Thomas is absent on Bold and the Beautiful but he hasn't been written out for good

It's been over two months since Thomas Forrester made his departure on The Bold and the Beautiful, taking his son Douglas with him to Paris. The affects of that decision are still playing out on the soap as his ex, Hope Logan, contends with a flailing line without his design work. His absence, and the financial down turn for Hope for the Future because of it, is why his sister, Steffy, wanted to cancel HFTF. She was outvoted by their father, Ridge, and the COO Carter Walton but only so they could see if the line could make a turn around by next quarter.

During the discussion about the future of Hope's brand, and the company as a whole, there was a line of dialogue from Ridge that made clear the writers are not done with Thomas' character. He told Steffy and Hope that they are the future of Forrester Creations, along with Thomas, so they need to bury the hatchet and figure out how to work together.

For fans who've been waiting to hear some word on Thomas, that was music to our ears. We've gotten throwaway lines about how he's doing here and there. But there's been no indication that he'll be making his way back anytime soon. Keeping his name in the loop about being a part of the company's future, does give an indication that he will be back at some point. The question, of course, is when.

The last time Thomas was out of the picture, Hope for the Future suffered. That's what's happening again. Not even Eric Forrester could save it when he teamed up with his grandson, Zende, to right the ship. Now, Hope has Zende, her green designer of a brother RJ, and the intern Luna to help her. The designs apparently look good, but that's not the same as money coming in and so far the numbers are bad enough to be worrisome.

Time moves weirdly on The Bold and the Beautiful so it could be months before we get to "next quarter" on the soap or it could be a matter of weeks. If the numbers don't improve that could prompt Thomas to come back home to save the line after he's asked explicitly to do so even if he and Hope don't get back together. Or, we could see him again because Ridge and Steffy need his help.

Ridge told Steffy that he needs to focus on the couture line. Without product they don't have a company and Thomas' departure has greatly affected Forrester Creations. Perhaps, if Thomas doesn't come back in the ninth inning to save HFTF, he returns to work side-by-side with his father. Whatever happens though, we can at least take comfort in the knowledge that, for now, Thomas hasn't been written out for good on our show.

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