Soap Hub Performer of the Week for B&B: Naomi Matsuda

Li Finnegan, played by Daytime Emmy nominee Naomi Matsuda, has display reservoirs of great strength on The Bold and the Beautiful since her beloved son Dr. John ‘Finn’ Finnegan was shot to death by his bio mom Sheila Carter. For her portrayal of a loving mother, Soap Hub bestows Performer of the Week honors for B&B on Matsuda.

Naomi Matsuda – Performer of the Week

While Li was incredulous to learn that Sheila Carter (Kimberlin Brown) shot Finn and Steffy Forrester Finnegan (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood), viewers were even more flabbergasted to discover that Finn (Tanner Novlan) isn’t dead after all!

“I can’t imagine a life without my son,” Li told Steffy and Taylor (Krista Allen) before the big reveal. “I’ll do anything to have him back.” Taylor and Steffy were a bit put off by Li’s abrupt departure from Steffy’s home. Sure, she’s grieving but something else seemed to be at play. Next, we learned in a highly dramatically scored scene that Li is keeping Finn, who’s very much alive but in a coma, safe and alive from everyone.

We’ve seen powerful matriarchs and maternal figures on B&B make dramatic gestures over the years. But Li keeping Finn being alive a secret is one for the books! “I couldn’t give up on you, not my son. My only child,” Li emotionally told her comatose boy. “The medical team all but gave up on you. But as a doctor and as your mother…I knew you still had life inside you. You just need time. Time to heal. My sweet boy. So here you are. Nobody knows your alive. Soon, you will regain consciousness. You’ll be able to live your life again.”

If Li was going to tell Steffy that Finn is really alive, we’ll never know. Upon her next visit to Steffy’s house, she spied through a window her daughter-in-law embracing Liam Spencer (Scott Clifton), her ex-husband. If looks could kill, Steffy might be the one off to that great soap in the sky!

If you thought the late Stephanie Forrester’s (Susan Flannery) interest in her son Ridge’s (Thorsten Kaye) love life was a bit much, this is arguably even more bizarre. We’re not sure why Li is keeping Finn being alive a secret but we are fully aware that Li will do anything to save her child’s life. “My son’s still with me,” Li tells Steffy. Naomi Matsuda delivers these lines perfectly on two levels — one to her grieving daughter-in-law, who interprets this to mean Li will always keep Finn close to her heart; the other is Matsuda’s Li reminding viewers at home that Finn’s actually alive.

The revelation that Finn is still among the living and that Li is lying about it has instantly turned B&B’s most heartbreaking tale into its most intriguing storyline. Naomi Matsuda has been tasked with pulling off a huge component of this story and is brilliant as Li continues to sit on the mother of all secrets!

The Bold and the Beautiful (BB) airs weekdays on CBS. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Los Angeles, check out all the latest that’s been posted on B&B spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.

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