Are these supposed to be Sweeps period episodes? I always thought that these are shows with major story being told during this time. Nothing major is happening in Oakdale right now except the resolution of the murders of two minor characters. We also see the beginning of the next major story for Carly which is something worth watching.

Carly Becomes an Alcoholic
This is another opportunity for Maura West to shine. I am happy that the writers and producers like her and want to give her a challenging story like becoming an alcoholic. She is going to show why she won her Emmy the first time and get ready to add another one to her mantle. I continue to be concerned about the pacing of the stories on the show. I hope this is taken at a respectable pace with appropriate amount of drama to give the emotional drama it deserves. There are so many characters that this can affect: Jack, of course running to her rescue; Craig, who she is starting to see in a different light; her children, who depend on her strength. However, I see Janet being the one to be her friend and helping her most so I can see them building a true friendship as a result.

I am enjoying Carly with Craig - as always, with Craig brings trouble. This new business that Carly so desperately wants to succeed at will be at a cost. She is showing such vulnerability at her constant failing that she cannot see that she is doing good work on these designs. Now, she is starting to use the vodka as her calming aid to get through her days. She regrets sleeping with Craig but he is finding that she is attracted to him; it would be nice to see a relationship between the two of them change him for the better.

I think this might be the story to watch for right now - it has possibilities though it lies in the hands of some people who are churning out too much story without the payout we loyal viewers expect from ATWT.

Murder Mystery Solved
How many times did I watch this story and say who cares who killed Reg and that Matt was too easy of a suspect? Now that this is over, what is going to happen to Matt? Matt is a character that had a lot of potential the first time he was in town and he has more chemistry with Alison than Casey does. I am hoping that he is not just written off because what he was needed for as the red herring for this lame murder mystery plot is now over.

Will Luke and Noah become a new detective team? How funny to think that Luke who is not in college and not trying to get back will fall into a new career? I think the detective angle ended on Thursday's show when this mystery was solved.

This is another case though of the possibilities with this story for so many character will this had not been truncated into one episode - my head was swimming with all that happened on one show this week. Jade decided to go after Casey, was dumped by him and decided to go after him again in just one show - this could have been drawn out for a few days to make us care what she was doing. Alison forgave Casey, was asked by the police to help bring Matt to justice, held captive and drugged then reunited/cleared Matt. Luke and Noah started off meeting with Kevin thinking something was wrong, forcing Kevin to tell them the truth, realizing it was Mark and saving Mark from killing himself before walking away into the sunset after they brought Mark to justice then leaving Kevin in pain on the ground; by the way, we might not be seeing Kevin anytime soon - just a hunch.

There are some threads to this story that can continue to: Kevin can stick around so that he can continue his friendship with Luke causing some friction with Noah; Jade can really find something worthwhile to do with her life other than chase after college expellee Casey; Alison and Matt have a chance for her to be involved with someone other than a Hughes man. We'll have to wait and see what happens next.

Dusty and Lucy Playing with Fire
When Craig finds out that Lucy is betraying him by letting Dusty see Johnny then he is going to explode. Why would she do this other than trying to rekindle with Dusty? We now have Meg in the mix who has now moved towards a romantic relationship with Dusty too soon after Paul. Why not focus on going back to work and taking care of Eliza for a bit? No drama, right?

I see Lucy so differently than I did the last time she was in town. She seems like she does have an agenda this time and actually is more interesting. I do have another question: why hasn't she seen any of her family like Lily or Lucinda yet? This is really strange as it seems like the only people she knows in Oakdale right now are Craig, Dusty and Johnny?

Where is Lucinda by the way - she has been MIA since Brian left town? I could have seen her very involved with Luke and his detective work or with Lucy since she reappeared.

Katie and Vienna and the Baby
So it looks like Katie and Vienna are going to do this surrogate mother thing. Who thought Vienna was already pregnant when she could not stand the smell of eggs the other day? Watch that very carefully as this baby she will be carrying could end up being her baby with Henry. Where will that leave Katie and Brad?

This is another fast moving train on an issue that should be talked about first before jumping in do a friend a favor. This could be a topical issue that this show has done well in the past; however, right now important conversations are not happening that could give this story some real substance.

As badly as Vienna wanted a baby of her own, will she be willing to give up a baby she carries for nine months to Katie so easily? Will Henry become attached to the baby as Vienna gets more pregnant and not want her to give the baby away? This can turn this close friendship into a major court battle for sure.

Parker and Liberty
To say I am sick of the focus on these two on their teenage antics is putting it mildly. Janet was right when she told Jack that Parker needs discipline. Parker thinks he can do whatever he wants to without paying the price for his actions. First of all, the familial tie between them makes this story now sort of unpleasant. There needs to be other teens in Oakdale to balance it out - where are their friends? I can't believe that Parker or Liberty don't have friends to confide in and discuss their issues - it makes this so unrealistic. They only have interactions with the adults on the show why write out JJ who could have been Parker's confidante and his rival for Liberty's attention; I know it still would make this unpleasant to watch still. Personally, they are sort of fast forwarding material for me.

Here is a letter from a reader who really gave me a piece of her mind:

Lisa said, "Here we go again. The vets aren't used enough. Most of them are in their 70's. While I enjoy their scenes, I respect the fact that they may not want to be on that much. And really, do you ever tune into primetime? How often do you see an actor over the age of 60 as a star of anything regular? The only one I can think of is Sally Field. Most shows keep their casts in their 20's to 40's. Why do you constantly beret ATWT for doing what every other show does? Lucinda just had a major storyline. Kim has been on very often in the last year...I liked Josie and just because she wasn't related to anyone else didn't mean she could not fit in. Carly Tenney was only related to Rosanna (who wasn't related to anyone) when she showed up and now she is a main player...I do like Craig and Carly together. They have a lot more going for them than just irritating Jack...I enjoyed the Valentine's Day show a great deal. It was funny, tied in well to the current storylines and characters, and the costumes were fantastic...Since half your column consisted of only letters you received in agreement with your views, I doubt seriously you will pay much attention to this feedback from someone who actually likes the show and appreciates the things they are doing NOW, not constantly comparing to a rose colored view of yesterday."

In response to Lisa, I think as many columnists have said that what is happening on ATWT is not the best it could be. I enjoy the show but I still strongly believe that it is not living up to its full potential as the multigenerational show that Irna Phillips created. Just like General Hospital is really not about the hospital anymore but Sonny and the mob these days. In terms of picking letters to print, there are a lot of people who agree about the current state of the show and I will not stop saying that new writers are needed and a new direction for the characters is warranted badly.

That's all I have for now.
Reggie Jackson