The 1980's were certainly the decade of "The Soap;" Big shoulder pads, even bigger hair, and big, recognizable names. The astounding success of nighttime soaps such as "Dallas," Knots Landing," "Falcon Crest,' and of course, the biggest of them all..."Dynasty," ( the show which I believe had a big influence on "The Bold & the Beautiful," with it's super-rich, larger than life characters, the two warring families. Back then it was the Forrester's vs. the Spectra's, the two Fashion Houses constantly at war with each other, usually over stolen designs...or "stolen hearts," as members of both families just couldn't seem to stay away from each other. And what a dynamic that was! For daytime tv viewers, nothing could be more glamorous than warring Beverly Hills Fashion Houses. It was the 80's, that decade where it was not only acceptable to flaunt wealth.. it was ENCOURAGED. Everyone did it, from the truly successful to the working class who wanted to "look" rich; it was the norm. Truly different from how it is today, in a time where showing off jewelry and furs and Italian sports cars will only bring resentment, dirty looks and possibly violence.
After the Reign of Spectra, it was the Spencer clan, another powerful dynasty, headed up by Bill (aka "Dollar Bill") Spencer and his beautiful daughter Caroline, who would be at the center of the typical B&B love triangle; a struggle that went on for years, between Caroline and a Miss Brooke Logan, as they fought for the affections of hot L.A. designer, Ridge Forrester. Who knew that young Brooke Logan, along with her two little sisters, Katy and Donna, would possess such power over the Forrester men...a power that would last for decades. Being poor, or "from the wrong side of the tracks,' never seemed to stop any Logan woman from entering and moving among the families of the rich and powerful; the "beautiful people" that this show is basically about. And who could forget the LEGENDARY fights between the Matriarchs of those two Fashion Houses...oh yes, "Queen Bee" Stephanie Forrester, rolling around in the mud with Sally Spectra, Queen of "knock-off" fashions...if she wasn't stealing Forrester designs, she was putting the moves on Stephanie's husband, the classy silver fox, and lead designer of the Forrester Fashion House, Eric Forrester. With their tumbles in mud and fountains, the food fights, the hair pulling and scratching, Sally & Stephanie were Crystal & Alexis all over again, and fans LOVED IT. So.....what happened????
Fast-forward 30 years, and all that is gone. The excitement, the outrageous and the unexpected; it has been replaced by the modern, uber-politically correct drivel we see today. Steffi Forrester, (raven-haired daughter of Ridge Forrester and Taylor Hayes), and Hope Logan, (blonde haired daughter of Brooke Logan and one time L'A. stud/hustler Deacon Sharpe), both work at Forrester Creations, and as can be predicted, they are in a never ending rivalry over the squeaky clean, and frankly BORING son of Bill Spencer, Liam. But this time around, there is no passion, no cut-throat fights and cruel deceptions. And sadly, this is the thing that is destroying this classic soap opera. Nice people are wonderful to know in real life, but they simply aren't interesting within the context of a soap opera world. Sure, the characters still cheat on their partners, but it is always " an accident," a terrible mistake made in the moment which causes the cheater or liar to be consumed with guilt, as we the audience, wait, and wait ........AND WAIT....for the guilty party to either come clean or to be exposed. That's basically it, the entire structure of a show that was once vibrant and electrifying. And it is understandable that it's not easy to keep it interesting with such a small cast. So the writers have attempted to liven things up by introducing new characters, but they are all so mind-numbingly boring that they become filler, something to be endured while we wait for the old cast members to appear on screen again. This show will likely come to an end, unless the creators wise up and bring back some of that excitement and crazines of years past. They need to realize that it's the offspring of the original characters who are at the helm now. These characters need to become more like their parents; Bring back "mean and calculating" and dump "nice and politically correct..." that stuff simply DOESN'T WORK in the soap opera world..
Review of The Bold and the Beautiful
