Credit: Howard Wise/JPI (2); CBS Screenshot (2)

I’ll say this for Bold & Beautiful: It knows how to zig when we all assume it’s going to zag. And while keeping the audience on its toes is a good thing, it can be problematic when what characters are doing doesn’t really make sense to the audience who knows them at least as well as they know themselves. Let’s discuss… 

Going, Going… Not So Fast!

We’ve been repeatedly told over the years that Taylor is a brilliant psychiatrist, no doubt one of the smartest characters on the canvas. So to have her wandering around thinking she’s dying after apparently being told so by some rando European doctor — and then adding her own self-diagnosis — makes her look, in a word, dumb. (This was especially funny when Taylor insisted, “I live in the world of rational thought and science.”)

I know that like me, a lot of you probably rolled your eyes when Grace diagnosed Taylor with “Broken Heart Syndrome.” But it turns out it’s a real thing. (Heck, one of the passengers on ABC’s new series Dr. Odyssey was diagnosed with it this week, too. One more, and we have a trend on our hands!) Unfortunately, the show quickly went from explaining what Broke Heart Syndrome actually is in pretty clear medical terms to Taylor getting it completely wrong as she later spoke to Ridge as if longing for him was what had caused her condition.

More: The truth about Taylor’s condition

In any case, earlier in the week we realized that Taylor wasn’t going anywhere. Why? Because the show spend money on gorgeous new photos of portrayer Rebecca Budig for the opening credits. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but those loudly shouted three: “Taylor’s not dying.”

Here We Go Again

I can’t help thinking that Bill might have had better luck with Katie if he’d suggested that she let him prove he’s changed. Instead of “Hey, let’s reunite our family!” he might have said, “Let’s start having weekly family nights, see where things go.” But Brooke Stallion galloped right in there and mucked things up.

Of course, that was completely necessary so that we could shuffle up the romances. Sure, it might be nice to try something new, but why do that when we can put Taylor and Ridge back together, pushing Bill right back into the arms of Brooke. After all, we were told about 50 times this week that Katie is only Bill’s true love when Brooke’s not available. And unless I miss my mark, Brooke’s about to become very available.

More: Is Quinn returning to Bold & Beautiful? 

Speaking of Brooke and Bill… I wonder if that secret sex room he had built still exists? You know, the one just off his office?

I Guess We’re Doing ‘Cope’ Now?

I liked seeing Grace again, and it was nice reminding us that her daughter (Paris) is engaged to Ridge and Taylor’s son (Thomas). But even as these scenes were unfolding, we got more of Carter and Hope flirting. While they have great chemistry, I simply do not know what we’re supposed to make of Hope at this point.

More: The real story behind the latest Law & Order exit

There’s obviously a huge Hope/Thomas/Paris story to be played out, yet for some reason they’re choosing to keep the designer and his soon-to-be-bride over at Forrester International. Meanwhile, Hope’s apologizing to Steffy — seemingly quite sincere — and admitting she’s now embarassed about having crushed on Finn. So are we to assume that story, too, is done?

It’s all giving me a headache. Maybe Finn can come over and rub my temples?

Random Thoughts

• What the heck did Grace do to Taylor? They left to do what was described as a simple blood draw, and the shrink returned to Grace’s office with what looked like duct tape wrapped around her arm instead of the simple bandage we’ve always gotten!

• How did nobody in the writer’s room think to have Ridge say to a worried Taylor, “You’ve beaten death twice… third time’s the charm!” (Then again, I ask myself a lot of questions about what goes on in that room!)

• Often, soaps in general (and this one in particular) go way over the top in their attempts at humor. But this week’s scenes in which Will had a series of models fawn over him, prompting his decision to become an intern, were fantastic. They allowed newbie Crew Morrow to be downright charming, but avoided veering into camp.

• Steffy had to be the most inconsistently written character this week. One day, she was having downright friendly conversations with Brooke, the next she was trashing the blonde to her daughter, Hope. And what was with Steffy saying she and Hope have nothing in common?

Which soap storylines and couples are scoring high marks… and which have us feeling low?