How Bold Is The Bold and the Beautiful, Really?
Today, Soaps.com is taking a closer look at Bold & Beautiful, specifically its strengths and weaknesses. Read on and see if you agree with our evaluation of the current state of Young & Restless’ sister show.

Its Frontburner Story
These days, few and far between are episodes that aren’t dedicated to the daytime drama’s foremost Luna-tic. Lisa Yamada never fails to go for broke as the villainess, but what are we supposed to make of the character? She’s not a fun, love-to-hate baddie, she’s a remorseless murderer and rapist. And no, whining, “God, I said sorry!” is not a show of remorse.

The Trickle-Down Effect
Pot-stirrers like Amber and the OG Sally, we could get behind. They were misguided and mischievous but not homicidal maniacs. Luna is flat-out sick — and she makes everyone around her look dumb for not getting her some intensive therapy. Li, for instance, kept her alive but did nada to ensure that her granddaughter had her head screwed on straight enough to make anything of her life.

.Sense? What’s Sense?
We’re fine with some suspension of disbelief when watching TV. But are we really supposed to buy that no one has flagged Luna’s body as missing from the hospital? And if Bill is powerful enough to get Tom and Hollis’ killer paroled “’cause I want her to be,” wouldn’t he be powerful enough to have her locked back up in some cush prison’s maternity ward? There’s no reason for him to have made her his houseguest again.

A Shrug Is Not a Feeling
We suspect that Bold & Beautiful wants us to care that Sheila’s worried her marriage may be in trouble. But we don’t. If anything, we want Deacon the hell away from the murderess who cackled about Luna’s magical night with rape of Will. For too long, the show has had its cake and eaten it, too, where Sheila’s concerned, writing her as alternately “reformed” and just as awful as she ever was. Maybe she should’ve been left dead when Steffy stabbed her/Sugar.

.The Next Generation
Will and Electra have been cute from the start, but is there any there there beyond their discussing how wonderful each other is? Crew Morrow and Laneya Grace are capable of way more. If nothing else, the chaos that swirls around Luna may give them a chance to play meatier material and prove that their characters aren’t just pretty people in puppy love.

File Under ‘To Be Determined’
Bold & Beautiful is using Will’s rape — even though it refuses to use the R word — to bring Katie back into Bill’s orbit. And heaven knows Don Diamont and Heather Tom can sell any story that they are asked to. But sensibly, who would want Katie back with Bill after the way he discarded Poppy, took in Luna and then got her paroled? He was a lousy husband before, and now he’s worse!

Lather, Rinse, Repeat
The moment Ridge dumped Brooke, we all knew where the story would go. He’d run to Taylor, then turn around and dump her. And he did. And the show was so uninterested in “Bridge” 3,000.0 that it didn’t even bother to dress them up for their zillionth wedding. We did, however, get what seemed like hundreds of flashbacks to their magical moment overseas. Which brings us to another issue…