The Bold and the Beautiful recap (Jan. 24): Hope for the Future is in trouble

On Monday’s episode of The Bold and the Beautiful, it was revealed that Deacon has become the new proprietor of Il Giardino. With the help of investors and a loan, he’s striving to make a name for himself again which is nice to see on the soap. Hope, however, isn’t on the precipice of a new, exciting journey in her career.

Turns out, Hope for the Future is dealing with a Thomas problem, mainly that his talent shined so brightly in the last preview that it’s threatening to overshadow the fashion line’s next collection. Apparently, not even the the combined skill of Eric and Zende has been able to elevate Hope’s brand higher than Thomas has.

Of course, this could mean Thomas won’t be on the outs for long with his family. If there’s one thing that’s catnip to Hope when it comes to her frenemy, it’s his ability to uplift her career. They may not be compatible romantically, but they soar together professionally.

Speaking of romance, Sheila popped by Il Giardino to congratulate Deacon. The two flirts had a lovely back and forth until Deacon began to poke at Sheila’s relationship with Bill. Is she playing him? That’s exactly what her friend is trying to figure out, and he’s not backing down.

Here’s the recap of events!

What happened today on The Bold and the Beautiful?

When Sheila walked in on Deacon at the restaurant, he’d been perfecting his signature pizza recipe. She’d given him her feedback after she tried a slice of cheese, suggesting less oregano and more garlic much to Deacon’s appreciation.

Their scenes at Il Giardino were full of banter as Deacon praised Sheila for her masterful, evil genius and acknowledged he won’t be counting her out ever again. But he did want to know how she managed to snag a guy like Bill Spencer. Deacon made no secret of his distaste for the man, though he did express being happy for Sheila.

However, he did want to know how much her relationship with Bill is actual love and how much is her using him. Sheila didn’t really give him an answer. In fact, she was uncomfortable. It wasn’t clear if that’s because she has feelings for Deacon and is finding it hard to talk about her romance with another man or if she doesn’t know how to explain her connection to Bill.

It’s obvious that he’s not like Mike Guthrie, a man Sheila finds to be sweet but who she has no problem throwing under the bus for her own benefit. She’s done it more than once and even had a smirk filled conversation with Deacon about using the poor man. But Bill’s different, that’s obvious.

What’s also obvious is that Sheila and Deacon’s attraction and care for one another certainly hasn’t gone anywhere. She’s still playfully calling him “Daddy” and he’s often leaning into her space and trying to make her smile. They reminisced about their date in the very part of the restaurant they were standing in so that they could turn Sheila’s thoughts about the crime she committed at Il Giardino to happier times she shared with Deacon.

He says he can read her thoughts and has a pretty good grasp of how she operates, so his persistent question about the validity of her romance with Bill came across as personal not like he has an agenda. It’ll be interesting to see how Sheila answers him, if she ever does so fully.

Also interesting is the conversation around Bill potentially being used when Hope may end up doing something similar to Thomas. Sheila’s been accused of latching on to her new love so she could get out of a bad situation, and now Hope is in a sticky predicament of her own. Granted, it doesn’t involve anything illegal, but the line ambassador has been known to absolve Thomas of all his wrong doings if it means having a successful collection.

For the better part of the episode, she fretted over impending fashion critiques of designs created by Zende and Eric Forrester for her line. You could tell that she was talking a good game and trying to remain positive, but she didn’t have faith in this collection like she had Thomas’. Steffy tried to soothe her, and they did have a momentary aside about Sheila and then the children spending more time together, but Hope was mostly nervous about the reviews.

So was Zende who was receiving reassurance from Eric. Unfortunately, the critique was not favorable. Though the critic acknowledged that there was occasional inspired touches in the new collection, it ultimately didn’t rise to Thomas showstopping review that had left the fashion world gasping in thrilled delight.

Thomas was loving it. He’s been staying at Paris’ apartment since he was kicked out of Forrester Mansion and the family business. But he hasn’t stopped designing with an eye toward Hope’s taste and vision for her brand. Before Paris left for work, he nodded to some sketches he’d mocked up and seemed to suggest she mention them to Hope. After all, if he’s going to get back into Forrester Creations sooner rather than later it’d have to be through Hope’s desire for her line to do well.

I also have to note that the soap may be working toward a romance between Thomas and Paris. He had a flirty gleam in his eye around her which she looked to appreciate, and there was that shoehorned in line about Zende and Paris now being friends even though it’s only been a month since they last told the family they were giving it a go again.

With Sheila’s troublemaking potentially cooling down for a bit perhaps it’s time for Thomas’ to ratchet up. Until next time, Bold fans. Stay beautiful!

New episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful are available to stream on Paramount+. For this week’s spoilers, click here.