Has it really been 5,000 episodes?

Shows like Cheers, Friends, and Will & Grace have all been sent to the Land of Forever Syndication over the past twenty years, and yet The Bold and the Beautiful is still going strong.

It's so hard to wrap my mind around the fact that B&B has outlasted so many shows over the last 20 years. Cheers, Friends, Will & Grace, etc. have all been sent to the Land of Forever Syndication and yet B&B is still going like the Energizer Bunny. Even some shows within their own genre of daytime drama have faded in the time they have been on the air (Another World, the soon-to-be cancelled Passions, etc). But the Forrester's are hanging on, God love 'em! Friday's show celebrated 5000 episodes for the now-venerable soap and provided an amazing look back to the first glimpses of the dysfunction to come...

Ok, ok...so it wasn't ALL dysfunctional. I really did love seeing those scenes, especially the first meeting between Brooke and Stephanie. Classic soap history, that's for sure. God, did we all wear shoulder-pads that big back in the 80's? I was only 19 when this show premiered but I know I was wearing some crazy stuff like that back then. And the BIG HAIR!! YIKES!! Everyone looked so young...and I mean like baby-faced young! Even Ridge looked better. You know how some men 'age' well (think George Clooney)? Well, Eric must have gotten all those genes instead of his son. John McCook looks great and actually, truth be told, even better than he did when he was Lance on Y&R (yes, I was watching soaps at a very tender age in the 70's!). Kudos to Brad for letting us peek into the past for a little bit.

Now, that doesn't mean he's off the hook completely for Friday's show. You all should know me better than that! Is it just me or is the sickening sweet dialogue between Brooke and Stephanie going WAY over the top? Gimme a break! If this was simply for the 'going down memory lane' angle, it still doesn't work. That first scene says it all...she was looking at Brooke like a tramp right from the very beginning and all they have done is hate each other for 20 years and now they are buddy-buddy at Big Bear? Isn't this where a couple of murder attempts occurred in the past? I'm not buying it. It will all change very soon and from the looks of things, it will be the Rick-Phoebe situation that will have them back at each other's throats.

Speaking of Rick and Phoebe, their attraction is on the fast track, huh? I still don't see the spark, though, but if it shakes things up at Dysfunction Junction, then I'm all for it. This show has gotten a little soft as of late. The storyline with Jackie and the 'fall' was cool and helped liven things up but to see this latest turn of events and how it will make Ridge go crazy...well, it's priceless. And nothing would warm the cockles of my heart more than watching it destroy that fragile engagement between him and Brooke. They may be 'headed' to the altar but I still don't see it 'ending' in a marriage. This relationship is based on little else other than sex anyway. All Brooke has to have happen is for Nick and Taylor to become engaged and all bets are off between her and Ridge. She doesn't really love him...she's in love with the 'idea' of destiny or whatever half-baked term she uses this week. Her heart obviously belongs to Nick and always will.

And could there have BEEN a better scene than Taylor giving Brooke the 'what for' when it came to her jealous routine in Nick's office? GO GIRL!!!!! WOO HOO!!! I just watched the scene again on YouTube and laughed out loud at Taylor's commentary on Brooke's game-playing and duplicitous nonsense. Great scene for Taylor and I swear, truer words have never been spoken on this show! I have to admit...all aspects of Taylor and Nick's budding relationship are starting to grow on me. Their dialogue, their humor, and their slow build up to romance has been a breath of fresh air amidst a stale and lifeless Brooke-Ridge rerun. I was a devout Nick-Brooke fan for many moons but that ship, as they say, has sailed. I think this new pairing has potential and I, quite frankly, haven't seen a sexier kiss on Valentine's Day than the one shared by Nick and Taylor. And besides, it's about time someone REALLY love Taylor...she is a good character and as of late has gotten the shaft from all the Forrester men (excuse the pun). It's about time she enjoy some non-Forrester happiness.

Well, Nick's victory will be short-lived, I'm sure. After his speakerphone convo' with the last of the 'Deep Throat' distributors Harvey Golden, it's evident he will be asked to do something pretty bad in exchange for his sweet deal. I still say Nick needs to find some hot young designer to come in and really give the Old and the Boring designers a run for their money. They need a new 'Tony' to come in and set the fashion world on its ear. That's how Nick will really get his revenge. In the meantime the Forrester's are looking to open their own chain of stores to carry their rags. Ok, that makes no sense. That would be assuming that people would be so crazed for THEIR dresses that they would seek them out and not another stores that offers some variety. I hope they have some more office space in their new building for the colossal ego that is growing as we speak. And I do like Jackie M International....now all they need is for Rick to come over to the Dark Side and run it for them abroad and all will be right in the world.

Poor Rick...he can't get his mother to listen to reason and his future stepfather is nothing but a buffoon. I'm glad he is not letting up on either. I have never cheered on a character this much since Nick came on the scene years ago. I really like this recast and hope beyond hope that he's here to stay. Last week's question had the majority of readers saying they felt the Br-igid marriage would never happen in large part due to that no weddings ever go without a hitch on this show. Think about it...when was the last wedding on this show that was NOT interrupted? I have truly lost count at this point. But besides all that, I don't think the wedding will happen. I think Brad wants us to BELIEVE it will but this would be a great ruse for the upcoming spring sweep season. I think Brooke will be so overwrought with jealousy at the thought of Nick and Taylor getting close that she will be unable to close the deal with the Weenie. Besides, with Ashley coming to town and revealing her tryst with Ridge, poor little Brooke's ego won't be able to take it. She is not all that and will finally realize that this Spring. You make a note that I predicted this! Brooke Logan is about to be upstaged and not a minute too soon. QUESTION: What do you think of the decision to bring Ashley into B&B? I know there have been crossover characters in the past between B&B and Y&R but this may be the first that is of a permanent nature. I think it's a good move and I liked Ashley's character from the beginning. She is another mature female character on a show that is desperately lacking in that department. Now all they need is a studly young male designer and we will have some real heat on this show!!

One final thought...all kidding aside, I really liked the scene with Eric and Stephanie playing around Friday. I think those two actors are some of the best on daytime TV and their easy chemistry in a scene like that shows how important they are to the stability of this show. It will be a very dark day when they do not grace our screens and provide the class this show was originally built on. Kudos to both of them for a great look back and a sweet moment that looked less like acting and more like a true friendship.

SOAPBOX Christy K. says: 'Loved, Loved, Loved the 5000th show! If these characters had half as much personality on a daily basis it would be the best show hands down!' Tana writes: 'You failed to mention Brooke's hypocrisy regarding Rick's & Phoebe's relationship (or innocent crush). Several years ago Brooke tried to run Amber out of town because she felt Amber was too old for Rick.'

Galit says: 'Either keep Ridge and Brooke together or break them up once and for all! I'm sick of the musical couples. I don't particularly care for those two as a couple, but the on again / off again status of these two is getting old. It's a really sad state of affairs, isn't it? Wanting a couple to be together not because you genuinely want them to be, but because you're sick of the alternatives.'Amy from Perth Australia writes in: 'Brooke and Ridge make it down the aisle? Apart from who cares, I predict a wedding that will be stopped during the vows at some point for some reason, whether it be Ashley, Nick or Phoebe/Rick related. Because we've never seen that before!!'

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