The last time fans saw Tom’s backpack in The Bold and the Beautiful, Hollis was alive. Now Hollis is dead and the backpack is nowhere to be seen. Is the backpack the key?
Here’s the thing: Tom’s (Clint Howard) backpack is more than the smoking gun when it comes to solving the Il Giardino murders. It could also shine a big ol’ spotlight on Sheila (Kimberlin Brown) and Poppy (Romy Park).
Tom carried his life in his backpack, and with the whirlwind of activity swirling around after his death, it somehow went unnoticed in the Il Giardino stockroom until Hollis (Hollis W. Chambers) found it. He looked inside and found letters that shocked him. We can only presume they were either to Poppy and Luna (Lisa Yamada) or perhaps even from Poppy.
Shocked, Hollis went to Sheila, who dismissed his concerns and told him to throw the backpack away. This didn’t sit well with him, but he died before he could share his concerns with Deacon (Sean Kanan).
Sheila has been acting suspiciously since finding Hollis dead. She may have been the last person to see him alive, she was the one who discovered his body and she’s been quick to assure Deacon that his death was an accident.
Then there’s Poppy, who has been acting strangely since she discovered Tom working at Il Giardino. Bill (Don Diamont) is starting to take note of her odd behavior, sullen mood and disappearing game. As soon as Li (Naomi Matsuda) told her she was conducting the autopsy, she rushed to the hospital, leaving a grieving Luna with an out-of-his-league-with-daughter-tears new Girl Dad Bill. Bill was so confused by her sudden departure that he asked Luna if she knew where Poppy was going.
Interestingly enough, both Bill and Deacon remarked that their lady loves got in late after the murders; Poppy came in late after Tom’s death and Sheila came in late after Hollis died. Whether there’s anything to that remains to be seen, but it’s definitely suspicious behavior.
This all comes back to the backpack.
Even if Poppy had no hand in Tom or Hollis’ deaths, her world could come crashing down based on the letters inside. They reveal that she and Tom were together when she spent the night with Bill, which would destroy the idea of the magic night they shared. It will also shatter Luna’s impression of her mother, knowing that her mother has been lying to her about so many things all her life.
If Sheila was the one who poisoned them, then it’s possible that finding the backpack will be the way she’s caught, as she seemed to be the last person to see it (aside from Hollis). This would send her happily ever after with Deacon crashing to the ground.
Tom’s backpack is the key. Find the backpack and some very difficult truths will be revealed.
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.
