In two weeks, Guiding Light will be gone. ATWT seems to be taking steps to get better so that it will not suffer the same fate. They are trying by showcasing the veterans more: the illnesses of Bob and Kim; the Snyders coming together for the presumed death of Holden and reuniting of Paul and Emily. These are indeed steps in the right direction then you have Henry and his mother running around town doing absolutely silly things that are not funny to get James Stenbeck's money.
I hate to continually compare the quality of ATWT to other shows - I also watch One Life to Live and The Young and the Restless; I used to think that ATWT was equal to these shows in dramatic effect and how their stories evolved - not anymore. Take this week, the first two days were almost unwatchable with Henry and Audrey drugging the lawyer, kissing up to James - in some ways it felt l was watching episodes of Three's Company. I want drama with the occasional laugh thrown as a result of the characters acting like themselves.
We got to mid-week then things changes all of a sudden thanks to Bob and Kim, Margo and Tom, the Adam secret and Liberty's decision with her pregnancy.
Liberty's Pregnancy
I have to give credit to Meredith Hagner who plays Liberty - she is doing a great job with the struggle of being pregnant at such a young age and making the decision to have an abortion.
Why is Janet always looking for Liberty every minute of the day and not giving this poor girl some space? I don't know how Janet gets anything done by the way she is constantly wondering where Liberty is and wondering whether is keeping something from her. However, if she had kept her eye more closely on her then she probably would not be pregnant. With Janet being so forthright with Liberty about sex and birth control, how did she let this happen?
I do believe that the scenes when Janet gets to the clinic are going to be can't miss drama. These are going to be the kind of scenes that ATWT does well. The fallout from all of this is going to be good when Brad finds out and even when Parker finds out.
Riley is Revealed to be Adam Munson
Finally, Margo told tom the truth about Riley - why did it take her so long? I know she was afraid of what Tom will do when he found out. Tom is right that Adam needs to pay for his crimes the same way that Casey did. We know that Adam will not be going to jail - remember this is Oakdale.
Maddie is due to come to town shortly and she was traumatized by the things that Adam did to Gwen. This will be interesting to see how she reacts to Adam being back in town.
It also looks like the connection with Alison and Riley is a little shaky now that she knows he is Adam. I don't think that Alison will hold a grudge long as this may be her impetus to sleep with him by mistake of course because he is now revealed to be Casey's brother. Wouldn't that be classic Alison Stewart?
Holden's Disappearance
With Holden being thought to be dead, this is causing a ripple effect for the folks in Oakdale who are grieving his passing. Lily will almost certainly end up in bed with Damian as I believe he was using Meg because he could not be with Lily. Well Lily now being available and though she is in grief, she still has feelings for Damian; it's just a matter of time before it happens (in Oakdale time, I predict it will be before the end of September).
Poor Holden is trapped with these two crazy people who think he knows something about the stolen money. Holden is trying everything he can to escape from this place. Holden is smart enough to outwit these two - he can use his charisma to get Maeve to help him escape.
Everyone seems to be using Holden's death to explain their behavior - let's look at Luke. He is jealous of the time that Noah is spending with Mason so he attacks Noah for not being at the funeral when he told him it was ok to leave. I do agree that Noah should have called to say he was back in town knowing Luke was going to meet him at the airport. It's also obvious that Mason has some feelings for Noah and Noah is clueless to this fact. Let's see how Noah handles it when he realizes it.
Dr. Bob Wakes Up
Kim is by his side when he wakes up and that was a nice moment. It is so good to see them having a story. I think this could be better with more Hughes being there for him. Where is Lisa during all of this? Why is she not waiting in the hall or by Bob's bedside with Kim? Why is she not consoling Tom or Tom consoling her? I would have liked to see the two of them having some conversations about his father's illness. Where is Nancy - has it been explained where she is? Have any of their kids called to talk to Kim or offer to come to town; after all, she just had a heart attack herself.
These are missed moments that a few lines of dialogue could easily fix and let us the audience know the folks writing know the history of the show.
Paul and Emily
Paul wants to marry Emily again - wow! Barbara was able to explain the relationship with Paul and Emily so clearly. It's true that they are together for period of time then something bad happens then they are apart then it happens all over again. Emily seems like she is pondering before answering Paul about his proposal. It's true that James is in town and James makes Paul do things impulsively.
I hope they don't rush too quickly into another marriage. They need some time to just be a couple for a bit.
Finally, I don't know when the new writers' material is going to start airing and I am looking forward to what may change. Oakdale need to change in order for it to survive; I believe that it can be done - it's all about history, the veterans being integrally involved in stories and telling dramatic stories. I hope everyone is enjoying their Labor Day's weekend; remember there is no show on Monday, September 7 and Friday, September 11 due to tennis coverage.
That's all I have for now.
Reggie Jackson
