For me, one of the biggest daytime mysteries of recent years was always how B&B managed to maintain such solid ratings despite the show being so frustrating. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who felt this way; in polls asking which soap was the best, B&B consistently ranked dead last by a wide margin. So why did people keep watching? I assume other viewers felt the same way I did: they had known the show since its premiere, whereas the other three older soaps had been around so long that hardly anyone knew their entire history.
For me, the main problem in recent years was that there was only one plot—one that wasn't actually bad, but quickly became overused as the sole focus. I still wonder why, after years of ignoring them, Bradley Bell suddenly started listening to the fans last year and began offering more than just one storyline; now we’re actually being treated to four (or even more?) storylines at once, and this style of storytelling makes the show so much better. I understand why the ratings are rising, and it’s great that B&B might actually become number one among women aged 18–49 for the entire season. The fact that Y&R has deteriorated in quality certainly helped, but the main reason is B&B’s own improvement in writing. It’s been a long time since a soap improved as much in such a short period under the same head writer as B&B has in recent months.
I have nothing against the plot-driven storytelling B&B is currently offering, though they could embrace it even more. They still try to make sense of everything, even though almost nothing makes sense. The only thing that felt real to me was Hope’s weeks-long hesitation about whether to switch from Forrester to Logan, as it was true to her character.
Amidst the reignited Forrester vs. Logan feud, I was struck by what a great character Brooke is—especially when she confronted first Katie and then Hope. In the daytime world—now that Days’ Sami is only an occasional guest star—only GH’s Carly and B&B’s Brooke are left who can convincingly pull off hypocrisy. You actually buy that Brooke believes the absurd things she says.
It’s great to see Wyatt again, as well as Shauna, and bringing Morgan Fairchild back once more was a very nice surprise.
