Brooke/Deacon/Bridget:
B&B´s most disgusting storyline ever. Even though I have no respect for Brooke Logan, I do reckon that this was way out of character for her. The office boink was going too far with her character. What am I saying? Her first sexual encounter with Deacon was going too far! Yes, Brooke has a thing for married men involved in the Forrester family – no one can deny that – but her own son-in-law! Shame on you, Brooke!
Deacon, the scum of the scummiest scumbag did it again! He betrayed Bridget. How anyone could actually root for this couple is beyond me. Bridget deserved so much better than he could ever dream of. I was so relieved when she FINALLY kicked him and his black wardrobe out! Burn black clothes, burn! Jennifer Finnigan did a terrific job with the juicy material she was given.
Am I the only one who misses Whip Jones? I always thought he and Brooke would be a great couple. He made her laugh when she had no reason to even smile. And who can forget Whip in black lace? Whip gets my vote on “sexiest character in lingerie”. He came on the show as a SOB, wanting gold from Brooke in exchange for protecting her from the scandal, but he turned out to be a great guy. I still miss my Whippie.
I thought the writers got off with a fairly good end of a disastrous storyline. But I don´t think Brooke and Deacon got their fair share of misery, like they both deserve. Again, Brooke is forgiven for her sins. She always get caught, but always is forgiven. I never thought Bridget should have forgiven Brooke, like she seems to have. Bridget should have broken off all contact with Brooke forever. Children break contact with their parents for much less in real life. So the old cliché remains: Hey, it´s only a soap!
Ridge´s paternity secret
This must be one of the most interesting storylines that have hit B&B in years. And for it to be screwed over like it has is a scandal. It disappeared in the background for months to favor the oh, so boring Rick and Amber story.
I know some people think Stephanie has been keeping this a secret since she first became pregnant with Ridge. But that is not true. She had no doubt in her mind that Eric was the father for 40 years. People bring up the box of mementos she had of Massimo as evidence of her having doubts of the paternity. But that was just a writing error. She didn´t keep those mementos for Ridge as she did for herself. And maybe for her kids to learn about her life before she met Eric. But she really had no idea Massimo could be the father as has been mentioned several times. Even Susan Flannery stated it. So believe it!
It always amazes me that Massimo and Stephanie seem to think Ridge is 5 years old. Especially Massimo. He just got to know Ridge and could see him for what he was, a father with 3 kids. But from the second he found out he was Ridge´s father, he had the urge to protect him from all evil, AKA Brooke and Eric. Remind me again how old Ridge is!! Stephanie you could understand a little more. She has always been there for Ridge and taken care of the messes he keeps making. She knows what a life with Brooke can do to a man, as it happens over and over and over again. She only wants Ridge to be happy. She was the one who Ridge grew up with, not Massimo.
When Stephanie refused to come clean about the paternity, Massimo used emotional blackmail on her and made her move in with him. And wasn´t that a shocker: Stephanie leaving Eric for once!! I guess the person who is left behind gets to keep the house? For the first time, Eric was alone in the mansion. Talk about strange! But refreshing. I loved this storyline and how this time Eric was fighting for Stephanie. But stupid writers had this dilemma put on hold for months to shove Amber and Rick down our throats. Don´t they get tired of writing for them – EVER??
Company battles
The company sank to new all time lows this year. Bringing in the likes of Amber, Rick and Deacon as anything but inventory workers or secretaries is still beyond me. Eric voted Ridge out – big mistake! Although, I do reckon that Ridge became an egoistical jerk for a while. But I still loved him! It brought out a new side of Ridge that we have never seen before. But that was easy since we have only seen one side of Ridge in 15 years – the romantic lead. I for one loved his storyline as a Ridge with an edge.
Ridge and Spectra (still amazing to me that Sally no longer owns Spectra!) gave Forrester a fight they could hardly keep up with. The Ambrosia line sure didn´t help. And I felt really bad for Eric when he had to watch the Telesave program sell Forrester originals. Forrester will never be the same again. What was Brooke thinking with “New face of Forrester” anyway? Bet ya she regrets some of it now. Spectra fashions only grew this year. All thanks to Ridge and Massimo. And the year ended with Eric challenging Ridge to a designer competition. He really knew what to do for Ridge after losing Taylor. Go Eric! Mass, what can you say for your own actions?
Amber and Rick´s forever ongoing front burner storyline:
The year stared off with Amber becoming a head designer for Forrester creations and Rick Vice president. WHAT??? Hello, Brooke´s brain, where are you??
And then… the whole plot drivel began. Amber lost her baby – which was mostly her own fault. And became a pill addict. YAWN!!! We were introduced to Amber´s biggest fan, Erica (what a joke!!). But when Erica turned out to be Mary Warwick, things started getting better. Sheila was back!!! I was stunned, chocked and thrilled to see her. And yes, scared! Kimberlin can sure look evil. But what promised to be a great story turned boring pretty quickly. Sheila, the Stephanie hater number 1, became obsessed with getting rid of Amber. WHY?? Amber is sure no match for Sheila the evil. I was so disappointed that Sheila didn´t go after Stephanie. And when Sheila wanted Erica to get pregnant with Rick´s baby, I was so disgusted. What a horrible mother! Sheila wasn´t on for more than 6 months, but she managed to wreck more havoc than she ever has before. Poor Lance. We witnessed the most horrible death in daytime this summer. I do give Brad Bell credit for that. Taylor, as she had nothing else to do, helped Amber out. Who can forget Ridge and Amber´s foot in the tub? I loved Ridge and Amber – I admit it. Amber had more sexual chemistry with Ridge than she ever have with pyjama boy Ricky. And what fun it was watching Amber and Ridge making life miserable for each other like two 5 year olds. Poor Taylor had 5 “kids” to take care of. The storyline finally ended. And what an ending! I was on the edge of my seat while watching Sheila revealing herself to Amber, kidnapping her and happily watching Amber being tortured like she had been torturing viewers since Ambervision began in 1999. I loved how the snowball started rolling faster and faster. From Stephanie figuring out the truth to Ridge introducing Rick to Mary Warwick!
Brooke & Stephanie:
I was speechless. I was going: Is this B&B or the twilight zone? Stephanie befriending Brooke was confusing. While some people actually thought Brooke & Stephanie would become the new supercouple of B&B, I was trying to figure out what was wrong with the writers. Well, in the end, I came to love Brooke and Stephanie as friends. It was refreshing, although a little scary. Brooke and Stephanie as best friends was not convincing, but quite humorous. I was waiting for this friendship to end, as it had to! But when it finally did, I was quite disappointed it did. I grew to love their friendship, although I had missed their battle.
Brooke/Eric/Stephanie:
I felt sick to my stomach while watching Brooke and Eric growing closer after Brooke giving birth to Deacon´s baby. And Stephanie wanting Eric to be there for Brooke! Again, WAS this the twilight zone??? Eric was horny, no question about it. The poor guy had two of his ex-wives living in his guesthouses (still trying to figure out where that second guesthouse came from…). And while Stephanie kept pushing him away after a few kisses must have had Eric really frustrated. Stephanie was playing a very dangerous game. And there was Brooke – the uncomplicated and hyper sexy ex and mother of his two youngest children. While some people dissed Eric, calling him all sort of names, I felt a little sorry for him. Finally, Brooke gave him some advice, he took it and Stephanie let him stay the night. It was time for Brooke to move out. (Tell me again WHY she had to stay there – and for as long as she did?!) Never the less, I still liked the friendly and warm scenes with Katherine, Susan and John.
Taylors tragic death
I was as most viewers shocked to read Taylor was being killed off the show. I guess we all figured out Sheila would be behind it. And what a few wonderful episodes that was. When Sheila and Stephanie came face to face as Amber was rescued just in time… When Sheila escaped the police to pay ex-hubby Eric a visit… I LOVED it! Finally, Sheila had scenes with the people I wanted her to have scenes with for MONTHS. It was nothing disappointing about
that - except that it was too little of it. When Taylor walked inside instead of escaping, we all knew what was about to happen. And we watched in horror as Taylor attacked Sheila and went for the gun in slow motion. By the way, did it annoy anyone else how Eric just stood there watching and doing nothing? Poor John McCook. Couldn´t they at least have Eric unconscious on the floor while Taylor attacked Sheila? When Eric finally woke up from his coma, Brooke was shot too. Then, FINALLY, Eric punched Sheila out cold. He was in shock as he saw the women lying on the floor bleeding as Ridge and Stephanie rushed inside. Taylor was shot in the heart and we all knew it was bad – really bad. But she hung in there longer than we wanted. It was heartbreaking, and a little boring, but in her final scene with Stephanie, it all happened. Kudos to Susan Flannery who had me in a pile of tears. And then Ridge as he said farewell to his dear wife. I have never seen Ronn Moss acting so well as he did this year. How about an Emmy nomination for at least supporting actor?? I was so sad to see Hunter Tylo go. I have always liked her. She and Ronn did some of the best acting they have ever done, although it was painfully obvious that Hunter was breathing under those cheats. I blame the cameramen. Taylor´s death was by far the most tragic storyline this year on daytime.
Is there a doctor in the house?
No, there are two! We were introduced to Mark and Tricia. I loved seeing Margo again and that she is Mark´s mother. What a thrill to have Clarke´s other son back! And what a scene with BOTH Mark and CJ calling out “dad” when Clarke was decked! I love the brotherly war between them. All the more interesting when it comes to Bridget. The jury is still out on which whom I like her to choose. I was leaning towards CJ and Bridget before Mark came along. Then I wanted Mark and Bridget. But now I am not sure.
Tricia is a welcomed addition to the cast if you ask me. I know many disliked her because she was brought in as “nuTaylor”, but I have never seen her as a new Taylor. If the writers wanted a “Taylor”, they would surely have kept Hunter Tylo as the real Taylor and not screwed with her big fan base. I will never like Tricia and Ridge together though. But I am liking the idea of Tricia and Thorne. And I have since I first saw them together in a scene. I hope they will have a chance together. A real and fair chance. That´s all I ask.
Brooke & Ridge take 1439:
I was happy they were pairing these two up again after Taylor´s death. But too much of something is never good. I feel like they have been shoved down my throat too much these last few weeks. They are fast becoming as annoying as Rick and Amber are. The writers should slow it down and let it take it´s course in it´s own time. Taylor´s barely cold in her grave yet. I do think it´s wrong to go full speed with these two now, but that doesn´t mean I agree with Massimo and Stephanie either. I think those two should back off. It´s the same old story all over again and we really do not need that. I love watching Brooke and Stephanie going at it, but enough is enough. I wish Stephanie could just state her opinion and tell Brooke she will never accept it and lay off them. And don´t even get me started on Massimo. He is the LAST person to butt in. Okay, maybe not the last but you get my drift. I want Brooke and Stephanie to be somewhat friendly with each other but having difficulties seeing things from the same point of view. And I want Ridge to keep that edge of his. I don´t want him to go back being the romantic lead that two women fight over. It´s been done too often.
Back from the “dead”:
I was thrilled to read Bobbie Eakes was returning to B&B. We all knew Macy was alive. What a joy it was seeing “Lena” facing the camera and revealing what we all had hoped for. And that emotional Sally/Macy reunion… And Winsor Harmon´s terrific acting when Thorne realized Macy was alive and standing before him! But somehow, the great stuff quickly turned boring. I want Macy to tell Thorne he is forgiven, but that the two of them are history. And I want Thorne to accept that and move on with Tricia. And Macy with Lorenzo. But later, the story turning into a Tricia/Thorne/Macy/Lorenzo quad. Still, having Bobbie back is great!
Most promising new couple:
I know a lot of people want Thorne and Macy back together, but I don´t. They have been married 3 times and it never worked out. May they be “soulmates”, but I don´t care. If there should be Thorne and Macy, it should be Jeff Trachta who played Thorne before Winsor took over.
No, I like Thorne and Tricia. Here´s a sweet and beautiful woman for him and they hit it off right away. And most importantly – she has no history with Ridge! Why not give it a shot?
Best actress of 2002:
Susan Flannery (Stephanie). She had some amazing scenes this year too. (Stephanie telling off Eric, Stephanie confronting Brooke and Deacon, Stephanie comforting Bridget over the Breacon affair and most recently Stephanie realizing Taylor was about to die). There´s enough Emmy reel material there to put all other actresses on daytime in the shadow.
But a close second and even closer third is Jennifer Finnigan (Bridget) and Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke). And not to forget Kimberlin Brown (Sheila). B&B have some very strong actresses in their cast.
Best actor of 2002:
This category is much tougher. I can´t really make a pick here. But I can certainly mention a few stand-outs. John McCook (Eric) had some really wonderful moments with Eric losing Stephanie and Ridge to Massimo. He had me in tears. Sean Kanan (Deacon) was great as always. Ronn Moss (Ridge) really impressed me this year. Joseph Mascolo (Massimo) also great. And most recently, Winsor Harmon (Thorne) impressed me with the Thorne/Macy reunion scenes as we finally saw Thorne on-screen. And I have to mention Rick Hearst (Whip) too.
Best guest appearance:
I am going with the wonderful Lauren Koslow (Margo) in this category. It was great seeing her again on B&B. And what a surprise that DAYS let “Kate” visit La-la land. But it was great seeing Fabio and Tracy E Bregman (Lauren) stopping by too.
Best sex scene:
Brooke and Deacon. Although the thought of their connection to Bridget grossed me out, they were still the most passionate couple of the year. When two sex starving characters cross paths in a very no-no way, it´s extremely explosive and dangerous.
Most gross scene:
This one is connecting to the above. I was totally grossed out when Megan had to change the sheets in Brooke´s bedroom/office after the Deacon boink. Megan deserves the biggest raise known to mankind for her duties as Brooke´s secretary!
Freakiest kiss:
Sheila and Erica wins hands down! I just held my breath as Sheila pushed her daughter to the wall and planted that kiss on her lips. It was like taken right out of the Godfather and left poor Erica in shock. As it did me! Sheila´s message with the kiss came right through as if she had said “you can never escape me, I am inside your soul forever”. Brilliant – and spooky!
Worst seduction:
Erica´s Greek seduction dance. I felt sorry for Courtnee.
Best return (also best kept secret):
Kimberlin Brown (Sheila). What a surprise that was! I hadn´t heard for sure she was returning and suddenly, there she was on my screen, looking scarier than ever before. I was thrilled. I knew she would heat things up, but too bad it was only for Amber and Rick! What promised to be such a wonderful story turned boring when Sheila hid away from everyone that mattered. But I still loved her return.
And now, Bobbie Eakes (Macy) is back. I am happy about it, but it wasn´t as big of a surprise as Kimberlin´s return was.
Biggest waste of talent:
There were a lot of characters I would have loved to see more of. Kristen, Tony, Sofia, Darla, Sally, Clarke, Taylor and Eric. A few of them are really a waste of talent. So, take your own pick. Instead of shoving the same old characters (Ridge, Brooke & Amber) down our throats, the writers should concentrate a little more on somewhat equal screen time for at least 10 characters – not counting in minor roles such as Darla and Megan.
Biggest shock:
Hunter Tylo (Taylor) being let go after 12 years. It was even more shocking than 2 years ago when Bobbie Eakes (Macy) was let go after 11 years. I never thought Bell would take such a risk, but he did. And we no longer have “Ridge and Taylor”. I can´t say I am missing Taylor a whole lot, but I do miss Hunter Tylo. B&B isn´t quite itself anymore without you!
Best newcomer:
Rick Hearst (Whip). I wasn´t so sure about the Whip character at first, but I not only grew to like him. I grew to love him! So sad to see the Whiplet go.
Worst newcomer:
No, not Tricia as SOD saw it. I Quick-ly learned to like her. Mark MacClain may not be one of my favorites, but I still wouldn´t say he was the worst newcomer of the year. I´d rather choose Ziggy or Erica. I only liked Erica the first 2 weeks and the 2 last weeks of her stay at B&B. Ziggy wasn´t on as much as Erica was, so my pick is Erica. A fan of Ambers is never a good sign for a new character in my book.
Best vocal performance/music:
No, I am not picking Amber here! Must that girl always sing? And I not picking Erica either with that annoying jingle. And not the twinsis´. Then it doesn´t leave me many, does it? So, Macy (Bobbie Eakes) it is!
Question: Why havn´t I heard any of the men sing? (Except that fun scene with Clarke and Sally) I know John McCook, Ronn Moss and Winsor Harmon have all released CDs in real life. And a friend told me Joseph Mascolo sings too. Why can´t we hear the men sing for their women instead of always the other way around? I for one would love to see Eric, Ridge, Thorne and Rick getting up on stage at Insomnia and do some classic lovesong for Stephanie, Brooke, Macy and Amber!
Hunk of the year:
Easy one. Whipple Jones III AKA “Whip”. The name says it all. I´ve always been drawn to the features that Rick Hearst sports. Strength, confidence, humor, the dark hair and eyes… Whip really had me at “hello”.
Most beautiful woman:
I am one of those who prefer Hunter Tylo´s (Taylor) beauty. She is (was) the most beautiful woman on daytime.
Sexiest character:
Here enter Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke). I don´t find her as beautiful as Hunter, but she woman just oozes sex-appeal. And it appears that sexiness comes with age. Just take a look at Kim Catrall (Samantha, Sex and the city) and Eileen Davidson (Ashley, Young & Restless) both over 40 and sexier than ever before. Katherine has only gotten more beautiful and more sexy with the years. 10 years ago, I didn´t find Brooke very beautiful or sexy – but just take a look at her now!
Questionmarks of the year:
How in the world did little Mary go from being a year old to teenage Erica in 3,5 years?
How come I´ve never seen the second guesthouse before? And why hasn’t anyone stayed there before Stephanie moved in?
Laugh of the year:
Watching Ricky and Amber trying to be sexy and passionate in their pyjamas. Give me a break! All Forrester men before Rick have been convincing, so why isn´t Rick? IS he a Forrester at all? Or does he just prefer the smooth feel of 100% cotton on his body rather than his wife?
Worst storyline:
Amber/Rick/Erica triangle. Boring, annoying and took up way too much space. Two girls fighting for a wet behind the ears pyjama-boy was not convincing.
Best storyline:
Ridge´s paternity secret. Just too bad it was put on backburner for as long as it did. One of the best storylines in the history of B&B should have been handled better. This has been dragging out for an entire year now. But I did like the consequences it brought on during the first months of 2002.
Emmy worthy actors of the year:
As always, several actors deserve a nomination. Too bad not all of them can get it. But I think I can pick out a few that really deserve a nomination for the year of 2002:
Susan Flannery, Katherine Kelly Lang and Jennifer Finnigan,
Sean Kanan, Ronn Moss and John McCook.
And finally, Bradley Bell and the entire show. You all did great!
(I DO know there are a few more who deserves it!)
All in all, a very good bold and beautiful year. The writing has improved by the end of the year as most of you have noticed already. Romance is back, as is comedy and glamour. B&B is finally heading back to it´s old self again. Thank you writers, actors and everyone else in the crew. Hope next year will be even better!
