Bill figures out where he knows Poppy from on Bold and the Beautiful (Jan. 3 recap)

The more intriguing plot on The Bold and the Beautiful today was our catch up with Bill. It seems in his absence on screen he's managed to score a date with Luna's mom, Poppy. He filled his son, Liam, in as the two shared drinks together at Il Giardino. He also let his son in on the fact that he likes being at the Italian restaurant because he can keep an eye on Sheila Carter and give her a hard time.

Unfortunately, we didn't get to see the infamous woman because she and Deacon weren't at work. But we did get to see the Spencer men bond which was nice, I'll certainly miss seeing Darin Brooks in these scenes as Wyatt. But there may be another Spencer kid rising. The soap spent a lot of time on Luna's absent father which, of course, was meant to peak our interest.

She sent her mom off on the date with the hopes that it would go well despite RJ jokingly telling Poppy to run as far away as she can from Dollar Bill. Initially, Poppy was worried about the kind of person Bill is if no one seems to like him besides his children but Luna waved that off and got RJ to stop poking a hole in what could be a good thing for her mother.

Privately, Luna told RJ that she does wonder what Poppy's life would have been like if her dad had stuck around. Cue her sit down with Bill at Il Giardino. Before they could really get settled into their date, Bill revealed that after Internet stalking her, he realized where he knew her from. They met over 20 years ago at a music festival where they spent an unforgettable time together. Though it must have been at least a little forgettable on his side if he couldn't immediately recall Poppy.

I'm not sure where I land on the 'Could Bill be Luna's father?' debate. On the one hand, I've always wanted for Bill to have a daughter. He seems like he'd be a good girl dad. But is it really fair to his character for all of his children to not only be from different mothers but also, with exception to Will, he never got to raise them and their moms didn't want anything to do with him? Like how awful was young playboy billionaire Bill for that to be a consistent part of his backstory?

In any case, we're all on tenterhooks waiting to see what happens in that storyline. As for the 'Is Thomas a ticking time bomb?' plot, it's less interesting.

Steffy withholds the truth from Finn

Xander's appearance is creating waves but can we count on the soap to kick up into a worthwhile storm over Emma Barber's death? Finn confronted Steffy about what he was told and he was surprised to learn that she wasn't surprised that Xander lodged an accusation of murder against her brother.

She explained it away as the allegation being retaliatory because of the situation surrounding Beth and Thomas role in it but that didn't really connect all the dots. Seeing her getting upset, Finn didn't push when Steffy said that Emma died in a car accident on Mulholland Drive after taking a turn too fast and running off the road. She left out the very important fact that Thomas was chasing Emma, so that will likely come up for Finn at some point.

He was adamant that they keep their eyes wide open when it comes to Thomas considering all that he'd done in the past. He also said that Thomas' actions back then went beyond obsession which I didn't agree with considering obsession can lead someone to do some rather evil and horrific things. Steffy told him that her eyes have been open, that's why she's been vocal about it not being a good idea that Thomas and Hope are together. No one knows what will happen if Hope ends their romance.

To be frank, neither does Hope but she may be seeing what damage she could cause simply because she couldn't leave well enough alone with her lover. She was clear on where she stands regarding their relationship and that she wants to keep his proposal between them but once again Hope left the door open for him. She told Thomas that maybe one day she'll be ready to make that level of commitment to him but that's not where she is right now.

Thomas accepted what she said but also reminded her that he's devoted to her and only her. He feels like he's been waiting his whole life for them to be together. The intensity of his feelings are exactly what his mother and sister have been worried about since the beginning. Steffy fears that Thomas could get triggered if Hope lets him down and, based on Hope's face while they hugged, she does, too. This whole situation is potentially dangerous and the onus was on Hope to be the one who didn't cross that line with Thomas. Now that she has it may not be possible to go back to their dynamic before without someone getting seriously hurt and that includes Thomas.

One thing is for sure though it's starting to look like Thomas and Finn are going to clash during this storyline. He shared with Hope that he thinks the good doctor doesn't like him much and, though she knows he's right on the money with that belief, she assured him that's not the case. Finn's protective streak seems to be stretching toward Hope now and that could become a problem down the road.

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