The Bold and the Beautiful recap (July 21): Sheila is a free woman

Sheila’s trial was a brief affair for not only The Bold and the Beautiful characters but the audience as well. For a woman on trial for murder in the first degree, she didn’t really spend that much time in the judge’s chambers and there certainly wasn’t a jury of her peers weighing in on the case. In fact, in a matter of minutes, the judge explained that he had to dismiss the case.

As fans pointed out when Bill’s romance with Sheila was revealed to be fake on his part, despite the CEO working closely with the FBI, her murder confession was coerced out of her. She’d confided in him because they were romantic partners who shared an intimate connection. There wasn’t any evidence tying Sheila to the deaths of Dr. Jay Garvin and Lance. She was being held on charges based on the confession alone which the judge said couldn’t be used in court due to the nature of how it was gotten.

While the judge was apologetic about his decision and did believe that Sheila deserved to spend her life in prison, he couldn’t in good conscious move forward with a case that held no water because it hinged on hearsay and an inadmissible confession. As such, he declared Sheila could go free though he did warn her that should she wind up before him again, there would be a different outcome.

What happened today on The Bold and the Beautiful?

Of course, all present at the trial were shocked. Carter tried to motion for an appeal. The judge said he could do so but that it’d be a waste of time which Carter knows. He also explained to Steffy and Finn that Sheila couldn’t be brought up on attempted murder charges regarding the night she shot them because they’d waived their claims which led the state of California to drop the charges. New evidence would have to be brought forward in order for Sheila to be charged again.

So, in spite of all Ridge and especially Bill’s efforts, Sheila walked away a free woman and then she hugged Finn out in the hallway when the two thought no one was looking. This need to embrace one another is a new occurrence. So new, in fact, that it first happened in Thursday’s episode and Finn admitted that there’s something about the way that Sheila holds him that fills what’s been missing in his life–his birth mother’s love.

When Liam spotted them, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He’d clocked the looks between Sheila and Finn in the judge’s chamber and thought they were odd but it’s doubtful he could have expected to come upon the two of them embracing. He’d told Finn that he was at the proceedings because the outcome of the case would impact his family namely Steffy, his daughter Kelly, and his father Bill.

At the time, Finn had made a big show of being put out by Liam’s presence when he arrived at the courthouse. He put him on notice about what he wouldn’t be tolerating now that Liam and Hope have split. While Finn did say that he sympathizes with what Liam’s going through, he wasn’t going to put up with him popping up. This threw Liam for a loop because Finn was quite aggressive though he did assert that when it comes to ensuring his family’s safety, he’s going to be where he needs to be. Also, he told Finn that he respects his and Steffy’s marriage.

Remember when Finn told Steffy he wasn’t being insecure about Liam and didn’t feel threatened by him, clearly that was a bold faced like because he clutched at her shoulder possessively when he threw an arm around her as Liam explained his reason for being at the courthouse. Given the standoff between the two men and the hug Liam witnessed, perhaps Liam will be doing some meddling after all.

I’m also wondering how Deacon is going to react to hearing Sheila’s been acquitted. He’d walked over to Brooke and Eric’s lunch table at Il Giardino’s when he overheard them talking about the trial. He wasn’t aware that Sheila’s fate would be determined today and he listened to the two tell him their hopes for Sheila to be kept behind bars.

Deacon did speak up when Brooke said she couldn’t understand how Finn’s own mother could shoot him. He reminded her that it wasn’t purposeful, Finn jumped in front of Steffy who was Sheila’s true target. But Brooke said that it still happened and she still left her own son and his wife in the alleyway to be found like that which was heinous. Deacon didn’t have anything to add and he couldn’t really bask in Brooke’s praises either when she applauded his efforts to get Sheila arrested. Obviously, that’s due to the feelings he’s been harboring for Sheila.

Could the truth about Sheila and Deacon’s relationship get out now that she’s a free woman? If it does it sure would bring a whole new level of drama to the soap. Until next time, Bold fans. Stay beautiful!

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