I can't believe this has happened in Oakdale - a wedding ceremony without one interruption and my initial question is how long will they be married: will Jack and Janet make it to New Year's Eve? As always, there is so much else going on in the background at these weddings. The star of this wedding was not the bride but the groom's ex-wife, Carly Tenney; she made this wedding worth attending for me.
Brian and Luke
What is the real story with Brian Wheatley? I wished the other stories were paced the same as this story as the drama and mystery about this man is building so we are engrossed in this story. This guy is really hiding something so I ask: why the heck did he marry Lucinda in the first place? It appears that whatever caused his first marriage to end, it is starting to cause him some issues now that he is in Oakdale. Well, I think he will regret deceiving Lucinda of all people; she is not the one to mess with like this.
We could have believed that that first kiss with Luke was a mistake if he had not tried to do it again. The way he acted at the bachelor party was so out of character that Luke was correct by saying he was overcompensating. It was like he had to drink to enjoy the female stripper performance. It is a shame because of Luke's recent behavior that Noah will not believe him when he told him what Brian has been doing.
I have to give credit to Laurence Lau for his performances as this guy struggling with some inner conflict; however, I have to admit also that when I look at him I sometimes see an older version of his Greg Nelson character from All My Children.
Meg and Paul
How many times will this woman leave him? Why can't Paul learn that lying and scheming is only going to cause him many unnecessary problems? I am having a problem with the fact that the character of Paul is now such a one-note character that he is becoming almost unwatchable. We saw her leave him a few months ago and then she came back. Why can't the writers come up new story for these two characters? I watch Roger Howarth and I know he would be knocking it out of the park if he was still playing Todd Manning on One Life to Live.
So what is next for these two? Will Meg become involved with Dusty or Craig next? It looks like from the previews that Paul is having some new crisis to get Meg's attention. I just pray that Eliza is born healthy - let's hope that because of the new baby that Paul realizes the error of his ways and he does get the therapy he needs so he can a different type of father rather than like the one he had.
One more thing about Paul, how many times can one character have a near death experience? He has fallen off a cliff, his car exploded with him in it and he has been shot most recently in the chest - I guess it's inherited as he is the son of the great survivor, James Stenbeck.
Craig Montgomery
When Craig is in town, he is involved in everything. By the way, Jon Lindstrom is doing an excellent job as Craig so far. He reminds me a lot of when Hunt Block played him. I am anxious to see what type of things he gets into this time without becoming so criminal in the process. The way the show ended on Friday, Craig is connecting with his old pal, Carly Tenney. When Hunt Block played him, Carly and Craig was quite a pair and it looks likes Carly is in the perfect situation to hang out with Craig again.
I see this time that Craig has connected with his family: Katie and Margo. I don't know Katie could have been an alibi for him as she barely saw him the last time he was in Oakdale. Craig has major history in Oakdale; I am waiting for him to run into Lucinda as they are always fun to watch.
I hope that the show will quickly get him away from Dani as he thought he was her father when she was born - this is, as many have said already, has the "yuck" effect for sure. What would Betsy think of this?
Jack and Janet's Wedding
The original plan was for them to get married on New Year's Eve, so why the rush? I was completely interested to see if they actually did it as Carly could have at any moment interrupted and created all kinds of chaos. Well, she did at the bachelor and bachelorette parties. She was breaking down more and more this week as it became clear that this was going to happen. She was truly going to have to give up Jack to another woman. Well, we all have to admit that Janet is so honest and direct with Carly that they may actually become friends at some point.
As I watched the scenes between Jack and Carly as they said farewell for now to their romance; Michael Park and Maura West are the best together. They are absolutely magical as acting partners; I could not take my eyes off the screen as I watched them in their bedroom and finally after the wedding as he told her that he loved her however living together did not work. Maura West played the role of a woman giving up her true love to perfection; if she uses these scenes for her Emmy reel then she should prepare her speech for a second win. I was in awe of her all week as we saw her pain as she fought the tears while watching Jack making a new life for himself with another woman - powerful acting.
Here are comments from some readers:
Robin said, "Paul Ryan will get the award for "Moron of the Year". I used to like this character and the writers have now ruined him. He and Meg are a great couple but the writers keep them doing the same thing over and over again. I hope Meg gets together with new Craig."
Monique said, "Dusty grasping for 'something to keep him close to a wife he has barely mentioned until about a month ago': Reggie, you nailed it again. Ever since this current storyline started, I've thought about the women Dusty was with AFTER Jennifer's death and wondered, 'Huh?' He wasn't back in Oakdale for 5 minutes before he was sleeping with Emily. I chalk it up to bad writing."
Daisy said, "How could Lucinda marry Brian without knowing more about him? I hope she is not been feeling like this in not her only chance for love - she should call Katherine Chancellor in Genoa City as she is older and she is finding men her age."
Finally, the scenes of Casey and Alison on the rooftop of the hospital with the suicidal patient were not funny at all. The writers need to make this kid more serious about his future and keep him way from Stewart women.
That's all I have for now.
Reggie Jackson
