Soon after this column goes live, we'll know the fate of Beth Logan on The Bold and Beautiful. I suspect that she's not going to make it, or if she does, she'll be in a prolonged coma. Whatever her condition, it doesn't change the fact that the events leading up to her pool accident were totally and gargantuantly overplayed to the point of ridiculousness. Stephanie's rant that encompassed an entire week of yapping and mewling like an annoying bird was 100 percent WRONG! There is no other side of the coin. She was out of line to complain about Beth and Stephen staying at the main house. It's just that simple.
Let's break this down rationally, okay. First, it's not Stephanie's home. She moved out when she and Eric divorced. He was kind enough to invite her to stay at the guesthouse, but the situation changed when the Logans arrived. Beth's illness changed everything. She needed the care and attention of her family, and Eric was man enough to realize that his wife's parents could not be turned away. For Stephanie to assert the claim - over and over and over again - that Beth and Stephen were interlopers, she was being heartless and cruel. If she was sincere that Beth needed professional care, the family could have hired a full-time nurse or medical aide to attend to her. If Bill could order catered meals delivered to the mansion, Katie and Donna could have installed a doctor in the guest room. They have the money, God knows!
But Stephanie's objections to Beth and Stephen's visit wasn't really about Beth being a burden or even that Beth deserved better care in a medical facility. Truth be told, many medical facilities are not as attentive to the mentally ill as family members in the comfort of a home. Beth was in serious condition and she needed comprehensive care, but that wasn't Stephanie's real motive in getting the Logans out of the house. She had this whole ownership thing going on. Stephanie still believes Eric's home is her home. She still believes that Eric is her husband. And Eric has been a total jerk to let her attach to him the way she has. He knows better! For all the horror and pain she's caused in her time, Eric's unabashed admiration these days is out of proportion. Maybe Eric needs a therapist more than Beth. Somebody has to remind him how impossible it was living with Stephanie all those years.
But as heinous as Stephanie has been in the past - remember her part in Brooke's date rape? - this past week was just nasty and selfish. I couldn't believe that she actually accused the Logans of being selfish for staying at Eric's house. What? How do you figure that? Eric and Donna live in a mansion. They have servants. They have room to spare. Donna's parents were not going to check into a hotel when there's family there for them. Eric would have been a complete asshole to tell Donna that her parents weren't welcome in the house.
On the other hand, if Stephanie had as much class as she claims to have, she would have volunteered to move out of the guesthouse, giving it up for Beth and Stephen and perhaps a full-time nurse, and moved in with Pam. Or check into the Beverly Hills Hotel until she could rent a condo. Why is there such a housing problem among the Forrester family? If Stephanie had done something that unselfish, she might have impressed Eric far more than her stonewalling tactics that she displayed. He might have thought, "Wow, Stephanie really has changed. Look at how kind she's being to Donna's parents. I never would have imagined that from her. She's really something." Yes, if only. Instead, she bitched and moaned and refused to back off from her stubborn stance the she more than anyone else knew what was best for Eric. Not anybody else, just Eric. That kind of love is toxic.
I guess Stephanie forgot how she moved Ann and Pam into the mansion when they first came to visit from Chicago. Eric didn't turn her kin away, so why did Stephanie think he would Donna's folks?
Watching Robin Riker as Beth was heartbreaking. It was excellent acting on her part and I was very moved by her portrayal. It has to be frightening to watch a family member fall apart mentally like that, and I thought she did a great job flitting in and out of reality. It was also a brilliant stroke to have her appear without beautifully coiffed hair and makeup. She showed no actress vanity; she let herself look like a woman whose mind is slipping away and she doesn't think about her looks anymore.
Beth wasn't the only story of the week, but she was the most dramatic one. Bridget's revelation to Nick that she is pregnant was stunning only because I fully expected her to reveal that she had been intimate with Owen. Bridget jumped right past that fact to give Nick the news about the baby, even though it's hardly a blessed event for the Marones. Bridget cannot carry a baby to term, so this pregnancy is bound to be a heartbreaking situation. Even if Nick is the father, it's not a good thing for them.
Unless we're going to find some way for Bridget to be able to keep the baby. That's what I suspect will happen. Miracles happen all the time and maybe the doctors are going to tell Bridget that this time she can deliver the child. If that's the case, you watch - it'll be Owen's baby. That's just the kind of screwup that will destroy Nick and Jackie's happiness. Those two have their heads in the clouds these days, don't you think?
There were some great letters in e-mailbox this week. You can read them below and feel free to write us with your thoughts at Soap Central...
• I'm appalled by Stephanie's arrogance! Eric is married to Donna whose mother is in the late stages of Alzheimer's and she has the audacity to come in during a very serious and close family moment to tell her ex-husband that his mother-in-law shouldn't live with them! And, of course, there's her spineless son Ridge just standing there! What terrible story writing! Alzheimer's patients need their family around them and the last thing they need is someone as ridiculous Stephanie demanding that her ex-husband not invite them in to his home! LUDICROUS! - Wanda
• I despise Stephanie and wish they would kill her off or even better send her ass to jail for something. My God, this storyline is the broken record from hell. My dad had dementia and I feel Stephanie's character is insulting to that disease by using it for her own agenda. That's not okay for those of us who live through it daily or lost someone to it. Just let the Logans be happy for a bit... Stephanie, get lost. Thorne, grow up and get a girlfriend and stop wasting this man's talent on whining about mommy and daddy. Leave "Bridge" alone for a while. Are they really that desperate and out of writing talent to rehash the same stupid story lines? - Loren F.
• Poor Beth. One reason why you should not have a swimming pool in the yard. Stephanie was right. Beth should have been taken to a facility where she could get professional help. Beth just got back from a cruise. I'm surprised she didn't drown then where there was a lot more water. - Ron
Thanks for reading! Till next time, see you on the soaps!
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