The Bold and the Beautiful recap (May 26): Hope lies to Liam

You know what doesn’t make you look guilty when you’re being asked a very serious question with high stakes consequences? Answering immediately. Unfortunately, Hope gave Liam the run around in Friday’s episode of The Bold and the Beautiful before she finally answered his pointed and straightforward question: “Do you have feelings for Thomas?”

It truly was a sight to behold as he as calmly as possible tried to get her to give him a real answer. At first Hope tried everything. She made Steffy the issue for even putting the idea in Liam’s mind and getting in the middle of their marriage. But Liam told her that while he does know her and who she is as a person, he also knows who Steffy is. She’s not a gossip and she has no reason to interfere in their relationship at this point in their lives.

Steffy was being a protective sister, which Liam acknowledged along with saying that in the past any meddling she’d done had to do with her feelings for him, this is about making sure Thomas doesn’t get derailed. Feeling cornered, Hope launched into a discussion about her line and how she’s worked hard to make it what it is and how Thomas is a part of that.

She is not willing to back down on keeping her lead designer especially when they’re in the middle of a crucial recovery period for the Hope for the Future brand. Frustrated, Liam reminded Hope that this isn’t about her job. He doesn’t want to impede her success, but he also can’t keep going on this way. Then Hope threw out that Thomas is the father of her son, Douglas, too, and Liam lost his cool.

He is tired of hearing about how entangled and cosmically intertwined Thomas and Hope are. Thomas is living rent-free in his mind, and he needs this to stop. So, no, despite his wife wanting him to either accept that Thomas is going to be an important part of her life or let his insecurities go, Liam can’t do that. Not when she continues to talk about how much Thomas has changed and how he’s not the man he used to be, and Steffy is telling him Hope has feelings for him and is displaying that in a far too intimate manner by gazing into his eyes and rubbing his hands.

What happened on The Bold and the Beautiful on Friday, May 26?

Liam asked Hope one last time if she has feelings for Thomas and she finally gave him a straight answer. She told him no that she loves him and that she’s committed to their marriage and family. They both cried in each other’s arms and Hope apologized, but the over the shoulder shots spoke volumes. Hope looked guilty, and Liam looked like he didn’t quite believe her. The latter is a good thing considering his wife lied to him, and this genie is already out of the bottle.

Brooke knows Hope is attracted to Thomas and that it’s starting to show, and Steffy caught Hope in a moment that clearly showed that her feelings on Thomas have shifted out of the realm of platonic. This is why she was unapologetic when she let Finn know that she told Liam what she saw at the office.

Finn was surprised Steffy did that especially because it’s an accusation that puts her directly in the middle of their marriage and was the equivalent of dropping a bomb into it, but she felt Liam deserved to know. Not to mention she was tired of hearing him talk about Thomas being the issue when she’s aware that Hope is the one struggling and could potentially impede the progress that her brother has made. She’s not going to let that happen so, yes, she involved herself.

The only people not having a rough or tense go of it on Friday’s episode were Thomas and RJ. The two brothers have been a bit awkward with one another, but they have been trying to get to a more amicable and friendly place. When RJ walked into the main office at Forrester, he playfully snapped Thomas out of his wandering thoughts with a joke about that look meaning that he has a girl on his mind.

RJ hit the nail on the head since Thomas was thinking about Hope, but his big brother simply laughed it off and asked whether RJ knows that from experience. From there their conversation centered on Thomas’ growth as a person, and the good place his relationship with Hope is in. RJ’s been happy that his siblings are getting along and, as Thomas has said, that’s also good for Douglas.

Thomas asked whether RJ was still being pressured by Ridge to work for Forrester, apparently this is a conversation that still hasn’t died despite RJ clearly wanting to chart his own path. However, Brooke isn’t invested in him being a designer, she just wants him to be happy so he appreciates that. In all honesty, I hope they get something for RJ to do soon since he seems to only be weighing in on his family’s drama and relationships with no storyline of his own.

Until next time, Bold fans. Stay beautiful!

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