A gloved hand poured an unknown white powdery substance into Tom’s ice blue energy drink in the July 1 episode of The Bold and the Beautiful. The singer was poised to make his comeback during his live performance at Il Giardino, but things didn’t end well after he collapsed after he finished. So who killed him?
We’ve learned in recent episodes that Tom (Clint Howard) was a singer back in the day, long before he became unhoused on the streets of Los Angeles. After helping Deacon (Sean Kanan) and Finn (Tanner Novlan) to rescue Sheila (Kimberlin Brown), Deacon offered the older man a job at Il Giardino. Upon discovering Tom’s musical past, Deacon arranged a live music night to help fuel Tom’s comeback.
The restaurant was packed full of guests, including Li Finnegan (Naomi Matsuda), Jack Finnegan (Ted King) and Justin Barber (Aaron D. Spears). Deacon’s right hand man, Hollis (Hollis W. Chambers), was also there. And we have to believe that Poppy (Romy Park) was nearby, having just had a heated conversation with Tom in Deacon’s apartment.
So who put the substance in the drink?
Hollis was the one who brought Tom his drink before the show, but he’s so rarely seen on the show that it’s unlikely that he’s involved. Still, he was the one who had the drink and his prints will be all over the cup.
Sheila was upset at Tom for looking into her shady past. She warned him that he shouldn’t go snooping around, which makes her a good suspect. However, the duo seemed to have turned a corner and Sheila seemed genuinely happy for him. Plus, it wouldn’t do her well to get her hands dirty over someone looking into her past. Sheila has bigger fish to fry.
Li is one of the best options. She’s a doctor, so obtaining drugs is easy for her. It’s possible that she knew about her sister’s past with Tom and likely knew about the letters he sent her. Li could have spotted Tom at Il Giardino before the concert and put a plan in motion to fake the DNA results so that Bill Spencer (Don Diamont) was Luna’s (Lisa Yamada) father. If nothing else, this would help to preserve the family’s honor. We have to wonder why, as a doctor, she didn’t spring into action as soon as Tom collapsed. This is a huge red flag.
The best suspect is Poppy herself. She had time to pick up drugs to kill Tom on her way to Il Giardino to see him. Knowing his past history with addiction better than anyone else, Poppy could safely spike his drink and have the death be ruled an overdose. No one would question the death if it’s blamed on a relapse, right? (This is especially true given that the coroner didn’t notice that Sheila’s “body” had ten toes instead of nine before they cremated her)
Now, it’s entirely possible that someone else spiked the drink. But when it comes to motive, Poppy is at the top of the list because Tom was threatening to reveal his identity to Luna. In Monday’s episode, Tom mentioned that Poppy was with him during the music festival and that’s why he thought Luna was his daughter, but Poppy said that she was with Bill while Tom was passed out on the tour bus. If Tom talked to Luna — and Bill — it would destroy everything Poppy has built with Bill. (We have to wonder about the accuracy of the DNA tests because for a while we thought Jack Finnegan was Luna’s father, too)
Poppy has the most to protect, but is she willing to commit murder to keep her happy ending with Bill? Only time will tell….
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.
