As Bold & Beautiful had Ridge push dad Eric out the door of the company he’d founded, the Forrester patriarch vacillated between heartbreak and fury. But once the dust settles, a very different feeling is bound to take hold: defiance! Eric knows he has a lot left to offer the fashion business, and if Ridge is too pigheaded to see that, fine: Eric can just start his own fashion house and knock his son down a few pegs. And we know just who is destined to help him do it.
Eric and Katie Are Kindred Spirits
It can’t be a coincidence that just before Eric was given his walking papers, Katie had been left feeling similarly unappreciated by Ridge and Brooke. When she accepts Bill’s offer to return to Spencer Publications — and c’mon, she’s obviously going to! — watch for her to float a radical idea to her former husband: Let’s bankroll Eric’s new fashion house, Eric Forrester Originals!
Overnight, Katie could be the new firm’s CEO — hey, she’s held the role before at Forrester — Will could be working as Senior Vice-President in Charge of Fabric Swatches, and Bill could be grinning from ear to ear knowing how steamed the venture makes Ridge.
But Katie’s no dummy. And she cares very deeply for Eric. So she’d want to safeguard his health the same way everyone else does. Only she’d do it by bringing in a co-designer for Eric who is more open-minded than Ridge, a designer who made Hope For the Future a sensation and then left L.A. because there was no longer any Hope in his future.
Yep, we’re talking about Thomas!
Bring Thomas Back With a Vengeance
If Ridge and Taylor’s son were returned to the canvas to team up with his grandfather on his new venture, it could breathe fresh life into the character, who was pretty much discarded when Hope turned down his proposals (before accepting Carter’s and Liam’s). With Hope in rearview and Paris in his past, Thomas could wipe the slate clean, establish himself as a designer who leaves Dad in the dust and becomes the most eligible bachelor in L.A.
How much fun would it be for the show to allow Thomas to be the playboy that Ridge once was — someone looking for a good time, not a commitment. He could date Forrester model Lainey (whose few appearances have left us wanting more) and steal her away to Eric’s fashion house. He could have a fling with Ms. Dylan that could potentially bring her one step closer to her scary endgame. He could even get under Bill’s skin by flirting with Katie.
Welcome Back, Fashion Wars!
Best of all, if Eric strikes out on his own, it would tee up the fashion wars anew. Headwriter/executive producer Bradley Bell even said as much this summer when the show moved into its spacious new studio. “We’re putting fashion at the forefront,” he cheered. Bring it on!
Get a sneak peek at Hope and Liam’s wedding via the below photo gallery.