The nepotism at Forrester Creations reached a new high on The Bold and the Beautiful. Ridge tried to play team captain, blind to the fact that his company is running on favoritism. He expected Zende to just grin, swallow his pride, and play second fiddle to a kid with a fraction of his experience. The problem with Ridge’s demand for loyalty is that it ignores the professional insult he’s handing out. Zende is no longer willing to sacrifice his career just to hand R.J. an unearned title.
Key Takeaways
- Zende pointed out that leading Hope for the Future was his proudest achievement, and now he has lost it.
- Ridge handed the new Electra line directly to R.J., expecting Zende to happily take notes from his less-experienced cousin.
- Zende’s explosive resentment proves that he’s a prime candidate for a rival fashion company.
Zende Refuses to Quietly Accept His Demotion
Friday’s episode showed what happens when a fashion company pushes a talented person too far. While Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) and R.J. (Brayan Nicoletti) babbled about keeping the new Electra (Laneya Grace) line a secret, Zende (Delon De Metz) checked out.
When Ridge asked him what was wrong, Zende lost his temper. He shared that his hard work went down the tubes when Hope (Annika Noelle) jumped ship.
He no longer wants to fade into the background. Watching him thank Ridge for letting him “take notes” from R.J. was absolute poetry.
R.J. Fails to Understand His Own Privilege
Instead of realizing how insulting the situation is, R.J. tried to act like a benevolent leader. He urged Zende to look at the future (oh, the irony) and embrace the chance to make something new.
Talk about being out of touch. R.J. behaves as if his DNA makes him a fashion genius, ignoring the fact that his dad handed him this line. Zende reminded him that Ridge gave this project to his son. There was no room for an actual partner to step in.
Ridge Uses Family Loyalty to Cover Up Unfairness
This matter is about Ridge’s inability to manage his own family. He kept insisting that everyone is a team and they need to fight the Spencers instead of each other.
But a team implies that everyone gets a fair shot, which Zende hasn’t seen in years. Ridge treats Zende’s valid anger like a minor attitude problem that he should push past for the family name. By ignoring the unfairness built into this corporate brand, Ridge isn’t saving his company. He’s packing Zende’s bags for him.
