Li finally reveals why she’s so mad at Poppy on The Bold and the Beautiful and it’s not what you might think (Nov. 13, 2023)

Naomi Matsuda told Soap Opera Digest that she hoped the talk between Li and Poppy would get the audience to see her character as “more of a human being” based on what Li reveals in the discussion. And, to be honest, I think it will. Once we got through the good doctor yelling about how Poppy betrayed her and Poppy denying that narrative because she didn’t know the doctor she’d been seeing was married, we got to the real meat and potatoes on The Bold and the Beautiful.

Li is jealous. Poppy has had it easy her whole life. She’s the kind of person who takes life as it comes at her. Unlike her older sister, Poppy isn’t concerned about money or success. She’s happy with who she is as a person, how she’s raised Luna, and what she’s made of her life. She asked Li if she was happy because what good is money and success if you’re unhappy. This took her sister by surprise and she reminded Poppy that she’s been through a lot.

She nearly lost her son because of his birth mother, Sheila Carter. The love of her life, Jack Finnegan, turned out to be nothing but a liar when it comes to their son. He’d convinced her to adopt Finn, his biological child, pretending that they were entering into the adoption as two people choosing to love and raise a baby not of their blood. For 30+ years of Finn’s life, she’d been none the wiser about the wool Jack had pulled over her eyes to disguise his affair.

Li pointed out how hard she’d worked to get where she was. The sacrifices she’d made, the time she had lost. It was hard on her not to be able to conceive and bring a child into the world. The fact that Poppy could do so with ease stung.

To be honest, I thought the soap might bring some nuance into the conversation by also having Li share that raising a White child as an Asian woman was difficult, referencing any displacement as his mother she may have experienced or still does, and then to have his birth mother around making those old, fearful feelings of their parent-child bond potentially being weaker because they’re not blood related rear their head. But the writers kept it to Li comparing her relationship with Finn to Poppy’s with Luna and saying it’s “different” because her sister carried and she didn’t.

For a soap where adoption is heavily present, The Bold and the Beautiful sometimes harps on the power of blood relation far too much. In any case, Poppy tried to be of support to Li, but her sister wouldn’t have it. She referred to it as pity which couldn’t have been farther from the truth. Li’s anger is walking hand and hand with resentment, and it’s clear Poppy has only wanted to be there for her. She tried reaching out when Finn was nearly killed but Li ignored her.

There’s no way this relationship can heal unless Li stops assuming that Poppy is out to ruin her life and that Luna would, too.

Steffy gently lets Liam down but he vows to keep trying

As a Steam shipper, I can admit I have a bit of egg on my face. Steffy rejected Liam with far more clarity and certainty than I anticipated. While she did hear him out, even laughing when he said he could still feel their connection and joked he needed a cold shower, she told her ex that though she’d always love him, she wasn’t leaving Finn for anyone, not even him.

Liam, however, was undeterred. He’s down so bad for Steffy that he ended the episode in his office, stroking a picture of himself, Steffy, and Kelly, vowing what he already had to her–their story isn’t over and they will be together again. Where was Steffy? In her house, kissing her husband. You’re starting from zero, Liam!

The only way Steffy might sing a different tune is if Finn slips up when it comes to letting Sheila have an inch again. Deacon dropped by his office to ask him to leave the door open for her and, while he said that would never happen, we all know that he has a soft spot for her. He’s standing his ground right now but the reason why Deacon and Sheila haven’t given up hope on him is because they can see he wants a relationship with her. He’s keeping her away because he fears he’d lose Steffy. He’d be right, so we’ll have to see how this all shakes out.

The C plot for this episode of The Bold and the Beautiful were Luna and RJ. The two young lovebugs had a rehashed conversation about the weight of knowing Eric is dying, the animosity between Li and Poppy, and being there for one another. But they’re set to take an important step later in the week.

Stay tuned to Hidden Remote for more CBS daytime soap news and coverage.