At first, I couldn't understand why those scary kidnappers would want to keep J.J. once they scored the cash. Then, I realized it's a plot device to throw Jack and Carly undercover, away from Oakdale, in each other's faces. Despite feeling a little set up, I don't mind, if it gets Jack and Carly alone.

Here's a shocker: Carly screwed up again. She reacted as a mother and gave the bad guys what they wanted in order to keep her son safe. I'm sure Jack won't let her forget her mistake anytime soon. And when he realizes she's headed to Idaho, too, well, let's just hope he packed his blood pressure medicine.

This story arc is intriguing. The bad guys are believable, as is Katie's insecurity. Even Brad is coming out of this looking decent. I'm hoping for a happy ending here, considering that there have been too many funerals this past year in Oakdale.

In other musings:
--Note to writers: Dusty and Lily were once lovers and friends. It might be nice to have him share a scene with her or someone in town who doesn't have the last name Stewart.

--Wanted: Single females to move to Oakdale, Illinois. Lately, Oakdale could rival Elmo, Alaska, in terms of single male to female ratios. The town is overly populated with hot, single men and very few unattached women. Brad, Dallas, Aaron and Dusty are just some of the dudes in Oakdale looking for love. Lucy needs to come home, pronto, and she needs to bring some friends.

--Is Noah really gay? I'm so confused. I thought he was introduced as a love interest for Luke, but then he quickly fell in bed with Maddie and declared her his girlfriend. He shot Luke down and told him he isn't gay. And unlike Luke's former best boy pal, who enjoyed his back rubs, Noah hasn't sent any mixed signals to Luke. It appears from the previews that Luke and Noah are going to have a sexually charged moment next week. If so, I'm ticked that the writers began a romantic relationship between Noah and Maddie. She's been through enough, between the rape, the serial stalker, and her jailbird boyfriend. A new gay boyfriend could push her over the edge.

--I truly hope Vienna isn't broke. That would be a buzz kill for not only me, but Henry, too. Who's gonna pay his bar tab? I'm not surprised that Vienna didn't have insurance on her new spa, considering barely a day had passed from when she looked at the property to when she purchased it. But, surely, she could hawk some of those jewels she's always wearing to pay for her loss.

--Flame away, but I like Brad. No matter how much drama is going on in our little hamlet, Brad, much like Henry, always manages to make his scenes interesting.

--As a longtime soap fan, I've always adored former Y&R star Heather Tom. News recently broke that she'll be joining B&B. I'm so sad that ATWT didn't snag her, perhaps as one of Dusty or Henry's ex-girlfriends. She could have added some much-needed spice.

--Another note to the ATWT writers: Here's a prescription for how to get me not to watch. When you bring back a character who isn't the most exciting guy in the world, don't surround him with newbies I don't care about and stick him behind a bar for weeks. Yes, I'm talking about Aaron. He has a rich history in Oakdale. So why not give him some scenes with Craig, Luke, Holden, Emma, and the Stewart gals. I can't wait to see if this Craig still calls him "hairball."

--I've given up trying to understand Meg. I think she's just a victim of forced plot lines. Her romantic flip-flopping continues to awe. It appears she is actually falling for Craig, despite her declarations of love for Paul. Well, hey, who can blame her? Craig is alive and well and in close proximity, as opposed to Paul who is supposedly fish food. If you didn't like Meg's choices this week, wait until next week. I'm sure she'll have changed her mind again by that time.

--Did you catch Vienna's comments to Maddie about rebound relationships? She rattled off a list of rebound relationships and all of them included Katie: (Katie and Jack, Katie and Mike, and Katie and Henry.) Was Vienna actually implying that ALL of Katie's relationships were rebounds? Ouch! I thought Vienna was on board with Jack and Katie. Perhaps she's just pushing that relationship so that Katie won't be leaning on Henry all the time. Vienna is smarter than I thought.

--Rosanna's back, and I'm anxious to see if she's still smitten with Paul or with Craig. And I'm excited to see her have a relationship with Carly again. She always seemed to ground crazy Carly.

--It seems Dusty's role these days has been relegated to protector of the Stewart women. If that's truly his plight, then give him more scenes with Alison. Yes, the age difference is a little strange, as is the twisted family history with Emily, but frankly, Dusty and Ali have chemistry. And in daytime dramas, that's the name of the game.

--I want to like the new girl in town, Sofie, but it's difficult when she comes across as wimpy and pathetic at the hands of an abusive boyfriend. Any gal with a backbone would tell that loser to hit the curb.

--Kudos to the writers for having Susan fall off the wagon. The fact that her daughters are such a mess has taken a toll on her sobriety, and rightly so. Perhaps this will bring she and Ali closer than ever.

--If you haven't heard, former Craig Montgomery, actor Hunt Block, is heading to One Life to Live. I've never watched an episode of One Life to Live, but I may have to tune in. I've missed Block immensely since he departed Oakdale. Sniff. Sniff.

--Great use of history this week when Lily brought up her part in Julia's death. It's realistic that it still eats at Lily.

--Gwen is pregnant, and yet again, she and Will are headed for domesticity. In soap opera speak, that usually means a prescription for boredom. I'm already yawning. I'm baffled as to why this couple keeps getting thrust into adult life so quickly when they are truly still teenagers. Take a look at General Hospital's LuLu, Coop, Maxie and Logan for a good dose of teen angst.

--I used to love Katie. Her love for Simon was steadfast and magical. Then of course, it went bad quickly. . The Katie I knew and loved from her days with Simon is gone. Now, Katie has become a serial wife. She doesn't date anymore. She marries. She's barely divorced from Mike, and she's already sporting a shiny new rock from Jack. I'm losing my love for perky Katie, as she seems to fall too easily these days. She needs to slow down. Is she really so desperate for happiness that she has to rush into marriage yet again, especially to a man with so much baggage? On the up side, between those huge engagement rings from Simon, Henry, Mike and Jack, Katie could probably buy a small island somewhere.

Best Lines of the Week: Sorry folks, but I didn't stumble on any humorous laugh-out-loud lines this week. It was a daily dose of Sturm and Drang , as Paul awoke, Meg and Craig fought about their relationship, J.J. was kidnapped, and Susan fell off the wagon. Even Henry wasn't cracking wise, as he supported Katie through her latest drama with J.J. and Jack.

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