This show can change gears so quickly and it seems like there were changes behind the scenes as things happen to keep the viewers riveted to the screen: James Stenbeck dies again, Paul is carted off to the hospital and Dusty reappears - these events along with a few others have made me want to watch and anxious to see the next episode.

Dusty Returns to Oakdale
This event in itself will ignite this story so much in the coming weeks and possibly months as story moves so quickly lately. His return will have major effect on so many characters and it was so apparent when he turned around to greet Lily on Friday's episode. Dusty's death left a few characters suffering a great loss like Emily, Lily, Alison and what has happened since he left his return will affect Casey, Carly, Holden, Jack and Janet.

With Dusty back and when Lily saw him, I did felt the connection between nuLily and Dusty - I had wondered about the chemistry between Lily and Dusty and it was there. This is going to be good as Lily who has constantly fought with Holden about his feelings for Carly; now has to deal with her unresolved feelings for Dusty. Will this drive Holden back to Carly as its clear whenever they see each other that the connection is still there? Will Lily go after Dusty again?

Emily was immediately affected by seeing Dusty again; so is her weakened relationship with Casey due to her recent decision really over now? To see Emily with Dusty again, she is so in love with him and she will not be able to stay away from him. Casey is no match for Dusty in Emily's heart and I think it's time for Casey to move on with someone else.

With Dusty saving Meg and Paul incapacitated, will Meg now turn to Dusty for comfort? Paul obviously has some serious emotional things going as a result of his father creating havoc in his life once again. Will he able to be the kind of husband he wanted to be for Meg and will those visions of his father cause him to want to do away with Dusty once and for all?

It is amazing how one character can energize this show; it was the same when James Stenbeck showed up - he propelled the excitement and the same can be said for Dusty Donovan. Dusty is a powerful character and will make this show interesting for awhile while his character is in the forefront. I, for one, am glad to see the character return.

Chris Hughes and Mike Kasnoff - Gone!
Two characters that have major stakes in Oakdale are gone or on the way out in the next week. Is this a good move or bad move for the show? I'll start with Chris Hughes; this version of Chris Hughes had the potential to be at the center of story for a long time to come. What is it with this character is that the writers or the producers feel that he is so expendable and can be written in and written off at a whim.

Chris and Alison had more chemistry that she has with Aaron and through no fault of Aaron but Aaron is another holier than thou Snyder and he expects the world to be perfect and honest. He, like his father and cousin Jack, can be too hard on those they are involved in and that can make them less interesting. It is those times like Holden having an affair with Carly that has made him a more interesting character or Jack protecting Brad (bad move); however its moves like this that makes these guys seem human or not as superior.

This time, Mike Kasnoff was not given an adequate chance as he was more of a busybody when he first came back to town that he was irritating. He was when he got involved with Lily and then it showed that the potential that this character had and needed to hang around for a little while longer. Its obvious now why Mike is out - Mike can't be involved with Lily with the return of Dusty; Lily had to be reunited with Holden so we could see the impact of Dusty's return affecting their marriage again. He could have gotten involved with Katie again and that would not have been a good move now that she and Brad are so solid - it would have been a rehash story. Mike needs to reappear when he can be the strong guy that he was when Mark Collier played the role.

Noble Carly or Is She?
What is going on with Carly right now? Carly is not a woman to be alone. She is pushing Jack in the arms of Janet when he has just told her that he wants to be with her again. This is what she has been waiting for. She also has Holden who is still very much drawn to her and with Dusty back - they may revisit their attraction. Is there any other man around for her to go after right now in Oakdale? It can't be Dusty as he is in heavy demand and I think Carly and Dusty could be an interesting duo.

I like the developing friendship with Carly and Janet - they are alike and women who are care about Jack. I hope this friendship continues ad Carly could use another friend since she and Lily will not be friends right now.

Is the stage being set for the Jack and Carly to get back together? Jack does not seem as invested in a relationship with Janet as he was before the Brad incident. Carly knows Jack better than anyone and for them to be together again would be different as Jack does not seem as rigid with her as he once was. I make no secret of the fact that I like Jack and Carly but it's when they are apart that make them more interesting as a couple.

Lucinda
What does Lucinda know about Dusty's fake death? She made a comment when she saw Dusty that lead me to believe that's she was involved in some way with his deception.

Another thought about Lucinda - will she become involved with Brian? It seems the writers are taking this slowly and that will be a good thing as we need to see their attraction grow before throwing them together. We also need to know what Brian's agenda is - why not go after a woman closer to his age? It will be interesting to keep an eye on this eye and believe that he truly is interesting in Lucinda and not her money.

Here are some comments from readers of the column:

Kendahl said, "I am a big fan of ATWT and I'm loving that Dusty will be back next week. By the way, where is Craig? I think Brad and Katie should get a divorce. Katie can't seem to let her pass go."

Cara said, "I just want to know one thing: Why are the fans so mean at Noelle Beck? I think she is doing fine as Lily Snyder. I'm already getting used to her and I'm sure Jon Hensley is too. I'll admit to missing the old one."

Mary said, "Yea for Janet, love her, and hope she stays a long time in Oakdale, for Jack and Carly moving closer to each other again, same for Lily and Holden, and for the return of Dusty. Snores for the boring Aaron instead of Chris storyline with Allison who has much more chemistry with Chris, and who cares about Paul? I have never liked Roger Howarth in this role and I am so sick of Meg-in- distress stories. "

Finally, it's obvious that school is back in session - there is a noticeable absence of Liberty and Parker. It shows that their story was just for the summer and the kids watching the show. It is good to see the adults back in action again and hopefully something happening now between Luke and Noah with Noah coming back to town.

That's all I have for now.
Reggie Jackson