2021 was a big year for The Bold and the Beautiful’s (B&B) Sheila Carter (Kimberlin Brown) and Carter Walton (Lawrence Saint-Victor).
Sheila returned to Los Angeles after almost three years away and immediately stirred the pot by declaring herself part of the Forrester family. Meanwhile, after years on the back-burner, Carter became a focal point in storylines and got wrapped up in an unusual love triangle.
Both of these developments should be great news for viewers, but they aren’t. Despite making a big splash last summer, neither Sheila nor Carter’s storyline has built momentum in any way. So, which character are B&B writers working harder to ruin: Sheila or Carter?
Want spoilers? Check out Bold And The Beautiful Spoilers For The Week (March 7, 2022)
Let’s start with one of B&B’s all-time great criminals, Sheila. In case her extensive rap sheet doesn’t make it obvious, Sheila is a doer. Her agency in soap opera storylines has stunned audiences and made for top-tier daytime drama moments. Like any of us could forget that time she murdered a man with a beehive!
Adding to her character’s impulse-control problem is Brown’s icy portrayal, which is equivalent to storm clouds encroaching every scene she’s in. Sheila’s emotions are always on the edge, so lightning could strike at any moment.
And yet, Sheila is being utterly wasted on screen. Instead of fleshing out the character’s mentality after three years removed, B&B writers appear content to ride on the coattails of Sheila’s past transgressions. Does she have a job? Nah. How is she still living in a hotel? She just is.
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Sheila’s motivations have been given the same shrug as her living arrangements. She returned to LA in order to find her birth son, Finn (Tanner Novlan), and meet her grandson, Hayes. For months, she snuck around and blackmailed Jack (Ted King) in order to see her estranged family. But mostly, she paced her hotel room and made idle threats… to herself.
Then, suddenly, Sheila wasn’t that interested in her family anymore. Jack and Finn disappeared from the show altogether, and Sheila became obsessed with destroying Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang).
“I love Finn with all my heart,” Sheila barked at Brooke during a recent confrontation, but let’s be honest: Logan doesn’t hold any keys when it comes to accessing Steffy’s (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) family. So, let’s not pretend that Sheila’s priority pivot has anything to do with Finn.
Want plotline predictions? Check out Bold And The Beautiful Plotline Predictions For The Next Two Weeks (February 28 – March 11, 2022)
Despite Sheila’s character being totally lost on the canvas, Brown continues to electrify her scenes – especially with Deacon (Sean Kanan). But B&B writers refuse to give her depth and repeatedly fall back on the same old tropes: stare at the camera, smile deviously. Yawn.
While B&B writers seem unsure what to do with Sheila right now, they appear to be very confident when it comes to handling Carter Walton. Their plan? To destroy this character.
It felt like ages before Carter did anything more on B&B than officiate weddings or attend Forrester business meetings. Finally, he found himself in an affair with Quinn (Rena Sofer) and viewers were loving the couple’s chemistry.
Want more spoilers? Check out Bold And The Beautiful Spoilers For The Next Two Weeks (February 28 – March 11, 2022)
Some viewers were on the fence when Eric (John McCook) got wise to their affair and actually sanctioned it, on account of his erectile dysfunction. Perhaps that’s why B&B writers got gun-shy over that storyline and shelved it. As a result, Quinn dumped Carter and has barely been seen since.
However, I suspect viewers would happily go back in time and embrace that bizarre love triangle over watching Carter hook up with Paris (Diamond White). It already felt as though B&B were trying to force-feed us Paris Buckingham, and now they’re pushing the idea that she and Carter have chemistry – which, so far, they don’t.
Nobody wants Carter and Paris together, but it seems to make sense logistically. Paris has already misfired with Finn and Thomas (Matthew Atkinson), while Carter had fireworks with Quinn and a promising what-if moment with Katie (Heather Tom). Alas, B&B have robbed Katie once again and appear to be setting the stage for a Zoe Buckingham comeback.
Want more plotline predictions? Check out Bold And The Beautiful 2022 Forecast: Plotline Predictions
Perhaps Carter keeps breaking up relationships because he’s otherwise the most boring character on the show. Despite his hulking physique, he shows no spine when it comes to asserting himself and no restraint when it comes to being the third wheel in a love triangle.
In his relationships with Quinn and Paris, Carter gives half-hearted protests about how they “shouldn’t be doing this” before, well, totally doing it. Zende (Delon De Metz) is seeing another woman and Paris is free, so why can’t Carter just respectfully let his friend know that he and Paris are into each other? All of the chin ups he demonstrates in his loft don’t matter if he’s too afraid to make a decision.
So, which character is B&B ruining more: Sheila or Carter?
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Ryan Pratt
Ryan is an avid runner, reader, hiker and music collector. When he isn't writing and editing for Fame10 Soaps, he's relishing in the fine company of his two cats, Penny and Gus.