Did Eric Really Die, Go With Stephanie?
Credit: CBS screenshot
I struggled with this week’s episodes of Bold & Beautiful… although not for the reasons you might think. It wasn’t any of the issues I’ve had in the past — repetitive dialogue, for example — but rather the drama taking place around Eric’s deathbed. And that was before Susan Flannery’s Stephanie put in a surprise appearance to usher Eric into the light.
Tough Talk
Eventually in life, most of us get to a point where we have to deal with the very things which the Forrester family is struggling with. You make your wishes known, regarding potential end-of-life care. You look back on life and think about the things you did, the things you didn’t do and the regrets which can come with both. I have friends who have faced the exact same tough choices being made by Ridge. I know that eventually, it’ll be my turn to — alongside my sister — make literal life-or-death decisions. So yeah, I cried a lot watching this week’s episodes.
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I can’t help but hope that the episodes also inspired people who have not yet had these conversations to do so. It’s important to make sure people know your wishes regarding end of life care. Hopefully, like Eric, you’ve put them in writing. Everyone in my life knows that like Eric, I don’t want to be kept alive on machines. And once I’m gone, I want to be cremated. There… now you know, too, just in case.
And The Winner Is…
There were fantastic performances all around, but two in particular stuck out for me: Thorsten Kaye and Jennifer Gareis. As I write this, we are hours away from the Daytime Emmy awards being handed out. While Kaye is nominated, we don’t yet who’ll walk away the winner. But I’m already betting these episodes will snag him and Gareis noms, while McCook will land one for his work during Eric’s “farewell party.”
Meanwhile, as we all sit on the edge of our seats waiting to find out whether Eric will really go with Stephanie or come back to his Earth-bound loved ones, I admit that as someone who spends all day speculating about future storylines, I don’t know which way I would go if I were headwriter.
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Think about it: If Eric lives but winds up facing major health challenges because of the experimental surgery, that’s great stuff. It gives us the opportunity to explore Eric’s anger at Ridge for having defied his wishes, and Ridge’s guilt about having done so. Does Ridge blame the family — including Brooke? (It being Ridge, of course he does!)
If Eric dies, we get to play the struggle for control of the company. Does Thorne perhaps decide to finally fight for his rightful place… perhaps even playing the “you’re not a blood Forrester” card with his big brother? And what happens to Donna, given that Eric never made her his official bride? What’s in that new will which Carter recently mentioned? And who might contest it?
Either way, this has the potential to provide great storyline as we head into 2024.
Random Thoughts
• I said weeks ago that what the Eric storyline really needed was for him to see Susan Flannery’s Stephanie as he headed into the light. I asked the folks at Bold & Beautiful if this might happen and they basically said, “We hoped, but weren’t able to make it happen.” And you know what? Given the rush of joy I got in seeing her, I ain’t even mad at ’em for the little white (light) lie.
• What was Ridge’s rush to pull the plug? Wouldn’t it have been nice of him to at least give Thorne and Bridget — not to mention the family members on safari — an opportunity to say farewell to the patriarch?
• I had to laugh every time Finn spoke about Eric needing a transplant. What, exactly, were we replacing… his heart? Liver? Spleen? I found myself thinking about the famous scene in Soapdish in which they perform… well, check out the clip below and see for yourself.
• Sure, it was ludicrous that Finn and Bridget — who doesn’t even work at the hospital — were allowed to operate on their father-in-law/dad, respectively. But the actual dialogue in the tense surgical scenes sounded pretty decent to this non-doctor.
• Why did everyone go from the mansion to the office? If all they were going to do was split into smaller groups and talk about Eric’s situation, why not do it from the comfort of home?
• Rather than cutting from the action at the hospital to people talking about what was happening at the hospital (always a pet peeve of mine) why not play a secondary story? With everyone preoccupied, this would have given Sheila a perfect chance to sneak in a visit with grandson Hayes. Bill could have been shown putting together a special issue of Eye on Fashion and urging Liam to be there for Hope… or Steffy… or, as is Liam’s way, both.
Check out our list of Daytime Emmy winners… or at least our dream winners in some rather unusual (and occasionally downright frisky) categories!
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