Special Note: Jennifer Biller will be away this week and returning next week.

This week one of the most interesting characters to hit Oakdale in years decides to leave town and another character who stirs the pot whenever she is around has returned - one was a bad choice and the other we will be worth watching to see how it all plays out.

Maddie Goes to College
I was very sad to see Maddie decide to leave Oakdale and go away to college. I really like the character of Maddie and the actress (Alexandra Chando) that played the role. Maddie had so much potential as a character. So I guess there was no story for the character without Casey Hughes. It is so amazing to me that the writers can churn out story after story for characters like Gwen, Meg and Carly but nothing for Maddie. We even have to sit through scene after scene of Sofie who is quite boring and a character a lot of viewers could care less about.

I thought the show was just waiting six months to recast the role of Casey then the love story of Casey and Maddie would continue. Obviously, the plan has changed and Maddie is gone. So what happens when Casey returns from jail? I wish Alexandra the best and hope she does well in future as her career blossoms.

Will and Gwen
How much can two people take: first they can not have a baby naturally now they can not even adopt because of Will's criminal record. Why the constant turmoil for these kids? All they want is a baby and there are two others in town like Sofie and Meg who were not trying to become parents with men who should not be parents at all.

Emily is Back
Emily is back and brings Chris Hughes with her. I have missed Emily and it is good to have another Hughes in town. Is the return of Chris the reason that Casey is not out of jail yet and Maddie had to go? Can there be more than one young Hughes in town at the same time?

With Emily back, it opens the door for her to revisit her relationship with Dusty. Just because she is back with Chris does not mean she is over her feelings for Dusty. It is good to see that she has gotten past her feelings about Dusty and Alison sleeping together. I am surprised that she did not know anything about what has been happening with Dusty being charged with murder or Alison being the egg donor for Will and Gwen.

What does Chris being back in Oakdale mean? We might see his parents more often and he is friends with Katie who is now single again. He was engaged to Alison who is single also. I say all of this about availability of other women as his rekindled relationship with Emily won't last long.

Carly, Jack and Katie
As Carly has always been one of my most favorite characters, she is quickly falling out of grace. I can't handle her continual lies to Jack who is losing so much because of her alleged fatal illness. She has tried to tell Jack the truth; she has gotten smug with Brad and is just trying to reel Jack back as her husband. This whole story is starting to make me not want to watch. How will the character of Carly be worth anything after this incredible lie?

There has got to be a point to all of this as Brad has lied as well due to Carly. Brad wants Katie so how will she want him when she finds out the truth about him participating in the deception. Poor Jack, who does he really want to be with Carly or Katie? It's obvious that he has feelings for Katie and he has never stopped loving Carly. I think Carly could have won him back if she had told the truth in the beginning - actually, it would have been a better story to see the pull to Carly knowing she was going to die and then finding out that she will live. His true feelings would have made him want to protect her and see that nothing bad happened to her again. He would have left Katie eventually; again, that's my take on how it should have been told.

Paul, Rosanna, Craig and Meg
Meg is pregnant and is not sure who the father is since she slept with Craig and Paul so close together in time. Meg needs to adhere to the warnings she is receiving about Craig as a father as he does not do Daddy well. Just think what will happen if he finds out that he is not the father of this baby. Craig wants to be a father so bad and it is so apparent in his actions.

When I watched Craig this week, especially with Scott Bryce playing the role, it took me back to when he was married to Betsy Stewart and she became pregnant and the baby was turned out to be Steve's. I think history is going to repeat itself and this baby will turn out to be Paul's.

Rosanna will be devastated to say the least though she knows that things are not perfect between her and Paul.

Holden and Lily
I thought that they would try to work out things as they always have been before. This has been a long time in coming - watching this supercouple deteriorate. I can see Lily start more and more to lean on Dusty and with Emily rejecting him they may find comfort together. I would like to Dusty and Lily together for awhile - it would be a nice diversion to the way that Holden has been treating her lately.

I hope that Holden also branched out and finds himself someone. It would be interesting to see Holden having a life without Lily for a change as they are so much a part of each other.

Here are some thoughts from some readers:

J says, "I can't believe that ATWT let Alex Chando go. I think she is a wonderful young actress who does both comedy and drama so well. She was a breath of fresh air and interacted so well with so many of the cast. I think they could have written many storylines for her including Casey returning from prison as well as her relationship with Tom, Margo, Henry, Vienna, Luke and Noah. I always looked forward to her scenes and I will miss her, but I do wish her the very best. Alex, thank you for two great years as Maddie."

Hannah says, "I have to say, I can't deal with Holden's holier-than-thou attitude. If he's going to treat Lily like that, he totally doesn't deserve her. I think Lily can do better. Also, what is with Rosanna? I loved her feisty, take no crap attitude before her coma... and since she's been back, she's been a frail welcome mat that Paul walks all over. I loved Paul and Rosanna together, but not THIS Rosanna. Give her a backbone, writers, PLEASE!"

Nancy says, "I have watched ATWT since the very beginning except for 5 years when I became so frustrated with it. Many, many years ago I had waited for two of the characters to marry and when they finally did, the bride fell down the stairs and died on the wedding night. That did it! I'm getting to that point now with the Will and Gwen and Carly and Jack storylines. It's hard for me to watch these two kids try to be happy only to be shot down over and over and for someone like Carly to treat hers as she is doing."

Vivien says, "I'm having a hard time becoming invested in any of the characters right now. The brain tumor storyline was incredible right up until the moment the doctor said whoops - this was all a mistake. Ha, ha, ha. Since that moment, nothing has been watchable. The "triangle" or "quadrangle" or whatever it is right now is leaving me ice cold. Carly needs to get another opinion on her brain tumor, this time explaining why she's so self-destructive. Now let's talk about Paul and Meg - Boooooring! He's just plain scary and she's like a bobble doll without a spine. I love you, but I never want to see you again, I love you but you won't leave her, I love you, but I can't leave him, I love. The Luke storyline is the only thing that keeps me coming back right now, and there's just too little of that. ATWT has been my favorite serial for close to 40 years. For now, all I can say is thank goodness for TIVO."

Finally, the news about Colleen Zenk Pinter's illness has explained a lot as so many people were concerned for her as she was going through her treatments. I am happy that she is now cancer free and that she continues to stay in good health for many years and entertain us as Barbara Ryan - now she just needs a story of her own.

That's all I have for now.
Reggie Jackson