5 Bold And The Beautiful Characters Who Need To Return From The Dead
With over three decades of storylines under its belt, "The Bold and the Beautiful" has seen a plethora of characters come and go. While some people like Eric Forrester (John McCook) and Brooke Logan (Katherine Kelly Lang) look exactly the same, others have been erased from the program entirely. Many times, an actor is looking for a way off of the series, or it is essential to the plot direction, so a character is killed off the show. Death is one of the biggest reasons for eliciting emotions from the characters, and it can change the direction of everything.
Some characters like Taylor Hayes (now Krista Allen) have "died" several times, eventually revealing themselves to be very much alive. With dozens of characters being killed off since the series began, there's a world of opportunity at the fingertips of "B&B" writers, opening the door for several to make their long-awaited returns.
If some of the soon-to-be-mentioned characters return to the canvas, they can instantly shake things up if inserted into the ongoing storylines. Some, like Stephanie Forrester (Susan Flannery), could appear in ghost form or in the flesh, creating tension within her family. Others like Caroline Spencer (Lindsey Goddfrey) would put a wedge in between couples like Thomas Forrester (Matthew Atkinson) and Hope Logan (Annika Noelle).
Caroline Spencer
Caroline Spencer had quite the downfall in her final days on "The Bold and the Beautiful." She had a rough road in the romantic sphere of her life, causing her to resort to unorthodox tactics to finally create a life between herself and the father of her baby, Thomas Forrester (then Pierson Fodé). With the help of her uncle Bill Spencer (Don Diamont), Caroline faked her death to coax Thomas into leaving Sally Spectra (Courtney Hope) to be with her and their son, Douglas Forrester.
At first, Caroline's plan worked well, and Thomas left for New York with her. However, at some point, he learned the truth and reunited with Sally in Los Angeles. After that relationship floundered, Caroline and Thomas gave things another shot, but she died unexpectedly off-screen while living in New York City. There were many possibilities of where Caroline's character could have gone, making the decision to kill her off all the more surprising.
Since Caroline passed away, Hope Logan has stepped into the mother role for Douglas, and it's easy to believe that Caroline would have a lot to say about another woman raising her child if she were still alive. With Hope and Thomas finally together, they need an obstacle in front of them. Caroline returning to put a wedge between Hope and Thomas would be just that, breaking the monotony of the existing love triangle with Liam Spencer (Scott Clifton).
Phoebe Forrester
It's sometimes easy to forget that Ridge Forrester (now Thorsten Kaye) had another child besides Steffy Forrester (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood), Thomas Forrester (now Matthew Atkinson), and RJ Forrester (Joshua Huffman). However, Steffy was a twin, and her sister, Phoebe Forrester, tragically died following a car accident. There's always a great deal of friction within the ranks of the Forrester family, and bringing back Phoebe for a new arc and somehow revealing she never died in the crash would be a major moment for "The Bold and the Beautiful."
Phoebe and her mother, Taylor Hayes (now Krista Allen), had a lot of tension toward the end of her life over their mutual attraction to Rick Forrester, so bringing her back into the fold could create new conflict. Taylor has been single since Ridge left her at the altar, so why not have Phoebe rise from the grave and compete with her mother in the romance department yet again? Better yet, give Steffy a new sibling rivalry by having Phoebe return while Steffy is in Rome, putting the moves on Steffy's husband, Dr. Finn (Tanner Novlan).
Phoebe was reckless in her final days, so there's no telling what she'd be like after a decade away from her family. If her mother could "come back to life" multiple times, there's no reason she can't do the same. Sometimes, "B&B" gets stagnant and tells the same stories with the same faces, and Phoebe returning would inject much-needed life into the ongoing plots.
Stephanie Forrester
Nothing was as heartwrenching to witness on "The Bold and the Beautiful" than the death of beloved Forrester family matriarch Stephanie Forrester (Susan Flannery). It was apropos that the last person with her when she took her final breath was long-time rival and daughter-in-law Brooke Logan (Katherine Kelly Lang). Brooke and Stephanie worked hard to break the negative streak of their relationship in her final stretch on "B&B," eventually coming to a place of love and respect. After decades of Stephannie calling Brooke the "sl** from the Valley," it was refreshing for them to end on good terms.
Since exiting the show, Flannery has made sporadic appearances as the voice of Stephanie's portrait, but they've left her death untouched. However, Stephanie is needed in the series more than ever before. Her former husband, Eric Forrester (John McCook), has a health issue, making him lash out at family, and Stephanie is someone who would level with him. Her return could serve as a wake-up call for Eric, whipping him into shape and convincing him to put his health before his career.
Also, since her death, Stephanie's grandchildren have been involved in several scandals, including Thomas Forrester's obsession with Hope Logan and Steffy Forrester being shot by Sheila Carter (Kimberlin Brown), which also happened to Stephanie. She likely wouldn't want her grandson involved with a Logan girl, no matter how she and Brooke ended things. Plus, Stephanie could be the force to finally end Sheila's reign of terror.
Aly Forrester
Growing up without her mother clearly affected Aly Forrester (Ashlyn Pearce) profoundly. Thorne Forrester (then Windsor Harmon) did his best to raise a level-headed daughter, but she was dealing with a lot internally, and it was only a matter of time before she completely lost control. She had an unhealthy obsession with Hope Logan (then Kim Matula), looking up to her and vehemently vying against Hope and Wyatt Spencer's (Darin Brooks) relationship. However, things picked up in a big way for Aly when she started seeing her dead mother's floating head, encouraging her to do evil acts.
Aly's mother, Darla Einsteen (Schae Harrison), was killed years earlier by Steffy Forrester's mother, Taylor Hayes, who was drunk at the time. Steffy offering Aly alcohol triggered something inside her, motivating her to try to kill Steffy in the same manner her mother died. Defending herself, Steffy hit Aly with a tire iron. It was self-defense, but sadly, the damage was done, and Aly was killed.
However, bringing Aly back would be incredible for multiple reasons. "B&B" thrives when there's a central villain like Thomas Forrester or Sheila Carter wreaking havoc. Thomas is trying to change his life, and Sheila is busy building a future with Deacon Sharpe (Sean Kanan), creating the perfect opening for someone as unhinged as Aly to return and cause chaos. Things are too calm in the Forrester world, and a shakeup could be fun.
Darla Einstein
With the return of Aly Forrester should come the return of her mother, Darla Einstein. Seeing Darla as a giant floating head cloud isn't going to cut it. If Aly were to reappear, it would be appropriate to find a way for her mother to necromance herself as well. Darla's death came out of nowhere initially, and Taylor Hayes didn't face many consequences for her actions. Viewers have seen Taylor wracked with guilt over other things — like shooting Bill Spencer and keeping a major secret from Ridge Forrester — so it's time for this to rear its head again.
Darla could start off pretending to be a ghost, stalking Taylor, haunting her at every opportune moment. Then, Darla could reveal herself to be alive and explain where she's been all of these years. It would be a nice change of pace for Taylor's character arc because being recycled in the same drama with Ridge and Brooke Logan for another decade is getting old. It's tiring, and it makes Taylor look weaker than she is, always settling for second place in his heart.
It looked like the writers were ready to do something substantial with Taylor when Bill was blackmailing her or when she had a brief and fleeting friendship with Brooke, but those storylines were abandoned. Taylor has been absent for most episodes in 2023, making her desperately need a new story.