The major happenings in Oakdale centered around the why so many folks in Oakdale were acting strange, Lily constantly airing her family drama in front of anyone who'll listen and the ramifications of Parker and Liberty having sex.

The Culprit is Dr. Rick Decker
As I watched the show on Friday, it seemed like that the three doctors were all in different hospitals - this was terribly disjointed: Dr. Bob knew it was some synthetic toxin as he cared for his son and grandson; Susan was clueless about the drug as she cared for her two daughters and then there was Dr. Michaels, who we have not seen in a long time, with no idea at all what was going on. Wouldn't it have been so much better if all of these doctors talked to each other - it had a feel like each segment was filmed on different days and no one had seen the others scripts.

Finally, Chris started to put the pieces together after finally speaking to his mother about the watch. They found that Alison did not receive the bracelet from her father and Meg did not receive the necklace from Will and Gwen. The fact that this was a short story arc is a plus as I believe that this will wrap up relatively soon.

I asked the question in my last column about who you thought was responsible for the current mayhem in Oakdale and it was unanimous - everyone was correct in assuming it was Dr. Rick Decker as this was such a transparent mystery from the start. Here is a sampling of some of the comments:

"I think all the jewelry is from Dr Decker. He is trying to get even with the people in Oakdale."

"I think Rick Decker is toying with the residents of Oakdale and it's payback time for his current life style (prison, nut house, whatever). I didn't think they'd bring back this character just for a 2-day SAVE PAUL role. There has to be more to it than that. I don't know how he's doing it but that's my scenario. All the people who have received presents (with unsigned notes) were involved with his downfall and incarceration."

"I think the new mystery involves Rick Decker. He had a run-in with Alison and Chris at the hospital and of course there is animosity between him and Barbara so, I think he has treated the jewelry with chemicals that is causing the behavior of those who wear it. The necklace was supposedly sent to Barbara from Gwen and it was Barbara that gave it to Meg to wear as her something blue at the wedding."

Parker and Liberty
These two kids have taken up quite a bit of time lately on their sexual escapades - wow, these two are 15 and 16 and we are supposed to be worried about their sex lives. I know that this is something that happens a lot these days. It happened so fast - they just met a few months. I know also that this story is for the young people who are home for the summer. The message being sent is good; I am just wishing that there were other characters being highlighted.

Where is Carly when all of these conversations are going on about her son and his sex life - as she is off doing other things? When Jack, Brad, Katie and Janet are having parental discussions, Carly should be right there as well.

It appears though that the time that Liberty spent with Brad and all the talks she has had with her mother and Katie are paying off, she knows that she moved a little too fast with Parker. Of course, Parker, being the rebellious young man he is, wants to continue what they were doing.

Lily and Holden and Carly
I knew that what happened after everyone found out would be really good dramatic television. I just have one thought that keeps going through my head when Lily is having another meltdown - why does she have to do that screeching scream? It is reminiscent of when Emily used to cry and make that annoying noise. Granted this story does not have the power it would have if Martha was still here, it has its moments; hey, we get to see Emma quite a bit here.

So now Lily is going to go after Mike Kasnoff - with two rather new replacements this will also loose some of the punch it should have. Remember when Shawn Christian played Mike that Mike and Lily became great pals and the current Mike has not been full integrated into Oakdale - they have made his character such a busybody this time that the character has lost some of his appeal. I watched them together and felt like I had changed the channel and was watching a different show for a moment. In addition, the news that the actor, Jon Prescott, is leaving the show lets us know that this will not last too long either.

It looks like Holden is giving up as he is actively pursuing a relationship with Carly. So will Holden and Lily get back together again? At this point, do we really care? Because how many times can a couple do this separate and get back together. If they do get back together, it will be at the same time that Dusty reappears then it will start all over again as Lily will be torn once again.

Is Vienna Gone for Good?
Henry and Vienna can never get a break - did Vienna leave because Henry lied about the club? She slept with another man and he forgave her. Is she that shallow - that is the nature of these two characters, they were drawn to each other because of their flawed personalities. So now she leaves because he did what first attracted her to him.

I believe that the writers have no idea what to do with the character so they wrote her out for a while until they can figure out what to do next. I just hope that Henry does not get involved with Bonnie in her absence.

Besides being right on the money Rick Decker, there were other comments about the show from readers - here are a few of those:

LaShawn said, "I just have to say that people drive me crazy when they talk about how "Holden is so much different with Carly than with Lily" Or "Jack is so much better with whomever than with Carly." The ONLY reason they are different or better is because the writers choose to write it that way to move whatever storyline they are involved, it is not because Jack and Carly are inherently better with other people. Moreover, no one is more themselves when they are sleeping with their best friend's husband."

Belle said, "And I'd just like to add my two cents to the mix on Carly & Holden's romance - bravo! In real life, of course not, but here in Oakdale I love the two of them together! For the first time in ages I'm not bored by Lily and Holden, and I love Holden's defense of Carly and newfound human side (as opposed to the former prig he was.) Carly finally has someone who loves her as she is and thinks well of her. It's about time. Jack has been an ugly, self-righteous hypocrite for too long with her."

Vern said, "Regarding the disparity in treatment for Luke and Noah: I don't see how it can be anything other than homophobia. It doesn't matter whether the writers/producers are being ultra-cautious because of fears of protests or whether they think because this is the first gay male couple on daytime that they need to 'get the audience ready' or for some other reason entirely. The fact is the storylines they've concocted to keep Luke and Noah from actually having sex have been poorly written and have had the characters act in ways that make no sense (even by soap standards)."

Bib said, "I just wanted you to know that the Luke and Noah story is also very unrealistic. I have never known nor heard of a couple of gay men who have waited an entire year to have sex. I realize the writers have had to be careful with the more conservative viewers, but this ridiculous."

Finally, I want to thank everyone who takes the time to give their candid opinions on the show and weigh in on what is happening in Oakdale. Oakdale continues to be the town that we want to visit daily no matter how much the writers and producers veer on in a direction that makes us shout at the television and say- What?

That's all I have for now.
Reggie Jackson