Deke and Hope’s rapport in their first scene on The Bold and the Beautiful came out of left field, but it was nonetheless a welcome dynamic on the soap. They were playful with the kind of positive sibling energy that brought joy to the screen. It was a reminder that this daytime drama is at its best when family extends beyond parent-child bonds and marital partners.
Key Takeaways
- Sibling relationships are a story element B&B should use more often.
- Characters interacting with family members other than parents and children allows for more varied storytelling.
- There’s less opportunity for repetitive back and forths when other dynamics are tapped into.
A Rarely Tapped Resource
It used to be that B&B was rife with sibling dynamics that ranged from heartwarming to toxic. But now it’s mostly The Logan sisters that we see step into the fullness of their family. Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) has several siblings, and yet he’s the only one of Eric’s (John McCook) or Massimo’s (the late Joseph Mascolo) children on the soap as a series regular.
Bridget (Ashley Jones), who is criminally underused, rarely has scenes with him. He and Nick (Jack Wagner) are about as friendly as vipers. Thorne’s (Winsor Harmon) stints on the show since Ingo Rademacher left the role are few and far between. Rick (Jacob Young) has only been referenced in passing. Not a word has been said about whether Felicia (Lesli Kay) still runs International. Zende (Delon de Metz) brought up his mother, Kristen (Tracy Melchior), but she hasn’t made an appearance since his wedding to Nicole Avant (Reign Edwards).
With so many Forrester siblings, you’d have thought it would have been all hands on deck when Carter (Lawrence Saint-Victor) and Hope (Annika Noelle) took Forrester, but it was crickets even with Bridget showing up for Christmas. The same goes for Thomas (Matthew Atkinson), Steffy’s brother, who would have been fully ready to protect the family legacy. Those two are quite the duo when they put their minds together, and have led more than one fun or disastrous scheme on the soap.
What’s great about tapping into B&B’s sibling energy is the ability to either lean into a high stakes rivalry for love, sometimes business, or show camaraderie during difficult times. We saw this with Liam (Scott Clifton) and Wyatt (Darin Brooks) over the years. The Spencer brothers were a highlight of the daytime drama because they could balance hurt with humor.
The storytelling would be so much richer with characters being able to bounce ideas off family members closer to their age at times. To be their confidantes or the person they yell at or plot with or vie for power against.
More Family Means More Story Opportunities
What made Deke (Harrison Cone) and Hope’s scene so enjoyable was the insight into a fresh dynamic on B&B. Deke, who has been so serious since he debuted, was lighter. Viewers got to see his interest in fashion. He wasn’t weighed down so much by the Luna (Lisa Yamada) plot and how Remy (Christian Weissmann) fits into this world.
Hope was a nosy, well-meaning sister while being earnest about seeking her brother’s help. Since RJ (Joshua Hoffman) was written out, she hasn’t gotten the chance to do that. It reintroduced a layer to her character that we don’t often see with Rick gone, too. Not to mention Hope and Bridget are kept at arms length on the soap because of the circumstances of Hope’s birth.
We’re likely to see more of Deke and Hope’s bond on B&B since he’s a young designer, and she’s in need of one for Hope for the Future. But it would be great if the daytime drama’s refocus on family includes more sibling dynamics than theirs and The Logans. Will (Crew Morrow) is going through a tough time in the Luna storyline. He could use scenes with his brother Liam. It’s doubtful we’ll see Marcus (Texas Battle), but it’d be nice for Carter (Lawrence Saint-Victor) to have his brother in his corner.
Bringing siblings in allows for varied story beats. It breaks up repetitive conversations between the same characters and allows for different perspectives. Their absence, or lack of mention, is often glaring like Karen’s (Joanna Johnson) from custody plots involving her grandson Douglas (Henry Samiri) and Bill (Don Diamont) briefly losing control of Spencer Publications to Justin (Aaron D. Spears). The story has more places to go when there are more players on the board.
