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On The Bold and the Beautiful, Bill Spencer has been crushing enemies for decades, but recent events make us wonder whether he has lost that edge.
The Bold and the Beautiful: Bill Spencer
This is fast becoming a project of mine, examining the main characters of our favorite sudser and looking at the history as it should be taught, warts and all. None of the characters are saints. None are above reproach, and none will dodge my spotlight. Bill (Don Diamont) arrived in L.A. as a media tycoon who's methods took no prisoners, but let's strap in and take a look at his history on The Bold and the Beautiful, it suggests a man constantly at war between his desire for family and his desperate need for control. Join me, it is time to weigh and measure the legacy of "Dollar Bill" to see if the scales will tip toward villain or, the misunderstood anti-hero.
Once i dived into the history books i soon doscovered that Bill’s crimes are not petty misdemeanors. Here check this out, Bill is the man who ordered the demolition of the Spectra Fashions building with Liam (Scott Clifton) and Sally Spectra (Courtney Hop) still inside, risking the life of his own son for a piece of real estate. I took a pause after reading that, then read it again, wow. He lied to Thomas Forrester (Matthew Atkinson) about Caroline Spencer (Joanna Johnson) dying of a terminal illness, a manipulation that was designed with only one intent, to break up Thomas and Sally. Awesome.
Father of the year nominee? Nope not yet, there is more! He slept with Steffy Forrester (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) while she was married to Liam, creating a rift that nearly destroyed the Spencer family bond permanently. Ok so Liam and Steffy had fought, but this wasn't a Rachel and Ross from Friends situation, "We were ON a Break!" was not at play. These are not the actions of a man who values loyalty above all else, despite the constant yapping on about the importance of the Spencer sword necklace.
The Ridge Forrester Feud
Now we need to take a look at the anger? no, vitriole? (yeah thats better) between Bill and Ridge Forrester. (Thorsten Kaye) It defines much of Bill’s existence in L.A. Their altercations and verbal barrages go beyond business; they are personal and often violent. Bill once dumped Ridge out of a helicopter into the Persian Gulf, a move that could have easily been fatal. Lol, i did laugh at re-watching that bit, I mean come on, action like that is why men watch soaps as much as women.
Their rivalry almost always centers on Brooke Logan (Katherine Kelly Lang). Bill sees Ridge as a "dressmaker" unworthy of Brooke, while Ridge views Bill as a toxic force. The swinging between trying to destroy Ridge and forming an uneasy truce for the sake of removing Sheila Carter (Kimberlin Brown) shows that Bill’s hatred is adaptable, but his competitive streak is pathological. He cannot stand to lose, especially to a Forrester.
The Women of Spencer
And now we are here, I went in on Brooke, and her many partners, I went in on Ridge too (The Waffle King of The West Coast) and now we examine Bill’s romantic history on The Bold and the Beautiful. It looks like a chaotic map of obsession and betrayal. Katie Logan (Heather Tom): His most stable relationship, yet he repeatedly broke her trust by pursuing her sister. Brooke Logan: Bill and his lengthy pursuit of Brooke destroyed his marriage to Katie. He enjoys and needs Brooke’s acceptance of his darker side, no Bill is not Darth Vader but, "Luna, I am your Father," sure has a comedic ring to it. Steffy Forrester: A weird power dynamic that turned sexual, resulting in a DNA test for Kelly and a ton of damage to his relationship with Liam.
Quinn Fuller (Rena Sofer): A brief thing that brought them together but lacked long-term substance. Li Finnegan (Naomi Matsuda): A potential connection sparked when he saved Finn, which quickly fizzled out. Poppy Nozawa (Romy Park): His relationship with Poppy brought a softer, drug-hazed side of Bill to the surface, centered on his desperation for a daughter. This bit was a little sad to watch actually.
The Spencer Heirs
Legacy is forever and that drives Bill more than even he knows i think. Bill’s legacy lies in his sons, though he discovered most of them in adulthood. Liam Spencer: The moral compass Bill constantly tries to corrupt. Bill respects Liam’s goodness but hates his softness. When Bill thought he was going to lose Liam to his brain cancer, we saw the side of Bill that we have been needing to see, and was a rare 'feel good' moment on the show.
Wyatt Spencer (Darin Brooks): The son who shares Bill’s pragmatic edge but often gets treated as the backup heir. Will Spencer (Crew Morrow): Will is his youngest son with Katie, and Bill’s second chance at fatherhood that he struggles to maintain. Will has his own problems, constantly, and now we wonder if he is going to stray with the house guest. I really should have made a chart!
And now what about Luna you might say, I was leaving this bit until the end. Luna could be a whole seperate article on it's own, but she's gone (for now) and we need to look at Bill’s desperate acceptance of Luna (Lisa Yamada) as his daughter, only to face the paternity chaos involving Tom Starr (Clint Howard) and Jack Finnegan (Ted King), this shone a light on a weakness in what is a pretty impressive suit of armor. He wanted a daughter so badly that he ignored the red flags surrounding Poppy’s "magic mints" and the timeline.
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To judge Bill, it requires accepting that he is the type of man who will buy people when he cannot charm them and destroy them when he cannot purchase them. He is currently in a weird phase on The Bold and the Beautiful, seemingly softened by his desire for a family unit, that won't tear itself apart. However, history dictates that a bored Bill is a dangerous Bill. Time will tell if his relationship with Katie will go the distance, but for now, it fills two needs of his at the same time. He has love, and he gets to make jabs at Ridge, often, through Katie's new fashion house, "Logan"
Watch full episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful weekdays on CBS or stream on Paramount Plus.
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