Savvy actors know that everyone shines when the focus is kept on the scene itself — not having their character ‘win’ every moment throughout the drama. That’s why Soap Hub is bestowing dual honors for Performer of the Week for B&B on both Katherine Kelly Lang and Krista Allen.
Katherine Kelly Lang & Krista Allen – Performers of the Week
Once the truth came out that Thomas Forrester (Matthew Atkinson) called CPS (Child Protective Services) on himself and that Brooke Logan was innocent, it was only a matter of time before Brooke and Taylor Hayes had a showdown as once again the fates caused the two women to confront one another over Ridge Forrester (Thorsten Kaye). He’s the man both woman love but only one can be his wife.
There was no rice thrown at Ridge and Taylor as the ceremony was called off. Instead, Brooke was in a position to throw the bride some shade — but she didn’t. Instead, Katherine Kelly Lang infused her character with strength and resolve. While Brooke knew that Taylor wasn’t the primary force in creating havoc with her relationship with Ridge, she still held Taylor accountable for finding out after the fact — and saying nothing.
Likewise, Krista Allen brought strength to Taylor; sure, deep down, Taylor knows that Thomas played a major hand in ruining Ridge and Brooke’s marriage but she also held firm to the words Ridge professed to her in Aspen. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Taylor.
Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) expressed sympathy to Taylor as she was also duped by Thomas but didn’t let her off the hook. Taylor said she wanted to hold tight to the belief that Ridge could both be mad at Thomas once he learned the truth and also wanted to stay married to her. “Hold on a second, now, I know you don’t want to acknowledge this — but Ridge and I love each other very much,” Taylor informed Brooke. In turn, Brooke pointed out, “And I know you don’t want to acknowledge this — Ridge never would have left me to go be with you unless I did something unforgivable…” (which she had not.)
However, we take exception when Brooke said that Taylor knew what was going on the “whole time;” she knows the good doctor didn’t get the info until minutes before she was set to walk down the aisle. Taylor debated the timeline with a “stunned” Brooke, too. “When you spin it like that, it sounds like I was harboring this secret all along…and that is not true. I found out 5 minutes before the ceremony started,” Taylor noted for the record. She stated that she was going to tell Ridge everything. How did Krista Allen justify her character’s silence? Taylor said she actually agreed with Thomas’s position — that she and Ridge weren’t getting married because of anything Brooke had done (or, in this case, had not done) but instead because they love each other as evidenced by conversations they had in Aspen.
Brooke didn’t try to tell Taylor that Ridge was lying when he said he wanted to be with her or deny that Ridge has feelings for the world-renowned psychiatrist. Instead, she held onto the simple belief (no pun intended) that Ridge only left her because of Thomas’s actions. Likewise, Taylor couldn’t deny Brooke’s point of view.
Katherine Kelly Lang and Krista Allen choosing to play their characters as being ultimately civil to one another raised (not lowered) the stakes between them. Brooke and Taylor have gone to the figurative mat in the past, letting their confrontations turn physical — most recently, the two acted as if the other were a human canvas and used Douglas Forrester’s (Henry Joseph Samiri) paints to turn the other into a human Jackson Pollock. This time, they chose to let the enormity of the situation stand for itself. Ironically, neither woman is wed to Ridge right now; he and Brooke got an annulment and Ridge never signed papers with Taylor as their ceremony was halted.
One thing both women agreed upon is that they cannot continue to be pieces of human taffy with Ridge pulling at each of them as he tries to figure out which woman is his ultimate destiny. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry,” Brooke told Taylor. “Thank you, I’m sorry, too,” Taylor replied not only for herself but also for what Thomas had done to her.
Katherine Kelly Lang and Krista Allen reminded us that great daytime drama doesn’t have to include characters engaging in physical brawls or screaming matches for scenes to be memorable and dramatic. Brava to both Bold and Beautiful performers!
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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