A fight for control of Forrester Creations is brewing on The Bold and the Beautiful, and RJ is right in the middle of it.
Picking up where we left off, Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) is thrilled that Eric (John McCook) got RJ (Joshua Hoffman) interested in design but she doesn’t understand why they’re keeping their work shrouded in secrecy.
Next we see a montage of Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) in the office with Thomas (Matthew Atkinson) designing a new line. The models look amazing in their new designs and Thomas praises his father’s ability to hone in on the details for every look. Ridge says he learned everything he knows from his father, and now Thomas can learn from him.
Carter (Lawrence Saint-Victor) is on the phone closing a deal. He pumps his fist when the deal gets done as Katie (Heather Tom) watches. She closes the deal with a kiss. She asks if he’s seen any of Ridge’s new designs and she’s impressed. It could be his best collection yet.
Even the models are impressed with Ridge’s collection. They wonder if Brooke’s influence has anything to do with it. After sending them out, Thomas says he agrees with them.
Brooke says Ridge will be so thrilled to find out that RJ is designing, but she wants to know why he’s keeping it a secret. Eric says he has one more collection in him and he wants to do it with his grandson. He’s tired of going to the office and feeling like he’s being erased. “I will not be shelved, certainly not by my own son.”
Katie isn’t surprised that Ridge is having such success. Forrester Creations has always been about couture. Carter agrees, noting Eric’s influence. Katie says Brooke mentioned that Ridge thinks Eric should take a step back but Carter didn’t know that.
Thomas is impressed by Ridge’s drive and determination right now. Ridge doesn’t think that Eric is happy with the direction Ridge is going and Eric thinks Ridge wants to push him out of the company.
Eric tells Brooke all of the things Ridge has been doing lately. She doesn’t think it’s true, saying how much Ridge admires him. She points out how hard he’s worked and he deserves to take some time off. He can take time off to be with Donna (Jennifer Gareis). Donna says she wants what Eric wants, and he wants to do a collection. Brooke appreciates it but doesn’t know why he’s not working with Ridge. Eric says he didn’t want Ridge to work with him. Now is not the time to stop or hand over the reins. He’s going to do this collection himself. “It’s mine.”
Carter insists that Eric is a vital part of the company, while Katie says he should step back and take some time. And now there’s a whole line of Forresters who are in the company and could step up.
Thomas doesn’t understand why Eric would feel that way. Ridge says he was just trying to say Eric needed a break. Thomas can understand why Eric feels that way. This company is his creation, so of course it’s like an extension of himself. Ridge tells Thomas about the stapler and that it meant a lot to him, and that Ridge might have thrown it out. Ridge thinks Eric took it as a sign that Eric shouldn’t be working there anymore. Thomas can’t grasp that. Ridge says he’s running the company right now.
Brooke points out that RJ is working with Eric so why not Ridge? Brooke doesn’t think Ridge is pushing Eric aside. Eric says he was the one who designed every creation in the beginning. He tells her to tell Ridge he should be at the top of his game “because I’m coming for him.”
Thomas looks at the stapler on Ridge’s desk. He tells his father to think about those words because someday he’ll have to hear those words himself. Ridge thinks he’ll be okay knowing that Thomas will be there to take his place. Ridge says they are so lucky to be able to play in this world Eric created. Right now, the future of the company is all he’s focused on.
Eric picks up a pencil. Donna praises his passion, but she reminds him that tension is not good for him and she doesn’t want RJ to be in the middle. Eric asks him about it, and RJ says he loves working with his grandfather. He thinks the designs will blow Ridge away. Eric gives him a big hug.
Back in the office, Brooke returns and Ridge asks if she talked to Donna. She tells him about finding RJ there designing with Eric. Ridge is incredibly excited and wonders why he’s only now hearing about it. Brooke says the living room is a design studio and Eric is working on his grand finale collection, and that he told her to tell him to “step up his game.”
Eric tells Donna and RJ that he’s not ready to step aside. He’s not ready to be replaced. “The best is yet to come,” he says.
We’ve landed squarely in the middle of a succession battle. Oddly enough, there’s been time to think about succession in the middle of all the Hope/Thomas and Sheila/Steffy drama as of late. It seems like everyone’s talking about Eric stepping down and Ridge stepping up, which makes you wonder how long Ridge has been planting these ideas around the company.
Not only is there a succession battle brewing, but it looks like lines have already been drawn. Katie and Brooke seem to be Team Ridge while Carter doesn’t envision Forrester Creations without Eric. RJ, having seen his father talk about Eric riding off into the sunset, is squarely Team Eric while Thomas is trying to support his father but can’t deny the cracks in his reasoning.
There’s also the matter of Hope (Annika Noelle). Her line, Hope for the Future, is taking off like lightning and is drawing new eyes to the fashion house. She designed the collection with Thomas, who is now designing with his father. Could Hope and Thomas be in line to take over Forrester Creations as the new power couple?
The tension between father and son is palpable. Ridge seems to be pushing an agenda while Eric is fighting for a presence in his own company, and soon enough the entire family will be pulled into the battle once the new designs make their debut.
The Bold and the Beautiful airs weekdays on CBS and the following day on Paramount Plus. Check your local listings to see when it comes on where you are.
