Thomases in the rear view mirror

Luna was all dressed up but had to tell Zende where to go -- is Zende the new resident stalker? Finn is digging so hard for the truth about Thomas, it seems he may be falling for Hope. Should Finn's role in this story belong to Liam, not a man married to Hope's nemesis? Thomas told the "truth" about Emma's death but left out the part about killing her. Plus, get the two scoops on which character is already back after leaving.

That dress, Scoopers! The pink dress Luna wore to the salon dinner date had me eighties bent! It was standing room only in the Madonna/Marilyn-Monroe-esque gown that proved Luna truly is the material girl, living in a material world of fashion. Isn't it every intern's fantasy to rifle through a rack full of vault dresses for an impromptu date with a millionaire? Luna and Poppy got to do it, but I half-expected Li to pop through the clothing on the rack, yelling, "Get out of here!"

As the Material Girl song kind of goes, "Some boys romance. Some boys slow dance. That's all right with me. But if they kiss my cheek, I have to let them be." Plus, she's gonna tell her boyfriend about it, which is more than I can say for her cousin-in-law, Steffy, who has yet to tell her husband about Liam, the kissing bandit. Luna gets props for not letting it go to her head that two Forrester men are infatuated with her, and she's up-front with Zende, letting him know that her heart belongs to R.J. Zende says that he's got the message, but his soul-boring stares make me wonder if he's given that message to his brain.

Is Zende the next intern stalker around there, or is he just taking his competition with R.J. to a different playing field? The way Zende leered at Luna and R.J. kissing kind of said stalker to me, and it was weird when R.J. said Zende couldn't get a girl to kiss him, so he had to kiss R.J.'s girlfriend. Since when can't Zende get a girl to kiss him? Weren't two sisters fighting over him the first and second times he returned to town? And where is Paris, anyway?

Zende's dinner setup was top-notch romantic, but he should refrain from calling R.J. a privileged intern chaser in the same episode that Zende directed Forrester employees on the clock to set up his romantic trap -- I mean dinner -- for the newest intern. However, R.J. was right about the note being pathetic. Zende knew Luna would assume it had been from R.J., and luring someone to a private dinner is first-degree stalker behavior.

Luna might not be the only person with a stalker. Steffy claims that Xander returned -- seven years after the fact -- to get revenge on Thomas for threatening Xander and getting him fired.

I'm not sure what Xander's return and the resurgence of rumors about Thomas are supposed to accomplish, but I'm laughing right along with Liam at the thought of Thomas finally getting some karma for the things he has done. Xander has valid reasons to suspect Thomas killed Emma, but was it murder? And does Steffy really think Xander has nothing better to do in his life than to return to town some seven years later, according to Beth's age, and make accusations without new proof or a better plan than hoodwinking Finn, of all people?

I'll tell you what it was. It was vehicular manslaughter. Thomas intentionally sped up, rode Emma's bumper, and flashed high beams at her to interfere with her driving. In fact, to stop her from driving. By his own account to Hope, Thomas knows that driving on that road at night is dangerous, and he created conditions that he knew or should have known could lead to an accident. Emma would not have been speeding had it not for him bearing down upon her. Therefore, any death resulting from his reckless driving would be manslaughter.

Normally, there is no duty to rescue if you see an accident. However, because Thomas created a situation in which Emma needed rescuing, he had a duty to help or get her help. It doesn't matter, as Thomas claims, that she was beyond saving. Thomas is not a paramedic. Apparently, he has not seen any episodes of I Shouldn't Be Alive, either, or he would know people can survive all manner of falls, volcanoes, mountaintops, and ravines.

It wasn't up to Thomas to guess whether Emma was breathing in that canyon, but it was up to him to get help, provide a witness statement, and help her family recover her body before the coyotes got to it. Did Thomas mean for Emma to die? I'd say Xander mischaracterized it as "murdah," but the question should be whether Thomas intended for Emma to die. With him standing on the edge of that ravine, smirking and ensuring her death by not calling for help, I can't help but believe he did intend for her to die.

As far as Xander's motives are concerned, Steffy is wrong that Xander returned for revenge. He merely wanted to see a new doctor, but once the memories flooded back to him, he couldn't let it go. Xander asked Finn what they were going to do about Thomas, and Xander asserted that they had to put an end to Thomas.

Whoa! Wait a minute. Put an "end" to Thomas? Now that does sound like murder! Should Finn be teaming up with Xander to put an "end" to Thomas? They just met. Can't Xander at least kiss Finn on the cheek first?

Speaking of the hyperbolic vows, what's with Finn pledging to keep Hope and Thomas apart for as long as he lives?

I'm #TeamFinn about getting to the bottom of what happened to Emma. Even though the statute of limitations has run out on vehicular manslaughter, there are other ways Thomas can pay for what happened, namely by losing Hope. I just don't know who got divorced and crowned Finn the new protector of Hope. Liam is still around and perfectly capable of gushing about Hope and warning her off Thomas. In fact, he was doing it last week, so why are the writers jamming Finn into a story where Liam is the perfect fit?

When Finn spoke to Hope about Thomas and Emma, I sensed the cringe in the room as Finn complimented Hope. Finn had this goofy grin, asking her who'd be so innovative to do what she'd done with her clothing line. Hope awkwardly said it had just come to her. It was one of those existential moments that had me wondering, "Does Finn have the hots for this woman?"

Liam works better in this story because he knows Xander. He wouldn't be seen as going off half-cocked against his brother-in-law for a stranger. Liam lived through the tragedies surrounding Emma and Beth, and it would resonate better if it was Liam setting out to prove that the things he'd warned Hope about last year are true. Liam has more at stake than Finn, who has nothing at stake-- except his marriage if he plays Rescue Ranger to Steffy's romance rival.

What do you think? Would Finn's role in this particular storyline be better suited for Liam?

Thomas decided that it was time to come clean about what happened the night that Emma died. Many viewers applaud Thomas for his confession and think it means that he has changed. Then there's this scooper who believes the truth is in the details -- details Thomas did not divulge.

The problem I have with Thomas' confession is that he offered little to no details outside of the ones Xander had already uncovered. Thomas left out the things Xander couldn't possibly know, so it leaves me wondering: how can Thomas be telling the truth about not killing Emma when he omitted the very details that would lead one to think he killed Emma?

When Thomas told Hope the story, he used phrases like "everyone already knows" and "Xander uncovered." He offered nothing Xander hadn't already been saying for years. Thomas neglected to tell Hope that not only had he been chasing Emma, but he'd also been flashing his brights right in her mirrors. He'd been riding her bumper so close that she even spoke on it. Thomas also did not tell Hope that when he veered his car to the left, Emma looked in her left mirror in horror and then swerved. If you want to see him veer left, see his 2019 flashback of events.

As stated before, Hope asked Thomas if he had helped Emma. His answer? "No one could have survived that." Thomas is not God nor a paramedic to determine this, but he certainly could have prayed and called for an ambulance, even if anonymously. He didn't do either because he was worried about his own hide. Instead, he drove directly to Hope and lied to her face, acting as if he hadn't just stood on the edge of a ravine, watching someone die and making sure she died by not calling for aid.

These are the damning details Thomas left out because they are details that he knows no one will ever know. Well, no one besides Ridge. Thomas did tell Ridge, and when Ridge heard that Thomas hadn't helped that poor girl, Ridge said he was ashamed to be Thomas' father. If Hope could find out what Ridge knows, would she be ashamed to be Thomas' friend with benefits?

If you haven't checked out Soap Central's B&B previews for the week of January 15 to 19, 2024, you can do so here. I have, and here are my thoughts about what I think will happen based on the previews.

Hope is disconcerted by Thomas' revelations about the night Emma died. She takes her concerns to Brooke, and personally, I hope Brooke questions Ridge. If she does, maybe Ridge will fill in some of those details above about why Emma was speeding that night. At this point, I don't think any fan is looking for jail time -- just some truth and consequences. That's all.

Li can't let Poppy have any fun. Li will lash out at the Pill-Popping Penelope about her date with Bill. Here we go. Something else for Li to get jealous about.

Eric moves closer to a release date, and he shares an emotional moment with Ridge. I'm gonna guess that Eric will say that going against his wishes and keeping him alive is the most loving thing Ridge has ever done since lying about Eric winning the competition.

In casting news, Darin Brooks said goodbye to fans last fall only to turn around and say hello, hello, hello again. He will appear next week as Wyatt Spencer. Though I don't know how long Wyatt will stay, I do have a couple of theories about why he's back. The first obvious reason is to be Liam's sounding board. My next guess would be to meet his newest estranged sibling, Luna. However, I have to interject my belief that Luna being Bill's daughter is a red herring. Wyatt could be back to let it slip to Finn that Steffy and Liam kissed. I doubt it, but maybe. Lastly, I theorize that Wyatt might be back to tell Hope or Finn about Flo's plea deal or Flo's revelations about the night Emma died.

That's it! Thanks for getting two scoops deep with me about last week's episodes! Until we scoop again, stay bold and beautiful, baby!Chanel

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