It’s Steffy’s last day on The Bold and the Beautiful as Jacqueline MacInnes Wood departs for maternity leave. Where does that leave Steffy and Finn? Read on, there’s a lot happening in LA!
As soon as Sheila (Kimberlin Brown) is gone, Steffy starts to break down. Finn (Tanner Novlan) promises that things will be ok for them now that Sheila is gone, but Steffy knows better. Sheila is obsessed with Finn and her misguided love for her son will keep her coming back for him even though he sent her away. No, she can’t stay there. She has to leave.
Deacon (Sean Kanan) is practicing his nunchucks (as one does) when Sheila returns, slamming the door behind her. He’d already been thinking about the warning from Carter (Lawrence Saint-Victor) and Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) so when he sees how angry she is, he gets wary. His wariness is well-founded because she’s furious at Steffy, whom she believes is controlling Finn to make herself look like a victim. The more she talks, the angrier she gets and Deacon is worried.
Wyatt (Darin Brooks) and Liam (Scott Clifton) are still contemplating Steffy’s return to the Cliff House. They lament the fact that their father’s plan to put Sheila behind bars failed because then none of this would be happening. They have to wait for Sheila to do something bad enough to put her back in jail. Wyatt notes that Liam still seems to be upset that Steffy is getting back with Finn.
Steffy, in tears, is upset at how excited she was to come home with their kids. He says Sheila is gone, but she knows better. Sheila will never go away; she knows because she lived with that threat for years. She needs to leave LA.
Deacon can’t believe Finn “dragged” Sheila into the house. Sheila says Steffy was “hysterical” and “demanded” that Finn cast her out of their lives. Deacon tries to make her see reason; she insists that she loves her son. She thinks that saving Kelly means Steffy owes her gratitude but no, she wants her to leave. Sheila believes Finn never would have said that if not for Steffy. “My relationship with my son would be so different if not for her.”
Wyatt thinks the time Steffy spent at Eric’s would have been the perfect chance for him to show her how he feels. Liam knows Steffy loves Finn, but he can’t believe she would allow Finn to keep Sheila in their lives.
In tears, Steffy insists that she’s tried to push the knowledge of Sheila being Finn’s birth mother from her mind. She loves Finn dearly, but she’s exhausted from living in constant fear. She knows Sheila will never let Finn go. He tells her Sheila will not be a problem for them, but she knows he can’t promise that. She won’t take the chance. That’s why she has to leave LA.
Deacon tries to reason with Sheila, pointing out that Steffy has good reason not to trust her. Sheila thinks there should be some room for forgiveness. But it doesn’t matter because Sheila doesn’t think Steffy will be a problem much longer. She thinks Steffy still cares for Liam and that will tear the marriage apart. And Sheila will be there to pick up the pieces with Finn.
Wyatt wonders if Liam and Steffy have a shot at getting back together. Liam isn’t giving up hope for something to happen. He knows they will always have their past, but if it were him, he would keep Steffy safe.
Finn agrees with Steffy. He wants to go with them, but when she says he can’t come with them he falls apart. She points out that Sheila will never let him go so no matter where they go, she will be after them. He says he’s “trapped” by this. Steffy says they have to keep distance from him to stay safe. He falls apart even more when she says they have to leave that day. He says that she needs to hang onto their love because he will find a way to get Sheila out of their lives once and for all. Steffy says he’ll always be in her heart. “We lost each other once, right? We’ll do it again, we’ll be reunited,” he says. They share a hug.
Deacon thinks Sheila is getting ahead of herself, that she should let things settle. He points out that Steffy fled because of her. Sheila thinks Liam could be a factor in this, and he warns her to not live in this fantasy. Deacon walks away while she thinks about how they’ve all had their hearts broken and he’ll be better off without Steffy.
In a montage sequence, Finn thinks back to the memories of his life with Steffy now that the house is empty. “I’m not giving up on us. I’m not losing my wife and family.”
Steffy shows up at Liam’s office and tells him he was right. She explains what happened, that everything was great until Sheila showed up. The first thing he asks is whether she’s ok. She says she’s made a decision to leave LA with the kids. Her mom will meet her in Rome and she hopes he won’t fight her on the decision. He won’t fight it and it will make him feel better knowing the kids are safe. Liam asks about Finn and promises to come visit. “You’re a really good mom, you know.” He knows she’ll protect them and he will be there for them. “I’ll miss you, and I really love you. And I always will,” he says. They share a look before she leaves.
With Steffy gone (for however long she’ll be away), we have to wonder what comes next. Sheila thought she was going to reconcile with her son after being freed, but now her actions have shattered his marriage and sent his family packing. There’s no way he would ever have a relationship with his birth mother now.
Sheila wants to believe that Finn will get over the trauma of losing his wife, and that she can be there to comfort him as he picks up the pieces. However, what she’s not counting on is that Finn might be stronger than she realizes. He lost his wife once and they found each other. They were coming back together when she interrupted them. Finn and Steffy have a bond, and he’s not going to let that go.
So what will Steffy’s departure do to Finn? Will he collapse, or will he start working on ways to get Sheila out of his life permanently?
Our money is on the latter.
This is a brand new Finn, one overcome by grief and anger. If he can get himself together he could formulate a plan to get Sheila out of his life… and even if he can’t get himself together he could probably use his medical knowledge to do something stupid that would have the end result of getting Sheila out of his life while also getting himself put in jail.
The problem here is that Finn has been pushed over the edge, so now he’s a ticking time bomb filled with rage. Where he goes from here, no one knows, but there’s no question that he isn’t going to let Sheila destroy his life — again.
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.
