For years, fans of The Bold and the Beautiful have been clamoring for a new Stephanie Forrester, not as a replacement for the incomparable Susan Flannery, but as a character to fill the massive void she left behind. Now, it seems we have one, and the identity of this new “Queen Bee” is a shocking twist no one saw coming: it’s Eric Forrester himself!

This new, pushy version of Eric is a far cry from the mild-mannered patriarch we’ve known. While he may not resort to the legendary “bitch slaps” and scathing insults of his late wife, he’s proving to be every bit as manipulative and in-your-face. His over-the-top obsession with pushing his son Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) back into the arms of his ex-wife Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) is the central focus of his new personality. While Eric’s overinvestment in his ex’s love life may have an “ick factor,” this was also a defining characteristic of Stephanie herself, who was known to meddle in her children’s lives with a level of ferocity that was both captivating and unsettling.

This dramatic shift in Eric’s character presents a goldmine of storytelling opportunities for The Bold and the Beautiful. While the show has a rocky track record with paying off storylines recently, this new direction could be the catalyst for some truly juicy drama. If Eric successfully pushes Ridge and Brooke back together, it won’t just be a simple reunion; it will be a deliberate act of sabotage that could have catastrophic consequences for the entire Forrester family.

The fallout would be immense. How furious would Taylor (Rebecca Budig) be that her old flame, Eric, intentionally threw cold water on her engagement to Ridge? The betrayal would be devastating, coming from a man she once trusted as a friend. And how absolutely apoplectic would Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) be? After years of tirelessly trying to reunite her parents, she would be blindsided by her own grandfather’s actions. His meddling would effectively tear down the family she’s worked so hard to build. If Eric succeeds in reuniting “Bridge,” it could bring one couple back together, but only at the cost of tearing apart the very fabric of the Forrester family. This new, manipulative Eric is a ticking time bomb, and the drama that unfolds when he finally detonates will change the landscape of the show forever.