Credit: Howard Wise/JPI (3)

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If you’ve been hoping that The Bold and the Beautiful might somehow find a way to redeem Sheila, congratulations. This week, one of the most iconic villains in daytime history was official ushered into the realm of sainthood. Meanwhile, Ivy’s return was a breath of fresh air even as it was made 100 percent clear that by May’s end, Liam will be right back in waffling mode. Why do I say that? Well, read on, gentle readers… 

Is Sheila Telling the Whole Story?

Watching Sheila explain what went down between her and Sugar in that warehouse, I found myself thinking back to something I learned in a high school English class: the concept of what’s known as an “unreliable narrator.” In essence, the concept boils down to one question: Can we, the audience, believe the person telling us a story, especially when there are no other witnesses to confirm (or deny) their account?

More: Fans want these couples back (including Steffy/Bill)!

In other words… is Sheila telling the truth? While I’m sure the answer is yes, I’d love nothing more than to find out there’s more to the story. Because otherwise, what we’re left with is a blatant and over the top attempt to turn Sheila into both a victim and a hero. “Of course I tried to protect Steffy!” she insisted to Finn upon being rescued. “I love you! I love Steffy, I love the children more than I love myself!”

There are people out there who are going to absolutely love the idea of Sheila getting to start fresh. I’ll fully admit, I’m not one of them. Much as I’ve loved Kimberlin Brown’s performances ever since we first were introduced to Nurse Sheila, it was her wicked ways which won me over. Yes, I love a good redemption story… but not for true villains like Sheila or Days of Our Lives‘ late, great Stefano.

Now Exiting ‘Sinn’ City

Watching Finn embrace his mom as she went on and on about how much she loves him and his family, it was pretty clear that Sheila’s resurrection is going to be a major issue between him and Steffy. And it was clearly no coincidence that Ivy showed up to declare her lingering feelings for Liam while pushing all of Steffy’s buttons.

More: Why you officially have permission to hate on Ridge

It was fun watching Jacqueline MacInnes Wood play Steffy’s lighter side, something we don’t get to see a whole lot of. “Yeah, he’s remarkable, he’s amazing, he’s all the things!” Steffy declared, doing a whole body eye roll at Ivy’s fawning over Liam.

Of course, it was downright silly that Steffy then dragged Liam off to see Kelly… who wasn’t even at the house when they got there. Wouldn’t it have been easier for Steffy, a busy executive, to simply call Liam as opposed to tracking him down? (That said, the scenes we later got between Liam and Kelly were well worth the wait. They’re so cute together!)

Friday found Steffy and Liam talking yet again about their relief that Sheila was deader than the proverbial doornail, and their extended family would be safe, further driving home the very obvious sinkhole her marriage will fall into when Finn comes home singing the praises of his not-so-late mom.

Anyone having a doubt as to where this story is going had only to listen to Finn say to his birth mom “You have been through the unthinkable. You have been terrorized and brutalized by this woman, and yet through it all, your love for me and my wife and kids (prevailed).” You mean the wife Sheila shot? The kids she almost left without both of their parents? That wife and kids?

Random Thoughts

• Wonder what Paris is up to these days? (And yes, we’re going to ask this question every single week until she appears or is officially written off.)

• When Steffy wandered down Bad Memory Lane, retelling Ridge every detail about what happened the night she killed Sugar, why didn’t he stop her? “Honey, you don’t have to relive this,” he should have said. “I know the whole story. It’s time for you to put it behind you.” God knows the audience didn’t need to hear/see the story again.

• Along those same lines, why did it take Finn and Deacon so long to spit out the words “Sugar is dead.” An already traumatized Sheila was freaking out, worrying her doppelgänger would go after Steffy and the kids again. Hearing that Sugar was dead would clearly have immediately set her mind at ease. But the show had time to fill and so, as is its way, the writers stalled, both dillying and dallying.

• As much as I love Ivy, I’m not sure the world really needed another Liam cheerleader. Yes, the guy hasn’t waffled for a few weeks, and he’s been talking a good game about focusing on his career and his daughter, but… are we really ready to put him on a pedestal? Yet there was Ivy, saying, “Liam, I hope you know that a lot of people think you’re pretty fantastic!”