Being a mother can be a thankless job sometimes. Carly learned that the hard way this week when Michael miraculously woke up from his coma and decided he hated her.

Carly was really the only one who didn't give up on Michael, when everyone tried to convince her Michael would never wake up and encouraged her to pull the plug, she refused time and time again. She has been ever loyal and faithful and fought for her child against anyone who took an opposing viewpoint. And now, that same child whose life she saved despises Carly because she needed a nap on the day he woke up.

Dear readers brace yourselves; I am going on the record, I like Drew Garrett as the recast Michael. I didn't want to like him. I was mentally prepared to rip him to shreds out of loyalty to our precious Dylan Cash. But when he opened his eyes and started talking, I knew exactly why they cast him. He can act. He can hold his own with the likes of Maurice Benard, Laura Wright and Steve Burton.

When Michael woke up and began attacking Carly, I felt the anger rising up in my chest. He was so dismissive and hateful to her it made me cringe. I suddenly felt so defensive of Carly and I said to myself "Oh, HE is good." The kid got me so wound up I forgot for a minute he and Carly were fictional characters.

I remember reading an old interview with Jackie Zeman at the height of the Luke and Laura era, and Bobbie had been doing mean things to Laura. She said she was in the supermarket buying groceries and some woman came up and started screaming at her and asking her why she was so mean to poor Laura.

And I thought if I saw Drew Garrett in Ralph's this weekend, I would forget he was an actor. I would stop him in front of the frozen peas to explain to him how hard Carly fought to keep him alive and how many tears she had shed over him. So for me? Thumbs up, kid. If his attitude is annoying you, that means he is doing his job. He is supposed to be annoying you. You might have heard several times "Sometimes people in his condition have personality shifts." That is definitely a hint of storylines to come.

Introducing an older Michael has broken open the storyline possibilities. That's a good thing. Perhaps Michael will decide to move into the Q mansion and take AJ's name. Or maybe Michael will move in with Sonny and Claudia and start calling Claudia Mom, unaware she's the reason he was in a coma. Or perhaps Morgan will refuse to give Michael his old room back and a battle of the brothers will ensue. Maybe Michael will start dating someone his parents don't approve of. Hmmm. Which 2 year old can they turn 16 overnight... Maybe Molly?

Michael's awakening has sent half the town into a tailspin; Jason, Claudia, Johnny, Sonny, Jax, Carly. Edward Monica, Mike. Bobbie, Patrick, and even Lulu have some tie and some interest in Michael's miraculous recovery. You have to feel for the poor kid, it was hard enough dealing with two parents when I was a teenager. Poor Michael has about 14 adults on his back right now. What irks me most is that Sonny is going to get off scott free and gain Michael's forgiveness, while Carly will be rejected. That is so unfair, and sadly, so real.

I have seen many families in the midst if custody battles where one parent is fighting endlessly for their child's safety and welfare, but the kid doesn't see the big picture and sides with the idiot parent instead. Michael is giving Sonny, whose mob lifestyle got him shot in the head in the first place, a free pass. Ah, poor Carly. Thankfully she has Jax, and Morgan and a new baby who will hopefully appreciate her.

Ethan is a bit older than Michael, but also suddenly has a bunch of parental issues he didn't count on. Holly admitted she was his Mom, but denied that Ethan is Luke's son, Kids, don't believe it. She is lying. It's kind of a pity that Luke doesn't believe in cops, because Holly's insistence that Luke has to pay her for the truth is called extortion. He should just have Lucky come and cuff her and agree to drop the charges for the truth. But, Holly is a lovely woman with an accent and Luke's a sucker for such creatures.

I can't quite fathom what Holly is actually up to. I'm not buying the story about Holly suddenly getting a bug up her behind about stealing Luke from Tracy so she has a partner in crime. Luke's been available for years, so why now? Something is fishy and we may or may not find out what it is before Holly blows out of town again.

Rumors abound that Ethan has another connection in town; Rebecca. Could it be that Luke's long lost son is in cahoots with Helena and Rebecca? I don't know but it's certainly an intriguing possibility. Rebecca keeps talking to someone on the phone that is her partner in this scam, could it be Ethan?

I hope not. I want Ethan to be a good guy. Okay, not really a good guy, but at least a second generation anti-hero. I'm okay with him being a thieving scoundrel who cons stupid people out of their money, but I am not okay with him (or anyone) scamming Luke.

I appreciate the blossoming bond between Ethan and Lulu. Lulu has had Nikolas and Lucky who still view her as a baby, and Maxie who views her as a friend/rival depending on the time of day, but Lulu has never had anyone like Ethan in her life who views her as an equal and I think she needs it.

For awhile, Lulu was being written as such an unlikable person, but now she is back to being a character of value. Lulu was there when Michael woke up and is acting as an advisor and confidant to her newly revived cousin. Lulu is also acting as a catalyst between Lucky and Ethan, although she hasn't really succeeded in that role. Lulu even offered herself up sacrificially on Maxie's behalf when Kate was going to fire them. Lulu is back to being a character we can root for again and I am happy for the transformation.

Maxie offered to take the hit for Lulu, too, so we can't ignore her either. Of course, the point was made moot when Spinelli proclaimed Clarice as the culprit and Maxie and Lulu's jobs were saved. But, Spinelli knows Kate was the true perpetrator of the crime and has rigged her office for sound to get to the bottom of the mystery.

What they discovered instead was that Olivia and Johnny hooked up after a drunken evening at Jake's. I have to tell you, I didn't hate Olivia and Johnny together. It was kind of hot. At least to me, a woman of a certain age who likes the idea that and older woman can still be appealing and desirable to a work of art like Johnny Zacharra. Hey writers, if you wrote that specifically to appeal to my demographic, BINGO, you hit the spot. :

Back to wiretapping. Let's say you are Sonny and you want to find out whether or not your wife is responsible for your kid being shot. You know she is continually having secret conversations with your arch enemy brother, and you happen to have an acquaintance with Jackal P.I. and Sam. Wouldn't you have them bug your den to find out what Claudia was up to? When did Sonny's IQ drop by 50 points? In the past, he could sniff out a lie like a bloodhound. Over the years when Sonny and Carly were together, he could tell she was lying from the way she walked into a room. Is Claudia just a better liar than Carly, or is Sonny's radar broken?

While I enjoyed the new couples forming this week, I also liked seeing some rekindled old couples, like Sam and Jason and Liz and Lucky. Both couples had some standout scenes this week which reminded me of the chemistry they once had. I know there are a slew of Liz/Jason fans out there, and trust me, I feel your pain. But the fact is, they are not going to reunite that couple anytime soon, so in the interim, I like the fact that Jason has Sam in his life. Jason is less tortured with Sam than he is with Liz. He doesn't have to worry so much about Sam adapting to his lifestyle, she's not quite as delicate a flower as Liz. Sam can hold her own in Jason's world, and she has a calming effect on Jason.

I also loved the scene where Liz went to talk to Luke to remind him he already had a son who needed him and was feeling replaced. Mind you, Lucky is a grown man, but I guess our childhood traumas and insecurities have a way of surfacing throughout our lives. Liz is on Lucky's side, defending and supporting him with Luke. I just hope it helps and Lucky doesn't flip out and start popping pills again.

On the Rebecca and Nikolas front, hey, who knew Emily's favorite color or favorite blouse? Not me. I can't say I never noticed Emily wearing one color more than another, other than her scrubs which I assumed was a uniform. That felt invented to me. The whole "I won't sleep with Nikolas for two weeks until you have had time to dig up dirt on me" deal is pretty cheesy. Alexis slept with Jerry Jax and she KNEW he was evil and up to something, so she should offer the same luxury of making stupid sex choices to Nikolas. I mean, even if Rebecca was up to something with Helena, at least he would have gotten laid.

What will happen tomorrow dear readers? Will Edward have Cook whip Michael up a slider sample with a side of brownies to lure him into their lair? Will Robin come back from her PPD club to find Holly holding Emma and have a relapse? Will someone show Ethan where to find a CVS Pharmacy in town so he can buy some shampoo and wash his hair? Will Maxie try to seduce Johnny just so she isn't bested by a woman her mom's age? Will Coleman buy a Flip video camera and start taping embarrassing clips for YouTube? Will Patrick track down the specialist who said they should wait to do Michael's surgery and say "HaHa!" Will any of my loyal readers help me out and call or e-mail KFMB Channel 8 in San Diego to ask them to please stop showing all the CBS soaps a day behind? (Call 858-571-8888 or e-mail [email protected]) THANK YOU. Will any actual clients ever appear to actually eat, drink, or gamble at The Haunted Star?

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