Credit: Howard Wise/JPI (5)

Well, the one thing nobody can say is that nothing happened on Bold & Beautiful this week. Between Brooke’s shocking announcement and Ridge’s reaction to it, we’ve got a lot to talk about… so let’s dive in! 

Brooke’s Fake-Out

When Brooke basically shrugged, agreed to be put in charge and then went live on social media five seconds later to announce the big changes at Forrester, I was gobsmacked. On the surface, it made no sense. She not only knew but acknowledged aloud that taking over as CEO would create big problems with Ridge. Yet quick as Zende could prop up his iPhone and plug in the ring light, Brooke was doing an impromptu announcement without so much as a script.

I was still reeling from the seemingly immense stupidity of this move when, in the same episode, she took Zende into her confidence to reveal her true plan: To betray Hope and give the company back to Ridge as a show of loyalty. It was a stunning reveal and, better still, the writers didn’t drag it out. Why? Because they needed Ridge to fall into bed with Taylor rather than, you know, having either of them show a modicum of maturity or self-respect.

If there’s a fatal flaw to this story, it’s that… well, I just don’t buy that Brooke would really betray her daughter in such a cold-hearted way. That’s doubly true given Ridge’s recent horrendous behavior. Is Brooke really going to reward her would-be spouse’s calling Hope a slut and a bitch by giving him back the company? And if she finds out Ridge hit the sheets with Taylor, will Brooke change her mind?

“It’s Called Karma”

I also liked that Brooke at least tried to reach out to Ridge before making her big announcement. But of course, he didn’t respond to her text, meaning he, Steffy and Eric were blindsided by Brooke’s announcement. And anyone who knows the history of this show knows that the characters tend to make rash decisions, which means it’s almost inevitable that Ridge will hit the sheets with Taylor before Brooke is able to fill him in on her master plan.

More: Why was The Talk cancelled? 

Interestingly, even as these events were unfolding on air, the show’s official YouTube channel was re-airing episodes in which Maya told Rick that she was transgender. Which meant that as real-time Ridge was being dealt karma for the way he’d treated Hope and Carter, 2015 Ridge was saying that Rick’s heartache was a direct result of the younger man having behaved like a tyrant around the Forrester offices. (Of course, what Ridge didn’t know was that Maya’s revelation would only bring her closer to eventual husband Rick.)

Missing In Action

I’m baffled as to why Zende is all over this story — serving as Ridge and Steffy’s man on the inside while also being taken into Brooke’s confidence — and yet RJ is nowhere to be seen. Shouldn’t Ridge’s son be at least as important in this story as his nephew?

More: RJ’s mysterious vanishing act

This is especially odd given that RJ was introduced as a successful influencer who then, despite his initial reservations, became a member of the Hope For the Future design team. It would have made far more sense for him to be the one setting up the equipment used during Brooke’s social media announcement. And while new kid on the block Electra and Aunt Ivy were caught up in the fallout of the takeover, RJ — an actual heir apparent — has been entirely ignored.

Who’s The Boss?

The week’s other big story involved Electra being fired because of Remy’s doctored photos. This story, too, moved at a pretty decent pace… but didn’t make a whole lot of sense. I’m not sure which was less logical: Katie declaring that as head of public relationship, she had the power to hire and fire people, or her and Brooke thinking they could axe Electra without explanation.

More: Lawrence Saint-Victor explains a big plot hole

Also, not for nothing, but what would firing Electra actually accomplish? The company had already rolled out an ad campaign featuring the young beauty. It’s not as if firing her would somehow retroactively erase the already-launched PR campaign. It also seemed someone ridiculous that in 2024, nude photos — doctored or otherwise — would be considered a big deal.

Katie and Brooke were essentially trying to prevent one scandal (Hope and Carter’s coup) from snowballing into another, but all they really did was open themselves up to a potential lawsuit regarding Electra’s termination.

Random Thoughts

• The writers missed a golden opportunity to expand the takeover story by having Bill become involved. Why not have Hope/Carter and Ridge/Steffy running to have their side of the story told by Bill’s Eye on Fashion. Hope could to to ex Liam, hoping to have him sway Dollar Bill’s coverage in her direction.

• I kidna want Carter’s first order of business to be giving the main office a makeover. I mean, could it be more outdated?

• It is 100 percent time for Thomas to come back. Why not have Ridge call his son and cook up a plan to play on Hope’s supposedly-former feelings (and her connection to Douglas) in order to come between her and Carter?