Unlike a virgin

In 2011, Hope's virginity was the only subject on anyone's lips. A dozen years later, all anyone can talk about is Hope's working relationship with Thomas -- that is, if longing stares, dropped water bottles, and flushed cheeks count as working. Is this a story B&B should be so laser-focused on? Make it through the wilderness with Two Scoops' Mike!

Has your week been bold and beautiful? Were you so into the resurgence of vinyl that you decided to sound like a broken record? Did you get butthurt because your bestie still thinks your kid is a skank? Did you baptize yourself in the River De-Nile? These and more situations faced the Forrester-Logan-Spencer clan this week!

Are you about it, Scoopers? I gotta be honest, I'm having a hard time following the show right now. The last time Hope's desires took over B&B was back in 2011, when everyone had something to say about Hope's virginity. Today, all we get is folks sounding off about whether Hope's hot for Thomas. It's just not an important enough tale to backburner everyone else who's not tied to it.

Maybe I'm spoiled -- I've been watching eps from late '88/early '89 on YouTube, and usually, the only time any story got solo focus was when it came to a head; other than that, different arcs got their time regularly. Dialogue was repeated, but not like now where we're hit over the head with it. Might B&B take a lesson from its own retro playbook? But enough. Let's jump back into the present and Scoop about it!

If you've read any of my columns over these two months where Hope has been thirsting for Thomas, you know how I feel about this story. But in case reminders are needed or this viewpoint is new to you, I'll sum my opinion up in one word: "Eww." Not only have Hope and Thomas been stepsiblings most of their lives, but you don't just suddenly lust after someone who's lied to, tormented, manipulated, and gaslit you to get his way.

Now, if B&B were to explore why Hope is wanting to swivel in Thomas' loveseat (thank you, Prince), that might add something to this weird saga. Maybe she's so traumatized by his past behavior, it's manifesting in this way, albeit belatedly. Maybe, as Steffy says, Hope truly is missing Thomas' voracious attention, albeit unconsciously. But to just have to accept that Hope has taken this turn without any hint as to the provocation makes the story even more unattractive.

As does the parroted dialogue, most of which issues forth from Liam's bearded lips. The first recipient of the week was Wyatt, and even he was ready to tell his bro to get a life. Things got a little icky when Liam reiterated to Wyatt how "passionate" Hope had been, and Wyatt didn't help by advising Liam to turn on the Spencer charm. Like, Wyatt was only married to Hope at one point. I mean, all in the family -- yikes.

The next poor ear to be bent by Liam's own obsession with Thomas was one belonging to Bill, who wished Liam could train a surveillance camera on Thomas the way Bill did with Sheila. Yeah, and you got the idea from Katie, who tricked out your house with one! Speaking of the youngest Logan sister, Bill crowed to Liam that "my Katie" would eventually ditch Carter and come home.

Enough of the "my Katie" shizz, my main man. Katie is not "yours," Bill, and even subtly intimating that she's your property is not a good look anymore. Carter might actually be good for Katie (though Carter's as flaky as Bill is unfaithful), and Bill needs a strong, no-nonsense woman like Li. Bill and Li already have the connection, and we already know Bill is turned on by women who can equal or best him; just ask Steffy.

Liam decided that Bill was the man that Liam was trying to be. Well, Liam, if you want to be a man who destroys evidence, obstructs justice, sics paparazzi on unsuspecting victims, and blows up buildings with you inside, then yeah, Bill's a good role model. Bill turned it around and announced he would emulate Liam if he could become Katie's husband again. I do think Katie would get tired of the broken record talk pretty fast.

Hope had her own talk to untalk as she worked to convince Thomas that she didn't mean a word of the smack she had talked about him to Brooke. Her mom had just been on her case about Thomas possibly acting up, so she laid it on thick about him being a scuzz just to get Brooke off her back. Hope knew that Thomas wasn't still fixated on her. "I'm the one...!" Hope slipped.

Thomas realized there indeed were feelings between him and Hope -- feelings of gratitude and appreciation, that is. Has Thomas' therapist given him a lobotomy that has dulled his ability to pick up on Hope's recent fascination? Thomas has been many things, but he's never been dumb; he should be able to read Hope's not-very-mixed signals.

Now that I think of Bill's paparazzi ploy from 2012, that was when Hope was (very briefly) hooked on antianxiety meds. Might such an addiction, perhaps a more fleshed-out one, explain Hope's amorous turn toward Thomas? Maybe Hope started popping those pills again when she got pushed into working with Thomas to save HFTF, and it's been affecting her behavior. That would at least be some sort of explanation, and there's a history there!

Now that Taylor has been BFFs with Brooke this entire year, she decided to delve a little deeper than simply dishing about hotties like Hollis and get into the subject of Brooke's reservations about Thomas. Taylor realized that Brooke had reason to still bear ill-feelings about the guy who had wrecked Brooke's marriage, but Taylor was confident that there was nothing that could make Thomas backslide.

Meanwhile, Hope and Thomas continued their ride on their own dialogue-go-round. You're so great, Thomas, blah blah blah; I respect you, Hope, blah blah blah. Thomas joked that he'd better get back to work before our current, much-ballyhooed AI took his job. I dunno about his job, but AI does seem to have taken over some of these scripts. "Write a scene with ___________ and find different ways to say the same things."

Taylor, who's around Forrester enough to make me think she sends her patients AI therapy remotely, swung by to visit Thomas and was horrified to hear how Hope had slammed Thomas to Brooke. Thomas explained how Hope had essentially told Brooke what she wanted to hear but didn't mean it -- and Taylor was torqued that Brooke hadn't said a word to her about the Thomas-related skirmish.

Was it really necessary for Brooke to rat Hope out to Taylor just because their convo had concerned Taylor's son? Having a best friend surely means being able to tell that person anything, but it does not contractually obligate one to tell that friend everything. Maybe Brooke thought Taylor would be hurt by Hope's smears and felt it was worth sparing her friend not to mention it!

Taylor confronted Brooke, who had to concede she was not 100% comfortable with the idea of Hope working with Thomas. I can understand Taylor being hurt by that, but you'd also think Taylor would be more understanding considering all the crap Thomas pulled on Hope and Brooke over the years. Taylor then played the card that it was inevitable someone would play: what else was Brooke keeping from her? Was there anything pertaining to Ridge?

This is an indicator that, of course, someday soon, Taylor is going to hear about how Ridge encountered Brooke in a nightie and almost engaged in some kissy-kissy. And, of course, Taylor will be all butthurt about that, too. For once, Miss Brooke's Bedroom herself wasn't prancing around in a teddy to tempt Ridge. Taylor should be glad for Brooke's restraint, but you know it won't go down that way.

Brooke revealed to Taylor that she was worried about Hope's marriage, and Taylor did at least think that maybe Brooke was picking up on a vibe that no one else could. But Taylor ended by declaring everything would be easier if Brooke could simply believe in Thomas. I'll say this again: if Thomas had been in therapy for a year or so, I might buy Taylor's supposition. But a few months isn't enough for anyone to grow past the level of depravity Thomas has been capable of.

Could Brooke's perennial stink-eye toward Thomas have something to do with the fact that they may or may not have boinked when they were stranded together on Berry Island? That never comes up, but even then, Thomas was willing to insist he had slept with Brooke to snag 25% of Forrester's stock from Stephanie. In fact, Thomas was obsessed with Brooke before he was with Hope. Too bad that layer never factors into Brooke's attitude toward him.

Liam and Steffy were at the cliff house, sharing some Kelly time. A discussion about Kelly saving the bulk of her cookies for the man in the moon led to the tyke and her parents howling at the celestial body in question. Well, I guess anything is better than Bill "The Stallion" Spencer neighing. Kelly came to the conclusion that things were so much better when they were all under one roof.

Now, Douglas did say something similar about Hope and Thomas the last time we saw him. And most kids do want their parents together. But this may just add fuel to the fire of those of you who are of the opinion that a Liam/Steffy reunion is in the offing. I don't know that I share that opinion; Steffy's marriage to Finn is wafer thin in terms of substance, but even by that definition, they still seem pretty solid.

A phone call interrupted this parental playdate. It was Hope, phoning to let Liam know that she and Thomas were going to be working late to beat yet another HFTF deadline. Liam was not happy and began to make his noise, at least until he caught himself and decided to let sleeping "executioners" lie. Naturally, Liam moaned to Steffy about it. Tired of all the monkey poop Liam kept flinging at her brother, Steffy suggested that maybe, this time, Thomas wasn't the problem!

As Jacqueline Macinnes Wood sang on her track "Girl You Knew", "That's the kinda thing a girl need to know!" Liam didn't want to believe that anyone but Thomas would take advantage of the Hope/Thomas working situation, but Steffy relayed how she had seen Hope touching Thomas' hand and gazing into his eyes. Unlike her apparently clueless sib, Steffy knew when a woman wanted it bad!

Liam still thought Steffy was trying to protect Thomas by kicking the can to Hope, but when Steffy added that Hope's own feelings might be why Liam couldn't shift out of high alert, Liam started to think better of his doubt. Liam realized that he needed to have a chat with Hope. And given the head of steam he'd been building up the last couple of months about Thomas, that chat would probably include some Kelly-inspired howling!

Back at Forrester, R.J. peeked out of the shadows to talk to Thomas about Hope. I feel bad for the boy. He's been back over a month, and he hasn't been given anything to do except fend off demands that he join the company and get inserted into this whole Hope/Thomas thing. Thomas spouted his usual reassurances to R.J. that things with R.J.'s sis were on the up and up.

R.J. keeps going back and forth between being cool with Thomas to being cool to Thomas. The influencer needs to be influenced -- make up your mind, kid. I have to say I was jazzed when R.J. told Thomas they were good as long as Thomas didn't try to get him to pick up a pen and design. Indeed, let someone in this fam do their own thing. Apparently, next week, we will learn the real reason R.J. returned to L.A. Finally!

And Finn -- he must be so tired of hearing about Liam. Remember, only recently, Finn rather guffawed about Liam's predicament. But seriously, the guy's trying to make some time with his wife, only for said wife to keep yapping about her ex. Steffy told Finn her theory that Hope was the one catching feelings for Thomas...and that she had shared that theory with Liam, as well.

Hope decided she needed to go home and exchange some words with Liam; at least she and Liam were on the same page about that. But before departing, Hope divulged to Thomas that she was exhausted by Liam's constant opposition. She didn't like the way Liam had cut her off on the phone, nor did she think Liam's treatment of Thomas was fair. And with that, battle lines were drawn -- in crayon, but not Magic Marker.

Liam was home, waiting for Hope...while guzzling a Scotch! The hell? That's Bill's drink! And now Wyatt's, as well, but since when does Liam touch the stuff? I guess fermented grain is vegan, but still. At any rate, Lope got to it, with Hope noting the hypocrisy of it being okay for Liam to hang out with his ex while Hope wasn't allowed to work with her head designer. All the more hypocritical, Hope added, "with your track record!"

Ouch. Does that cabin have Band-Aids? 'Cuz Liam was definitely stuck on Band-Aid with a cut like that. And it's hard to argue. Liam started to bounce to Steffy after disagreements with Hope all the way back in 2011, when he slapped Hope's still-warm engagement ring on Steffy's finger. Plus, even this, the longest of Lope's marriages, was sullied by Liam sleeping with Steffy because Liam saw Thomas kissing a Hope mannequin.

So, yeah, Liam deserved that. Of course, if Hope knew that Liam had slept with Steffy before their current marriage because Thomas had spiked Liam's drink with an aphrodisiac, Hope might not be so defensive of Thomas. Unable to work from that information, Liam turned things around on Hope, relayed what Steffy had said about Hope's quasi-intimate moment with Thomas, and asked Hope point-blank if she had designs on her designer.

Responding to Hope's disavowal, Liam reminded Hope that she had been in denial about Thomas before. But when Liam stated that he wanted Hope to stop working with Thomas, it got Hope's hackles up. She felt that Steffy was trying to target their marriage -- not only that, but Hope asserted that she had been in charge of HFTF since the beginning, and she wasn't about to let anyone tell her how to run it.

Liam should have known that tack wouldn't wash. Hope didn't back down in 2014, either, when Liam demanded that Hope stop working with Wyatt. Liam was tired of Thomas living rent free in his head, so Hope advised Liam to let go. Then the waterworks came; Hope sobbed that everyone believed her about Thomas except Liam. Liam didn't trust her, boo-hoo! Besides, she didn't have feelings for Thomas, anyway! So there!

And there you have another week of this Hope-has-the-hots-for-Thomas foolishness. Remember when her Hope for the Future line was created, and she worked her then-virginal messages of purity and abstinence into the collection? Now, Hope is not only lying to herself, but also about the essence of her work. Aside from the spirit of sustainability in the fabrics and production, how can Hope reconcile HFTF's good girl glam with wanting to get porked by a man not her husband, a man she's been related to by marriage, and a man responsible for so much of her pain and torment? I'd love to see that addressed.

Are you holding out "Hope," Scoopers? Do you feel like you need to know what's making Hope tick where Thomas is concerned? Does her saga deserve this much airtime, or would you like to see what other characters are up to? What do you figure is the reason R.J. came home? And do you think Thomas honestly isn't aware of Hope's horniness for him? Touch us for the very first or very millionth time in 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! Like these!

"Seriously! Steffy of all people, lecturing Hope. 'Are you becoming like your mother?' Steffy, whose two pregnancies required paternity tests. I can't." -- Patricia

"B&B has become repetitive and boring! Stop focusing on only one storyline at a time. Actually utilize the other actors. Every day is different characters talking about the SAME things! Enough already!" -- KM

"Liam's obsession with Thomas has not only gotten old, it's gotten annoying. Every (or almost every) conversation Liam has is about Thomas. The writers need to do something about it." -- Steve

"Thomas and Hope are superhot this couple is a permanent keeper." -- Cecil

Well, that's why this is an opinion column -- because we all have different opinions! And that's all I'm gonna say about that. Now, from what I understand, it's about to get Italian as a selection of our soapy cast heads to Rome for B&B's latest remote. Among others, Steffy, Hope, and Thomas will be there. But why on earth is Liam tagging along?

I hope we're not setting up for a rerun of Puglia, where, borne of yet another misunderstanding, Liam nearly ditched his wedding to the recently devirginized Hope, but stuck his tongue down Steffy's throat for an iPad cam to see before actually exchanging vows. If Liam's old tricks send Sinn to the bin, I hope Finn sics Sheila on him. That would be fun! Capeesh? Keep watching, be alert, and most of all, be bold! See you in two weeks, my Scoopnesses!

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