The Bold and the Beautiful recap (Dec. 14): Ridge comes home

Ridge made his way home today on The Bold and the Beautiful which means we’re finally making progress again on the last bits of the Brooke/Ridge/Taylor triangle storyline. Taylor also came home, though she arrived before him and had a lovely reunion with her daughter, Steffy.

Before you ask, no she’s not aware about the happenings with Sheila. Steffy has kept her parents out of the loop in that regard and that remained true in the episode. Brooke didn’t tell Taylor either, respecting Steffy’s desire to hold off on telling her parents everything that’s been going on in their absence. So, for at least today, the Sheila plot is on pause.

Here’s the full recap of events.

What happened today on The Bold and the Beautiful?

Curiously, Taylor hedged when Steffy inquired about whether she’d been in touch with Ridge. We know Brooke hasn’t spoken to him, but there was something about the way Taylor has declined to share if she has that has piqued by interest. It could be nothing, but I have a feeling that Ridge and Taylor (Tridge) have been in contact even though she didn’t know he was coming home today. Though that’s not to say Taylor knows who he plans to choose.

She seemed just as unsure about his decision as everyone else. In fact, we were treated to more guilt laden comments from her about not telling Ridge the truth before walking down the aisle. Taylor’s remorse over that lapse in judgment is understandable, but it’s time to move on.

We received another update on Thomas today. He’s still lying low. Steffy’s unconcerned with him at the moment since she’s upset with him. Taylor’s anger appears to have subsided and what’s left is sadness over her son’s clear lack of remorse for his actions. Later in the episode, she phrased it as an inability on his part to understand the gravity of his actions, but I think Thomas simply doesn’t care how it affected Brooke and still believes the ends of what he accomplished justified the means.

Across the hallway, Brooke and Hope were having their own mother-daughter conversation. Skipping past the Sheila bits which consisted of more shock over Steffy bumping into the infamous woman at Il Giardino, the two discussed Brooke’s feelings on Ridge coming home. This was an inevitability, of course, he had to come back to Los Angeles at some point but the nerves over what his choice could be have started to settle in.

As mentioned before, Brooke hasn’t been in touch with Ridge. She let Hope know that she’d found out that he was headed home and not from the man himself. Brooke said the same thing to Taylor when she found her in the main office.

The two women vying for Ridge’s heart came to an accord in their conversation. They rehashed the same points about what Taylor should have done, how Ridge wouldn’t have left Brooke had Thomas not manipulated the situation, and that what Tridge have is real and special. The common ground they found is their love for Ridge and their children no matter what has been done.

By the time Ridge arrived, after a flight that included a call from Eric firmly telling his son he needed to commit to either Brooke or Taylor, the two were prepared to meet with him as a united front. It appeared he thought that he’d only be seeing Taylor based on a text he’d received but in actuality, he got them both.

Though they didn’t disclose what they’d decided, it’s likely that Brooke and Taylor have decided to tell Ridge that no matter who he chooses, the other woman won’t be interfering in said choice. That’s the only way to break this cycle that they’ve been in for decades. Or, at least, that’s what I hope they decided.

While this was going on, Hope and Steffy were talking in the other office. Steffy had walked in on Hope checking in with Liam on the phone about what he might have heard regarding Sheila’s case. He didn’t have any news to share and neither did Steffy. With that out of the way, the former rivals turned to talking about their moms.

They acknowledged Thomas’ part in everything, but they don’t agree on who Ridge is going to choose. That’s not surprising. But they may want to stop while they’re ahead. Their differing opinions on who Ridge should be with tends to lead to arguing. Besides, it’s not like Hope wasn’t just trying to convince her mom to give Deacon a chance. Brooke has options, she’ll be fine if Ridge doesn’t choose her (as will Taylor, I might add).

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+.