Placing Blame and Self-Effacing Lies

I know that Brooke is the big trashy inappropriate naughty one, historically, but I'm finding myself a little baffled by the fallout from the big "Brooke and Thomas had sex on the island" lie on The Bold & the Beautiful (by the way, did anyone else find it hysterical that they kept calling it "making love?" I'm pretty sure hallucinogenic/aphrodesiac-inspired sex would not be considered "making love" by any standards, but okee dokes). We've got Stephanie swearing to Thomas that this will help heal their family and bring them closer together because Ridge will never be able to get past it, and will therefore never be able to make things work with Brooke. So somehow, "Dad, I banged your wife" equals a closer and healed family? If the idea is that Brooke magically knew what she was doing despite being drugged and having no idea what was actually going on, how exactly is Thomas absolved? I mean I'm not new to soaps here, so naturally the woman is going to get more of the blame than the man in the situation, but all of it? 

Also, all of this vowing to get Brooke out of the family -- isn't she the mother of, like, half the family? She and Ridge share two children, one by adoption, and she's also mother to two of Eric's kids, isn't she? So how exactly is this going to excise her from their lives forever? (Wait, and doesn't she have a son named Jack? Where is he?)

And...how do I put this delicately? I feel sad watching Hunter Tylo because of what she's done to her once breathtakingly beautiful face and so I feel guilty saying anything at all, but that big showdown between Taylor and Brooke today was so uncomfortable to watch because...I mean I don't really what to say about that scary squeaky thing Katherine Kelly Lang does with her voice when she's upset, but to give credit where it's due, I do believe her. I believe that Brooke's madly in love with Ridge, I believe that she's horrified by what Thomas has said she did, and I believe she's appalled and disgusted by herself. As for Taylor?

I don't believe a thing. Obviously it's a handicap to not be able to move her face, but she seems to compensate for that by moving her head -- a lot -- while her arms stay gracelessly at her sides.

Maybe it's because I'm used to covering One Life to Live, where so many of the actors also do stage work where you can never succeed with talking-head-style acting, but it's just so hard to watch. It's even worse when the elbows stay at her sides and she just gestures from there -- I used to tell acting students they should always avoid "duck" gestures like that. I won't pretend it's easy; back in my acting class days it was one of my biggest struggles. I remember bursting into tears when I first heard Nina's monologue from The Seagull where she talks about how she failed as an actress because she didn't know what to do with her hands and... whoa. Fleet Week is starting to make me lose my mind. I'm supposed to be snarking on a soap opera and now I've brought Chekhov into it, which is ridiculous. The point is, dammit, it was an insanely awkward showdown, as showdowns go! The awkward quotient was certainly not helped by the fact that there were long, clumsy pauses:

Taylor: How can you live with yourself? How can you not be horrified?

Brooke: I am. I am horrified.

    (Brief pause, while Taylor revs up and takes a deep breath.)

Taylor: Right.

    (Long pause as Brooke's eyes dart around a bit and she turns
    away.)

Brooke: It makes me physically ill, to think that something could have happened with me and Thomas. 
    (Brief pause as Taylor smirks. She smirks by expelling
    breath, not by moving her mouth into an actual smirk, for
    obvious reasons.)
I don't believe it happened. I don't.

    (Very long pause.)

Taylor: Well, it did. And you made it happen, Brooke. You need to just admit it to yourself; you destroyed Ridge's son. I mean really, how can he ever have any hope of having a healthy, loving relationship with a woman one day?
    (Weird, awkward pause.)
You did that, Brooke. You took it from him!

I mean, with all due respect, shouldn't Taylor be thrilled right about now? Doesn't she want Ridge to be single? And she shouldn't worry her pretty little head about Thomas. Her son doesn't look thirteen to me. I'm pretty sure he'll be okay with the ladies. His friends will think he's the coolest guy alive -- he banged his stepmother! (Wait, does he have friends? Is that a thing on this show?)

I did love Taylor calling Brooke a "serial seductress." I think my new mission in life will be to have someone call me that one day. High praise indeed!

Whipple out!

Comments

[Barbara]

It was funny when Taylor called her a serial seductress since it totally sounded like she was jealous of that. It was just ridiculous that she was talking about having Brooke prosecuted. I wonder what the charges would be. She seems to forget that her son is a grown man that has mental issues.

Taylor should be thrilled since Stephanie did this all for her while her kids get totally screwed over because in Stephanie's world the only kid that matters is Ridge. I wouldn't mind being called a serial seductress myself. It just doesn't make sense since Brooke was the only one that supported Thomas with the clothing line and this is how he repays her but that's okay since he'll one day get controlling interest in the company and poor Thorne will remain in the basement.

[Linda]

It looked like Brooke was arguing with a Kabuki mask. Hunter Tylo's face is so distracting in a highly charged scene like today's.

[Louise]

What's this basement everyone keeps talking about? Did we literally last see Thorne going to the basement, or is that just a metaphor for "forgotten" major characters?

[guilty pleasure]

Did Hunter Tylo had botox and plastic surgery done on her face and and lips? Because comparing her now to the flashback clips she has had a LOT of work done! YIKES!!!!

[Lisa]

Now basement = attic to polish skis back in the 80s and 90s. It means the back burner of all back burners.

[LadyBug]

Hunter Tylo used to be "stunning" and now she's REALLY scary. Run, run for your lives, it's Taylor!

[KatT]

I'm another jumper on the "what the hell happened to her face" train. If you look at HT now, you think "aw, she looks goodish.." then you look at her a decade or so ago and do a double take. Awful. Just bad surgery. She was so, so pretty. And there are so many who have done this to themselves. Carolyn Hinsey said in SOD a few months ago, something to the effect of quit asking for actresses from ye old days to come back because they are all messed up surgically (sp?) now. So true, and so sad. As for B&B, I know this is a bad time, but it REALLY needs to go to an hour. So maybe there will be more storylines than who Brooke has slept with. Watched this from the start and that well ran dry about 1995.

[Gio]

I missed yesterday, as I HATE the way Brooke is ganged up on on this show by the hypocrites and jerks and is never allowed to fight back. And I assume Taylor bawled her out and she did nothing. Taylor's yelling about Brooke being prosecuted is stupid, anyway, but IMO, she's a stupid character. And she has no business saying it, as she killed Darla in a drunken hit and run and not only lied to Thorne, the widower, she became involved with him and came clean only after he proposed to her.

And as for Stephanie, don't make me laugh. She claims to be about family, but she is encouraging her grandson to lie to his father. IMO, there is a special place in hell for a grandparent using a grandchild in such a manner. Think about it, "Lie to your father and say you slept with your stepmother, and I will pay you. So what if she is innocent and this will rob a small child of his father?"

[Beth]

Stephanie's constant plans to "get Brooke out of this family" are one of the most stubbornly stupid things about this show. She's been a Forrester for DECADES. She's the mother of multiple Forrester kids, most of whom Stephanie pretends to care about. She has as many connections to the people in that family as Stephanie does. Stephanie always acts like Brooke is some random waitress who will never be seen or heard from again if only Ridge would break up with her, and it makes NO SENSE.

[Gio]

In answer to Beth's post, Brooke is not some random waitress, she was CEO of the company and the majority shareholder (51%) for years. Not only was she the CEO, the show made it very clear that she made it a lot of money. Brooke has two children with Eric and one with Ridge, so I would have to say she has been a Forrester for decades. And unlike Stephanie, she did not lie about the paternity of her oldest to secure a marriage.

[Denise]

Hunter Tylo was once so beautiful, but now she's crossed the line into Pete Burns territory.

[Pinky]

Hi and welcome Louise to twilight the zo... errr B&B:-)

You will soon find out the rules, they will help you to understand the show better: Nothing is ever Taylor's fault, everything is Brooke's fault, Forresters get away with everything. Stephanie has only one child since she doesnt remember the rest and "the best thing since sliced bread" Rapist Ridge is the man! (Excuse me while i am throwing up.)

The history is rewritten almost daily and Bell thinks we are morons. How else can we explain Taylor who not only sexed up Brooke's son but also ran over Darla while DUI, lied about it, wormed her way into Darla's family only to dump them at the first chance she got and never looked back, had the gall to ask Brooke how she (Brooke) could live with herself?

Dont get me started on the list of great actors, lately RH, who has been wasted to prop up Bell's pets.

Oh and suspend belief. It really helps. God knows its the only way you can believe Ridge is desirable!

[Gio]

Hiya, Pinky!

Louise, Pinky pretty much listed the rules of B&B.

[Pinky]

Hi Gio :-) Nice to see you as always.

[Bettie Comerford]

Guess she did it purposely to divert the attention of the viewers… But you… You were able to see it! Well, I think she does have facial expressions, rare as they may be. It's just that her character doesn't need to have many. Hm.