Thomas said goodbye to Hope in The Bold and the Beautiful, but is there still hope for THOPE? Let’s look at the latest episode of the soap before we take a look at how things might still work out for Thomas and Hope.
Thomas (Matthew Atkinson) reminds Hope (Annika Noelle) that she was the one who kissed him. He’s left with only one option.
Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) can’t believe that if Liam (Scott Clifton) did indeed get through to Hope, he still won’t take her back.
Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) is convinced that there’s hope for Hope and Liam’s marriage. Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) is happy to hear Brooke is confident, but he reminds her that they signed divorce papers. Brooke says that Hope is back to her old self, and the birthday party opened her eyes to what she could lose. And between talking to Brooke and Liam, Hope will make the right choice.
Liam tells Steffy that he will always care for Hope and he wants her to see who Thomas really is. Steffy stands up for her brother and says he’s changed, and while Liam admits that could be the case, he still could hurt her.
Thomas says the only thing he can do — because he loves her — then he must accept her feelings and push her away from him. He has to let her go. She can’t believe it. “You’d be willing to let me go?”
Brooke thinks the birthday party opened her eyes. RJ (Joshua Hoffman) nods, but Ridge doesn’t think Liam is in a place to forgive her. Brooke knows that there’s still some tension, but Liam made sure to remind her that Thomas is the one who caused it. Ridge insists that Thomas is a changed man, and though Brooke agrees, RJ concludes that family is more important.
Steffy, too, insists that Thomas is a different person. Liam says that doesn’t change the fact that they shared a kiss. Steffy is confused, because she would think Liam would be able to forgive her to keep his family intact.
Hope apologizes to Thomas. He wishes he could change the things that happened in the past, but all he can do now is to show her that he’s not the same person. If she wants to be with Liam, he won’t stop her. “That’s how much I love you,” he says.
Brooke imagines that Hope is ending things with Thomas as they speak. Ridge remains doubtful while RJ is on his mom’s side.
Hope knows she’s the one who initiated things in Rome. He takes responsibility for what he did. Hope feels like a “human wrecking ball” but he doesn’t see it that way. It’s on both of them, and he has no regrets. He’s not going to keep her from her family. He’s not ok with it, he says with a laugh, but he knows it’s what has to be done. He has to let her go even though he will always love her. She thanks him for his understanding. “You’re a good man. You truly have changed, Thomas. Don’t let anyone erase the work you’ve done to get here,” she tells him. Hope wants to stop hurting people, and she needs to try to make things work for the sake of her daughter. She has to try.
Steffy knows Liam too well and she knows that he’s a forgiving person. She hopes he’s willing to put his marriage back together. He appreciates what she’s saying, but he thinks two things can’t be true at the same time when it comes to getting through to Hope and sorting out his feelings for Steffy, and how he let her go.
Hope apologizes again and again, telling Thomas that she’s ashamed of her behavior and that maybe he can forgive her. It will be hard for him, he says, but they’ll have their memories. He says he won’t tell anyone about what they did together. They share a final hug, and then Hope leaves. Once she’s gone, Thomas looks at the door with regret.
Ridge reminds Brooke and RJ that he’s a concerned father. And he also knows that Liam will always love Steffy.
Steffy gets a message from Finn. She looks on in contemplation.
Liam arrives at the cabin after getting Hope’s message. She tells him that she wants to put everything on the table. The birthday was special, and being together to celebrate was nice. “I love you both, I hope you know that,” he says. She tells him that she heard everything he said about Thomas and agrees that Thomas put a strain on their relationship. She’s very sorry for what happened in Rome. She points out that the divorce papers haven’t been filed and she thinks it’s for a reason. She knows about his feelings for Steffy, and now that they’ve both admitted accountability she’s hoping they can move forward.
Hope tells Liam she values their family. She wants to know if he wants to give their marriage one last chance. For Beth, and for them. “I just want to know if it is too late,” she says. She looks on as Liam hesitates.
Is there hope for THOPE?
While it looks like it could be the end for Hope and Thomas, it’s worth noting here that Liam isn’t jumping on Hope’s offer of reconciliation. In fact, we know from his conversation with Steffy that even though he “got through to her” he’s not exactly longing to get back together.
Liam still has feelings for Steffy, which he’s made known to just about everyone at this point. His feelings for her are a main reason why Hope preferred being with Thomas, since she didn’t have to worry about him loving anyone else.
Steffy spends much of the episode trying to figure out why Liam isn’t thrilled that he got through to Hope. That’s what he wanted, right?
Thomas, on the other hand, has no trouble telling Hope that he loves her and the decision to do the right thing isn’t easy at all. He hates it because it means letting her go, but he wants to show that he’s a changed man. Could this be the message Hope needed to hear? That despite their troubled past, he has changed while Liam clearly hasn’t?
There’s another thing to consider here. Ridge knows that Thomas and Hope slept together, and he knows Liam still doesn’t know about it. Ridge is the only one who seems to be pulling for Thomas and Hope, because that could clear the path for Liam to return to Steffy. So what happens if Ridge tells Liam about Hope hooking up with Thomas? Not only does that destroy any chances for reconciliation, but it paves the way for Hope and Thomas to be together.
It might seem like THOPE is over, but this is The Bold and the Beautiful and nothing is over until it is over…and even then it might not be over.
The Bold and the Beautiful airs weekdays on CBS and the following day on Paramount Plus. Check your local listings to see when it comes on where you are.
