Deep conversations lead to deep revelations on The Bold and the Beautiful.
We pick up back at the cabin where Liam (Scott Clifton) is pouring his heart out to Hope (Annika Noelle). He’s struggling with his wife kissing a man like Thomas, a man who caused so much harm to their family. If ever there was a day for her to remember all that he did to them, it’s Beth’s birthday.
Back at Eric’s house, Thomas (Matthew Atkinson) tells his sister Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes) that he thought it would be best for him to stay away from the party given all that’s going on. The kids are out getting ice cream and he jokes that they won’t go to sleep any time soon. Thomas is glad she brought the kids to their grandfather’s house so she’d feel safe. Speaking of safety, Steffy wants to know what’s going on between her brother and Hope.
At Forrester Creations, Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) and Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) are kissing. Ridge wants to know about the party and Brooke shows off pictures of Beth and Kelly. She calls Beth a true miracle, and she’s hoping for another miracle to happen — between Hope and Liam. Ridge notices that Brooke seems “lighter” and she attributes it to spending time with her family, and with Ridge. She was happy to see her daughter with Liam at the party and is cheering for them to patch things up. When Brooke says that things have changed “in the worst way possible” and Ridge knows she’s talking about Thomas.
Thomas tries to play off Steffy’s questioning, saying he has to do some press with Hope the next day. Steffy cuts him off, noting that Hope and Liam have signed divorce papers. So where does that leave him?
Liam admits Thomas is a “brilliant designer” but asks if she’s “lost her damn mind” when it comes to being with him because if not for him, they might not have these birthdays with their daughter. He tells her not to be defensive, but to think about everything. Can she see him for the person he is?
Brooke tells Ridge that if Hope and Liam could only see what everyone at the party could see, they’d know that they truly love each other. Ridge knows that staying together for their kids isn’t an answer, either, but she thinks if they can stick it out, they’ll see how much they love each other and how they belong together.
Steffy knows Hope is the one who initiated the kiss. Thomas says that all he wants is for Hope to be happy. Steffy isn’t so sure. She asks what would happen if Hope decided to reconcile with Liam and suddenly their conversation takes a definite turn.
Liam and Hope, meanwhile, are laughing at their daughter’s wish for every day to be her birthday, something Hope thinks will fade as Beth grows older. Liam gets serious for a moment, telling her how he went there to surprise her. She apologizes, and he believes her. He says this is why he’s working so hard to get through to her, and he wants to help her find her way back to him. Because this isn’t her.
Ridge is angry that Brooke blames Thomas for Hope’s marriage ending. He reminds her that it was Hope who brought this on herself. Brooke wishes Thomas could see how he’s disrupting her marriage.
Thomas tells Steffy he’s fine with the idea of Hope and Liam getting back together, but Steffy isn’t so sure he means it. Honestly, he says, they already signed the divorce papers so that must signal that they’re probably not going to last anyway…
Hope is amazed by Liam heaping praise upon her, saying he loves how she tries to find the good in people. She says that’s what she loved about him, too. He just needs her to open her eyes about Thomas. “There is a path back,” he tells her.
Thomas finds his father at work in his office. He praises Ridge’s work, and Ridge says he’s glad his son is there. Ridge is proud that his son has come so far and is able to reap the rewards of all his hard work. Ridge cuts to the chase, asking what’s going on with Hope.
At Eric’s, Steffy tells Liam about the party. He loves how Beth looks up to Kelly and they both love how their daughter is a role model for her sister. Steffy asks Liam about how things went having Hope around. Liam says that Hope finally listened to him at the cabin, and now it feels like maybe he got through to her.
At the cabin, Brooke is thrilled that Beth had such a great day. When Brooke references how lucky they are to have Beth after they went through so much to have her in their lives. Hope thinks that her mother and Liam conspired to have this conversation. Brooke admits that Thomas is Ridge’s son and that makes things complicated. Hope assures her mother that she listened to Liam. Brooke’s glad that Liam doesn’t know that Hope slept with Thomas, and Hope is glad about that, too.
Seeing Liam with Beth makes Hope realize that maybe she doesn’t know who she is anymore. Brooke sees this as a big moment, and that maybe she’s being honest with herself for the first time. She needs to stop things with Thomas so she can fight for her family. “Please, Hope, it’s not too late,” she begs.
After a long summer of separation, it seems like reconciliation and reunion might be this fall’s theme.
However, the path to reunion and reconciliation is a rocky one. Liam remains close to Steffy and Steffy seems conflicted about Finn, and Hope is just as conflicted about Thomas as Liam breaks down the walls she’s built between them.
Now that Steffy has taken the big step of telling Liam to back off on his advances, the only way Hope is going to let go of Thomas once and for all is for him to push her away. He’s in a precarious position because everyone knows what he did but they’re not so sure he’s gotten better.
The best way for him to show everyone that he’s moved on is for him to be the bigger person here and give Hope the shove she needs to get back with Liam. Once he gives her that push, she’ll be able to move forward and fight for her family without looking back.
Yes, it will hurt. Yes, it will probably hurt Thomas more than anyone else, but it must be done. And then, finally, people might see that he’s not the man he used to be.
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.
