Has your week been bold and beautiful? Did you go from having no visitors to suddenly having a parade of them? Did you start to realize that your girlfriend just wasn't that into you? Did you kill your real daddy so you could get some sugar from your not-daddy? These and more situations faced the Forrester-Logan-Spencer-Finnegan-Nozawa clan this week!
Watch what you drink, Scoopers! After much speculation about who could have offed Tom and Hollis—with the show inserting multiple red herrings—the usually innocuous Luna outed herself as the poisoner of drinks and purveyor of kinks! After all, it turns out Luna likes cages, leather, and kissing forbidden men. Who knew! Has this twist been Luna's endgame from the first day she appeared? Let's Scoop about it!
WHY YOU GOTTA BE SO CAGEY
Fresh from imbibing Luna's laced iced tea, Steffy woke up in a daze to find Luna building a cage around her. That's right, the wordless IKEA instructions must have been out of frame, because there Luna was with a power screwdriver, putting together a personal cell for her new prisoner. All right, so Luna hadn't been planning to take anybody hostage. But doing up an impromptu enclosure?
How long did Steffy have to be out for Luna to go and buy the thing, drag it up to the apartment, and pretty much get the whole kit together by the time Steffy came to? I suppose it's less convenient than when the basement at Spencer Publications just happened to have a cage for Justin to throw Thomas into. Hey, there's some family dinner talk! Both Steffy and Thomas have now been locked in cages.
Even Sugar didn't bother getting a cage for Sheila, if Sheila's story is to be believed; Sugar just shackled Sheila to the wall. Maybe Steffy will develop some compassion for her shooter, now that Steffy has likewise been kidnapped and imprisoned. All this makes me think of when I first started watching CBS soaps in 1988—Y&R's Lisa kept Brad in a cage! Brad, who of course was played by Don Diamont, our Bill now. See how it ties together?
Luna proudly confessed that she had spiked both Tom and Hollis' drinks—after which, they promptly died. If Luna's intention was to keep Steffy from ratting Luna out for kissing Bill, then why did Luna only render Steffy unconscious? Was Steffy's “crime” lesser than Tom and Hollis wanting to blab about Tom being Luna's father?
More likely, it's because Steffy is a regular character, and naturally, she won't be killed off. I have to say, the plotting is more spot-on than the show has been demonstrating for too long now. Hope kisses Finn, which leads to Steffy walking out on Finn (again), which leads to Steffy ending up in Luna's cage. I have to concede to being impressed with how the threads connect. Which makes me wonder about other threads.
As every fictional villain committed to film or video does, Luna bragged about her crimes and how she pulled them off. Boyfriend R.J. was sweet, but he couldn't give Luna the life she wanted after the hand-to-mouth instability the flighty Poppy gave her. Luna saw Poppy and Bill bonding, and she started planting the seed that maybe Bill might be Luna's mystery father, after all.
Luna knew the subject of paternity would come up, so she bought a false-positive test on the dark web (!) and switched it with the one “bitchy Aunt Li” (love it!) came to administer. Lucky no one wanted to do a proper test in a lab, eh, Luna? Luna knew Tom was her father from having read Tom's letters. I thought Poppy never received those? Did Luna intercept all of them and send them back before Poppy could see them?
Then, of course, Hollis found the letters and read them, so he had to die, too. There are a few minor holes here and there, but mostly, this plot holds up. So, we know Luna has been behind everything that's happened for months before she even killed Tom. And what I'm wondering now is, has everything Luna's done since she first arrived almost exactly a year ago all been part of a master plan?
Remember, in Luna's first scene, she took a call from Poppy, who was dead set against Luna working at Forrester Creations—and Li kept demanding Luna stay away from the Forresters, too. Luna gets with R.J., a rich Forrester. You have to admit, so far a pre-planned scheme tracks. What I'm unsure of is the “mistaken” Zende sex. Was it mistaken? Was Luna even high, or did she just pretend to be?
Did she think that Zende, having had tons more experience as a designer than R.J., was a bigger mark? Perhaps she was establishing her mother's drug use as part of her long-term plan. Maybe I'm seeing soapy conspiracy theories everywhere, but Luna gave her own long-term plot away. And imagine how psycho Luna had to be to maintain a loving daughter façade with Poppy all these years. What do you think, guys? Did B&B plan to make Luna loony all along, or was it just a sharp right turn they made more recently?
MEANWHILE, AROUND THE F.C. CORRAL
Oh, yeah, other stuff happened on the show, too. Katie paid a visit to Bill, who was unsure about Poppy. Indeed, he spoke of his relationship with the nicer Nozawa sister as if it were in the past tense. Bill and Katie reeled over the news that Luna wasn't Bill's daughter, after all, and lamented that Luna had been an innocent victim, what, with an inaccurate DNA test and her mother having killed her father and all. Poor Luna.
Over at Forrester, Ridge was raging to Brooke about Hope having kissed Finn. In fact, Ridge was a little insufferable about it. Please. Like Ridge's well-traveled lips haven't gotten him into a scrape or two over the decades. Finn swung by and assured Steffy's dad that Hope was the bad guy in the whole debacle. Finn felt bad that he continually “put myself in situations that undermine my wife's faith in me.”
Then Liam, also no stranger to being an inappropriate kissing bug (is Finn ever going to find out that Liam kissed Steffy—twice?), went to Finn's office to do some finger-pointing. Finn wasn't having it and told Liam, “unlike you, I will always be 100% committed to Steffy.” BURN! But Liam was right about one thing—Finn was sending Hope mixed signals. Massages, anyone? Finn couldn't have been completely blind to the percolating sparks between him and Miss Virgin 2011.
Speaking of whom, Hope again pushed Brooke closer to appalled territory by admitting Brooke had interrupted another flashback of Hope kissing Finn. Hope didn't want to be “that woman” but also couldn't stop shipping Finn every chance she got. Stay away from Finn? Hope sniffed. Why did Steffy get to decide everything? Wouldn't it be awesome if Hope ended up rescuing Steffy? It would de-escalate the Forrester/Logan “wars” and make Steffy beholden to Hope, the idea of which I like.
Are we ever going to find out why Hope has become such an anti-Hope the past year? Torpedoing her marriage to Liam by kissing sometime stepbro Thomas, having a full-blown affair with him, jonesing for Finn once Thomas got tired of Hope turning down his frequent marriage proposals? B&B made a point several times to mention Hope's migraines; that's what Finn's wonder hands were supposed to cure. Is that why Hope's become uncharacteristically bad?
YOU'RE IN THE BIG HOUSE WHILE I'M IN THE BIGGER HOUSE
You know your life sucks when your mean older sister who constantly puts you down and refuses to use the name you choose is the only one to come and see you in jail. Yeah, Poppy's been in the pen a whole two weeks, but she hasn't seen hide nor hair of her lover, her daughter, or her adoptive nephew that whole time. But what, you say? They all showed up for a visit in such rapid succession they all had to take numbers?
For real, first it was Luna who finally deigned to make an appearance. If Luna's long absence hadn't been enough to alert Poppy that something isn't right with her daughter, Luna sashaying in wearing a sleek leather dress should have been. Luna always dressed demurely until she kissed Bill, and now, Luna looks like a temptress from a vintage James Bond film. Obvious much, B&B?
Luna put on one helluva performance, though, crying to her mom that she was scared and that they had never been apart so long. Luna dropped it on Poppy that Bill wasn't her dad, after all, but I'm not sure why. Doesn't that sever Luna's tie to Bill? Maybe Luna's pretense that she was Bill's daughter blew up when the newer DNA tests proved otherwise, so she moved on to wanting him as her lover to keep plugged in to the money.
Poppy was glad that Luna still had Bill, and Bill's caring for Luna made Poppy love Bill more. Bill, the guy who's let you rot in prison, Poppy? Plus, he was awfully quick to let the cops “do what you have to” instead of defending Poppy. Maybe it's good that Poppy can't pick up clues, because she—and we—never predicted Luna turning right around and running to Chief Deputy Baker to twist the knife even more!
Yes, Luna had insisted on Poppy's innocence, as Baker pointed out, but Luna just couldn't lie anymore. Luna knew Poppy had offed Tom and Hollis, because Poppy had told Luna. And Luna agreed to sign a statement to that effect, but she wanted to do it anonymously to not taint her relationship with her mother. How is Baker buying this? Luna claiming Poppy had confessed the murders to her is not “evidence” by itself.
Elsewhere in the compound, Bill actually showed his face to Poppy. Ms. Nozawa was glad to see him, but I don't know why; everything he said had an accusatory undertone. He even suggested Poppy had fixed the first DNA test. Poppy assured him otherwise and assured him of her love! Yeah, Poppy's done. We know she's innocent, but when Luna either goes to jail herself or dies, there really aren't many places for Poppy to go story-wise. I'd rather see barracuda Bill with surly Li any day!
And why has Bill not mentioned Luna planting a liplock on him to anyone? He only flashed back to it separately while talking to Katie and Poppy; all he'd say to Poppy is that Luna was “acting out.” Between that and Bill letting Luna stay at the Spencer manse after she busted a move, Bill doesn't seem like he's himself. Maybe Luna is drugging him, too, like we thought Sheila was doing to him early last year!
I'M SORRY TO DETAIN YOU
I can kind of understand Katie being friendly with Deacon—they've interacted before, and let's face it: he's hot. But why is Katie being all buddy-buddy with Sheila? The youngest Logan sister sat there talking with Mr. and Mrs. Sharpe about Poppy's predicament and Luna's “loss” like they were casually taking tea together. And Sheila whips out memorial pics of Tom and Hollis...two months after they became stiffs?
If the day of the week ends in “Y,” it means Ridge is on another tirade at Forrester. He was still P.O.'d about Brooke's daughter kissing his daughter's husband, and Brooke had to basically talk him down off the ceiling. Thankfully, R.J. came in and got the subject changed. Sure, R.J. was concerned about Steffy having taken off, but R.J. was equally flummoxed by the change in Luna's behavior!
YES! That factors in perfectly, and now that it has, I feel like it should have quite some time ago. R.J. pouted that Luna had been distant and that all she wanted to do was hang out with Bill. R.J. didn't know Luna anymore. It's too bad we didn't see all that play out in a scene between them, but it makes sense for R.J. to take note. Looks like he's gonna be out a girlfriend before too long. And having acquired that beach lovenest for nothing!
CHAIN REACTION
Luna kept visiting Steffy, yet she left Steffy on her own overnight. Wasn't Luna worried that Steffy might find a way out? I'm also confused by the fact that Luna dropped water bottles for Steffy...outside the cage. Then, Steffy was seen opening one...in the cage. How did Steffy get a bottle in there? And if there's a space big enough for a water bottle to squeeze through, wouldn't that be all the more reason for Luna to make sure Steffy didn't try to make an escape route out of it?
Luna took the leather to the next level on this following day, going from simple black to looking like a motorcyclist...or a Power Ranger. Luna again cackled that Steffy's fate was sealed, since the building was about to be demolished. If so, and everyone's moved out, how is Luna getting in there? Why is the power still on? And let's remember, B&B blew up the Spectra building in 2017, with Liam and Sally inside.
Maybe now Steffy will understand why Liam kissed Sally while they were trapped under the rubble. Though it only seemed to be the next soap day, Luna remarked that Steffy hadn't eaten or had anything to drink “in days.” Steffy was right to question any sustenance Luna might have given her after it was laced Lipton that got Steffy into that cage...maybe the lack of food or liquids is why Steffy hasn't had to go to the bathroom during her captivity?
I guess it mattered not to Luna, who went over to Bill's to work some more angles. But over at the hospital, “bitchy Aunt Li” was listening to Finn, who wanted to honor Steffy's request to not be contacted, yet he was worried that Steffy hadn't been in contact. Then Finn stupidly wanted to visit Luna “at the apartment.” Did Finn really not know Luna and Poppy had been living at Bill's? Li had to remind him!
Poppy finally got her third visitor when Finn dropped in, though Finn was unconvinced that Poppy wasn't a merry murderess or that someone was framing her. Poppy insisted that something was off, and she begged Finn to go by the apartment, where Tom's telltale backpack full of letters had been found, and see if he could find any clues that might lead to Poppy's release!
Finn should actually be good at that, considering it was he who was able to suss out from Sheila's severed, preserved toe that Sheila hadn't been eaten by a bear. However, instead of putting his Sherlock Holmes hat back on, Finn went to Bill's to ask if Bill had heard from Steffy. This after a woman in Monte Carlo had called wondering why Steffy hadn't shown up. Was this a business appointment? Then why did the lady phone Finn's doctor office instead of FC?
Finn was getting another earful from Bill about Hope kissing Finn when Luna traipsed down the stairs, asking Bill if he wanted to go for a swim. Look at Luna, trying to get Bill's shirt off. Not that I blame her. But Luna seemed spooked at the sight of Finn, which somehow only added to Finn's concern. I'm not sure why. I'm only sure that Finn's next stop will be Poppy's supposedly abandoned apartment. Will he find Steffy there?
What thoughts do you want to unlock, Scoopers? Do you feel Luna has been plotting to get revenge on Poppy and up her income all along? Is it weird for Katie to casually visit with Sheila? Will Poppy have a place on the show once Luna is gone? And who do you think will—or should—rescue Steffy? Hit the Soap Central message boards to submit feedback!
'Til next time, keep watching, be alert, and most of all, be bold!
