In this episode, Ridge Forrester (Thorsten Kaye) confronts his son, Thomas Forrester (Matthew Atkinson), in a hospital room as to whether or not, he was responsible for the tragic death of Emma Barber (played by Nia Sioux). Thomas recently suffered a devastating fall where he fell off a cliff after being pushed by his step-mother, Brooke Logan Forrester.
The scenes are very powerful as Thomas gives a full confession to his father about what happened that night. Thomas tells his father that he would do “anything to make him proud,” but Ridge does not buy any of that. “So this is on me, this is the easy way out,” Ridge responded.
The father subsequently asks him if he is done feeling sorry for himself. It is clear that Ridge still loves his son despite everything he did and he is trying to protect him, in an effort to not go to prison. “I will never turn my back on you,” Ridge admitted.
Thomas, who recently lost Caroline (the mother of his son, Douglas), cries that he “does not know how to be a single parent,” and feels sorry for his young kid, Douglas. “We will work it out together,” Ridge reassures him. Thomas feels that he is not “good enough” for Douglas.
Ridge grabs Thomas by the robe and tells him that Douglas believes in him, and so does he. When they embrace, in tears, the viewers instantly get goosebumps (no matter how they feel about Thomas or Ridge). Despite playing a villainous version of Thomas lately, Atkinson is able to humanize him.
The Verdict
Lately, Matthew Atkinson has been nailing all this difficult dialogue as Thomas Forrester, and with performances of this caliber, he may find himself nominated for an “Outstanding Supporting Actor” Emmy Award next year, especially if he submits such emotional content in his Emmy reel. They tackle some of the best father and son scenes on the show since Bill Spencer (Don Diamont) and Scott Clifton (Liam Spencer) and their heart-warming scenes.
Hats off to both Thorsten Kaye and Atkinson for delivering such superb acting performances on The Bold and The Beautiful.
To learn more about The Bold and The Beautiful, check out its official website.
