YMMV / The Bold and the Beautiful

• Abandon Shipping:
  • A lot of former Still (Bill/Steffy) fans have ditched the ship as Bill became increasingly obsessive and controlling, especially since he refused to take "no" for an answer. When Bill decided to affiliate with Sheila by the end of 2022 and blackmail the former into not pressing charges so that he could enact an elaborate plot to enact charges of his own, it became the nail in the coffin for this particular ship.
  • Thomas/Hope fans have since gone on to ditch the ship for reasons similar to Bill/Steffy, following Thomas's most recent recast, but some however would say that it's Hope who's the toxic one. Though fans briefly begun to ship Hope and Thomas again under the belief that he had finally reformed at the end of season 35, the reveal in season 36 that he was behind the fake CPS call using a voice app to mimic Brooke's voice to split her and Ridge apart which caused anyone who had supported the idea of the two getting back together immediately turned on the idea.
  • While the Steffy/Liam vs. Lope Hope/Liam wars still rage on, a lot of viewers on both sides have exasperatedly jumped ship as the storyline gets dragged out to the point of absurdity — often saying something along the lines of, "They both deserve better than him, anyway!". Given that he constantly runs back and forth between the two whenever the other leaves him, many feel there's no justifying any of these two ships.
  • Despite the wholesome nature of this couple, Steffy/Finn has faced abandonment on multiple occasions:
    • When Steffy cheated on Finn with Liam, when it seemed like he was leaving Hope, the pairing's initial popularity took damage especially when she refused to reveal the truth to Finn. Even Liam wanted to come clean, but Steffy at the time would rather have continued to live with the lie and avoid the consequences. Even worst during the entire time she still has the gall to say she loves Liam, while spouting her loyalty towards Finn...and although she came clean to Finn after finding out she was pregnant (along with the fact that it was also Finn's baby, biologically speaking), alot of viewers still oppose the ship to this day because of this.
    • The minute Finn started softening towards Sheila and openly defended her against Steffy, many of Steffy's fans immediately started denouncing Sinn as a pairing feeling that Finn was betraying the woman he swore to love and protect. The fact that this was an entire year after when Steffy and him were shot by Sheila, and he was held hostage, didn't help. Likewise, Steffy willingly keeping the fact that Liam went behind Finn's back to attempt cuckoldry caused Finn's fans to stray from the ship, especially since she has repeatedly been allowing Liam to come to her house despite that and Finn warning her to stop letting her come, then acting like she owes no explanation to him despite the fact that Liam's clearly trying to sabotage their relationship and has refused to respect Steffy's boundaries. The fact that Finn took responsibility for his actions, but Steffy kept allowing Liam to disparage her husband and make advances at her while she kept denying Liam was a problem has hurt her case and has put more blame on her for the abandonment. Despite the divide between who was responsible for the abandonment of the ship, both sides of the ship agree that Finn's forgiveness and Steffy's stupidity was deliberate to give Liam the spotlight.
  • Brooke/Ridge and Taylor/Ridge has essentially been seen as having run their course due to Ridge's petulantly spiteful behavior torwards Brooke over what he thought was a wrongdoing on her part and his constant toying of Taylor's feelings in seasons 35 and 36, with many going against ever pairing him with the two for the same reasons people stopped shipping Liam with anyone.
• Alas, Poor Scrappy: Saying that Liam is rather disliked by the fandom is an understatement, but even his staunchest haters couldn't help but feel for him when he tells Wyatt about Steffy sleeping with his father and lying about it to him, leading to Wyatt hugging his brother while he cries into his shoulder. Scott Clifton absolutely sells the scene and it's a genuinely tragic moment no matter how plentiful his faults.
• Angst? What Angst?:
  • In situations where Steffy puts Finn through grief, whether it be dark secrets of her family's or even adultery, he is rather tame with the way he reacts to it and doesn't display much anger over it. Some have even gone as far as to say he's too understanding about it.
  • Despite the reignited trauma Steffy and Finn experienced brought about by Bill along with Taylor's losing her mind over the fact that she was seemingly the reason no charges were pressed, they took it rather well when they learned that it was all apart of a scheme to gather even more charges on Sheila despite that it negatively impacted all three of them.
• Arc Fatigue: Viewers, especially Sinn fans and even some of Sheila's fans, began to grow tired of the focus on Sheila's storyline in regard to her relation to Finn that started in 2021. This particular arc was met with mixed reception in 2021 for The Reveal, and is frequently remembered with disdain due a subplot with Sheila that involved her running from the law that began in December 2022 and ended in January 2023 due to noticeable use of Idiot Ball that allowed her to escape law enforcement, Bill's sudden defection to Sheila that many pointed out wasn't properly foreshadowed and the court proceedings that ran under his thumb that lacked certain elements to justify Sheila getting her charges dropped. Many viewers have criticized the writers for this as they were angered over the Happy Ending Override they gave Finn and Steffy in season 35 and grew tired of the character after she almost killed her son, accusing them of derailing the story for ratings and drama instead writing what they thought should have been Sheila's swan song as a soap villain.
• Ass Pull:
  • The storyline of Amber's past in porn. All signs were pointing to her being guilty of starring in one when, out of the blue, she gets a mysterious, long-lost twin sister named April Knight who was the true star of the flick, apparently had an even more checkered past than her "squeaky clean" (by comparison, anyway) sister and was able to leave her reputation intact, never to be seen again. And she was a bottle blonde.
  • Stephanie paying a man, who ends up raping Brooke. How do they get past it? Stephanie simply apologizes to Brooke, stating she only wanted him to get her drunk and make it look like she was cheating on Ridge, and Brooke, who had been raped before, in fact in the pilot episode to be precise, simply moves on with her life, completely not traumatized.
  • Finn's survival is left to the imagination since it's never gone into great detail how exactly Li saved him or what she did that the doctors didn't; all that's made clear is that she saved him. This has since caused arguments between the fans.
  • Bill's sudden turn to Sheila's side in the last few episodes of 2022 have baffled many after his part in helping Li find Finn and getting him to Steffy in Monaco, and then the sudden reveal that he was playing Sheila all along came off as random and last-minute with little to no foreshadowing or explanation. To make things even more confusing, a sudden change in the plot revealed that Bill had been working with Ridge the entire time and was playing Sheila all along without any sort of proper foreshadowing, to the point it came off as a Author's Saving Throw on the author's part.
  • Finn's suddenly softens upto Sheila mid-2023 after a simple visit to her in prison, with little to no build up as to what softened him up to her again especially after he had been previously shot and held hostage by her a year ago. It was noted for feeling like a deliberate attempt to darken Finn and make Liam seem like the better option to justify splitting him and Steffy up, even after some of the rotten things Liam pulled with her and Hope in the past and present season, including forcibly kissing Steffy twice behind Finn's back.
• Awesome Music: The original opening theme is still regarded today as a timeless theme.
• Base-Breaking Character:
  • Brooke. Half the fandom sees her as a strong, lovable heroine and an admirable Mama Bear. The other half sees her as a petty, self-righteous hypocritical slut who's projecting her own issues onto Hope's and can't resist treating Steffy as if she's her mother, Taylor.
  • Taylor gets hit with this for pretty much the same things as Brooke, though with the added benefit of her hypocrisy, believing herself to be the most righteous and moral person in the universe, condemning everyone who doesn't live up to her standards, particularly Brooke, without ever addressing the fact that as stated before, Taylor has committed pretty much all the same issues as Brooke, and much, much worst acts, without ever admitting to them.
  • Viewers tend to find Hope's sugary sweetness endearing and genuine or totally nauseating and a means of emotional manipulation.
  • Steffy is either seen as a strong, empowered woman, or a manipulative, selfish slut.
  • Finn is either seen a loving and understanding husband devoted to Steffy or is a doormat who agrees to whatever she says and overlooks her morally gray habits.
  • Li is seen as either a savior who was responsible for her son's survival when the doctors refused to help him any further, or a dishonest woman who willingly kept the Forresters in the dark out of spite and gave Sheila the chance to take over and hold Finn hostage.
  • Sheila has become a surprisingly polarizing character since her return in 2021; nowadays she's either still known as the infamous soap opera villain everyone knows and loves from The Young and the Restless or she is known as a has-been that's overstayed her welcome as a soap villain who many feel has hit the point of diminishing returns after almost killing her own son who's actions now lack any emotional depth.
• Bile Fascination: Arguably this is what keeps people tuned in to this particular soap opera; More often than not you'll see the viewers pessimistically watching simply to see how bad the plots and the twists are going to be, and often discussions will revolve around that rather than any genuine excitement or suspense for the show's future episodes.
• Broken Base:
  • On the subject of Li Finnegan sneaking her son out after he was shot by Sheila, the viewers to this day still argue that Finn could have been sent to University Hospital to be saved through legitimate means and others saying that no one but Li could have saved him given how quickly the doctors Finn was being overseen by declared him brain-dead on the basis of a weak pulse.
  • The new "Braylor" pairing (Brooke and Taylor); many find that the two being friends and not constantly bickering over a man to either be a refreshing change of pace to the dynamic or find it to be obnoxiously upbeat to the point of disliking the two characters. This problem resolved itself mid-2023, but is still met with a mixed response.
  • There is alot of debate when it comes to reunion of Thope in mid-2023. On one hand, many fans are pleased to see Hope take a slightly darker path from her usual bubbly nature by cheating on Liam with Thomas, given the former had no problem doing the same to her, and also enjoy watching Hope turn on Brooke while seeing Thomas remaining unvilified. On the other hand, some viewers have decried it as an excuse to throw Sinn under the bus by having Hope repeatedly weaponize Steffy in her arguments with Liam, and others have forseen this as an excuse to have Liam attempt to interfere with Steffy's relationship due to Hope leaving him.
  • Finn's sudden forgiveness for Sheila was a hot topic for 2023; One half of the fanbase argues that it makes sense since Finn had never gotten to properly process his feelings over Sheila being his biological mother due to Steffy repeatedly trying to keep the two apart. The other half thought it to make no sense, especially after Finn learned the hard way that Steffy was right about her when she shot him and held him hostage, and also on account of the fact that many found it to be an obvious attempt to darken Finn for the sake of Liam as a character.
• Catharsis Factor:
  • After decades of her treating Brooke as inferior and horrible for the things she herself has done, watching Taylor literally grovel on her hands and knees to Brooke after Brooke learned that she was the one who tried to murder Bill-something Brooke never would do-to keep her secret is very satisfying.
  • Many viewers, Steffy and Finn fans especially, were quite pleased to see Finn almost choke Sheila to death after revealing she attempted to kill Li when the latter was going to turn her in...and even after being sedated, Sheila finally realizes her game was up.
  • Finn and Steffy's reunion; after all that he went through, he finally reunited with Steffy and essentially began the process of her healing.
  • Depending on who you are,it can be very soothing to see Sheila and Bill blackmail Steffy over Taylor's shooting of Bill, who've wanted to see the secret revealed for a while and for both to pay for their actions.
  • The revelation that Bill was a Reverse Mole brings joy as Bill returns to being the strong-willed billionaire that everyone knew him for instead of a lapdog for Sheila.
• Captain Obvious Reveal:
  • No one was surprised when it was revealed that Thomas was the one behind the fake CPS call to set Brooke up, which has led to alot of backlash against the writers.
  • It was very obvious to many viewers that Bill and Ridge's scheme to put Sheila in jail for her past crimes instead of letting Steffy and Finn press charges for her murder attempts against them would backfire horrifically due to the fact that Bill essentially coerced Sheila in confessing and Ridge's use of connections was seen as corrupt by the judge. When it actually came to fruition? No one acted shocked.
• Character Rerailment:
  • Somewhat so with Thomas. While his behavior upon his return is troubling, its becoming clearer and clearer that the guy does means well, and his heart is in the right place, but there is something genuinely wrong with him, suffering from some undiagnosed mental syndrome, explaining away a majority of his actions, and hinting he's still the good man people had loved for nearly two decades.
  • Bill being revealed to have been deep undercover when he entered a relationship with Sheila basically undid the entire damage his reputation took in the end of 2022 through early 2023 when he blackmailed Steffy and Finn into not pressing charges, as it essentially made him into something of a hero despite the controversial nature of his entire arc.
• Cliché Storm: Veteran viewers of the show can pretty much help you predict what will happen next; Either a Love Triangle plot where either one of the characters is villainized to prop the other if one the writers are giving the protagonist treatment aren't popular with the audience, or it's a cheating scandal in an effort to switch things up between couples and seem fresh. If it isn't that? Then it's Sheila Carter coming to wreak havoc on everyone, particularly the Forresters and recent times, her son Finn.
• Creator's Pet:
  • Almost any member of the Logan family can count as this, with a few exceptions, but the most glaring examples would be Brooke and Hope Logan given their disingenuous nature with everyone and rather self-righteous disposition with the Forresters, the latter which is a common trait amongst the Logan Family. Despite the fact that the former was abusive torwards Steffy and Thomas, and the latter has used Douglass as an asset against Thomas, they're often portrayed as heroines and tend to get alot of the focus on the show.
  • Liam Spencer, despite being a selfish, spoiled, self-righteous, two-timing Bitch in Sheep's Clothing Manchild, everyone on the show can never stop singing his praises on what a nice guy he is. Whatever little amount of good will Liam had left almost immediately disappeared when Liam caught a mid-delusion Thomas, who at that point had been established as having something mentally wrong with him, kissing the Hope mannequin. Liam, thinking it was his actual wife, almost instantaneously jumped into bed with Steffy instead of confronting Thomas (which also heavily damaged her character as she was cheating on well-liked Finn), then treated Hope like she was the problem. The hate got so bad that even poor Scott Clifton (Liam's actor), who has made it clear that he despises Liam's actions, began to receive hate.
  • Flo, despite her first action on the show being one of the most deplorable in its history, (helping to steal a baby, and sell it off...sorry, adopt it off to another woman, the writers tend to treat her with an almost angelic demeanor, inviting that she, not Sally, is the love of Wyatt's life, while not once acknowledging the hell she put two of his favorite people, Hope and Steffy, through.
• Crosses the Line Twice:
  • The only way Bill Spencer is still likable even after all the shit he's pulled. He's a vile person, but he just has so much fun with it, and most of it is so over-the-top that it circles back around into being endearing. This gets doubled whenever Justin is involved, since the way to two Deadpan Snarkers bounce off of each other creates about 60% of the show's humor.
  • Thomas hallucinating that the Hope mannequin is talking to him and telling him to take her from Liam? Tragic and horrifying. Said hallucination responding to Thomas' argument that Hope definitely loves Liam by saying that he's imagining things? Darkly hilarious, especially when Thomas himself starts laughing his ass off.
• Designated Hero:
  • Liam. Despite of his actions would make people admit to him being a self-centered womanizer in real life, everyone can't stop singing his praises. It's gotten downplayed as time has gone on and he gets called out for his behavior more and more, but this has still been rather controversial as it has sometimes come at the expense of other characters.
    • In the second conflict between Liam, Finn, and Steffy, he's presented as the better option for Steffy simply on the account of that Finn went soft over Sheila again and he vowed to protect his daughter and ex, but given that it was Liam Spencer, the same guy who walked out on Steffy when she was pregnant who also has proved to be able to defend herself against Sheila without his help, was the one to inform her about it made him seen as anything but. It was even weirder in that he claimed to want to protect Hayes as well, completely forgetting about Beth, his own daughter, as if she wasn't his child anymore. Coupled with the fact that Liam in general is a vindictive Bitch in Sheep's Clothing who immediately came crawling back to Steffy to interfere in her relationshop with Finn after he divorced Hope and kissed the former behind Finn's back twice, he was seen as more of an Opportunistic Bastard.
  • Taylor Hayes seemingly gets this treatment. The show has a tendency to treat her like the morally superior to Brooke, when most of her actions are even more reprehensible than anything the Logans have ever done.
  • The Logans are an entire family of them, particularly Hope, who is treated by everyone like a complete saint, which while she is definitely a kind girl, no one really is a Saint on the show. No matter how many lies and affairs, the Logans are involved in, the narrative (and, often, the other characters) paint them out to be the most morally pure people on the show. This has gotten particularly annoying as Brooke in particular have taken several levels in bitchiness. Add onto the fact that Hope almost killed Thomas and tried to cover it up, it makes the Character Shilling seem undeserved to many.
  • The show tends to ignore Flo's first actions on the show, (kidnapping Hope's daughter and selling her to Steffy) in order to make her appear as the victim in any situation dealing with Sally. Came to a ridiculous front when The Young and the Restless's Summer Newman, a Spoiled Brat Alpha Bitch whose blackmailed her own parents, sexual harassed two men and bullied a kid to the point of him standing on a ledge of a skyscraper with every intention to jump, came to L.A. looking for dirt on ending her new Rival Sally, which Flo was more than happy to supply. As of August 2023, Liam has outright stated that Thomas stole Beth (not just kept it a secret) without making any mention of Flo whatsoever, which seems to also be a Retcon to justify Liam's unwillingness to forgive him or Hope.
• Designated Monkey:
  • Thomas Forrester seems to suffer the most amount of gratuitous misfortune and is constantly painted as the villain despite seemingly trying to redeem himself. It doesn't help that both Brooke and Liam are always suspicious of him and end up being proven right 100% of the time.
  • Steffy Finnegan (nee Forrester) can't seem to catch a break from tragedy and heartbreak, from losing her unborn son with Liam in a motorcycle accident, to being cheated on by him while pregnant again and dealing with Bill's emotional abuse towards her to the constant harassment that she and her new husband Finn faces from Sheila which included being shot, gaslit, stalked, and blackmailed over what her mother did. Add onto the fact that Steffy is dealing with PTSD from everything Sheila's done to her since 2022 which included almost losing her husband, and pretty much any suffering she and Finn gets put through at that point begins to be seen as gratuitous.
  • Much of the sympathy and love from fans that John "Finn" Finnegan gets is over the fact that he has constantly been the subject of suffering for the show, from being a cuckold on two occasions despite his faithfulness to constantly having to deal with Sheila at every turn; Viewers of the show, especially his fans, especially got irritated over the fact that he was still having to deal with Sheila even after being shot and held hostage. The subject of the overkill abuse against Finn hit a head in season 37, when he has been made into a pariah for suddenly hugging Sheila by Liam and Steffy as he's only acknowledged she was a hero for saving his stepdaughter Kelly, and many have taken issue with the fact that Liam and Steffy have been allowed to rake him over the coals for it despite the fact that the former has repeatedly attempted to take Steffy for himself after Hope divorced him and the latter has been dishonest with him and never properly let him come to terms about Sheila in the past.
• Designated Villain:
  • Quinn to Pam and Donna. Despite her devious tendencies, and an incident when she was seduced by Ridge, even then sharing nothing more than a single kiss with hin, she has been nothing but a loving and supportive wife to Eric, whom adores her in return, to the point that she has won over many of the Forresters who initially disapproved of the union. Even when Sheila made an attempt to get at Eric and set up incriminating evidence to make it appear as if Quinn was having an affair, to which the two overcame. However after taking all of Pam's passive aggressive asides directed at her in stride, often being insulted by Pam in front of Eric, she puts her foot down when Pam pretty much decides, not requests, to have her wedding in Eric and Quinn's living room. Of course this makes her evil in Pam's eyes, that and the fact that Quinn isn't Stephanie. Then Quinn catches Donna making a pass at Eric, whom she makes very clear her husband is not up for grabs, which of course has Donna agreeing with Pam that Quinn is crazy, and the two righteous heroines hatch up a plan to break up Quinn and Eric, and pair him off with Donna.
  • John Finnegan is meant to be seen as the bad option in the second plot between him, Liam, and Steffy over the fact that over the fact that he suddenly forgives his mother. The fact that it was Liam who made the reveal, who's was just previously going behind his back to win Steffy back despite her putting her foot down with him twice, and his forgiveness of Sheila and sudden shift in attitude about her and in general felt forced by many, it didn't make him any more or less likeable as an option to viewers.
• Diagnosed by the Audience:
  • Fans have long speculated that Stephanie had a Jocasta Complex, an inversion of the Oedipus Complex , given her obsession with her oldest son Ridge and constant attempts to interfere in his love life, namely relentlessly pushing for him and Taylor to get together and stay together. Taylor herself finally realized that this was because she was so similar to Stephanie and realized that Stephanie wanted Ridge to be with someone just like her if she couldn't have him herself.
  • Steffy's constant attachment to Liam's presence, be it romantic or platonic, has been chalked up to the fact that his behavior and nature is very much similar to her father, Ridge. Given she's lived around someone who's constantly played with women's feelings all their life (namely Taylor and Brooke), and undoubtedly this has caused her some psychological damage, it makes sense in context as to why she even loved Liam to begin with at one point, even after he cheated on her with Hope.
• Draco in Leather Pants:
  • Some of Thomas Forrester's fans have a worrying tendency to overlook, downplay, or outright deny some of his horrible acts, either because he's handsome or because he's currently antagonizing a character they don't like. This doesn't apply as much after a Character Rerailment with his return, and his genuine apologetic attitude; while he is still obsessed with Hope and not quite back to the roguish but kindhearted man he used to be, it's clear that there are genuine mental issues at play now.
  • Despite the writers and even Scott Clifton outright stating that Liam is in the wrong when it comes to Steffy and Finn, some loopier fans out there still are trying to defend him.
• Fan Nickname:
  • The Logan-Spencer Show - a name many critics of the show give due to the elimination of most of the original families except for the Forresters and what many see as a constant fixation on the Spencers and Logans on Bradley's part.
  • "Sinnabun" is a term used for any baby Steffy conceives with Finn.
  • "Lil' Puke" was a name that Liam Spencer garnered as a character with critics and fans alike due to Tanner's improvised insult during his confrontation of Liam going behind his back to break him and Steffy up, and disdain for his past misdeeds.
• Fandom-Enraging Misconception: The Sinn fanbase does not take kindly to anyone questioning Hayes' paternity, especially if you say that it's Liam's baby. Both the show and Casey himself have stated Hayes is Finn's biological son, so it especially angers them if you doubt that Finn is the father.
• Ensemble Dark Horse:
  • Sally Spectra, Macy's larger-than-life, Fiery Redhead mother and rival of Stephanie/Forrester Designs, who was played by the late Darlene Conley. The fact that her character is still alive off-screen a decade after her actress' demise and has her own figure at the Madame Tussaud Wax Museums in Las Vegas and Amsterdam shows how loved she was to fans and critics alike.
  • Her Great-Niece, also named Sally, became very popular too, for being almost the reincarnation of her aunt, and her relationships with both Thomas and Wyatt becoming very popular, so much so people were rooting for her instead of Designated Hero Flo.
  • Wyatt Spencer, for being the Only Sane Man on both sides of the Spencer/Forrester clan, as well as revealing in his own moral ambiguity. His relationship with Katie also helped, since they're hilarious together.
  • Many fans like Bridget Forrester due to her loyalty to her family and being a sympathetic character, particularly when she was played by Jennifer Finnigan.
  • John Finnegan has become incredibly well liked, often being seen as the anti-Liam; Selfless, caring and devoted to only one woman, Steffy. His popularity only grew after the cheating storyline between Steffy and Liam, as Finn, and Hope, were currently in the middle of trying to help/save a brain damaged Thomas' life, while Liam and Steffy, whom she vouched not wanting to tell the truth about the tryst out of fear of hurting Finn, or Hope, yet continued to vow her never-ending love for Liam, with him reciprocating. This ended with people agreeing Finn was way out of Steffy's league, who on some level will always be obsessed with Liam, and deserved someone worthy of him.
  • Luna Nozawa was highly praised as a character after her introduction and first arc with RJ for acting as an extension for Li's family and bringing a new family into the fold, especially since many of the viewers have been critical of the fact that the only main families left are now the Forresters, Logans, and Spencers.
  • Caroline Spencer Forrester (and to an extension, her actress Joanna Johnson). As Ridge's first on-screen wife, she was popular due to her sympathetic storylines, successfully winning him away from Brooke, and remarkably tear-jerking battle with leukemia. Even though she passed away in 1990, the fact that her actress was eventually brought back as Caroline's twin and received another character named after her decades later (much like Sally Spectra) shows the impact she had in her all-too brief time on the show.
• Fan-Preferred Couple:
  • Just about the only pairing on the show that the fandom seems to universally love is Wyatt/Katie. The sheer amount of chemistry the two have is palpable and all of their rendezvous are absolutely hilarious in stark contrast to everyone else's relationships being rocky and filled with unnecessary drama. It also helps that when the two do decide to split, they actually manage to handle the situation like adults, unlike everyone else.
  • Bill and Li were this for a while eversince Finn's hostage situation concluded...atleast until Bill decided to throw Li under the bus along with Taylor for Sheila.
• Germans Love David Hasselhoff: The show is very popular in Italy, possibly due to the fashion/fashion designing aspect of it. As such, the cast and crew has traveled to the country for numerous storylines in addition to various meet and greets. In Italy, this show is easily the Trope Codifier for Soap Opera, unlike other countries where it's probably The Young and the Restless. Its original Italian theme song is also hummed when referring to something or someone being overdramatic or soap opera-like. It was also a huge hit in Finland for a while, partly due to being the first daily soap in the country (the previous hit soaps, Dallas and Dynasty had been weekly broadcasts.)
• Harsher in Hindsight: July 2022 was when Finn was struggling to return to Steffy to reveal he survived, and August 1st was when they reunited and reaffirmed their love for eachother with the entire month being dedicated to the renewal of their love for eachother. Fast forward to an exact year later and a week right before the 1st anniversary of their reunion, Finn now finds himself the subject of vilification by both Liam and Steffy, and the latter ends up taking the kids and leaving due to Liam's meddling from behind the scenes and his unexpected newfound feelings for Sheila.
• He Really Can Act:
  • Say what you will about Thomas after Matthew Atkinson took the role, but it's hard to deny that he's selling the character despite the rapid changes. Most notably, after the COVID-19 break, he has had several scenes where the only thing he can interact with is a mannequin of Hope and he still manages to convincingly act the scenes.
  • It's agreed amongst many Sinn fans that Tanner Novlan's performance as Finn when he was being held hostage by Sheila was his most powerful, showcasing his fury and desperation after being shot at and kept from his family.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: Many fans repeatedly joked about the fact that Bill slept with Sheila for Ridge's to get a confession in an attempt to put her away for life and how flawed the plan was. Sure enough, viewers had a field trip over the fact when the trial revealed that indeed the case was built on entrapment and use of personal ties, and Bill basically had multiple sexual encounters with Sheila for no reason.
• Informed Wrongness:
  • When it was revealed that Maya was born Myron, the show quickly had it made clear that if Forrester Creations was to fire him/her, it would be against the law to fire a trans individual. Not once did they take the time to have the Forresters defend themselves by pointing out that Maya had both lied and manipulated her way into a top position at the company.
  • Finn suddenly being forgiving of Sheila is presented as a heinous action worthy of contempt, but it seems to ignore the fact that he was never really allowed to process the fact she was his mother and come to terms with his feelings for her, especially since he was always vocal about it with everyone, but he instead gets lambasted for it.
• Invincible Villain: Sheila Carter. No matter what she does or otherwise happens to her, she'll always escape justice in one way or another and be back for more.
• Les Yay:
  • Hope and Steffy, sometimes. And when they're trying to be friendly, they get real friendly. This culminated in a scene where Steffy told Hope she was okay with Hope being with Liam... and as a gesture of goodwill, took off her wedding ring and placed it on Hope's finger. A lot of viewers have asked why they don't just kick Liam to the curb and date each other instead.
  • Brooke and Taylor; ever since both turned down Ridge after toying with both their feelings in 2022, both have become very friendly with eachother and have become close with one another to the point many have wanted to see the two become an official couple given how much Brooke has made herself emotionally availble to Taylor over her guilt of shooting Bill.
• Like You Would Really Do It: While it was initially confirmed by Tanner Novlan that he was officially written off the show when his character, John Finnegan, was seemingly Killed Off for Real in April 2022 by Bell Jr., it was actually in the plans to have him come back. Given that there was a major uproar on social media on and how the writers received alot of backlash for Finn's death by both fans and critics alike and how it was handled, with many turned to petitions calling for Bell Jr. to bring Tanner back onto the show, it was clear the writers knew killing off Finn for good was a bad idea and had every intention of using the classic soap opera resurrection twist with Finn being revealed to be secretly alive the entire time the very next month which the actor had to keep under wraps for contractual reasons.
• Moral Event Horizon:
  • Brooke had plenty of times where her slutty nature got in the way of any decency or potential character development for the better, but she finally crossed it when she carried on an affair with her daughter Bridget's husband, Deacon, and got pregnant with Hope while trying to pass it off as the result of a random one-night stand. Stephanie later on choking her after learning the truth after her baby shower felt more cathartic to see rather than repugnant.
  • Liam pretty much lost any support from most audiences the minute he cheated on a pregnant Steffy, then walked out on her when she was begging and clinging for him not to leave her.
  • Despite everything that Sheila has done in the past, she's definitely crossed it for good after killing her own son Finn.
    • Her actions gets worse when it's revealed that she's been keeping him hostage and leaving everyone to think he's dead after it's revealed that his adoptive mother, Li, had saved him. Sheila is instead trying to appear as a savior to Finn despite that she was the one who put him in this position in the first place.
  • Bill has done many heinous things, but his shielding of Sheila from any charges for his own personal gain through the use of blackmail against Steffy and Finn by threatening Taylor, who he promised never to tell anyone she shot him, and Li, who Bill of all people was responsible for nursing back to health after Sheila's assassination attempt, even after all Sheila recently did to them has been seen as the vilest thing he's done by everyone on the show.
• Narm:
  • The brief time Ridge and Shauna spend in "Vegas" is so clearly a green screen that it instead comes across like a badly done student film.
  • Ridge chasing Taylor in Aspen came across as rather slapstick given that they literally run in the path of the trail without at all straying from it.
• Narm Charm: After the show came back to the air during the COVID-19 pandemic, it's very obvious that the cast members are being kept under strict social distancing guidelines, which makes a lot of serious moments unintentionally hilarious when the characters are clearly trying to stay away from each other. However, the fact that the cast is so dedicated to staying safe on set is very admirable, and because of the way the show is set up it's not noticeable all that often anyway; for the few moments that it is, it just serves as an accidental reminder that we all need to stay safe at home.
• No Yay:
  • Anyone with Liam Spencer tends to fall under this; given that Liam has a reputation of being emotionally and verbally abusive, kissing or even sleeping with others to get revenge on his current spouse for being cheated on due to being an Opportunistic Bastard, and just being intrusive and overall toxic, any relationship with him tends to be a negative given how his vile nature eventually surfaces the minute he feels wronged.
  • Many fans of the show have open disgust for the sudden pairing between Bill and Sheila that began near the end of 2022 and early 2023. Given that Bill was clearly in a bad mental state and an infamous psychopath like Sheila is taking advantage of it to gain her freedom while secretly philandering with Deacon during her relationship with Bill, any sort of appeal to their relationship was taken away.
• One True Threesome: A lot of people have pointed out that a Hope/Liam/Steffy triad would solve so many problems, since Liam does seem to be in love with both of them and there's enough Les Yay between the two women to fill a book. This is even lampshaded in a 2018 episode, with Wyatt point-blank asking Liam — if he could choose both women, would he? Cue several viewers shouting, "He could!"
• Paranoia Fuel: Imagine living in a town with a guy like Bill Spencer, who essentially has the ability rig and spy on a hearing and be able to blackmail an ordinary family into not pressing charges against a psycho old lady who can't seem to take no for an answer when they don't want her in their lives and keep her out of jail.
• Portmanteau Couple Name:
  • Bridge = Brooke/Ridge
  • Sinn = Steffy/Finn
  • Steam = Steffy/Liam
  • Still = Steffy/Bill
  • Tridge = Taylor/Ridge
  • Braylor = Brooke/Taylor
  • Thope = Thomas/Hope
  • Karter= Katie/Carter
• Rescued from the Scrappy Heap:
  • Attempted with Maya Avant following the revelation that she is Transgender. Basically characterized as the Anti-Villain, although the character does have some positive aspects, the storyline suddenly made Maya into something of a heroine. However, the failure to Call-Back to her manipulative, and sometimes outright bitchy, behavior in the run-up to the storyline resulted in some viewer criticism in the sudden change in her characterization.
  • Liam is nowhere near perfect, but the 2019-2020 storylines have been improving the fandom's opinion of him, thanks to a combination of a decrease in blatant Character Shilling, a genuinely threatening villain in Thomas instead of the usual Designated Villain, and Hope, Steffy, Wyatt, and Thomas all calling him out for the way he treats the two women he claims to love. As a result, he's taking his current relationship with Hope a lot more seriously than he has in the past, especially now that Douglas is involved as well. It's nowhere near enough, but it's a step in the right direction. The post-COVID episodes have continued this trend - while he is still pretty entitled, he gets called out more than ever before and, unlike before, not only are his points actually valid but his "opponents", like Steffy and Dr. Finnegan, also have valid points that go acknowledged. Still overall is one of the more hated characters, but not as disliked as previously.
  • Many were happy to see Hope reveal a darker side of herself when it was revealed she secretly lusted for Thomas after being re-hired due to Zende's inability to keep "Hope for the future" afloat, and eventually cheated on Liam with the former. It was especially well-received by Steffy's fans who grew tired of the opposing fanbase accusing Steffy of being the unfaithful one while acting like Hope could never do the same. Even some of Hope's fans were happy for this as, to them, it showed she was human and added more depth to her since many grew tired of her being touted as morally pure.
• Retroactive Recognition: Courtnee Draper played teenager Mary Warwick in 2002, coming off her role as Morgan Hudson on Disney Channel's The Jersey (though some of the remaining episodes of that show's third and final season were held over until 2004, after Draper's B&B run had ended).
• Romantic Plot Tumor:
  • The Hope/Liam/Steffy storyline, for pretty much taking up 80-90% of the screen time and plot, and despite everyone on the show constantly pointing out "what a great guy Liam is," the fandom being in firm agreement that both women, despite their quirks and flaws, are way out of Spencer spawn's league.
  • The Love Triangle arc over Ridge between Brooke and Taylor from season 35-36 has also been subject to alot of disdain due to flanderization of many characters, with many feeling Ridge is undeserving of either.
  • The second Finn/Steffy/Liam plotline due to the fact that it felt forced over the fact that Thomas and Hope got back together, and the fact that viewers were irked over the writers relying on a blatant last-minute 180 with Finn's feelings for Sheila to make Liam seem more appealing.
• Ron the Death Eater: Steffy Forrester frequently gets this treatment, especially from fans of Liam and Brooke, despite showing alot of character growth since she met Finn. Her critics make her seem manipulative in any situation and frequently resort to Slut-Shaming in any scene she's in, and often she's been painted as the aggressor in the Hope/Liam/Steffy triangle and blamed for Liam's shortcomings. Some have even gone as far as to blame her for Sheila's behavior and crimes against her family, including being shot in an alley after she shot her own son, and is frequently painted out as barring her from her Finnegan and Hayes.
• Rooting for the Empire: There is a sizable group of loopier fans within the fandom that roots for Sheila whenever she terrorizes Steffy or Taylor, feeling that the latter two deserves the torment they receives as if it's payback for their past actions. They've even gone as far as to blame Steffy and Finn for provoking Sheila to shoot them as well as driving her into insanity.
• The Scrappy:
  • Charlie the security officer and love interest of Pam. His bumbling and believed moral superiority to everyone else actual makes many situations worse, plus his stupidity on the job, leaving his gun on a desk and letting a banned Shauna slip right past him, in fact pointing her in the direction she was seeking, would get anyone else fired in the real world.
  • Flo likes to act like she's a sweet, loving young woman with a moral high ground that could rival Taylor, always finding time to point out everybody else's flaws whenever she has a chance, and painting Sally like a typical slut where Wyatt is concerned. Only problem, her first actions on the show involved her helping her friend, and also getting paid by him, to steal Hope's baby, making her believe Beth was dead, and basically selling Beth, or as she called it, adopting her off to Steffy as Phoebe, which devastated both women when the truth was revealed. She only spent a day in jail due to circumstances concerning Thomas, with her acting like he was the real villain all along, and she an innocent victim. It really is telling how hated the woman is when she got knocked unconscious by a candlestick, after lording her moral superiority over Sally, after she broke into Sally's private medical files, another crime in itself, that every tweet on twitter about the incident pretty much amounted to "She finally got what was coming to her."
  • Sheila became this after her return to the show in 2021. The audience was initially mixed on her return after The Reveal that she was Finn's biological mother, but after Finn's hostage arc concluded, many suspected the writers relying on Idiot Ball to keep her in the loop and frequently chastise the fact that they rely on Sheila for short-term ratings boost at the expense of the story's quality, with her blackmail arc involving Bill being the most infamous example.
  • RJ Forrester quickly became this due to his lack of characterization and the fact that he was basically reduced into being a Shipper on Deck for Ridge and Brooke much like Eric.
• Seasonal Rot: The show begun to suffer this directly after the conclusion of Finn's hostage arc in season 35 and all through season 36 during October and November. Many fans were angry that the show went back to the never-ending love triangle between Ridge, Taylor and Brooke, and then undid alot of character development with Thomas Forrester by doing a 180 back into being a soap villain, and recycling old plots that exaggerated the worst aspects of the Logans and Forresters. This has sparked backlash on social media to the point a new hashtag denouncing the show and the lack of originality from that point on. Add onto the fact that every character was subjected to sudden idiocy to keep Sheila in the game, and the show began to tank in terms of quality.
• Ship-to-Ship Combat:
  • Brooke/Ridge vs. Taylor/Ridge. The first pair seems to have won, as they're still on the show, but the latter pair still has their fans. Occasionally a Third-Option Love Interest, like Shauna, will pop in.
  • Hope/Liam vs. Steffy/Liam has been going on for nearly a decade. Then factor in Bill/Steffy... hoo boy. Hope/Steffy also has fans.
  • Surprisingly, Sheila/Bill vs. Sheila/Deacon has become a thing in the mid-2020s.
• Shock Fatigue: This is a common complaint about the show, especially in regard to any arcs involving Sheila Carter after her return in 2021. After the shooting of her own son Finn and then keeping him hostage, many fans feel Sheila's schemes have hit the diminishing point of returns on how shocking and suspenseful they feel. However, due to her being kept around and sudden plot twists to justify her staying on the show, many viewers and even some of her fans have grown numb and annoyed to Sheila's schemes and have criticized the writing team for utilizing random twists while dumbing down other characters.
• Shocking Moments:
  • Eric not only supporting Quinn and Carter's secret relationship, but then actively making it happen despite being married to her, is an incredibly shocking direction for the story to go in. The show teased incest before it teased such a casual relationship, much less actually taking it seriously and keeping it going beyond the tease.
  • The Reveal in May 2022 where it was shown that Finn was alive the entire time thanks to Li taking him and faking his death to save him personally. Finn and Steffy fans in particular were definitely thrown in shock from the fact after being up in arms about his character dying in the first place.
  • Bill's sudden affiliation with Sheila in the end of 2022; this caught many viewers off-guard given there was no foreshadowing whatsoever and especially since Bill was the one who helped to save Finn from Sheila back in Season 35.
    • The Reveal that Bill was playing Sheila all along under Ridge's orders was even more shocking than his defection to some.
  • Douglas deciding to not live with either Hope or Thomas, but instead Steffy.
• Squick: Many people were grossed out between Bill and Sheila's kiss given how out of left field it was given Bill recently helped Finn escape her, as well as the fact on just who Sheila is.
• Strawman Has a Point: Liam is presented as being jealous and entitled when he complains about Dr. Finnegan's crush on Steffy, and while that may be the case, he is also correct that Finn trying to date his current patient is incredibly unethical and could compromise his treatment of her. In real life, this kind of relationship would get Finn hit with professional misconduct allegations and could get his license suspended if it ever became public, so it's not something to take lightly. To its credit, the show does make a point to not officially put them together until Steffy is definitely no longer his patient, but the point still stands regardless.
• They Changed It, Now It Sucks!:
  • The first, well-loved intro and theme (the fashion reel) from 1987-2004 was followed by a bland, generic line up of characters against a blue background and other, less liked intros. Many fans were thrilled when the fashion reel finally returned in 2017.
  • Even though plenty of changed actors tend to receive backlash, none of them were as reviled as Emily Harrison's role as Bridget, who took the role over from a departing and exceedingly popular Jennifer Finnigan. Fans disliked the change so much that she was made into a recurring character after years of important storylines and quickly replaced by Ashley Jones.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character:
  • Taylor Hayes, the ex-wife of Ridge and mother of Steffy and Thomas, was one of the most iconic characters of the show during its heyday. Under Bradley's direction however, many have felt she's been snubbed and intentionally pushed to the side and underutilized as a character for the sake of his Brooke, almost to the point of being unofficially written off the show.
  • The Finnegans, a family introduced to the show in 2020 under Bradley Bell's direction, are seen as this to most fans of the show given how often they've been relegated to background characters despite being some of the most noble and unexpectedly popular around amongst viewers.
    • Jack Finnegan is the father of John and was briefly introduced to expand on his relation to Sheila Carter in 2021. However, many are miffed by his absence in the wake of Finn's close encounter with death in 2022 and has not been included in any plotlines related to Sheila's harassment of her son.
    • Li Finnegan is Jack's current husband and a doctor responsible for saving Finn, but after Finn's resurrection and hostage arc concluded, fans were outraged that she's shown little to no involvement with Finn's family after that and has almost been completely left out of Sheila's blackmail arc until after its conclusion in 2023.
    • John "Finn" Finnegan, the current husband of Steffy and a fellow doctor, is arguably the biggest offender of the current 3 Finnegans on the show. During Sheila's return, he was relegated to being a background character while Steffy took the spotlight on what many felt should have been his story. The writers came very close to wasting Finn as a character for good by almost killing him off, and even after his return, many viewers are angered that the trend of him not being the focus of arcs involving Sheila continues as well as the lack of focus on him compared to other male characters like Liam and Thomas, whom are known for their notoriety for past actions rather than anything good.
  • Alot of criticism surrounding RJ Forrester is the fact that little is done with his character besides exposition and acting as a Shipper on Deck for Ridge and Brooke. He was initially introduced to the show as an influencer who had been coming back from a world trip to visit his father and show off his work as an influencer, but he quickly gave it up in order to earn his father's approval and go into fashion like the rest of his family.
• Too Bleak, Stopped Caring: A viewer could be forgiven for ultimately not emotionally investing in the show with how much misfortune and little focus there is for the more upstanding side characters who eventually go rogue and become schemers or when good-hearted men suddenly become rotten or mentally unstable, both done for the Creator's Pet to shine. Given how frequently characters cheat, divorce, or break up in a relatively short span of time, it gets to the point that it's hard to look at a couple and be happy for them without wondering what circumstances will split them up and when. Combined with the fact that Sheila is now the show's main villain, who is seemingly unstoppable and always finds a way out of facing justice or rendering any attempts moot, it all creates a much darker soap opera than intended despite being glitzy compared to its sister show.
• Unintentionally Sympathetic:
  • Taylor Hayes in the earlier seasons, to some viewers, who see her as being unfairly vilified when compared to the other characters.
  • Thomas Forrester is meant to be seen as a troublemaker under Bradley's direction, but more often than not people feel he is unfairly vilified by a show that many see as biased towards the Logans. Many have also cried foul over the fact that he gets more flack for his actions than any other character on the show.
  • Quinn, for similar reasons, with the added bonus of being infinitely more entertaining than a lot of the "good" characters.
  • In the second in the Finn/Steffy/Liam Love Triangle that took place mid-2023, Finn is painted to be avoiding responsibility by calling Liam out and in the wrong for going soft on Sheila again. Yet aside from the fact that Liam is notorious for being adulterous out of spite and was clearly being an Opportunistic Bastard, many felt Finn comes across as unfairly vilified and conflicted rather than willfully ignorant after being kept in the dark by Steffy due to her inability to tell the truth about what Liam did as well as the fact she never let him properly deal with the fact Sheila was his mother. Coupled with the fact that he has been cheated on with Liam before^note Twice, technically, since he went behind his back to forcefully kiss Steffy, even though she didn't initiate or appreciate Liam's surprise kisses, and has to deal with the internal conflict regarding his own biological mother (which many felt was intentionally forced by the writers), fans felt Finn was raked over the coals more than he deserved to be compared to Bill and Ridge, who were responsible for Sheila being free and not being charged with shooting Finn and Steffy. The fact Finn's newfound feeling for Sheila was very much out of left field made Finn, in direct contrast to Liam, more empathized with than any character against Sheila at that moment.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic:
  • Liam Spencer is this in spades, and some even go as far as to see him as a Villain Protagonist. Almost any time that he's cheated on, physically hurt or beleaguered, very few viewers will feel sorry for him and will often call out how verbally and emotionally abusive he was prior to it and point out how he brought most problems on himself to begin with. Given he himself is infamous for relying on Seduction as One-Upmanship and is typically a Jerkass who never takes responsibility for his own actions, viewers tend to side against him in any situation he's involved in.
  • Hope Logan has a nasty habit of falling victim to this; she is meant to be seen as a sweet girl but is seen as emotionally manipulative may times, especially in any arc involving Douglas' custody. It also doesn't help that she almost killed Thomas at one point, and then tried to cover up his death at one point.
    • In regard to Douglas, many accuse her of keeping him from the Forresters, who many see as his true family; Given she used him as leverage against Thomas at one point, it has made her look like a villain to many. Add onto the fact that she's married to Liam Spencer, who many viewers despise in general and someone who never wanted custody of Douglas in the first place, all this tends to paint Hope as an emotionally abusive mother rather than the loving one the writers intended in the eyes of viewers, even in the face of someone as duplicitous as Thomas Forrester.
  • In season 36, Ridge and Bill are definitely viewed with disdain for their actions, both for their behavior torwards the women they loved and the fact that their entire scheme to put Sheila in jail backfired due to the fact that the confession was coerced and connections with the feds were used, which costed Finn and Steffy the opportunity to press charges:
    • Ridge is supposed to be seen as a victim of deception because Thomas deceived him through a fake voice app call...but instead, Ridge has received much backlash over his constant toying with Brooke and Taylor's emotions, as well as the harsh and cold breakup he put Brooke through. Add onto the fact that he has cheated on both of them multiple times in the past, and in the end, he comes off as a petulant manchild more than anything else. Ridge's unpopularity over his actions grew even more as he acts like he did nothing wrong and essentially was absolved for any responsibility in Sheila's freedom and instead blamed Finn for Sheila being back in everyone's lives over his hug and told him to take accountability for it when he pointed out Liam was taking advantage, despite the fact that his plan is the reason Sheila was free to begin with.
    • Bill was looked down upon for three reasons. In the first act, his dangerous mental state after his rejection by Brooke and Katie is supposed to make him seen as a broken man who needs help that's scared of dying alone and is being manipulated by Sheila because no one will give a chance, but instead it makes him comes across as a vile powermonger given he knows exactly what he's doing and willingly puts everyone at risk to get what he wants instead of realizing his power can't win everyone over. Even when it was revealed in the second act to have all been an act to get even more charges on Sheila, causing him to be lauded as a hero by everyone, viewers still viewed his actions with disdain since it involved putting everyone (especially Finn and Steffy) at risk of being in danger once more when there were already enough charges to put Sheila away (which many pointed out when the episode was released). Alot of viewers also had an issue with the fact that his actions negatively impacted Taylor's mental state and almost caused herself to land herself in jail for nothing, and in the end, ruined Finn and Steffy's chances at getting justice for Sheila's crimes.
  • Steffy is meant to be seen as a Mama Bear for chastising Finn for trying to bring back Sheila into their lives, and also for taking the kids away from him a year later due to him willingly defending her, but she comes off as rather abrasive and hypocritical in that she has repeatedly been unfaithful with him, and he has forgiven her many times. Add onto the fact that she repeatedly denies Liam is trying to come between them despite the fact that she's allowed him to insult Finn repeatedly and make many romantic advances towards her despite Finn's warnings, and she comes off more as a Bitch in Sheep's Clothing than anything that's looking for an excuse to cheat again even if she isn't.
• Unpopular Popular Character: Thomas Forrester, despite being seen as problematic by everyone and heavily disliked by the Logans, is very popular amongst mainstream viewerbase. It helps that his fans tend to be disdainful of the Logans in general and frequently call out sudden changes in his character, even going so far as to empathize with his predicaments even when he's supposed to be the antagonist.
• Vanilla Protagonist: While Johnathan Finnegan stands out as one of the few decent male characters on the show, that's about all that can be said about him. While most of the characters are of a major business empire like Forrester creations or Spencer Publications and frequently show flaws, Finn is noted for being one of the few characters who's simply his own thing with little to no characterization over it.
• Viewers in Mourning: To say that the death of John "Finn" Finnegan illicited strong reactions from the audience is an understatement; There was an entire uproar for almost the entirety of Spring in 2022 after he was reported dead later after he was shot, with many infuriated over the fact that he simply taken out of the show. The removal led to alot of anger on social media and even pages and partitions dedicated to getting the producers to somehow bring him back on the show that would gain the acknowledgement of both the producers and the actor. Luckily it was always in the plans to have him come back but it definitely left a scar on viewers that many haven't shaken off to this day.
• Wangst: Many find Liam's angst on the show to be obnoxious and hard to sympathize with given much of the drama he goes through is self-inflicted given his emotionally abusive and his unfaithful nature in general. Little felt sorry for him when Steffy cheated on him with Bill or when Hope cheated on him with Thomas in Rome.
• Why Would Anyone Take Him Back?:
  • Liam and Hope reunited despite the former's unfaithful nature and his initial attitude against Hope and Douglass. Even to this day; many still vehemently criticize the decision to put Liam and Hope back together given his emotionally abusive habits towards Hope, even if she isn't any more innocent than he is.
  • Taylor took Ridge back during a Fall plotline in 2022 during season 36 even after he was constantly toying with the feelings of both Brooke and her whenever Steffy and Thomas kept trying to pair him and the latter together. Add onto the fact that Thomas deceptively framed Brooke for calling CPS on him to take away Douglas, his own son, through the use of a voice app that he showed him, and from there it pretty much soured the reunion and love scene between Taylor and Ridge for many despite that the former willingly took him back.
  • The series of episodes that took place in Rome during season 36 created an uproar with multiple re-pairings.
    • Hope and Thomas reunite with eachother without any real reason to whatsoever; Thomas was known to mentally ill and abusive to Hope both psychologically and even physically in the past, going so far as to threaten her life. Meanwhile Hope has demonstrated hypocritically adulterous nature and has almost killed Thomas and tried to hide the fact and has used Douglass as an asset against him multiple times much to his detriment.
    • Despite there being little to no chemistry between the two, Brooke willingly takes back Ridge even though it means breaking her pact with Taylor (and it being blatantly ignored while Taylor was raked over the coals for trying to pair Brooke with Deacon) even in spite of Ridge's harsh treatment of her in Aspen and the fact that Brooke has cheated on Ridge multiple times.
• The Woobie:
  • Bridget tends to enter this territory. Not only has she miscarried three times on the show, but two of her husbands had affairs with her mother. And when one of these husbands reconciled with her, he turned around and had an affair with her aunt.
  • Taylor might also count for this. She's not exactly a saint, but she's not done half the things the women around her have done. Yet everyone treats her bad decisions like she'd committed murder, however in the one case when she did attempt murder and let Ridge take the blame people clearly didn't find her The Woobie in that instance, while other women who commit the same crimes get off scot-free.
  • Macy definitely falls into this category. Her father disappeared when she was a little girl, she was always caught in the middle in the Spectra/Forrester feud and would end up being blamed for things she knew nothing about, her three marriages to Thorne all ended badly, she was an alcoholic, had cancer twice, lost one husband to cancer, was in three car crashes, attempted suicide at least once, was almost murdered by a crazy ex, found out she was unable to have children while her best friend was pregnant by her husband... and was killed off in a gruesome manner - TWICE.
  • Aly; on fourth birthday, her mother Darla was hit by Taylor's car and killed. Following this tragedy, Aly had psychological problems throughout her childhood and adolescence, developing a mental illness where she had delusions and hallucinations of her dead mother. She was also the victim of bullying in school and didn't have friends when she was growing up, so she ended up relying on the ghost of Darla (who appeared to her as a floating head) for advice and companionship. After her father got a job in Paris and left Aly alone in L.A., she was bullied by her own uncle and in the end, she became psychotic and tried to kill her cousin Steffy, who ended up killing Aly in self-defense in the exact same spot on the Pacific Coast Highway where Aly's mother was run over by Steffy's mother.
  • Douglas Forrester fits this trope given the custody battles between his adoptive mother Hope and his biological father Thomas has led to alot of sadness in his life. From losing his biological mother, to being used as leverage by Hope against Thomas and also being emotionally coerced into keeping his dad's scheme against Brooke a secret. It got bad enough to the point he couldn't stand being fought over or the idea of hurting either one of his parents despite the misdeeds they committed in keeping him, and he instead chose to live with Steffy, his aunt, to end the fighting between the two parties involved when his father proposed letting him choose his permanent residence.
• Woobie Family:
  • The Finnegans, especially Finn and Steffy (née Forrester), slowly became this in 2022 in between Seasons 35 and 36. Not only were both shot by Sheila which left Steffy traumatized and suffering from PTSD as well as almost leaving her kids without a father forever, but Finn was saved by Li only for Sheila to run her out in Season 35 so she could keep Finn hostage, bed-ridden, and unable to escape while she supposedly continued Li's work to "help him recover". Combined with the fact that he was officially considered dead and was unable to get in touch with Steffy to tell her otherwise at the time, he was definitely in a beleaguered state, and it irrevocably damaged Steffy's psyche. With Sheila at large, and all her charges dismissed, she is seemingly always able to find a way to be near them against their will, and as a result Steffy and Finn (and Li to some extent) now live in constant fear and anxiety that Sheila could be waiting to strike at any minute, and no one would be able to stop her.
• Yoko Oh No: Amber and Darla get this when they encourage their husbands Rick and Thorne, respectively, to stand up to Ridge and take a bigger role in the company. Thorne outright quits to join Spectra after getting fed up with his parents favoritism of Ridge.

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