I readily admit that over the years I have become a big Carly fan, no matter what she does or whom she does it to. She’s come a long way from the greedy grasping girl who wanted her sister’s money many years ago, but her character still has an edge to it, and that edge positively sliced into Janet when the two ladies met at the hospital.

Janet, who earlier had asked Carly to be ‘on the team’ to help Liberty, knows that her husband and Carly are feeling the vibes of passion. Janet is also feeling those vibes too, only for Dusty. But Janet is not willing to give up on her marriage, for reasons that I don’t totally understand. Is it her religion? But if marriage was sacred to her she wouldn’t have canoodled with Dusty. Is it her desire to save Liberty with a baby built of Ciccone-Snyder DNA? According to what I understand, an unrelated donor is as likely to be compatible as a  baby. Does she really love Jack more than Dusty? I don’t think Janet herself knows the answer to this one. I wonder if introducing her father to Jack, and hearing his reaction to meeting Dusty makes her want to keep her Snyder to show her dad that she is now a moral person. (And btw, her father supposedly knew Uncle Ralphie, so why hadn’t Rocco heard that Ralphie had caused Brad’s death?)

I also want to acknowledge that the writers are re-writing Janet’s history a bit. She and her father argued about how her parents threw her out when she became pregnant. However, originally we were told that Janet, who was known as ‘Juicy Janet’ during high school  because of her promiscuity, was sent to live with her Aunt Rosalie when she became pregnant and refused to give up the child for adoption. Apparently the writers wanted to make the father-daughter reunion more angry by changing this detail.

But in any case, Janet is now ready to fight for Jack, her marriage, and her daughter. So it was classic Carly who ferreted out the truth after witnessing the face-sucking that went on between Janet and Dusty. (I also have to say right now that I am a little confused about Dusty’s attraction to Janet. It seems rushed, forced, and awkward.)

Carly has long fluctuated between being a conniving witch and a devoted loving woman. There have been times over the past 15 years when I’ve been alternately disgusted and delighted with her. But I squealed like a little girl when she ran to tell Molly about what she’d seen, and the two cousins almost danced a jig over the news. 

But that was nothing compared to Friday, when Jack refused to continue to kiss her, claiming he could not ruin his marriage.  Carly blurted out the truth to him, that Janet was the one who had defiled her marriage vows. I was both horrified and elated. It was a terrible truth to lay on someone, but I also see it as the first step to bringing the duo back together.  Yes, Janet will still want that baby because she’s sure the child would save Liberty, and I believe she will get pregnant. But will the baby be Jack’s or Dusty’s? 

Janet and Dusty had sex over New Year’s Eve, about 7 weeks or so ago. If she turns up preggers in the next few days, he could certainly be the baby daddy.  Janet may hope it will be Jack’s child, so no one will know she cheated on him, but knowing Dusty, if he thinks there’s any chance it’s his, he will demand DNA testing, and the truth will come out, and hopefully Carjack will be back on track. 

Viewer Danny wrote, "I've watched this show and loved this show my entire life. The earliest memories of my life involve being with my mother as she watched ATWT. I missed most of the 70's (I was working and there were few VCR's then) but otherwise have been devoted. I can't even watch now. It's not because it has been canceled - a fact I can't get my mind around - but because the show has been made unmatchable. It is agonizing to watch an actress as brilliant as Maura West trying to give a real performance in a one-take student play. Public places are empty, characters wander around in a void, motivations are non-existent. I love ATWT. But, I somehow feel that watching it now is violating the amazing legacy of this show. I pray that it either disappears tomorrow or that some other outlet airs it. Sorry Luke and Noah. I can take about ten minutes a week of the show now and then it just becomes too painful."

I have been hearing this more and more: viewers, especially legacy viewers whose families have watched ATWT since day one, are increasingly upset and angry that TPTB are not giving them what they want for the final months of the show. This ties in with my belief that the show wants to justify the cancellation by making it unwatchable. Why bother giving us quality when the show is almost over anyway? I think they are just throwing crap at the fan and letting it fall wherever it may. Why else would we continue to see some stories pushed ad infinitum ad nauseum while others are non-existent? And Danny, your apology to Luke and Noah should really be a brick thrown at TPTB. Nuke could have transformed the show, IMHO, if those in charge had shown a little courage. The boys' love story could have garnered international interest, debate, and viewership. Two regular guys, not flamboyant, not acting crazy, just pursuing their dreams, who happened to fall in love. But we never ever got a real love story for them. Other citizens of Oakdale could fornicate their collective buns off, and no one cared. But heaven forbid we would see Luke and Noah be happy. The show has even stepped into a controversy by having Janet, the self-proclaimed super Catholic, commit adultery then lie about it, convince her husband to conceive a child for a possible bone marrow transplant, and do it while wearing the lowest-plunging necklines ever seen in church. Where is the outrage about her? Meanwhile Holden and Molly are not married but doing the nasty, as are Henry and Barbara. So the show didn't mind writing pre-marital, extra-marital, and never-marital sex, but they were scared to bits of writing a same sex love story. Whether you supported it or hated it, this story would have, IMHO, pushed up the ratings.

Joy said, "The idea that these “short-term” characters such as Mick will bring in viewers is crazy. Sure, Tom Pelphrey has many fans who might tune in to see him, but will they get hooked on ATWT. Not a chance. He’s a good actor, no doubt, but the story was ridiculous. Personally, I think these short story arcs have caused the ratings to plummet. As soon as the fan-favorite actor leaves so does the viewer. There’s nothing to keep them coming back, and in the mean time, more long time viewers give up. TPTB have missed many golden opportunities to bring ATWT back to life with compelling story telling using our beloved vets. On the positive side, I love the Jack and Carly love story, and Molly and Holden can light up the screen."

And have we seen the last of Mick? Was he a sweeps-month wonder, and nothing more? His sole purpose seemed to be to stop the Casey-Allison marriage, because he accomplished little else. His character was undefined, with minimal background information that would have created any sympathy or interest in the viewers. The story had so many plotholes that my intelligence was insulted beyond belief, and those holes will probably never be filled. How did Mick get his DNA to be James's? Why all the nosebleeds? What exactly was that stuff he had in his needle? What happened to Emily's egg-stravaganza? Where did he gain his medical expertise? The list goes on and on, but I think the story is over and we will never know these answers. Tom's fans will tune out and the ratings never received any benefit from his time in Oakdale.

The whole short-story-with-a-fan-favorite idea is mediocre at best. The actor is usually hired before any role or story is created, which goes against a basic rule of soap writing. But hey, a big name is available, has a couple of months free, so hire him or her! Are stories even plotted out in the proverbial soap 'bible' anymore? Back in the day, a whole year's worth of stories were developed, so that the characters and events moved along with a direction and goal in mind. But look at how much wasted talent has come and gone to Oakdale in the past year or two.

Oh well, I did enjoy this week seeing the old Carly back at it again, willing to claw at anyone who gets in her way.  You go, girl!