You know that Elvis Presley holiday song, "Blue Christmas"? That's been playing on a loop in my head ever since Rick's car drove off the road into a ditch and Phoebe died in Ridge's arms. You call this a Christmas storyline? Really, I have to wonder about the writers at The Bold and the Beautiful. Isn't anybody allowed to be happy, even for a day or two around the holidays?
Phoebe's death is tragic and -- as I wrote last time -- a game changer. I remember interviewing Bradley Bell before Shane McGrath was going to die and he warned me that that death was going to have implications across the entire canvas. He was right to a point; Nick was arrested and Stephanie talked Ridge into letting the cops believe that Nick was guilty. Finally, Ridge did the right thing and confessed to covering up the fact that Shane pulled the trigger and shot himself. Still, Stephanie and Ridge did a horrible thing to Nick -- and felt little remorse for their actions.
Now it's Rick that has done something wrong. He shouldn't have let his anger at Ridge affect his interaction with Steffy, which was hurtful to Phoebe, and lead to her overreaction and the car accident. However, Rick's sins were not criminal. If Stephanie, and perhaps Ridge, have their way, they'll see Rick put behind bars for a car crash. He might have died in the car. He didn't want to drive it off the road and he wasn't trying to kill Phoebe. It's possible that they will try to charge him with vehicular manslaughter, but -- hey -- haven't we been down that road before?
Remember the night a drunken Taylor got behind the wheel of her car and ran over Darla, Thorne's wife? Remember how she let the world believe that a random hit and run driver was responsible for the accident? I seem to recall that the Forresters were eventually very forgiving of Taylor. Thorne even testified in court to keep Taylor out of prison, and he adored Darla.
There's a real double standard for the Forresters, don't you think? Anything a Logan does -- including Storm taking a shot at Stephanie -- is criminal and unforgivable. On the other hand, a Forrester moved to malevolence (dumping a body in the bay, for instance, or flipping someone off a roof), is understandable. This past week was one long tirade by Stephanie. You would think that since she's reconciled with Eric, she might be feeling a little more sanguine and at peace. Granted, the death of her grandchild was heartbreaking. It was even more heartbreaking for Ridge and Taylor and Steffy and Thomas. But the only one who wanted to lash out and make someone pay for Phoebe's death was Stephanie.
Stephanie Forrester is out of line. She should/must be older and wiser. Vengence and retribution are wasted emotions. Hurting Rick won't bring Phoebe back. Screaming at Brooke won't alleviate the pain they're all feeling. And acting like you've never made a mistake just irritates all of us watching!
With the Phoebe story dominating the week, there was no time to wonder what is going on with Nick and Katie, or keep track of Donna's activities. Do you think she's still living in Eric's house the way Stephanie did even after Eric and she were divorced? Oh, right, Stephanie has her own set of rules.
Will Phoebe's death put a pall over the rest of the holiday season? Probably. It'll be hard for them not to have a blue Christmas with all that's happen, so the upcoming week will likely produce more tears. Nothing will be as gruesome as Steffy and Ridge's trip to the morgue -- that was too much -- nor as sad as Phoebe singing to Ridge before dying. But you better have the Kleenex nearby.
I also expect to some front burner stories heating up this week -- more of Donna and Eric and Owen. So, till then, keep check out the news here as Soap Central and in my next Two Scoops column, I'll share with you my Best and Worst of 2008. Therefore, keep watching and keep reading -- and try to keeping smiling because it is the holidays and we all need some good cheer.
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