Thomas is rejected again (Bold and the Beautiful recap Mar. 18, 2024)

Deep breaths Thope fans, we've been in it this long with these two and they're becoming an It couple on The Bold and the Beautiful so let's just take Hope's latest proposal rejection as a bump in the road. Her saying, "No," maybe what these two need to go the distance. Let me explain.

Thomas has been taking his cues from Hope this entire time. Yes, the last time he asked her to marry him she said, "No," but she also chose to wear his ring on a necklace. The implication was that one day she'd take the ring off her chain and slip it on her finger. Hope's answer to his second proposal was was no once again, but she told him that she's loves him she's just not ready to make a forever commitment.

They are now at a true impasse. Hope has known from the beginning that Thomas is in love with her and wants to get married. If she doesn't think she'll ever be able to commit to him in that way then she's going to have to be honest about that and not keep him holding on in the hope that she'll one day change her mind. When she tried to get him to hear her out, Thomas wouldn't let her hold his hand and he left her standing in the Forrester salon on her own.

Annika Noelle did some good work today on the soap because she wasn't just playing Hope as overcome with emotion via her face and interpretation of the dialogue. It was also present in her hands which were shaking. We've seen how Hope gets when she thinks she's going to lose Thomas, she panics and that's exactly what's begun to happen.

Her physical and emotional reaction to the possibility of not having him in her life might just be the push she needs to decide really and truly what she wants and if that means the two getting married or stepping back, doing what she needs to for herself, and encouraging Thomas to pursue happiness even if it's not with her because she needs to choose herself right now. That would honestly be a real sign of growth and maturity for her.

Steffy doesn't think Hope loves Thomas

Liam popped by Forrester Creations today to check on Steffy, but she skirted around a conversation about Sheila and how Finn's handling her loss to discuss her brother and Hope. The two gave us the usual talking points: Hope isn't a victim, and she's stringing Thomas along.

Personally, I agree when it comes to her marriage. While she did try to flip the script, the truth of the matter is that it was Hope's feelings for Thomas and her acting on them that ended her marriage to Liam. It had nothing to do with Liam's torn heart or feeling like Steffy would always be the third person in their union. But where I differ is that I don't think Hope is stringing Thomas along. She does love him, and she finally told him that this episode. But they aren't in the same place emotionally right now, and if she doesn't think she can get there then she needs to accept that she has to let him go.

Liam did make a good point though. One or both of them are going to get hurt if they can't get on the same page. It's unfortunate but true, and we saw the beginnings of that with Hope's rejection. Thomas fled to the main office at Forrester and that's where Steffy found him. He was in distress, so he, of course, opened up to his sister.

This was exactly what Steffy was worried would happen. He was searching for what he did wrong but, as Hope told Thomas, it's not him. She's the one who isn't ready. It doesn't have anything to do with him. Steffy told her brother that he needs to move on from Hope, but it's not going to be that simple. This is a woman he's loved for years, who he can't envision not having a life with, he's been clear on that. It would be like letting a dream die, but he just might have to if Hope isn't able to reciprocate the depth of his feelings.

It doesn't look like Finn is Luna's father

It's with great relief that I can share that it appears that Finn isn't Luna's father. Poppy's big request was that she wanted him to be the male figure in her daughter's life since she doesn't have her dad. The episode strung that reveal on for a bit, but it was as simple as that. Finn told her that he would be there for his cousin without question but that he felt that it might be time for Luna to know who this man is because she clearly isn't going to drop wanting to know him.

Poppy assuring Finn that Luna was conceived in love makes me think that there won't be a plot twist where Bill is her father unless there's a reveal that he lost his memory at some point. I say this because they only spent one night together at a festival. That's not enough to claim love was at the root of Luna's conception unless they're drawing inspiration from the movie August Rush.

But I'm not going to act like I won't accept it because I fully would since I really want Luna to be Bill's. Don Diamont and Lisa Yamada have great chemistry, and I think they'd do well playing a father-daughter duo. Bill would also know that becoming "filthy rich" isn't a concern for Luna or Poppy, so he wouldn't have to worry about any gold digging or money grabs.

I will say though that I'd like to close the door on this plot soon because it is starting to drag. See you in the next recap, Bold fans.