From social media, I glean that some viewers are disgruntled with Liam for not putting aside his issues with Hope and Thomas for one day to support his wife at the preview. I might be in the minority, but I think Liam needed to take a stand, and that was as good as any a hill to die on.

Some say he gave Thomas a huge opening, but Thomas already has that man's wife doing sleepovers. In front of Liam's face, Thomas got her to agree to a weekend together. Thomas is bulldozing over Liam, whether Liam bails on one preview or not.

Thomas is making a punk out of Liam and trying to take Liam's wife right before his eyes. Where should Liam take a stand if not at a preview in which Thomas decided that the world would know that Hope was the only woman for him just by the dress she was wearing? That's a serious dress, isn't it, if it can make the whole world see Thomas' love and lust for Hope?

Hope said the dress had done exactly what Thomas had wanted. Was Liam supposed to just stand there and let the world watch him be cuckolded in public by a dress that exposed to the world Thomas' desires for Liam's wife? No, I don't think so, and Liam would probably be in jail right now if he'd stayed there. If he hadn't left the preview, he might have ended it by dumping a Carrie-sized bucket of pig's blood over Thomas and Hope while they were on stage. And they would have deserved it.

When Thomas told Hope what the dress was supposed to say about them, she never should have put it on, frankly, because that's condoning Thomas' feelings for her. Instead, she wears it. On a side note, the dress weighed forty pounds, showing me what an anvil Thomas is in her life.

Not only does Hope wear Thomas' lust dress, but she also lets Douglas ice Liam out. She then proceeds to ice Beth and Liam out herself. After the preview, Hope did not call Beth to wish her goodnight. Beth had wanted to see her mother, but Hope preferred staying at Eric's until Douglas finished watching a movie to tuck him in. And she didn't even ask Liam about Beth.

Hope thinks Liam and Brooke should defer to her judgment, but Hope has no judgment to speak of if she thinks it's a good idea to cart Beth in and out of the mansion, sleeping in a strange bed away from her own father, just so Douglas can have both parents under the same roof. It makes zero sense to me that Hope thinks it's better to make Liam and Beth suffer rather than stand up to Thomas and take him to court. Instead of fighting for her family, Hope has isolated herself from her family and surrounded herself with enemies.

The Forresters are not enemies? Well, Steffy declared war on Hope's family. Thomas is holding Ridge hostage with a lie and Douglas for ransom in Thomas' plan to win Hope's love. It's torpedoed her family, but not even Eric seems to care about that. Zende's standing around calling Hope, Douglas, and Thomas a sweet family. No wonder Douglas is so warped.

Think about it. Douglas watched Ridge leave Brooke's house to stay with Taylor. He watched Quinn leave Eric's house, and Donna moved in. He saw Liam get edged out at the cliff house, so Finn can be a father to both kids up there. So, I don't blame Douglas for thinking his mom and Beth should be able to move away from Liam. Liam's the fool for letting the Forresters take his family.

As I said, I feel I'm in the minority, so let me hear your opinion about Liam in the comments.

Below are a few things going on in Los Angeles that don't quite add up to me, so I'll detail them here and get your opinions.

No answers "Flo" from Wyatt. We saw Wyatt last week, hanging out with his dad and brother at the knock-off Olive Garden. They discussed Liam's troubles, but we have no word yet about why Wyatt moved out of the beach house or where Flo might be. Is anyone starting to think Flo is buried under the floorboards of Taylor's beachside boom-boom bungalow?

Errand-girl Paris. Does anyone know why Paris is modeling gowns and taking modification notes to the cutting room? For all the work she did to help with the show, she should have been there. After all, it was so "pivotal" for Forrester's success. Insert eye-roll emoji.

Top designer and wingman. Last November, Hope gave Thomas another chance to design for HFTF, but she told Zende that it wouldn't affect his position as lead designer. When did that change and Thomas take over as the lead designer? I'm disappointed that Zende didn't get a bow on the runway, but at least Hope mentioned him first in her runway speech. But calling Thomas her "partner in crime"? That was inappropriate, given that Liam is wondering why she isn't still fuming about Thomas' crimes against their family.

Ridge's Thomas-colored glasses. After the preview, Ridge said he and Hope had had their problems, but he sees her now. He went on to praise her for how she gave Thomas a chance when others (*cough* Brooke and Liam) wouldn't. So, let me get this straight: Ridge only acknowledges Hope when she's letting his clearly unstable son have his way? You know what? I finally see Ridge for what he is, too. Worthless trash.

No one can say Brooke hasn't changed. Brooke is a changed woman. Either that, or she's retired from the Ridge race. Taylor was off somewhere, being a keynote speaker. It was the perfect time for Brooke to use her feminine wiles on her own husband. Lord knows he's thirsty. Heck, he couldn't even say "Brooke's Bedroom" on stage without choking up. He must really miss that place if the look on his face after sex with Taylor is any indication. But Brooke didn't approach him at the preview, and she didn't go to Eric's to try to hook up. She also did not hook up with Deacon or Bill. Heck, Brooke probably ain't had sex for most of 2022. That means all the "Brooke can't be without a man" and "Brooke can't control her sex drive" talk can officially end.

Yes-Man Finn. Finn left what was probably an eight- to twelve-hour hospital shift, standing on his feet all day, saving lives, and he went home to rub Steffy's feet. I'm done.

Spoilers indicate that Hope and Thomas share an unexpected moment together. Let's be real. It is expected. As Bill said, Thomas has been laying the groundwork for years -- literally. Subsequently, Thomas ponders his future with Hope, and Hope continues to keep things from Liam.

Thomas persists in manipulating Brooke and Ridge. Carter finally makes the rounds to Brooke's house, and we all know what he has in his hands. Brooke begs Ridge for answers, but he's too busy talking to his kids, announcing his next mistake with Taylor.

Thanks, Scoopers, for getting two scoops deep with me again this week. Thanksgiving is around the corner, so I'll leave you with these questions: what do you think the holiday will be like for the Logans and the Forresters, and if they're all together, who will Hope's person to the right be this year?

Until we scoop again, stay bold and beautiful, baby!Chanel

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