The purpose of a daytime drama is to entertain and for its viewers to root for the characters in these fictional towns - I have loved the folks in Oakdale for many years and for the most part, I could not wait to tune in tomorrow. However, there are some things currently happening in Oakdale that makes it hard to feel that the writers and producers are looking out for the best interest of the show and its fans.

Janet and Brad
I really like Julie Pinson as an actress and have enjoyed her work in other shows but Janet is an irritating character. Okay, maybe I am being too harsh and it may be more about the writing of the character. Who knows maybe she and Jack might make a good couple? I do see something different with her and Jack then her obsessive behavior with Brad. It was good when Brad told her that he never loved her and that he loves his wife. Brad Snyder has a way of being honest - almost brutal at times.

The interesting thing this week though was Brad being jealous of Jack being with Janet - the sibling rivalry theme is never far away for those brothers. Jack made Janet feel better about herself and it shows potential for him and her character. Jane was considerably toned down with Jack.

Katie's interaction with two of her ex-husbands shows how much she has grown and that she is really in love with Brad. She has handled the Janet thing well by taking a step back instead of scheming and just letting this thing run its course. Hopefully, Brad and Janet can co-parent without the baggage as Janet moves on with her life. I hope there is an interesting story planned for Brad and Katie.

Sofie
As I watch Sofie lately, I can not decide if she is more interesting as psycho Sofie. Quite frankly, this character has been through so many changes and now for her to be a lunatic who is obsessed with Paul has not really made me like her any better. I think she should have been sent out of town right after the adoption story. There was a brief period during the writer's strike when there was some potential when it looked like she may be related to Paul in some way. She was getting along with Barbara and Barbara took her under her wing - what happened? The regular writers came back and started this woman obsessed story that I can't wait for it to be over.

To add insult to injury, she is pregnant again with Cole's baby probably. Now this is going to turn into another story of Paul not being a father. How many babies has this guy lost? Why can't Cole find out that she has all of this money and run off together. She can have her baby she wanted and start anew with Cole. Good solution - right?

Mike Kasnoff
Will they finally give him a story of his own? He is like Aaron Snyder right now - going around town and showing up and getting involved with other people's business. Just this week: he tried to help Sofie who didn't want his help, he found out Meg and Paul are getting married that didn't make him too happy then he ran into his ex-wife Katie for a chat about the past.

So is the stage being set for him to get involved with Katie's life now that Brad told Janet that she has no chance? Who can he get involved with now? I don't see any other available women in town for him right now.

The Harassment Trial
How anti-climatic was that? There was no way that Chris should have won - he did exactly what he was accused of. I am happy that he did not let Tom use Alison's tape against her. Chris is another character that needs to find him another woman whose name is not Stewart to get involved with.

The way that these stories are evolving right now - where does Chris go now that he and Alison are finished? I certainly hope that is the case; they tried twice and now it time for both of them to move on.

Is Alison going to be with Aaron now as he appears to want that? It seems that the writers don't know what to do with Aaron and he has not really done much since he came back to town. He is a Snyder after all.

Parker and Liberty
It's cute to see them trying to understand what's happening. I think Parker is having a hard time because he has feeling and can't really be honest without looking uncool. Liberty seems to like Parker and is surprised by that and wants to maintain control of the situation - her aim is not to be like her mother at all.

Carly and Holden
Why would Holden sleep with Carly? Carly does have a destructive streak that brings trouble right to her doorway. I think she realizes this time that she has made a major mistake. I remember when she first appeared in Oakdale, she was bent on making Rosanna's life a living hell when she got involved with Mike and got pregnant with his child. This is different as she allowed herself to get more attached to Holden and Lily is her best friend.

Now Jack is on her trail after seeing how she was acting after getting back from the camp. All he has to do is talk to Holden and he may be able to put it all together. July is going to be a hot month if this comes out soon - you talking about fireworks.

One side note, the fallout will be missing something without Martha Byrne as Lily.

Casey and Emily
This is the best story on the show right now: he likes her and she likes him. I am rooting for them to be together despite it has the yuck factor of Emily having had a baby with his father.

With the previous actor, I don't think that this could have been done. Casey seems like a man and not a teenager. I enjoyed him going against his family during the trial and defending his friend, Alison. Emily finally has a man that is cares about her and she is not fighting for his attention.

Here are some comments from readers:

Beatrice said, "I don't think Chris brought all this mess on himself. I do feel that Alison owns some of the blame and I hate how the writers are making it seem as if he is this total bad guy when he's not. And I do not like how Aaron of all people is getting in his face. But whatever, I main thing I can appreciate about this story is the more frequent screen times for Bob, Kim, Susan, and Tom...but where is Nancy?? Keep the vets on, and I'm happy.

Oh, and I don't hate Janet---she just needs to get away from Brad, and stick with Jack."

Jamison said, "Chris sparked a lot more with Sofie than he did with Alison. And a pairing between them would've actually been pretty sound, as there would've been no baggage between them going in, unlike all the baggage he had -- and still has -- with Alison. Plus, he was the first person to actually make Sofie smile a smile that was actually believable. In other words, you said you wanted to hear our ideas for summer stories. Mine involves moving Chris and Sofie away from Alison and Paul, respectively (let Aaron and Meg have them, as they're the ones who actually deserve them), and toward each other. Jean Passanante had a really good thing going with them, I thought, and the two of them would've had great potential as a couple. I was pissed when she tried the Chris/Alison retread and hope that doesn't happen again.

Another idea I have is to see Jack and Janet get together. Yes, I said it: Jack and Janet. It'd make Carly a bit jealous, despite her growing attraction to Holden, and it'll definitely make Brad jealous, as well. The fallout would be very dramatic and pure soapy material."

Finally, Henry has some money and I think he and Carly would make good partners. What is up with these sporadic appearances of Vienna. She is hardly ever on lately; well it's not like they have a troy of their own. Why can't the writers find something for them to do? Again, during the strike, they had a story then the regular writers return and then nothing for them.

That's all I have for now.
Reggie Jackson