The love triangle between Ridge Forrester, Taylor Hayes and Brooke Logan feels nearly as old as The Bold and the Beautiful (B&B) itself. In many ways, the marriages, affairs and deceptions between these three characters have been the spine of the CBS soap for decades.
However, while B&B writers approach this enduring storyline with the perspective of, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, viewers are now sending the message loud and clear: this love triangle is broken, and it’s time to move on.
But how did this latest (and hopefully last) chapter of the Ridge, Taylor and Brooke saga go so horribly wrong? Last December, when Taylor Hayes returned to the canvas (with Krista Allen recast in the role), there was a renewed sense of optimism.
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Allen brought a fresh energy to the character, and viewers appeared to forgive the soap for repackaging the same old storyline. Many fans even hoped that Ridge and “new Taylor” would reunite. Then, the wheels fell off.
2022 has been an unmitigated disaster, as far as this love triangle is concerned. Throughout the winter and spring months, viewers survived the tedious storyline about Brooke falling off the wagon. Ridge mistrusted his wife for kissing Deacon and immediately started smooching with Taylor at the cliff house.
After Sheila’s champagne bottle switcheroo was exposed, many viewers begged for mercy. If Ridge and Brooke could just reunite already, maybe fans could get a peek at Quinn and Carter – or even Wyatt and Flo, for that matter! Just focus on a different couple, please!
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Alas, B&B writers failed to attend to any other characters, instead committing the summer months to Ridge waffling back and forth between his wife and ex-wife.
Quinn portrayer Rena Sofer walked away from the show in August, while speculation surrounds the likes of Darin Brooks (Wyatt), Don Diamont (Bill) and Heather Tom (Katie), who each disappear from the canvas for months at a time.
Not only is the soap’s obsession with this love triangle marginalizing the rest of the cast, it’s destroying the characters of Brooke, Taylor and Ridge.
For months now, Brooke and Taylor have been groveling for Ridge’s attention. Neither female is being written with any agency or self-respect; instead, they mope around and wait for Ridge to make his choice.
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Needless to say, this lazy and outdated approach is also vilifying the character of Ridge. This so-called knight in shining armor is having an affair with his ex-wife because of transgressions Brooke has made – transgressions which are tame by comparison.
The double-standard at play – that Ridge can insist on loyalty from both women, while freely waffling between them – crossed a significant line this week, when Brooke confronted Ridge in Aspen.
Ridge coldly informed Brooke that their marriage was over because he was back together with Taylor, but he refused to explain what Brooke had done wrong. Granted, he believes that his wife called Child Protective Services on his son, Thomas, but he wouldn’t even admit it.
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So how does Brooke respond to learning that her husband has flown to Aspen, reunited with his ex-wife, and won’t even tell her why? She begs him to come back to Los Angeles with her and “work things out”. Seriously?
Taylor looked just as weak in those scenes, hiding in the cabin with a full view of the couple’s break-up. It would be par for the course if Taylor was working hard to disrupt her rival’s marriage. But unlike past efforts, the world-renowned psychiatrist is letting her grown children do the heavy lifting.
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As a byproduct of Taylor’s cowardly approach, the characterization of Steffy has also suffered immensely. How did this strong-willed, fan-favorite become a one-dimensional cheerleader for reuniting her parents? Even viewers who don’t like Brooke think that Steffy’s venom is way out of line.
It’s a time-honored tradition for fans to sound off about B&B constantly pitting the Logans against the Forresters. But this time, viewers should really insist upon change. It’s offensive that B&B writers think their lazy treatment of Brooke, Taylor, Ridge and even Steffy is engaging or thoughtful.
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