Credit: CBS Screenshot

After a couple of exciting weeks, Bold & Beautiful shuffled Luna off to prison and immediately proved that even killing two characters and trapping another in a cage couldn’t prevent the writers from immediately returning to their familiar bag of tricks. But maybe, just maybe, we’re finally going to get answers about what’s going on with Hope… 

Romance Roulette

We — by which I mean the collective we, which includes you, gentle reader — have been asking for ages what’s wrong with Hope. It started when she began fantasizing about Thomas while married to Liam. Eventually, the writers decided that Hope really, truly loved Thomas… just not enough to dash down the aisle with him.

Despite having some issues with Thomas’ past behavior, I eventually got on board the “Thope” train and was ready to take the ride. Throwing Paris into the mix seemed like a fun little obstacle… until they immediately went back to Forrester’s International offices, at which point they told basically the same story again, but with Hope this time turning Finn into her imaginary lover. Honestly, this made even less sense than the whole Thomas thing.

But maybe, just maybe, we’re moving toward finding out what’s really going on with Hope… and yes, I’m assuming it’s something other than the writers randomly throwing so valuable a character at various potential partners. After all, this is not a show that traffics in subtlety, so Taylor warning Brooke that something is seriously wrong with Hope has to have meant… something, right?

I don’t think Hope pursuing Finn is a great idea, especially given that he’s made it clear — repeatedly — that he loves his wife and is loyal to her. Truth be told, Finn and Steffy’s “unbreakable bond” talk is kinda boring to me, especially given that it’s repeated on an endless loop. But given that the show clearly has no intention of breaking up that pairing anytime soon, Hope pursuing him only does damage to the character.

Revenge Mode: Activated!

I’m not particularly interested in another round of Steffy vs. Hope (aka the endless Logan/Forrester feud), but that does seem to be the direction in which we’re heading, given the way Friday’s episode ended. I do, however, thing this is a great opportunity from a storytelling perspective. Regular readers will know exactly what I mean, but never have the pieces been more perfecly aligned for my dream storyline to unfold.

More: Where to buy your favorite Bold & Beautiful fashions!

What better revenge could Hope possibly take than by saying, “You want a war, Steffy? Bring. It. On!” She starts her own fashion house — with the backing of a familiar face — and causes a true divide between Ridge’s various family members. Does Brooke remain loyal to Forrester or throw in with her daughter? Might Bridget — whom we know is returning — break her Madame X veil out for another go as a designer? Zende, who has long felt like an “also-ran” among the Forresters, might jump at the chance to explore new employment opportunities.

The possibilities are endless, and it would bring back the fashion house wars of old which viewers absolutely loved.

Random Thoughts

• In case you didn’t hear, Finn is a hero. And if you didn’t hear that, you must have missed the episode in which that fact was declared at least 7 times before I stopped counting.

More: Why is Taylor really back on the canvas? 

• I’m betting that Poppy and Li will soon either leave town or be pushed so far onto the backburner that they’re hanging out with Rick, Maya and Jack… who has been gone so long you probably don’t even remember that Brooke and Taylor kinda sorta share a son by that name.

• No soap is better than this one when it comes to having a sense of place, thanks in part to the many exterior shots showing everything from the homes in which characters live to the traffic in Los Angeles. But I do think it might be time for a few new sets. Nothing too jarring (remember the disastrous Chancellor mansion makeover on Young & Restless a few years back?), but someplace other than the two Forrester offices, Eric’s mansion and Steffy’s living room.

• My new favorite thing in the world, which will remain so for at least the next 43 minutes? Candace Young — who recaps this soap daily — putting a trademark symbol next to the oft-repeated words “Steffy’s Husband^TM” in her text. (As deputy editor Charlies Mason said, “It’s the new Finn’s Biological Mother^TM.”)