The company we keep

Will Liam wimp out and indulge his hormones with Steffy, or stay true to Hope? The bigger question is: does anyone care anymore? This tale is getting messier every day, due to mixed messages and spotty continuity.

Has your week been bold and beautiful? Did your magazine go to press and hit the stands within hours? Did you suddenly decide it was Independence Day? Did your relationship merit no less than two musical montages? These and more situations faced the Forresters et al this week!

On and on and on the beat goes...four weeks in, and it's the same old story: will Liam wimp out and indulge his hormones with Steffy, or stay true to Hope? Of course, the bigger question is: does anyone care anymore? B&B spent another entire week on this tale, and it's getting messier every day -- not due to plot developments but mixed messages and spotty continuity. The perpetrators:

Liam. Here's a guy who stood by Hope for over a year, content to not have sex, even through the whole Amber mess (maybe because he got sex from Amber in the deal), and now suddenly he's going stir-crazy because he can't get busy with Hope right freaking now. Worse yet, for someone who keeps insisting he's engaged, Liam sure manages to hang around Steffy a lot, forgetting his shirt in the bargain. And locking lips with her every couple of episodes. It ain't makin' ya look too good, Liam! Maybe he's Dollar Bill's son, after all.

If Liam sleeps with Steffy, the character is all but ruined, and there's no going back from that. All right, so putting off sex is challenging for a 20-something. But really -- some self-control, Mr. Spencer. You'll be able to have sex with Hope soon enough. Man up and fly solo in the meantime. Spencer Publications must have back issues of the blue magazines they used to put out in the '80s!

Hope. She's not exactly helping matters. I mostly see her as the innocent here, but Steffy does have a point -- all the Hope For The Future hullabaloo is really making public what should be private, and Hope's a little late to the game in seeing how that's affecting Liam. Plus, if you're making someone wait for sex, don't fill their house with candles and kiss all over them. I'm wondering, when did Hope For The Future become a soapbox for abstinence? The line was created in January 2010 and never had any kind of message attached to it -- like Steffy said, it should be about "clothes, not a cause." Maybe they're just trying to undo the damage from Taboo, which also erroneously became more about image than actual designs.

At least Hope listened and agreed to move up the wedding when Liam finally expressed his frustration (I think Liam's stance is dubious, but Scott Clifton did a nice job conveying Liam's vulnerability and awkwardness). But now the Forresters won't let her. Have they so little faith in their merch that they have to ride on their personal relationships to garner publicity? I mean, they ain't TMZ. Very 2011, maybe, but in the end, it's about the quality of the product, not the hype used to sell it.

Liam's reaction to the bad news was bizarre! Hope changed her mind; he sulked. She broke her promise! No, she didn't -- all Hope had to do was tell him the company forced her hand. And Steffy, once the unlikely head of said company's PR, should totally get that. Instead, she used it as her cue to bust another move on Liam.

Sorry, I'm just not buying Steffy's professions of love, which seem to get handed out as easily as napkins at a cocktail party. Justin, Thomas, and even Liam have questioned the possibility of Steffy rebounding from Bill. Well, gee, of course she'd deny that! But it's that very recent involvement with Bill that completely cancels out any interest in Liam, as far as I'm concerned.

Does someone wanna tell me what Bill is smoking these days? Who makes their son the editor of their flagship publication when said son is a computer guy? Sure, Liam's been with Spencer a year now, but at most, he'd end up an apprentice editor, maybe. But hey, Bill's a maverick -- which is why he set up a security camera outside Liam's door to make sure Steffy spent the night. How many ways can you spell "eww"? I'm surprised Bill didn't just install it in Liam's bedroom so he can see for himself! Bill's thought that if he can't have Steffy, then Liam might as well is just beyond out there.

One does get the feeling that Bill might be using Liam as a buffer to keep Steffy away, doesn't one? I never gave much credence to "Still," but I'm beginning to wonder if there's more to Bill's behavior than just a desire to help his son. What else would explain it? Or Katie's declaration of the bedroom as a no-Steffy zone? You'd think she'd be a little more standoffish, at least for the near future, after Bill's "affairlet." Instead, it's as if it never happened. Strange.

It's as strange as Brooke's aside to Hope that committing to your man is as good as marriage, so why not lose her virginity to Liam because it doesn't go against the abstinence message of Hope For The Future! I didn't mind Brooke's encouragement like some did, but if it wasn't hypocritical, considering Hope's public stance, why suggest that no one needs to know? Furthermore, that same commitment had Hope ready to give herself to Liam weeks ago, until she backed off and decided to wait for marriage. Now, suddenly, she's ready to get funky because mama said to? First the back-and-forth regarding Liam and Oliver, now this. Hope's not the best decision-maker, is she?

While the story of Hope's purity may strike some as old-fashioned, I actually think it's kind of novel in this very jaded day and age. B&B probably felt the same when they crafted the tale. But it's nowhere near strong enough to drive the entire show week after week, and, as I mentioned, there's only two ways this can go. During Steffy's next shopping trip on Rodeo Drive, she seriously needs to pick up a clue. Or ten. I'm glad she has some layers now and isn't the cartoon vamp she was even with Bill, but she's just looking more and more like a loser chasing unavailable men. And she's only doing it to herself.

Now, whereas the Hope/Liam/Steffy saga has slowed to a crawl, the immanently more intriguing story of Thorne's revolt has been rushed into production like a Forrester fashion line. I want to like it, especially because we are finally seeing Thorne, a B&B legacy character, taken out of mothballs and moved into the credits, which you all know I have been demanding since I started writing these columns. So why rush it? In the space of two weeks, Thorne has renewed his romance with Taylor and become the champion of her children, the supposed Forrester underdogs. Seriously?

First off, it was a lame setup. Taylor, who, by her own admission this week, didn't believe in fortune-tellers, gets a fortune complete with stormy night, stray cat, and mystery man -- the key word being "mystery." Then, not only do all of Anthony's predictions come true virtually instantly (hey, Anthony, got any lotto numbers for me?), but our mystery man is none other than Thorne. Stephanie's number two son is hardly a mystery to Taylor or anyone else. Wouldn't "mystery" imply a new face? But okay, we'll go with it, because, after all, we've got our Thorne back.

But where's the build? Instead, Thorne marches into the house of a woman he hasn't really spoken to in ages, suddenly decides his niece and nephew are getting a raw deal, and tells Taylor she can use her position as stock trustee to the kids' advantage. You mean to tell me Thorne has been sitting in the basement at Forrester for years, thinking about how unfair things are for Taylor's kids? What about his own? And there's no getting around it, Scoopers: Thorne would probably still be married to Darla -- the mother of his only child -- if Taylor hadn't gotten behind the wheel that foggy night.

There is much debate over just how responsible Taylor was for Darla's death, and I'm not going to go into that here. Suffice it to say, it was Taylor's car that plowed into the former Ms. Einstein, regardless of the circumstances. At least Thorne and Taylor touched on the topic; Thorne says he's forgiven her, but I'm not sure how realistic that is. How much sense does it make for Thorne to kiss Taylor out of nowhere, to say nothing of the fact that just two months ago, Taylor was ready to remarry Ridge? Would it have been so hard for B&B to reintroduce Thorne slowly, put him in Taylor's orbit, get us past the icky Darla-is-dead-because-of-you history and then have them reexplore a romance? It's a good story on paper, but so far, the execution (pardon the pun) has been lousy.

As if revisiting the stock is a great idea. That phrase is getting up there with Y&R's "reliquary!" The spreadsheet needed to track the constant changes in ownership would fill up my hard drive. Yes, it's interesting that Taylor, Steffy, and Thomas control 55% of the shares and, therefore, Forrester. But Taylor doesn't belong in the fashion business. And the fact that her kids have contributed to the company's success in recent times does not entitle them to this much stock. Thorne busted his ass there his entire adult life, and has what again? Zero! So how does any of this benefit Thorne?

No, I say Thorne's planning something. The only way this story works is if he ends up CEO. By the way, why the sudden antagonism between Thorne and Ridge? They squabbled during that meeting as if they grew up hating each other. They've had their conflicts over the years, but nothing that merits this kind of hostility. Of course, Ridge shouldn't have put all Forrester ad dollars into Hope For The Future -- or any one line. Nor should he have called the shop "my company." Ridge has always been an egomaniac, but I don't recall Eric lording his position over the others when he was CEO. And he easily could have.

Still, I felt let down by the spoilers, which gleefully told us a punch would be thrown and someone would end up unconscious. Instead, Ridge and Thorne got into a silly shoving match, and Ridge merely pushed Thorne so he melodramatically fell into some glasses. Big yawn! Don't hype it if you ain't gonna follow through on it. I can understand if Thorne feels second best in the company and the family. But let's face it, he was never "banished" to the basement (unlike Thomas, who deserved it) -- Thorne has been working in shipping since the '80s. That's what he does. So, why the sudden need to revolt? And didn't we do this already when Thorne defected to Spectra several years ago?

I really am glad to see Thorne finally utilized -- it's about damn time, and I hope it's not just for a month or two with him being back-burnered again. Ultimately, the tale has a lot of potential. But so far, it's been sprung on us so fast that it's stretching credibility to its limit, and Thorne, of all characters on this show, deserves more than that!

What do you think we, as viewers old and new, deserve? Send in your comments on this Two Scoops column, and they might end up in the next one. Like these!

• "Steffy told Brooke that only Liam could tell her to back off and when Liam [does] she kisses him? Why did she think she [had] the right to just walk into his house?" -- Michelle

• "I am so disgusted by Liam and his horny parts! Why does he not just go into the bathroom...you know! It is laughable that these writers think anyone would have empathy for him..." -- Annie

• "They ruined Thorne and Taylor the first time around, but maybe we can get some clarity this go-round. Anything other than all-virgin-all-the-time is welcome in my book! Taylor and Rick are not an option with Jacob Young in the role...Kyle Lowder had amazing chemistry with Taylor!" -- Belinda

• "The writers need to go back and see what happened in the past before writing up things that don't work in the present. Thorne and Taylor were married when she had Thomas who was Ridge's. Why after the way she treated him then and then killed his wife would he go to her now..." -- Netta

• "I never believed for a second that Bill or Steffy loved each other. Now I know that I was right. The first time Bill and Steffy saw each other after the big breakup and they barely looked at each other. Bill only perked up when he realized he could use Steffy..." -- MMM

• "I can appreciate Hope's decision to wait, but she is always all over Liam with heavy duty kissing and not expecting him to be aroused...he has every right to be frustrated...Steffy is inappropriate and pushy, but I am rooting for her." -- Linda

• "I like that [Thorne] wants to get at least some control of Forrester Creations (his birthright), but why the relationship with Taylor. Why can't it just be business? I get so tired of the on-again, off-again relationships that make no sense and come out of the blue. I have been watching this show since 1989. The last 5 years of this show have just been so bad with a few exceptions...I really hope something changes soon." -- Gordon

• "Please, someone tell me how B&B is still on the air yet this is the last week for All My Children on ABC? It's horrible storytelling and completely insults my intelligence as a viewer since the '90s. It's offensive and just way too sleazy..." -- Shawn

Hard to believe, isn't it? AMC has bid adieu to the airwaves after 41 years. Let's keep our fingers crossed for its upcoming online run with Prospect Park -- the future of all soaps may depend on it. And on the better writing many of you are clamoring for. No one's clamoring more than me!

Now to finish with Points to Ponder, and there's lots of 'em:

Why is Steffy being told to retool her line and Hope being praised for her line? These girls don't design the clothes! For whatever Thomas did or didn't do, at least Taboo was made up of his own creations... For that matter, last year, Steffy wanted Forrester to get back to class -- so now she's torqued because Hope is doing exactly that? And how is a "provocative" lingerie line couture, much less couture that embodies the "class" Steffy said was gone from the company?

Loved when Bill said Hope needed a sap and named Oliver... Twice now, Steffy almost responded to Hope's attempt at reconciliation -- I guess it didn't help that Hope uncharacteristically rubbed her professional and personal successes in Steffy's face... "It was just a kiss," Bill told Liam. "Don't beat yourself up." Of course, he'd advise that, considering he felt it perfectly okay to kiss Steffy behind Katie's back... Why is Hope's wedding still three months away when it was three months away a month ago? Why would she move in with Liam without discussing it with him first? And if she'd just have her chat with him before his party, she'd save herself a lot of grief...

"Everyone still values your opinion," Eric told Stephanie, "despite what you did." Good to see La Forrester's misdeeds weren't just forgotten -- by Eric or by Ridge and Brooke... Katie said she and Donna were supposed to keep an eye on Steffy. They're not -- but Bill's camera has them beat!... "We couldn't have found a better champion," Thomas raved to Thorne. Like he and Steffy gave a crap about Thorne before now?... Ridge assured Taylor he wanted to distribute her shares equally. To who? Thorne may have been less belligerent if he knew he was getting a chunk... Does everyone on this show have to make out at work? Get a room, Marcus and Dayzee!

Jacob Young is about to appear as Rick for the first time since 1999. Will his storyline be worth it? Keep watching, be alert, and most of all, be bold!

What are your thoughts on ? What did you think of this week's Two Scoops? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.