Episode 8774 aired on CBS in the United States on April 1, 2022. It was directed by Jennifer Howard and written by Bradley P. Bell, Michael Minnis, Mark V. Pinciotti and Adam Dusevoir.
After its filming and production throughout early 2022, much hype and publicity was created surrounding the contents of this episode. Executive Producer Casey Kasprzyk led the majority of this hype, teasing that "B&B will NEVER be the same!" and generating a lot of speculation about its events and long-lasting effects.
Upon its airing, the episode received a large amount of worldwide controversy regarding the apparent murder of popular character Dr. John "Finn" Finnegan at the hands of his biological mother, Sheila Carter, whilst defending his wife, Steffy Forrester. It is widely considered as The Bold and the Beautiful's most controversial episode of all time.
Creation and Promotion[]
Executive Producer Casey Kasprzyk revealed in a Bold Live stream on YouTube that a major storyline twist would be coming. It was said to be "bigger than Sheila showing up (in 2017)", and "bigger than Maya Avant being revealed as transgender". This set high standards for fans, who began speculation on what the twist would be - some speculated that a character would return from the dead, such as Stephanie Forrester who had died of lung cancer on-screen in 2012. Cast members including Tanner Novlan and Jacqueline MacInnes Wood teased that "viewers will go crazy", with Kasprzyk adding that this was "Brad Bell at his absolute finest".
Plot Summary[]
Referencing SoapCentral's episode recap.
At Forrester Creations, Taylor and Ridge were alone, and Taylor said she wished their son Thomas Forrester would ease up. Ridge, however, liked that their children didn't hide their feelings. She replied that Ridge shouldn't let it influence him because their kids' happiness didn't hinge on Ridge and Taylor being a couple. Ridge stated that he liked to pretend that it did.
Taylor wished Thomas would focus on his own love life. Ridge wondered if Taylor meant like Steffy, who had a husband and kids but still found the time to meddle in her parents' lives. Taylor expressed pride in their daughter. Taylor admitted she had been worried about Steffy, who'd been stuck in a cycle with Liam. In Taylor's opinion, it was the same cycle Ridge and Taylor had been in.
"Here we go," Ridge replied. Taylor replied that Steffy had watched it as a child and had gotten into it. Taylor wasn't worried anymore because Steffy had found Finn. Ridge said Finn would be perfect if it weren't for Finn's mother. Taylor wondered if Sheila had truly changed.
"Do you really believe that?" Ridge asked. Taylor said she would like to believe it for Finn's sake, and she claimed she'd invited Sheila for Christmas Eve for Finn's sake. Taylor promised that her guard was always up with Sheila, though. Ridge replied that Sheila was incapable of being a normal person and was as dangerous as she'd always been.
Ridge asked about Taylor's communications with Sheila. Taylor replied that Sheila would just show up at Taylor's office and want to talk. To Taylor, Sheila seemed really happy about Ridge and Taylor's relationship, but Taylor didn't get how the relationship could benefit Sheila. Ridge believed that Sheila was mean and selfish and had ulterior motives.
Taylor guessed that it could be that Sheila was absolving herself of guilt for shooting Taylor. Ridge refused to believe Sheila felt guilty for anything. In his view, she thrived on causing pain. Taylor believed that Sheila wanted to change. "I'm a psychiatrist. It's what I do, so I want to see people change," Taylor stated. She believed Sheila could change.
Ridge said Taylor believed in a lot of things, like unicorns and finding treasure beneath a rainbow, but he wanted her to promise to be careful. Taylor promised -- just not about unicorns. Ridge told her to stop joking. She tried to joke again, but when he got upset about it, she claimed to know firsthand what Sheila was capable of and said she was on high alert because they shared a grandson.
Ridge recalled that Steffy had thought of walking away from Finn because of Sheila but hadn't. Ridge felt that Finn was more than his DNA. Taylor was happy for Steffy and felt that it would get better and better for Steffy. Taylor cooed about Finn and Steffy being a great team. It was everything Taylor had ever wanted for Steffy.
Also proud of Steffy, Ridge felt that Steffy was ready to take over the company. Taylor replied that Eric and Ridge would roam those halls until they died. Ridge figured that they would after, too, just like Stephanie was roaming the mansion. "You're good at ghosting," Taylor quipped.
Taylor and Ridge continued to gush about Steffy and how strong she was. Taylor said that Steffy's future was bright. Ridge couldn't wait to see what Steffy did next.
At the hospital, Finn checked his phone and saw that Steffy was at Il Giardino. Wondering why she was there, Finn asked a nurse to get another doctor to cover for him for a while. Finn hopped in his car to head for the restaurant. In his mind, he flashed back to Sheila promising she wouldn't let him down. He thought of what Steffy had revealed to him about Sheila and Brooke. He said Sheila was evil and would never change, but she'd better stay away from Steffy.
In the alley behind Il Giardino, Sheila slammed Steffy against a Dumpster. Steffy asked Sheila to let go, but Sheila countered that Steffy needed to let go of the idea that she had a say in things. Steffy stated that she didn't want to fight with Sheila. Backing down, Sheila said she didn't want to, either. Instead, Sheila wanted her son's wife to love her, accept her, and allow her in.
"Never," Steffy replied, adding, "Never accepted, never loved. Not by me, and certainly not by Finn." Steffy revealed that Finn already knew what Sheila had done to Brooke. Sheila guessed that she had explaining to do, but Steffy replied that Sheila would never see Finn again.
Sheila reasoned that it wasn't too late, and the secret could remain between the few who knew. She said that they could say something later down the line after Taylor and Ridge were married and Brooke had moved on. Steffy refused to let her parents move forward based on a lie.
Sheila ordered Steffy to think of what she'd be giving up. Sheila yelled that she'd done it for Steffy and her family, but Steffy asserted that Sheila had done it for herself. Steffy figured Sheila had done it because Brooke had put her foot down about Hayes and Finn. Sheila claimed it had just been an added bonus, but what mattered was that Ridge had left Brooke for Taylor.
Steffy guessed she was supposed to thank Sheila, the psychopath. Steffy decided that the thanks belonged to Brooke for standing up to Sheila. Sheila asked if Steffy was suddenly Team Brooke. Steffy claimed to be on anyone's team but Sheila's, and Steffy would join anyone willing to help her get Sheila away from Finn and Hayes. "The losing team," Sheila concluded. She said that no one would keep her away from Finn and Hayes -- not even Steffy.
Steffy remarked that Finn hadn't wanted to believe the worst about Sheila. He'd thought it had been a misunderstanding, but she was sure that he'd hate Sheila once he heard what she'd done and how she'd spoken to his wife. Sheila asked why Steffy had to fight Sheila instead of caring for Sheila the way Sheila cared for Steffy. Steffy wanted nothing to do with Sheila and said Sheila's feelings for Steffy's family were Steffy's worst nightmare.
Steffy still didn't forgive Sheila for shooting Taylor -- even if Taylor did, and Steffy felt that Sheila's time behind bars hadn't done Sheila any good. Steffy stated that Sheila had hurt Brooke to get to Finn and Hayes, but Sheila never would get close because Steffy was in control. "Know when to give up," Steffy told Sheila.
"Never," Sheila responded, but Steffy insisted that everyone would know the truth. Sheila replied that if she had to, she'd stop Steffy, and she figured Steffy knew how it felt and would do anything to protect her child. Steffy declared that Sheila would never see Hayes and Finn again.
The words echoed in Sheila's mind. The delivery door to Il Giardino opened. Steffy turned and saw Finn rushing past her. Sheila raised a gun, and Finn dashed in front of Steffy. Sheila fired her weapon, striking Finn in the gut. Sheila cried out as Finn collapsed onto a pile of trash bags.
Sheila fretted, wondering what she'd done. Steffy tried to rouse Finn. Eventually, he spat up blood, awakened, and asked what had happened. Steffy ordered Sheila to call emergency services. Steffy assured Finn that he'd get through it, but a dying Finn began talking as if his life was over. Finn asked Steffy to make sure Hayes and Kelly was taken care of. Finn said that he loved Steffy and would love her forever, as he closed his eyes, becoming motionless. Steffy yelled and screamed, laying her head on his chest. She cried for him not to go. She said she and Hayes needed him.
"Your own son," Steffy said to Sheila. Sheila cried that she hadn't known Finn had been there. Believing that Sheila had been about to kill her, Steffy grabbed her phone. Sheila ordered Steffy not to dial. Steffy pressed 9-1, but before she could press the final 1, Sheila pointed the gun at Steffy and said, "Don't you dare."
Reception and Controversy[]
Referencing Wikipedia.
After the episode first aired, Tanner Novlan revealed to Soap Opera Digest that he, himself and alongside the entire cast, were "pretty surprised" in regards to his character's direction and most predominantly, co-star, Wood, who he described as rendered "speechless" due to the magnitude of the 'Sinn' fanbase.
The apparent decision to kill off Finn was met with severe backlash amongst viewers and critics. In response to an online poll by Soap Opera Digest which asked "How do you feel about B&B killing off Finn?," 84 percent of readers stated that they were devastated and enjoyed the Finn and Steffy romance, indicating major support for the character of Finn. Errol Lewis from Soap Opera Network asserted "fans are currently in an uproar following the recent twist which found Finn’s biological mother, Sheila, being the one to pull the trigger after he came upon her". Meanwhile, Richard Simms from Soaps.com affirmed that "whole lot of anger was being directed toward the show’s scribes" over Finn's exit on social media and jokingly explained that the outrage has illustrated that "perhaps the writers might want to seek shelter."
The hashtag #SaveFinn, as well as online petitions, began to circle across various social media platforms, including Twitter, in which fans, were notably advocating and campaigning for Novlan's return on the soap as Finn. The negative response was quite palpable, co-star Wood (Steffy) was inquired, by the series' supervisor producer, Casey Kasprzyk, during an episode of BoldLive, who himself confessed the level of fan reaction towards the storyline and, essentially asked the actress if she "expect[ed] fans to be as sad as they were when Sheila put a slug in her son?" which Wood responded with "I expected this reaction 'cause I reacted the exact same way."
In May 2022, Soaps.com released their list of "The 35 Actors Soaps Need Back in Action", Novlan was amongst those actors included, and the author of the article stated, "when fans freak like they did over the death of Finn on Bold & Beautiful, you know the actor’s someone who should get a new lease on life," noting that the adverse reaction over the character's death was conspicuous and the wish for his return is strongly yearned for by the audience as he is a fan favorite.
Aftermath[]
Referencing Wikipedia.
Novlan re-appeared on the series in the episode dated May 23, when Finn was revealed to be alive, in a coma, to the viewers. Novlan disclosed on that same day during a segment episode of The Talk, that he had never departed the series in the first place and had to keep the secret of Finn's resurrection under wraps. He stated; "I was blown away at the fans' reaction to this and 'Sinn' nation...I couldn't believe the support, but, in fact, I'm contractually obligated not to tell you guys and I felt awful about it."
Soaps.com listed Novlan's return and Finn's resurrection as "Best May Sweeps Reveal" in their repertoire of "Soaps’ Best and Worst of 2022". Out of all current daytime dramas, Soap Opera Digest's named "Finn is alive" as the "Best Story" in their "Best & Worst of 2022" list, stating that "resurrection tales are not super-common in the B&B universe, but by granting Steffy her miracle [being reunited with Finn], the show provided the romantic apex of the year." Soap Hub’s Best and Worst of 2022 classified "Finn's alive" as the Biggest Shock, while, SoapCentral described it as one of the "Most Riveting Moments" of the show in 2022. "Finn is alive" was bestowed the "Best Storyline" honor amongst all four daytime soaps in Michael Fairman TV 's "The Best and Worst in Soaps 2022" list, detailing that "it was a shocker".