More times than not this week, I found myself almost yelling at the screen because one character or another is doing something that is morally wrong, or is scared about the reality of a situation, or is just being plain stupid.

Paul Ryan
Paul has an ego that it is almost too big sometimes to fill the screen -- how can a man claim to love his sister then in the next breath keep a secret from her that would make her happy beyond words. I find his rationale to be total crap. He is so wrong. As Emily told him, he was being just like his father, James Stenbeck. Who cares what Craig will do when he gets out of jail and how long will it be before he gets out of jail?
I have been trying to find a way to make this seem somewhat plausible in the eyes of the writers. Is he so messed up about what happened to Rosanna that he thinks Jennifer will be another victim of Craig's? I don't believe even Barbara would do anything like this. This seems so unbelievably cruel that it is hard to watch at times.
By the way, what is wrong with Emily, who is a mother herself, that she cannot tell the truth? When she does, I think the first person she will confide in will be her husband, Hal. Hal is keeping a low profile and being a sympathetic ear, which is probably going to be what brings them back together. Who cares what happens to Paul at this point?

Casey and Gwen
First of all, Casey Hughes is a teenager who has lived a charmed life with protective parents, Tom and Margo. He has been a good kid that never gave his parents any trouble. He had a one-night stand with Gwen that resulted in her pregnancy. He does not want his parents to find out about his mistake. Casey is in denial about what he has done, and he does not want his life to be ruined by becoming a father at such a young age.
When Casey had the conversation with his grandfather Bob earlier in the week, Dr. Bob was very close to getting the truth from Casey. Casey is scared, and it shows every time he is with Gwen and they talk about the baby and what happened between them. Casey is a teenager, and he is not ready for this type of responsibility but on the other hand, he needs to deal with the reality of the situation and own up to his responsibilities.
Gwen Norbeck is a strong young woman who just wants her baby back. I think she will, and she will have Will to help her every step of the way. Just watching these two together is great because it seems that he seems to have forgotten about Celia already. Will is such a caretaker, and Gwen just lights up whenever they are together. I look forward to them being together for a long time.
In terms of this baby saga, why is Carly being so incredibly mean to Gwen all the time when they seem so much alike. I know there is some type of family connection here, and I can't wait to see how they are related. Has anyone else noticed that Iris and Gwen have never been seen at the same place together -- is this the connection?

Lucinda
I am so happy to see Elizabeth Hubbard with a storyline of her own, and she is showing us what we have been missing for a long while -- she is phenomenal. Lucinda is having such a hard time with her cancer and its effects. The scenes this week with her granddaughter, Faith, as she combed her hair and it started falling out were heart-wrenching. I like the way they are proceeding with story and not speeding things along as they did with Margo's liver transplant. I don't know where this new development is going, but I hope there is not some miracle cure and the story is aborted.
I did like the scenes with Lucinda and Bob, but those scenes should have been with John Dixon. He has not been mentioned since he just disappeared one day. I can see how Bob and Lucinda are friends professionally, as she has been on the hospital board for years and he is chief of staff. This story would pack so much more power if John was there to hold her hand and be that friend she really needs right now.

Maddie
Maddie Coleman is quite the little schemer and it shows that she is truly a Coleman. I like her, but I think she is too involved in her brother's life. Hopefully when school starts, she can meet some teens like Casey or Luke and have a life of her own. As I think about it, it would be a good idea on Katie's part to introduce Maddie to her nephew, Casey, so she can get out of her hair.
Finally, I have not seen Ben's picture in the opening credits lately, so does that mean we have lost another doctor at Memorial? I understand being on the backburner, but he and Jessica could have a little something to do.

That's all I have for now.
Reggie Jackson