Ridge and RJ finally have a chance to talk on The Bold and the Beautiful while Brooke walks in on the last thing she ever thought she’d see. Things are about to get even more complicated.
Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) tells RJ (Joshua Hoffman) once again that she and his father are thrilled about the fact he’s designing. She just doesn’t want to cause tension between Eric (John McCook) and Ridge (Thorsten Kaye). Ridge arrives at that moment and it looks like he’s upset at RJ until he finally smiles and says how proud he is that RJ is finally designing. “Welcome to Forrester,” he says, shaking RJ’s hand as RJ beams happily.
Donna (Jennifer Gareis) tells Eric how happy she is that Eric is back in his element. Eric is happy to be there, too, but having Donna there with him makes him happy. Their conversation is interrupted when Carter (Lawrence Saint-Victor) arrives. He has the paperwork from the Paris deal, but he pauses when he sees all of the designs all around them. When Carter calls it Eric’s “grand finale,” Donna looks at Eric, confused.
Hope (Annika Noelle) asks if Thomas (Matthew Atkinson) locked the door. He did, right before she took his clothes off. His office will never be the same, he tells her. They continue kissing. Thomas gazes at her in wonder. She wants to be sure he understands that she is still working things out and that what they have right now isn’t love. It may never be love. So will he be okay with that? “As long as you’re in my arms,” he says, “I’ll be fine.” They continue kissing again.
Donna asks Carter how he found out, and he heard through Brooke. Carter asks Eric why he needs to be designing by himself. Eric tells him he’s not working by himself because he has his “loyal” grandson with him.
At Forrester Creations, RJ wants to know if Ridge is upset that he’s working with Eric. Brooke excuses herself so they can talk alone. Once she’s gone, RJ admits he doesn’t feel like he deserves the title of “designer” just yet. Ridge says he couldn’t have found a better mentor, telling his son he’s lucky because his son will have a fantastic start. But Ridge is worried about Eric.
Carter understands that the collection means so much to Eric, but he also has to be aware of how they run their company and how the idea was that the design baton would pass from generation to generation. He says what Eric is doing is “risky” but Eric reminds him that he founded the business around risk. Carter asks if there’s any way he can work with Ridge, but Eric shoots it down.
Thomas and Hope get dressed and she explains that something inside of her has been ignited and he looks forward to exploring this new thing with her. Brooks walks in on them and is utterly shocked at what she finds.
Eric tells Donna that he’s going to have a battle on the runway and the buyers will determine the winner. She worries about the pressure it puts on him while Carter worries about the pressure on the company.
Ridge says that Eric built this company so that they can build upon what he created. He shouldn’t be working so hard on a new line. RJ says Eric has something to offer and he hints that there’s something more to all of it. He doesn’t reveal anything to Ridge but he insists that Eric is nowhere near ready to retire. Ridge knows that, though.
Brooke is shocked at what she’s walked in on, and she’s also incredibly disappointed. Hope says this isn’t anything she and Ridge haven’t done before. Brooks wants to know where things really stand between them. Thomas looks to Hope, who insists that they know what they’re doing. When Brooke calls it love, Hope corrects her and says she’s made no promises. Hope tries to keep her mother’s focus on her, but Brooke won’t have it because Thomas has been after Hope for years. Brooke wants to know about Hope’s family, and Liam, because she can’t believe Hope is done with them for good.
Eric sits at his easel when Donna returns from walking Carter out. She tried to make Carter feel at ease about all of this but he wasn’t giving anything away. She asks if she told Ridge about the tremors in his hands but he hasn’t. She’s just concerned for him. He appreciates how much she loves and cares about him, and she admits his enthusiasm is contagious. Tears fall down her cheeks as he calls her his muse and talks about how he’s going to face this battle and win. “I love you so much,” she says.
RJ knows his dad has opinions about Eric’s line, but he wants to know how he feels about RJ working with him. Ridge says RJ has more talent than anyone else. He never wanted to push RJ but he knew his son would be a talented designer. Ridge looks forward to the day when he and RJ can collaborate on a line, and he wants RJ to know how much he loves and appreciates RJ and his talent. They hug.
There’s a lot to unpack here. Obviously things are about to get very tense in the office as word of Hope’s tryst with Thomas becomes known. The bigger issue right now is this runway battle between Eric and Ridge.
In the September 15 episode, Carter told RJ that he loves the idea of RJ designing with Eric. Now, however, it seems like he has some reservations about Eric doing something on his own, outside control of the company and the company’s current plan.
While Ridge seems genuinely supportive of RJ working with Eric, there’s an underlying current of tension there. He wants to take control of the company and it doesn’t look like he’ll allow anything to get in his way. Does that mean he might sabotage Eric’s line? We wouldn’t rule anything out at this point. Forrester Creations has a plan in place that puts Ridge’s new line front and center, and Ridge won’t let anything get in the way of his line’s success.
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.
