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B&B's Stephanie Dies As Katherine Kelly Lang & Susan Flannery Share Final Scenes!

Courtesy/CBS

Courtesy/CBS

In a real tearjerker on today’s episode of The Bold and the Beautiful, soap fans witnessed the last breaths of Stephanie Forrester and the final performance of Susan Flannery (Stephanie)!

As Stephanie’s life faded, it was Brooke, her long time nemesis turned best friend, who was with her, comforting her, and resolving their over 25 year relationship to the bitter end.  In magnificently acted scenes, Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke) delivered some of the finest work of her career, and as for Flannery, even in Stephanie’s final moments, she proved that she is one of the genres all time greatest performers and a true icon.  (IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED THE EPISODE YET, SPOILER ALERT YOU MAY NOT WANT TO READ FURTHER, IF YOU HAVE, CONTINUE ON…)

For many, they can see why Brad Bell, (B&B’s executive producer and head writer) chose to have it be Brooke that was with Stephanie in the end.  After all, they were the true super couple of the show, and the circle of life is often about forgiveness, and both of these characters had a lot to forgive one another.   In addition, it seemed that it was Brooke who Stephanie probably thought could be the one to help her best pass through this life, as she has often told Brooke that she is stronger than she thinks.

When Katherine Kelly Lang as Brooke told the parallel tale of Brooke’s life with the Forrester clan to a dying Stephanie, Brooke admitted she was so ashamed of the things she had done to Stephanie and her family.   While earlier, Stephanie admitted to Brooke how much she hurt her by sleeping and stealing with all the Forrester men.  And when Stephanie asks Brooke to “sing to me, baby girl”, the tears flowed as Brooke sang Eric’s tune to Stephanie, “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling” as Stephanie passed away.

Over the past several hours, it appears a debate has arisen amongst fans of B&B that Eric Forrester (John McCook) should have been there with his beloved Stephanie at the end, not Brooke.  Or if Brooke, then with Eric there too, and maybe even, Stephanie’s sister, Pam, as well.

What are your thoughts on today’s final moments between Brooke and Stephanie?  Hankie-filled for you?  Should Eric have not watched the DVD of the Forrester family and friends sharing their sentiments about Stephanie (he did so to make sure Stephanie could handle seeing it), and instead hightailed it back to a dying Stephanie instead?   Did you understand why B&B chose to end Stephanie’s life in key and emotional scenes between Stephanie and Brooke?  We did!  Weigh-in.

In case you missed it, or want to see today’s episode of The Bold and the Beautiful, head on over to CBS. com and grab some Kleenex before you sit down at your computer! And for more … check out our brand new interview with John McCook for his thoughts on Eric’s life-post Stephanie and his final scenes with Susan Flannery!

 

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Beautiful episode!
SF will be missed!

I thought having Brooke and Stephanie in the final scenes was how it should be. There was so much tenderness in those scenes. I was blown away by the performances of Katherine Kelly Lang and Susan Flannery. Excellent send-off for such a great character.

I get what Brad was trying to do, but in the end I still think Eric should have been there at his wife’s passing. I am not sure I like those videotape messages since we know Stephanie would never see them. I might have like it better if instead of the characters speaking about Stephanie, if the cast had spoken about Susan, and she didn’t know about it until it aired–that would have been way cool. But with all that said, it was a touching and moving episode, done with dignity and care.

Well in a matter of one episode B/Bell did what I knew he would do. Brooke at it in less then 2 hours ruined it for me. Two daughters men now her sisters and Stephanie left her in charge of the family.

I know it like Brad Bell doesn’t know when to leave well enough alone. He did all this work to show how much Brooke has grown and how Stephanie’s illness and death will change her and then boom, Stephanie is not gone a day and she is kissing her brother -in-law. Who’s next Donna’s son Marcus or did she already go there and I missed it? But I don’t think anyone was surprised by this, disappointed maybe, but not surprise.

It was as it should have been, with one notable exception. Brad Bell shoyld have swallowed his anger and pride and had Ronn Moss back for a goodbye scene with his mother. Fans were owed this and for the good if the show, Brad should have seen that they got it. Ronn issued a statement that he was NEVER asked to return for s goodbye.

At first I was mad that Eric was wasting time at the office but when Stephanie said “oh he’s never around when you need him!” that is classic Eric & Stephanie & I got it. Very fitting that Brooke would be with her at the end. Katherine Kelly Lang just absolutely broke my heart. IT WAS SO REAL I had to remind myself I was watching tv for God’s sake. I really felt Brooke’s sorrow & pain & the way Stephanie just passed away . . . really well done then when it was over I am like but wait no more Stephanie! I don’t like her being off the show at all. There will be a huge, huge void. I wish nothing but the best for Susan Flannery in her next chapter of her life but boy will she be missed.

At first I was upset but we have went full circle so I will go on with it what i do beg of you Brad Bell is make this mean something to Brooke she is now at a crossroads as you will please move forward and not with a man be a better person if you want us to forget how trampy Brooke was then let us move forward and let this woman grow. KKL nailed it! Now be the woman you say you are and go on without a man please or I will believe what I always have believed that bb can not write Brooke without a man.

I might add Brooke, Eric & Thorne should run Forrester and kick the snot nose kids to the curb!!!!

OMG I watch it today and I was bawling my eyes out. I totally got why they had Brooke be with Stephaine when she pass away and not eric its like u said they were the supercouple of the show. I’m sadden SF retire but happy they had her character pass away instead of recast or be mention but not seeming just like they were doing for the late DC character Sally. It was very moving that’s for sure

This is absolutely ridiculous. Bill Bell’s vision for these characters was for there to be an all consuming hatred. Therein was the drama. This nonsensical sentiment of Stephanie asking Brooke to “sing to my baby girl”- the same woman she encouraged to shoot herself in the head when Taylor returned – is frankly ludicrous.
I get that Flannery and Kelly are saying goodbye to each other in this scene but their real life relationship has nothing to do with the characters they have played so excellently over the years. Brooke was the victim of psychological abuse from Stephanie – the very worst kind – because Stephanie terrorized the girl under the facade of a civilized and morally upstanding matriach. She destroyed this girl’s life only for Brooke to turn the tables in the definitive storyline of B&B’s history – the fight for BELIEF.
Bill Bell would not approve of today’s episode – it was a sordid desecration of his vision and Bradley Bell should be ashamed of himself for such unqualified sentiment between characters who destroyed one another’s lives, personally and professionally.

No wonder soap is going to the gutter. Bell sr would not dare write this. Nor would Marland or Lemay.

I could not disagree with you more, I thought it was one of the best and well written send offs to date. The acting alone was superb and the lesson that these two women taught one another was magical. We will have to agree to disagree on this one.

I agree completely. It was a great send off.

I haven’t seen it yet, but I was caught up as of Thanksgiving.

You just kind of knew that when Eric left to go back to Los Angeles, the way that he said goodbye to Stephanie, that he would not make it back before she passed. I knew for sure when she wanted to go outside – it was, not to be crass because I have no human death to compare it to – but it was like when a dog goes somewhere to die. I just knew she didn’t have long left once she and Brooke made it outside.

All that being said, WOW! I commend Susan Flannery on an amazing job. It could not be easy to be coughing all the time and acting like you need the oxygen. She will definitely be missed.

Very sad… well done… will miss Stephanie/Susan… understand why Brad used Brooke with Stephanie… but wish it could have been Pam or Eric. The show will not be the same without Susan Flannery! I am not a fan of the character Brooke, but after this I really hope she changes and grows up and has some discretion with men… if she goes back to being with any and all… this will have been for naught.

I thought is was god awful to subject the fans watch a loved a love one die for month..
Who really thought it nice/cool/really great to watch the woman suffer and die.
There were so many other ways / to inflect the pain us the a death watch..

((poor fans had to cry their way through the month and become sad, depressed and overly distraught..

Shameful to infect on fans, IMO ..

I’m sorry you did not like it. I thought it was a fitting tribute to a legacy character.

Sometimes art needs to imitate life. At least there was no murder mystery, no coming back from the dead.

For people who have lost loved ones, and those who have not, I thought it was nice to have the flashbacks, to celebrate life when you knew you did not have long. I only wish I could have said the same for my aunt with her cancer, but she chose to treat it and still died within a year. Not everyone tries to fight it.

What is so bad about fans crying? It is a part of life. Some people really need a good cry now and then.

suooo actually it was kinda of a rewrite of the cancer death of Caroline in 1990 she found out she had cancer they threw a party but she died in Ridge’s arms. She went around saying her goodbyes etc. Ridge even read scriptures from the Bible to her we now know that is Taboo in 2012. Anyway it was tough for me to watch the Brooke love fest but I will buy it if they make her finally grow up.

This story was beautifully written, well-paced, compassionately acted. Perfection.

And this final episode so well balanced – the grief of losing Stephanie in counterpoint to the joy of Katie realizing she wants her son. An episode to cherish.

I liked the endng tday with Brooke and Stephanie. I thought it played out very real .I think Kelly did the best acting of her career in those final scenes. Susan will be sorely missed because she was the queen of all around her. I kmow that Susan will be directing now and continue to be a part of soaps in some capacity. But I believe there shouldn’t be a contoversy of why Eric was not with Stehanie when she passed. These two actresses played those scenes with grace and heart and I for one was greatly moved and shed a few tears. Excellant….

Perfect.

Brooke and Stephanie have been and will always be B&B’s best “supercouple”.

Although I have to agree, Ridge should have been there at some point.

With the 2 mature, larger than life actresses- Matriarch Stephanie and Diva Sally gone, now what?

Even tho KKL is now older than SF was when they went on the air, she does not have it ( though I would marry her if I was straight!). Even though Sally’s character is still alive, there is no replacing DC.

The show has been good for the last 2 months now that someone realized that there are more than 3 characters, but it still needs more. It needs the glamour, the fashion, and new over the top characters LIKE IT WAS!

Some scenes were touching… but like classic B&B, most was ludicrously overwritten. Simplicity is often more effective and goes a lot further.

Loved it cried my lost a friend the same day with cancer super sad day for me.

Brooke was Stephanie’s most important relationship for the last 25 years. She sacrificed everything to get rid of Brooke. This is how it should be. SF and KKL were amazing.

News

Robin Strasser Meets Kristen Alderson’s Baby Kiera in a One Life to Live Reunion

For years, Robin Strasser (ex-Dorian) and Kristen Alderson (ex-Starr) have been the best of friends and the best of co-stars. On One Life to Live, Kristen was only six-years-old when she began her journey as Todd and Blair’s daughter and met the iconic Strasser.

Now in 2024, Kristen is a new mom to her baby girl, Kiera. Strasser, who lives in New York, along with her best friend, John, traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, just a few days ago to visit the Alderson family and spend the day with Kiera.

Taking to her Instagram a very happy Kristen shared, “Look at who came to visit today! Robin & her bestie John! Robin and I got all misty eyed when she met Kiera today!”

Photo: JPI

In a very touching part of her post, Alderson expressed, “Robin is such a special person in my life, it means so much to me that we’re as close as we are. She’s just the best❤️ A great day of laughs & a great brunch spread😍”

Robin added, “I’ve been smiling since I met her. I’m a big softie for babies, but what a doll Kiera is!” The Daytime Emmy-winning star, also shared, “I’m so grateful for my ongoing friendship with Kris and Kathy. Amazing women and loyal friends!”

What do you think about Kristen and Robin’s enduring friendship and recalling their time on One Life to Live? Comment below.

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General Hospital

Nancy Lee Grahn’s Star-Studded ALS Fundraiser Reveals “I’ll Be There” Video Featuring Soap Opera Notables

Talk about your impressive line-up! It’s a soap fans dream and for a great cause. General Hospital’s Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis) is prepping her one-night only ALS fundraiser which will feature many of her friends and co-stars.

The benefit is set for May 4th in Glendale, California. Slated to participate are Genie Francis, Jane Elliot, Peter Bergman, Maurice Benard, Eileen Davidson, Thorsten Kaye, Michelle Stafford, Stephen Nichols, Rena Sofer, Jason Thompson, Kelly Monaco, Melissa Claire Egan, Maura West, Kristina Wagner, Gregory Harrison, Trevor St. John, Kate Mansi, Kirsten Storms, Cynthia Watros, and many others.

On Wednesday, Grahn took to her social media and released an “I’ll be there” video shout-out featuring, Monaco, Elliot, Bergman, Bernard, West, Harrison, St. John and more. In a touching and important moment in the new video, Michelle Strogny, who is battling ALS, is featured.

Photo: ABC

Previously, in speaking with Soap Opera Digest on the impetus of the event, Grahn recalled, “I was actually doing Zoom events during Covid and I met this woman that I just fell in love with, Michelle Strojny. At the time, Michelle had been living with ALS for four years. Now, it’s five years. She is a mom of a teenage son, she has the most wonderful husband, and she has been dealing with this [disease] for quite a while. And obviously, there isn’t a cure yet. It’s not survivable yet. But as she says, it’s not incurable. Nothing is; it’s underfunded. But anyway, I just really dug this woman. She is so grounded and filled with grace, and she spends all of her time working to raise money for the cause. We did a fundraiser for her last year and then I thought, ‘You know what? The soaps don’t ever get together to do something for charity.’ Collectively, we have this amazing community and we don’t collectively use it for a good cause, and I think it’s such an easy thing for us to do and we could potentially really make a difference.”

As GH viewers know, Gregory Harrison is playing the character of Gregory Chase, who is also battling ALS in a touching storyline that is currently playing out shedding a light on this disease.

For information on Nancy’s event, including the stars who are s scheduled to participate click here. To purchase tickets to the event click here.

Check out the video featuring Nancy’s friends and co-stars below.  Now let us know, your thought son the line-up for the benefit and helping raise awareness and funds for ALS research via the comment section.

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General Hospital

‘General Hospital’ Writer Shannon Peace Let Go, and Shares on Sprina: “One of My Only Regrets is to Not Have the Opportunity to Develop That ‘Ship’ Further”

As General Hospital’s new head writing team of Elizabeth Korte and Patrick Mulcahy gets off the ground and running, there are still changes a foot on the writing team.

Now comes word via breakdown writer Shannon Peace that she is no longer on contract with the long-running ABC soap heading into its 61st season. Peace shared a heartfelt message on her Instagram, thanking the fans, and the show for the opportunity and the importance of diversity in the writers room.

Peace began, “After almost 3 years on staff and 106 episodes penned, I am no longer on contract with General Hospital. Writing for this country’s longest running television serial drama has been an education of epic proportions; I will forever be grateful that I earned my WGA card on a daytime fixture that holds memories for so many.” (Peace pictured below with GH EP Frank Valentini and script writer, Charlotte Gibson from about ten months ago).

Photo: SPeaceIG

Shannon added “Even more importantly, as the sole Black breakdown writer (and only POC in the writers room) during my tenure, I pushed for vital interactions and discussions that prioritized inclusion, visibility, and representation”

The writer pointed to the example of vital interaction when in story, “Stella and Portia’s frank July 2022 conversation about the role race played in Esme’s framing of Trina is just one example of the impact I’m gratified to have had.”

Acknowledging former GH co-head writers was also part of Peace’s farewell expressing, “Appreciation to my former bosses, Chris Van Etten and Dan O’Connor – not only taking a chance on me, but for valuing my opinion and championing my voice.”

Courtesy/ABC

Many GH fans know that Peace was key to the development of the love story between Trina Robinson and Spencer Cassadine as played by Tabyana Ali and Nicholas Chavez. Shannon gave a special shout-out to ‘Sprina’ fans, “I also want to thank fans who were supportive of my work, especially the recognition of my love for ‘Sprina’. One of my only regrets is not having to develop that ‘ship’ further.”

She concludes her statement with,”In the aftermath of a historic writer’s strike that shed new light on the troubling ways writers are regarded in daytime, my sincere hope is that General Hospital recommits to valuing staff writer efforts and input, with a more intentional focus on diverse viewpoints — and thrives for another 60 years.”

Accompanying her post, Shannon added, “Thank you all for the love and support these last few years. I hope GH fans get all they hope for and more!”

So, what do you think about GH not renewing Shannon’s contract? Will there be more continued changes afoot? What do you think is the future of ‘Sprina’ anyway at this point as viewers wait to see if Nicholas Chavez officially returns to the show?  Comment below.

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