Triangles, triggers, and other trans actions

When Deacon seemed to buy stock in the Waffle House due to his inability to decide between ladies, Wyatt got the point while Quinn took a stab at Brooke. Elsewhere, Nicole bounced between brotherhood and blackmail, which led Carter to overhear a trans-mission about his former fiance! Qualify a quintet of unexpectedly erratic episodes with Two Scoops' Mike!

Has your week been bold and beautiful? Did you go from drawing necklaces to drawing blood? Did you learn that your former fiance once filled a different form? Like Alice in Wonderland, did everyone around you decide, "We're all mad here"? These and more situations faced the Forrester-Logan-Spencer clan this week!

Is it just me, Scoopers, or was it a little hard to make sense of The Bold and the Beautiful this week? When our characters weren't going in circles, they were ricocheting between viewpoints like they'd plunked themselves into a pinball game. I damn near got whiplash, trying to follow these folks around! Yet Carter getting an earful about Maya/Myron may have made it all worthwhile. Let's Scoop about it and sift the facts out of all the April-foolery!

What the hell is going on with Deacon? He says he's committed to Quinn and their upcoming marriage then in the same breath, he wants another chance with Brooke. And we went to commercial no less than four times with Deacon asking if Brooke reciprocated his feelings. Deacon was certainly acting like he was drunk. Bad enough his history got funked with again, as he said he only started slipping in his sobriety after Brooke's downfall. Everyone knows Deacon had a glass superglued to his hand the minute he returned last June.

Likewise, Brooke's favorite number was 180, because she kept doing them, telling Deacon this could be their time, except there was no point in talking about it because of Quinn. I'm sorry, watching these exes interact this week was maddening. Thank the soap gods common sense finally prevailed when Brooke admitted her drinking problem to Katie! The youngest Logan certainly had a point, reminding Brooke she could have been turning to Katie all along. Or turned to anybody. "Anybody but Deacon," Katie declared.

The same Deacon your again-husband busted out of jail for the express purpose of ruining your niece's wedding, Katie? Okay, so it was finding out that Bill had sprung Deacon that led to Katie giving birth prematurely, almost dying, sinking into postpartum depression, and pushing Bill away, which culminated in Bill's affair with Brooke. Katie probably blames Deacon, but none of that was his fault. And Katie wasn't even around when Deacon first hooked up with Brooke behind Bridget's back; Deacon's pretty much been behaving since his return besides. So what is Katie's problem? Aside from appearing on obviously green-screened doorsteps, that is.

Katie seems a little rudderless these days, only providing commentary for her sister and nephew. That's right, Katie was suddenly brought into Liam's aborted takeover plot for some strange, irrelevant reason. B&B probably wanted to remind us they're still planning on doing something with this story thread, though "it could take months." If Liam or Bill or Ridge really wanted to boot Rick from Forrester's CEO chair, all they'd have to do is go to the police about Rick shooting up the place, or make sure TMZ and Perez Hilton know about it. Done! Talk about dragging something out that doesn't need dragging.

Wyatt joined his soon-to-be-ex-aunt-in-law in No Storyline Land, though his presence when Rick decided to rehire Quinn was appropriate enough. And Bill, whose observations usually require taking with a planet-sized grain of salt, provided the most logic when he said that Rick was only bringing Quinn back to stick it to Ivy. Perhaps Rick really is as insane as Ms. Fuller, because he happily told those he viewed as his minions where the door was if they didn't like sharing a lunchroom with Quinn.

That's the thing! If Ridge and Caroline and Ivy and Pam and Carter and Oliver and Charlie are so miserable under Rick's command, why do they stay? It's not like Ridge couldn't start up a new design house; he already bought Spectra for Brooke and renamed it Logan Designs back in the aughts. So why not do something similar now? Ridge owes Eric nothing after Papa Forrester made sales figures more important than Rick's gunplay.

Instead, the put-upon peons balked at Quinn's rehiring, and rightly so. I was so happy when the unusually vocal Pam reminded everyone that Quinn had tried to kill Liam! Yes, Quinn was only the catalyst for Ridge getting dumped out of Bill's helicopter, and, while Quinn did push Ivy into the River Seine, it wasn't with the intention of hurting her. Sitting on top of Liam with a sword and making ready to turn him into a shish kebab was criminal, and it's about time someone on this show made mention of it. Make that someones. "Quinn Fuller is dangerous," Liam spat upon learning the identity of Ivy's new coworker. And he should know!

None of that stopped Rick, though he at least warned Quinn not to pull any more savage shenanigans. Quinn all but swore her allegiance with a Boy Scout salute, but, before HR could even finish processing her papers, she was back to her old ways, picking up the scent of Brooke's perfume on Deacon's shirt and baring her fangs at La Logan. Strangely catching herself, Quinn turned the world on with her smile and decided it was all right for Deacon to aid in Brooke's sobriety. Until Quinn overheard Brooke and Deacon discussing their latent feelings for each other. See where this is going?

Quinn also took a walk on Whiplash Way, snarling "You have pushed me to my limit, and you know what that means!" one moment and assuring "I'm not a threat" the next. Why was no one able to pick a side and stick to it this week? And if Quinn was so happy to be designing jewelry for Forrester again, why didn't she put the drama aside and get to work creating necklaces instead of taking off to her lair and making yet another sword? Is this all she does?

Oh, sorry -- it's a letter opener for Rick. At least, that's what she told Wyatt, who saw this potential weapon and still told his mother about catching Deacon in the act of admitting that only his engagement to Quinn was stopping him from reuniting with Brooke. Huuuuuhhh? Wyatt just got through telling Carter (in a rare character combo) that Quinn would jump back aboard the Crazy Train if Deacon betrayed her. So why buy her the ticket?

Predictably, someone lurked through the hallways of Forrester, and from that POV, we saw the flash of Rick's letter opener, which looked to be his mother opener as Brooke got skewered! Wow, Quinn wasted no time wasting someone, did she? Now, of course, Quinn stabbing Brooke is probably just a fantasy entertained by one of these ladies. But I have to admit, I wish it was the real thing. And here's why.

I like Rena Sofer. She's doing a fine job. But Quinn is nothing but a watered-down Sheila clone. Sheila worked because she really did try to go straight, and none of the Forresters knew about Sheila's wrongdoing for a couple of years. Not so with Quinn, whose victims probably got together and started their own Facebook group within weeks: Aly almost got pushed off a building, Ivy got thrown off a bridge, and Liam nearly died by Quinn's sword. Deacon knows that Quinn was a suspect in the forgotten Ricardo Montemayor murder. How is this woman still allowed to run around loose?

Hell, even Sheila served time in prison. Oh, how times have changed -- no one pays for anything on this show anymore. Quinn faked her therapy and attributes her so-called better behavior to Deacon's love, and that's apparently good enough for jazz. As a character, Quinn lost any credibility once she tried to kill Liam. Even past psychos like Anthony Armando and Morgan DeWitt did time after attempting murder. I hope Quinn did stab Brooke, because Ms. Fuller needs to go to jail and stay there.

As for Rick and Maya, maybe they really do belong together, because Rick got a slap on the hand for firing a gun at Ridge and Caroline, and Maya has gotten away with being a right bitch for months. At least Maya's consistent now -- unlike her sister, who got bitten by the inconsistency bug just two weeks after her Emmy-worthy "You're my brother" reveal. Initially, Nicole told Maya she had only stooped to blackmail to get Maya to own up about her transition. Then, Nicole promised she'd keep quiet if Maya took care of her. Yet the first thing Nicole did afterwards was drop hints to Rick about Maya's secret as if that promise hadn't been made!

Maya wasn't much better. She'd agreed to be a sister to Nicole, then resisted the first time Nicole asked for something, and in front of Rick, no less. Could Maya have been more obvious about trying to prevent Rick and Nicole from being alone together? It was nice, at least, that Rick mentioned Bridget and that she's in New York (too bad Budge isn't front and center with Brooke and Deacon back in each others' orbit!). A little less nice that Rick said all his women were liars. Amber yes, Caroline a little -- but certainly not Y&R's Ashley Abbott, and what about the way Rick toyed with Steffy just to piss Ridge off? Are Taylor and her dead daughter Phoebe included in this list of lying ladies?

I'm afraid Nicole lost about a million points with me this week; she can't decide whether she wants to be a sister or a blackmailer. Nicole didn't even give Maya a chance to atone for abandoning her before ordering Maya to make her a Forrester model -- if Maya refused, Rick would find out Maya's transgender. The sisters Avant already had a grudging agreement; it's like no one's corroborating on scripts to make sure the details match. This lack of cohesion is already chipping away at this very important transgender story that many organizations have their eye on.

Now, many people are of the opinion that Maya is lying to Rick by not cluing him in to who she used to be. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Maya identifies as a woman, and always has, even before her transition from Myron. In other words, she is living as a woman, emotionally, psychologically, and physically. Isn't it Maya's choice whether or not to disclose her former life to Rick? I identified as straight before I had the courage to come out -- do I need to tell partners that I used to have a girlfriend? It's a slippery slope of moral high ground, that's for sure.

One thing I do know is that Nicole stands to gain nothing if she tells Rick that Maya is transgender. Does Nicole really think Maya will ever have anything to do with her again if she spills? I can't make heads or tails out of Nicole's motivation, and it's a coin that keeps spinning up in the air without landing on either side. I'm really disappointed in Nicole's development. Reign Edwards is still quite a powerhouse actress for being so young, but Nicole needs to either be Maya's friend or her enemy. She can't be both.

Because people on this show always have extremely private conversations at full volume in a place of business (Nicole will certainly fit into Forrester in that regard), the sisters Avant battled over Maya's right to privacy just as Carter, the lawyer-minister-actor who has been without a storyline since the fall of 2013, opened the door and heard Maya's insistence that she was proud of who she was, plus Nicole's rebuttal, "But not of who you were." (Admittedly, a really good line.) Nicole stormed out of Rick's office after calling Maya "Myron," and Carter slowly entered as if he had just seen his life flash before his eyes!

Well, unless Maya convincingly explains this away, Carter will be the first person outside of the Avant family to learn of Maya's origins. He already told Maya before, when he saw she was upset, that she could confide in him and he wouldn't judge. Can Carter back those words up with actions?

I gotta tell ya, I'm sensing a shift in the wind, here. Rick seems to be over Caroline, telling Katie that they may be able to work as a team after all. But there was a lot of hinting about Rick and Caroline's connection. Now, if Rick dumps Maya over being designated male at birth, Caroline would be a fool to take Rick back after he shot at her. B&B has promised us that Maya's identity would be at the center of a love story -- what if it's not Rick but Carter who provides Maya with that love and acceptance?

Time will tell, and B&B has put out a casting call for a transgender actor, so we know Maya's story will persist into May Sweeps. Rick needs redemption (again); maybe this is it. Maya needs redemption; Karla Mosley has suggested that Maya's fear of disclosure is what caused her to let Rick slip away the first time (um, so Rick sleeping with Caroline wasn't a good enough excuse?), but that certainly doesn't explain why Maya's been such a shrew to everyone else after being a nice girl for so long.

Finally, you probably want to know what I thought of Maya's baby explanation -- that the baby she demanded back from Dayzee wasn't her biological child; Maya raised (presumably) Jesse's child as her own. You know, Maya's backstory has always had enough holes that this mostly works. If only, since my last column, I hadn't discovered a scene with Maya specifically telling Bill she was pregnant with Jesse's baby. When Bill finds out that Maya is transgender -- and he will -- I need to see him confront Maya over it, and for Maya to admit that she fudged the details because Bill was blackmailing her. Then, I think I could largely accept the revisionist history of Maya's baby.

You know what else I need to see? I need Jesse to show up for a few episodes to fill in some blanks, since he was there during that period. And how killer would it be to bring in a couple of veteran actors to play Mr. and Mrs. Avant? I'm talking folks like Darnell Williams and Debbi Morgan (Jesse and Angie Hubbard, All My Children). Or even Peter Francis James and Kim Brockington (Clayton and Felicia Boudreau, Guiding Light). What a GL reunion that would make!

What's working for you and not working for you on B&B right now? Have the corners of the Quinn/Deacon/Brooke triangle gotten too sharp? Can Carter keep Maya's transgender story from crashing on takeoff? And will the Forrester-Logan-Spencer clan, not to mention the Avants, get their motivations straight? Talk about it in the Comments section below, speak your mind on the Soap Central message boards, or simply click here to submit feedback. Your comments could wind up in a future column -- like these!

• "I just wanted to give you Mike a big YES regarding your [column] about [the] Maya/Myron/transgender [story]. It is the most spot-on [about] transgenderism, sexuality, transvestite I've read in the soap forum world. A very important, accurate text. Thank you!" -- Jenny

• "I think it's terrific that [B&B takes] on new stories as I'm tired of recycled stories ...[but] there is just no way Rick's character [will] accept [Maya being transgender]...every day they have Rick saying...how bad Caroline was...and how truthful Maya is...this has been going on for weeks...the writers lead you one way to surprise you with something else only it doesn't because this is how it is.." -- Lynda

• "I keep reading about how rushed Brooke's alcoholism storyline is. True, it's a little condensed, but I don't see it as implausible...my whole life I could take alcohol or leave it without a second thought...[eventually] it went from an occasional glass of wine to several bottles a night (and nightly blackouts) within a matter of a few months...it's actually not an uncommon occurrence for middle-aged women (presumably those predisposed to addiction) to never show signs, and then become very heavy drinkers in a very short period of time. Most people don't know that, so I really hope the show addresses it..." -- Erin

• "I just wanted to [say] that I am very disappointed in the Bold & Beautiful and the role...of Maya [being] transgender. I really feel that making...Maya...a transgender woman is a very bad idea...it is very discouraging and I think [it] is going to decrease the ratings." -- "Shakeriac"

"I think Rick in the end will stay with Maya. I think his love is that deep and strong; the real story will be who will support them and who will not -- that I think will be a bigger surprise." -- Donna

Y'all ready for some Points to Ponder?

Assumptions were made that Rick had it in for Ivy because she's friends with Caroline, and/or against Maya. Didn't Rick only target Ivy after she caught him kissing Maya during Rick's staged reconciliation with Caroline?... "It's my office!" Quinn bragged once she was rehired. No, Quinn, even you know the office across from Rick's is occupied by Ridge... Rick seemed to revel in "teasing" Maya and "grilling" her about her past. Since when has Rick been interested in the life Maya had before meeting him?

Bill groused that Deacon was a convict and a loser who had gotten with Quinn. Um, had you ever been arrested for your crimes, Dollah, you could say the same about yourself... Katie reported that Karen called wondering if Rick was okay after divorcing Caroline. First, isn't everyone making noise about the six-month waiting period Rick and Caroline must endure before their divorce is final? And Karen asking about Rick -- seriously? Would you call a man who used your daughter for target practice?

Who's not clear about Breacon's history? Brooke told Quinn she and Deacon have been friends for years then Wyatt bewailed Deacon having a thing for Brooke "all these years." Brooke barely acknowledged Deacon's existence after Hope was born, and surely Deacon wasn't thinking of Brooke when he was dallying with Amber and Nikki on Y&R... Quinn gave herself stigmata wounds with her letter opener as she listened to Wyatt's Deacon report. Was that a fluke or quietly done to time out with Easter?... Tuesday, March 31 was the official Trans Day of Visibility -- an appropriate enough time for B&B to launch a transgender story. Ironically, Maya wasn't on that day. And have you noticed that Maya is wearing an awful lot of white lately? White costumes in TV and movies usually signify purity -- is that what the show is trying to tell us about Maya?

Chanel's back next week with her unique brand of Scoopage, and I will follow suit on April 21. Keep watching, be alert, and most of all, be bold!

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