By 
I Am Capable Of Great Things
Nothing says sweeps like a wedding, right? This time last year there was a wedding as well with a pretty similar dynamic. One sister pledging her devotion to the man she loved while the other sister, also in love with said groom, stands behind her seething. The groom is different and the sisters positions are switched, but it was the same old formula this week as the Batie Wedding 2.0 got underway.
Another old formula, asking the person least qualified to be your matron of honor. I mean really. There are so many reasons why having Brooke stand up for Katie was a bad idea that I could list them in alphabetical order. This choice did offer up a lot of humor though. First being poor, always left out, never thought of Donna. That woman is a walking Switzerland. So neutral to everything that she’s considered an afterthought all the time. Always the bridesmaid, never the maid of honor. Then there was drunk Brooke and her bottle. While funny as all hell in the moment, the larger picture of Brooke turning into a lush because she doesn’t have a man to validate her comes off extremely degrading. I have disliked this character for years and even I think this is belittling. Even worse is that this seems to be a common theme with the way 80% of the women on this canvas are written. But I digress.
For the second time, Bill and Katie vowed their love to each other in front of friends and family but this time they left the promises out. Rightfully so as neither of them seems to ever keep them. Whether or not you believe they will make it this time, it is at least clear that they belong together. Despite all the mistakes and bad choices, Katie is meant to be the Spencer matriarch the way they claim Brooke is meant to be the Forresters. That hasn’t always been evident in the writing, but it sure is in Heather Tom and Don Diamont’s portrayal of the destined lovers. They are both so good at their jobs that you believe exactly what they are selling when they are selling it. They sold us on their love story the first go around. And then they sold us on their annihilation in 2013. So being sold again on their recommitment now is a talent that not everyone possesses.
The Bottom Line
No one man should have all that power. For the past 2 months, Rick Forrester has made everyone’s life except Maya’s a living hell. Yelling, demeaning, mocking, shooting. It’s been so unbearable that people who have nothing really to do with Forrester Creations are plotting to steal it. Surely the return of his mother Brooke would rein him in, right? No? Ok, well certainly the return of the man he tricked into giving him irrevocable control would at least garner a swift scolding, right? No, again? Oh… ok.
It comes to no surprise that Eric Forrester retuning from his brotherly adventures yielded more enabling to Rick’s petulance. Watching Rick practically turn into a preschooler in front of his father as he recounted all of his tirades was however quite interesting. Almost endearing. Eric didn’t seem too bothered by what he was hearing as it came to no surprise to him. His focus was more on the numbers. No matter what Rick was doing to torment the staff, it was working like a charm as the quarterly reports had never looked better. This sounds familiar. Sounds like the iron way Bill used to run Spencer before Katie took over. One thing Eric did right was acknowledge that the majority of Rick’s issues stemmed from a feeling of inferiority in his father’s eyes. And he took a major step in correcting that, regardless of who it might hurt. Eric put his entire faith in Rick and even volunteered to move out of his house so that his son could feel like King. Noble sacrifice or grievous mistake? Time will tell.
While Rick was getting the keys to the castle, his lioness was across the hall gathering the peasants. I have to say, Maya has had some very interesting writing during this entire arc. It has taken her from victor to villain and back quicker than I’ve ever seen. In one episode her condescending attitude with Ivy and Aly can grate your nerves, and in the next her resolve over Caroline and Ridge’s superiority can have you cheering. I guess maybe that is the intension. Her confidence in her man continued as she prepared to change the lifestyle she was becoming so accustomed to only to find out it wasn’t necessary. She was as surprised as Caroline and Ridge were to find out that Eric wasn’t at all the cavalry they were hoping for.
Not The Same Effect
In less interesting happenings in LA this week, we saw yet another strong willed female go after what she wants only to be rejected. In a itty bitty bikini, Steffy waltzed into the house she once shared with her ex-husband and demanded his full attention. That and a cooling off in the ocean. Steffy has been in town for a while now and I’m even more lost than ever as to why. Why bring back a character with so many layers only to have her repeat the same narratives? I was a fan of Steam back in the day, but there are so many more things I would rather watch than Steffy issue ultimatums to a guy who clearly doesn’t want her anymore. All of this incessant talk without any real action in the Spencer takeover of Forrester has brought this show to a virtual standstill. And Steffy’s role in it is becoming ridiculous. To have her say that the only way she’ll side with him is if they are back together is… problematic at the very least. And for what? For the singular moment of drama it’s going to create having Ivy walk in on it?
This is not the sweeps I was hoping for when it started. While I still rush to watch this over the others, a lot of the momentum B&B had coming out of a fantastic January is gone and it doesn’t look to be picking back up this week despite a threat being made and a proposition being offered.
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