I swear...in the 3+ years I have been penning this column I thought I had read it ALL. I have been called every name in the book, been cursed, and legions of 'armchair psychologists' have labeled me everything from crazy to sick to perverted. That last one gets me every time! Haha (there is some of my psychotic laughter, by the way). Last week's column actually had about 90% support for my argument that Brooke and Nick make a great couple. The other 10%, and believe me when I say that those readers are entitled to their opinion, had pretty passionate pleas for my demise or at least my abandonment of the column. To address those folks, I say this...I'm not goin' anywhere! It's good to have opposing views as long as it never gets personal. Some juicy controversy is the spice of journalistic life and I am sure that Brad is sitting around somewhere on a Sunday night surfing the Net and loving that the Bridge vs. Brick battle is raging once again. He sits there wringing his hands and saying 'I love this! I have thousands of viewer so up in arms that they won't miss one single minute of the show now so they can invent new and more disgusting terms for Nick and Ridge!' I say, bravo Mr. Bell! You have stirred the pot and things are really coming to a boil...
Seriously, though, I like what I like and that's a Brooke/Nick pairing. Will it last? Is it doomed from the start? Of course it is, but for no other reason than it's just the ways soaps are. If they all were filled with neat and clean endings, they would be on the air for about 2 weeks and have to go off the air. I like them. I would love to see them in some lusty embrace to take out a Friday afternoon show. I would love to see the Shady Marlin rockin' and Ridge cryin'. We have been primed for it, many have wanted to see it, and damn it, we deserve to see some real passion for a change. HA! How do you like me now? Heehee....
Here's an interesting question, though...are we to believe that Bridget will be 'ok' with all of this? I find that a little hard to swallow. She has made it a career to hang on to that man any way she can so the notion that she will just willing ride off into the sunset with Dante and turn a blind eye to Nick chasing Brooke down on the day of her funeral (that's what I call ANY nuptials involving Ridge Forrester)? Nah...it can't be that easy. Hopefully she will, however, give the poor shirtless one a chance as I believe he really does love her. I know...the writing is so sponge-like and porous that we are all supposed to forget that he came to LA following TAYLOR, not Bridget. I haven't forgotten. He is so pretty, though...how can she not want to be on his arm or changing poopy diapers with him? Ah, romance in bloom...
Well, no 'mother of the year' awards for Stephanie Forrester! First, she clocks her dying daughter for having a snappy and I might add TRUE comeback for her mother's critical attitude about the baby being the product of a one-night stand. For God's sake, woman...she is already dying! Leave her be! Second, she is back to her meddling ways after getting sucked into Dante web of deceit in making sure she was on his side as ultimately it keeps Brooke from Ridge. Well, for the moment, that backfired, huh? She will just never stop. And what's up with the throw together funeral service for the baby? Steph couldn't have pulled off something a little classier than that? I was laughing out loud when I saw Ridge whip out the pooka shell necklace. What does that really have to do with a dead child? Hate to be insensitive here but come on!
I think Felicia suspected something all along and we are just being led to believe she didn't. She probably blocked much of the night out of her memory and wouldn't entertain the thought of that boy NOT being Nick's. That's what she wanted because she loved him. She may never have him but she could convince herself she had some part of him instead. Perfectly normal, however, but with the reproductive track record everyone on this show has, a paternity test should be as readily available as oxygen in this B&B environment. I think everyone on the cast should have a paternity test done and perhaps Taylor could schedule everyone for it! After all, don't ALL non-practicing psychologists help coordinate these tests?? Besides, when was the last pregnancy that anyone can remember that WASN'T shrouded in a paternity mystery? I can tell you! Darla's. Yep, she was the ONLY one on the show in recent memory that knew without a doubt and without a seconds hesitation who the baby's daddy was. Of Brooke's 4 kids, at least two were mystery babies at conception. Taylor's son Thomas was a question mark in the early stages (or at least it was presented that way for Ridge's benefit). Even Bridget's baby had some small air of speculation around it that she could have been a product of a drunken night with Dante. Sure, she woke up with her clothes on but who really knows around here? Stranger things have happened, right??? And now all this nonsense with Felicia's kid? Enough is enough!! I guess I am just growing tired of all this musical Daddies routine and for once would love to see people actually use protection for a change. How sad is it that the last character to use contraception was THOMAS of all people? An 18 year old has the sense that most of the adults on this show lack.
I hate Ridge. Ok, I got that off my chest. Once again, days of watching the egomaniac sleaze his way around Brooke every chance he got and then end the week doing the very thing he claimed he would never do again...let his Mommy push his buttons. Well, she did, only this time it was another lame excuse for a proposal just to piss her off. Brooke will apparently say yes with some weak condition attached to it (like a promise from Ridge Forrester is ever sincere!). You know, I have to wonder if Ronn Moss really likes the way the character is written and the lines he has to deliver. I am willing to bet he isn't. He should probably spend lots of time on the road plugging his new CD. I don't see Ridge worth playing any time soon.
Nick, Nick, Nick...lost another kid, huh? It's a wonder he doesn't jump overboard for all the loss he has had to deal with. The only downside I see to him hooking up with Brooke finally is that he will likely never have a child of his own as I'm sure even Brad has to see that Brooke's childbearing days have come and gone. But I think he may be the type of guy that is ok with all that. He is certainly in a very salty place now (excuse the sailor reference...not like we don't have enough of those, huh?). Can anyone really blame him? I mean, love him or hate him the guy has been through a lot. He may not have been the most 'on-the-ball' husband to Bridget in light of his true feelings but he was there. He still could have told Brooke to clam up and handle the situation however he saw fit but no. He hung in there and did his duty. Ridge, on the other hand, seemed to have no trouble at all walking out on his family with little regard for Brooke's feelings. I find it interesting that when I gauge the reactions of the warring camps of both Bridge fans and Brick fans, that many on the pro-Ridge side are quick to defend Ridge by saying that his mother was to blame for ALL of his bad behavior to Brooke, not him. Yeah, you keep telling yourself that. I can at least acknowledge Nick's poor decisions and lousy cake-eating behavior over these last few weeks. But Ridge's resume spans the life of the show and I guess that if they were the only two men left on the face of the Earth, I would have to pick Nick. Honestly? I love to see both men written better in the future. I don't think Ridge is a complete lost cause but I think he needs a SERIOUS character overhaul. Nick needs some tweaks as well but I think his will come first.
Ok, smart lady...HOW do these two guys get 'fixed' (and I don't mean in the canine sense)? Ok, Ridge leaves for Europe on business and comes back in love with Donna Logan! I think that would shake things up a bit and it would give us a chance to even cheer him on if he could act right with a female that wasn't Taylor or Brooke. He could find a new kind of love and one that cannot be manipulated by Stephanie's Oedipal apron strings. He will be relaxed and easier to watch with someone that shares no historic baggage with him. Of course just being Brooke's sister would be a little dicey but he would soldier on, telling everyone it is time to move on and that he never planned to fall for Brooke's sister. After all, in the spirit of inter-family sharing, non of this would be looked on as anything but normal, right?
Nick? Ok, he finally gets the woman of his dreams but still has issues of guilt where Bridget is concerned. He makes a real effort to stay close to her as a friend and confidante. He dotes on Brooke and her kids (someone should!)He never takes her for granted and becomes less heavy-handed overall. I think just having some normal, less chaotic life will bring those behaviors into line. He will still be full of sea references, cheesy songs, and trips to Chuck's now and again but this time to truly show Brooke how he feels rather than to try to gain some leverage over Ridge. All would be right on the good ship Tequila.
What I am dying to see is some new blood on the cast. I heard about the Saved By the Bell cast-off and his landing the role of Hectors brother. I'll say this...the casting of the blonde guy who starred in that show to NYPD Blue did not work...I don't think this will either. I know that was a top-flight primetime drama and I know soap acting is a different animal but what has this guy done lately...Those Amazing Pets?? I'm sure there were some top-notch Latino actors that could have fit the bill nicely but no. B&B went for another 'name'. Oh well...I will reserve further judgment until I see his first few scenes. I do, however, like the idea of another character but was just hoping it may be a man AND a woman as we are a little short of estrogen on this show. That's why I miss Kristen and Tony so much...nice couple to look at and pretty strong acting as well. I hope I am wrong about this new Ramirez but if I am and he becomes popular, that usually means he will be a quick victim of the dreaded B&B Revolving Door of Doom and will exit after a few months. Can you say...Sam, Gaby, Caitlin, Mark, Thomas, Doublemint Twins, Nu-Felicia, etc?
Wanna know who else I would love to see come back (in the spirit of last week's question)? Rick, Deacon, Kristen, and Kimberly...remember her? She was a little vixen, huh? Maybe she could come back and cause some strife in the Thorne Forrester household? Kristen could come back after losing Tony to AIDS and hook up Dr. Mark? Rick should be back for sure and take his proper place at Forrester. He need to come back hungry and ready to take on Ridge. He should be recast, too. The baby-face look was not helping him much. He could come back a total scoundrel with some mystery woman in tow from Europe. There is too much Bridget these days and I think her older brother breezing back in town would help take the spotlight off her. Deacon should come back if nothing else to be some kind of father to that girl of his. Hopeless will be calling the gardener 'Daddy' soon if something doesn't happen soon! And last but not least...Deacon's son Eric (the Alphabet Kid) should be SORAS and make a play to hit it with one of Ridge's daughters. I have said this before and was hoping that Brad would call me and ask me for details as to how they could do this. It's almost that time of year again when every show tries their hand at the 'teen angst-ridden storyline' and I think this would be perfect!!! Taylor and Ridge would shoot themselves in the head rather than have one of their pristine little princesses mixed up with a Sharp!! The whole family would be up in arms!! It would be anarchy!!!
Speaking of Deacon, he was the character that the majority of you readers wanted to see come back but curiously enough, most did NOT want him recast. I think speaks volumes to the acting ability of Sean Kanan in my book. I agree...no one could come in and 'do' Deacon like he can. I think of all the characters added outside of the Spectras and Forresters, I like his the best.
Ok, this weeks big question...with the rumor mill working overtime lately speculating about Sheila's next stop in the soap world, would you like to see her come back to B&B or not? Why? Her last shot on Y&R was handing a plastic surgeon a picture of 'somebody' and saying she wanted to look 'just like that'. With ties to both shows, it would seem it's anyone's guess!
Until next week....
