Carly Tenney has had a lot of problems in her short life. But I fear the worst is yet to come. If I'm reading things correctly, (and I could be totally wrong here) the signs are starting to point toward Carly becoming an alcoholic, an illness her father had. I think I speak for all of us when I say, "Carly, put down the vodka bottle!"

In a mere two weeks, Carly has consumed more alcohol than a football team at a frat party. She's getting loaded in the middle of the day, during her "taste testing" and business negotiations. Not to mention, she got totally wasted at Jack's bachelor party recently, and she's been known to enjoy her cosmo time with Lily. Then, there's Craig, who is constantly plying her with liquor, all in the name of "business," and the fact that she owns a bar, (not the best idea when you have a genetic link to alcoholism in your family.)

If ATWT goes down this road with Carly, I think it could be one of the best stories ever told. Maura West has so many layers as an actress that I can only imagine the top-notch performance we would see. Yet, I hate to see Carly once again fail in her business endeavors. Just once, I'd love for Carly to get a win. But if she keeps drinking, I fear she may lose her business, her self-respect, and her kids. Sure, it would make for some top-notch drama, but it would also add another blemish to the already troubled life of Carly Tenney. I always thought when ATWT did an alcoholism storyline again, it would showcase Henry as the main star; He does love his martinis. Oh, that's right, he's only good for comic relief. I forgot.

Meanwhile:
--If anyone in Oakdale has a reason to drink, it's Margo Hughes. The woman has raised two troubled sons and has arrested her family members more than any other citizens in Oakdale. (Craig, Lucy, Katie, Simon, Brad, Adam, Casey, and the list goes on...)

--So, Paul is now so lonely he's calling prostitutes. Um, OK. That was the biggest surprise of the week and yet another twist in the strange behavior for this character. I wonder if he still has Emily's number. Maybe she can hook him up with some of her former "co-workers."

--At this point, the writers should just rename Johnny "my son." Craig and Dusty rarely use his name anymore.

--I rarely read spoilers, so I was genuinely shocked to see Lucy return this week. I was pleased to see Lucy trying to mend fences with her father, but then I realized that she might just be playing him to get back in Dusty's good graces. I'm hoping for the former, but I fear it may be the latter, after seeing her holding hands with Dusty, telling him she was working to regain her father's trust. I would love for Craig and Lucy to have the kind of relationship they had before that ridiculous plot when he "fake" kidnapped her and things went awry. Call me crazy, but I miss the days of "Lullabye." Not to mention, it would be nice to see Johnny in a normal family that treated him like something more than a possession. So far, I haven't connected with nuLucy. I'm hoping she'll grow on me, as this story progresses.

--After all these years, you'd think Katie would have learned to curb that impulsive streak of hers. This time, her rush to get what she wants when she wants seems to have cost her the ability to ever have children. My heart was breaking for her after the ectopic pregnancy tragedy, but at the same time, I couldn't help but think that it all could have been avoided, if she had just listened to the doctor.

--Is Noah a tattle-tell or just too mature for Luke? It seems he's always the one getting Luke in trouble with his elders, by ratting him out on his latest schemes. Noah seems so much more responsible than Luke. I think that could be a great storyline idea for these two to grapple with.

--Casey Hughes needs to enroll in an anger management class, pronto. He hits first and asks questions later. Not only has he gone rogue to try and avenge Reg's death, he's punching people left and right. He recently got in a fight the night of his birthday party, and then he punched Matt this week. At this rate, Casey should consider a career in boxing, or at least private investigation. Oh sure, he's not very good at stealthy sleuthing, but it's Oakdale. Not even the police can solve crimes there. A rogue detective may be just what the town needs.

--Note to writers: please don't give us a repeat of Monday's show, ever. No Jack, Carly, Craig, Katie, Brad, Henry, Lucinda or Janet makes the show almost unbearable for me. I'm sorry but Ali, Casey, Jade, Luke, Lily and Noah just aren't mesmerizing enough to carry an entire show. I was actually hoping for a Paul appearance, if that tells you how bored I was.

--Poor Henry. He tried to set up a legitimate poker night with his pals, to help him quit gambling with serious players, and he couldn't even get Brad and Katie to stick around for the first hand.

--I'm starting to think Vienna has issues. I've never seen a character make life-altering decisions as quickly as she does. A few weeks ago, she decided she wanted to have a baby, and before you could say "condom," she was sabotaging Henry's birth control and looking at a list of sperm donors. This week, within a few minutes of hearing that Katie couldn't carry a baby, she offered to be a surrogate. I think Vienna spends more time deciding what shoes to wear with an outfit than she does on these big life decisions.

--Thank you writers, for softening Dusty this week. I loved his movie scene with Meg. I was getting so tired of Dusty coming off as an abusive cretin.

--Jade deserves better than Casey. He's treating her like dirt. Yet, she still helped him this week with his sting operation. I love this version of Jade. She's perfect in every way. She even sassed Margo. You go girl!

--I can't say I blame Craig for not trusting Lucy. She was conspiring to steal Johnny from him again, the last time we saw her. I can't imagine how he'd ever trust her again. I can only imagine how horrific it must be to have your child stolen. That was beyond cruel.

--For those of you who've written me in the past two weeks, I'm sorry I haven't replied. I usually do, as you know. However, I've been totally backed up with work and just haven't had time. I do read every message and as always thank you for your thoughtful input. I've included some of the messages in the reader spotlight section, along with my responses.

Best Lines of the Week:
(Brad and Henry try to understand Katie's abrupt behavior.)
Henry: "It's never their fault, Brad. It's always the hormones."

(Meg and Dusty try to decide if they should go to dinner or just hang out.)
Dusty: "I think I'd rather go to a movie."
Meg: "We can't talk at a movie."
Dusty: "Exactly."

Reader Spotlight:
(From Two Scoops reader Mary B.)
Just want to say that the Valentine's Day program was delightful. I watched it twice. The costumes, the dialog, the story twists were fun for the audience and I suspect for the actors, also.

Mary B, I loved it, too. In fact, I loved it so much I gave it a coveted spot on my DVR. Carly's princess dress was divine, and Craig as "Cinderfella" and Paul as The Beast may have been the best casting of the year. ---Jennifer Biller

(From Two Scoops reader Traci.)
I hope this is not completely off the deep end. I want so bad for the writers to somehow to connect Dusty and Vienna and these two have a child. Yes it would be reckless for them to have a one-night stand. However, she wants a baby and he lost Johnny. I would love for them to become friends, then lovers. I think these two would be hot together. But, I have been waiting for the longest for the writers to explain why Bonnie and Vienna hate each other.

Traci, "completely off the deep end" isn't how I would describe that idea. Now, Paul having sex with a hooker, that's "completely off the deep end." Dusty and Vienna is an interesting couple idea. . I never would have thought of them together. Although, I think that the show is going in a Dusty/Meg direction. As for the Bonnie/Vienna hate, I think we are to assume it was over a man. Isn't it always? : ---Jennifer Biller

(From Two Scoops reader Mary.)
Why am I supposed to care that Reg is dead? I couldn't pick Reg out of a cast of three people! Now, we have Luke and Noah playing Junior G-Men and we're off another really stupid plot. And, to make things worse, Matt, who is the one character on the show who interests me these days, is probably the real drug dealer, which means that he'll be off from the show in a matter of minutes. ATWT used to have great storylines, well-developed characters and was a can't-miss show for me. Now, we have a revolving door of characters, the same story over and over again (everybody loves Meg) and a show that I miss more often than I watch. Soap operas have a place on television but shows like ATWT are really shooting themselves in the foot with lazy writing, a great looking but not greatly talented cast and what appears to be a total lack of interest in what their fans think.

Mary, I agree with you 100 percent on the "Who cares if Reg is dead plot?" I don't, and I'm sick of this Ali/Casey/Matt nonsense surrounding it. However, I DISAGREE with you 100 percent that the cast is only "great looking and not greatly talented." For me, the cast is one of the best in daytime television, with the exception of a couple weak spots. I watch the show for the actors and their characters, not for the silly writing and plots that we keep getting. (Everyone loves Meg!!!) Thanks for writing! ---Jennifer Biller

That's all for now Scoopers! See ya next time.
Jennifer Biller