Steffy’s family deals with the shock of her sudden departure on The Bold and the Beautiful, but the news doesn’t keep RJ from pressing his father about Eric’s future in the company.
RJ (Joshua Hoffman) is shocked to learn from Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) and Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) that Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) has fled to Europe with the kids. Brooke points out that she isn’t leaving Finn (Tanner Novlan) for good, but she can’t be in Los Angeles. And it’s all because of Sheila (Kimberlin Brown).
Li (Naomi Matsuda) consoles Finn, who explains what happened with Steffy. Li had been afraid of something like this happening. Bill (Don Diamont) greets Liam (Scott Clifton) and tells him all about his vacation. He’s surprised that he didn’t hear about Liam’s marriage struggles and he can’t believe Hope (Annika Noelle) kissed Thomas (Matthew Atkinson). But could he find a way to forgive her?
Rj says it makes sense that Steffy left so quickly with Sheila showing up at her door. Brooke says the important thing is that she and the kids are safe. And that means they can go visit her in Rome, Ridge says. Ridge mentions Eric being very lucid lately, and RJ says he needs to talk to Ridge about that.
Li can’t blame Steffy for leaving the way she did, and neither can Finn. He vows that he’d never let Sheila near Steffy. But he also blames Liam.
Liam tells Bill and Wyatt (Darin Brooks) that he will always love Hope but he can’t forgive what happened with Thomas. Wyatt points out that Liam still has feelings for Steffy, and Liam can’t deny it.
Ridge wants to know what RJ is talking about. RJ mentions the new line, and Ridge immediately starts dismissing him by saying that the timing isn’t right. That’s why he suggested that Eric (John McCook) go play golf. RJ defends his grandfather, and Brooke looks on curiously.
Finn still blames Liam and Li wonders if it’s fair to blame him given all that’s happened with Sheila. When he tells his mother that Liam wants Steffy back, she’s shocked.
Bill says he came back to find that Liam’s marriage is crumbling and Wyatt spent all his time listening to his brother. He’s only teasing them, though, because he says they did a great job. He asks about Liam’s feelings for Steffy. Liam says they have a history, but she’s moved on with Finn and now Hope has moved on with Thomas. Liam tells them about Steffy leaving with the kids and he wonders if Steffy can actually rekindle her relationship with Finn given Sheila’s ongoing threat.
RJ points out that Eric founded the company and should be able to do whatever he wants. Ridge sees it as protecting the company. Brooke steps in to say they want Eric to relax and enjoy life because he has done so much. When they brush RJ off, RJ seems to make a decision.
Li can’t believe Liam is trying to get Steffy back, but Finn shuts it down. She’s his wife, and that’s that.
Bill is still upset that the judge let Sheila off, and he’s working to get her back in jail again. Liam agrees, because that way Steffy and the kids can come back. Bill knows that Liam is also motivated by the potential of getting back together with Steffy, and Liam doesn’t deny it.
Brooke is delighted how concerned RJ is about Steffy and Eric. “It’s so sweet,” she says. She senses Ridge’s hesitation. He feels there’s something more to what he was saying, but he doesn’t know what it is.
RJ finds Eric sketching and he presents him with his own sketchpad so they can collaborate. When Eric sighs, RJ knows it’s very tough for him. RJ says he’ll be there for his grandfather and they’ll get the new designs done together.
Still angry, Li points out that Finn and Steffy have an even deeper history than Liam has with her. Finn reminds her that Liam filmed him hugging Sheila, probably to undermine him. Li knows he won’t let Liam or Sheila break up their marriage.
Liam says he never wanted to get in the way of Steffy’s marriage. His priority is that she’s safe and happy. But he would absolutely jump on a chance to be with her again.
Ridge wants to see Brooke’s wedding dress design. He wishes everything with his father would be ok, too, and Brook assures him that things will be ok.
Eric is frustrated that he’s losing his ability to draw so RJ builds him back up and reminds him of his accomplishments. But this is his moment. They need to channel his passion and focus because the game isn’t over. He pleads with Eric to not listen to what Ridge said. “Thank you,” Eric whispers.
Ridge picks up the stapler and offers it to Brooke. It gives him pause because of the argument he had with his father over the stapler. He has a flashback to his father sitting at the desk. Now he’s thinking about how things are going… and what the future looks like.
There’s no question that Ridge is starting to question his conversations with Eric now that RJ has called him out. Maybe the solution isn’t as simple as Brooke suggests. Maybe he’s overlooking things, and was too quick to dismiss his father’s requests and desires.
But what Ridge doesn’t know is that RJ has some ambition of his own. Helping Eric not only gives grandfather and grandson time to bond, but it’s an opportunity for them to create a legacy. This is RJ’s moment to step into the spotlight with Eric.
At this point, RJ is all-in on the collaboration with Eric. Working directly with his grandfather is incredibly valuable when it comes to experience and it also has the added benefit of giving RJ a boost in the highly competitive fashion industry. Who knows, maybe Eric’s legacy line will rival Hope for the Future, thrusting the youngest Forrester into the limelight.
Ridge has no idea how far RJ has gone with Eric, and now that he’s had a taste of working with his grandfather there’s no way he’ll be pulled away from the project now. Seeing Ridge’s response only served to cement RJ’s belief that he’s doing the right thing. At this point, RJ might be going rogue to help Eric but at the end of the day it’s all worth it for him.
The Bold and the Beautiful airs weekdays on CBS and the following day on Paramount Plus. Check your local listings to see when it comes on where you are.
