By Marlena De Lacroix a.k.a. Connie Passalacqua Hayman
The Bold and the Beautiful is just past its 25th birthday and carries on doing what it does best: love triangles. The show’s theme might as well be, Three Into Two Won’t Go, which was the title of an English movie I remember from 1969. Apart from the nifty title, it was a fairly pretentious Swinging Sixties exercise about a middle-aged man (Rod Steiger) who falls for a young woman hitchhiker (Judy Geeson), who proceeds to become a boarder in his and his wife’s (Claire Bloom) home. Soaps really do some things better from time to time, even without such a heavyweight cast.
Darin Brooks
Consider first the triangle that has all but consumed the show — Steffy-Liam-Hope. It’s finally at an end, though perhaps only temporarily if Jacqueline MacInnes Wood hasn’t really left the show for good, and is instead just on a long hiatus. Wood did spectacular work on her way out as Steffy learned she could never have children and left for Paris without appraising Liam of that fact. Before exiting, she “gave” Liam to Hope. But the ever besotted Hope has just met a new man, Wyatt, played by cute Emmy winner Darin Brooks, who used to play Max on Days of Our Lives. So one good triangle smoothly should replace another. And it’s about time Hope stopped being so hung up on Liam, who did her wrong with Steffy numerous times.
Karla Mosely
Another promising new triangle is now arising, to be known henceforth as Maya-Rick-Caroline. Caroline wants to marry Rick, but now he only has eyes for Maya, an ex-con. Lindsay Godfrey is immeasurably better now that her character has turned into a bad girl. But the show has a made a major find in sparkling Karla Mosley as Maya. She plays strength and independence well, something unusual for a B&B heroine. As Rick, Jacob Young, an old soap pro, has the chops to play a very effective leading man to both women who are vying for his embrace.
But the best triangle on the show is Brooke-Bill-Katie. Don Diamont, who plays Bill, and Katherine Kelly Lang, who plays Brooke, are an electric pairing with great sexual magnetism. Their attraction is forbidden and lurid Bill, who is married to Brooke’s sister Katie, played by Heather Tom, who just won her third Daytime Emmy in the role. Brooke just dodged a bullet: turns out she was not pregnant after all following a one night stand with Bill. But that doesn’t mean this love triangle is over. Au contraire. On B&B love triangles have a habit of going on forever and with such a worthy cast, here’s hoping this one will, too. too.
Chere Marlena,
Looks like you don’t have many B&B fans. Sorry you haven’t gotten any comments.
I DVR B&B every day, but don’t always have time to watch it. When I do catch it, I enjoy it. But I guess not enough to make it must-see TV. I agree that Caroline has gotten much more interesting since they made her a bad girl. I also like Maya. Like the Carline-Maya rivalry. Don’t have much use for the Rick character. That character was pretty much ruined for me when wrote him so over the top while Kyle Lowder was playing him. Jacob Young does a decent job, but I don’t buy that the character is into women. So, this triangle doesn’t work for me.
I’ve come to enjoy the Hope-Liam-Steffy triangle in the past year. Didn’t like it when it was completely consuming the show, but now that they’re balancing it with other storylines, I am enjoying it. I enjoy it most when Steffy is winning. Jacqueline MacInnes Wood is what makes that storyline work. She’s fantastic.
While I’m not a big fan of the Bill Spencer character, I do think Don Diamont is great in the role. This role seems much more suited for him than Brad Carlton ever was. But I am coming to like Bill Spencer now that he’s in Brook’s orbit. Katherine Kelly Lang just manages to bring out the best in her co-stars! Am really enjoying the Brooke-Bill-Katie triangle now.
I wish the show would give Thorne something to do. Winsor Harmon has done amazing work everytime they’ve given him a storyline. But they’ve only given him a storyline a handful of time in his 15 years on the show. Such a waste.
This is off topic Marlena, but did you hear the news yet about Oprah picking up both AMC and OLTL’s first forty episodes for a limited ten week run on her OWN tv network yet (even though she declined to save both shows two years ago)? AMC will air at its old time slot at 1 p.m., while OLTL will air at 3 p.m. Have you kept up with both AMC and OLTL online on Hulu or on iTunes, Marlena? What do you think of the shows so far, and how come you never write any columns on these shows anymore?
Marlena says: See next week’s column
Thanks Marlena! Can’t wait so see your next column!
I’ve been out of touch for a while and am just not getting to read all your columns that I missed.
I have to say, as a newer B&B watcher, I agree with you on the first two triangles (although I wish it was Hope/Wyatt/AnyOneButLiam).
However, I can NOT stomach Brooke in any capacity, so I usually FF her scenes with men…ANY men! I for one am hoping the affair with Bill is over or I’ll have to keep FF all his scenes with her. I enjoy Dollar Bill as a character in his other storylines, but I find Brooke so nauseating that I just can’t watch her scenes with him. JMHO 😉
I want bill go back to katie not Brooke