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As the episode begins, Ridge tells Brooke that he’s just been to his doctor for his annual physical, and as he and Eric share an M.D., the doc mentioned that they’re worried about the older man. (HIPPA, anyone?) Why Pops would be tense, Ridge can’t figure out. We can, though — easily. At that very moment, Eric is at Spencer being pressured by Katie and Bill to deliver Logan’s first line, stat. (Maybe hire him some assistants, guys? C’mon.)
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‘Bridge’ Are Befuddled By Eric’s Stress Level
When Donna pops into the Forrester CEO’s office, she assures Ridge and Brooke that there’s nothing to worry about where Eric is concerned. But there is, it’s heavily foreshadowed. Bill is hammering home the fact that everyone at Spencer is accountable — even a GOAT like Eric. Things go from bad to worse when some models come in wearing the patriarch’s designs. These are his, Eric confirms, but they’re all wrong.
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At Forrester, Donna points out that if Eric is stressed out, maybe it has something to do with his forced retirement. “He’s trying to start something new… a different future,” she hints. Alas, just then, that future isn’t looking too terribly bright. Though Eric’s decisions are sound, the execution of his designs is poor. Bill doesn’t even seem to understand that one silk is not the same as the next. “You can’t compromise quality,” Eric tells Katie. “We’re gonna have to delay this launch.”
“Delay?!?” Bill barks. “That’s not happening.” Honestly, the way Bill is acting, Eric might as well be working for the old knockoff Spectra Creations. Why is it more important for Logan to deliver fast than to show memorably well? (Make it make sense!)
Bill Acts Like Being a Jerk Is Always in Style
Thankfully, Katie is more interested in hearing what Eric has to say than her husband. Why she puts up with him being such a [bleep]hole to her designer and friend, I can’t image. Bill is way outta line and seems more interested in getting Logan launched than launched right.
When Donna arrives at Spencer, she immediately senses that Eric is stressed. “Did Bill do something,” she asks, “or is it the job?” I wanted to Eric to say, “Bill! 100-percent Bill!” But nah. He didn’t. Alone with Katie, Bill further puts his foot in his mouth and floats the idea that for Eric, “this is about putting sonny boy in his place.” Since when is sticking it to Ridge something that Bill doesn’t love the notion of?!?
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When Bill gets done mansplaining business to Katie, she suggests that he take it down a notch. In response? He takes it a couple more. Not a good look on you, Bill.
‘What Ever Happened to Doctor/Patient Confidentiality?’
Back at Forrester, Ridge suddenly regrets kicking Eric to the curb. Across town, that quickly, Eric and Donna are home. (What a light traffic day.) She’s freaked out about what Brooke and Ridge told her and worries that her honey bear is just going to work himself into an early grave.
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Eric says that he wants to prove that age is just a number and he still has it. On the flip side, he admits that he’s bitten off more than he can chew. The designs he just saw were such a disappointment. So much for Katie’s “amazing” understanding of the fashion biz. When did she decide that Bill would be calling the shots, not her?
Regrets, Ridge Has Had a Few
In the episode’s final moments, Bill insists that he’s not trying to be a jerk. #fail Thankfully, Katie stands up for herself and points out that Logan is her reputation on the line. And “Eric’s family,” she adds. “I care about him.” Speaking truth to power, she reminds Bill that Eric’s under a ton of pressure. “And he’s keeping this secret… I’m just not sure it’s good for him.”
At Forrester, Ridge whines that he tries to make plans with his dad, but he’s always too busy. Ridge even goes so far as to say it’s amazing to have someone believe in him as much as Eric does. If only Ridge had had that much belief in his father! Guess those glasses are only good for hindsight, eh?
Eric Admits He Wishes He Was Still at Forrester
Finally, at the Forrester mansion, Donna doesn’t let Eric explain how he feels, she tells him how he feels. Not sure how good that is for his stress levels! When at last she allows him to speak, he says he’s glad to be designing again… and respected… But “the only thing I really know is I’d be happier if I was home now or at Forrester with Ridge and the grandkids.”
Really? So much for sticking it to the guy who put him out to pasture. In the end, Donna informs her husband that he has to tell Bill and Katie that he can’t design for Logan.
Next on The Bold and the Beautiful: Donna urges Eric to get checked out. Get preview for the whole week ahead here.
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