Your eyes aren't deceiving you, a new episode of Bold and the Beautiful isn't airing today (Dec. 29, 2023)

I'm not going to lie Bold fans, I find it infinitely interesting that The Bold and the Beautiful is closing out 2023 with a rerun of the Rome story arc from June that saw Liam shocked to find Thomas and Hope kissing in front of the Colosseum and in his dismay coming across Steffy and kissing her.

The soap had pretty much put Steam on the back burner after Jacqueline McInnes Wood returned from maternity leave and Steffy made it clear to her best friend and ex-husband that she's not leaving her husband, Finn, for anyone not even him. Liam didn't exactly accept that response to his advances, in fact, he doubled down on his determination to be with her again while privately talking to a her picture. But he did backslide a bit when confronted with the advanced progress of Thope's relationship and seemed to be trying to manipulate Hope out of that entanglement by telling her he still loves her. So, it's unclear where Liam's headspace is at right now though we do know that he and Hope still aren't divorced because the papers haven't been filed.

Rerunning this particular Rome episode suggests that at least at the top of 2024 we'll be circling back to this messy situation. I'm not sure how this could all play out but it's difficult to see where Liam has room to wedge between Finn and Steffy. The doctor just saved her grandfather with an experimental procedure and treatment plan that's likely to get him lauded, if not promoted at the hospital. That storyline has brought them closer than ever, and Steffy already decided she wasn't going to let Sheila get between them so harping on his biological mother's nefarious past deeds isn't going to get Liam anywhere.

Scott Clifton did say Liam is in his villain era so perhaps this isn't going to be a straightforward triangle if The Bold and the Beautiful decides to go there. Maybe we're in for some scheming and ill-advised interfering a la the kind of behavior we used to see Steffy get up to in the early days of the Hope/Liam/Steffy triangle. It's been over a decade and Hope still talks about that gondola, perhaps Liam will do something to Finn in 2024 that has him angrily waxing about it for years to come.

As a Steam fan, I'm eager to see Clifton and Wood acting opposite each other, but I can't say that I'm excited for this plot. I wanted Steffy and Liam to find their way back together one day in a real love story but that doesn't seem to be what we're going to be getting. I could be wrong though, we'll have to see. Our soap returns Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024 with a new episode.

Happy New Year, Bold fans!