The Bold and the Beautiful has had two primary long-running stories throughout its 35-year history. One, the Stephanie Forrester/Brooke Logan feud doesn’t get much play anymore, as Stephanie is dead. But the other — the Brooke/Ridge Forrester/Taylor Hayes story appeared to be in an endless cycle of lather, rinse, repeat — until now.
Ridge Forrester — Man in the Middle
As B&B viewers recently saw, Taylor (Krista Allen), once back in town herself, and Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) greeted Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) in the Forrester executive office once he came back to Los Angeles. The long-running set wasn’t exactly the ideal setting for a romantic reunion, but “Braylor” — the affectionate combination name of Brooke and Taylor — didn’t have romance on their mind.
For years, decades, really, the question “Who will Ridge choose?” had been asked many times. In some instances, Ridge chose Taylor over Brooke. Was it because he really loved her, or did he want Brooke to remain with his father, Eric Forrester (John McCook)? Twice, Ridge chose Brooke over Taylor, but that’s only because Taylor was presumed dead.
A BOLD New Direction
B&B fans have seen each woman fret over whether or not they’d be left out in the cold in the “Ridge Forrester Love Sweepstakes.” This time, however, B&B opted to go in a different and, quite frankly, refreshing direction.
Ridge dumped Brooke because he believed erroneously that she had called Child Protective Services on his son Thomas Forrester (Matthew Atkinson). (In reality, Thomas ratted himself out, hoping to drive a wedge between his father and stepmother.) Sure, he gave Brooke a chance to come clean, but when she didn’t, that was Ridge’s cue to share with her what he believed was true. He didn’t. How can Brooke feel safe with someone who could throw away their love so easily? Ridge didn’t entertain that in today’s technologically advanced/digital world that Brooke was innocent. He should have.
Ridge Forrester — Take a Seat
What Ridge Forrester did to Taylor was just as bad. Instead of spending some time alone, he immediately told his ex that he wanted a future with her — and that his decision had nothing to do with Brooke. With that in mind, it’s understandable that Taylor planned to remain mum about Thomas’s machinations until after she and Ridge each said “I do.” Ridge felt betrayed by Taylor’s silence. Imagine how both Brooke and Taylor feel while they wait for Ridge to make up his mind.
Don’t think that Taylor or Brooke don’t love Ridge — each of them does. However, they mutually agreed that life isn’t just about Ridge choosing either of them; it’s about whether or not they’re going to choose Ridge. And, right now, Taylor and Brooke are in agreement that they all need some time apart from Ridge.
Nobody knows what the future holds, but Brooke and Taylor are walking into it more clear-minded than ever before. Brooke and Taylor sharing a high-five outside of Ridge’s presence was a nice touch. Bravo to B&B for giving this tried and true triangle some new dimensions!
The Bold and the Beautiful airs weekdays on CBS. For an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.
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