The Bold and the Beautiful recap (Nov. 10): Brooke signs the papers

Well, it happened, Bold fans. Brooke signed the annulment papers on The Bold and the Beautiful today. In fact, Ridge even handed her the pen. Though that’s not to say he was callous about the end of their marriage. He looked like a man who was doing the absolute last thing he wanted to do which doesn’t bode well for his fledgling romance with Taylor.

As news that Ridge had served Brooke papers continued to rock through their immediate and extended family, we were treated to the groundwork being laid for what feels like an inevitable reveal that it was actually Thomas who made the CPS call.

Brooke finally knows that Ridge is leaving her because of something that happened with Thomas. He still didn’t tell her what exactly happened but giving her this little piece of the puzzle should be enough for Brooke’s wheels to start turning. She’s always looking for an excuse to see the worst in him and his latest manipulation isn’t going inspire change in that regard.

Here’s what happened on our soap today.

The Bold and the Beautiful recap: Bridge ends their marriage…maybe

Like excited children, Steffy and Thomas eagerly awaited their mother’s arrival at Forrester Creations. When Taylor blew in, she did so in a rush thinking that the matter was important. Steffy’s got to learn not to word her texts like it’s life or death. Thomas had a similar moment of hurried panic months ago when she sent a text telling him that it was urgent that he get to her house.

Once Taylor was able to get her heart rate back under control, she inquired into why her kids were looking like the cat that got the cream. In a move that was incredibly premature, they informed her that their father had issued Brooke annulment papers. The news took Taylor by surprise. She and Ridge have been holed up in their old beach house reconnecting but apparently this didn’t come up during walks down memory lane and creating new memories together.

That’s not a good sign. To be honest, nothing about how Ridge has handled his separation from Brooke and his reunion with Taylor has been encouraging. Yes, it’s sweeping and romantic. Thorsten Kaye and Krista Allen have sparkling chemistry together. I’m Team Tridge with my whole heart, but the story isn’t painting a positive picture of their future.

For one thing, it was obvious in Brooke and Ridge’s scenes–expertly executed by Katherine Kelly Lang and Kaye–that Ridge is separating from his wife under duress. The decision he made didn’t come from a place of love for Taylor. It came from betrayal that’s predicated on a lie that he’s unaware of, he’s being manipulated out of his marriage.

It was heart-wrenching watching Ridge get emotional over the thought of Brooke calling Child Protective Services on his son and then lying to him about it. Granted, considering she has pushed Thomas off a cliff and then later concealed what she thought was his death while also accusing him of assaulting Hope, this really shouldn’t have been the straw that broke the camel’s back but this was a gut punch for Ridge nonetheless.

The whole ordeal was devastating for Brooke as well because she’s so far out of the loop for plot convenience it’s ridiculous. At this point, she should have caught onto this annulment happening because of the CPS call but frustratingly Brooke hasn’t so we’re stuck here watching these two fall apart over something she didn’t even do.

I’m still of the mind that Brooke should’ve been the one to make the call. It would have given this storyline the oomph it so desperately needs. But instead, she and Liam are about to be proven right about Thomas and how he hasn’t changed. While all the people who do love him will be hurt by his actions.

Thomas is as tired of Brooke as she is of him. Ridge thinks that the call showed that she has no room in her heart for his son but, in all honesty, it’s been obvious for some time that if she could delete him from their lives she would. They hate each other and that’s not likely to change. Ridge has just been ignoring this for the sake of his marriage.

He’s not anymore but that’s do to a manipulation that Brooke is starting to sniff out. Same with Liam. He told Hope that there’s something not right about this whole situation. Conveniently forgetting everything that’s happened that didn’t involve Thomas, Liam said that whenever things seem to be going wrong, her son’s father is somehow always involved.

Hope didn’t like that statement nor Liam’s repeated accusations regarding Thomas’ part in the end of Brooke and Ridge’s marriage. She threw in some words about Steffy’s meddling as well, which Liam wasn’t too fond of either, and they did agree that Taylor carries some responsibility, too.

But, it was Katie who pointed out the obvious in their talk at Forrester Creations. Ridge is a grown man. He can’t possibly be so weak that he’d walk away from Brooke because he’s being badgered into it by his kids and his ex-wife. That’s the part of all this I’d like the characters to acknowledge more. This isn’t Ridge going along to get along. Clearly something happened to spark this change. That’s the smoking gun.

Taylor knows this as well. She tempered Steffy and Thomas’ excitement by reminding them that Brooke is very important to their father. Though he has taken a monumental step toward a future with Taylor, he could change his mind. Taylor’s been at this place with him before. She’s seen him walk away from her and go back to Brooke time and time again.

Thomas may have reassured her that this time it wouldn’t be like that but we, as viewers, see the writing on the wall. Ridge even told Brooke that he thought it would be him and her for the rest of their lives. He’d planned to live out his days as her husband so this annulment isn’t a whim, it’s a reaction.

Outside of being angry and hurt, we don’t know how Ridge is going to react to Thomas’ secret coming out. But we do know his pattern of behavior and, unfortunately for Taylor, the odds aren’t in her favor. Especially since Brooke signed the papers today but Ridge has yet to do so.

Until next time, Bold fans. Stay beautiful!

Stay tuned to Hidden Remote for more The Bold and the Beautiful news and coverage! New episodes of the soap air Mondays-Fridays on CBS. Evening viewing is available on Paramount+.