MBTI: Bold and the Beautiful - current season

Around 27 million people a day watch the long-running US soap, Bold and the Beautiful, but hardly anyone I know admits to watching it. Actually, I run into people who tell me that 'they don't watch it' but can accurately summarise who's in the show and what it's about. I think most of us regard soaps like Bold- as a guilty pleasure and seriously uncool. And indeed, at first sight, US daytime soaps seem of inferior quality, marred by bad acting, bad storylines, and an emphasis on economy (only one to three sets at the most, and an avoidance of outdoor scenes). But, in the end, to fans (and I am one), none of this matters. You end up becoming intrigued by the storyline and the characters, and over time, you thrust all the deficiencies - the cheapness and the bad acting - out of your mind. You don't hold a TV soap to the standards of a Mad Men or Breaking Bad.

Bold- concerns two families: the Forresters, who are wealthy fashion designers living in LA, who are beautiful, well-heeled, stylish but miserable, and the Logans, a struggling, lower-middle class family from the Mid West (Illinois, to be exact) who move to LA and who are conservative, god-fearing, humble and happy. One may ask: do members of both families meet? Fall in love? Get married to one another? It's a soap: of course they do.

A third family - the Spencers - appears early on. They are headed by the manipulative, controlling and scheming Bill Spencer the First, who plays the traditional role of the bad guy or villain in the soap. He never does anything out and out evil, however. In Bold-, there are no good guys or bad guys, only differing points of view.

You can find a little animated film, 'Bold and the Beautiful in six minutes', which recaps twenty years of plotlines - in six minutes! - here. Amazing. Otherwise, you can jump on board by watching it straight away; you'll pick up the story very quickly. Like Chris Claremont's X-Men, Bold- relies a lot on flashbacks and recaps which bring the audience up to speed as to what happened in the previous episode.

It should be noted that the relationships between characters in Bold- are very confusing - and incestuous and promiscuous. Brooke Logan, the female lead, has been married and / or involved in relationships with: Ridge, his stepfather, his two half-brothers. Eew. She's had four children by three different men, and has been married or engaged to about four or five men on the show. Her rival in the show, Taylor Hayes, has been with all the men Brooke has been with. Double eew. (Despite this, Brooke has the reputation of being the more promiscuous of the two).

I'm going to give the MBTI types for each of the 25 or so the characters in the current season - and the last one, which features a few long-time characters who are not present in the current one. It will be a whirlwind tour, as I've got a lot to get through.



The Forresters

Eric Forrester. The head of the Forrester family, a brilliant designer, founder of the fashion house Forrester Creations and self-made man, a sensitive, quiet, thoughtful artiste. Father of Ridge, Thorne, Felicia, Kristen, Rick, Bridget. Often he plays the role of wise old man who gives counsel to others - and asks for nothing in return. Passive and withdrawn, and given to poetic flights of fantasy when rhapsodising about women's clothing. INFJ.

Stephanie Forrester (deceased). Eric's wife, and mother to Ridge, Thorne, Felicia, Kristen. She doesn't appear in this series - the character was killed off a few years ago - but her presence looms large. Often appears to be cold and shrewish, but very much concerned about her family and the welfare of others around her, and can seem to be manipulative and controlling. An ENFJ. In socionics, she and Eric (an INFJ) are 'mirrors'. The contrast of Eric and Stephanie illustrates one of the main differences between an INFJ and an ENFJ. The former doesn't really care that much if his advice is followed or not, the latter very much cares. Stephanie always seems nosy and pushy.

Ridge Forrester (as played by Thorsten Kaye) - the male lead of the show. CEO and star designer at Forrester Creations. Father of Steffy, Thomas, 'E.J.' and Phoebe (deceased). Thorsten Kaye replaced long-running actor Ronn Moss for this role in 2013 (Moss had been playing Ridge since 1987). As a result, the character - and his MBTI type - changed. Today's Ridge is a sensitive artiste who likes poetry, but is also entitled, spoiled, dishevelled, often grouchy and self-absorbed. He, to me, represents a bad INFP. Like many INFP characters - such as Luke Skywalker or Jack Kirby's Mister Miracle - Ridge has been raised by an adoptive parent or parents and his true parentage is mysterious. It's revealed that Ridge's true father is not Eric but the Italian shipping magnate Massimo Marone, who dated the 19 year old Stephanie in college (!).

Thorne Forrester. Ridge's jealous half-brother, son of Eric and Stephanie, father of Aly. Job role: executive at Forrester at the Paris branch. As played by Winsor Harmon, Thorne seems a nice fellow - he's very considerate of his employees at Forrester (he remembers all their birthdays, for example) - but, like his mother Stephanie, is pushy, nosey and controlling. ENFJ.

Steffy Forrester. Ridge's daughter by Dr Taylor Hayes (who doesn't appear in this season). Job role: executive at Forrester Creations. Spunky heroine type (like Lois Lane in Superman). Romantically pursues romantically unavailable men because of a) the challenge and b) more often than not, these men belong to one of the women from her hated rivals, the Logan family. ESTP.

Thomas Forrester. Ridge's son by Taylor, Steffy's brother. Job role: star designer at Forrester Creations. There's no nice way of saying it, but Thomas is a creepy young man. Also a moralist who continually lectures those around him (including his father) and upbraids them for their immoral behaviour. ISTJ. It should be noted that ISTJ characters, especially the males, always appear to be creepy or at least to be people who just don't fit in. Think of Judge Dredd, Darth Vader, Mr Spock, Watchmen's Rorschach. Thomas fits the bill. I rest my case.

Aly Forrester (deceased). Designer at Forrester Creations and daughter of Thorne and Darla, who was killed when hit by a car driven by Taylor - who went on to have an affair with Thorne (don't ask). An ultra-moralistic, ultra-puritanical young woman who idolises another moral paragon - Hope Logan (see below) -she also suffers from schizophrenia and communicates with the spirit of her dead mother on a regular basis. She likes medieval re-enactment societies - a sign of dominant introverted Si. ISTJ, without question. Sadly, she's killed off: she stalks Steffy, daughter of her mother's killer, and collects pictures of her, blacks out the eyes with markers and sticks pins in them; she then ambushes Steffy on the same lonely LA highway where her mother Darla was killed. Steffy defends herself and ends up killing Aly by accident.

Rick Forrester. Son of Eric Forrester (Ridge's stepfather) and the much younger Brooke Logan, executive at Forrester, his type at first seems to be ESTJ - he's certainly a
' captain' or 'lieutenant' type - but events reveal otherwise. At bottom, he sees himself as an exploited, hard done by character who has been used and manipulated by all the others. He holds a grudge - bordering on the psychopathic - against Ridge, who he feels has treated his mother Brooke badly. He tends to put the women he loves on a pedestal and will hold them as a moral exemplar. But woe betide those idols who have been shown to be only human and having feet of clay. Rick, to me, seems to me to be an ISFJ, but the worst ISFJ - the one who has 'woken up' and perceives that he's been exploited by others, including those he's placed on a pedestal. The ISFJ in this instance becomes spiteful and vindictive, and takes a terrible revenge - see De Palma's Carrie (1976).

Pamela Douglas. Stephanie's whacky sister who works as a receptionist at Forrester Creations. Renowned for her eccentricities, extremely annoying and a friend to all - even to those who don't want her friendship. ENFP.

Ivy Forrester. Daughter of Eric's little-seen brother John and an Australian, jewellery designer at Forrester Creations. Feminine, cares deeply for those around her and holds their welfare to be paramount (but not always) - ESFJ.

Zende Forrester Dominguez. Intern at Forrester Creations, adopted son of Kristen (Eric's daughter, not seen in this season) while in Africa. Can't figure this guy out, sorry.

The Logans

Brooke Logan: Executive at Forrester Creations, eldest sister of the Logan clan, lover and wife of many. Mother of Bridget, Hope, Rick, 'E.J'. I characterise Brooke as an ESFJ. Since the death of Stephanie from cancer, she puts herself across as the 'matriarch' of the Forrester clan - ESFJs are very maternal - and she has always shown herself to be concerned with the welfare of her family and those close and dear to her. Moreover, she often tries to interfere in and control her children's lives - particular their romantic lives. ENFJs, who are, like ESFJs, dominant extraverted feelers, get the all the rap of being manipulative and controlling, but ESFJs deserve some of it as well.

Katie Logan: Sister of Brooke, wife of Bill Spencer, sometime CEO at Forrester Creations and her husband's Spencer Publications. Self-assertive and a moralist who is forever criticising her husband's - and Steffy Forrester's - immoral conduct. This, to me, signifies a strong introverted feeling (Fi). I should explain that introverted feeling consists of emotional reactions and moral evaluations which are entirely subjective - ' I approve of that' ; ' I don't like that'; ' I emphasise with that'. When this moralism is combined with a strong self-assertion and assertion of one's will (extraverted sensing, Se), you have the ISFP type - which is what Katie is.

The two Logan sisters are all that are left of the once formidable Logan clan in the current season. I feel bound to mention two others, who are absent. (It's occurred to me, while writing this, that all of the Logans are female - males are conspicuous by their absence. The scion of the Logan family, Stephen Logan, is absent at the start of Bold-, having abandoned his family while his children were young; Storm, the brother of Brooke, Donna and Katie, committed suicide many years before the current season).

Hope Logan. Daughter of Brooke and con-man / grifter Deacon Sharpe, sometime model and spokeswoman for Forrester Creations. Like Aly, a moralistic, driven and highly confused young woman who launches a 'Hope for the Future' campaign which encourages young American women to save their virginity until marriage. Tends to set high expectations of the man in her life, who invariably end up disappointing her. She has a relationship - not consummated, as Hope prizes her virginity - with photographer Oliver Jones; Oliver has sex 'by accident' with Hope's own mother Brooke at a costume party in a rather off storyline. (Hope's rival Steffy finds about this incident and attempts to use it to blackmail the Oliver into having sex with her). Hope then meets Bill Spencer's illegitimate son Liam Spencer (see below). Unfortunately for Liam, Hope won't grant him any sexual favours - she must stay true to her 'Hope for the Future' campaign - before marriage. This gives the predatory Steffy an opening. She moves in, kisses Liam in his car, and is dumped by Hope who saw the scene. And thus the Steffy-Hope rivalry over Liam begins! I think it's clear from all this that Hope is an ISTJ. For their secondary function, ISTJs have extraverted thinking (Te) which is about enforcing rules. Extraverted thinking makes ISTJs the party of 'law and order', and its from this - and their introverted sensing (Si), which tends to be highly conservative - that the ISTJs famous moralising stems from. The moralising of an ISFP, on the other hand, comes from a different place - introverted feeling (Fi).

Stephanie Forrester sagely tells Brooke, 'Hope is a very disturbed young woman. And why not? She's the product of you and Deacon' . Right on the mark.

Donna Logan. Younger sister of Brooke, older sister to Katie, sometime receptionist at Forrester Creations. An individualist, dreamy and idealistic and someone who gives the appearance of being a hanger-on to the Logan clan. I don't know any other word to describe her except 'winsome'. INFP.

The Spencers

' Dollar' Bill Spencer the Second. CEO of Spencer Publications, bully, braggart, manipulator, ruler of men, son of Bill Spencer the First, husband of Katie Logan, father of Liam and Wyatt. The bearded and open-shirted Bill resembles Zeus, and we know that Zeus was an ENTJ. I don't see how there can be an argument on this one. Interestingly, like Brooke - an ESFJ - Bill is very much concerned with controlling his children's' lives, especially their love lives.

Caroline Spencer the Second. Niece of Bill Spencer the Second and the daughter of Ridge's first wife / fiancée Caroline Spencer the First, who died of leukemia. She's been retconned into existence - it's never explained who her father was. For all we know, it could have been Ridge. Works as a designer at Forrester Creations. A fun-lovin' gal who spends most of her time on Twitter and Facebook and who is a transplant from New York. Talks a lot (with a noxious Noo Yoik accent) and not very bright. Tends to gush on a lot. Not the sharpest tool in the shed... ESFP.

Liam Spencer (William Spencer the Third). Son of Bill Spencer and a woman who died of cancer, executive at both Forrester Creations and Spencer Publications. A surfer, vegan, animal rights activist, he wears a beard and a medallion like his father, but appears more of a hippie and less of a Zeus. He moralises a lot, and criticises his father's conduct - and why not, given Bill's extraordinary attempts to make or break Liam's marriages. ISFP.

Wyatt Fuller-Spencer. Son of Bill Spencer and the crazy Quinn Fuller (see below), half brother of Liam. Executive at Forrester Creations. The effeminate Wyatt lived with his mother for most of his life and didn't have a wife or girlfriend (what am I hinting at here?); then he meets Liam's on-again off-again wife / fiancée Hope and discovers heterosexuality. He seems to have a penchant for his brother's ex-girlfriends and wives. A trickster and something of a con man, he's also a malcontent who bears grudges against Liam, their father and the world in general. Calculating, opportunistic and a sceptic. ENTP.

Supporting Cast

Quinn Fuller. Mother of Wyatt. Jewellery designer. Like Brooke, sees herself as a mother above all with the right to control and manipulate the life (especially the romantic life) of her child. Goes to extraordinary lengths to get her son married to the 'right woman' and will stop at nothing! A paranoid and a stalker, sometimes out of control and violent, she should be considered the 'evil twin' or Jungian Shadow of Brooke. ESFJ.

Deacon Sharpe. Father of Hope. No job role, is supported by his current wife Quinn. An affable, sleazy, insincere man who is a (former) con man and alcoholic, Deacon has been on the show for decades, and has guest-starred in the sister show Young and the Restless. Pauline Kael once wrote of Bill Murray, 'He oozes insincerity from every pore'; that bon mot could apply to Deacon. A likeable rogue. ESTP.

Oliver Jones. Photographer at Forrester Creations, ex-boyfriend of Hope, Aly. A gangly, nerdy, skinny guy - obviously an intuitive and not a sensor - without much in the way of social graces or an understanding of people around him. Goes along to medieval jousting re-enactments with Aly and thoroughly enjoys them. INTP.

Charlie Webber. Incompetent security guard at Forrester Creations and full-time shlub. Whacky, eccentric, a friend to all, somewhat annoying, high energy, he's a male version of Pam, and it's no surprise that the pair become an item soon after meeting. In his first job for the Forresters - guarding a diamond display - he tells them he'll watch their diamond, not like a hawk, but like a goat - goats have especially good vision, don't you know. ENFP.

Maya Avant. Waitress, model, musician, singer, philanthropist. The pretty Maya meets Rick while working as a waitress in a café; she doesn't realise that he's a wealthy Forrester. He pretends to be a homeless bum (but an immaculately groomed homeless bum, with designer stubble and all) so he can get close to her. An artistic person who is pursuing a spiritual journey in life. INFP. But wait, there's more. In one of the stupidest plot twists in Bold- history - and believe me, there's been a few - her sister Nicole emerges from Maya's past and blackmails her over a 'secret'; what would that 'secret' be but - Maya is a transsexual! That's right, her name at birth was Myron, not Mya. This seemed rather implausible, given how womanly the actress playing Maya looks, but, as Bill Spencer's friend Justin says (looking at a photo of Maya), 'That's some mighty fine surgery'. In retrospect, the producers of Bold- timed this reveal brilliantly; it hit the screens at the same time as the contrived media storm over Bruce / Caitlyn Jenner.

Carter Walton. Lawyer working for Forrester Creations, ex-fiancé of Maya. Quiet, long-suffering Carter is loyal to the Forresters and to Ridge, works hard and asks for little in return. He meets the woman of his dreams - Maya - after she leaves Rick, gets engaged, and then is dumped by her after she decides to return to Rick. He then discovers, to his shock and amazement, that Maya is Myron. Instead of turning on her, however, he agrees to keep this a secret. Carter is a stoic or a doormat, depending on which you look at it. ISFJ.

Nicole Avant. Sister of Maya, sometime model, now intern at Forrester Creations. Comes to LA to do a university course, drops out, becomes homeless, sleeps in the university Internet café, lands on her sisters doorstep (at the Forrester Mansion), and blackmails her into giving her a place to stay. Definitely a 'perceiver' and not a 'judger' . Likes dancing and music a lot - and is not a very good dancer at all. Inadvertently reveals Maya's secret to Wyatt after he wines and dines her on the Spencer jet. Not the sharpest tool in the shed. ESFP.

Julius and Vivienne Avant. Parents of Maya and Nicole. Conservative, church-going truck driver Julius is outraged by his son Myron's sex change, and is looked down by his own colleagues and neighbours for it: Maya / Myron has brought shame upon the family. He attempts to rescue Nicole from LA and then, in a climactic moment, reveals what he really thinks of the whole transgender thing - on the day of Maya's wedding to Rick: 'A cat can't be a dog, a boy can't be a girl'. And that's that. Maya overhears, and has it out with her father - while she's right there on the altar, about to be married - in front of the shocked wedding guests. It's one of my favourite moments from Bold-. Through it all, the docile Vivienne puts up with it and accedes to her husband's wishes. Julius: ISTJ; Vivienne: ISFJ.

That's it for now, see you next time. Mark Hootsen signing off.