Hey, B&B fans! Well, Taylor Hayes is back on the scene, and that means it’s a game changer for many other characters such as Stephy, Thomas, Brooke, Ridge, and even Hope. But I know fans are going to be torn about this recast and her comeback, primarily because of how wobbly things were with the last recast and what they did to Christa Allen on the way out the door. Of course, it ended all so badly, and I’m worried we’re going to get a replay of that.
This is Belinda from Soap Dirt, and I want to talk about five things The Bold and the Beautiful needs to do for Taylor’s comeback when she returns to the scene, other than that little glimpse we’ve had of her. But first, please subscribe if you’re not already following us.
So when I first saw the promo for Ridge and Brooke’s Monte Carlo adventure, you know, we got a glimpse of that stalker in the scarf, and I wondered if they were bringing back Taylor Hayes. I even made a standalone video about it, wondering if it was going to be Christa Allen back in the role or a recast, and I was doubting that Christa would come back. Now, of course, we know it is Rebecca Buddig who is playing the role. She is a great little soap actress—literally little. People are joking online that Ridge has a new daughter because of how young and tiny she is, but I do think she is going to breathe new life into the Dr. Mama of Stephy and Thomas Forrester.
Taylor just called Stephy after watching Brooke and Ridge doing their canoodling thing in Monaco and told her, “Mama’s coming home,” and Stephy was delighted. Considering that they landed one of my favorite soap actresses, I am also delighted. I loved her on General Hospital. We all loved her as Greenlee on the other soaps—she’s great. But I really, really hope that B&B isn’t bringing back Taylor with a new face just to try and pull them out of this rating slump that they put themselves into. I’m worried they’re doing it without a good comeback plan.
I think all Bold fans can agree we don’t want the same old, same old but with Rebecca Buddig acting out the stale storylines. You know, it’s not going to make a difference whether it’s Christa or whether it’s Rebecca if Taylor is just doing the same old tired things that they have written for her time and again. With that in mind, let’s talk about five things we really need to see when they bring back Taylor Hayes.
The first thing: Brooke and Ridge are clearly endgame, and that’s okay, but remember last time they brought Taylor to town with Christa Allen debuting in the role, we saw Ridge immediately start his waffle-boy thing between Brooke and Taylor. But we all knew Brooke was going to get Ridge. One fan tweet that summed it up for me about this problematic Taylor return was from @GreatMindsForReal on Twitter, and they said, “I’m confused because the character Brooke almost always gets a win. The other character,” obviously talking about Taylor, “appears to have a chance before the big fall, and the final result is a Brooke win.” That’s been the exhausting formula for many years.
I agree with this person. So, you know, instead of the same old stale junk, how about Carter Walton showing Taylor Hayes a good time? Or Dollar Bill Spencer can dump the con artist and get with Taylor. Either would be better than a tired triangle. I mean, heck, have both Carter and Bill chasing Taylor so she’s the center of attention for a change.
All right, the second thing: You know, Stephy’s under almost constant attack these days by Hope Logan, and the scary thing is Stephy doesn’t even know the extent of it because Hope is constantly plotting to steal Finn from Stephy, and she’s got no idea this is what her ex-stepsister’s doing. And of course, we see Brooke going to bat for Hope, and now we need Taylor to return and go to bat for Stephy and to call out Hope on being Brooke Jr., targeting Stephy’s marriage. Taylor needs to come in, use her psychiatric skills, and see right through Hope’s shenanigans and put her in her place, whether Brooke likes it or not—especially if Brooke doesn’t like it.
B&B fan @Kindred99 tweeted, “Any investment in the character of Taylor Hayes is wasted. She doesn’t get an existence outside of Ridge or Brooke. She’s not there to be a mom or grandmother or just her own woman.” The Bold and the Beautiful can kick rocks on this, and another great tweet, I think we can agree, is pretty accurate and needs to be addressed in this return.
The third thing: Thomas Forrester is in a strange spot right now, and he needs his mama, Taylor. First, I’m worried that Bold isn’t even keeping Matthew Atkinson. He has been largely MIA as Thomas, and I just hope maybe that’s his request—maybe he wanted time off, you know, to enjoy his newlywed status. You know he and his wife are expecting a baby, but if they are going to exit Thomas, we do need closure on his storyline. But Bold doesn’t respect fans like that a lot of the time.
Right now, you know, Hope gripes that Thomas rebounded too fast with Paris Buckingham. I’d like to see Taylor come in, assess this whole thing, figure out if Thomas really is in love with Paris, and if so, plan them a wedding to be remembered. Taylor can be a buffer between Thomas and Hope when she tries to meddle again in his engagement—because I’m sure she will—because she’s very angry that he had the stones to walk away from her for good. Sensibly for good. We’ll see.
And the fourth thing: You know, in addition to Taylor getting her own lover that’s not rabid about Brooke and her being there for Thomas and Stephy, I want to see her as a medical professional and making friends and having a life of her own. And I know they’re limited because it’s a 30-minute show, but this could be easily done for Taylor. Have her befriend Dr. Lee Finnegan and show them hanging out at the hospital. They can hang out with the grandkids; they can have mimosas, talk crap when Taylor tells Lee that Hope’s trying to mess up Stephy and Finn’s marriage. I think these two in-laws, Lee and Taylor, could be a real girl-power duo. They’re both single; they’re both smart. I think they would be great together.
And another Bold fan, @QueenOfReceipts, tweeted this strong opinion: “I would say good luck to RB (Rebecca Budig), but don’t expect her to stay comfortably as we saw how Bold destroyed the two former Taylors. My heart aches for Christa Allen, who did incredible work but was shamefully fired.” Those are absolutely true words.
All right, fifth and finally: Now that we have talked logically about family, friends, and her professional life, I want to make one last truly wild suggestion—that Bold break new ground and do something that is actually unexpected with Dr. Taylor Hayes. Currently, there is a gorgeous single man on Bold who desperately needs a storyline, and I’m not talking about Carter. And Bill’s in his own mess right now. This guy, as we have seen, had a very steamy fling with an older woman. I am, of course, talking about Liam Spencer.
I think it would be really fun and twisty and unexpected if Brad Bell gave Taylor a storyline with a super tawdry secret fling. Remember how much fun it was to see Liam with Quinn in their Adam and Eve fling when he had that brain damage? And Scott Clifton said that was actually his favorite love interest that Liam has ever had. I think they could do something similarly twisted. Have Taylor and Liam run into each other at Il Giardino or at what is it called—Small Bikini Bar?—and have a few drinks, wind up in bed, and then decide it’s too hot to stop. But they know they have to keep it secret. And of course, all secrets come out on soap operas, and I can imagine Stephy being shocked finding out Taylor is bedding her ex-son-in-law. I mean, you expect that from Brooke Logan, right? But not from Taylor Hayes. And that’s why it’s different.
Liam definitely needs a storyline, and he needs to leave Stephy’s marriage alone, so him hooking up with Taylor—who shot his daddy, Bill, in the back—would be a blast. And I know we’ve got Rebecca Budig’s scenes as Taylor Hayes on August 20th, by the way. We saw her very briefly in the Monaco thing and then nothing else because they were shooting her and inserting her in—she wasn’t even over there on the remote shoot. Maybe we’ll get some scenes of new Taylor before then, but August is definitely a confirmed air date by CBS press.
So let’s just hope that Taylor is not back to give Ridge the time of day or to let Brooke live rent-free in her head. Nobody wants it. Come on, Brad Bell, do us right with this. Drop your comments on what you want for her return.
