Soap Hub Performer of the Week for The Bold and the Beautiful: John McCook

Eric Forrester is no stranger to big drama on B&B. The family patriarch has been involved in powerful scenes related to marital strife since the show’s inception. John McCook stepped up once again when the story called for his character Eric to deal with the fact that his wife Quinn had cheated on him. For playing a husband betrayed not only by the woman he loves but also his friend (and company COO) Carter, Soap Hub bestows Performer of the Week honors for The Bold and the Beautiful on John McCook.

John McCook — Performer of the Week

Eric and Quinn’s (Rena Sofer) recent vow renewal ceremony – officiated by Carter (Lawrence Saint-Victor) of all people – was the perfect place to have Quinn’s affair exposed. Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang), who ironically also cheated on Eric when she was wed to him, pushed the issue once she found out about Quinn’s betrayal, and the ceremony was halted.

Initially, McCook played Eric understandably stunned at the revelation. This allowed Quinn to passionately express her regret and state she had nothing but love for her husband. Instead of directing his disbelief at Quinn, Eric turned his attention to Carter. Perhaps somewhere in the back of his mind, Eric felt that there was always this possibility with Quinn but how could his trusted employee have betrayed him? “How could you do this, Carter?” Eric asked. “You’re a trusted friend. I treated you like a member of my family!”

Asked by Shauna (Denise Richards) if he wanted the room cleared so that he could deal with Quinn and Carter in private, Eric turned to his cheating wife and quipped, “What I want is a wife who does not have an affair…a wife who promises that she’ll be faithful to me!”

Quinn kept throwing herself on Eric’s mercy and Carter was filled with apologies but all an angry Eric wanted was answers. He demanded to know if Wyatt (Darin Brooks) and Flo (Katrina Bowden) also knew about Quinn’s affair. Unlike Shauna, Flo and Wyatt knew nothing but, ultimately, that offered little solace to Eric.

McCook opted to keep Eric stone-faced as Quinn made her passionate plea for his forgiveness. Was Quinn’s mea culpa going to work? Ultimately, it did not. “For all these years, I’ve been defending you,” Eric chastised Quinn. “You’re not the woman I thought you were.”

Quinn kept asking for another chance, promising Eric she’d never let him down again but it was too late. “Your promise means nothing to me,” Eric cooly said. “I loved you. I trusted you. I’m not going to make that mistake again. I want you out. I want you out of my life. Out of the company and out of this family. Go now.”

Just so there was no uncertainty in his words, McCook leaned in as Eric ordered, “Get out of this house.” Soaps are traditionally a female-driven genre however, B&B has always spotlighted its male characters giving them the chance to shine – as McCook is doing in this storyline. Given Eric’s pain and Quinn’s tendency to persist, we get the feeling this tale is not over yet — not by a long shot!

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.