Bold and the Beautiful shows Eric Forrester (John McCook) walking out of Forrester Creations because Ridge Forrester (Thorsten Kaye) forced him into retirement. But I don’t think Eric is done. I’m pretty sure he’s going to blindside Ridge with his next move.
We’re going to talk about what Eric will do after Ridge pulled this disrespectful move on him. I expect Eric may blindside his son by starting his own fashion house and hide what he’s doing until it blows up in Ridge’s face.
Ridge’s Misguided Attempt to Retire a Legend on Bold and the Beautiful
Eric told Ridge he had more to give and that he was still designing every day, but Ridge just wouldn’t listen to Eric. We saw Ridge going on and on about how continuing to work will kill Eric. Here’s some fun science. Did you know that retiring negatively affects the health and mental acuity of seniors? Because once the job is gone, unless there’s some kind of substitute activity, like volunteer work, you lose drive, you lose purpose, you have lower activity levels. And the risk of heart attack goes up by 40% in the first year that seniors retire. There’s some hard science for y’all.
So, Ridge is kind of being a jerk. It’s not like Eric’s out laying bricks or driving a semi-truck. He’s sketching. He is holding a pencil. But when he saw that Ridge wouldn’t budge, Eric just gave up. He walked out. And I think when he turned off the Forrester Creations lights in the showroom, it was a sign of the lights going off in Eric’s life. But I think other lights are going to come on.
Eric’s Secret Plans on B&B: A New Fashion House on the Horizon?
With Ridge pushing him out, Eric sees FC as just this burned-out light in his past. The good news is, I don’t think he’s going to let what Ridge did stop him. Remember, Eric told his wife, Donna Logan (Jennifer Gareis), that he’s taking his designs with him and that Ridge won’t get to see them. I think that’s important. And I think Bold did that for a reason. Plus, Eric took his iconic stapler with him. And I suspect that could end up on a new desk at a new fashion house. He’s going to stun and blindside Ridge with what he does next.
Clearly, Eric can’t reverse this decision. And he can’t force Ridge to keep him because between Steffy Forrester (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) and Ridge, they outvote Eric. But also remember that Steffy said those designs were the best she’s ever seen her granddad Eric do. He said he felt like he was really coming into his own as a designer, even at this advanced age. Steffy and Finn (Tanner Novlan) talked about the amazing couture sketches that Eric was planning to present to Ridge, but Finn also agrees Eric needs to retire.
Legendary Designers: Eric Forrester’s Next Chapter
Well, I disagree. Plenty of designers work until their deaths. Gloria Vanderbilt did it. Coco Chanel did it. Two of many, many examples. Lots of artists work until their dying day. So, I don’t think that Eric is going to take this lying down, but Ridge pushing him out is going to hit Eric hard. I think there’s going to be a little bit of being down. And then I think there’s going to be a recovery. I don’t think this is going to stop him long-term. I expect him to teach Ridge a lesson about longevity, talent, and creativity.
So, I think Eric might secretly start his own design house. And maybe we’re going to see Bill Spencer (Don Diamont) invest in it because Eric would likely bring Katie Logan (Heather Tom) with him because she’s disgruntled too. Or she might go ahead and leave Forrester. And then Eric approaches her. I think he could secretly recruit many key people away from Ridge and Forrester Creations.
Assembling a Dream Team: Who Will Join Eric’s Rebellion on Bold and the Beautiful?
Ivy Forrester (Ashleigh Brewer) loves her uncle Eric way more than she likes Ridge. I think she would definitely follow Eric out the door and bring Electra Forrester (Laneya Grace) with her. And if Electra and Katie go, well, Will Spencer (Crew Morrow) is going to follow. As for Zende Forrester Dominguez (Delon de Metz), I tend to think he’d be team Eric over team Ridge. And Daphne Rose (Murielle Hilaire) really doesn’t like what Ridge did to Eric, so the House of Forrester might lose their glamorous scent designer, too.
Now, I don’t think Eric would approach Carter Walton (Lawrence Saint-Victor). And I don’t think he would go because that’s Ridge’s best friend. But, we could have Bill as the primary investor, if for no other reason than to tick off Ridge. Then Eric uses this collection to launch their new fashion house in high style.
He might even keep it a secret so Ridge wouldn’t see it coming. That’d be the best thing to do. We could even see these people moonlighting for Eric’s new company, and then when it officially launches, they plan to do a walkout of Forrester Creations. It would be kind of amazing to see Ridge handed his butt like that. I mean, he needs to be checked, in my humble opinion.
Will Bold and the Beautiful Deliver on This Epic Rivalry?
That being said, Brad Bell generally builds things up so you think there’s going to be a big conflict coming, and then he wusses out. This is just very typical of his writing to wuss out. The most recent example was when Thomas Forrester (Matthew Atkinson) came back to confront Brooke Logan (Katherine Kelly Lang) and Ridge for breaking Taylor Hayes’ (Rebecca Budig) heart, but after two minutes of confrontation, Thomas caved and gave Brooke his blessing and a hug. It was so lame. So, I just hope that all the hints that they’re dropping about Eric being far from done actually come to fruition and he crushes Ridge. It’d be cool for Eric (John McCook) to call it “Forrester Classic,” or they may call it “ForSpencer” like a smoosh name.
Steffy did say that Eric’s latest collection is flawless, and Steffy wondered if things would have gone differently had Ridge seen Eric’s designs. But Ridge won’t get the chance to see them because Eric was frustrated that he had no choice but to go, and he took his designs with him. So, the first time Ridge may see them could be on a runway at a fashion show.
The Ultimate Fashion Showdown: Eric’s Grand Reveal on B&B
Plus, if they did spin off into another design firm, it would be also amazing if they brought back Thomas to help his granddad. It’d be really wild if Eric put all this together, assembled the collection, and launched the new firm with Katie using her PR magic. They could tease the launch as the new fashion house of a legendary icon and visionary. She could build a lot of buzz around the reveal of the designer, only they’d keep it secret until Eric walked out alongside the showstopper, presumably with Donna wearing it.
And of course, if they went this route, Ridge, Steffy, Brooke, and Carter would be sent front-row tickets to the launch of this mysterious new fashion house. Steffy may recognize the designs when they start coming down the catwalk because she was the only one who saw them before Eric took the sketches. Steffy might have an “oh my gosh” aha moment right before the big reveal when Eric walks down the runway and is introduced as the mystery designer that just made the splashiest fashion house debut that the industry has ever seen. Ridge’s jaw would drop. I’d love to see Eric say that he is far from done, and then Ridge has to eat his words. I mean, eventually, they could even merge the two Forrester fashion houses. But what Bold and the Beautiful has been missing for a while is a fashion rivalry.
A Holiday Truce Before the Storm?
The Forresters are all doing Christmas at Eric’s house, so I think he’s still going to be licking his wounds. I think he’ll play nice with Ridge and Brooke over the holidays. But once the new year rolls around, I expect Eric to get to work on a plan that will stun not just Ridge and Brooke, but the whole fashion world. And if Brad Bell doesn’t do this, then he has dropped the ball completely.
