It's a new year. While we all know the fate of ATWT, I hope that this show finds a new home because there is so much happening in an hour right now. It is a show that I am enjoying and I think that, because it has better storytelling, it deserves a reprieve. It is not up to me or the many fans that want it saved. I just hope that those behind the scenes are truly looking for another home for the folks of Oakdale.
Meg and Damian
Meg Snyder is on fire right now as she messes with Damian's head. This means that as he tries to counteract her threats, he is probably going to make a mistake or two and expose himself. I don't know what the writers are thinking - did I just say that? Anyway, when Meg told Damian that she was going to kill him when she got of the psych ward, the fear showed in his face and body language. Meg obviously learned some lessons from her ex-husband, Paul; well, his advice did get the staff to believe she is getting better.
Now on the other side of the coin, what have they done to Lily? She is such a nitwit these days. She continually believes Damian; however she did one smart thing by not agreeing to have another baby with this guy: an applause moment for her on that one. Honestly, I do not like the Noelle Beck version of Lily. When she first took over the role, I was willing to give her a chance, but she is not Lily. I don't believe that is the actress' fault; it's the way she is being written right now.
Holden and Molly
When Lily comes to her senses, decides she wants Holden back, or finds out what a fool she has been over Damian, Molly will have won over Holden's heart again. I love these two; they are good together. Holden and Lily always seemed like "rich girl loves boy from the farm" - never really equals - because she sucked all the life out of Holden.
Holden deserves someone like Molly. Molly has a fire and she is honest with him. He knows all of her secrets and her flaws, which don't matter to him. It's very similar to how he was with Carly, and the chemistry with these two also is just as combustible. Bravo for bringing back a much-loved character like Molly Conlan, who brings some depth to all her interactions in Oakdale. By the way, The Bold and the Beautiful wasted her talents as Felicia Forrester.
Mick Dante
I have mixed emotions about this character and this story. When I was listening to the first episode of Soapcentral Live, Dan and Lynda Hirsch were discussing this storyline - I have to agree that it is out there for Mick to be James Stenbeck. This could have worked so much better if Mick was just one of James's minions. Tom Pelphrey is a fantastic actor, but I have been waiting for Anthony Herrera to appear and wreak his own havoc on Barbara, Paul, and Emily.
The idea of Mick getting closer to Alison is sort of out there in left field, if indeed he is James Stenbeck. That's the one thread in this story that does not make sense for the character of James. For Alison to be drawn to Mick when she just got engaged to Casey is true to her character. Let's hope that this is not happening. It happened when she was going to marry Chris then when she was set to marry Aaron - please, please not again. However, this is not the predictable show that it was last year at this time, so I may be completely surprised by what really transpires.
Katie Moves On
It's good to see Katie move on with her life. It is also good to see that she has not forgotten her love for Brad because his ghost is now gone. I don't want this one rushed; it should take time to get past her grief. I do enjoy that she has Simon in her life; he is her first love and she needs him right now.
I know that Simon is only in town for a short period of time, but it is good to see the rapport between Simon, Katie, and Henry. That scene taken from Planes, Trains and Automobiles, with Simon and Henry hugged up together sleeping, was really funny - these are the moments that make me love the show even more and hate to think about what might be happening later this year.
Memorable Moments from Oakdale
I started watching ATWT with my mother. I would come home for lunch, and the show was a half hour at the time. The story that got me hooked was when Lisa was married to Dr. Michael Shea. He was murdered, and Tom was on trial for his murder and was being defended by his grandfather, Chris Hughes, and his uncle, Donald. Dr. Shea had blackmailed Lisa into marriage to keep Tom out of jail for stealing drugs. During those days, watching a murder trial on daytime was like pulling back the layers of an onion, as each day more and more was revealed that the audience did not know. Well, Tom was cleared when a patient of Bob's confessed to the crime. She was an ex-flame of Michael Shea, followed him to Oakdale, confronted him, then killed him.
Here are some stories from readers about their time with the citizens of Oakdale:
Mary said, "I got started watching in my late 40s with my mother as a past time. Her hour of rest became my hour of rest, no matter what time of day. We recorded the show and compare notes when we didn't watch it together. I started watching the show about the time that Lily played twins and she got mixed up with Simon."
Janet said, "I have lots of memories about the show because I started watching it in the 50's. The Hughes family was the mainstay with Nancy and Chris, his dad, Grandpa Hughes, and the three kids: Don, Penny and Bob. Penny and Bob were teenagers and Penny's best friend was Ellen Lowell who eventually married Dan Stewart, Emily's grandfather. The romance between Kim and Dan Stewart was memorable, foiled by John Dixon - so much happened. I will truly miss this show since it has been a part of my life for all of its 50 some years."
BeeBee said, "I grew up watching ATWT with my Mother. The first real storyline that got me truly interested was the Lily and Holden storyline. Then there were the storylines of Frannie and Sabrina (when Julianne Moore played both parts). Those were the days of Doug Marland, it is shame we lost a talented man and then to have lost some of the greatest storylines of the 80's. We no longer have the extended Hughes family, the Snyder family, the Lowell family, the Stewart family. Remember when Lucinda's company Walsh Enterprises was taken away from her by Connor and Evan? WOW! I loved Lucinda and thought she was a brilliant business woman - despite her need for controlling everyone's personal lives, which reminds me, whatever happened to her adopted daughter from Montega?"
Louanne said, "I am 38 and have been watching ATWT most of my life. My mother watched it everyday and I watched with her when I was home from school. One of my favorite storylines was when a young, innocent, naive Lily Walsh met the handsome, dangerously sexy stable boy Holden Snyder. I can still see Holden jumping down from that hayloft and landing in front of Lily. You could see the sparks flying between them. There were so many great storylines, too many to list. I will miss ATWT. I hope before the show ends they bring back characters we haven't seen in a long time and let us know how they're doing like John Dixon, Andy Dixon, Frannie and Sabrina Hughes, all the vets we don't see often and hopefully they put Carly and Jack back together for good!"
Lucinda said, 'I have watched this show for the last 30 years. I am 35. I started watching with my babysitter prior to kindergarten and watched on summer breaks...then VCR made it possible to record the show and watch after school. Now DVR does the same. My most favorite memorable storyline of the distant past was the one about Craig being paralyzed to try and when back Betsy's affections. But I must say that my all time favorite couple is Jack and Carly. I loved (to hate) the storyline about Jack getting amnesia and marrying Julia - one of the best, I think. I will sum it up now. Without Carly, there is no Jack. I love the folks from Oakdale. They have been part of my family for 30 years."
Finally, I need to amend my Best and Worst column as I got quite a few emails about an oversight of mine. For Best Actress, Terri Colombino was a close second to Maura West. Her scenes after Brad's death were phenomenal; I felt her sadness and loss over losing the perfect man for her. As a matter of fact, I have enjoyed the character of Katie through the good and bad as Terri consistently brings it, making Katie one of my favorite characters.
That's all I have for now.
Reggie Jackson
