Did you ever write a fabulous, incisive, thought-provoking column days before your deadline, only to push the wrong key and completely wipe it from your computer with no way in hades of retrieving it?  Yes, my own ineptitude killed my first column, so this is a replacement.  I'm still figuratively kicking myself for my error!  Anyway........

"The judge has five kids at home," Barbara Ryan's attorney told her at her trial."  "She knows that a mother sometimes finds herself in special circumstances. You acted on the most basic maternal instinct there is. You defended your little boy. You would have given your life for his. That's what the judge needs to hear."  With that, Barbara pled guilty and told the court how she loved her children, she wanted to protect her children, and she was very sorry for everything.  The judge gave her 10 years, but then suspended her sentence and instead put her on probation and required her to get therapy.  Once again, Barbara walked.  Unbelievable. 

Of course, I figured that Barbara wouldn't get too much of a punishment in this whole case.  After all, she's a major player on the show.  However, I did expect her to get more than a symbolic finger-shaking from the judge.  I went as ballistic as Paul did when the sentencing was announced.  He screamed and shouted until the judge threatened to hold him in contempt.  As soon as the trial was adjourned, Barbara started back in on Paul, blaming him for Will's current incarceration.  Then the woman revved up the 'ick-o-meter' by getting in his face and purring that she knows he won't destroy her because deep down he still loves her.   

So exactly where are we in this Greek tragedy?  Will's going into intensive therapy, and will probably emerge a few years older, and played by a new red-headed actor.  We'll get some scenes of Will crying for his sister, his brother, and especially his mother.  Will has a stable father who loves him and provides a good home for him, but the kid has his momma's apron strings wrapped around his neck so tightly the doctor may never get him completely unwrapped.  He will either become a dynamic character who grows and changes because of this experience, or a static one who will return some day and play the same scenario of sick, sad devotion that he's played for a long time.

Jennifer, hopefully, will move out from under her mother AND her brother, and seek a romance.  She's young, single, beautiful, and available.   Hmmmm, do we know any young, single, handsome, available men, maybe a doctor, maybe a doctor with a shaved head, maybe a doctor with a shaved head who hasn't had a decent story since he arrived in Oakdale?  Take this to the clues closet, writers, and try these two together! 

What's next for Paul?  He's lost his fiancée, his mother continues to taunt him, he feels that he has to protect his little brother at all costs, his father is lurking in the background as only James Stenbeck knows how to lurk, and he has a best friend who has been a continual comfort to him. Rosanna has come running to his side whenever she felt he needed someone and even paid his bail when he was arrested.  Now she's really angry with Mr. Lies-For-A-Living, aka Craig, perhaps angry enough to leave him.  A lot of fans have noticed the spark between Rosanna and Paul every time they're onscreen together.  Could this be the next big couple?  I know that Cady McClain is taking a break from the show in the near future, but she will definitely be returning. Will she return to her husband, or turn to a new man?  Cady and Roger Howarth made the leap from portraying long-term characters on ABC soaps to CBS in the past year, and they have both been welcome additions to ATWT.  Many fans followed them to Oakdale, and the idea of a Paul/Rosanna romance has fired the imaginations of posters on message boards across the internet.  So lets hope that Paul doesn't get sucked back into the 'Mommy from hell' story again.  It's been done, it's time to move on.  There are only so many times that Paul can threaten Barbara and Barbara can rant at Paul. 

And Barbara, what's next for her?  Can she recover from this latest emotional upheaval that she herself is largely responsible for?  Is she going to continue to be mired in the pit of whining and moaning about how it's everyone else's fault but hers?  You know, Barbara used to be a strong woman, who ran a business with talent, determination, and drive.  She was a respected clothing designer who cut a swath through Oakdale with her BRO line.  Would it be too much to start Barbara back on that path to respectability?  I know it would be a long, long road, loaded with dangers and set backs, but it might be nice to see Barbara get her life in order and 'get back to where she once belonged.'  Who knows, maybe even a little romance eventually!  If Barbara isn't going to be punished for all the things she's done to Rose, Will, Paul, and herself, if she's going to be free to roam the streets of the city again, then give her more to do than whine, moan, and obsess.  While it's been fun to watch her over the past few months, it's getting old, and it's time for a change. 

I'm in an Oakdale state of mind!
  CAROL