The Bold and the Beautiful recap (May 23): Parental advisory

Today’s episode of The Bold and the Beautiful was all about parents checking in with their adult children on their personal lives. Sure, the episode began with Thomas and Hope once more extolling each other’s graces and Taylor gushing about her son to a less than enthused Brooke who was smiling through it, but once those scenes ran their course it was all about these parents and their kids.

When Taylor went to take a call, Brooke left the office they were spending time in to go back to the CEO’s office where she found Thomas and Hope interacting amicably. Thomas was cracking a joke about how artificial intelligence is going to take his job one day and Hope assured him that no robot would be able to capture his artistry.

Their joke didn’t amuse Brooke who’s been struggling to move past Hope sharing with her that she has feelings for Thomas. She brought up the exchange, once they were alone, pushing her daughter to elaborate because Hope has been having outbursts about how she doesn’t want to be like her mother and, while Brooke understands that position considering the damage and hurt she’s caused in the name of following her heart, she’s trying to wrap her mind around Hope having actual feelings for Thomas Forrester.

Hope didn’t really have an explanation for why she blurted out her confession and then quickly walked it back with some rather hurtful words. But she did say that she should have never said what she did because it wasn’t right and it hurt Thomas. Brooke practically scoffed at the idea that Thomas could be hurt by Hope’s actions and even said that he was using this situation to manipulate her.

This took Hope by surprise, but she refused to believe that Thomas would do that because at this point she feels like she knows him better than anyone and he wouldn’t do that. Not to mention anyone would be hurt by the things Hope said, they completely belittled his progress and the person he’s been striving to become.

Watching Hope defend Thomas flabbergasted Brooke and she asked her daughter outright what’s going on with her. Though interestingly, she also said “and please don’t tell me you have feelings for Thomas,” so obviously the truth isn’t what she’s really after.

What happened today on The Bold and the Beautiful?

The truth is what Taylor was after. She came back into the drafting office expecting to see Brooke, but was pleasantly surprised to see her son working on a design instead. Unaware that his mom wasn’t filled in on the conversation he overheard, Thomas started to tell her that before she says anything to him about what happened earlier, he wanted to assure her it wasn’t a big deal.

Clocking her confused look, Thomas realized he’d just let his mom in on something Brooke failed to fill her in on which, of course, meant it was his duty to tell her since Taylor certainly wasn’t going to remain in the dark. To his credit, Thomas was surprised Brooke didn’t speak to Taylor about her discussion with Hope considering they’re friends now so if she has concerns one would think she’d disclose them. But, anyway, he let her know he overheard Hope calling him unstable and manipulative.

This riled Taylor up but she listened as Thomas elaborated, explaining that Hope apologized once she realized he’d heard her, and then she went on to say some rather kind and nice words about him. Taylor expressed that Hope should have never said what she did, but she did appreciate that she apologized. Her biggest concern, however, was why Hope felt compelled to say something she didn’t mean.

Brooke had said that perhaps Hope was overcompensating during her outburst and though Hope denied it, Brooke seems to be right on the money. Taylor will probably draw that conclusion, too, once she has a one-on-one with her friend, and that’s sure to be a tense conversation since she now feels lied to thanks to Brooke staying silent on her true feelings.

Across town, Bill was giving Liam some advice on his marriage. He’s proud of the man his son has become both as a father and a husband, but he doesn’t want him to ever take Hope for granted. Bill knows from experience how hindsight will leave you only with regrets and a desire to fix what you broke years ago. He hopes that one day Katie will come back to him but for now he’s had to accept that she’s in a relationship with Carter, even if he hasn’t given up just yet.

Liam was moved by his father’s words but also told him that he strives to be like him. He admires his dad and what he did to keep the family safe by sacrificing to take Sheila down and put her behind bars. Their talk was a loving one, displaying the bond between father and son as they embraced and Bill kissed Liam on the cheek. It was a sweet moment and likely one of the few ones Liam has left to have before his world is rocked by this Thope storyline.

Until next time, Bold fans. Stay beautiful!

New episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful are available to stream on Paramount+.