Five Things We Need To See Happen During Next Week’s Bold & Beautiful Fashion Showdown — Including Eric’s Death

Five Things We Need To See Happen During Next Week’s Bold & Beautiful Fashion Showdown — Including Eric’s Death

It’s no coincidence that Bold & Beautiful ended the week with the big fashion show — sorry, I meant to say Eric’s Grand Finale. We’ve just kicked off November sweeps, that time of the year when shows pull out all the stops in order to get big ratings. While sweeps isn’t nearly the thing it once was, November still finds soaps rolling out major events. Let’s talk a little about what happened this week and then do a deep-dive into what will, could and should happen next, ok?

The Less You Know

It’s beyond ridiculous to me that Lauren and Eric didn’t discuss Sheila. But that’s been a major plot hole pretty much since the moment the baddie resurfaced at Finn and Steffy’s wedding. But how could they possibly have squeezed in a few lines about Lauren’s longtime nemesis when we had to cut from one scene after another in which Eric’s health was discussed.

I did find the flirting between Charlie and Esther kind of adorable. That’s the kind of thing people are either going to love or hate. Of course, you could see it coming a mile away, especially after that one-way phone call between the security chief and his main squeeze, which left Charlie lamenting that he was a loser in love. Of course, this would have carried a lot more weight had we seen Pam and Charlie at some point over the past few months.

I also loved the way they incorporated the late Katherine Chancellor into the story. And Kate Linder did a lovely job of reminding us that while both CBS sudsers are full-to-overflowing with “haves,” there are still a few have-nots out there. Not many, and they’re rarely used, but aspirational characters do still exist.

What Must Happen Next Week

This entire week was one big build-up to the fashion showdown, so there’s not really an awful lot to talk about. Heaven knows it’s pretty much all that was discussed over the past five days, with other stories being essentially shoved off the canvas… including ones that definitely should have been unfolding in the background. Imagine if we’d gotten a scene of Sheila reading a newspaper story or watching a news preview in which Lauren was interviewed. Cue the arched eyebrow and the creepy music, not to mention the flashbacks to some of Lauren and Sheila’s epic showdowns.

Instead, we got RJ endlessly fretting about the secret he was sitting on, while Brooke and Ridge seemed incapable of adding two (Eric’s endless talk of grand finales) plus two (the pained look on their son’s face) and coming up with four (“Holy crap, our patriarch is dying.”)

But hey, bygones! Let’s focus instead on the five things that absolutely need to happen next week, and we’re going to kick off with the biggest of them all. So brace yourselves, because topping our list is…

1. Eric Must Die

I know that seems sacrilege to even say, but anything less will be a total cop-out. And it’s not exactly unthinkable. This is a show that killed Stephanie, who was arguably the best character in its entire history. Granted, it was pretty public knowledge that her portrayer, Susan Flannery, was ready to retire, while we’ve heard not a peep of that regarding John McCook. But perhaps he’s ready to pack it in, given that he’s told us that he took the role thinking it might, at best, last a couple years.

In any case, while I suspect that what we’ll get is Eric collapsing on the catwalk, followed by a few weeks of Ridge beating himself up for not seeing what was going on right in front of his eyes before it’s revealed that there’s one against-all-odds possibility for the patriarch to survive. It’ll likely involve Luna and her secret connection to the family. But honestly, anything less than Eric dying here will lead to me raging ala Annie Wilkes in the book and movie versions of Stephen King’s Misery. (If you’re not familiar with the awesome “He didn’t get out of the cockadoodie car!” speech, check it out below and see if you don’t agree with the crazy-but-not-wrong Annie!)

We’ve been told Eric’s dying. Not might or could be dying, but that he has six months or less to live. The writers said it, now they need to stand by it.

2. Ridge Must Get His Butt Kicked

I don’t ask much of this world, but I’d like very much if we could have a little karma where Ridge is concerned. He’s been an arrogant SOB for ages now, and the disrespect he’s shown Eric throughout this story has been tough to watch. Time and again, Ridge has insisted he’s not trying to push his father out the door… even as he’s then made it very clear that’s exactly what he intends to do.

Please, please, please don’t let this end in a tie. (Although frankly, that seems like the only way it can go, from a logical point of view. Otherwise, imagine how ticked the buyers who backed the wrong horse will be when they find out they wasted their time and won’t be getting the dresses they came there to see and purchase!)

3. Esther Needs To Get Her Gown

We’ve been told repeatedly that Esther’s dream has long been to own a Forrester gown. She’s told Lauren, Eric and Ridge (as well as anyone within earshot), so it would be downright cruel for the erstwhile maid’s dream to go unfulfilled. More than that, though, we need to see Esther in the dress. Don’t just tell us she got the dress of her dreams.

Don’t just have her gush to Lauren about how she never imagined this would happen. Give us that moment. Let us revel in the moment when her dream comes true. Heck, have her slip into that couture gown, look heavenwards and ask if Mrs. C approves.

Better still, in true crossover style, have Esther visit Nikki to show her the dress so they can reminisce about the woman they both loved. And then have Esther break out that damn dress every time there’s even the slightest occasion to dress up.

4. Steffy Has To Shake Things Up

Although she’s barely been mentioned since exiting to *checks notes* go mountain climbing in the alps *checks notes again, shakes head, moves on*, Steffy will return next week. Obviously, at some point this will mean dealing with Sheila, Finn and Liam, but first, why not have her shock the you-know-what about of Ridge by throwing her support behind Eric?

While Ridge hasn’t come right out and said as much, it seems pretty clear he thinks Steffy doesn’t have what it takes to be full-on CEO. Why not take this opportunity to lay the groundwork for a battle for control of Forrester, which would become another great storyline to tell in the wake of Eric’s demise. Now that R.J. has become “the anointed one” as far as designs are concerned, a fracture within the family could lead to the next fashion showdown, this time between him and Thomas.

5. We Must Get a Lauren/Sheila Showdown

I’m honestly curious to see how the show plays this, as it feels like a classic no-win. Fans can’t help but anticipate that the women will not only cross paths, but in a way that will be majorly impactful. Yet of late, Sheila’s been completely de-clawed to the point where even having her head pushed into a plate of pasta didn’t get a rise out of her.

What can’t happen — but probably will — is for Lauren to have a few half-hearted scenes in which she warns Sheila to stay far away from Genoa City, then flies home and promptly forgets having even seen the she-devil. Given that Young & Restless has done zilch about Sheila’s return, death and resurrection, that seems unlikely to change. So please, soap gods, at least give us one really fantastic Lauren/Sheila scene while both are on Bold & Beautiful next week.

One thing I absolutely, positively know you’ll get next week is a Richard-free week. I’ll be hitting the high seas on a cruise ship, so look for the awesome Candace Young — who recaps this show daily and writes the Young & Restless Soapbox — to step in. Wonder if she’ll be able to say that any of the above actually happened?