The Bold and the Beautiful recap (April 18): Happy Birthday, Steffy!

It was a celebratory time today on The Bold and the Beautiful as the daytime drama focused on Steffy’s birthday. Not only does this mark the soap’s 9,000th episode, but it was also a means of honoring the actress Jacqueline McInnes Wood’s 36th birthday as she was born on April 17. Happy belated birthday, Ms. Wood!

The festivities kicked off with a father-daughter moment between Ridge and Steffy as he presented her with a fun and bright cake bedecked with candles. He urged her to make a wish and blow the candles out and then presented her with a montage video he had Zende put together with the pictures he gave him.

If you were wondering if those were Wood’s own childhood photos, we think they might have been. The little girl featured throughout favored her immensely and there was a mixture of pictures of Wood’s with the cast on set, and at events, in the video as well. So, in-universe it was a tribute to Steffy but it also appears to have been a gift to Wood as well.

Ridge wanted to spend more time together but Steffy went rushing off to her own home so she could celebrate with her husband, Finn, and their kids. Taylor pointed this out when Ridge grumbled a bit over not getting to bond with his daughter as much as he would have liked. Keeping him company, the two sat down for cake and Taylor shared with Ridge that she’d had a lovely breakfast with Steffy.

The both of them couldn’t believe just how time has flown and they’re immensely proud of all that Steffy has accomplished and the woman that she is. Interestingly, they also kept bringing up all that she’d been through with Liam and how that’s led her to Finn, a love that she’s been able to settle in. Steffy fell in love with two completely different men and has led two different lives with the both of them, and it’s helped shape who she is as a person.

What happened on The Bold and the Beautiful today?

It turns out, unlike Taylor thought, Steffy was not wrapped in the arms of the man she loves. She was home by herself, looking over the cards she’d received. Judging by the crayon on one of them, Kelly had chosen to make her a birthday card. Finn was off at work which meant that the knock on her front door was none other than Liam.

He’d made an excuse for showing up by presenting Steffy with Kelly’s favorite bath tub duck, but then owned up to the fact that he was there to wish her a happy birthday. He’d been thinking about her a lot lately and this led to a conversation about their love story. Of course, this mean the soap broke out a highlight reel of Steam’s best moments from the start of their romance to its peak before they went their separate ways.

As Liam pointed out, they have so many great memories together and Steffy agreed. Their time together is something they look back on fondly though Liam had to take it an extra step and mention that even though their love has changed, it’s still there. Steffy’s aware of that as well, and they embraced as Liam wished her a happy birthday and expressed his love for her.

Back at Forrester, Taylor and Ridge continued to revel in who Steffy’s become and both credited each other for how she turned out. Taylor’s still lamenting the time she lost with her kids, both when it was out of her control and when she chose to help people across the globe, but Ridge assured her Steffy felt her love and is who she is because of her.

Liam called it right, Steffy’s one of a kind. She’s left an impression on everyone who’s been lucky enough to know her and Finn feels that acutely as well. He put together a nice, romantic night in for her after the kids were settled in their beds. He had her favorite wine at the ready and their orders from their favorite restaurant.

Together they reminisced about their journey in love and spoke on how grateful they are to have one another especially after the ordeal of Finn’s near death and Steffy’s grief when she thought he’d died. The soap’s flashback to their reunion also served as an intro to Finn’s gift. He’d outfitted the Cliff House’s tower with custom bells that are activated by the touch of a button as a token of his love and the memory of how their family was brought back together.

All in all, the 9,000th episode was a wonderful tribute to Steffy Forrester and Jacqueline McInnes Wood in honor of both of their birthdays. 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 are available to stream on Paramount+.