Soap Hub Performer of the Week for B&B: Naomi Matsuda

 

It’s totally understandable that Dr. Li Finnegan would shut down given her recent ordeals — whisking away her son from a hospital, battling Sheila Carter, and surviving a fiery car wreck. For her performance as a woman who came back from all of this, Soap Hub bestows Performer of the Week for B&B honors upon Li’s portrayer, Naomi Matsuda.

Naomi Matsuda – Performer of the Week

Viewers were hopeful that Dr. John ‘Finn’ Finnegan wasn’t the only doctor who’d manage to cheat death on B&B. But after Bill Spencer (Don Diamont) came upon a nearly catatonic Li, it was clear that the good doctor needed some care given recent traumatic events.

Bill reached out to his pal Dr. Jordan Armstrong (Vincent Irizarry) to tend to Li’s medical needs. While Jordan made note of Li’s cuts and abrasions, it was clear from Matsuda’s performance that Li’s confrontations with Sheila were the bigger issue.

Timing is everything in storytelling. If Li were fully present, she would have blurted out that Finn‘s (Tanner Novlan) alive and that he’s in Sheila’s (Kimberlin Brown) clutches. As Bill had never met Li, he wasn’t privy to her true identity. Fortunately, Liam Spencer (Scott Clifton) was and he immediately identified the woman as his ex-wife Steffy Forrester Finnegan’s mother-in-law!

Seeing Liam helped bring Li out of her confused state. She flash-backed to recent events and her first words spoken were “Sheila…Sheila! Sheila!!” In what we can only describe as the “Beth Beth is alive” (thanks, Douglas!) line in this storyline, Li announced that Finn wasn’t dead! Li agonizingly recounted to Liam and Bill her decision to take Finn, who was on death’s door, away from everyone and later, how Sheila discovered the whole thing.

Bill brought Li back to Finn; Li’s joyfully held her son in her arms once again while managing to shoot Sheila a stare filled with fury. Later, Bill and Finn took off, which, alas, left Li vulnerable to being attacked by Mike Guthrie (Ken Hanes) from behind. In doing so, Mike may very well have saved Sheila’s life. Li’s death glares (which should be made into a social media meme) to Sheila convey a very strong and determined woman — a mother clearly motivated to do whatever she can for her son. Kudos to Naomi Matsuda for taking Li from being traumatized victim to her son’s champion!

Honorable Mention: It was great seeing Ken Hanes back for this arc. Mike’s devotion to Sheila was a mainstay back in the 1990s and Hanes walked back into his role as if no time had passed. And Mike’s reaction to getting a kiss of gratitude was priceless!

The Bold and the Beautiful (BB) airs weekdays on CBS. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Los Angeles, check out all the latest that’s been posted on B&B spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.