Best Psycho: Luna

With a grandmother like the iconic villainess Sheila Carter (Kimberlin Brown), it was almost a given that Luna Nozawa would inherit the gene for emotional instability. During her brief time on the canvas, Luna more than lived up to the family legacy, racking up a list of violent and delusional acts, which included murdering two people, sexually assaulting Will (Crew Morrow) while masquerading as Electra (Laneya Grace), kidnapping and shooting Liam (Scott Clifton) and Sheila (Kimberlin Brown), “dying,” getting nursed back to health by her two grandmothers, and then returning pregnant asking to live in Bill’s house. Her belief that the Spencers would welcome her after what she did to Will proved how truly detached from reality Luna had become. Her final act — escaping from prison in a laundry cart to get to Will and proclaim her love, then dying (we think) when Dylan (Sydney Bullock) hit her with a car — was a fittingly dramatic, if abrupt, sendoff. While Luna’s arc wasn’t perfect — we certainly could have done without her icky assault of Will — Lisa Yamada gave a powerhouse performance, making the most out of every beat, bringing depth and vulnerability to Luna’s unraveling, and winning a Daytime Emmy along the way. We can’t say we’ll miss Luna’s reign of terror, but Yamada’s presence will be deeply missed across the canvas. This is one rising star we predict will go far.

Most Rejuvenated Character: Deacon

Deacon’s resurgence has been a true slow burn. His 2023 purchase of Il Giardino and impulsive marriage to Sheila in 2024 put him back in the mix, but it wasn’t until 2025 that his place on the canvas was truly locked in. The return of his son, Deke (Harrison Cone) — missing from Los Angeles since 2003 — signaled renewed interest in the Sharpe family, and when Deacon’s marriage imploded after Sheila lied about Luna being alive, the show seized the opportunity to pivot Deacon in a compelling new direction. Realizing the chaos Sheila had brought to his life, Deacon needed a sympathetic ear. Who better than local psychiatrist Taylor (Rebecca Budig), who had just been jilted by Ridge for the umpteenth time? Their therapy sessions quickly blurred into something more charged, and the natural chemistry between Sean Kanan and Rebecca Budig was unmistakable. Soon, Deacon found himself counseling Taylor that she was too good for Ridge while Taylor fantasized about dancing with her patient at Il Giardino. With Sheila vowing she’ll lose Deacon “over her dead body” and completely unaware that her husband is inching toward a romance with his shrink, the stage is now set for juicy mayhem ahead. Kanan may have marked 25 years since his B&B debut in October, but in many ways, Deacon has never looked more alive.

Best Reunion: Bill And Katie

At the start of 2025, Bill (Don Diamont) and Katie (Heather Tom) reuniting wasn’t on our bingo cards. They’ve been married and divorced twice, he’d wed her sister Brooke, and she was briefly engaged to his son Wyatt, so their romantic past didn’t exactly signal a hopeful future. But everything changed when their son Will hit a crisis. Forced back into each other’s orbit, Bill and Katie got a refresher course in what attracted them to each other in the first place. For Katie, it’s Bill’s unwavering strength. For Bill, it’s Katie’s steadiness and compassion. Those traits were on display when Will was stalked, drugged and sexually assaulted by Luna. Luna’s resulting pregnancy galvanized them even further, united in protecting their son, so much so that Katie’s declaration that she and Bill would take the baby truly cemented their reconnection. And once the dust settled, something became clear: every other pairing for Bill had fizzled, and Katie and Carter (Lawrence Saint-Victor) didn’t exactly set the world on fire. Bill and Katie fit and had finally run out of reasons not to be together. Now that B&B has acknowledged these two are endgame, the fun begins. In short order, Bill whisked Katie back to the proverbial altar, giving her not only a ring but his notorious sword necklace, and it looks like the two are well-positioned to go head to head with the Forresters in 2026.

Worst Wedding: Ridge And Brooke In The Office

For a duo who had previously wed eight times  — on the beach in Malibu, along Italy’s stunningly scenic coast, on the lavish Forrester estate — Ridge and Brooke could be forgiven for skipping a grand extravaganza for ceremony No. 9. But the sheer non-soapiness of Ridge proposing in the Forrester office by plucking a ring off a desk tray and slipping it on Brooke’s finger was surprising even for a couple so accustomed to taking with trips down the aisle. After a brief chat about how Ridge’s kids would take the news (not well), Carter appeared to officiate on the spot, leading them through impromptu vows beside the conference table. Yes, B&B saved money with this no-frills ceremony and yes, it avoided having to explain why Ridge and Brooke’s son R.J. wouldn’t have been there (no actor was currently in the role) but the moment felt like the exact opposite of the “destiny” Brooke has sworn she shares with Ridge for decades. No dress, drama or romance, and no family present, despite half of them working steps away… In the end, it didn’t feel like a wedding so much as a cop out. Eric called it a first for the office. Here’s hoping it’s also the last.

Most Shocking Twist: Liam Isn’t Dying

B&B has never shied away from bending medical reality — we’re looking at you and your 2023 mystery disease, Eric (John McCook)! — but this time around, even Scott Clifton thought his character’s number was up, and with good reason: He was told that Liam was truly a goner after he was diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor. Liam begged Finn (Tanner Novlan) and Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) not to tell anyone because, he insisted, he wanted to enjoy his final days with his daughters. Steffy, believing Hope (Annika Noelle) deserved to know the truth, set off an emotional chain reaction that helped create a rapprochement between the stepsisters while simultaneously blowing up Hope’s relationship with Carter while she devoted herself to caring for her ex. Clifton gave his all to the story, showing why he already has three Daytime Emmys on the shelf, as Liam shared raw, heartbreaking good-byes with his loved ones. Except … he wasn’t dying at all! Once Head Writer/Executive Producer Bradley Bell decided that it wasn’t the character’s time to go, his “fatal” illness proved to be a grift for Dr. Grace Buckingham (Cassandra Creech). She’d cooked up a wild scheme to bilk Bill out of money to pay off her ex-husband’s gambling debt, a callback to baby-stealing Reese’s tale from 2019. Finn’s suspicions ultimately unraveled the plot, forcing Grace to admit she had prescribed meds that simulated symptoms of brain cancer so she could “create” a miracle cure. Yes, it was a head fake, but the end result was positive: Liam reunited with Hope, strengthened his bond with Bill, and Clifton was rewarded with a tale that reaffirmed his place as one of the show’s most compelling performers.

Worst Visit: Thomas

When last seen in 2024, Thomas had been written off following a hasty engagement to Paris (Diamond White), which felt like a head-scratchingly sudden move to usher the character off screen. Hopes were high when it was announced that Matthew Atkinson was set return because fans were eager to see Thomas — long a catalyst for major storylines — step back into the fray. As Ridge’s son and Steffy’s brother, he could have influenced the power struggle at Forrester, and on the love life front, there was still a passionate contingent rooting for Hope and Thomas to give it another shot. Unfortunately, the “big comeback” amounted to a handful of episodes with virtually no dramatic repercussions. Instead of driving story, Thomas spent his visit sounding off on Brooke and whining to Ridge, Taylor, Brooke and Eric that he wanted his mommy and daddy to remarry. It was the same old story from a character who’d supposedly undergone real psychological growth, a disappointing regression that made his whole return feel pointless. To make matters worse, when Hope and Liam tied the knot and Douglas reappeared, a moment seemingly tailor-made for Thomas to cause some trouble, he was nowhere in sight. This was not the return fans had been waiting for, but at least is served as a reminder that Thomas has too much history and too much story potential to be sidelined for long, which seems to have inspired the show to bring him back for one last end-of-year hurrah.

Do you agree with our picks? What do you think belongs on the show’s “best and worst” list? Let us know in the comments below!