Things in Oakdale are rolling along with Craig Montgomery with a new face; Jade who is now part of Lily's family and Simon who knows how to stay in hot water. If it weren't for these three Oakdale might be bit boring - though lately Oakdale is keeping my interest quite well.

Craig is Craig
Craig Montgomery has returned to Oakdale and though his face has changed, he always has an agenda. Craig Montgomery never stops with his plots or plans for the people of Oakdale. He is currently starting off nicely but I know that he has a plan in mind in order to gain custody of his son, Johnny. Craig is incapable of leaving well enough along.

I do like the fact that people like Dusty, Lucinda and Lucy are keeping a close eye on him and just let him do his thing. As remorseful as he is coming off right now, we all know that Craig can not be trusted under any circumstances. I do have to wonder what is he up to with Meg and is this is a plot to get under Paul's skin. Paul is really an easy mark instead of just ignoring Craig he is making Craig's plan (whatever it may be) so much simpler.

I must also say that I am enjoying this new actor as Craig; TPTB had the right idea of just throwing Craig into the action as opposed to letting the audience see him move slowly through Oakdale just they felt we had become comfortable with him. They are however a few other characters that Craig has just to come in contact with: Lily, Holden, Katie or Mike.

Jade is Lily's Niece
What a difference a day makes - Jade was the annoying manipulator of Oakdale with no ties to anyone and now she is the annoying niece of Lily Snyder. How will this new information affect Jade's machinations? Will she suddenly become a respected citizen of Oakdale now that she is legitimately tied to Lily? I don't think so and I don't think that she is through with Will and Gwen either - just a hunch.

At least one person is happy to have Jade in the family - Luke. Luke has always had a soft spot for Jade. Luke needs a life of his own and should stay clear of Cousin Jade's troubles.

One of the best scenes that I had seen in a long time was when Will was ready to confront Jade about her lies and how she had ruined his marriage and Lily just brought up the fact to Will that he had killed her mother along with the things he had done to cover his crime. It was great to see how the truth can made Will see that he is no better than she was.

Is Simon over Katie?
Or should I ask is Katie still pining over Simon? She can't seem to accept the fact that Simon has moved on with Carly. This is making her very jealous and eventually this will affect her relationship with Mike. Mike is not going to stand by as Katie continues to have feelings for Simon.

Simon, on the other hand, is going to get Carly in major trouble with his borrowing money from that loan shark. What happened to all of his money? Did he have any money in the beginning? There is Jack who keeps making the same mistake by just not admitting to Carly as opposed to everyone else that he wants her back. He should admit he was wrong and beg for forgiveness; I imagine that Carly would go back quite easily. I know she is attracted to Simon but she still loves Jack and the life they had very much.

Now, here is what is on the minds of a few readers:

Frankie said, "I loved it when Carly said Simon looked her right in the eye and then lied to her -- but, he did it for her. Isn't that the same thing Jack has been saying to her for years? Sometimes, the beauty of karma is just priceless!"

Shirley said, "What do you think of the new Craig? I don't think I will ever be able to accept him. He doesn't have that just under the surface evil that Hunt Block had. Oh I really wish we could be done with the Jade thing. I cannot stand her!!! Same for Simon - please just get rid of him. I am so sick of the triangle; just leave Mike and Katie alone. Why do they keep bringing him back? I am so sick of scum bags!!! We have enough with Craig. Carly and Jack belong together, and why didn't Lily ever ask about Damian?"

Janet said, "I would like to see some of the "good guys" on the show find happiness, particularly Gwen and Meg. I have never seen such unbelievably dysfunctional people who have no time to work, but plenty of time to meddle in everyone's business but their own. Jade is my least favorite character, which I suppose can be attributed to good acting. Gwen and Will need to get together for good. But Will need to grow up quite a bit! Actually, I take that back! They ALL need to grow up. The main reason I am hooked is because my new husband loves to watch it. Give Emily a kick in the butt; she makes me embarrassed at being a woman. Simon needs to get out of town again; Carly and Jack need to be together again, although Carly did cross the line with her escapades."

Sandi said, "I love the new Craig even more than Hunt Block. Hope he goes over well."

That's all I have for now.
Reggie Jackson