Ban the bride!
Something old, something new, something cutting, something cruel – the Forresters cross the line in their determination to stop Eric’s wedding to Quinn.
We can all agree that Quinn Fuller (Rena Sofer) is a terrible person – she’s a rapist a kidnapper, a killer, a manipulator, and a violent, unpredictable maniac who demonstrates her love for those closest to her by meddling in and controlling their lives. Imagine all that in a mother-in-law. Steffy Forrester (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) is living the nightmare and this normally gutsy rock ’n roll rebel moved out of her marital home when monster-in-law Quinn moved in. Now the whole Forrester family is standing with their mouths agape in horror as patriarch Eric (John McCook) forges ahead with his wedding plans. The Forresters have just a few days to stop the madness after Monday 16 October when they receive Quinn and Eric’s invitations to their nuptials. But this is where Bold gets brilliant…
WEDDING GIFT
After setting up a scenario in which the Forresters have a legitimate problem with their father’s bride, the Bold writers, directors and performers flip the script and set out to make us cry tears of sympathy for Quinn and Eric on their wedding day – Thursday 19 October. Bold sets up a counter-attack by the family that is so callous, it makes Quinn look like the wounded party.
STAND BY ME
On Monday 16 October, when Eric’s son Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) calls a family meeting, Eric gets one last shot at fixing the feud. He tells his children and grandchildren – biological, adopted and in-laws: “If marriages were left up to a family vote, very few of them would happen. Decision’s been made and it’s mine and I have earned the right for you to respect it. I want you to remember: everything you’re so desperate to protect, the opportunities you’ve been given, the successes that have happened for you, they all happened because of my faith in you. That’s what I want to see tomorrow. Put a little faith in me. And start over again with Quinn. So come to the wedding. I need you there. I want you there. I want your support. Be the people you were raised to be. Show everybody the strength and the faithfulness that the Forresters are known for.”
RUTHLESS, RIGID RIDGE
But on Tuesday 17, when Ridge sees the family start to crumble – with Thorne (Winsor Harmon) even reluctantly agreeing to be his dad’s best man – he puts his foot down and tells the Forresters, “Our only last, our best chance is an empty house. And hopefully Dad will see his mistake. We all agree? Okay. We’re going to boycott the wedding.” Those are big words, but as the Forresters will soon find out, putting them into practice involves the kind of meanness, dishonesty and disrespect that you’d never want to show someone you call family. Thorsten admits, “Maybe it’s a little childish, and he should know his dad a little better than that. If you push him in the corner, he’s probably going to do the complete opposite of what you want him to do. If the stakes were not as high, I don’t think it would be this complicated. This is something that could destroy the company, destroy the family, destroy everything, so it’s a big deal.”
GUILT, GUILT, GUILT
As Thursday 19 October dawns, the bride and groom are in a tizzy of preparation – viewers will see all Eric’s love and excitement as he sets up the big day with help from Ivy (Ashleigh Brewer) and a guilt stricken Pam (Alley Mills) and Charlie (Dick Christie). Eric is laying out catering for the masses and seating for the whole huge extended Forrester clan. He gushes to Pam, “I designed her wedding dress. I can’t wait for you to see it. I can’t wait for everybody to see it. Everybody’s going to rally
around my bride and me. I want this to be the most special day in Quinn’s life.” Meanwhile Eric’s daughter Felicia (Lesli Kay) points out how Eric’s stood by them all through thick and thin and Thorne can’t help but think of how much Eric needs them right now. But ruthless Ridge orders even Pam to walk out on the wedding and as the clock ticks down, the clan will be squirming.
DEVASTATED ERIC
Then it’s John McCook’s time to shine as Eric realises that his beloved bride is about to walk downstairs to an empty house instead of the huge family celebration he’s planned. “They should be here. Well, they wouldn’t not come. They… they’re not coming,” a shocked Eric says to Ivy. “What am I supposed to do? She’s gonna be coming down any minute now. The ceremony’s supposed to start.” All the wedding- day joy drains from his eyes as they flood with tears. But through their heartbreak, Eric and Quinn will put on brave faces, not to save their own pride – but out of love for the person they’re about to marry. “Wait until you see. It’s such a powerful moment. It will make you cry,” reveals Rena. “It’s both beautiful and heart-breaking. It was just so beautifully written”.
THE RECEPTION
And if the Forresters felt guilty sitting there avoiding their dad’s wedding, just wait until they run into Ivy on Friday 20 October and she tells them, “So congratulations. You all broke Uncle Eric’s heart for absolutely no reason. He and Quinn are married.” On Monday 23 October, Eric is livid when he finds out that the Forresters thought he would “call off marrying the woman I love because everybody staged some group tantrum”. With a mix of heartbreak and fury, he lays into the shamefaced Forresters – especially Ridge and Steffy.
Then on Tuesday 24 October, Eric piles on the guilt as one by one, he reminds the Forrester family of all the times he has stood by them, despite all their drama. “You all should have talked to me, but nobody did. Nobody did. Nobody wanted to ask the doddering old man. You thought that Steffy and Ridge could tell everybody what was right for me. Wrong!” Furious, hurt and betrayed, Eric rants at his family, then collapses to the floor unconscious, leaving his family to wonder what kind of point they’ve really made by taking a stand against the wedding if this is the result.