A short week in Oakdale was packed with as much action as if these three days were indeed five days. Jack told Carly that he's really done with her; Craig's assets are frozen; Lily has found something to maybe explain who killed Cheri; and Gwen and Will have agreed to let Alison be their egg donor. Some of this is interesting, and the Luke and Noah story is moving along as well.

Luke and Noah and Maddie
The emails of dismay are continuing to come in regarding this story -- everyone is entitled to their opinion. My question continues to be -- are they giving this story a fair chance? I believe of all the recent happenings in Oakdale that this is one of most interesting of the bunch -- writing and acting included. It was about time that Luke got a romance, and the writers took some time for the viewers to get to know Noah before throwing him into a major story -- that's not always the case in current Oakdale.

The story is showing Luke's strength and the fact that he appears to be Damian's son and is not a doormat. He accepts what his life is and as much as he is attracted to Noah, he will not allow Noah to use him in any way. In addition to the fact that his friend Maddie is a part of this triangle, Luke needs Noah to be honest with Maddie before anything else can happen between them again -- though we see sparks every time that they are in the same room. Maddie is going to be crushed when she finds out, however, I don't believe severely wounded, as Noah is her rebound relationship after Casey. I strongly believe if Casey walked in the door on Monday that she would leave Noah standing all alone.

Noah's father is such a wildcard -- I was trying not to say weirdo. This guy is spending too much time in his son's affairs. Maybe I missed it -- did the colonel give Noah money for school now that he is with Maddie? I know he wants his son to be straight, and he knows deep-down that that is not the case. Col. Mayer is pushing Maddie to be with Noah even with the information that he has about Maddie's family, because if Noah was truly straight, I do not believe he would think that Maddie was good enough for his son.

Jack and Carly
How many of us really believe that Jack is completely done with Carly? He was hard on her this time as he told her that they were no longer friends; he has moved on with Katie, and they are over. I think Jack is trying too hard to hurt her as much as she hurt him by leaving with Simon. Could it also be that he is trying to save himself from allowing her to hurt him like she did before?

I am feeling sorry for Katie, as she will be the one that will be left out in the cold -- or will she? I think that she is starting to see Brad in a new light. Brad has not been the jerk that he was when he first came back to town, and he is really trying to be a friend to both Katie and Carly. Brad is more likable recently than G-Man Jack. How this all plays will be worth watching as all four of the people in this quadrangle have something to lose or gain depending on what Jack and Carly do.

I do have one rant for the writers -- did anyone watch any old episodes with Lyla or read any history on the character? Lyla was a hardworking woman who loved her children very much, and the picture Katie painted of her this week sounded a lot more like Iris than the Lyla, the mother of Margo, Craig, Cricket, and Katie.

Detective Lily
I know the next business that Lily can open -- she should become a licensed detective and lend out her services to the useless detectives of the Oakdale Police force. Finally, it looks like she has found something that she has an aptitude for.

I like the fact that she wants to help her friend Dusty; after all, he was her first boyfriend, and they have maintained closeness over the years. She needs something to keep her busy after some of the problems that she has endured lately. I like when she displays her Rose side and lets down her guard. She hit paydirt by finding out about the fact that Cheri had a child and possibly a husband as well. Who could that child be? Could it be Noah whose mother allegedly died when he was a small boy? If so, remember the day when Col. Mayer saw Cheri arguing with Dusty; he said something negative about her and at the time, I wondered where that came from. However, she did die shortly after that. By the way, I know nothing; these are just my own random thoughts on the subject.

Gwen, Will, and Alison
This is going to be brief -- how could they get involved with Alison in this manner? This is a recipe for disaster; nothing against Alison, but they should truly find an anonymous donor.

Craig, Meg, Paul, and Rosanna
Rosanna is making Craig know she is awake by freezing his assets until a complete accounting of what he has done with her money in two years. Craig lied to Meg by telling her that his money was intermingled with Rosanna's -- I didn't think he had any money to intermingle.

By the way, Paul is trying too hard to hate Meg, and he is going to have to face his feelings sooner more than later. I am not interested in a lot of this story, as it is such a rehash of Paul being Paul.

Some readers have some things to say about what is happening in Oakdale:

Frankie said, "Great column this week Reggie. I especially liked what you had to say about the Luke and Noah storyline. This is reality folks. As I said to Jennifer Biller, where was the moral outrage when the slasher storyline showed us blood and gore on a daily basis? It's okay to kill someone on TV --- but not to kiss them?"

Heather said, "As others have mentioned, I find it hilarious that so many are up in arms about the "gay kiss" seeing as this is a soap opera, and one that is specifically filled with stories about prostitutes, porn actors, drug addicts, etc. Is the morality of these characters really important to the viewers? This is not a religious program, people, it's a daytime soap! I, as well as many of my friends (online and 'real life' ones), are very glad to FINALLY see what seems to be a realistic portrayal of a same sex relationship or at least the beginning of one. I really hope ATWT doesn't back down, and keeps on going with this because they've done great so far. It's sad, but it did take a lot of courage to decide to go through with this, esp. the kiss (finally a realistic one!). I know not everyone will be applauding or accepting or even keep watching, but it's been a long-time coming that something different be shown--as you put it--a little bit of diversity as well. Maybe, just maybe, some people will come to see that gay people are just like everyone else. Even in the soap world."

Kayla said, "I am part of what people call the younger viewing audience. I'm a teenager but I have been watching this show since I was a kid. I am a big fan of Carly and Jack. Jack needs to stop goofing around with Katie an realize that he still has feelings for Carly cause they are soul mates and should be together. I would like to see either Mike come back and get back together with Katie or for Brad and Katie to get together. They already had something going when the whole kidnapping saga was going on. I would also love to see Casey come back. I want to see Zach back and portraying him because he is so hot."

Dave said, "Thank you for keeping an open mind about Luke and Noah. I haven't watched ATWT for a LONG time, but I started tuning in when I heard about this storyline. I'm surprised at the 'outrage' some people have expressed about it - the murder, kidnapping, adultery, plotting, scheming, promiscuity (you get the idea) are all okay, but Heaven forbid, two boys fall in love and kiss? Can't have that!

I know I started watching soaps because my mom did, and I'd watch with her, but I kept watching soaps because they were an escape from my life. Things that happened on the soaps I watched NEVER happened in my life, so they made my life feel normal. I can only guess that the people who are so up in arms about Luke and Noah are simply uncomfortable with how 'normal' (read: more likely) two boys might fall in love with each other really is.

I'd be interested to see if Luke and Noah end up together or if the Powers That Be cave to pressure from the viewers and write them off (or worse, just walk away from the whole storyline).

Kudos to you for simply laying the facts out and letting us decide what's what."

Marsha said, "It is disgusting to give Gwen and Will the false hope that they could have a baby of their own just to have Gwen adopt her "brother's" child that is likely unwanted. Viewers know the couple wants children some day. The thought would have come to their minds without more tragedy for Gwen. There was no need to make the characters suffer a miscarriage. If the writers beat up on Will and Gwen much more, it will be impossible to believe they would not lose their minds."

Kristy said, "I'm really tired of Jack saying how much he loves Katie and now has to marry her right away. For a detective he really is clueless. And why would Katie (yet again) rush into marriage with a man who obviously loves someone else? It's this kind of nonsensical writing that annoys me to no end. I actually recently watched some classic CarJack scenes like when Jack dumped Julia1 in the punch bowl or when he saved Carly from the quicksand (the first time) or when Carly came back from the spa from hell. Why drag this out when once CarJack gets back together they can get a storyline worthy of their talent and chemistry."

Finally, where have all the veterans gone? Are they all on summer vacation -- it's been a while since we've seen Bob, Kim, Lisa, Nancy, Tom, and Emma.

That's all I have for now.
Reggie Jackson