The Party’s Over For Bold & Beautiful’s Eric — But What Happens Next Week Will Change Everything
We Gather Together
My favorite moment of this week had less to do with what happened on screen than the reaction it elicited. While watching Monday’s episode with my best friend, Zende — who was arguing with Ridge and RJ — mentioned Eric having won the fashion show down. As one, my BFF and I screamed, “Don’t tell him!” And of course, they did, but that shared moment of shouting at the television and then laughing when the characters refused to take our sage advice was a reminder of why soap fans — you, me, all of us — enjoy this medium so much.
In a weird way, it also illustrated several other things about soaps. Like why they’re more fun watched with other people. I grew up watching with my mom, and later with friends. Now, most of us don’t have those shared real-world experiences, which might be why we flock to Twitter. (And yes, it’ll always be Twitter, never X, for as long as I live and it exists.)
Wedded Miss
If Eric really wanted to keep people from being suspicious about his instaparty, he should have announced that he and Donna were getting married. Absolutely nobody would question a quickie wedding at the family estate, given that nearly every union on this show happens in that fashion. Heck, it wouldn’t even be the first time this particular pair went that route, as evidenced below!
You could still play all the beats of everyone in attendance knowing the truth. Tears could be explained away as being of the joyful variety. And it would show respect to Donna, whom Eric has vowed to take care of. (That said, her not legally being Mrs. Eric Forrester could wind up being a big plot point in the future. But more on that in a bit… )
Let’s Party!
I kinda loved that when Eric was talking about the event, the Forrester mansion became something of a character in and of itself. “That wonderful, big old house,” he reflected. “So many wonderful things have happened. My whole life. Weddings and holidays and parties. Brooke and Ridge met in that house!”
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When I spoke to Eric’s portrayer, John McCook, last year, he recalled walking onto that particular set when filming the very first episode. “It was so impressive,” he reflected. “I remember thinking, ‘Wow, they’re really spending some money here.’ But I couldn’t imagine just how important that beautiful space would become over the years.”
The party itself was pretty much what I think we all expected: Pretty people trying hard not to look sad as their patriarch tried not to cough up blood on his beautiful white tux. (Honestly, shouldn’t Donna have suggested a color other than white, given his biggest symptom?) After spending several weeks complaining about character who aren’t in attendance but should be, I’ll be damned if I didn’t get caught up in the drama of everyone sharing their little moment with Eric as they attempted to hold back the tears. “How am I supposed to not start crying and never stop?” asked Bridget, speaking for all of us.
“Be Kind To Each Other”
The big party ended exactly how I assumed it would — with Eric collapsing — but the route the writers took in getting there caught me totally off-guard. I sort of assumed that Eric would find out the truth about the fashion showdown, which he did. But I didn’t imagine that he’d take the news so well, declaring it the nicest thing anyone had done for him. And how incredibly cruel — in the best soap opera way — to give us that moment of levity just before Eric collapsed and seemed to go into the light. Bravo, Bold & Beautiful, bravo. That ending was a thing of beauty.
Get Ready For What Comes Next
I mentioned earlier that Eric not marrying Donna might well play into what’s coming up, and based on the spoilers for next week, that certainly seems to be the case. It sounds as if the family who came together to rally around their ailing patriarch will start to come apart at the seams (appopriate pun intentional!). And of course, we knew that when Finn blew off the big event in order to furrow his manly brow at his office computer while scribbling illegible notes in true “I’m a doctor” fashion, he’d no doubt be cooking up a cure for what ails his grand-father-in-law. But will his efforts pay off in time? Could he wind up creating a rift in his own marriage by mounting an experimental treatment only to have it backfire?
Random Thoughts
• Sometimes, people have inappropriate reactions to bad news. So as awful as it sounded, I bought that Zende’s first reaction to the news of Eric’s impending death was to suggest Ridge was “just saying that to justify RJ getting to work with him.” Speaking of Zende, didn’t he take a big risk saying to the guests, pre-party, “We all know the truth about granddad, right?” What if someone in the room hadn’t known? “Um… er… uh… “
• The outfit Katie wore to Eric’s big party was more gorgeous than anything Ridge or his dad designed for their big fashion showdown. They mentioned that Hope was wearing a gown designed by Eric, but how cool would it have been if they’d made a point to have all the women in attendance wearing gowns Eric had designed over the years?
• Holy crap, there were actually servants walking around with drinks and canapés at the party. Someone remembered the Forresters are rich!
