The women who gaslighted Los Angeles

Last week, Taylor set Deacon up on a date with failure by coaxing him to court Brooke. Is Taylor trying to make Destiny disappear for Brooke's benefit or Taylor's? Sheila attempted to gaslight her way out of prison through Finn and Jack, but she should look to Mike's connections to set herself free. Plus, what's more painful? Watching Bill gaslight Katie, or Hope attempting to gaslight all of L.A. about her feelings for Thomas? Let's scoop!

Brooke purports to be happy with her life, her friendships, and her empty bed. In fact, even though she still believes Ridge is her destiny, she is determined to swipe left in honor of her pact with Taylor, whom Brooke trusts completely. Meanwhile, Taylor is trying to set Brooke up with every Bill, Deacon, and Hollis that Taylor can shake a breadstick at. A girl's gotta eat.

Taylor hasn't broached the topic of Brooke with Bill yet, but he's the only other single man in Los Angeles that meets Brooke's criteria of a man she has history with -- except, of course, Ridge, the love of Brooke's life, Brooke's destiny, and the man Brooke was happily married to until Thomas foiled the marriage. Oh, but shucks. According to Taylor, they've tried that destiny thing, and it never works -- you know, because Taylor's kids keep screwing with it.

Is Taylor genuinely trying to help Brooke escape destiny and find a man because, "Brooke's never without a man," according to Taylor, or is Taylor pulling a "Tonya Harding" and crippling Brooke's chances with Ridge by entangling her with Deacon?

Deacon has reformed for the better, but Taylor was laying it on just a little too thick by urging him to reunite the adult Hope's family and telling him how admirable and respectable he's become. Brooke can never ever live down her affair with him, but Taylor attempted to convince him that Brooke could have a happy ending with the man who'd been the center of the most scandalous and painful time in Brooke's life. If Taylor knows Brooke as well as she says, how can she think Brooke would ever go for it with Deacon?

If Taylor knows Brooke as well as she says, Taylor would be trying to reunite Brooke with Ridge, wouldn't she? If Taylor is a true friend to Brooke, why doesn't Taylor bow out permanently and set Ridge and Brooke up on a date? Better yet, make it a double date and invite Deacon.

Taylor deemed Deacon one of the good guys, and if she knows Brooke, Taylor should know that makes him ineligible for Brooke because he's no longer a "bad boy." But Deacon is a hand-me-down man from Brooke, and that's right at the top of Taylor's qualities-in-a-man list. I think Taylor needs to stop worrying about Brooke's love life and start worrying about her own. I think Deacon is a hot plate of delicious Brooke leftovers that Taylor should scoop up in a to-go bag, take home, and enjoy in the bedroom, don't you? If Brooke doesn't like it, I'm sure she'll be there to douse a glass of cold water on them.

Could Taylor actually be looking out for her own love life, after all, by deflecting Brooke's attention from Ridge to Deacon? Normally, a man courting Brooke attracts Ridge, but the last time Deacon kissed Brooke, Ridge ran for the mountains. So, maybe Taylor thinks she can knock Brooke out of the running by putting the stink of Deacon all over Brooke.

What do you think? Is Taylor looking out for Brooke or looking out for herself by trying to set Brooke up with Deacon? Should Taylor wake up and smell the smoking hot attraction between her and the pizza man?

Sheila has been emailing Finn and sending Finn letters, and this is the first Finn is telling Steffy about it? Okay. I guess they don't share everything.

Finn decided to put an end to Sheila's letter stalking by going to the prison to tell Sheila that she will never see or hear from him again. Someone should tell Finn that silence is golden. Silence is communication, and silence was almost working until he showed up at the prison. His visit to Sheila only proved to Sheila that R. Kelly was right when he sang, "If I can see it, then I can do it! If I just believe it, there's nothing to it!"

That's probably the song that was going through Sheila's head as Finn was screaming at her that there was no future besides those four walls. After he left, she vowed to reunite with him and his family. Sheila's positive thinking seems to be working because it got Jack and Finn to visit her; however, if she wants to get out of there, maybe she should smooth on some lipstick before Mike's next visit.

I'm intrigued to know what kind of connections Mike has that have afforded him two prison visits to another inmate, a female inmate at that. Connections like this might be able to finagle Sheila a ticket out of prison, and I'm surprised she hasn't cozied up to Mike to discuss it. I'm not talking about anything crazy like an escape. I'm visualizing something simple like a work release.

Last week, we were treated to deep doses of hypocrisy, and I've compiled a list of the most blood-curdling for me.

"With Brooke Logan as her mother..." Finn, son of Sheila, actually had the nerve to talk about someone else's mother. He asked what kind of an example Hope's mom had been to Hope growing up. First of all, Brooke had done the majority of her dirt before Hope was born. From then on, it had been basically Ridge or Nick up until Hope was grown. So, Finn can stop dragging Brooke through the mud based upon stories told by the child of Brooke's enemy. Second, how dare Finn talk about Brooke's ho genes when he has Sheila's psycho genes in his blood?

"Not that. Never that." So, Liam, the runner-up in Steffy's paternity pageant, had the nerve to say that cheating was the one thing he couldn't forgive Hope. Or maybe it's just cheating with Thomas? I guess what's good for the goose isn't allowed for the gander.

Hope justifying her emotional cheating. While Liam acted like there are no backsies for cheating, Hope murmured to Thomas about all that Liam has done as if Liam's waffling ways should justify her flip-flopping emotions. While Hope has put up with a ton of crap from Liam and his relationship with Steffy, that doesn't give Hope a free pass to sex-dream about Thomas.

Steffy making sure R.J. isn't parent-trapping. I don't know what possessed R.J. to think he could talk objectively with the Parent-Trapper in Chief about his mom, but Steffy's goal was to make sure he wasn't parent-trapping. She said it doesn't work out the way you want it to. Well, except if you're R.J., who successfully reunited his parents until Thomas and his CPS call. R.J.'s success record is probably why Steffy aimed to get the idea out of his head completely.

Does anyone remember the plot in which Katie set out to prove Bill didn't have any feelings for Brooke by hiring her at Spencer, and Katie wound up being a broken-glass-chugging alcoholic by the end of it? I feel like we're kind of getting the same thing with Hope vehemently denying her feelings for Thomas, but instead of gaslighting just Liam, Hope is gaslighting all of L.A.

Steffy can't even get into her sexy time with her hubby because she can't get Hope's gaze of desire out of her mind. Brooke is not one to be fooled, but Hope has been trying to convince Brooke that Brooke gave Hope the ho gene that makes her crave Thomas -- not that she's craving Thomas. According to her, Brooke is just imagining things. As are Steffy, and Liam, and Thomas.

Hope is worse than the Emperor with No Clothes, trying to hide her fire for Thomas. Liam has caught on. Steffy has caught on. Brooke has caught on. Finally, even Thomas has started to suspect that Hope just might be digging him. Hope has to be super obvious if Thomas finally got a clue because Thomas has been rejected by her for so long that she might have jumped in his lap, and he still wouldn't have figured it out. Oh, well, she kind of did when she fell, didn't she? So, that proves my point.

In comparing who was worse with the gaslighting, Hope or Bill, I have to say Hope. Bill at least fought his attraction for Brooke. He and Brooke stopped working together. Hope, on the other hand, knows she's having these feelings. She knows they are wrong, yet she continues to work closely with Thomas. She continues to have personal conversations with him, and she actively grins at him and flirts with him. All the while, she gets enraged by anyone who is onto her.

Steffy is right. Hope's coquettish behavior is probably a reaction to Thomas' lack of obsession with Hope. Hope might not love Thomas, but she loved all the attention he lavished on her. She loved having someone enthralled by her. Now, she doesn't know how to feel because he isn't after her. Hope might not want Thomas, but she wants him to want her. I think she was even that way when she was torn between Oliver and Liam and between Liam and Wyatt.

Steffy is also right in saying Hope has no business jerking Thomas around like that while he's in recovery. Especially not to suit her ego. Or do you think she is legitimately falling in love?

But if Hope and Thomas were to be a legit romance, why isn't Douglas around? Weren't his last words on-screen about wanting his parents to unite? I would think that if the writers are planning "Thope," Douglas would be involved in the burgeoning romance, wouldn't you?

Next week, spoilers indicate that Thomas tells Taylor something, and I'm guessing it's about the conversation Brooke and Hope had. This leads to the next spoilers, Taylor confronts Brooke about her feelings for Thomas, and Brooke struggles to maintain Braylor. Instead of arguing with Brooke, maybe Taylor ought to notice how Thomas manages to still destroy relationships. Before you defend him, think about it. He doesn't have to tell his mom about what he heard.

Steffy gets real with Liam. If it's about what I think it is, the fire between Hope and Thomas, then I really hope Liam doesn't shoot the messenger. Later in the week, Steffy also gets real with Hope, making an accusation. I wonder what it could be, since Steffy already accused Hope of having feelings for Thomas.

Thanks for getting two scoops deep with me about the week. Please take some time to chat about your view of the stories in the comments section below! Until we scoop again, stay bold and beautiful, baby!Chanel

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