Phoebe's last song
Bold's Forrester household is shattered when Phoebe, Ridge and Taylor’s youngest child, dies in a car accident.
Bold fans will watch in shock on Friday 5 February as Phoebe, daughter of Ridge and Taylor Forrester, and twin sister of Steffy, dies in her father's arms.
On 4 February, singer Phoebe (Mackenzie Mauzy) and ex-boyfriend Rick (Kyle Lowder) are en route to a rehearsal dinner for Ridge (Ronn Moss) and Brooke's latest wedding, when their car skids and veers off the road. Phoebe flies through the windscreen and lands metres away from the car.
"It's definitely a good idea to have a handkerchief or two ready," Ronn says in Soap Opera Weekly about the very emotional episode that's sure to be a difficult one for fans. "It's the most heart-wrenching episode we've done in a long time, and it will definitely change the lives of everyone."
Rick's fears
Viewers will remember that Phoebe was involved with Rick, before he hopped into bed with her mother Taylor. Although she was shocked to find out about their relationship, she decided
not to stand in their way, and went overseas instead.
On Tuesday 2 February, Phoebe turns up in Los Angeles again. "Phoebe returns to attend her dad's marriage to Brooke," Kyle Lowder tells tvplus from America. "Obviously, Rick is happy to see his old flame again, but is also a bit uncomfortable as he not only dated Phoebe, but also slept with her mother, and recently made moves on her twin sister Steffy. He's not sure how Phoebe will react, should she find out."
Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, who plays Steffy, says Steffy is thrilled to see her twin sister again. "She's her soul mate and best friend, and they have always had fun together." Shortly after her arrival, Steffy tells Phoebe about Rick's actions, and Phoebe decides to confront him at Forrester Creations.
"Rick tries to avoid the situation when Phoebe confronts him, but she is persistent and goes on and on," Kyle explains. She yells at Rick, "You are an immature, selfish, screwed-up guy I made the major mistake of trusting, of loving, of believing in."
The accident
Rick sees that Phoebe is very upset, and suggests she drive with him to Ridge and Brooke's dinner. "Rick is kind of freaked out by Phoebe's reaction. As they climb into his car, she also refuses to put on her safety belt," Kyle says. Then Phoebe totally loses it.
She starts screaming at Rick, and scratches his face while he's driving. "She screams at him to pull over, but
as she tries to step on the brakes for Rick to stop and pull over, her foot slips and she hits the accelerator," Kyle explains.
Rick struggles to control the speeding car.
While they're shouting at each other, the car races off the road and comes to a stop in a ditch. "When Rick opens his eyes, Phoebe is not in the passenger seat," Kyle says. "He finds her some metres away from the car wreck. She's badly injured and barely conscious."
Rick struggles to find his cellphone, and decides it'd be easier to run to the Forrester house, which is around the corner, to find help. "The only thought racing through his head as he stumbles towards the Forrester house is, 'Please God, don't let her die'."
Twin instincts
Jacqueline says that, though Steffy doesn't know exactly what's going on at that stage, she already has a gut feeling that something bad has happened.
"Steffy is at the rehearsal dinner, dancing with Marcus, when she suddenly gets this very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knows something is terribly wrong, but does not know what it is. It's so upsetting that Marcus tells her to sit down while he gets her some water to drink."
Shortly afterwards, Rick comes running into the house. He finds Ridge, who's busy leaving a voicemail for Phoebe. Ridge is shocked when he sees Rick, and immediately runs to the scene of the accident after he hears what's happened.
"Ridge is absolutely gut-punched when he sees his badly injured darling daughter," Ronn tells Soap Opera Weekly.
While he's holding her, she tries to whisper to him that she's written a song for him and Brooke, which she'd like to sing, but she struggles to get the words out. Ridge tries to quieten her down, but she tries to sing once more, before dying in his arms.
"The dying moment is a real tear-jerker," Ronn says. "So much love comes pouring out. To Ridge, his world has stopped, and nothing else matters but Phoebe."
After the ambulance arrives and removes Phoebe's body, a shocked and heartbroken Ridge walks back to the Forrester home to break the news to his family. "When Ridge comes in, Steffy just knows," Jacqueline says. "When they lock eyes, she already knows that Phoebe is gone. It's absolutely heartbreaking for Steffy."
At the morgue
Steffy struggles to accept that her sister's gone. "She blames herself for Phoebe's death," Jacqueline says. "If she hadn't told her about Rick's sins, she would have never confronted him at his office or got into the car with him." Ridge then offers to take Steffy to the morgue so she can say a final goodbye to her sister.
"It's a scene without a lot of dialogue, but it's very emotional," Jacqueline says. "Ridge and Steffy are going through Phoebe's purse and the stuff that was left from the crash, like a shoe with a heel that's broken. Just seeing those things broke us down. We were both
crying."
Looking ahead
How will this event affect the other characters? For one thing, don't think Phoebe's death will drive a wedge between Rick and Steffy.
In fact, the opposite seems to happen, and they find themselves drawing closer and closer - they could even end up between the sheets together. Keep watching for much more drama!