General Hospital's Morgan has become one of their most compelling characters, Bryan Craig brings something interesting and emotional to every episode. This week Morgan continued to come to terms with his mental illness at the same time as those around him not so gracefully faced his new norml. Bryan Craig did a brilliant job of conveying just how violated, and insulted Morgan felt after Carly and Kiki treated him like a child who's incapable of looking after himself. It just feels so thoughtfully written, and played, the way others and even Morgan himself see him now that he's been diagnosed, it's as much a struggle for him as the disease itself, which seems like a really true to life response. GH has been a bit unsteady this year with some definite inconsistancies in their storytelling, but it feels like if they really stick with this, tell it as authentically as they have been so far, then the rest of the show will rise up along with it and be as strong as it should be.

For the longest time, Days of Our Lives' Ben just seemed to serve as the nice, safe option for Abigail, it wasn't until we discovered that he isn't either of those things, that the character became interesting and the actor really had the chance to show everyone his talent. I don't know if this week was the last we'll see of Ben, but if it was, Robert Scott Wilson sure went out in impressive fashion. When Ben spoke at the police station, sounding like a cowering little boy, afraid his father would violently punish him, and missing his sister Jordan, talking about how he felt abandoned by her, it was among the best work daytime has produced all year, and certainly the most fully realized the character has ever been. It's too bad Days didn't give Wilson more challenging material earlier, hopefully wherever he lands next won't make that same mistake.

Given that we know Sage's baby on Y&R hasn't died, that she will eventually be reunited with him, the story might have suffered for that, having less of an impact than a plot involving the death of a child ordnarily would, if not for Kelly Sullivan's fiercely committed performance. The consistant sadness and lost look in her eyes, her short temper and sharp tone, Sullivan's every move so strongly conveys a woman drowning in grief that even though viewers know there's a happy ending coming her way at some point, the actress makes you forget that and just buy into the moment.

All My Children wouldn't hold anywhere near as dear a place in viewers' hearts if not for David Canary. Adam Chandler was one of the all-time great villains in large part because he was never all villain, David Canary brought so much nuance to the role, Adam could do the most heinous, hateful things, yet at the same time you'd see he did it out of deep love for his family, sure, he'd almost always go about things in the wrong way, but his motivation was always understood, no matter how crazy Adam's actions David Canary grounded them in real-seeming emotion. It takes great skill to craft a villain of Adam's longevity, a villain fans could honestly and unapologetically say they loved. It probably helped that Stuart loved his twin, Adam, too, because the way Canary portrayed Stuart, he encouraged everyone in Pine Valley as well as everyone watching at home to be kinder and more accepting, there's no finer or more powerful example of that than in Stuart's sweet romance with Cindy. David Canary gave Stuart such a pure heart, and through that, at a time of intense fear and a lack of understanding, viewers fell in love with Cindy right along with Stuart, seeing past her HIV status to what mattered most, her humanity. I think humanity was that extra special ingredient David Canary always delivered, whether in Stuart's gentleness, Adam's sharp edges, or in those moments of sheer genius when he was one twin masquerading as the other, without fail you believed him, and without fail they were performances to forever be treasured.

We all know our soaps aren't opposed to breaking our hearts, or worse, making incredibly stupid decisions, so I don't know where this Bo brain tumor on Days of Our Lives may lead, but, for Friday's episode at least, it led the show to a pretty special place. There's a certain kind of magic between Kristian Alfonso and Peter Reckell, an enduring spark that Days beautifully illustrated through perfectly curated flashbacks and the highly emotional reveal of his ill health, a moment made all the more stunning when you think these two have actors have barely worked together in years, then to be thrown into the deep end, to pull off something that affecting, it's just as good as it gets.

As The World Turns' Eddie was a volatile young man, with no family to count on and constant brushes with the law, he understandably walked around with a chip on his shoulder, but Nathaniel Marston made sure we always saw beyond Eddie's tough guy act to the vulnerable kid inside who longed to be loved. As much as he believably exuded danger with Eddie's temper often quick to surface, it was the flip-side of that, the tenderness that Nathaniel brought to the role that left the most indelible impression. That very same tenderness prompted One Life to Live fans to rally for Nathaniel's return after his character's demise, they'd fallen in love with the way he loved Marcie, it isn't every actor who inspires such a passionate response from viewers, where they find his performances so endearing that they are unwilling to let him go. Those of us who saw Nathaniel as Eddie, or as Al/Michael, will always hold on to those emotionally charged characters, we'll always remember, and if you missed the opportunity to watch Nathaniel Marston act, do take some time to look him up online, his final episodes on ATWT, when Eddie discovers that his sweetheart Georgia killed Eddie's awful father, sticks out in my memory as truly powerful stuff. Condolences to Nathaniel's mom, as well as everyone else who knew and loved him, I only hope it's at least some small consolation to know that to fans he won't be defined by this tragedy or by his troubles along the way, he'll be defined by the heart so apparent in his characters.

This week General Hospital's Lulu finally discovered that her husband Dante cheated on her, and thankfully, she wanted no part of his convoluted explanation for it. This has been such a poorly executed storyline, from forcing Lulu to lie about going to rescue her family, to having Dante believe she's suddenly madly in love with a guy she'd barely seen since they were teens, then to have Dante who's been the most devoted guy in daytime react by having sex with someone else - it was one absurd manipulation of the plot after the next, and Valerie's ongoing self-righteous justifications for having sex with her cousin's husband have made it even more intolerable. Like Days' horrible decision to put Eve with J.J., it was obvious from the start that the only good thing about this would be the fallout, and Emme Rylan didn't disappoint. Dante may not have stood up for Lulu either time obnoxious Valerie laid the blame on Lulu, but that's just as well because it was way better to watch Lulu stand up for herself. Rylan owned every confrontational moment with Valerie and Dante, she may be small in stature, but she makes you feel like Lulu has more strength than anyone, she was the one hurt, yet they were Dante and Valerie were the ones who came off as weak. I know Lulu will probably forgive Dante at some point, but in the moment, it was so invigorating to watch this character and this very capable actress stand her ground.

When Days of Our Lives announced the returns of Stephen Nichols and Peter Reckell my mind immediately went to all the supercouple goodness to come, I'd completely forgotten what a joy it is to watch these two heroes even without their heroines. This week, with Bo and Steve working together to break free from their captor, it was a fun and funny adventure, their timing and their commraderie felt so natural that it would have been easy to believe these scenes had been shot back in Days' eighties glory, they were that entertaining. As much as I'm dying for the Bo/Fancy Face reunion, I'm so glad the show thought to devote some time to the friendship between these two men, it's a reminder that it isn't just romances, it's relationships of every kind that make soaps such a rich viewing experience, nothing matters more than being true to the characters and how they interact with one another.

While Y&R's Burgess Jenkins doesn't really capture Billy's more devil-may-care or cheeky side, this week, he did convince me of Billy's love for and continued grief over his little girl, Delia. Y&R featured several strong performances in the trial over Delia's death, none more so though, than when Jenkins' Billy got up on the stand and shifted the blame from Adam to himself, and then later poured out even more of a mea culpa to Victoria. It's been really tough as a viewer to let go of the big flirty personality Billy once had when portrayed by the previous two actors, I'll probably always miss that, but I certainly appreciate what Jenkins did this week, because that guilty conscience has definitely always been a part of Billy, too, and Jenkins nailed that, so even though I'm still feeling the absence of Billy's rascally charm, these episodes offered up a little more of the sense of what defined this character.

A week later, and Will's death on Days of Our Lives still feels pretty senseless, as usual, the only good that has/will come from eliminating a legacy character is that the actors mourning the character inevitably deliver award-worthy performances, as was the case this week in two strikingly different portrayals of grief by Bryan Dattilo and the ever so welcome return of Alison Sweeney. Bryan's played an alcoholic, he's played heartbroken, and he played the dad who struggled to accept his son's sexuality, all very serious, affecting stuff, but I don't think we've ever seen him reach this emotional level, he spent the week on the verge of tears, if not outright crying, whether his denials when Hope and Rafe broke the news, or his insistence to Sami that they did have some good times with their boy, every Lucas scene this week probably should have come with a warning that the viewer will end up with a lump in their throat. Interestingly, Alison Sweeney, who we know is capable of weeping with the best of them, was instead asked to go in a different direction with Sami, a character who has now lost so much that she's telling herself she's numb to it, she's been stoic and borderline murderous (she is still Sami after all), and in Sweeney's talented hands, it's seemed like the perfect response, every bit as realistic, and gutting as what we're seeing from Lucas. So, yeah, I still hate this decision, I will probably always hate this decision, but I'll still applaud the powerful moments that came about because of it, and also admire how the show chose to swap the traditional gender stereotypes, here it was the man who couldn't keep it together, and the woman who struggled to express any emotion, and it was so refreshing to see those roles reversed.

Maybe on Monday, someone in Salem will wake up and we'll discover this was all a nightmare, or maybe Days' is yet again stashing murder victims on an island, if not, they've just killed off one of their most important next generation characters. Not only was it the most gruesome murder of a much-loved character since Another World offed Frankie, it's all the more appalling when you consider the history, both past and future that this soap just threw away. Gone is someone who is part Horton and part Brady. Gone is Sami's first-born, the child so, so much like her. Gone is what little screen time Lucas had in parenting his boy. Gone is the possibility of Will ever reuniting with Sonny. Gone is that moment where a soap actually had three homosexual men in frontburner storyline, now there's barely one left as Paul's appearances have dwindled down to nothing. Gone are all those endearing heart-to-hearts with Marlena. Gone is the opportunity to show a gay parent raising his child as lovingly, and competently, as any other parent. Gone is the talented Guy Wilson, who brought so much emotion into every scene, who made you care even in the moments when Will wasn't at his most likeable. Every way you look at this, it feels like a huge mistake, what an odd and disappointing choice to celebrate the show's legacy by murdering such a significant part of it.

B&B's Pierson Fode definitely has the looks to be a soap star, but this week showed he has the talent, too. Fode's Thomas stood up to his dad this week and it made for some explosive scenes. The dad, Ridge, has always been an arrogant character, but this particular incarnation of him is also pretty much a humorless bully, not to mention a hypocrite, I mean, you can kind of laugh away the cutting things Bill says to his sons, but Ridge, well, sometimes you think somebody should slug the guy, and Thomas actually did. But the punch was actually the least impressive part of the confrontation, Thomas won that round through his truth telling, and his unwillingness to back down, Fode stood tall throughout the scenes, his voice unwavering, he held Thomas's ground, which is not something a lot of actors are capable of doing opposite the powerful force that is Thorsten Kaye, it was awesome to see, and instantly a standard soap triangle became a thousand times more interesting, I can't wait to watch more of this father/son dynamic play out.

Paige's death on Days of Our Lives became all the more regrettable this week as the show finally introduced her dad, Eduardo, and revealed that she's actually Rafe and Gabi's half-sibling. It's tough thinking about all the missed opportunities, where Rafe might have been the great big brother that Paige desperately needed, but there's still a ton of potentially complex story to tell here, with Eduardo having abandoned two families, that's a lot of drama to play out, and so far, it seems they cast the ideal actor for the part. Ordinarily it takes me awhile to warm up to a new character even when they're played by a famous vet, but here, A. Martinez instantly clicked. The scenes with Kassie DePaiva were outstanding, as far as I know, these two have never worked together before, yet they made for perfect scene partners, her anger clashing with his regret, you felt for both of them, and you felt the history between the characters even though this was their first interactions we'd seen, watching them makes the decision to let Kassie go even tougher to swallow. Martinez was equally great opposite Eduardo's long lost kids, hesitant, and muted, not offering up much of a defense to Rafe (Galen Garing maybe the best I've ever seen him), while Eduardo's brief eye contact with Kate suggests this guy isn't quite as defeated as he's making himself out to be, there's definite swagger there, definite power. I've seen A. Martinez on other shows (sadly not his renowned turn on Santa Barbara), but this is the first time it's really hit me what a strong presence he brings, and I'm just hoping Days will make the most of him, they're certainly on a hot streak right now with their storytelling, so fingers-crossed that it continues.

Lately Y&R has been caught up in doppelgangers, business espionage, and Neil's revenge scheme, a dose of Camryn Grimes' down-to-earth Mariah felt really refreshing this week. Soaps are seemingly full of expert seductresses and always amazing sex, so it was fun for once to see the polar opposite, to see something a little closer to reality when Mariah and Kevin took their relationship to the next level and it didn't go as either hoped. Grimes has this great, natural quality to her acting that makes for really winning romantic comedy moments, whether her awkward attempts to pose sexy for Kevin or her discomfort the day after, none of it read as fake or forced, it was just the kind of fun, real scenes too often absent from Y&R recently. If I were Y&R, with a young actress capable of delivering on both drama and humor, I'd give her a much more prominent role.

With J.J. and Eve's affair, followed by Paige's death, the story of this mother and daughter on Days of Our Lives did not go as most viewers probably would have hoped, but throughout there were fine performances from Casey Moss, Kassie DePaiva, and True O'Brien. Poor J.J. is the one who found his first love murdered in the shower stall, and while we haven't yet seen the full extent of his mourning, it's doubtful there will be many more powerful images on any soap this year than those of J.J. embracing Paige's still body in the shower and later having to be pulled away from her. Eve's grief was much more vocal, her conversations with Justin, and especially Marlena, overwhelmed by so much guilt and heartbreak, it was a reminder of what a stunning dramatic actress Kassie DePaiva is, and I think, even if Eve continues her vendetta against Jen, this is a turning point for the actress in the role, from here on out we'll see Eve differently, we'll have a genuine soft spot for her now, as we did back in the Charlotte Ross days. As well-written as the fallout of Paige's death has been so far, and even though I know for the serial killer story to really have an impact, and have meaning for us viewers, some of the deaths need to be characters we care about, still it's sad to see True O'Brian go, she's such a likeable young talent, with tons of potential, the work she did a few months ago during Paige's birthday was particularly memorable, so hopefully she lands somewhere else soon, she'd probably be a really nice fit for an ABC family drama.

While we don't yet know if General Hospital's Morgan will be diagnosed bi-polar, this week Bryan Craig showed he's very much ready for the challenge should GH take the character in that direction. Discovering Denise's true identity, his girlfriend ditching him for cheating with her mom, and his parents suggesting he should get checked out for mental illness, was a lot to throw at a guy over the span of a few days, and Morgan didn't handle any of it with ease, which made for some truly compelling television. Morgan insisted to his parents that he's fine, meantime throughout those scenes his mile-a-minute speech and inability to stand still suggested that beneath the bravado, Morgan was actually spinning out of control, and I thought Bryan Craig did the most amazing job, yet somehow he took it up to yet another level later during his drunken conversation with Sonny, he was just so believable, and so vulnerable, and so worthy of playing opposite the always incredible Maurice Benards, it's acting of the highest quality.

General Hospital's Kin Shriner has been daytime's original Better Call Saul for decades now, and this week at least, those in charge at GH actually remembered the genius they have in their midst. Courtroom stories on soaps tend to be a terrible mix of sleepy and absurd, but not when Scotty's involved. There are few things better than watching Scotty grill someone on the stand, he took such glee in bringing Ava down this week, even though, with his shady nature, that person being brought down could easily be him, yet for that moment he oozed this intense and incredibly entertaining aura of superiority. Over the past few months there's been a lot of oh no, what is GH going to do now that they don't have Luke, the simple answer is, they still have Scotty, they still have Kin Shriner bringing so much personality to the screen, the way he phrases things, the way he always seems like he's cooking up a scheme whether he is or not, he's as interesting and as awesome as he ever was, and it's long overdue to give this actor another full-on storyline of his own, and make sure Lucy's involved, because she shouldn't be stuck on the sidelines either.

Yet another occasion where an actor should be applauded for their strong run on a soap, even though their exit seemed a little off. Yes, Sonny and Will have been experiencing marital problems for awhile now, Will can't be easy to live with at the moment, still, it's tough to buy that Sonny would suddenly decide to move far away from the little girl he loves, and whom, he's arguably more of a devoted father to, than Will is. It would have been nice if Sonny had at least made this decision a week, or even just a few episodes earlier, so we could see him agonize over whether to leave or not, and that way the goodbyes wouldn't have had to be so brief, and all crammed into one episode. Anyways, even if the ending wasn't one to remember, Sonny is, thanks to Freddie Smith. Whether the confident, it's no big deal way Smith played Sonny's sexuality from day one, his support, and longing for Will during Will's coming out, his adorable moments as a step-dad, and the harrowing ones in the fallout of Will's infidelity, Smith may not have had the spotlight to himself a lot, but he stole plenty of scenes with the immense likeability and heart he poured into Sonny, it'll be a joy to see this actor in whatever he chooses to do next.

Days of Our Lives' Brady could easily be the poster boy for unlucky in love, practically every woman he's fallen for has used him or manipulated in some way, he's such a nice guy that it makes him a doormat at times, so it's refreshing whenever he reaches his limit and blows up on somebody. This week, he'd had it with Theresa, well, he's had it with her until he rescues her again, which you know he will, we wouldn't really want that to change too much, on Brady, doormat is endearing, still, it was gratifying to see him have that empowered moment, laying down the law with Theresa, as much as I love her, it is fun to see someone call Theresa on her nonsense, especially when that someone is the person she seems to think she can most easily fool. The other part of it that's gratifying is the opportunity to watch Eric Martsolf play Brady as the aggressor, he's so often the soft, soothing guy, to see him go really intense, and get in somebody's face, it shows off the depth of his ability, he's probably one of the most under-rated actors in daytime.

The Bold and The Beautiful's Karla Mosley filled Friday's episode with emotional ups and downs as her character Maya prepared to walk down the aisle. Maya had moments where she absolutely beamed, so thrilled to be a bride, no different than the brides she admired as a child. She also had a tearful moment where she opted to be the bigger person and forgive Bill for his past ignorance. And, she had a crushing moment at the top of the stairs, just when she'd felt as though she were on top of the world, she overheard her father cruelly admit he hadn't accepted her, he still saw her as a freak. Sometimes, probably in part due to it's half hour length, B&B feels rushed, but this particular episode got the pacing just right, the scenes long enough to really allow Mosley to dig in to what Maya felt, it was a great showcase of what an expressive actress she is, you could have muted the sound and understood what was going on just by watching her face.

While Tony Geary's (possibly) final episode of General Hospital proved disappointing, as what I thought would be an hour solely devoted to Luke, and clips, and his goodbye to Laura wasn't really that, the last shot of him walking into the fog was a pretty great visual note to end on, not to mention the many other hours of entertainment he provided us in the past, most definitely warrant praise. For those who watched at the height of Luke and Laura's fame, it's probably their romance you'll remember most fondly, but for those like myself, who knew him as Bill first, and mostly saw the rocky side of things with Laura, Geary's standout moments weren't his romantic entanglements, they were his characters' struggles with fatherhood, particularly Luke with fathering Lucky, from the cute stuff when Jonathan Jackson was a kid, to the heavier, confrontational moments, the quality of their acting together rivalled anything you'll find in any media. Geary's characters on GH could be really challenging to like at times, and that's why I love him as an actor, he played these guys in such unapologetic fashion, he didn't need you to love Luke or Bill, seemingly all that mattered was keeping them interesting, which, in turn, kept us interested. Lately, cable dramas are being congratulated all over the place for how brave and game-changing they are in featuring anti-heroes, yet Geary has been breaking those same boundaries on daytime for decades, long before it was fashionable he crafted a complex character who isn't all villain or all hero, who has you questioning your morals as you're reluctantly cheering him on in his latest shady scheme. The next time someone's crediting The Sopranos with broadening the possibilities of who and what a central television character can be, just remember Luke actually happened first.

The Bold and The Beautiful provided the shock of the week when they killed off Aly, portrayed by Ashlyn Pearce. Fragile ever since the accidental death of her mom, Aly had been in a good place recently, happy with her boyfriend, and eager to design shoes, but when brash, overtly sexual Steffy took the helm at Forester, not only did it threaten Aly's old-fashioned morals, Steffy's the daughter of the woman who ran over Aly's mom, so it was a one-two punch to Aly's mental health that led to a backfired attempt on Steffy's life, and Aly's eventual death. The thing I don't understand is how it took the other characters so long to figure out just how far gone Aly had become since Ashlyn Pearce did such a great job of showing it, you didn't need to see the crazy photo collection to know something was seriously off, Pearce made Aly visibly shaky, everything about her body language screamed that she was just barely holding on. Aly's dialogue the last few weeks has seemed unnecessary, and borderline overkill, given that the actress has done such a convincing performance physically conveying the distress and unraveling of this girl. Pearce is still very young and growing into her talent so it's sad that we won't be able watch her further progress on B&B, but hopefully Aly's death will at least reverberate through the years as Darla's has, if the day after was any indication, B&B has some strong storytelling in mind, which is a relief to anyone tired of Liam's soppy triangles dominating the soap.

Y&R have struck gold with the pairing of Justin Hartley and Melissa Claire Egan, not only do they share an abundance of chemistry, they share an abundance of talent, too. Usually, those odd moments where characters talk to themselves tend to just be a way to recap the plot, there's generally little need for daily viewers to pay much attention to them, so how refreshing that this time it actually led to something when Chelsea overheard Gabriel admit he's Adam, and, better still, Adam wasn't able to weasel his way out of it by claiming Chelsea had misheard or misunderstood. I thought it was ideal to have Chelsea discover the truth apart from everyone else, leaving her torn between a life with the man she loves, and the life of lies that she wants to leave in her con artist past, the choice gave Melissa Claire Egan such a wealth of emotion to play, something she's so good at it, as evidenced by her silent tear-filled scene on the stairs listening in on Adam's conversation with their son. Melissa's scenes were made even more affecting by her partner's performance, her decision could never have felt so difficult and conflicted if Justin Hartley didn't so perfectly straddle the line between selish jerk and devoted charmer. Y&R may be floundering a bit with some other storylines of late, but at least they have this strong one to keep them afloat in the meantime. Honorable mention also to Y&R's Jessica Collins, her scene in the coffee shop, talking about all the shame connected rape, was just so beautifully played, it's too bad the soap didn't see what a brilliant actress they had in her, it will forever annoy me that she and Gina Tognoni never had the chance to explore their sisterly bond to a greater degree.

Days of Our Lives has the Zander mess. Y&R has the once cunning Victor reliant on hiring doppelgangers every chance he gets. B&B has Liam in vintage form, which is to say, not good. I barely recognize Dante, Liz or Nik on GH, the show apparently doesn't recognize Bill and Holly, and Jake is alive because Luke's free pass on rape wasn't enough, he needed a free pass for drinking and driving, too, and hey, rewriting a social issues story (overturning Erica's landmark abortion) worked out so well for AMC's longevity. Our soaps most questionable choices took up more airtime than they should have this week, undoubtedly they'll all return to the good stuff soon, in the meantime though, since there weren't many stellar performances to choose from this go round, I thought I'd celebrate the one line line of dialogue that truly stood out to me. When B&B's Wyatt, with a pitch perfect level of aggravation, told Liam to pick a lane already, it probably didn't end Liam's wishy-washy love triangle-a-holic ways, but it was at least gratifying to have a show acknowledge how frustrating it can be, as opposed to a soap congratulating itself for finding a convoluted way to erase what had been a compelling, and important plotline.

Like his with sister, Jordan, Days of Our Lives seemingly didn't put a lot of thought into who Ben is, the writers haven't provided Robert Scott Wilson much to work personality-wise, until now. Competing with Chad for Abigail's affection has tripped a switch in Ben, suddenly he's seeming a little more like his nasty father's son, and that's actually a good thing. Ben's always had a temper, but the last time he threw a punch pales in comparison to the simmering volatility Wilson's now bringing to the role, it's like Ben's seething inside and any minute he might explode. With the intensity dialed up, not only does it make Ben a far more interesting and potentially complex character (please, don't one-note villain him, writers), it also gives Robert Scott Wilson the chance to really show us what he can do beyond the nice guy surface, and so far, I'm intrigued.

Y&R’s Jessica Collins stood out above everyone else this week, as Avery quivered in fear of an attack from her ex Joe, and then, subsequently someone did attack her from behind, and rape her. While I’m not necessarily convinced that daytime needed another rape storyline, particularly involving a character who will shortly exit the canvas and therefore this topic won’t even be explored as thoroughly as it warrants, my hesitations regarding this particular sort of storyline shouldn’t stand in the way of acknowledging how convincingly Jessica Collins played her role this week. Whether prior to the rape, when she was such a bundle of raw nerves, jumpy and unraveling, or post-rape, as Avery lay in the hospital bed a shattered shell of the confident lawyer we know, even in moments of stillness, it was physical performance, believable every minute. In her run on the soap, Y&R has rarely made use of what a fine actress Jessica had already proven herself to be on shows like Loving and American Dreams, so it’s great to at least in the end, see her challenged to bring out her best, and hopefully when it’s over, she’ll land a more consistently dynamic role elsewhere.

Even though I know it won't last as for whatever inexplicable reason women find Liam's wishy-washiness so darn hard to resist, it was a thrill to watch Steffy kick him to the curb this week, however temporary it may end up. Jacqueline MacInnes Wood is such a powerful presence, she's made Steffy an alpha girl every bit as in command of any scene as Bill, and the more the show lets her run with that, the better it will be, they'll have at least one female who stands up for herself. I'd love to see Steffy stand her ground further with Liam, push him out of Forrester and focus on becoming a mogul like Bill, sadly though, this was probably just another fleeting show of Steffy and Jacqueline's strength before the writers have her rebounding back and forth between Liam and Wyatt as if there isn't so much more to her than getting a guy.

I can't recall many storylines that have dealt with race on any of the soaps since Terrance on All My Children and David on Guiding Light back in the nineties, so it was great to see General Hospital delve into such meaningful territory this week. College student T.J. was suspected of pulling a credit card scam seemingly due to the color of his skin, when he mentioned he was in hurry to visit a prisoner, the store saw even greater cause to detain him, and T.J., frustrated, and desperate to visit Shawn, ended up shoving a security guard, which landed him in jail. GH is a lot of fun to watch with jokes constantly flying, but it's refreshing to have this story touch on something actually serious and timely, not to mention something that should be addressed in our fictional soap towns given the appalling lack of diversity in their populations, you'd think being black or asian or whatever would lead to a problem like this at some point, so it's a really welcome change for GH to actually acknowlege it. It's also a welcome sight to see Tequan Richmond in a story all his own, he's such a talented actor, as he proved again this week, whether in the cute, earnest way he loves Molly, or his passionate plea for his mom to open her eyes to the racial bias against him. Hopefully this is the start of more screen time for T.J., and more for Molly as well, it's a shame to see two of the best young actors in daytime so rarely have anything of substance to play.

Through the years, Days' Molly Burnett has transformed Melanie from a vapid party girl to one of Salem's more moral citizens, willing to sacrifice her love affair for a child's happiness. It's been a pleasure to watch Melanie grow, and even more of a pleasure to see her not grow boring in the process, not every soap good girl stays as interesting as Melanie has, and that's thanks to Molly Burnett giving Melanie such a big, vulnerable heart. Molly's just crazy good at any kind of emotion, this week alone, without a false note to be found, she warmly accepted Nicole, she dressed down Theresa, and she bid tearful farewell to her family and Brady. While I'd love to see her make another return to Salem someday, at the same time, I hope Molly Burnett finds the wider audience her talent deserves.

If Thursday’s Y&R doesn’t result in an Emmy nomination for Melody Thomas Scott, it will be a shocker. Ordinarily subtle performances appeal more to me, however, that’s not the kind of drunk Nikki is, she doesn’t go all broody and quiet, she gets loud and sloppy, and Melody Thomas Scott totally goes for it. I’ve praised Melody’s lack of vanity in the past, and it’s very much worth mentioning again, it’s not every actress who would agree to disheveled hair, smeared make-up, or even no make-up at all, I love that Melody plays Nikki as messed up on the outside as she is on the inside. It’s easy enough to overlook Scott’s effort level when Nikki’s the sober rich man’s wife with little to do character-wise other than swan around and criticize Sharon, it’s only when Nikki’s in a drunken spiral when you truly notice and appreciate how much Melody Thomas Scott puts into her role, slurring and tripping all over herself, it’s impressive how committed she is to staying in character and really selling it to the viewers.

Maya revealed to Rick that she’s transgender on Monday’s episode of The Bold and The Beautiful, and it was perfect for everything it wasn’t. There weren’t screaming, crying scenes of hysteria that could be mocked on late night talk shows, instead, an actual grown up conversation happened. There wasn’t that inevitable moment where TV tries to teach us something and comes off like the actors are reading from guidance counselor pamphlets, there was no stilted dialogue to be found, just Maya speaking from her heart. Perhaps the most promising thing about this episode was that in this very vulnerable and potentially volatile moment, it felt optimistic and even romantic, if anything, Rick looked at Maya with more love in his eyes as he offered her the same unconditional support she’s shown him for months now. Sure, later on, Rick did not respond in ideal fashion to the world discovering Maya’s secret, and soapiness set in with his subsequent car wreck, and his mess of a mom somehow feeling qualified to dole out love advice, still, it’s so great that Rick and Maya at least had Monday, they had that mature moment of affection and acceptance that maybe gave someone somewhere a little more hope than they had the day before.

General Hospital's Anna and Duke are one of daytime's most beloved supercouples and for the second time, their poor fans have had to say goodbye. While this go round of Duke and Anna wasn't everything it could have been with their relationship more often than not stuck on the backburner, Finola Hughes and Ian Buchanan were, nonetheless, brilliant, and heartbreaking in his death scenes. Even if, like me, you missed out on these two in the eighties, in those moments on the dock, these two actors erased the last couple ho-hum years and made it very apparent that their characters had shared an epic affection for one another. With soaps not exactly forthright these days in regards to who's coming or going or only staying for five minutes, maybe when Finola returns from her three month directorial leave, Duke will magically return from the dead, but for now, it's tough to wrap my head around the idea that a character with Duke's history (that montage was just... wow) is somehow more expendable than the likes of Lulu's newly invented cousin, Franco, Hayden, Phyllis (a.k.a. Nina) and countless others who don't matter half as much to the citizens of Port Charles or, more importantly, to the fans.

General Hospital’s Nurses Ball featured many performances though one was by far the standout when Patrick and his little girl Emma sat side by side with their guitars, and sang a duet called Nothing I Can’t Do, a song, the actor, Jason Thompson impressively wrote. There is something just so genuine and lovely about the rapport between these two actors, you totally buy that they are father and daughter. While I think romance is hugely important on the soaps, and I’m sure Patrick and Sam have their fair share of fans, personally, I’d rather see the show focus on his relationship with his daughter, there’s just something far more compelling about their scenes together. The only conflicts between Patrick and Sam are ones they’re oblivious to - Jason being alive, and Robin held hostage - whereas there’s so much more to play between Patrick and his daughter, so much more emotional fallout from Robin’s abandonment that they haven’t really put on screen, the challenges of a guy raising a girl on his own, and the challenges of that girl seeing her dad with four different women in the past three years, it would be great to see the show explore things like that which are just natural evolutions of the story rather than waste time on meaningless plots like Hayden masquerading as Jake’s wife. When you have such a perfect, natural chemistry between two actors, it should be used to maximum effect.

The soaps had big things happening this week, Days' Kristen fell through a window, Y&R's Billy brought his wedding to a dramatic halt, and GH kicked off their always enjoyable Nurses' Ball, yet it was one small, seemingly throwaway scene on Days of Our Lives that held the most promise. Hope's feisty little girl, Ciara, announced that she didn't need Rafe's help improving her baseball skills because she was so over being a player, she wants to be an umpire. When Rafe mentioned that he's never heard of a female umpire, Ciara was totally undeterred, she cited Title 9 and she has a lawyer lined up, she's ready to fight for what she wants. On soaps we're accustomed to seeing females relentlessly pursue men and little else, so it's kind of awesome to see this young girl intent on smashing the glass ceiling rather than just madly crushing on some boy. Lauren Boles is so great in this role, her Ciara won't let anyone push her around and she's brimming with more confidence than many of our adult soap heroines, she is a joy to watch, and here's hoping that as the character grows up, she doesn't outgrow her belief that she can do anything.

General Hospital's Laura Wright didn't have any big emotional scenes this week, but her character did (hopefully) incite some forward motion in the Jake storyline, which is something of a miracle. Ordinarily Carly's habit of interfering in other people's lives annoys me, especially when you consider what a great actress Laura Wright is and how she really should have stories of her own to play, this Jake thing though has been one convoluted twist after the next, so for once, I welcome Carly's meddling, if it means at some point there will be an end to insulting the viewers, as well as the characters' intelligence. Sure, figuring out Hayden's a con artist isn't the big Jason reveal but at least it's something, and at least it was fun to watch Carly verbally trap Hayden, show some semblance of smarts, and be proactive, which is refreshing when a number of the characters on the canvas have been dumbed down all because the writers want to stretch out a storyline that doesn't have any more stretch left in it. The best thing about soaps is that they have the luxury of time to tell their stories, every soap struggles with just how much time to take though, and occasionally it's too much, something compelling ends up dragging, hopefully though, with Carly at her intrusive best, the return of Jason will finally start picking up steam.

Days of Our Lives' Jen Lilley has followed in the brilliant footsteps of Alison Sweeney and Arianne Zuker in making us adore her character despite Theresa's not so adorable actions. This week Theresa wasn't so much feeling adored as she entered into shouting matches with Nicole and her cousin, Eric, though Theresa's run-in with her ex, Brady, was by far the worst of the bunch, and it gave us Jen Lilley at her very best. Faced with Brady's scorn, Theresa lashed back in full-throttle vixen mode as if she didn't care about his opinions or him. She cares so much though, she didn't want to lose her cousin Eric's friendship, let alone destroy the tenuous bridge she's rebuilt with Brady, but it happened, and to make matters worse, she learned that once upon a time Brady actually loved her, only she'd ruined it. Theresa ran off to cry, but being Theresa, and being played by Jen Lilley it wasn't the standard soppy soap heroine weeping over her regrets on a park bench, it turned into a rant against everyone else, and a refusal to take blame for her own mistakes. A totally vulnerable and sympathetic moment seamlessly twisted into something so self-centred, and it could not have been more entertaining to watch. Theresa is one of those characters we're supposed to love to hate, however, thanks to this actress, Theresa is such a fun, invigorating life force on the show that hating her is out of the question, you just plain love to love her.

Y&R's Noah is protective of his mom, Sharon, and his sister, Summer, and he's had a couple secretive love interests, most recently an undercover cop, however, he's yet to really drive story of his own, therefore, Robert Adamson hasn't had much opportunity to show us what he can do. This week, Noah's would have been bride, the undercover cop, was murdered (well, there was a body, but, it's an untrustworthy storyline from the untrustworthy writer who steered All My Children off the rails, so who knows). For once, instead of being the shoulder Sharon and Summer blubber on, Noah was the one blubbering, he was the one in the spotlight. Much of Noah and Courtney's romance happened off-screen, it's not like the viewers or the actor had a wealth of scenes to reminisce over, the actress was likeable, she just wasn't a big enough presence on the show to really feel her loss, it was on Robert Adamson to convey the loss. It wasn't particularly subtle grief, and it couldn't really be, Adamson had to convince us this was a bigger love than the scattershot way their story had been written, and in the process, he exhibited some real promise in the role. It would be nice to see Y&R build on this to give Noah more depth and show his struggle to pick up the pieces, however, given Y&R's track record of sidelining Noah, and how quickly widow Summer moved on, it's hard to hold out hope.

Deidre Hall may not dominate her soap’s spotlight anymore, but weeks like this where she puts in yet another performance, it demonstrates what a mistake Days has made by sidelining her due to age demos or whatever other inane reason they might have. She is so, so good in this role, it’s because of Deidre Hall that we believe in Marlena’s intelligence and her heart, there’s so much in her delivery and her body language, the way she conveyed her disappointment in Will’s blackmail scheme, it could have been some over the top shouting match or weeping fest, but Deidre Hall is so much more talented than the soap diva label placed upon her. Hall has taken the dreaded soap grandma role and made it one of the most interesting on the show, her interactions with Will are a highlight of any episode thanks to the subtlety and nuance she brings to them. This is an actress still in her prime regardless of the date on her birth certificate, it’s time for Days to take advantage of that and give her a story of her own again, here’s hoping they sent her to NBC Universal’s summer press event, not only because she’s the biggest name on the soap, but because they finally have something bigger in mind for her.

Justin Hartley is the best recasting Y&R has done in years. Unlike far too many other men on the soap, Hartley's natural charisma shines through loud and clear, his personality is so apparent and so abundant tht he livens up every scene, and on a soap that's home to Devon, Dylan, Billy, Stitch, and Joe, livening up is most welcome. But, Hartley isn't just personality plus, he's a genuinely talented actor, he captures every nuance of Adam's complicated psyche, he makes him mean and vindictive, and vulnerable and heartbroken, he was all those things this week as he manipulated Chelsea into reminiscing. While Hartley's easy charm did make the occasional appearance in those scenes, it was his intensity that stole the show, it was his intensity that said this might not look like the Adam we know, but there is no doubt it's him, in all his volatile glory. It was a bit of shock that Justin Hartley, fairly successful in primetime, chose to return to daytime, but Y&R viewers sure are lucky to have him, he makes every episode better, just as he did for Passions.

Days of Our Lives' Will is becoming a lot more like his mom than he would probably care to admit given the way he used to go off on her self-serving behavior. Blackmailing Paul's mom, insecurity over his marriage, casting himself in the role of victim even though he's the adulterer - basically, it's vintage Sami, complete with all the scheming and excuses. Like Alison Sweeney, Guy Wilson manages to play Will in a way where no matter how far over the line he goes, you feel for him more than you hate him, every horrible move he makes is countered by a vulnerable one that adds complexity to his villain role in the triangle with Sonny and Paul. I know there are fans disappointed that Sonny and Will's marriage hit the rocks so soon, they understandably wanted them to stand the test of time in a role-model marriage, think about it through, the only Days' couple living so happily ever after is Doug and Julie, whom we love, but only see at holidays, and who wants that for Sonny and Will?

The Bold and The Beautiful's Katherine Kelly Lang may be one of the most beautiful women in daytime, but she never lets vanity stand in the way of delivering a great performance. B&B is arguably the most glamorous soap, but Brooke's decent into the bottle has been anything but glamorous, Katherine Kelly Lang has let Brooke stumble, slur, and just generally look the mess that she is. It isn't my favorite story in the world to see Brooke become an alcoholic all because she defines herself by men and feels like nothing without one, that said, at least it does show off Katherine Kelly Lang's ability to bring authenticity and reality to a soap that rarely traffics in either of those things. Brooke interacted with several characters this week, even so, it felt as if Katherine Kelly Lang put on an outstanding one-woman show.

Y&R's Summer has been in the same boat as the viewers, blind-sided left and right by her mysterious husband who possibly was murdered, and maybe had a whole other side to him (or an evil twin?) that none of us knew about. While it's not entirely believable to me that Abby would cheat with her niece's husband, that revelation led to Summer blowing up at Abby during the church service, and better still, she confronted her other unfaithful relatives, demanding to know why they cheated, and wondering what's wrong with her, why she wasn't enough for Austin? Hunter King was outstanding in these scenes, boiling over with outrage and hearbreak, her performance managed to be equal parts vulnerability and strength, you felt sorry for Summer, yet at the same time she didn't seem like the fragile dove the other characters view her as, she has some fight in her, and it was riveting to watch.

General Hospital’s Nikolas has been a bit of a mystery of late, is he attempting to bring down his grandmother, has he gone over to the dark side, or is it a little bit of both? Given how the Fluke saga has gone all over the map and back again, massively testing plausibility, Nikolas’s personality swings have me weary, however, this week, he was just right as the concerned dad at his son’s bedside. Tyler Christopher has done a lot of scheming as Nikolas recently, but not so much emoting, so to see him have Nikolas in a full blown panic as he rescued his son from their burning home, and then, the shattered expression on his face in the hospital, the way his voice broke as he spoke with Alexis and Elizabeth, it was great to see this very talented actor once again challenged to take his character to a deep, dark place, because he is so, so good at it. If the producers/writers want Nikolas to break bad or be a secret agent or whatever it is they have in mind, and it means he receives more screen time, I suppose even if it goes way off the rails like Fluke, ultimately I’ll probably be in favor of it since this actor deserves a prominent storyline, but I’ll feel more positive about it if the outlandish twists and turns pause every once in a while for him to play out human moments like this one.

The Young and the Restless had a blockbuster week thanks to everyone behind and in front of the camera, without each at the top of their game they never could have pulled off so many events on a current soap opera budget. The citizens of Genoa City endured a plane crash, a car crash, a fire, a building collapse, a power outage, and a murder, possibly I'm forgetting something, there was that much going on, non-stop intrigue and excitment, and the most impressive part was that we hardly saw any of it. Y&R proved so clever in the way they wrote and edited around unaffordable stunts, they made full use of their sets and their actors to build the illusion that so much more happened than what they actually staged. This was one of my favorite handfuls of Y&R episodes ever, the energy, the always classic bitter rivals rescuing their sworn enemy (Adam & Billy, Victor & Jack) and best of all, a little more hope for the future of daytime dramas, as they showed how smarts and creativity can triumph over dwindling finances.

The saga of Y&R's Neil literally blind to his wife cheating with his son, has been tedious to watch, it put Neil's intelligence into question, and it's not as if Devon and Hilary share an all consuming chemistry that viewers can't get enough of, in fact, many of us have probably had more than enough of them. So, it was a surprise and a relief this week when this story finally took a juicier turn as Neil discovered the truth and his backbone. The decision to have Neil go on the offensive rather than whimper and drink alone was genius. You could tell that Kristoff St. John had fun with Neil's newly empowered/trusts only Nikki persona, and his fun, translated into fun for the viewers. For once, Neil isn't letting anyone trample over him, he's a bit of a wildcard, you don't know quite how he'll respond now, like drinking in front of everyone on the plane, that was a shocker and therefore, fantastic. Neil's the victim, he's the good guy here, but it's great to see the actor and perhaps even more importantly, to see the writers realize that good doesn't have to mean boring.

Days of Our Lives' Christopher Sean has been so fantastic from minute one, but this week, he took it to another level. He plays Paul, a baseball player suffering from a career-ending injury, while pining for lost love Sonny. Paul is fearful of coming out, which is the one thing Sonny asked of him. In one of the most moving, well-written telephone calls ever on daytime, Paul came out to his family. While his mom offered a not so encouraging response, his grandfather embraced the news in the loveliest way, not to mention in Japanese, an outstanding touch from the show, it’s undoubtedly easier to just have everyone speak in English, but Days was clearly intent on getting every moment right and true, and they did. Days may have been the last soap to have a homosexual character, but they’ve arguably done the best job of it, their gay characters are not on the periphery, they’re not just there, they are as woven into the fabric of the canvas as everyone else. Paul, Sonny, and Will, drive story, they love, they have sex, they make mistakes, in other words, they are human and they are treated to boatloads of drama no different than the other characters on the soap, and that should make every Days’ fan proud.

General Hospital's prison break is all kinds of ridiculous, but much like the TV series Prison Break, I'm good with the ridiculous when it's this much fun. Julian, perhaps partially due to the actor's stint on AMC years ago, has yet to become a favorite of mine, however, I'm actually enjoying this team up with Sonny, they're both accustomed to being the boss of everything so it's entertaining to see them forced into co-operation. Adding Franco to the mix, makes it even better, as Sonny always looks this close to strangling Franco and yet that doesn't stop Franco from yapping at him, they're hilarious scene partners, and just might be my new favorite couple. Lastly, speaking of couples, the prison break wasn't just about quips and sketchy alliances, Sonny saved Ava, which was kind of the closest thing to a romantic moment they've ever shared. Sure, there was no celebratory kiss after, just the same old hostility, they're miles from moving beyond her killing Connie and manipuling him into killing AJ, still, if you're over Sonny with Carly and have pined for the powerhouse pairing of Maurice Benard and Maura West ever since she joined the show, that one grudging little rescue scene offers hope that there may be more promising things in store for this duo than random sex on somebody's grave.

Aside from his lovely little romance with Maggie, Days of Our Lives' Victor has not had a whole lot to do in recent years, so it's been very, very welcome to see him once again step to the forefront as one of the shadiest guys in Salem. John Aniston is as brilliant as ever in this role, he is so entertaining, super sweet with Maggie, super threatening with Clyde, it takes serious skills to play both sides of the man with equal believability, plus does anyone anywhere do a snide remark better than Victor? I'm also loving that Victor has sort of taken Rafe under his wing, not that Rafe has crossed any criminal lines yet, but he's suddenly so much more interesting just for sharing scenes with John Aniston, just as Days is always so much more interesting the more they give Victor to do.

Many, many villains have returned to General Hospital over the past year (some might say too many) but, by far, the one with the most potential is Johnny. Unlike the other villains roaming the dark alleys of Port Charles, Johnny isn't over the top, he won't freeze the world anytime soon, and to my recollection, he's never risen from the dead, in other words, he's human, his missteps actually cost him, and he's so, so cocky, yet without Helena's convenient bag of tricks to back of his cockiness, which makes him ten times more interesting. Brandon Barash seems reinvigorated in his role, I love the glee apparent in every scene whether he's delivering threats, sarcasm or flirtation. I remember enjoying Johnny from the start, he was broody and dangerous, but I don't recall him ever being as much fun as he is now, and if he brings the woefully underused Lulu and Dante along for the ride, it's all the better.

The Bold and The Beautiful’s Rick and Caroline have been off-and-on together for awhile now, they even married, yet this week’s confrontational scenes marked one of the few times I’ve truly bought them as a couple. For all the half-naked, seduction moment Rick and Caroline have shared, their relationship has never been as passionate, or as convincing as it is now they’re going round and round throwing blame at one another for the destruction of their marriage. For the first time watching Caroline and Rick doesn’t feel like the equivalent of watching paint dry, the writers have given Jacob Young and Linsey Godfrey the opportunity to rage, and be combative and emotional with one another. Rick’s silent, stoic tears, and Caroline’s fiery frustration are just further proof that unhappy soap couples are so much more entertaining than the happy ones.

General Hospital rang in the New Year better than anyone else, the dresses, the kisses, Billy Miller's puppy dog eyes, they just thoroughly entertained. Nathan and Maxie's struggle to reach each other by midnight may have required some suspension of disbelief over the travel times, but romantic comedy-wise, it was magic, not to mention Maxie wore the most perfect blue dress ever. The mismatched couples were great fun, too, Duke and Lucy, Anna and the agent out to bring her down, and Julian and Olivia. I'm not sure I'd actually want any of them to end up together, but it presented some interesting possibilities along with some burning jealousy - a soap staple that never bores. Speaking of never boring, those puppy dog eyes of Billy Miller's, mentioned earlier, they will sell him as Jason faster than any bit of dialogue or story, when you see him loving Liz across the room, you can't help loving the guy in return, and all Y&R fans know that Billy Miller can turn that boyish intensity on with any female co-star, so even beyond Liz, there's all sorts of exciting options for the character, and there's no stronger or more welcome start to a new year than for viewers to feel excited for what's to come.

Every soap offered up their share of sweet holiday moments, but perhaps the best Christmas gift of all was given to fans of Days of Our Lives' John and Marlena. For so long now, there has been little hope for one of the biggest supercouples of all time. It's a necessary thing to break up happy couples on TV, that's what creates the drama and keeps us tuning in, but unlike other busted couples where the writers keep the fires burning and the fans contented through the occasional spark-filled encounter or eyes connecting across a room, Days gave John and Marlena fans pretty much zip to pine over, it's been a huge oversight, that maybe, finally, might be on its way to corrected. While some other Days' couples rate a bit higher in my heart, I appreciate how much of the show's longevity is owed to John and Marlena, and the chemistry for these two is clearly as strong as it ever was, when John walked in the room on Christmas day, both actors lit up, the prospect of a little happiness or perhaps even an actual nuanced story together, obviously means as much to them as it does to their fans. Yeah, we all enjoy young and pretty, but maturity is interesting, too, maybe more so, since it's so rarely shown on TV. Deidre Hall is right up there with Susan Lucci in legend status, and she's such an awesome team player, singing Days' praises in every single interview regardless of how sadly little airtime she now receives, so it's heartening to think that her loyalty and her selflessness may finally pay off in the form of Drake Hogestyn's John moving back to Salem, by now no one's expecting front-burner storylines, but some stolen moments would sure be a nice reward for these actors and their fans.

Things like paralysis or blindness don’t tend to play that well on soaps, probably because we know the person will inevitably walk or see again, so it’s not as tension-filled as it would be in actual life, and it’s made even worse when it’s used as a plot device such as Y&R literally making Neil blind to his wife cheating on him with his son. The story feels forced and it makes Neil, a sophisticated, successful businessman look like an idiot. However, Kristoff St. John has done a really solid job of conveying Neil’s frustrations, particularly this week as he struggled to read a Braille storybook. It was as real as this story has been and far less insulting to the blind than Devon carrying on right under Neil’s nose. I don’t know about other viewers, but I love the quiet moments that soaps for whatever reason are less inclined to use these days even though they always prove affecting and memorable, Neil resting his head on Lily’s shoulder was an indelible image, easily one of the loveliest of Y&R’s year.

With Y&R's Phyllis jumping from a year long coma to instantaneous good health, it was a legit worry that poorly thought out writing would derail Gina Tognoni's considerable talents much the way Y&R squandered Maura West a few years back. Fortunately, this week the writing for Phyllis turned a corner into something dynamic and worthy of the actress. In Thursday's episode, Phyllis confronted Jack about his relationship with Kelly and it was amazing stuff, the hurt and anger and sense of betrayal flew out of her, smacking down every attempt Jack made to justify his actions. This was an actress taking ownership of her role and it was thrilling to watch the kind of scenes that should win Emmys.

Molly Burnett brings the best energy to Days of Our Lives, any fans of General Hospital’s Maxie would appreciate her, it’s that same feeling, where the actress makes the character seem really alive and vibrant whether she’s playing drama or comedy. Melanie is such a joy to watch, there’s never a dull moment with this girl, she’s romantic comedy awkward, she’s fidgety since she’s yet again gotten herself into a bit of trouble that she’s trying to keep secret, and as always, her heart just pours out of her. Not only is Molly outstanding in the role, Melanie is such a vital part of the show, she’s the devoted best friend that Brady desperately needs, she’s a gal pal for Abby, she means more screen time for the always lovely Maggie, she has chemistry with pretty much every guy under thirty so there’s romance potential, and most importantly, around Mel, her dad Daniel actually seems as smart as a doctor should be, instead of coming off as a moron as he so often does with other scheming females on the show, at least with Melanie, he’s more attuned, he hasn’t figured her out yet, but he is aware something’s off, and an aware Daniel is much more pleasing to watch than a clueless Daniel. It’s tough to fill that Sami and EJ sized hole on Days, but Melanie’s a really good start, she’s lively, and she gels with everyone in Salem.

With a shortened week due to Thanksgiving, there wasn't as much time for drama as usual on the soaps, some comedic bits stood out instead, none more so than General Hospital's Spencer, dressed as a pilgrim, and being ever the little dictator at his family's festivities. This child is unbelievably funny, his comic timing right up there with actors three times his age, he's just endlessly impressive. If networks were smart, they'd use soaps like farm systems in sports and keep an eye out for talent to promote into their primetime rosters. ABC has a gem right under their noses, they should be developing a sitcom for Nicolas Bechtel, but sadly, the networks pay zero attention to their soaps even though they're a potential goldmine.

The Bold and The Beautiful has a number of characters who, at times, come off as doormats, so it's always exhilerating to watch Bill in action. Yes, in actual life, chauvinism, bossiness, and machismo aren't particularly charming, but in the fictional world of Bill, it's tons of fun, especially when he gets up in Ridge's smug face. Don Diamont is so great in this role, pompous and alpha masculine, Bill would be obnoxious if he wasn't so entertaining. It's puzzling as to why Diamont's mostly been sidelined in Brooke's absence when the guy has such a commanding screen presence, he should be mixing it up with the other actors all the time, not just when Katie and Caroline prove maddeningly incapable of defending their own honor.

Days of Our Lives Daniel Cosgrove could easily coast on his dimples and his sense of humor, yet whenever the time comes for him to step up and get serious in a role, he’s totally there, and impressive. This week, when Hope discovered that Aiden was a suspect in his wife’s death, Cosgrove played out this amazing confessional, explaining how his alcoholic wife killed herself right in front of him so that she might frame him for her murder. Choked up, anguished, and as emotional as we’ve ever seen Aiden, Cosgrove did a brilliant job of with his play-by-play monologue, making you feel like you were right there with Aiden during his wife’s horrifying death, he had me as convinced as Hope, and yet at the same time I don’t trust him, which I love. As any fans of Days’ ex EJ, or GH’s Sonny can attest, there’s nothing more interesting on a soap than a hero with a murky side, and it’s even better still when that murky hero is portrayed by an actor at the top of his craft.

General Hospital's Chad Duell hasn't had much emotional stuff to play since AJ's death months ago, so it was really great to see him in the middle of things again as Michael learned some extremely painful truths. When Franco dropped the double bomb about crypt sex and Sonny murdering AJ, the horror and hurt in Michael's eyes - just that look alone - was award worthy, then he confronts his mom, Carly, he lashes out at her lies and it seemed like Duell was at his dramatic best, but holding Sonny at gunpoint proved even better, Michael was kind of unhinged, yet fiercely in control all at once, a really interesting position for one of the show's true good guys to be in. General Hospital is in a pretty up and down place with the psychos running rampant, but when they do remember that first and foremost they are a drama, that violence does have consequences, it scars physically and emotionally, that's when this soap is really compelling.

Sami may not have exited Days of Our Lives with the fireworks we enjoy from the character, but at least it left the door open for a 50th Anniversary visit next year, and it provided an opportunity to walk down memory lane through Sami’s series of goodbyes, plus, Sami hugged Kate, which is pretty much as landmark as things get. While I would have loved to have seen Thursday’s entire episode devoted to Sami and loaded with clips, throughout the last week or so, Days managed to touch on pretty much every Sami era, which could not have been easy given the breadth of work Alison Sweeney’s done on the show, but they managed to offer up a little something to please everyone, as a Lucas fan, his day with her was particularly rewarding. It’s going to be interesting to see which actors Days turns to in order to fill Sweeney’s considerable shoes, not only was she a master of drama and tears, she’s gifted with the funny stuff as well, just check out her scenes with her mini-me cousin, Ciara. As sad as it was to say goodbye to one of the most complicated and complex heroines/vixens ever, we should all count our lucky stars that we were fortunate enough to watch Alison Sweeney on a daily basis for as long as we did, whether Sami was selling Belle on the black market, snipping at Nicole, sitting on death row, food-fighting with Lucas, losing a loved one, or disastrously scheming against her enemies including hubby EJ, every single scenario, no matter how crazy or heartbreaking, Sweeney always played it with maximum heart and effort, you could tell she’d been a fan of the show and she respected the viewer’s investment, Sami was as entertaining as you’ll find in any medium.

General Hospital's Olivia is often relegated to the background, she's had few stories to herself since she started on the soap, so it's a treat when a week like this one happens and Lisa LoCicero's talents have a greater opportunity to shine. Sonny and Carly are such big, forceful personalities that sometimes it's as if they steamroll over other characters, but that's never the case opposite Olivia, the actress infuses Olivia with such a strong sense of self, she gets right up in Sonny and Carly's faces without hesitation, it's a pleasure to see a female character who isn't fearless because she's psychotic, she just isn't weak. Yet in admitting her feelings for Ned to Dante, and working up the courage to tell him, you see this great vulnerable side to her as well, combining those insecurities with a backbone make for a heroine you can't help rooting for, and you also can't help hoping that someday, whether it's a full-on romance with Ned, or something all on her own, she'll have a more expansive story to play out.

Soap kids are often ushered into another room, barely seen or heard, every once in awhile though there are child actors capable of handling more dialogue, who don't come off as the least bit wooden, and they really enhance the show, it adds reality to actually deal with a kid rather then send them off with the maid, and Days Of Our Lives really lucked out in that department when they found the little guy playing Johnny. Alison Sweeney did an outstanding job all week as Sami grieved for EJ, but it was all the more affecting to have those moments with Johnny, when you see her little boy grieving beside her, blaming himself because he failed to pass on a lucky charm to his dad. This kid, like Days' Ciara and GH's Spencer, is a natural, believable from day one, and it's a shame he has to be written off due to Sami and EJ's exits, it would have been fun to watch him grow up in the role, and see his talent mature along with him, but maybe he'll be back someday along with Sami and EJ, we can always hope.

Can't say I'm convinced that I'll never see Days of Our Lives' EJ alive again, he is a DiMera, and Abe did initially have an odd look on his face at the crime scene (like maybe the whole thing was staged for witness protection?), but Alison Sweeney and James Scott sure made the death scene and the morgue convincing. These two are just so good, and I've praised them so often over the years, that it's hard to find new ways to convey their greatness, him bleeding out in her arms, struggling to speak, longing to stay, her begging him to live, it was all the drama and emotion we could possibly hope for in our last hours (for now) with these characters. We've all been so lucky to have watched these two in these roles for as long as we have, to see them play every single scene with such heart and conviction, whatever way they leave the canvas, it's going to be a tough goodbye, we'll just all have to hope it isn't forever.

The Bold and The Beautiful is once again mired in Hope and Liam drama, and as much as I do like the actors, their story is as tiresome as ever, so it was a joy to have comedian Fred Willard liven things up this week in a guest role. After all of Hope and Liam's moping and blaming others for their rash life decisions, it was such a treat to watch Eric's brother, John, full of bluster and flirty with Pam, while his portrayer elicited laughs with his impeccable timing. Fred Willard is so much fun, more please!

Days Of Our Lives used to be one of the craziest soaps with demon possession, people buried alive, and teenage "aliens", just to name a few of the flights of fancy they’ve taken, so it’s been interesting to see them step back over the last couple years and bring some down-to-earth family drama back into the mix like they did this week with Hope and Caroline. Hope’s been stuck in limbo for so long waiting for Bo to come home, it’s only recently that she’s decided to move on and have an actual life without him. I love that despite all the sparks flying between Hope and Aiden, Hope isn’t rushing full speed ahead into this relationship as seems to be the current fast-forward mode of too many soap romances, it’s true to her kind, considerate nature that Hope would explain her intentions to her mother-in-law, Caroline before she goes on her first date with Aiden. Kristian Alfonso and Peggy McCay were so great in these scenes, with Hope trying to be so delicate, wanting to be honest about what she needs, yet respectful, and Caroline, who does adore Hope like a daughter, yet she loves her boy even more, and wants to protect him. I felt like it was the perfect representation of the fans, those of us who feel like Hope deserves to have a storyline of her own, as well as those still pining away for Bo. It’s a tough situation when a show is missing one half of a massive supercouple, but I think by taking it slowly and thoughtfully, Days might find a way to satisfy all the viewers.

General's Hospital's throwback to their eighties adventurous side isn't necessarily every viewer's cup of tea, at the moment there are so many psychopaths (Sabrina now, too? Seriously?) running around Port Chuck that it seems like a clown car full of them, luckily, though, for the rest of us who prefer character driven stuff, there's Maxie and Nathan. Sure, they're mixed up in the craziness, but at least they've had some time-outs to savor. Normally actor of the week is about great comic timing or dramatic chops, this time it's just plain adorability, how sweet and purely heroic Nathan is, what an endearing little mess Maxie is, and how together, they're just about the most charming thing General Hospital has done in a long while, they're renewing my faith in soaps' ability to create romances you root for, the kind that made us fall in love with daytime television, and keeps us devoted even through the over-the-top nonsense.

Malcolm's short-lived return to YR wasn't a huge gamechanger, it was mostly just a frank conversation Neil very much needed and only his brother could provide, still, it proved a standout for a couple reasons. First off, it was fun to see how far Shemar Moore has come as an actor, from the flashbacks of his early days where he clearly put his all into it but struggled to come off as natural, to now, where he's this confident, relaxed presence. Secondly, Shemar has such a positive, praising attitude towards his soap past and that should be celebrated given how so many others are inclined to criticize because criticizing is what the cool kids do. A few months ago during an interview with Alison Sweeney, Kathie Lee congratulated Sweeney for leaving Days and took a swipe at Susan Lucci for staying so long at AMC, meantime, we've all seen former soap stars on late-night talk shows where clips of their soap days are presented solely for mocking purposes. Even Kelly Ripa, who credits AMC for the wonderful life it led her to, and who's always complimentary towards her former co-stars, often makes a joke of her old show, focusing on (and exaggerating, never mind taking out of context) the more outlandish plotlines while failing to mention all the social issues AMC tackled while other mediums remained afraid to touch them. So, when you have actors like Nathan Fillion and Shemar, always with kind things to say, always standing up for the genre, it's a rare stanse and one that should be applauded. Soaps deserve respect even if sometimes the directions they take temporarily disappoint us, it's amazing how much content they put on the air every single year, look at what a struggle it is for a primetime series to be consistently good 22 episodes a year, for say, six years, and then think about how much more work and how much more challenging it is to keep a soap going, the people responsible for these shows shouldn't be shamed for their hard work, nor should their fans be shamed for appreciating that work.

Sure, it would be nice to see Eric and Nicole happy together on Days of Our Lives, but actor Greg Vaughan benefits from all the unhappiness. Eric's not only tormented by the horrifying crime Kristen committed against him, he also has to live with the additional betrayal from Nicole, the woman he can't help loving no matter how much he wants to hate her. Greg Vaughan never lets you forget that Eric is feeling all these things, he's suffering through them. He's truly intense in every scene, he gives Eric an interesting edge which you don't often find in good guy characters. Is it frustrating that he can't forgive Nicole yet? Yeah, but it's never boring.

While I prefer my soap villains more complex with actual emotional reasons driving their devious actions, Y&R clearly likes them straight up psycho and by that criteria, Ray Wise is definitely getting the job done. There’s no doubt in my mind that this actor is capable of crafting a more multi-dimensional villain, still, even without that assist from the writing, at least Ian Ward has a personality and that’s thanks to how Ray Wise plays him. Billy, Stitch, Tyler, Dylan, the list goes on and on of guys wandering around Genoa City these days with no distinguishable characteristics, it’s bordering on Bland City at this point, so even though Ian isn’t a well-rounded character, at least Ray Wise gives his slippery eel of a villain a delusional glint in his eye, his scenes are lively, which is more than can be said for most of Y&R’s heroes at the moment.

Days of Our Lives' Will is sweet with Sonny, though he's even better when he clashes with EJ, confesses to his grandma, and lets his Sami side slip out, so this week has been a particularly great one for the character. It was fun seeing Will be sanctimonious with EJ, vehement that he'd done the right thing by exposing the affair and his mom, only for Will to later admit to Marlena that the article has been more self-serving than he'd let on, he wanted to be published, he wanted accolades. It was such a Sami situation, the self-righteousness and selfishness followed by the vulnerability. Will is clearly Sami's boy, never has that been more apparent than when he compalined that no one congratulated him on his success, in vintage it's all about me Sami mode, he didn't grasp that throwing family under the bus isn't cause for celebration. I've liked Guy Wilson's Will from the start, but it's moments like this when likeability is put to the test that you really appreciate an actor's ability, when he's so entertaining that he can take the character anywhere, even someplace not entirely nice and you're just happy to go along for the ride.

Another World’s Carl Hutchins was one of the all-time great characters in daytime TV history. Charles Keating made Carl elegant, Shakespearean, and undoubtedly lethal. Carl was evil, he took advantage of a young Lorna, he plotted, murdered, kidnapped, tortured and tormented, and yet he was also a loving dad, and half of a surprisingly romantic pair. With all the bad blood between them, the relationship with Rachel never should have worked, not for a second, but Charles Keating was such a skilled actor, so capable of mining Carl’s complexities that by the end he was believably both the villain and the hero. When you then think Charles Keating also went on to a salty, comedic guest spot as an artist on Sex and the City, you further realize what range he had and what a privilege it was to have watched someone so very talented. If you never saw Charles Keating act, do seek out some of his work, pretty much any moment between criminal Carl and his cop son, Ryan, would be an excellent place to start, no matter how small the scenes, their interactions were always powerful.

It seems like only a few weeks ago that I singled out Alison Sweeney, but since this is her last year (for now), why not celebrate her every chance we get, especially when she delivers like she did this week on Days. Sami tormented Adrienne with the possibility that her husband cheated on her. It wasn't just classic vindictive Sami, it was also classic delusional Sami in that she thought this would make Adrienne understand what she was going through and win Adrienne over to her side. Only Sami would think deception would turn someone into her new bestie, and only Alison Sweeney could pull off such a nasty scene in a way that didn't leave you hating Sami. Sami's delusions didn't end there, next she moved on to Rafe, assuming that since she's free, naturally, Rafe wants her back. It was such an arrogant thing, and again, only Alison Sweeney could steer her character through a moment like that, and come through it as oddly likeable as ever. Alison Sweeney's been very successful as a host, but I hope that doesn't end up taking total priority in her career, she's such a talent, it would be a shame if she wasn't acting on a regular basis.

General Hospital's Spencer and Josslyn are two of their soap's brightest lights. The little guy playing Spencer has better timing than half the primetime sitcom line-up, and the young girl who's taken over as Josslyn holds her own comedically opposite Roger Howarth, how impressive is that? Yes, Spencer's ability to run away for such a lengthy period doesn't say good things about the PCPD's smarts, or the town's parents for that matter, Nik never checked his son's friend's homes? Carly, who's all up in her grown boys' bedrooms never sets foot in her little one's room? You'd think with a kid missing, she'd be more vigilant. So yeah, dramatically, the writing's a bit questionable, but these two kids are so entertaining just eating cereal that it would kind of be a shame if logic got in the way of the fun.

Y&R's Melody Thomas Scott does great diva, the bombshell blonde hair, the fashion, the clashes with Sharon and Christine, but she's at her strongest whenever the trappings are stripped away. It would be understandable if after all the years of glam she didn't want to be seen any other way, but refreshingly, Melody has never let vanity stand in the way of the story, we've seen her makeup run or her face bare, she shoots for authenticity above all else. When Nikki took the stand this week, the actress could easily have gone the stoic route, kept her chin stiff, glared at her tormenter to infer he no longer had the power to hurt her, and it would have been good, believable stuff, but it was even better to watch Melody let the hurt show. She trembled, she broke down at times, it wasn't pretty, it was just plain human, it, more than the shiny jewels or fancy heels, epitomizes why fans root for Nikki.

General Hospital may not have made the most of Rafe’s life, his death, however, featured some inspired performances (well, except from Rafe himself, stuck motionless in bed). The scenes required several actors to occupy one small hospital room, meaning most were on camera even when it wasn’t their "moment" and all of them did a spectacular job whether in the foreground or the background. As Silas said a regretful goodbye to the nephew he’d barely known, Sam stood off to the side, so overcome that at times, she had to look away. Molly’s outstanding, teary offering of A Streetcar Named Desire was made all the more poignant by having TJ nearby, Rafe was his rival, but he was also just a boy TJ’s age, not to mention that the loss of that boy was breaking Molly’s heart, and you could see all of that reflected on TJ’s face. Perhaps best of all, was when Silas took a seat on the edge of the bed, with a tear running down his cheek, and Kiki wrapped her arms around him from behind, that was the first moment where I’ve really been convinced that they’re father and daughter, hopefully, the show plans on building that connection further, as her relationships with her parents are thus far more compelling than her romantic ones.

If Days of Our Lives' Alison Sweeney has to leave, at least her final year has Sami far from going out with a whimper. The reason I love Sami with EJ is the same reason I loved her with Lucas, he brings out the worst in her which is her most entertaining state, the fiery temper, the confrontations, and the scheming. What makes Sami one of the all-time soap greats is that she's never been stuck with the sweetheart label, when she's wronged, she never just takes it, she fights back and Alison Sweeney is never better than in those moments. Hopefully General Hospital's writing team watches Days and notes how satisfying it is for the female not to be the desperate for love, duped one, and instead, be the victorious one who turns the tables, Tracy and Alexis deserve all the dignity that Sami's regained in recent weeks.

General Hospital’s Rafe has the misfortune of living in a very populated town, like so many other residents of Port Charles he fades into the crowd for long periods of time, which unfortunately means that even though the actor’s been around for a while, we haven’t really had many opportunities to know how good he might be, or to really care about his character. Rafe’s had a couple bonding scenes with Sam, hardly any with Silas, and quality time with his crush Molly pretty quickly devolved into sporadic scenes as well, other than the death of his mom happening just minutes into his run on the show (such a waste killing off Alison), Jimmy Deshler hasn’t really been given anything challenging, until now. This week, Rafe had guilt and panic crushing down on him as his crazy Aunt Nina (or, you know, call her Phyllis, since that’s who she totally is) blackmailed him and the entire town found out that he caused the accident that killed baby Gabriel, only it turns out, it wasn’t an accident, someone ordered him to do it. Unlike faking a relationship mostly off-screen to make Molly jealous, this is an interesting story, it’s layered and has consequences and best of all, it shows that this young guy has some acting abilities, Rafe has been a believable nervous wreck, clearly shaken to his core by what he‘d done. Since it doesn’t seem like GH will pare down their cast anytime soon, which yeah, would mean some tough decisions, at least if you’re going to have so many people sitting on the bench, all I ask is that when they do get in the game, they’re given something meaty like this to play so it’s rewarding for the actor as well as the viewer.

Father Todd sat by his brother Paul's hospital bed this week on Y&R and of all the drama swirling around the gunshot wound, Dylan being Paul's son, etc, it was this quiet moment between two brothers that made for the most compelling material. When Father Todd reminisced with an unconscious Paul about their childhood, Corbin Bernsen told the story in such a warm, natural manner that even though we didn't watch these two grow up together, it felt totally authentic, like they hadn't just become TV brothers in recent years. We've all shuddered as guest stars play things broad because that's the soap stereotype, I love that Corbin never goes there, despite his primetime success he clearly respects his mom's work and the daytime fans, he's as real with Father Todd as he has been with any other character. After the loss of Katherine, Y&R doesn't really have that great voice of reason to act as a sounding board for the many misguided folks in Genoa City, it would be such a welcome thing if Corbin filled that role just a little bit by popping in every now and then for a chat with someone who needs it, rather than just when Paul's in crisis.

General Hospital's Maxie is one of daytime's most notorious liars, yet it's her honest moments and the way Kirsten Storms plays them that makes her even more compelling. Just when it seemed as if Maxie might fall back into her old fibbing ways and let someone else pay the price for her actions, she stood up in court and refused to let Nathan endanger his career. Maxie, herself, as well as many characters around her, often accuse her of selfishness, but Kirsten Storms has created a more complex character than that, someone who makes bad decisions out of fear, and so it's always her finest moment when she works up her courage to speak the truth as she did in the courtroom. Maxie's confession, her worry that she wouldn't be a good mom combined with her desire to try was sad and heartfelt and everything drama at any hour off the day or night should aspire to be.

It's a shame that Days' Camilla Banus and Y&R's David Tom are exiting just when they're hitting their stride. There was a time when I would have happily watched Gabi be carted off to prison, but ever since Camilla Banus was paired up with Blake Barris, her abilities have grown along with the character. Both the actress and the writers have combined to make Gabi a needy, complicated person, as opposed to the one-dimensional whiny good girl who goes bad just because the script tells her to, these days there's more depth to Gabi, her emotional goodbyes were the best she's been yet. As sad as it was to see her go, it's sadder still to lose Y&R's David Tom for superficial reasons. He never played a scene opposite Delia, yet Billy's connection to his little girl, his heartbreak over his first Father's Day without her, couldn't have been more apparent thanks to David's acting abilities. And, he didn't just do drama well this week, Billy was playful with his little boy, he was full of longing in his scenes with Victoria, and he sparked with Chelsea. I'm a firm believer that David Tom and Melissa Claire Egan would have become a supercouple, yet for some reason his ability to match up physically with Kelly was somehow of paramount importance even though Kelly's in a relationship with Jack now (btw, their love of classical music is every bit as snoozy and gag-worthy as Victor and Sabrina's art-based romance was a few years ago). It's absurd in a youth obsessed industry to see someone lose their job for looking young, but evidently that was the case here, it makes you wonder about Gina Tognoni's longevity at Y&R, given that her Phyllis will look younger than Jack and Kelly, she could easily pass for Peter Bergman's daughter. Hopefully David Tom's talent - the thing that actually matters - will be appreciated elsewhere. He'd be great as Tracy's son Dillon on GH, Chad DiMera on Days, or CJ on B&B reviving his mom Sally's company and the rivalry with Forrester. Basically, I just want to see this actor working, he deserves it.

The craziness on The Bold and The Beautiful must be applauded. With GH's Patrick and Sabrina losing their baby boy, and Gabi's tearful murder confession on Days, those soaps easily had the finest performances of the week, but B&B were the ones who gave me something I've never seen before, and every longtime soap fan knows how rare that is. There I was thinking it would be the typical wedding busted at the altar, always enjoyable yet dime a dozen in soapland, and the same with Ridge "kidnapping" the bride, however, the next thing I knew, Bill had ordered the pilot to tip the helicopter sideaways and toss Ridge overboard. It may not have required much in the way of acting skills, but Ridge's plunge into the gulf rates as one of the most insane and shocking twists ever, and therefore, one of the best.

One of the most rewarding aspects of the brief All My Children revival was the return of Billy Clyde Tuggle. Southern fried pimp Billy Clyde was an awful, awful man, watching as a kid, he totally creeped me out, and as an adult, I was in awe of this actor creating such a one of a kind character, nasty, conniving, and seriously funny, with such a twisted heart beating beneath his crazy wardrobe. Matthew Cowles passed away last week, and even though he played this nightmare of a guy, he was just so good and so unique in the role that regardless of how much he tortured our Pine Valley favorites, every AMC fan out there will always think of Matthew and his Billy Clyde with fondness in our hearts.

The Return of Spinelli! I know there are General Hospital viewers out there who are more than happy that this is just a brief return, they aren’t fans of his, they find his speech patterns off-putting and irritating or they prefer their soap guys as traditional as can be, but those are the exact reasons the rest of us have missed him, he’s something different, he’s the best of what GH is currently trying to do, which is mix a heavy helping of humor into the drama. Bradford Anderson puts so much heart into Spinelli, he makes him such a believable goofball, and yet there’s no doubting Spinelli’s a great dad, too. Even though we’ve barely seen him with Georgie, Anderson, talent that he is, needed only one scene to convey what a good father Spinelli is, when he told Carly he hasn’t worked outside the home much in the past six months, he’s been staying with the baby, I love that Spinelli isn’t the traditional guy who would feel embarrassed or ashamed by that, he said it with beaming pride and joy, that is what’s always been so great about the character, he wears his heart on his sleeve no matter what, and sometimes that’s a nice change of pace from all the cool alpha males strutting around daytime.

General Hospital's Nurses Ball as usual had just the right mix of humor, music and drama. While I'm still unsure whether the Blackie Parrish mention was a nod to nostaligia or a dig at John Stamos, other classic characters did have their moment in the sun. With Lucy and Scotty's affair exposed on stage, it was played for both laughs and tears, reigniting Lucy's old feud with Bobbie, and reminding viewers what strong friendships Mac/Kevin and Lucy/Felicia had once upon a time. As for the newbies, it doesn't get much better than Brad serenading Lucas, Brad is kind of a jerk at times and yet you can't help but love the guy. Almost as fun was watching Brad's best friend Britt be just about the only one loving his song, and Spencer bringing in Player to perform for Emma, everything that kid does is brilliant, plus, it was great to see Ron Moss again, if only for a few minutes. Lastly, it was a nice touch to end it with Epiphany's song carrying over to the hospital with Patrick and Sabrina singing for their baby boy, if anything will believably move their love story past Patrick having clearly chosen Robin over Sabrina, it'll be little intimate bonding moments like that one.

Y&R’s Jill is conniving and every bit the power monger that Victor is, so it’s been kind of disheartening to watch her have the wool pulled over her eyes by Colin. Yeah, Colin is appealing, he has that bad boy rascally charm, and I’m all for Jill having a romance with him, but not one where she totally lets down her guard and trusts the guy, that’s not the smart, suspicious woman we know her to be. It was a relief this week to see her catch on to him. Not only was it great to see Jill’s gooey side disappear and her backbone emerge; Jess Walton was clearly having fun turning the tables on Colin, and given how many snoozy storylines Y&R currently has going on, it was a pleasure to see one of the actors genuinely enjoying themselves. Sure, it makes for a more challenging story to write if the person being duped figures it out, but it’s ever so much better to watch than the stripping away of someone’s dignity which is what’s happening over at GH with Tracy, it’s nauseating to see such a strong woman look so weak over a man, and even worse to hear those in charge at GH explain it away by basically saying well, she’s in love… Are the many female GH fans just supposed to be cool with the idea of a woman being so desperate for companionship that it makes her dumb? Yeah, no thanks, I’ll take Jill chloroforming Colin any day over that.

General Hopsital may have dropped the ball on exploring AJ and Michael's father/son dynamic, but they're making up for it with Sonny and Morgan. While Sonny and Ava having sex struck me as absurd on a number of levels - from the location to Sonny's sketchy motivation to vixen Ava being that insecure over a hug - it did lead to what is fast becoming some of the GH scenes I most anticipate, wherein Sonny and Morgan explode on one another. It's such an interesting relationship, the total opposite of how we've seen Sonny be a dad to Michael all these years, with Morgan it's volatile, their years apart realistically show; there's little of the softness and mutual reverence that's always there with golden boy Michael. If Sonny had cheated with Michael's girl, he would have pleaded for forgiveness, with Morgan it fast turned into a screaming match, and it was so great. Whenever these two actors face off in a scene, it's incredibly intense, and it is just so impressive to watch Bryan Craig go up against Maurice Benard and not be crushed by his greatness.

The "it was only a dream" thing has annoyed television viewers since Bobby walked out of the shower alive and well on Dallas, so it wasn’t exactly a thrill to figure out part way through Monday’s otherwise excellent episode of Days, that they were duping us, still, Alison Sweeney and James Scott were undeniably amazing. The current soap model seems to be all about quick cuts, scenes that are more like an exchange of sound-bites rather than real people talking. One can only imagine what a (hopefully) exhilarating challenge it was for these two actors to get through these unbroken scenes reminiscent of Broadway plays and the eighties heyday of soap writer Douglas Marland, where genuine, lengthy conversations unfold. The portion of the show that was all EJ and Sami was like the equivalent of a small screen Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, this chaotic emotional meltdown of a couple. It’s impossible to decide what was the best moment, EJ, on his knees, in tears, James Scott always so willing in his vulnerability despite playing the ultimate alpha; or Sami, breaking everything around her before announcing that EJ had broken her. If this hour doesn’t bring Days a slew of Emmy nominations next year, especially for the departing - and criminally under-recognized - Alison Sweeney, well, then, that awards system is even more messed up than I already suspect.

This week’s pick isn’t so much about performance, as it is about nostalgia. Every true soap fan knows that no two shows are alike, they have their very own unique flavor, The Young and The Restless bears no resemblance to All My Children, still, it was a treat to find so many AMC faces in one place this week. If you tuned in to Y&R this week, you saw Annie, JR, Dixie, Opal, Cliff, and Frankie/Maggie (if I’ve forgotten anyone else, sorry). While none of them were playing the Pine Valley citizens we love, it was a joy to see so many of these actors work together or at least near one another again, even if the scenes weren’t particularly significant, just having them all there brought back fond memories of a favorite show. It also led me to dream that maybe just maybe Kelly might need a mom sometime soon, and Jill Larson’s role could easily be expanded to fit the part, after all, Kelly is full of secrets, why not have the secret that her mom already lives in Genoa City? And just to dream even bigger, what if the dad of Kelly’s dead child just so happened to look a lot like AMC’s Tad?

A few years ago, The Bold and the Beautiful's Oliver accidentally had sex with his girlfriend's mom, a storyline that was not only absurd, but nearly impossible for any character not named Brooke to rebound from. Thankfully though, it looks like Oliver's rising from the ashes and Zack Conroy may actually get airtime worthy of his talent. Anyone who watched his debut on Guiding Light saw him easily hold his own among some of the greatest soap stars of all time, so it's been frustrating to see such a capable, charismatic performer languish on the backburner. This week, however, Oliver was front and center, not only during his temporary and totally degrading firing courtesy of Ridge, but also as he pursues the very young, vulnerable and unstable Aly. Hopefully this isn't just another B&B tease where they lead us to believe a supporting player has a story only for it to end almost before it began. There is so much potential here, sparks definitely flew with Aly, and Conroy's flirting skills are so major league that it's impossible to decipher whether Oliver's intentions are shady or not. Ideally, Oliver would be both using Aly, and falling for her, as Zack Conroy's more than up to the challenge of something that emotionally complicated.

Days of Our Lives delivered a landmark moment in soap history this week as Will and Sonny tied the knot in front of their supportive family and friends. There was so much to love from the ladies' sparkling dresses to Victor's inspired dressing-down of a business associate, to the ceremony itself, with celebratory balloons, thoughtful speeches, and the bickering mothers of the grooms walking their boys down the aisle. Sadly there are probably some viewers who've vowed to quit watching due to this wedding, but that's their loss, and a small price to pay for the soap in comparison to all the good a story like this does. Somewhere out there are people young and old who really needed this, people who might feel a little more hopeful for the future, hopeful for who they are and what they might have someday, thanks to the moment Marlena pronounced Will and Sonny husbands for life.

Y&R's Kelly isn't the most likeable character given that she busted up a fan favorite marriage, but you don't have to be likeable to be interesting, especially with a talent like Cynthia Watros bringing her to life. It's a shame Cynthia's headed back to primetime just as she's hitting her stride on Y&R, her performance is a reminder of how endlessly entertaining and erratically emotional she made Annie on Guiding Light. While Kelly isn't yet careening off the rails the way Annie did, the two characters share a similarly fascinating imbalance in their personalities. Kelly's vulnerable and damaged with Billy and Lily, yet watch her this week with Jack and she's this strong, magnetic person, in control, reshaping his opinion of her, only to fly out of control and explode on Abby. Ordinarily so many seemingly genuine shifts in character over the span of a week would annoy me, I'd suspect that Y&R can't decide or doesn't know what to do with her, however, since Cynthia Watros is in the role, I'm inclined to believe Kelly's this wonderfully complicated collaboration between the writers and a skilled actress, and hopefully, that continues when Cady McClain takes over.

Days of Our Lives' dinner party proved that soaps don't need to be over-the-top with either their budgets or their storytelling to thoroughly entertain. Newly re-coupled Jennifer and Daniel were nervous to co-host their first dinner party, and it was perhaps the first time in their history together that their story didn't feel forced. Eric and Nicole were dealing with the big issue of when to have sex, so they spent much of the event sniping at one another, and I loved that Eric got his digs in, that just because he was a priest he's not being portrayed as a goody-goody above it all. Hope and Aidan engaged in their share of sniping as well, as each only showed up because they thought the other wouldn't be there, it's a plot we've seen played out on countless sitcoms, but who cares, the animosity/attraction thing they have going on really works. I'm not sure how I feel about Maxine and Abe potentially dating, still, it's refreshing to see Maxine outside of the hospital, and Abe's always deserving of more screen-time. And speaking of those deserving of more screen-time, I loved that J.J.'s pothead pal Rory popped up as the pizza delivery boy, he's loveable comic relief, particularly opposite straight-laced Jen, the more of him and his brother the better. What Days accomplished with their dinner party, with it's humor, it's conversations, and it's everyday relatable setting, is something other soaps should note, you don't necessarily need to do anything out of the ordinary to deliver something extraordinary.

General Hospital has overflowed with crazies in the last year, every week usually involves some villain who should be in an insane asylum running around Port Charles saying some of the most hilarious stuff since OLTL's David Vickers graced our screens. As much as every soap benefits from a good laugh, too much hilarity combined with a lack of punishment sometimes leads to a cartoony vibe, it's a very fine line, but this week, with Dr. Obrecht, they hit on an ideal balance. The not so good doctor was as bracing, biting, and funny as ever, yet she also shared a tender, emotional moment with her daughter, Britt, that showed what a versatile talent Kathleen Gati is, as deft in drama as she is at comedy, and in the process, Obrecht became a little more human. Over the top nasty is great fun to watch, but it's even better when there's more dimensions at play.

Days Of Our Lives finally addressed Bo's absence this week as he informed Hope that he wouldn't return for at least another year, disappointing fans, and crushing Hope. There are a couple silver linings here though, first, while I love any moment between Hope and her little diva daughter, those scenes haven't been anywhere near as gutting or as challenging for Kristian Alfonso as reading Bo's letter on the park bench. Kristian had to dig deep there with only a piece of paper rather than a flesh and blood actor to play off of, it was on her alone to convey the history and love she's shared with Bo, and she did so in outstanding style. The other silver lining to Bo's letter is that maybe Hope will move on, yeah, I'd love to see her with Bo forever and Peter Reckell is missed, but for now, he's not there, and Kristian is, she deserves a storyline, and so far Hope has some good, sparky chemistry with Aiden, given time they won't be Bo and Hope, but they could be something special.

If there is an Emmy Awards show this year, Y&R's Elizabeth Hendrickson should easily be a frontrunner in the supporting actress category. While Chloe still isn't a particular favorite of mine, there's no denying her portrayer is doing outstanding work. Chloe's obsession with her best friend's baby, and subsequent kidnapping of that baby, could have been the kind of over the top soapy stuff that daytime is mocked for, but even though what Chloe was doing was crazy, Elizabeth Hendrickson never lowered Chloe to the level of the usual run of the mill Y&R psycho as a less skilled actress might have. During the "Paris" confrontation, her tears and her anger had honesty and depth, never crossing the line into histrionics, and at the police station, when Chloe basically told Kevin and Michael that she's ready to give up, that without Dee, she may as well be in prison, she's just a shadow of herself, Elizabeth Hendrickson chose to play it so quietly, and it made Chloe's devastation much more affecting than all the screaming, shouting award baiting tactics might have, which is precisely why deserves consideration.

General Hospital is an extremely frustrating viewing experiance at the moment between no one connecting the missing embryos to Britt's baby, no one suggesting she should be charged with a crime or even lose her job, and then, the Robin situation, where we were promised she'd be in Port Charles for a lengthy stay, she reunited with Patrick in December, only to exit in February. Why dumb down stories? Why mislead viewers when undoubtedly it was known to be a short-term deal? All of this is irritating, so it was gratifying to watch Jason Thompson's Patrick voice at least some of the aggravation many viewers feel as he found out that Robin is leaving her spouse and child so that Jason can come home to his. What??? Because Jason's family needs him more than Robin's does? This is a person who resented her parents abandoning her as a child, and she's choosing to treat Emma with the same disregard? This is horrible, character assassinating writing saved by Thompson's performance, the betrayal, sadness, and anger expressed on his face were the only honest aspects of this story. He is a great actor and now, thanks to this misguided decision to bring Robin fully into the fold when she'd only been temporarily available, Jason Thompson will have to be better than ever, he'll have to convince us that Sabrina isn't Patrick's second choice, that he actually loves her and she isn't pathetic for taking him back. What a mess, all to have Robin return for basically a handful of episodes, it's always a pleasure to see Kimberly, but knowing the time constraints, knowing there wasn't really a chance to do right by Robin's reunion with her loved ones just yet, why didn't they just keep Robin prisoner in the lab, give us more scenes pining for her family, true to herself, have her learn Patrick's with Sabrina, break her heart, have her feel hopeless, lose her will to fight until suddenly she discovers Jason is there, too, he's alive, and then leave fans with the thought that Robin's working on Jason's recovery so that together, they can escape and someday show up on their families' doorsteps. Instead, everything, including a character we've loved since she was a girl, was blown up, for nothing.

Crazy how the most rational voice in Port Charles belongs to a woman who's into guys with homicidal tendancies, only an actress of Nancy Lee Grahn's caliber could believably pull that off. I love how Alexis was her normal no-nonsense self advising Julian to accept his gay son, her wise counsel confirmed that this is an intelligent woman. More than that, I love how in her scenes with Julian, her body language is twitchy, the actress makes it clear that Alexis is aware her attraction to criminals is insane and she's trying to fight it, you never doubt that this is a woman with brains even when she's drawn towards dumb choices, that cannot be easy to play. There are plenty of soap characters who have fallen victim to looking like idiots, it's thanks to Nancy Lee Grahn that we still manage to respect her character, and love Alexis all the more for her imperfections.

Billy Miller was so brilliant on The Young and The Restless, yet within minutes of returning to the role of Billy, David Tom reminded me of just how amazing he is, too. This wasn't an actor eased back into his old stomping grounds, Tom was thrown into a major dramatic story where he had to play the kid he knew, having grown up into a man grieving for his child. Scenes with Jess Walton and Peter Bergman helped make it feel like old times, but those benefits of nostalgia came later, first David Tom had to create an instant connection with Billy's wife, Victoria, fury at Adam, and guilty heartbreak over daughter Delia, those moments required him to fill in history he hadn't "lived" as Billy, there was no relying on viewers having adored him as a teen, it was all about pure adult talent.

I'm assuming soaps kill off legacy kids so often because there's such a turnover in exec producers that rather than think how a drastic move short-changes their show's future, they're (kind of understandably) focused on the now and how Emmys might give them some job security, so on that score, Y&R's Delia story will likely prove a success. This week, word of Delia's hit and run driver spread around Genoa City, drawing outstanding performances across the board. Kevin broke down. Victoria burst into tears. Victor, for once offered support rather than condemnation. Chelsea and Jack were blindsided, dumbfounded that they'd held Adam so dear only to be wrong. Chloe's heart smashed all over again watching Adam's video. Billy brought Adam to his knees, and in a way Adam brought Billy to his knees, hitting him with the low blow reminder that Billy's neglect played a role in Delia's death, too. Y&R said goodbye to two actors this week, which won't be easy to recover from, but this wasn't just about two actors, this was great ensemble work, and solid, thoughtful writing, if Y&R makes that more of a habit, it'll go a long way to off-setting any losses the audience may feel.

Between psycho Heather and the mob war, General Hospital's spending a lot of time on the dark side so it's smart of them to sprinkle in lightness via the kids, especially Spencer Cassadine. The young prince is bossy and entitled, basically a tiny tyrant, and ever so funny because of his un-kid-like traits. I've always been a fan of soaps featuring characters across the generations, why have endless baby plots if you're just going to keep the babies in another room until they're teens? Not only is it more realistic to see soap parents actually be parents, it also sets firm groundwork for GH's future, cute little dictator Spencer is carving out a permanent fondness in viewers' hearts for the character, while creating an entertaining backstory and personality for the man he'll grow up to be on our screens.

When Rena Sofer's Quinn arrived on The Bold and The Beautiful, she seemed like a hardworking single mom just trying to protect her kid from the dad who didn't want kids. Back then, Quinn appeared fairly noble, and well-meaning, though flat character-wise. While the turn she's taken still feels one-dimensional, at least she does have an entertaining, if not entirely engaging personality now. With her pitch black hair and the ice Rena Sofer projects every time Quinn faces off with Liam or Charlie or whomever she sees as her boy's enemy, she makes you forget the bubbly, babbling good-hearted Brooklyn girl she once played on General Hospital, and instead you're thinking Wicked Witch of LA. It's clear in Rena's ability to create two such diverse characters that the woman has talent to burn, so here's hoping at some point B&B gives her material that fleshes out her character and throws some vulnerability into the mix; by no means do I need or want her to be a good girl, just someone with more depth.

This week Days of Our Lives fans saw the last of Chandler Massey's version of Will, and due to the storyline going on without him, there wasn't a big send-off to play, still, having proven one of soap's finest the last few years, his exit warrants fanfare. Massey's Will was something special, a guy who could be best pals with his grandma without seeming pathetic, and a guy who flashed smiles at inappropriate moments of conflict and distress, as if to say, yep, I'm Sami's boy, as anguished as things may be right now, a part of me kind of digs the drama. Massey made Will a lively, lifelike character, flawed and anxious, always emotional, always loveable. I'd like to think his Will opened the hearts and eyes of at least a few viewers and maybe helped them become more accepting in actual life after watching this boy's struggle to honestly love himself.

Despite being the eldest son of a mobster, General Hospital’s Dante is as good as good boys get, so it’s rare his portrayer, Dominic Zamprogna, gets the chance to steal the spotlight like morally challenged characters do. This week, however, Dante’s wife, Lulu, not only made her loss of their baby out to be greater than Dante’s loss, she also partly blamed Dante for it, she was in no way fair to him, and Dante called her on it. Zamprogna subtly played off his scene partner with winning results; while tears streamed down Lulu’s face, it was Dante’s quiet anguish that stood out, his stricken yet dignified response was far more affecting than any over-the-top shouting match would have been, he made it clear he’s not the bad guy, and sometimes, even in soaps, that’s a good thing.

This week it's about who did Christmas best, and that happened to be Days since the other soaps had circumstances (Delia's death on Y&R, mob wars on GH, brand new Ridge on B&B) that somewhat hindered the festive feeling. In Salem, there is the issue of Nick's murder, but that's fairly successfully being played for laughs so it didn't really get in the way of all the frothy Christmas goodness. Among the highlights: Little Ciara went catty on her cousin Ally. J.J. sang and played guitar very impressively. Victor and Maggie reunited. Nicole attended church with Eric and celebrated as a lovely makeshift family with Daniel and Parker. Doug and Julie made one of their very welcome visits to trim the Horton tree, continuing the beloved tradition of hanging ornaments in honor of characters past and present, culminating with a heartfelt message to the viewers from Maggie. Hopefully next year the timing of storylines on all the soaps will be a little more favorable for the sort of warm merry-making that Days pulled off for their fans this year.

Kind of weird how just as our few remaining soaps hit a ratings upswing, some are making inexplicable changes. How does General Hospital let Bradford Anderson slip through their fingers? Not only is Bradford an actor of immeasurable depth, capable of bringing on smiles and tears, the character of Spinelli was something special, too. How many other guys on soaps are socially awkward computer geeks with a heart of gold? Spinelli wasn't about taking his shirt off, and when he saved a damsel in distress, he did so with brains rather than brawn, in other words, he was a breath of fresh air in daytime. It's always sad when soaps choose to become more homogenized than they already are, especially after watching Spinelli's goodbye scenes with Maxie, as with nearly every moment Spinelli ever had, it was quirky, and tender, and one of a kind. He's what soaps need more of, not less.

It feels like every other week James Scott gives a performance that cannot be ignored, that the man has never won an Emmy is both astounding and appalling. Scott is among the best in daytimes, with an intensity and emotional range to match the likes of Maurice Benard and Heather Tom. Maybe now that Days was at long last taken seriously enough to win for best drama, perhaps more respect will be given to their actors. Maybe voters will see the immense skill required to shift from the guy who was charming and understanding with Abigail, to the one who unleashed his explosive temper on Sami. The ability to play those extremes and have both feel true to the character is an amazing achievement that deserves all the accolades in the world.

General Hospital had one of their best weeks ever with Robin's return from the dead at Patrick and Sabrina's wedding. Every episode offered at least three or four performances worthy of praise. Emma running into her mom's arms and later asking when mom would have to return to heaven. Sabrina bursting into tears at the altar and Felix, consoling her. Robin and Patick so happy just to be near one another again, and yet so broken, too, as he'd been set to marry another woman. Maxie, still reeling from her part in Robin's "death" and losing custody of her daughter, decides to end her life at her sister Georgie's grave, only for Robin to appear just when she needs her most. General Hospital's year has been chockful of major returns by fan favorites, some of which proved disappointing, but so far, they're doing very well by Robin, you know it's a good soap storyline when it affects at least a half dozen characters.

Days of Our Lives struck soap gold this week forcing Kate, Sami, and Gabi to work together. As sorry as I am to see Nick go (Blake Berris is one of daytime's finest) at least he went out in a memorable way. Gabi "killed" Nick in self-defense, but Kate and Sami weren't convinced anyone would believe it, so they dragged Nick to the nearest body of water to drop him in, only for Nick to briefly come alive again, it was thrilling and funny stuff. Lauren Koslow's Kate and Alison Sweeney's Sami were hilarious as they mined their very rich vixen histories to mentor Gabi in the art of making an even bigger mess of things. Meanwhile Camilla Banus did a great job keeping Gabi on the edge of panic over what she'd done, and holding her own with two major actresses; it's a shame she's leaving the show soon, the more of these three together, the merrier Days would be.

Across the board, General Hospital's baby drama brought out the best in its actors, and how great that one of the show's most unsung and underused players - Carolyn Hennesy - had the chance to not only strut, but emote, as well. As much as I love Diane's snappy, snide remarks, I love even more the smarts behind them that elevate courtroom scenes where contrivances tend to abound as writers look to pull characters out of whatever corner they've written them into. GH has a weapon for combating the usual courtroom boredom, they just look to Hennesy's Diane, her crackling wit, her way with words, her turn of phrases and well chosen pauses, the woman single handedly distracts from anything dull and anything that ordinarily would catch my eye as a gaping plot hole, she knows how to entertain, never mind how to own a moment, which she did countless times this week in both trials she worked. Even more than that, I enjoyed the lovely glimpse of Diane's humanity, when, slightly teary-eyed, she waved her lawyer fee for a distraught Maxie. Carolyn Hennesy is amazing, she has been from minute one, yet somehow she remains on the periphery of story when she's earned her own spotlight.

The Bold and The Beautiful's Don Diamont turned in a brilliantly appalling performance this week, as Bill bedded his emotionally fragile estranged wife, Katie, to get her to sign over his kid and his company. Mission accomplished, he returned to Katie's sister Brooke, and lucky her, declared they could be married. I love the turn this story took, where Katie had been seeming pathetic, now she's reunited with her sis, and it's Bill who looks awful. I never enjoyed Don Diamont on Y&R, they always seemed to change Brad to fit the plots, here, there is such a commitment to character, not only by the writers, but by Diamont, every scene he's this unrelentingly cocksure, arrogant guy you love to hate, he's starting to make Victor Newman feel like a cuddly puppy. Yay to B&B and Diamont for creating this manipulative scoundrel in the mold of Dallas' JR, rather than relying on the easy out with short-term over the top psychos playing the bad guy.

When I think of Finola Hughes, I think of her GH character Anna Devane, so words like strong, capable, and smart spring to mind; funny doesn't usually factor in, but it turns out Finola's hilarious when playing Dr. Obrecht disguised as Anna. This week Obrecht, mastermind that she is, made the huge error of masquerading as Anna in front of Duke, a guy who knows Anna more than well enough to sniff out an imposter. Thankfully though, before Duke caught on, there was plenty of time for Obrecht to spectacularly slip-up, constantly letting her accent creep into Anna's, and fumbling through her attempt to arrest Faison. Finola Hughes has long blazed the trail for tough heroines in daytime, so it's great fun to see that her comic timing is every bit as sharp as her spy skills.

When Days of Our Lives revealed Chad was a DiMera, it was such a thrilling idea that passionate, energetic actor Casey Diedrick would join the explosive EJ and Stefano mix, sadly though, his relationships with them were never explored to the degree they should have been. Right from the beginning, with the gripping, emotional performance Diedrick gave when Chad found out his baby had died, I had such high hopes, only for them to be routinely dashed, for the show to never dig as deep with the character as this actor was clearly capable of going, instead there were just glimpses every in his sticky romantic situations, and during Lexie's death. Brothers Chad and EJ had such an interesting dynamic (much like EJ and Lexie), every scene they shared enriched their characters, it seemed like such a shame to watch them part this week when it feels as though things were finally getting started. Hopefully wherever Casey lands, he gets to play the juicy stuff on a more consistant basis, he certainly has the talent for it. Honorable mention to General Hospital for two fun (and funny) days of Halloween, full of brilliant costumes and suspense.

Days of Our Lives' Arianne Zucker and Greg Vaughan stole the show this week as Eric wrongfully accused Nicole of rape. On paper, this all sounds like the kind of story people make fun of soaps for telling, Eric's a priest, he was drugged, raped, and he's attracted to the woman who he thinks raped him, nevermind that society still has fairly juvenile ideas about male rape victims, like it's not possible or as serious and scarring as it is for women. I'm so pleased Days handled this seriously, though really, I shouldn't have been surprised, there's a reason Arianne and Greg are two of my favorites, no matter what material they're given, they always respect it and the viewers, they're always invested in their performances. They were particularly brilliant this week, Vaughan's Eric clearly devastated, violated, and vulnerable, and Zucker's Nicole, emotionally destroyed, too, not only is this guy she loves hurting, he's accusing her of hurting him. Even though Nicole knows Eric's forbidden to love her romantically, she does think the guy loves her, that he knows her, that he believes in her more than anyone else does; that he'd then turn around and accuse her of doing something so vile to him, is obviously heartbreaking for her. There was a time Days would have played this story like a bad joke, but now, in their Emmy groove, they and their actors perfectly measured the weight of this plotline and delivered it with the intelligence and sensitivity it warrants.

The Young and the Restless' Chloe has never ranked among my favorite characters, she tends to be abrasive, manipulative, judgmental, and hypocritical, and she's the worst best friend Chelsea could ever ask for, steering her down the same fake baby daddy path that once blew up in Chloe's face. That said, Elizabeth Hendrickson plays Chloe well, she's unapologetic, she takes what the writers give her - a self-involved woman dismissive of her working class mom and hell bent on blaming anyone other than herself. The actress never sugarcoats the character, she never begs viewers to like Chloe, let alone to love her. Does Billy deserve his ex's wrath for his neglect that led to their daughter's death? Absolutely. But I don't know that there are many actresses out there who would have had the courage to look into his sweet shattered face and tear into him to the degree that Hendrickson did. How many others would risk losing the audience's sympathy during one of the rare stories where Chloe's actually deserving of sympathy? Hendrickson stayed true to her character's lash out and lash hard instincts, the actress went there full-tilt, undoubtedly aware that ripping into that loveable mess of a man, Billy, wouldn't win her many popularity points. I may not like Chloe, but I do love a brave performance.

The Young and The Restless produced some of their most memorable scenes this week as Billy stopped to buy ice cream and left his daughter in the parked car. When her puppy needed to go outside, Delia opened the door, and then she chased after him, only to be struck by a car. The actors were great, the little girl genuinely anguished over her puppy's wellbeing, and Billy Miller, played the role of loving dad with such heart that his flash-forwards through the life Dee may never lead were unnecessary, Billy's adoration of his girl was more than evident in his eyes, be it the sparkle over her stage debut, or his aching grief when he found her at the side of the road. The actors weren't the only stars though, so often in daytime due to time and budget, accidents don't alway look or feel authentic, but Y&R showed just enough while also leaving just enough to the imagination that it all rang true, everyone behind the scenes deserves applause for creating a primetime feel under daytime constraints.

General Hospital's Emme Rylan had big shoes to fill when she took over the role of Lulu. Not ony was she replacing a much loved and talented actress, she was suddenly playing the daughter of the legendary Luke and Laura, throw in a hubby she needed insta-chemistry with, and a bout of amnesia, and it was about as thankless as tasks come. Fortunately, after such a tough introduction to Port Charles, her Lulu's reached the point we've all waited for, she's learned her baby belongs to Maxie and Spinelli. Rylan made it painfully clear that Lulu received this news like the sucker punch to her heart that it was, she appeared stricken, sickened, and disbelieving. Right that minute Emme ceased being a placeholder for another actress, she took ownership of the role, she picked her character up off the floor, dusted her off, and decided to fight for custody. Even though Lulu's going up against fan favorite Maxie, and you know technically (biologically) she won't win, Rylan will most definitely hold her own, just like in her Guiding Light days.

The Bold and The Beautiful is making it difficult for viewers to like Brooke these days, still, I'm enjoying her, and total credit for that goes to Katherine Kelly Lang. I'm enjoying Brooke similar to how I enjoyed Erica Kane, it was always fun to see Susan Lucci play Erica's self-absorption with such conviction and the same goes for Katherine Kelly Lang, in their characters' minds, they're always the heroine regardless of their vixenish actions, they see themselves as misunderstood and wrongfully accused. I love that Brooke pictures herself as this great self-sacrificing person, when in truth she's pretty oblivious to others. Brooke not only stole her sister's husband, he's also the guy who made her daughter basically have a breakdown, yet this week, Brooke decided she doesn't want to feel guilty anymore, as if she's felt as guilty as she should. It was so nervy of her, and an impressive show of Katherine Kelly Lang's commitment to her role that every word out of her mouth sounded like Brooke genuinely believes she's suffered as much as Katie, even as the actress is probably scoffing at Brooke's deluded behavior right along with the rest of us.

General Hospital's Maurice Benard and Days of Our Lives' James Scott, arguably daytime's two finest leading men, were at their best this week. Maurice's Sonny, is reeling from the murder of his love, Connie, and what makes matters more tenuous, and scary for his family, is that Sonny's bipolar, and in his vulnerable, grieving state, thinks he doesn't need his meds. It's made for very raw, very antsy, on edge moments, so authentic feeling, and we know, so honest from Maurice's experiance, that it's tough stuff to watch, but so truthful that you can't possibly look away. Easier on our hearts, though impactful as well, was James Scott's performance. Instantly, I knew I was watching a legendary moment, those scenes will be forever burned in my mind, the moment our haughty, immovable E.J., dropped to his knees, and with teary eyes, begged for Stefano's help. I guarantee there are alpha male actors in alpha roles in every medium, who would have balked at surrendering their dignity and their pride like E.J. did, and that's a shame. What made Maurice and James stand out this week, what makes them genious every week, is how much they're willing to give themselves over, how they don't let vanity get in the way ever.

This week, Days of Our Lives' Melissa Reeves perfectly straddled the line between the mom who wants to hug her kid and the mom who's so fed up with him that she wouldn't mind strangling him, too. Days may be infamous for possessed stories and burying people alive, but to me, down to earth family tales are where they, and all the other soaps shine brightest. Tough love is new territory for sweetheart Jen, her natural instinct is to coddle wayward son J.J, even when she finds out he's dealing drugs, it's a challenge for her to play the disciplinarian, as it undoubtedly is for a lot of parents. Laying down the law seems to hurt Jennifer even more than it does J.J., it's a conflict born organically from who Jennifer is inside so it's more compelling than her (sometimes convoluted) romantic struggles with Daniel, it's an opportunity for Reeves to show off how real she can be.

The Young and the Restless continues to honor Jeanne Cooper in fine fashion. This week they brought back several important characters to Katherine - Brock, Amber, Gina, Danny, and Nina - for her memorial, while the actress's real life son Corbin attended as Paul's brother, the minister. Nearly everyone had a fond flashback of Katherine, the best of which involved the break-up scene with her husband, Jeanne was brilliant in that moment. My only complaint about these two special episodes was shoving Paul and Christine's wedding into the mix. I get that they wanted to convey that life goes on, but really, a wedding at a funeral, and between a couple where the guy raped the girl only now we pretend the rape was a marital misunderstanding? And is Christine even on the show? Why have Paul marry someone we'll hardly ever see, shouldn't he be with a woman he might actually have a story with, the guy did just earn an Emmy.

A nerd and a fashionista may seem like an odd couple, but on General Hospital, it's magic when the nerd is played by Bradford Anderson, and the fashionista is Kirsten Storms. Not every viewer is a fan of Spinelli's humorous use of language, but surely there wasn't a single person watching GH Friday who didn't appreciate Bradford Anderson's seriously teary confrontation with Maxie in the hospital, baffled and heartbroken by her decision to pass their baby off as their friends Lulu and Dante's child. Then there's Kirsten Storms, at this point, she's without a doubt one of the finest actresses in daytime, if not all of TV, she invests so much heart into every minute Maxie's on screen, when she sat there, contemplating nursing the baby she's supposed to give away to her best friend, she didn't need to say anything, you knew how torn up she was inside, you could see it right there on her face. General Hospital won the casting lottery with these two, to be so deft at romantic comedy and then to carry heavy scenes like this, Bradford and Kirsten are simply amazing.

The Young and The Restless' Jess Walton did a brilliant job in what must have been a very difficult story for her and the rest of the cast to play out - Katherine's death. So many of Genoa City's residents were hit hard by the loss, but because of Jill's complicated, antagonistic history with Katherine, Jess Walton's performance is the one that required more than tears and she delivered. When anyone over the age of six throws a tantrum, sympathy is hard to come by, yet you couldn't help feeling for Jill. She didn't get to say goodbye to Katherine and she loved her so much that she also kind of hated Katherine for robbing her of that goodbye. It was so true to their relationship, that unlike everyone else showing reverence for Katherine, Jill called her out even in death, albeit in pained, heartbroken fashion. Y&R has placed some fairly bland characters frontburner lately, so it's a welcome relief to see the likes of Jill brought forward in the wake of losing Katherine; yeah, we get it, Dylan's the most perfect specimen of manhood ever created, but its flaws that actually make a character interesting, loveable, and worth rooting.

Days of Our Lives very first book club met with entertaining results for all involved this week as Jennifer's homemade donuts were swapped with her teenage son J.J.'s pot-laced version. With the exception of frequently tipsy Nicole, this was a collection of Salem's good girls (and long-reformed bad girl, Julie), so it was fun to see the likes of Jennifer, Kayla, and Adrienne, lose their halo for a minute and make fools of their perfect selves. Obviously J.J.'s at a tricky time in his life, but it's great that it isn't all serious right away (Y&R's Fenn slipped into drug addiction so quickly I'm pretty sure I blinked and missed it). I like that for now it's J.J. being a sneaky rebellious teen pulling the wool over his mom's eyes, and the show's having some fun with it before they hit the Emmy worthy dramatic stuff. Hopefully this isn't the last we see of the book club, the more female friendships the merrier, if I wanted to see women constantly clawing at one another I'd watch The View instead of the soaps. Plus, if networks want added revenue streams for soaps, why not make it an interactive book club, give the fans advance notice of what the ladies in Salem are reading so they can buy a copy and read along, choose books that dovetail with story, like Alice In Wonderland does with their pot donuts, or keep it in the family by selecting Alison Sweeney's Star Attraction.

The Young and The Restless' Kristoff St. John has faced basically two thankless tasks ever since Neil lost his wife Dru years ago, he's divided his time between being hsunted from various positions of power in favor of nepotism, and he's romanced blah women. Aside from Lily's cancer, and the occasional Devon drama, Kristoff hasn't had many opportunities to show off what an intense and interesting actor he can be, the last prolonged period came after Dru's death when he went off the rails and into the bottle. It's been great to see Neil revisit his gutter time, and better still for him to be haunted by something he may have done, as guilt and remorse are areas where he can shine on his own, it's not dependent on yet another actress he doesn't entirely click with. My big hope for Neil and Kristoff is that all this drama leads him to therapy and forbidden love with his doctor (also Sharon's doctor) played by the effortlessly brilliant Lorraine Toussaint, now there would finally be an acting match made in heaven, as well as a storyline with genuinely conflicted emotions at play.

Morgan’s been so isolated with Kiki and Michael that you almost forget he’s Sonny’s boy on GH, but this week Maurice Benard made Morgan and everyone else take notice. While pleading with his dad to keep the secret that Michael and Kiki aren’t related, Morgan, already feeling second best, played the I’m the real son, side with me card and Sonny exploded on him. It feels like way too long since Sonny’s had one of his really big, stop you in your tracks emotional moments so it was thrilling to see him in all his volatile, passionate Sonny-ness. Maybe even better than adding another classic Maurice scene to the canon, is that Sonny’s in your face insistence that he loves his kids equally, followed by his softer guilt-induced decision to go along with Morgan’s misguided wedding, finally solidified their bond as father and son, promising even more meaningful moments to come.

When Sabrina and Britt first arrived in Port Charles, Sabrina seemed far and away the one to love, but over the last few months Kelly Thiebaud's Britt has taken the lead. The Britch, as she's not so affectionately known, is proving to be an endearingly complex vixen. I love how Kelly plays this role, how cold she can be to Elizabeth, Sabrina, and even sweetie Emma, very much epitomizing her nickname with them, everything about her hard and harsh in those scenes, her heart totally in question. But I also love how she goes from being that nightmare of a person to being a non-judgmental sounding board for Felix's sister, and better still, to being the person who lights up every time she sees Nikolas, as if she's falling in love for the first time, she almost has this wide-eyed innocence about her that you don't think Britt should have, and yet she does, and it's kind of lovely. In Friday's episode, she laid out some of her truth for Nikolas and suggested if he was after perfect, he should look to Elizabeth, not her, but Kelly Thiebaud is making a case for just how perfectly imperfect Britt is, this thing with Nikolas feels like it's going to get really good, potentially supercouple good.

Jen Lilley did such an outstanding job filling the unfillable shoes of our beloved Kirsten Storms on General Hospital that she's rightfully been rewarded with a feisty character to call her own. Days of Our Lives knows how to do a multi-dimensional bad girl maybe better than anyone else, look no further than their current roster of vixens - Sami, Nicole, Kate, Kristen - for proof, and Theresa, thus far, seems cut from the same cloth. Kim and Shane's little livewire thinks nothing of leading on a teenage boy for drugs or driving her boss, Jen, crazy, yet there's a heart underneath all her her sketchy behavior, as glimpsed in her scenes with cousin Eric and grandma Caroline, she clearly loves them. Theresa's bubbly and unpredictable, traits GH fans love in Maxie, so Theresa's a perfect fit for Lilley, and just what Salem, as well as the Bradys need to shake things up a bit. And who knows, maybe Theresa's parentage and name change aren't the only secrets to be revealed, maybe there's even more to this supposed bad girl than meets the eye, after all, her dad is an ISA agent.

Thanks to the ever amazing Peter Bergman and the increasinly brilliant Hunter King, Y&R's big reveal of Summer's paternity was everything fans could have hoped for and more. The episode, smartly constructed to cut back and forth between Phyllis dropping the daddy bomb on Jack, and Nick confessing to Summer. It's impossible to decide which was more affecting, Bergman's devastation as Jack realized he had yet another child he'd missed out on raising, or Hunter King's distraught Summer, repeatedly wondering what she was supposed to do, she'd loved being Nick's supergirl, now suddenly she isn't his girl at all, this other man is her father. Peter Bergman and Hunter King have already shared some lovely scenes together, as father and daughter there will undoubtedly be even more magic, especially when, it seems the rug may again be pulled out from under them somewhere down the road.

A couple weeks after this year's Emmys, Heather Tom has already locked up next year's trophy for best actress. After Taylor dropped the bomb that Katie's sister had been pregnant by Katie's husband, rather than suffer heart failure, or react in the compliant little sis fashion Brooke had hoped for, Katie went on attack. She threw things. She tore into Bill and Brooke. She refused to let either of them convince her that she was to blame for their actions. When Katie took off her ring to illustrate how quick Bill and Brooke were to betray her, throwing their weak justifications in their faces, it was a moment of such strength, everything you want in a heroine, and everything Emmy judges should want as well. Honorable mention to General Hospital's Fourth of July picnic that had it all, from mob enforcer brothers bonding over hot dogs, to a doll burnt to a crisp, and Britt as a potential love interest for Nikolas.

Days of Our Lives' Greg Vaughn is no stranger to playing a drug-addled role. Lucky's addiction on General Hospital may have been one of that character's lowest points, but it was the high point of Greg Vaughn's stint on the show. Like Mad Men's Jon Hamm, for such a pretty man, Vaughn's admirably willing to throw away his vanity to appear as down and out as the moment requires. We've all seen actors playing drunk or drugged where they still look like their immaculate selves, or are just plain over the top, the scenes coming off like a joke when they're not supposed to be, the character's supposed to be the way Vaughn played Eric, a sloppy, sweaty, unattractive mess of a person. Best of all, even when Eric left his hospital bed, Vaughn maintained Eric's somewhat dazed and confused demeanor, rather than behaving as though he was suddenly, miraculously sober. Days finally won another Emmy for best drama this year, and maybe that's because even though their storytelling is still sometimes outlandish, they have a slew of actors like Greg Vaughn who bring things down to earth just enough to feel authentic while still providing maximum entertainment.

When General Hospital's TJ spied his first love, Molly, with another boy on prom night, his heart shattered, and naturally he figured losing his virginity was the best way to mend it. Tequan Richmond had the perfect amount of heartbreak written all over his face throughout those scenes, and regret followed the next day as he confessed all to his guardian. Tequan was so great at every turn, initially concerned over how Molly was dealing with Danny's illness, only to later hate that he'd felt concerned, then denying he'd been a virgin, only to cop to it. TJ was such a teenage boy this week, and that's a compliment, teens aren't always as authentic as this on TV, lest they damage their dreamboat possibilities, but here TJ had his heart smashed and so he realistically attempted to move on as if he didn't care, by having sex with a girl he doesn't care about. It was a less than heroic moment, yet totally sumpathetic thanks to Tequan's nuanced acting. If you only know this actor from Everybody Hates Chris, you should see how much more he can do on GH.

Selling viewers on the unlikely is an art B&B's Jacqueline Macinnes Wood has mastered the last couple years as her otherwise strong and independent Steffy has let Liam bounce back and forth between her and Hope. It would have been so much more gutsy, and modern thinking had Steffy realized she's the one who married Liam for the baby, and opted to leave because of that, like the alpha girl she truly is, instead she's running away so Liam won't be stuck with a barren wife. It's only thanks to the actress throwing her backbone into every scene that Steffy managed to retain her dignity rather than appear like a sacrificial lamb as written. When you watch Jacqueline in moments like that, where she's clearly bringing more to the page, you can't help believing one of these temporary leaves from B&B will turn into a permanant high profile success for her.

General Hospital's Tracy Quartermaine is humorously crusty on the outside, but inside, deep, deep down inside beats the heart of a softie. This week, when she wasn't scheming to gain control of ELQ and slinging the best barbs in the Quartermaine living room, Tracy outsnarked Luke in her attempt to convince the guy she loves to deal with his health issues, yet she seamlessly set the snark aside to offer compassion and solace to her family/enemies over Michael's prison rape. Jane Elliott plays the duality of this character to such perfection, it's thanks to her, and the writers who have never forced Tracy to act her age (where her lone occupation would be doling out advice), that decades after her debut, Tracy remains a brilliant mix of vixen and unexpected heroine, who you can't help but love.

The Young and The Restless may not be at their storytelling peak right now, but they sure did Jeanne Cooper proud this week. With some very impressive glam shots from her early Hollywood days, and clips throughout her daytime reign, including her final poignant moment on the stairs, the show paid loving tribute to her lengthy career. Better still were the personal stories from her children and fellow actors. A cathartic mix of laughter and tears, they shared with us a little of the woman they were priviledged to know, and we were priviledged to watch for so many years. Honorable mention to Days of Our Lives' Blake Berris, if not for Y&R's special episode, he most definitely would have been singled out again for the amazing work he's doing as Nick struggles to come to terms with the abuse he suffered in prison.

An outstanding week of Days of Our Lives featured much of their cast in memorable moments. It's sadly not every day an adorable gay couple get to be the heroes, but that was exactly what happened as Sonny helped Gabi give birth, and Will rescued Nick from a gunman. Faced with the man who emotionally and physically tormented him in prison, Nick, was yet again portrayed in such an affecting way by Blake Berris, particularly as he sat off by himself in the hospital, he was the picture of damaged, and for a second, even Vargas softened towards him. Speaking of Vargas softening, he has some very promising chemistry with Hope, add in the conflict of a criminal with a cop and this could be really good, don't we all love Kristian Alfonso too much to waste her talent waiting around for Bo? Jennifer, on the other hand, barely mourned Jack, so it's good to see the show address that through her troubled teenager J.J., with Abby and Jen mostly saints, it's fun to see a sinner in the family. Of course, no family is better at sinning in Salem than the DiMeras. Kristen may shed tears over Brady and longing to be a mama, but she sucked up those tears, still thirsty for revenge. Meantime, her brother, E.J., stayed busy plotting to take down his dad, and using Sami's mistrust as foreplay, as any proper bad boy would do. If Days was any indication this week, they're heading towards one of their most exciting summers ever.

All My Children's Angie had a rough week, she discovered that her husband Jesse had yet again tried to protect her by withholding the truth, while her daughter Cassandra has been taken into the sex trade. After only a handful of episodes Debbi Morgan has already shaken off the disappointment that was her Y&R character Harmony, and she's back in her groove as Angie, Pine Valley's good girl who can be tough as nails when she needs to be, even with the love of her life. It's great, truthful stuff the way she rails at Jesse, yet at the same time seeks comfort from him. One of my favorite things so far in AMC's return has been the friendship between Angie and David, Debbi plays their scenes so perfectly, Angie could so easily seem like a naive fool for trusting in him, but Debbi makes it clear that she sees him for the complicated individual he is, she sees the monster he can be, but also the man, it's brilliant stuff. Timely, difficult subject matter, with a warrior of a mom played by an actress still at the top of her game equals vintage All My Children, even if it's watched on a computer or phone.

It's a happy thing to think that for fourty years we were all lucky enough to have Jeanne Cooper in our homes every day. Jeanne Cooper and her Y&R character Katherine Chancellor were everything girls and women should aspire to be, vibrant at every age, and unafraid to tell it like it is. From her battle with alcoholism to her onscreen face-lift, both Jeanne and Mrs. C, exhibited an enviable level of honesty and fight. Jeanne created a character who owned the room as much as any man, when you think about it, Katherine was really the only one who ever truly commanded Victor's respect. It's appropriate that Jeanne Cooper's final on-screen moment depicted she and Katherine's indomitable spirit as she refused Jill's help up the stairs, determined to make it on her own. She was as tough and as lovely as it gets.

They're back! The most impressive return from the dead in soap opera history happened this week as All My Children and One Life to Live roared back to life. All My Children, arguably has the rougher road with the absence of more key players like Erica, Tad, and Kendall, plus a five year time jump, but so far they're pulling off the challenge with style. AMC's new theme song and title sequence almost makes me as happy as Opal's southern twang cooing over her baby boy Petey. AMC's wisely blending fresh faces with our favorites, I barely know this version of Pete, but seeing Opal adore him, I suspect I quickly will as well. And speaking of adorable, A.J.'s crush on oblivious Miranda looks like an instant classic, you can't go wrong with a yearning, broken-hearted boy, and summer, the ultimate teen romance season right around the corner. From unrequited young love, to Jesse again keeping a secret from Angie about one of her children, while Cara's seemingly keeping David's child secret, there's so much going on in Pine Valley that it's not so much about missing those who aren't there, as enjoying those who are. The same goes for One Life to Live, they're making the most of everyone who came to play. Between Tea and Dani, there was probably no more well-acted and messed up mother/daughter duo in a scripted show this week. David Vickers, deluded idiot extraodinaire, did his very best Saturday Night Fever impression, which, happily, true to Vickerman form proved not quite as cool as he imagined, and hilarious, though as far as funny goes nothing tops Dorian swearing in French, and once more engaged in battle with Vicki. Add in the intrigue surrounding Victor's return, the camera in the nursery, Natalie's semi-wild night out and a refreshingly honest take on young parenthood with a reluctant Matthew, and already, One Life to Live's found a groove as easy as their new Snoop Lion produced theme song. If you haven't checked out AMC and OLTL yet on Hulu, iTunes, or FX Canada, be sure you do, they require very little of your time, and deserve your devotion.

Bratty teenage girls always make for entertaining soap operas, and so it's no surprise that of all the additions to The Young and The Restless in the past year, Hunter King is proving the standout as Summer struggles to come of age faster than she should. Much like she did on the prime time soap Hollywood Heights, Hunter manages the not so easy feat of making a mean girl likeable. This young actress gives Summer just the right mix of spark and heart, she lets you know the girl has a conscience even if she doesn't necessarily abide by it all times, she can throw herself at Kyle in less than dignified fashion, and break Fen's heart, yet still warrant our sympathy in her scenes with Chelsea this week. It was great to see Summer cocky and confident with Phyllis, insisting she's grown up, only to see her discomfort, and childlike desire to run away from Chelsea, rather than face the woman who's miscarriage Summer accidentally caused. As Phyllis' daughter and a Newman, Summer and her portrayer, have huge expectations to meet, and so far Hunter King's looking like a good fit for the role, hopefully the writers have something juicier in mind for her than just seducing Kyle, she's showing signs that she's capable of more than the typical bad girl story arc.

While Team Kick Liam To The Curb still seems the smartest choice for The Bold and The Beautiful's Hope and Steffy, their eternal pining for that wishy washy man-boy did at least provide memorable moments this week for Kim Matula and Jacqueline Macinnes Wood. Ordinarily if Hope cried over a guy who's trifled with her heart and impregnated another woman, she'd come off as pathetic, but Kim Matula did such a lovely job in her tearful goodbye to Liam, that you had to feel for her rather than judge her. Spoiler Alert: If you were unable to see Friday's episode, stop reading now. As for Jacqueline Macinnes Wood, even if the groom doesn't deserve her, and her black jumpsuit with lace Real Housewives robe was more fashion disaster than edgy coolness, her arrival on that motorcycle will go down as one of the best bridal entrances in soap history, no one other than Jacqueline could have pulled that off.

Once again Days of Our Lives has failed to create a story that matches Chloe and her portrayer Nadia Bjorlin's depths. Nadia makes a good vixen, but when you see scenes like the ones where Daniel confronted Chloe on Friday, you wish Days would lace more of that emotion into her wicked ways. From the beginning as Ghoul Girl, fans have known how great Nadia is at making Chloe feel human and vulnerable, it's a skill that deserves to be showcased more often. Chloe's snide remarks at Jen can be fun, but it's always better when you're reminded that like former BF Nicole, Chloe's a bad girl with a heart. Her tears with Daniel, her desperation to justify sleeping with Phillip, and longing to do right by her son, gave the character more rooting value in thirty-seven minutes than the writers have given her in months. The best part is, Chloe showed us her heart, but that doesn't mean she'll suddenly make altruistic choices, she's still a vixen and we don't know what she'll do next.

General Hospital's fiftieth birthday gave fans plenty to celebrate this week. Audrey's return to honor her late husband Dr. Steve Hardy was a perfect nod to the show's origins. Luke's son Ethan shared a nice moment with Laura. Tracy and Monica gave us a classic Q squabble, along with some family ghosts. Brenda admitted she still wants Sonny, Spinelli blinded us with science, and as if that wasn't enough, Frisco Jones aka Jack Wagner sang All I Need to Felicia. While it would have been nice if Emily had paid a visit to Nikolas' bedside, and even nicer if Alan was no longer so ghostly, GH isn't remotely showing its age, proving fresher and more vibrant than just about anything in ABC's lineup, and it will only get better as the Nurses Ball continues next week.

The Young and The Restless celebrated their fortieth anniversary this week, in less overt and less grand style than maybe most fans would have preferred, still, they had some standout moments. We all know deep down Victor and Adam love each other, so for once they let it show when Adam in classic fashion took a bullet for his dad, and Victor actually behaved like a father, appearing grief-stricken as he held his bleeding boy. Next came the gas leak/bomb scare which was weirdly anti-clamactic, and would have been pointless if not for providing a laugh the moment Billy said "screw it" and guessed which wire to cut. With Michael at a loss over how to salvage his unraveling marriage, and the rare joint effort between Jack and Victor, Y&R may not have shone as brightly as it should have on such a monumental occasion, but several of their men did make it memorable.

While it's unknown when Julie Berman's final scenes as General Hospital's Lulu actually are, it's fairly certain she won't be around for the reveal that Maxie's carrying her own baby, so it was great to get a little glimpse of what might have been in Friday's episode. It was a genius idea to have Maxie envision the fallout of Lulu discovering the truth, that way we don't feel quite as cheated out of that moment, we did at least get to see Julie Berman doing what she does best, her heart broke all over that scene as a tearful Lulu railed at her best friend for allowing her to think about names, and hear the heartbeat of a baby that isn't actually hers. With her role being recast, it made it impossible for Julie to have that epic goodbye moment we want for our most beloved actors in daytime, so this fantasy sequence was the next best thing. Oh, and extra points this week to GH for not only Nikolas' surprise return but even more shocking, the reveal of Britt's mom, which immediately explains a lot about the character, and maybe, just, maybe might help her appear a little more sympathetic and dimensional.

The Bold and The Beautiful has teased us before with fresh storylines only for them to wrap up in record time and return to Liam's indecision, but here's hoping Rick and Maya see a different fate. There's a lot of potential here, with the vibrant Karla Mosley who proved such a sweetheart a few years back on Guiding Light, and Jacob Young, who in his time away at All My Children grew into an actor capable of more than his return to B&B has thus far required. A handful of episodes this week displayed not only a nice, natural chemistry between the pair, but also exhibited their range, from the light, shimmery shopping trip, to the intensity of Maya feeling used, and Rick feeling remorseful when she discovered that he wasn't the poor guy he led her to believe. This romance could get really good if they don't B&B it, meaning, next week Maya doesn't suddenly forgive Rick because he buys her something fancy, and the week after that they're married. It's a love story, it should take time, it should feel tortured in an organic way, there's plenty standing in the way of their happy ending, so let these solid actors play it, let Rick earn Maya's forgiveness, let both of them struggle to fit into each other's worlds. Maybe Maya will feel desperate to replace the baby she lost, while Rick might not yet be ready to be a dad, and maybe B&B will feel really brave and explore prejudices towards interracial couples, whatever direction they choose to take this in doesn't really matter, just so long as they do go somewhere, we'll all like Liam a lot more if they let him rest once in awhile.

General Hospital's Felicia hasn't had as eventful a return to Port Charles as Anna or Lucy, but finally, with Frisco back, Kristina Wagner was given some meaty scenes worthy of her legacy. Felicia's renewed romance with Mac hasn't done anything other than make him seem kind of pathetic, and though initially Felicia felt Maxie's wrath, it didn't last long, their troubled mother and daughter relationship hasn't really been emphasized since. Obviously, budget-wise it's impossible for all our old favorites to star in the fully fleshed-out front burner tales we feel they deserve, so you just have to appreciate when they're at least given a moment like Kristina had this week in her tearful rejection of Frisco, the guy who may be her true love, but he's also a destructive force in her life. Kristina did a brilliant job conveying the tug-of-war in Felicia's heart, now if only we could have a few more dramatic moments like that, particularly with her daughter, mixed with a little adventurous romantic comedy, we'd have a truly satisfying return.

After nice guy roles on Beverly Hills 90210 and Charmed, it was easy enough to dismiss Greg Vaughan as just another pretty boy until his excellent turn as spiralling drug addict Lucky on General Hospital. His role as Days' Eric - a priest who took his vow for honorable yet maybe not the right reasons - offers him a man every bit as conflicted as Lucky to play and clearly that challenge is Vaughan's acting sweet spot. Nicole may have accused Eric of being too good and perfect this week when he wanted to let his attacker off the hook, but Eric doesn't see himself that way, as far as he's concerned he's in the same battle to be a better person as Nicole and the criminals he hopes to counsel. As a priest, Eric could easily be the boring, go-to infallible souce of advice in town, but the writers and Vaughan wisely make it clear that Eric doesn't have all the answers, he's as vulnerable as those he's trying to help, he questions himself. Eric's another "nice guy role" but in subtle, nuanced style Greg Vaughan manages to give the character as much depth as any bad boy. Hopefully the writers stick to their guns and don't rush Eric's inevitable affair with Nicole, the more time they take to get there, the more conflicted Eric will be, which means brilliant moments ahead for Greg Vaughan fans.

This week two very different pairs stole the spotlight, Y&R's Victor and Nikki, and GH's newly reunited father and daughter, Frisco and Maxie. In the case of Victor and Nikki, while everything they said regarding her MS diagnosis was very well-played, the emotional high point happened in the quiet moment where Victor collected Nikki's trembling hands and kissed them, and she realized he knew about her illness. Due to the tortured nature of their relationship, and Victor's often prickly personality, they've rarely had a scene as beautiful as that one was. General Hospital also featured a rarity, the ever adorable Maxie actually had one of her biological parents be there for her. Jack Wagner and Kristen Storms did an outstanding job, somehow making their bond feel every bit as immediate and strong as Todd and Starr, even though they don't share that kind of history, it's a testament to what awesome actors they both are. And while some may question whether Frisco is much of a dad for aiding and abetting his daughter in a lie, it fit his character to perfection, after how negligent he's been in his life, of course he feels he's in no position to judge her and he just wants to help her in whatever way she'll allow, even if it's wrong.

General Hospital's Molly is one of the most loveable characters in daytime. A deceptively complex mix of wide-eyed overly romantic innocent and a smartypants as prone to defying her mom as the next girl, Hayley Pullos manages to play both sides of Molly's personality without ever feeling false. Pullos was every bit as believable in her embarrassment at seeing Rafe half-naked, as she was in her fiery defense of him to her mom. One can only hope that two boys' interest in Molly means that GH has figured out that you don't need to be a teenage bombshell; cute and intelligent appeals, too. May they never recast Molly for the same superficial reasons they recast Kristina.

Ever since The Young and The Restless turned Michael Baldwin from evil to good, his portrayer Christian LeBlanc hasn't had much complexity to play with in his role. Thankfully, his teenage son recently reminded Michael of the sketchy man he used to be. Fearing his boy may be a chip off the old crazy block has been the best thing to happen to the character in some time, finally LeBlanc has a meaty conflict worthy of his talent. With his boy accused of pushing another off a roof, Michael's torn, he wants his son to be innocent, but given his genes, he can't quite trust him. An anguished Michael, at odds with his family over how to handle the situation is easily the most interesting he's been in far too long.

The Young and The Restless has had an influx of youth lately, but it's a veteran who stood out as Jeanne Cooper's Katherine said goodbye to Tucker. Y&R struggled with Tucker throughout the character's run, despite a fine actor in the role. For whatever reason they never really managed to endear him to the viewers, let alone to his mom Katherine, which meant parting shouldn't have been all that sorrowful, yet Jeanne Cooper made it so. Amidst all the fanfare (or at least CBS's media fare) touting the arrival of Y&R's "big name" get, Ms. Cooper quietly gave one of the show's most affecting performances in some time as Katherine failed to tell her son that she loved him, and the moment he left, she wept in her chair over the loss of the relationship they never had, and maybe never will. Hype may be necessary to attract new viewers, but ultimately it's the work that matters most, and no one did that better this week than Jeanne Cooper.

Wally Kurth appeared on both Days of Our Lives and General Hospital this week, pulling off double-duty in impressive fashion. Both characters are wealthy and wear suits, yet there was no confusion as to who you were watching, Kurth didn’t for a minute seem like Ned in Salem, or Justin in Port Charles. Never has Wally’s range been more apparent than when you see him play snarky Ned one moment, mocking AJ and spying for his mother, and then the next minute he’s earnest lawyer Justin, standing up for what’s right, whether against Adrienne’s interference in their boy’s love life, or disgust at Nick for questioning the fitness of a gay parent. While it was great to have a double dose of Wally Kurth this week, better still would be one of these shows giving the guy another much deserved storyline of his own.

Amid some great dramatic performances on every show this week, Roger Howarth's comedic turn on General Hospital stood out. Rarely has an attempted prison break proven so humorous. Whether striking out in a flirtation with Felix, faking that he's a surgeon, or spinning around with Sam on his back, Howarth mastered every physical and verbal gag. Todd's thumbs up to Lucy for staking John was one of the funniest moments ever. It's no wonder GH and OLTL are squabbling over who gets to keep this guy.

General Hospital's D.I.D. storyline doesn't always impress, mostly because it feels like the OLTL guys are plagiarizing themselves, and it forces their finest leading man - Sonny - onto the romantic sidelines. But Kelly Sullivan's performances continually make up for whatever less than pleasing turns the plot may take. This week, Sullivan's Connie, a woman determinedly superficial lest she have to deal with the hurt inside her/Kate, faced pulling the plug on the son (a product of rape) whom she never let herself really know. Connie couldn't hide from her emotions inside that hospital room as she said goodbye to her boy, stepping closer to him only to pull back every other moment, until, ultimately, she ran away. Sullivan gave Connie more of a heart than we've ever seen before while at the same time staying true to the character's purposely tough nature. It was Emmy-worthy stuff.

In his two stints on Days of Our Lives, Blake Berris has seen his character Nick evolve (or devolve) from a nerdy sweetheart to mentally unhinged drug addict to his current state as an arrogant jerk who still doesn't seem mentally sound. Blake is probably the only actor whose character could refer to Will as "gay boy" and still have me wanting to see more of him. Between his scary emotional hold on Gabi, his powerplay with Kate, and the awesome moment where Will warned him against ever calling him gay boy again, Nick is like an awful car accident you know you should look away from, but can't. Berris has a way of throwing every scene slightly, if not altogether off balance, making Nick one of the most fascinating and unpredictable characters in daytime, even if he isn't particularly easy to love anymore.

The Bold and The Beautiful's John McCook played a mostly silent role in this year's Christmas episode, but he conveyed as much emotion if not more so than if he'd had pages of dialogue. As Eric mixed he and his wife's signature drink, and took in a performance by their favorite singers, his face showed both the joy of partaking in something they would have done together, and his sorrow at Stephanie's absence. It seemed wrong when Eric was pulled away from Stephanie's deathbed and instead she died in Brooke's arms; while this episode doesn't make up for that slight, at least it gave John McCook the opportunity to showcase the more subtle side of his acting.

This week, General Hospital finally corrected one of their most grievous errors, they brought back Lynn Herring as Lucy Coe. How Lucy wasn't brought back the instant Port Charles went off the air is truly a mystery. The moment her chair spun around this week, the soap felt that much more vibrant and exciting, outstanding actress that she is, Lynn Herring didn't miss a beat, there wasn't a single awkward second of her trying to wedge her feet back into Lucy's colorful shoes, she was instantly there. So far it's not set to be a long term gig, but surely our OLTL guys, so deft at blending comedy with soapiness, will fast recognize a kindred spirit when they see one. Imagine the possibilities of Lucy tangled up in Todd's schemes or mentoring her fellow livewire/surrogate Maxie. The best Christmas present for GH fans would be several years of Lucy. The addition of Scotty, as well as a grown up Serena, would make it even better.

The Young and The Restless' Jack Abbott has spiralled into drug abuse seemingly from the moment he popped his first pill. While a gradual slide would have been more believable, networks execs have the soaps afraid to take their time on anything these days, so thankfully, Y&R handed this tale to an actor capable of diving straight into the deep end. Regardless of how many times he's been bested by Victor and blindsided by wives, Bergman has always brought a certain level of intelligence and thoughtfulness to Jack, so it's interesting to see him draw blanks and appear out of it. Peter Bergman's done a great job of making Jack seem off without going over the top. As sudden as Jack's descent has been, Bergman's still made it feel as in character as an actor possibly could, which is why he's long been one of the most vauluable players in a genre where sharp turns in storytelling are often a necessity.

With Y&R only just now coming to their senses regarding Marcy Rylan, GH's Kirsten Storms is currently the lone go-to girl in daytime for high-energy and pure pleasure to watch. Like Rylan, Storms is every bit as adept at drama as comedy, so no matter what's thrown her way she hits it out of the park. Whether confronting her too often absent mom with brute force honesty, or complaining her way through a meal at Kelly's, Kirsten stole every scene this week, through both humor and heart. Kirsten Storms is a young woman with more than enough talent and charisma to headline her own primetime series, hopefully one day she'll get there, she deserves it, in the meantime, GH fans are ever so lucky to have her.

The Bold and The Beautiful's Susan Flannery closed out her lengthy and legendary run as Stephanie this week. After the blow of losing Ridge, B&B fans have another hole in their hearts where a core character should be. The show will hopefully continue to entertain in their classically outlandish fashion, but brash, brusk, funny, occasionally villainous, and often heartfelt Stephanie will always be missed, particularly when fans are longing for someone to tell it like it is. It's hard to imagine anyone will deliver the verbal takedown Bill and Brooke deserve as Stephanie would have. Who knows, maybe Stephanie's ghost could return from time to time to haunt and meddle with whoever needs a dose of her tough love.

A death at Thanksgiving seems like a macabre downer of a plotline, but it was the perfect way for General Hospital and their fans to say goodbye to Edward Quartermaine. The tone of Wednesday's episode was spot on, at every turn they offered bickering, sadness, affection and humor. From the return of family like Ned and Skye, to Jane Elliott at her weepy, curmudgeonly best, and yet another mishap with their Thanksgiving meal, it didn't seem like the hour could get any better, then came that beauty of an ending with "Edward and Lila" ascending the stairs together, hand in hand.

General Hospital's Anders Hove makes Faison one of the few truly creepy characters in the history of daytime. His villain is unlike anyone else, a strange, fascinating blend of mad scientist, Bond baddie, and unhinged stalker. When Robin gasps or shivers in the guy's presence, you can't blame her, Hove has created an obsessive character who feels as dangerous as he should, rather than cartoony as it could have been under the circumstances. Faison was riveting in the scenes following his unmasking, and whoever created that stunningly realistic mask discarded next to Robin's hospital bed, deserves much applause as well, details like that, combined with a fun performance, help make the implausible entertaining.

Last month, Arianne Zucker's Nicole lost her baby on Days of Our Lives, and gave an outstanding performance that had to be acknowledged. Now, only a few weeks later, as much as other shows and actors deserve their fair share of applause, once again, Arianne delivered in a way that cannot be ignored. In a desperate attempt to emotionally rebound from losing another child, Nicole lied about how she'd lost the baby in order to hold onto her love, Daniel. This week Daniel found out and Nicole became suicidal. Arianne took Nicole right to the edge in a tearful, gut-wrenching state until Daniel and Rafe helped bring her back from the edge. This is where ordinarily I'd say Arianne sealed her Emmy nomination with these scenes, but at this point it feels like Days could be the last soap standing and still receive no Emmy love. As far as fans are concerned though, Arianne's a winner.

Both Days and GH fans potentially saw the last of Bo and Jason this week, at least for a little while. It's likely Steve Burton's exit was the more frustrating of the two, as he never had big goodbyes with his loves one, nor did Jason learn that the baby is his, so Sam's fantasy of him hearing the truth was a bittersweet treat for the couple's diehard supporters. Days' fans, though unlucky to lose Peter Reckell, were fortunate to see heartfelt embraces between Bo and just about everybody before he jetted off in heroic fashion to care for his aging mom. While all his goodbyes were lovely, Bo's last scenes with his little girl were the best, only eclipsed by the moment he kissed Fancy Face for what may be (hopefully not) the last time. The final shot of Hope gazing out the window after Bo, expressed much the same longing for him to come home soon as the viewers feel for these two veteran actors.

The Bold and The Beautiful's Heather Tom was the Daytime Emmy's choice for Best Actress this year, while quantity-wise, it would easily be argued that she isn't a leading lady, quality-wise, she most definitely is one, as she proved this week. In a vanity-free performance, Tom gave voice to countless women with post-partum depression. She infused her scenes with all the fear, frustration and hearbreak you would imagine every mom suffers through in that situation. The moment she informed Bill and Brooke that she was leaving and broke down in tears, likely ensured another Emmy nod for Heather Tom, if not another win. And speaking of winning, B&B also deserve applause for finding a cute way to keep the Sally Spectra legend alive, it was a fun tribute to a much-missed actress.

General Hospital's Florencia Lozano did an outstanding job this week as Tea learned that her baby Victor is actually Sam's baby Danny. Tea rushed into the hospital after the baby was recovered from kidnapper Heather, only to reach out for him and be told no, you can't have him, he isn't yours. Lozano's performance there, as well as in her advice to Sam about the baby, and in her confrontation with Todd, surely broke the hearts of even the staunchest non-OLTL fans, while at the same time you had to applaud the character's emotional strength. When you have moments like the one where Tea gave the little duck from Dani, to Sam's Danny, you really don't care which soap she has history with, you just want to see more from a really great actress.

Baby storylines bring out the best in Days of Our Lives' Arianne Zucker. This week, Nicole lost yet another child. She came undone, barely pieced herself back together, and schemed to hold onto Daniel, desperate not to lose him, too. Very few actresses could do reeling and conniving at the same time and prove equally convincing in both. It's Zucker's gift for that duality that has made her Nicole such an enduring and beloved vixen. It's difficult to clamor for someone's comeuppance when she's so deftly pulling at your heartstrings.

It's impossible to believe that General Hospital's Elizabeth would deprive another mother of her child regardless of how much she wants to be with Jason. So, all credit goes to Rebecca Herbst for managing to maintain her character's integrity while being subjected to such character assassination. Only Rebecca's emotional delivery in those confession scenes with Sam and Jason saved Liz from crossing the line into yet another of GH's one-note psycho ladies, instead, thankfully, she came off as someone broken, and not irrepairably so. Some Emmy worthy sessions with a psychiatrist or maybe a new romance discovered in a grief therapy group would be a nice reward for this actress after the writers came too close to ruining Elizabeth.

The Bold and The Beautiful's Jennifer Gareis has mostly been relegated to two things on the soap - sex, and the occasional bit of comic relief with Pam. So this week it was nice to be reminded that Jennifer's Donna is more than just a borderline ditzy bimbo, she's a loving sister as well. With Brooke on her honeymoon, it was on Donna to step up as the chief Logan girl and stand vigil for little sis Katie. Though she only had a couple of scenes, Gareis made the most of them, in particular those with Pam, and Hope and Liam. In both instances, she had to make sharp emotional turns, from snarky to panic stricken with Pam, and from joy over her nephew's birth to fear for her sister's life with Hope and Liam. Jennifer did such a great job in her small role, that it yet again left me wishing that B&B would give solid supporting players like her more to do.

General Hospital and their fans lost one of the greats this week with the passing of John Ingle. John stole every scene as Edward, including his last, watching Patrick save Emma's life. He made that easily the most compelling moment of an otherwise absurd storyline. Over the years, if a plot wasn't great or an episode a bit dull, you could always count on Edward to liven things up. John Ingle was brilliant with put-downs and funny asides, Quartermaine arguments wouldn't have been half as entertaining with another actor in the role. Nor would Edward have been nearly as loveable if not for John Ingle bringing depth to the part. Edward may have been cantankerous and kind of a bully at times, but he also had a heart that shone through in his chats with Brenda and Michael, as well as in his loving recollections of Lila. John Ingle's Edward was a joy to watch. Edward and the talented man who gave him life will both be sorely missed. Like a Quartermaine Thanksgiving without pizza, GH will never again feel quite right without John Ingle.

The Bold and The Beautiful will never quite be the same again without Ronn Moss as Ridge. He may not be an actor who wins Emmys or even nominations, but he played such and important role in B&B's history that when you think of The Bold and The Beautiful, his is likely the first face that comes to mind. Aside from the death of Ridge's daughter, and Caroline, Ronn was rarely given the opportunity to show us what he was capable of as far as real, gritty emotion, but that's okay, he always entertained anyway. He's the only actor who played his character haughtily enough to be a believable fashion designer. And as far as waffling over two women goes, well, he actually made that fun to watch, which can't really be said for the show's current triangle. Fun is a big part of what a soap should be, especially when that soap is The Bold and The Beautiful, and for twenty-five years Ronn Moss delivered.

For a couple years now, Days of Our Lives' Molly Burnett has been one of the show's most emotionally engaging actors. Whether it was her attraction to Nathan, her feelings for Chad versus her loyalty to Abby, or needing to tell her dad the truth about Chloe, Molly's always at her best when Melanie's torn over what to do. This week, the biggest heart in Salem was yet again put to the test as it was on her to decide if Nick would receive parole. Here's a guy who terrorized her, who she at times didn't treat so well, who she cared about, and who is loved by Maggie, whom Melanie loves. So that's fear, guilt, sympathy, and a sense of duty, all pulling at Melanie any given moment this week and somehow Molly Burnett managed to simultaneously juggle every one of those emotions. While it's sad to think that Molly will be leaving Days soon, with talent like hers we'll undoubtedly have the pleasure of watching her elsewhere.

The Young and The Restless' Eric Braeden may be a grizzled veteran, but his grey hairs only make Victor more enjoyable. Like All My Children's Erica Kane, Y&R and Braeden wisely never let Victor act his age. Who wants to see a kinder, gentler, less Alpha more grandpa Victor, when you can the self-absorbed, I'll walk out on my family whenever I damn well please version? There's nothing more fun on The Young and The Restless than watching Victor's inner Clint Eastwood emerge in a bar fight, an instant classic.

The Bold and The Beautiful’s Hope probably hasn’t been the most fun character for Kimberly Matula to play, she doesn’t get to do bad things, she doesn’t get to say bad things, so she must have had the time of her life finally getting to tell off Liam this week. When Liam showed up for their latest wedding, Hope finally, at least for that moment (we know her good sense won’t last) saw him for the juvenile idiot that he is, and she decided she wasn’t going to take it any more. It’s good that Hope is more demure, and more conservative than Steffy, every kind of woman should be represented on daytime, and in Hope’s case, the fact that she isn’t aggressive, she tends to let people push her around and manipulate her, it made for a triumphant moment when she found her spine for a minute and with fierce conviction told Liam that the way he loves her isn’t good enough.

This week Days of Our Lives has yet again said goodbye to Matthew Ashford. Happily, we haven't seen a body yet and Days has a habit of firing this actor only to hire him again. It never makes sense why you'd get rid of half of one of the most adorable supercouples ever. Matthew has a gift for comedy whether it's a snappy one-liner or a pratfall. He also has the dramatic chops to match the best in daytime as witnessed this week as Jack fought through his post-traumatic stress to rescue his daughter. It's terrible to think we might never see Jack interact with his son JJ. His relationships with Jen and Abby are so up and down, imagine how fraught things are between Jack and the teenage boy he's barely ever been a father to. If only Days would imagine how good that story could be and make it happen, hire Matthew Ashford again and make it right this time, give him material full of humor and heart and his fans would love it.

General Hospital may frequently show Sonny confronting fellow criminals like Johnny, evading police, and doling out orders to henchmen, but he's rarely seemed as mobster dangerous as he did in the boxing scenes with Trey. While there are lines it seems the producers will never let Sonny cross because he is more a hero than a villain, Maurice makes you doubt what you think you know though, he did his best in that gym to ensure that neither we, nor Trey could be certain of what would happen next. It was brilliant to not have Sonny outright explode on the kid, his semi-calm demeanor was far more menacing, it was an example of what makes Maurice Benard so great, he knows when to dial things up and when to dial them down, it's why even if the writing of his character isn't always as effective as fans would like, the way he plays it always is.

Much like Days of Our Lives and Matthew Ashford, The Young and The Restless keeps inexplicably saying goodbye to Eileen Davidson. Ashley’s an Abbott, she’s Jack’s sister, much needed mom to wild child Abby, the only woman who’s been a truly viable alternative to Nikki for Victor, and she’s a chemist, she actually used her brain rather than her bed to get a job, how rare is that for a Genoa City female? It would seem that there are infinite story possibilities for a character with all that going for her, on top of the fact that she’s played by a genuinely brilliant actress. Watching Ashley go toe to toe with her brother this week (as opposed to the doormat they’ve made her be with Tucker the last year or more), you have to assume Eileen was let go solely for financial reasons, because if losing her was a creative decision, Y&R’s future is clearly not in the best of hands.

Days of Our Lives has the unenviable task of going off the air for the next two weeks, and we all know the networks aren't big on showing advertising love for their soaps, so smartly Salem went out in classic cliffhanger style. Days did a great job cramming as much story and as many characters in as possible this week. Fascinating stuff went on everywhere. Will and Sami uniting in defense of EJ. Roman then aiming a gun, however inadvertantly, at his daughter. Victor livid over Daniel's relationship with Nicole, meanwhile that pair growing closer than ever as Daniel awaits word on his missing daughter. A guilty Gabi wanting to save Mel's kidnapper while Chad wants to kill the guy. Melanie, finally safe in Brady's arms only for everything to blow up around them and above them. We were left with Sami dangling over the edge, Abby in a falling elevator and nearly everyone else in some kind of peril as well, it was brilliant watch what happens next stuff.

It's a Bold and The Beautiful miracle! Texas Battle has a storyline! From the beginning, Marcus has been such a gosh, darn good guy, understanding how Donna could give him up, understanding Thomas moving in on Dayzee, understanding Amber lying about him not being her baby daddy - it seems like any time the character's been near juicy conflict, the writers have him shrug it off. Finally though, they've found a way to let Marcus be Mr. Nice Guy and still do something wrong by texting while driving and running over a dear friend of his bride-to-be. Finally viewers are getting a glimpse of what we've suspected all along, Texas Battle has more to offer than good looks. He brought just the right shell-shocked energy in the hospital, and while fidgeting over his secret at the altar. Let's hope this is just the beginning of a complex guilt trip for Marcus and a full-blown story for Texas, rather than an intriguing couple of episodes before the focus once more shifts solely to Steffy, Liam, and Hope.

General Hospital's Patrick could easily win our hearts just by being a standard, heroic soap pretty boy, thankfully though, the writers and Jason Thompson have always been eager to give us a character who is so much more than just a guy we can love, he breaks our hearts, too. There's nothing worse than seeing a grief ravaged Patrick turn to pills just to get through the day without Robin, and yet for viewers, it doesn't get better than that. Thompson puts his all into conveying what a devastated mess this guy is after losing his wife. The actor and the writers should be applauded for not rushing through the grieving process. With a guy as attractive as Jason in the role, the temptation's probably strong to push him into a happy, sexy place again, good for them and especially for the fans that they've resisted that urge, not only are most of us not ready for Patick to move on from Robin, Thompson is just so talented at what he does that it's a pleasure to watch his pain.

Aside from occasionally handling his lunatic sister, The Young and The Restless' Paul hasn't had much to do in a long time. Whether his romance with Nina, the rare chat with his kids, or whatever detective work was thrown his way, for far too long Doug Davidson's Paul has felt more like a very special guest star rather than a full-fledged cast member. Paul's anguish and guilt this week over the part he played in his son's death was a sound reminder that once upon a time Davidson was one of Y&R's go-to leading men. The guy can act and the character has a ton of history to be mined, Paul is a lot more interesting than he has been of late. Y&R, like it's sister soap is too often gulty of focusing on a handful of characters instead of making the most of everyone they have. Here's hoping that bringing Paul to the forefront will open up stories for the ladies around him as well, the likes of Heather and Avery have a ton of untapped potential when you consider who these characters are related to and who's playing them.

Between Y&R’s reliance on one-note villains and their gag inducing insistence on pairing Victor with the mother of his grandchildren, Genoa City hasn’t been the most pleasant place to visit of late, but at long last they remembered how to have fun this week and who is superb delivering it - Marcy Rylan’s Abby. Easily the most bubbly livewire that Y&R has (at least in these dark times of so little Billy), Abby reinvigorated the show as she purposely had herself kidnapped to avoid the humiliation of throwing a loser of a party. With far too many spoiled reality show princesses on our TV’s everyday, Abby could easily annoy, but Marcy brings such a cheeky, adorable charm to every scene, like when she was munching on potato chips in the trunk, that she’s a pleasure to watch. Thanks to Abby’s shenanigans, her burgeoning chemistry with Carmine, as well as Adam and Chelsea’s moment in the rain, there’s finally hope this week that Y&R may right the ship.

Days Of Our Lives' Lexie passed away in Abe's arms this week. Days' fans should mourn her loss along with all of Salem. Renee Jones, like so many other Days actors is underappreciated by the Emmys and the soap press, but those of us who watch the show everyday know what a valuable player she has always been. Lexie was never a saint, nor entirely a sinner (despite her DiMera blood). She wasn't always faithful to Abe, yet thanks to Renee's heartfelt performances, she made it easier to understand how Abe forgave her time and again. There's no way you could hold a grudge against Lexie's mistakes if you saw Renee's sweet, protective interactions with the boy who plays Theo. And every E.J. supporter out there owes a debt of gratitude to Renee, Lexie always brought out the human in E.J., so many times their riveting conversations have prevented E.J. from reaching the point of no redemption. It's a shame to see Lexie and Renee leave, but who knows, maybe Renee won't love retirement, and Lexie, was a DiMera, we know they have a habit of rising from the dead. We can always hope.

General Hospital's Kelly Sullivan has done a commendable job of keeping her split-personality tale out of cheesy territory and this week she bumped up her efforts another thousand notches, delivering what felt like next year's winning Emmy reel. It's impossible to decide which moment was more compelling, Kate choking herself as she relived being raped at the tender age of seventeen or seated on the floor, crying, as she recalled leaving the resulting baby behind in a dresser drawer. It was all extremely powerful stuff, made even more so by an actress who more and more seems as though she won't be long for daytime, Sullivan sure appears destined for wider acclaim. While Kate has yet to win mass fan support either on her own or with Sonny, hopefully, we can all at least agree now that the actress playing her is something special.

General Hospital's Kelly Monaco did an outstanding job this week with her baby's "death." While the writers haven't been kind to Sam of late, allowing Jason to berate her when the woman hasn't done anything wrong, at least their lack of kindness has been great for Kelly Monaco, giving her some highly emotional stuff to play, like the moment she insisted to Jason that the dead baby wasn't hers, her baby looks like him. GH seems big on recycling OLTL's greatest hits these days, and though a baby switch storyline is yet another example of that, it's a pleasure to watch Kelly tackle such challenging material, whether she's grieving for a baby she isn't convinced is dead, or loving a man who up until the last minute had really deserved it, Monaco showed she has serious acting chops.

Days of Our Lives did the classic dark and stormy night to perfection in Friday's episode culminating with shots ringing out. Every cast member involved in the fun, suspenseful episode did a great job. While Stefano antagonized everyone with his usual brilliant blend of bluster and conceit, our heroes, John, Bo, Hope, Abe, and Marlena, all grappled with their morals. Parents Lucas and Sami, no strangers themselves to violence, ran around town in a state of panic looking for a gun, and their once-gun happy son Will. Meantime, Will and EJ's portrayers yet again raised the bar on just how good daytime acting can be, as each have their characters walking around seeming so emotionally bruised that from one minute to the next you have no clue whether they're about to break down crying or indeed, shoot someone. At a time when Days is in such upheaval, it was a pleasure to watch vintage soap opera played out by so many favorites in the same hour, even weddings aren't this star-studded anymore. Yeah, Stefano will probably live (please) and someone meaningless will have probably done the deed (Ian, please), but when the journey's this entertaining, the destination doesn't so much matter.

The citizens of Genoa City tend to be a pretty self absorbed bunch, whether it's Victor and Sharon baffled by everyone's disgust with their relationship or Phyllis pointing fingers at other crazies, so, when, on Thursday, a large chunk of the cast focused on someone other than themselves, it was refreshing. Like all the soaps, Y&R is sometimes guilty of ignoring their show's history, stuff that could really go a long way to richer storytelling, but they must be given credit for never ever forgetting Cassie's death. Yep, loads of people die on soaps, but it's much more poignant when it's a kid, those deaths shouldn't be treated lightly, they should be remembered. While the Cassie memories really only upped the ick factor on Victor and Sharon's relationship, it otherwise did good things. Both Daniel and Noah had some of their best moments maybe ever as Noah visited his sister's grave, and Daniel talked through his unnecessary guilt with pal Kevin. Meanwhile, Phyllis, Sharon, Nick, Victor, Nikki, and Jack all managed to behave like thoughtful grown ups in the same room together, which is certainly a welcome accomplishment. There seems to be a mandate in daytime now, to move fast and move forward, so good for Y&R for bucking the trend and taking a moment to look back at a pivotal moment that altered so many of their characters. All the soaps left have been on the air for years, it's so absurd that they don't focus as much as they could on what happened before, when it brings so much more depth to what's happening now. History is one of the few luxuries prime time shows don't have daytime beat in, so use it.

Jason Cook's Matt arrived in Port Charles with so much potential, yet despite pairing him with his former Days' love interest and having Patrick for a brother, General Hospital never seemed to really commit to the character. While they threw Matt a few morsels to chew on here and there, from the competitive nature of his relationship with Patrick to waffling between Liz and Maxie, for some reason his stories never really went anywhere, the show failed to dig as deep as they could have. This week, after Matt learned that Maxie's taken a prison rap for him, the actor finally has some subtext to play in his scenes, there's finally more to Matt than meets the eye, finally Matt has some truly emotional conflict, every conversation with Maxie, Liz and Patrick are a million times more interesting now that we know he has a terrible secret and terrible guilt, only we don't know when or how it's going to spill out. Watching those scenes, you can't help thinking what might have been for this character if they'd given Jason Cook more to play with all along, so maybe in a way it's a good thing he's on his way out, maybe whoever hires him next will make the most of his abilities.

Any All My Children fans disappointed that they have inexplicably been left out of the One Life/General Hospital merger should consider giving Days of Our Lives' Alison Sweeney a try. While at this point in her life Sweeney's Sami may not yet match Erica Kane's glam factor, she is otherwise a chip off Erica's old self-absorbed block. This week, having been told that several of her family members died, Sami, naturally wanted to take her suffering out on someone else, so she berated her poor dad, Roman. Later, when she learned those family members were indeed alive, Sami rejoiced for all of three seconds before berating all of them for causing her grief, giving no consideration to the grief they endured. And Sami continues to work for the man who inadvertantly ordered her family's deaths. Only Erica Kane, Sami Brady, and maybe Mad Men's Don Draper could operate from such a self-involved, me first place and still somehow garner a certain degree of sympathy and empathy, in all three instances, it's a case of an actor throwing themselves wholeheartedly into their character's belief system, there's never a hint of Sweeney questioning Sami's actions even though you know she must and her conviction is what sells the performance, she always comes darn close to convincing you she's the wronged party even at moments when you know she isn't. It takes a definite fearlessness from the actor to play his or her character without apology, to risk not being the most loveable person in any given scene and when done well, it makes for infinitely more interesting television.

In light of the news that negotiations between Peter Reckell and Days of Our Lives aren't going well, here's hoping the right people were watching this week as Reckell's Bo recollected to Hope the brief moment he met their boy Zach in heaven. While only a couple short scenes, it was quite something to be reminded of what an emotional performance Reckell can deliver when he's actually given the opportunity. Bo is most often this show's man of action, but hopefully this little moment opened some eyes to the fact that he's capable of more, despite how long he's been with the show, a ton of potential remains. Peter Reckell's a great hero, not only does he make stories like the bomb more entertaining and more convincing than they probably should be, but he's great at the quiet stuff too, the man brings heart, romance, and history to everything he's given, he's as valuable to Days as Bo is to Hope. It's unclear whether it's Reckell or Days or a bit of both standing in the way of a new contract, but hopefully for the viewer's sake, they'll work it out, Peter and Bo are way too important to Salem, especially at this crucial time for all our soaps.

Monday's episode of The Bold and The Beautiful featured Adrienne Frantz's Amber and big surprise, it was more compelling than anything in Aspen later in the week (despite the gorgeous scenery). If anyone deserves a location shoot, it's Frantz, who for years now whether on B&B or on Y&R has managed to make Amber loveable, regardless of the unloveable actions the writers foist on her character. The same cannot be said of B&B's dominant storyline featuring two self-esteemed challenged young women and the simpering wimp of man who can't choose between them. Liam, Steffy, and Hope, are tough to like half the time, let alone to love when they get shoved down our throats on a daily basis, so why do they get all the story while it's only every so often that Amber gets a little something to play. The actress is so good at playing everything. Plots do not come more thankless than this current one wherein Amber provided good girl Hope with tainted pills so that Hope would in turn help Amber recapture Rick's heart. Few other actresses/characters could pull off such a heinous act without coming off as an unredeemable monster, and yet on Monday's episode when Hope put an end to their deal, it was Amber who seemed like the vulnerable, shattered one, it was Amber, the manipulative vixen, who you felt for more. It seems as if Adrienne Frantz puts more thought into her character's motivation than the writers of B&B are ever concerned about, so Amber manages to be endearing even in stories where she shouldn't be. It boggles the mind why B&B now refuses to truly delve into more than one plot at a time when too much of anything is never a good thing. Do they not watch their own show? Do they not see that Adrienne Frantz and others are more than capable of bringing juicy stories to life? It's a half hour show, it could easily handle two to three storylines per episode rather than have every character so weirdly invested in someone else's triangle. B&B may be the reigning champ, but if those Emmy voters actually watched an entire year of the show like the viewers do instead of a few sample episodes, the show's stagnant storytelling would not seem so golden. B&B could and should be so much better than it is right now, they've got a stable full of good actors, if only they'd use them.

While it remains to be seen whether other One Life to Live exiles really fit General Hospital, moving Starr over appears to have been a smart decision. Killing off her little girl and Cole was not ideal for those of us who believe there was more story to tell there, however, their bodies weren't recovered, and in the meantime, maybe Starr's grief will help endear her to GH fans fearing a takeover of their soap. The tragic plot showcases the aspects of Starr that make her a great heroine. Kristen Alderson may be one of the best young criers around, but Starr's no weeping willow or damsel in distress type, she fights her own battles as witnessed in her willingness to get in mobsters' Sonny and Johnny's faces. This is not to say that Starr doesn't have vulnerability, too, her quiet moments with Michael not only bring out her soft side, but a more grown up version of him as well. If the writers handle Starr with care and don't shove her down GH fans throats, not only will the show have a young woman worth rooting for, but a bonafide supercouple in a soap age where true romance is in absurdly short supply.

If Days of Our Lives is rebooting once again, forget fantastical stuff like mind-control and one dimensional villains like Ian, and focus on ensuring every character is as complex as James Scott's EJ. Whether mentoring William in his twisted way, playing the fumbling handyman to get under Sami's skin, or opening up his insecurities to Nicole, it all works, because those are all aspects of who EJ is, he's not being retrofitted for wherever the writers (or the self-sabotaging network) want to take the plot. Days seems confused over what direction to go in right now, but it's obvious, go with characters and actors on par with EJ/James Scott, who command the screen, who can be funny, sexy, vulnerable, and powerful at the same time. With someone that multifaceted, stories spin directly out of who he is rather than being forced, which is something Days has been heavily guilty of with many of their couples recently.

For a second consecutive week, a grandmother stole the soap spotlight, this time The Young and The Restless' Kay. Surprisingly, what made her a standout wasn't a Jill catfight or temptation back to the bottle which usually scores her Emmy nods, but rather, a couple quiet scenes with her grandson Devon. Like many of the soaps these days, Y&R doesn't indulge in nearly enough quiet anymore, it's like everyone thinks if it doesn't go by in a flash and with a bang, it won't hold the viewers attention. Yet for all the psychos and business backstabbers, the one truly memorable moment of this week was Katherine attempting sign language for the sake of temporarily deaf Devon. Sometimes all you need is a grandma reaching out to her grandson and an actress with a natural enough way about her that the ordinary feels more extraordinary than all the forced, over-the-top stuff Y&R has thrown at us in recent years.

While most actresses likely cringe over playing grandma, Days of Our Lives' Deidre Hall appears to wholeheartedly embarce the role and subsequently, her relationship with Will is one of the most charming things Days has produced since Jennifer and Alice used to bond over donuts. If only every kid struggling with sexuality or anything else, had such a patient, thoughtful, Ga-ga quoting grandma. Too often, the halves of a supercouple flounder without one another, but Deidre's thriving on her own, whether trying to lighten Will's mood, or feistily stand her ground against Kate, it's apparent why she's been a fan favorite for so long.

Days of Our Lives' Abigail is far from the first young soap gal to find herself with a crush that turns obsessive, then borderline crazy and busts up a marriage. However, what sets Abby apart from many of those other schemers is that she isn't a vixen, actress Kate Mansi, with her big eyes and expressive face, never once, despite the whopper of a lie she told, never let you forget Abigail is Jennifer's daughter, she has an innate goodness. It's that innate goodness that made this story more compelling than it probably should have been, particularly this week, as at long last, little by little Abby's guilty conscience finally got to her, and right there, in front of her parents, and Austin, the truth spilled out. Mansi played this entire plot as well, if not better than one could expect considering how often Abby's actions seemed out of character, she pulled it off by playing it with Abby's heart on her sleeve, in the end there was no doubting the girl's confusion of emotions, from her honest young love for Austin, to her humiliation, and her remorse. Kate Mansi did a great thankless job here of messing with a supercouple, hopefully those in charge reward her with something even more challenging, like say, this out of character moment for Abby is the first sign of the mental illness that her grandmother also endured.

While Robin's death (if she's dead) on General Hospital was an odd way for her to go, and rather emotionally unsatisfying for viewers, at least the mourning afterwards has showcased some of the soap's finest actors. Firstly, Kimberly McCullough in those flashbacks, it's stunning what she was capable of from such a young age. Then there's little better than the Quartermaines reminiscing, arguing, and grieving together. The Q mansion may look depressingly dark and desolate these days, but nothing brightens a room, and our tv screens like the combined forces of Jane Elliott, Leslie Charleson, and John Ingle. Brightening a room isn't the easiest feat, which Jen Lilley can surely attest to, attempting to fill the unfillable, bubbly and feisty shoes of Kirsten Storms is challenge enough, but on top of that, to convey sisterly affection, guilt, and grief over Robin without benefit of the years of actually knowing her - Jen's doing an amazing, thankless job. Lastly, there's Jason Thompson, seemingly giving the performance of his career in each heartbreaking episode. Every minute watching Patrick makes it all the more miserable to contemplate September, when heart and soul will likely once more lose out to dollars and nonsense at ABC.

The Bold and The Beautiful's John McCook and Susan Flannery mercifully saved their soap, and us viewers, from a total cringefest this week. Yes, Hope losing her virginity is a big deal, and to show she has some hang ups and some anxiety, and even some guilt over being with a married man, that's all perfectly good sudsy stuff, but confiding all that in her nympho mother is just plain eww, for goodness sake give Hope a friend, give her Amber, or even a pet dog, just somebody where it doesn't seem like a creepy topic, because it's not as long as it's not discussed with your mother - particularly the mother who had sex with your first boyfriend! When B&B isn't treating us to that weird mother/daughter bond, we're forcefed Bill's weird fixation on his son's sex life, eww! But thankfully, there were Eric and Stephanie. Yeah, both of them have had weird fixations on their kids sex lives too, but that was put aside this week for intentional laughs. This time they tied the knot in their own living room, with Phyllis Diller doing the honors, it wasn't remotely glam, and only a little romantic (seriously, who can believe Eric has "grown up" that he won't be chasing the next bimbo that comes along) but it was fun, with the pair poking at their tumultuous history in a warmhearted way. What a relief it was to watch these two actors easy breezy rapport, compared to the forced, fake feeling conversations this soap's also otherwise capable actors had to play out this week.

The Young and The Restless would be wise to sprinkle a little of Beth Maitland's Traci into every one of their stories, whether Traci belongs there or not, the woman knows how to cry, and she knows how to bring emotion a scene, something many of Y&R's tales are sorely lacking. Y&R have gone to the doppelganger well so often now that most of the viewers, and almost all of the characters now greet this stuff with a ho-hum, Beth's Traci was one of the few who didn't seem to basically shrug her shoulders at Patty's re-emergence, her breakdown at Jack's bedside, the tears and the rage, was one of the rare relatable moments in this entire saga. Viewers everywhere are just as frustrated with the situation as Traci is, and if Y&R continues to go down the road of ridiculously tall tales (please tell me that really is Lauren who was at the gun range!), it's time they considered bringing Beth Maitland back full time. Traci may not be the most exciting gal around, but you need someone to be the voice of reason, a character who apparently inspires the writers to touch on history and emotion, not just shock value that isn't particularly shocking or entertaining.

Despite only four soaps on the air, there were too many outstanding performances this week to choose only one. Days of Our Lives Chandler Massey impresses more by the minute, while General Hospital's John J. York, Finola Hughes, and Jason Thompson were possibly at their best ever. It's so rare to see GH's Mac in a capacity beyond barking police orders or bumbling as a romantic suitor, that when you finally catch John J. York getting to play a truly dramatic moment, such as his disbelief of Robin's death, the moment wows you. The same goes for Finola Hughes, we all know what she's capable of, but Anna's recent visits didn't give her anything nearly as powerful to play as breaking the news to Mac. As for Jason Thompson, his raw, angry, tear-filled scenes as the conflicted widower weren't a revelation either, but rather a reminder that even if we do lose GH, there is some consolation in knowing GH and his guest spot on Castle won't by any means be the last we see of this actor, he is too good not to show up plenty of other places. Days' Chandler Massey is another actor who falls into the too good category, his Will feels so much, and he makes the viewer feel it right along with him, his fears, his shame, his uncertainty over who he is and how those he loves will react to it. It's too bad that the only part of Will's story that catches mainstream press is the fact that he kissed a guy, and not that a really heartfelt coming of age story is being played out here, one that hopefully will find the audience who really need it, the kids struggling just like Will, who need to know they're not alone, that for every viewer or advertiser who might complain, there are Marlena's out there who will understand and love you no matter what.

With so much of The Young and The Restless devoted to prison, psychos, and trials, Cane and Lily's drama-free wedding was a welcome dose of old-fashioned romance. While all the soaps are dealing with limited budgets, Y&R managed a nicely splashy affair in the "French" countryside, with all the necessary guests in attendence, and pretty clothes, though Lily's dress was a little too cocktail to be as truly swoonworthy as it could have been. Last year, Y&R really messed up this couple, first by sitting Daniel Goddard for so long, then bringing him back as "ghost" when it would have been ever so much better if he'd let Lily in on his return, allowing for romantic interludes while he haunted his dad instead. One can only hope the sweet, personalized vows these two exchanged will prove to be a true fresh start for the pair and we'll see them in smarter stories, worthier of one of Y&R's best couples.

General Hospital’s Alexis is going through menopause, as well as trying to police her teenage daughter’s internet use and while she might not like either, it’s great for the viewers. Nancy Lee Grahn is the perfect actress to tackle hot flashes and all the other realities of growing older, with her ability to pull off humor and dignity at the same time, the story of her going through the change, is neither a joke nor so grave that you feel like you’re stuck with an ABC self-help show lecturing at you. Plus, anytime you get Alexis and Diane together, it’s the greatest fun on earth, or at least, right up there with any moment the Davis girls share. It’s my great hope that the One Life to Live folks will recognize that Alexis and her girls are every bit as valuable players as Dorian and hers, were.

The Young and The Restless' Genevieve is far from a quality character, but this week, she at least crept closer to tolerable. Rather than the over the top, unhinged villainess, or the born again saintly virgin she's inexplicably toggled between since she arrived in Genoa City, the last couple episodes she's almost seemed human. Finally, Genie Francis was given some tangible motivation and conflict with Genevieve asserting her independence for the first time, at the expense of her family. While absurd that she wouldn't just buy a company that wouldn't set her up to look like a backstabber; facing Jack, the man she betrayed, and Cane, the son she disappointed, made for some actual emotional scenes, the kind of stuff Genie has a gift for, and should have played from the start. Genie Francis has the potential to not wind up as yet another Y&R train wreck veteren hire if Victor attempts to seduce Beauty of Nature away from Genevieve, and she turns the business tables on him (where Jack and others have failed before her), however, with Y&R's recent dreadful track record it's tough to believe she'll end up as anything more than another run-of-the-mill psycho.

General Hospital should have told the story of Johnny's implausible parentage (did Claudia give birth when she was five?) when it was hinted at a few years ago. Back then Claudia was alive and undoubtedly would have added to the emotional impact of the tale, however, the reveal still offered another long overdue glimpse of Brandon Barash's abilities. Over and over we've seen Brandon's great with the tough guy barbs and come ons, its no wonder that Lulu, Olivia and Carly have at one time - against their will - fallen for Johnny's charms. If all Johnny ever did was seduce the ladies, roll his eyes at his nutjob dad, and point out what a hypocrit Sonny can be, he would, and has been an enjoyable character, but it's ever so much better when he's given something explosive, like Claudia's murder, and now, learning his father basically pimped out his sister to a mobster and he was the result. Brandon plays bad boy Johnny with a heart, thus, when Johnny gets emotional, its edge of your seat time, he's both a lost little boy in need of a hug and a powder keg set to go off any minute. Unlike his dad Anthony, Johnny's instability isn't entirely played for laughs, Barash does a brilliant job of grounding potentially campy stuff like choking his father and blowing stuff up. When Johnny lashes out, you get that his avenging rage is wrapped up in his own guilt and his own hurt, and you wonder how it is that an actor capable of conveying those depths isn't front and center more often.

With Days of Our Lives bidding temporary goodbye to Daniel, they're losing one of the best father/daughter duos around. Shawn Christian and Molly Burnett have built a strong, believable bond between their characters in a short time span. They share a natural style of acting and that ability to bring a realistic ease and affection into their scenes has quickly made their little family of two as endearing as any of Salem's larger broods. These two were perfection in the reveal of Daniel's impending departure. The scenes could have played as a silent movie and been totally understood through his guilt ravaged features and the abandoned little girl she'd once been pouring out in her tears. If your soap has been cruelly ripped away from you, do give yourself the opportunity to love the likes of Molly and Daniel, you won't regret it, Days has a ton of old-fashioned soapy goodness to offer right now, with corporate intrigue, families, and romance galore.

If cute, clever, respectful of his soap roots, Nathan Fillion was the only thing One Life to Live ever gave us it would have been enough, yet OLTL, this supposed relic of eras when people possessed attention spans, delivered so much more in their forty-three year run. Thursday's speech, as read with all the gravity and grace we expect from Erica Slezak, perfectly illustrated that the value of soap operas extends far beyond what failing network heads like Oprah are capable of measuring, if something is more about heart and devotion than quick bucks, it boggles their tiny minds. This last week had many other things to love as well. Clint and Viki engaged. Once-bullied Shane thriving and off to art school. John and Natalie (!) finally having their long-promised talk. Matthew and Destiny naming their baby after Drew. Jessica turning out to be Clint's biological daughter. Cole ending up with Starr and Hope. Of course, when you've been on the air this long, no wrap-up is going to satisfy everyone, there were things that weren't so great, like yay, Brody's back, but oh, he never even kissed Jess, let alone discovered yet another wrong paternity test and he, not Ford is the baby daddy. Then, yay, Trevor St. John misled us all, he actually was in the finale, but oh, not even one confrontation scene with Roger Howarth, no seeing Tea's pregnant with his baby, just him held hostage by Alison Perkins, a woman who up until a week ago was in jail, so how has she held him hostage? Those are small quibbles in the grand, beautiful scheme of Llanview, where the actors and everyone behind the camera always got more right than wrong. Marty's rape, and the subsequent trial, hooked me on OLTL, in a genre where courtroom scenes are snoozy affairs, those ones were off the charts good. There are so many other moments I wish I hadn't been late for, like the Aids Quilt, Judith Light's Karen, Megan's battle with Lupus, the Old West, a young Lawrence Fishburne and the majority of Tina and Cord's relationship. But I was lucky to see so much, like the ever-quotable David Vickers. Pa, Asa. Cristian and Jessica's sweet teenage romance. Dorian and Viki trapped anywhere and everywhere. Bo and Nora dancing. Fish. Vimal and Rama. Nash and Jessica in Central Park. Dani. Jared and Natalie. RJ's dreadlocks. Roxy's tipsy way with the English language. Todd and Blair showered with gold balloons. Max and Luna. Antonio and Andy. Powell and Rebecca. The Musicals. Brody in his dress whites. Patrick's poetry. Snoop Dogg. Marcie. Evangeline. Rex and Gigi (and John-Paul's pajama pants). The Evans Family. Little Sam. Both Clints. Joey and Kelly and How Deep is Your Love playing in the background. The Rappaports. Viki and Jessica's other personalities. And last, but by no means least, the loving tribute OLTL paid to soap fans, by having everyone in Llanview, rich and poor, bright and not so bright, women and men mourn the loss of their soap, instead of treating daytime dramas like a trivial thing that only fools care about. OLTL was a smart show for smart people, which explains why, in the end, the suits just didn't get it, but we all did. Llanview will be sorely missed.

Allowing a bunch of psychopaths to eat up valuable air time isn't necessarily the way I would have preferred the penultimate week of One Life to Live to play out, but Cole's return did provide a far better showcase for Kristen Alderson's talent than the pop star storyline (her pretty voice, aside). While it's a shame Brandon Buddy wasn't there, his replacement did a great job jumping into Cole's very conflicted shoes, allowing Kristen to do an even better job. What a priveledge it's been to watch Kristen grown from a precocious scene-stealing kid, to a full-blown actress, capable of conveying a torn heart through tears, and most impressively, with strength. Even at Starr's most vulnerable, regardless of how domineering Todd is, or how much she loves a boy, Kristen has always made Starr seems like she's in charge of her own life, no one else will make the decisions for her. It's a quality any show on the CW or ABC Family should welcome with open arms, this is a young woman who deserves to be seen. Here's hoping she gets an audition for the young Carrie Bradshaw in The Carrie Diaries, she could easily pull off an eighties SJP look, as well as the heart and spine the role requires.

Rex and Gigi's wedding on One Life to Live wasn't the splashiest, or lengthiest affair in the history of soaps, but despite budget and time constraints, they got it very right. All their loved ones were in attendance. Shane, for the first time in a long time as happy as can be, watched his mom and dad finally make it official. Roxie, rocked a mini dress as only she could. Viki and Clint, Bo and Nora, and most frustratingly (in a good way) John and Natalie made eyes at one another throughout the vow swap. And it wasn't just any old vow swap, the ceremony was personal and poignant, conveying Rex and Gigi's long journey to the altar with flashbacks, and words from both the bride and groom. Top it off with the perfect gown and hair for Farrah/Gigi, followed by candlelight and it's hard to believe all the time in the world or the biggest budget could have done it any better. One Life is sure giving me a ton of hope that the final weeks will deliver a fitting send-off for these characters nobody wants to say goodbye to.

The last Christmas in Llanview. There's really no way to feel jolly about that, but OLTL still managed to put together some nice moments. Rex and "Stacy" discovered she's actually Gigi (though flashback Gigi should have been blonde, did Farrah not check with producers before going brunette?); so, thankfully, they look like they'll be officially together through the finale. Though Jack Manning wound up arrested by episode's end, sweet moments abounded for his siblings, as Dani tearfully found a Christmas gift from Victor, and Todd played Santa for Sam. Last but not least, especially for those weary of another All My Children non-ending, Viki, who'd been hurting all week, finally heard Clint out, and the pair look as though they're on their way to happily ever after, a true Christmas gift for OLTL fans, even if our fondest wish isn't happily ever after, but no end at all.

A week before Christmas, One Life to Live gave viewers two perfect gifts, the return of David, and the sweetest little boy in the world, Sam. David Vickers, as played by Tuc Watkins, is like an episode of Arrested Development invading Llanview, only somehow even sharper and funnier. I will never understand how Tuc's gifts for humor and wordplay were completely ignored by Desperate Housewives, the man could have singlehandedly reinvigorated the last couple seasons of that series. As for Sam, Patrick Gibbons Jr.'s presence is a pure mood brightener, between his cute face and even cuter line deliveries, it's impossible not to smile when he's on screen. Whether dealing with heavy subject matter, or skewering the talk show genre, OLTL, is feel good TV. It seems wrong that they're being replaced by The Revolution, a show that will harp on women's flaws, and in all likelihood make viewers more critical, and worse, ashamed of their own imperfections. Doesn't exactly sound like the stuff smiles - or repeat viewings - are made of.

One Life to Live's Ilene Kristen did every One Life to Live fan proud this week as her one of a kind Roxy fought to save her favorite soap. Roxy may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, and often she's a source of humor for the show, but Ilene has created such an endearing character, so overflowing with heart that while she does make viewers laugh, we'd never really laugh at her, Roxy's not a joke. Whether dancing around another romance with Nigel, advising Rex and Natty on their love lives, or railing over the penny-pinching decisions of television execs, Ilene delivers a passionate performance every time, grounding outlandish Roxy just enough that she's turned what could have been a fun, short-term stint, into several unforgettable years. Credit should also be given to the writers for their part in crafting unique characters like Roxy, and for delivering so much smarter material than soaps are even given credit for, every reference to Fraternity Row felt like a love letter to us viewers, particularly the dig at Oprah's self-important, condescending speech declaring the genre's overdue death. As Nigel said when Clint echoed O's sentiments, a simple no thank you would have sufficed.

With One Life to Live winding down in little over a month, now is when viewers start to mourn what might have been, particularly when it come to criminally underused performers like the Evans family. Praying for Matthew, pressing Vivian on the marriage issue, and a pie fight added up to a poignant and funny Thanksgiving. Once again this group of actors left me wanting more of them, their scenes over the last couple years have always been too few and far between and now it's terrible to think we won't even see that little of them when they're all so good. I'm going to miss Destiny and Matthew's mom's verbal sparring, sadly one can only imagine how good it would get as the baby grows up. I'm sorry I won't see Shaun truly get the girl and become as adorable a groom and father, as he has been a bodyguard. I'm sorrier still that we won't see Destiny come to grapple with teenage motherhood and her ever evolving feelings for Matthew. What a great young actress, I know she would have done amazing things with the story, as she will with whatever role comes her way next. I'm sorrier than anything that ABC thinks I want a Revolution, when what I want is so much simpler and deeper than makeovers, just give me a family like the Evans and I'll happily watch them everyday (hint, hint to the new lady in charge of ABC daytime, this debacle can be fixed).

Come Monday, hopefully we'll find out Matthew's death on One Life to Live was a temporary flat-line, and we'll get to enjoy Eddie Alderson's talents a little longer (what a shame if we never see his reaction to Destiny's pregnancy, and Bo's story ends with mourning another son). I have no doubt, however, that whenever Eddie's stint on OLTL ends, he'll pop up elsewhere. From adorable boyhood - bonding with Asa, Starr's sidekick - to brooding teen - paralyzed, aligned with Uncle Clint, murdering a man (albeit a bad man) - it's been a pleasure to watch Matthew, and his portrayer grow up, Eddie has become an actor capable of as much depth and emotion as his veteran peers. Our last Llanview Thanksgiving (sob!) was that much more special thanks to Matthew's presence, and young Eddie's mature voice-over. Oh, how this show will be missed.

Thanks to the Rafe doppelganger story, it feels like a long time since we've gotten to see Days of Our Lives' Alison Sweeney reach the emotional heights that has made her a fan favorite. Despite the many shades of grey necessary to justify her own actions, Sami insists on judging everyone else in black and white, which can lead to spectacular, if hypocritical tongue lashings, like this week. Whether or not you agree with Sami, the key is that Alison makes you feel for her even if she's picking on Rafe, a guy who has been nothing but forgiving and supportive of her, and John, who at one point was her dad and has always tried to love her, even after she attempted to sell his daughter on the black market. Yes, Sami's a mom with a missing a child, it would be impossible not to feel for her, but that doesn't necessarily translate to liking her when she's heaping blame on all the loving people around her, there's some warts and all honesty in the way Alison portrays Sami, that seems to leave us viewers incapable of holding a grudge against her. It's terrible to think that more people know Allison Sweeney as the host of The Biggest Loser, rather than as the outstanding, nuanced actress that she is.

Friday's One Life to Live had it all. Clint and Rex shared another nice moment when he asked his son to fill in for him at the wedding. Dorian (oh how she's missed) made her presence known by arranging for Clint to attend the wedding after all. Shaun semi-asked Vivian to marry him. Bo and Nora danced, always a good thing. Roxy again, in her humorous, touching way tried to lure John into busting up Nat's wedding. And sweet, sweet David Vickers (the dog, not the dude) was on a mission to find the proof of Liam's paternity. The ceremony's barely started and already there's been drama, romance, laughter, and suspense. It was a thoroughly enjoyable hour, and hopefully it only gets even better from here, OLTL needs to make the most of their time left on network TV, since as we've seen with AMC this week, there are no guarantees, the fans deserve to be rewarded with episodes like this while they still can, please, save nothing for the internet, if it goes ahead, great, but if it doesn't, we're all left feeling a little robbed by loose ends.

It was horrifying enough when the Emmys failed to award General Hospital's Lexi Ainsworth for her harrowing portrayal of a teen girl caught up in an abusive relationship, now GH is letting go one of their most talented actresses allegedly because she's not sexy enough. Yeah, maybe she is a little young for Ethan, so why not find someone her own age instead? Why not a boy mixed up in Sonny's mob, a long lost little brother of Johnny's, or a son Alan Quartermaine never knew he had (gasp, that story would even include Monica and Edward)? There were so many possibilities for this character played by such a capable actress, it's maddening that rather than explore them, they're ushering her off the canvas for shallow reasons that I guarantee none of us viewers care about, in fact, Kristina's likely all the more endearing because she isn't eighteen going on twenty-five, she's a regular, relatable girl gradually growing up, the way most of us did. Does whoever made this decision even watch the show? Don't they see Lexi holding her own with incredible talents like Nancy Lee Grahn and Maurice Benard? Don't they see Kristina's sweet friendship with little sister Molly? And there is something with Ethan, if they'd just have the patience to let it grow along with her. Here's hoping that like DAYS when they recast Carrie for similar asinine reasons, GH realize their mistake and try to bring Lexi back, though by then the CW, ABC Family, or even the movies, may have already snapped her up, after all, there have to be some people out there who know talent when they see it.

This week Days of Our Lives' Renee Jones and James Scott epitomized the promises this soap recently made to turn Salem back into the town fans first fell in love with. While Days hasn't been without missteps in this return to their former glory (Madison moisturizing Brady comes to mind), they've done a brilliant job of reigniting the home and family vibe, from Will nearly confiding in Marlena, to Jack attempting to win back his wife and daughter, and Bo and Hope aiding Maggie in her search for her child. Happily, this week the spotlight returned to one of my favorite relationships on the show, brother and sister, E.J. and Lexie. While these two didn't grow up together, there's a great bond between them that shines through even when they're on opposite sides of an issue, making for a very believable pair of siblings. With EJ running for mayor against Lexie's husband Abe, these two weren't on the best terms when they sat down together this week, the actors did a terrific job conveying the tension, while at the same time keeping viewers very much aware that underneath it all, these two really love each other or no way on earth would either one of them put up with the other - again, totally believable siblings. I love that Lexie doesn't shy away from telling EJ what she thinks of him, but will defend her little brother against anyone. I love that EJ goes to his big sister for advice, you can tell she's one of the few people he obviously respects, even if half the time he has no intention of taking her advice, like when he asked how to handle Halloween with his estranged kids. If you're an As The World Turns' fan missing the interaction between Margo and Craig, or an All My Children supporter longing for the moments where Stuart made Adam take a good look at himself, you wouldn't go wrong to give EJ and Lexie a try.

One Life to Live aired one of their all time best scenes this week, as Rex and Clint came awfully close to some father and son bonding. Rex and Clint both finally came to the conclusion that they wanted to be better men for their loved ones, and so, when Rex returned his ill-gotten gains to Clint, Clint softened as well, finally acknowledging him as his son and inviting him to stay on in Asa's house. It was a great guy moment, both men reaching out yet keeping their guards up, pretending it wasn't emotional while Viki watched with tears in her eyes. OLTL is good at reminding us of the many reasons we love soaps why talk shows will never mean as much to us.

Every soap fan has at one time or another lamented the lack of happiness for their favorite couple, but anyone who watched General Hospital's Lucky and Elizabeth this week saw that misery has its rewards - namely, some of the most powerfully acted, emotion-packed scenes of the year. GH has a fondness for violence, but the only torture that matters in a good daytime drama, is the romantic kind. Lucky and Liz, are, arguably better together when they're ripped apart. This week's scenes were the perfect storm of history and hopelessness, Jonathan Jackson and Rebecca Herbst put it all out there, you could practically see Lucky and Liz's bruised and battered hearts left motionless on the floor in the aftermath. And so we care, we yearn for the next moment they bump into one another, we can't wait to feel the tension. Believing viewers have little to no attention span anymore, soaps sped up their pace to their detriment, the characters are no longer left wanting for long, and neither are the fans and then there's little reason to watch on a daily basis. It would be easy for GH to just let Lucky and Liz be happy together, to give viewers what we think we want, but ultimately, it wouldn't prove anywhere near as satisfying.

One Life to Live delivered two classic pairings this week, Todd and Blair, and Princess David Vickers with little Liam. While I loved Trevor St. John as much I love Roger Howarth, it's such a pleasure to revisit Todd and Blair's relationship through flashbacks, as well as Roger and Kassie's chemistry, which stunningly, after all these years still has that thrilling, first blush quality to it. OLTL has themselves a bonafide supercouple again. They also had the craziest and cutest plot reveal ever as David Vickers the dog (perfectly voiced by Andrea Evans) informed baby Liam, that John, not Brody is the boy's daddy. The creativity on display there, and the simmering passion between Todd and Blair is precisely what makes ABC's decision to lose this soap so mindboggling. If every channel in the universe is offering diet and makeover shows, wouldn't the smart strategy be to offer something unique, that an audience can't find just any old place they look?

Days of Our Lives' relaunch started off iffy, and I fear alienating to any AMC fans who may have attempted to make the switch, with too many speeches and the weirdness that was EJ bringing a D-list reality star as his date (why oh why?), but things vastly improved the moment an eavesdropping Jack fell over the ledge into the cake. It was an instant classic, and the perfect reintroduction of Matthew Ashford to the audience. Matthew has to be one of the most talented performers out there to deliver a pratfall one minute, and believable emotional angst the next. Only a few episodes in and he's already reminded me how much I love, and have missed this character. If you're an AMC fan yearning for the likes of Tad and Jake, with their deft abilities to shift from flirting to comedy to drama, you should give Jack a try, he can make you laugh, swoon, and cry, sometimes all in the same scene.

Heartbreak. That's how it feels to say goodbye to Pine Valley. The final television episode of All My Children opened on a brilliant note, echoing the show's title with a montage of births. While I've not been a big fan of many of the stories leading to this finale, it was a beautiful thing to see Stuart brought back to life, reunited with Scott, Marian, and Adam. The show, and the fans suffered greatly with the loss of that character, never mind the pure joy of watching David Canary play twins, I always loved the moments where they would switch places, and Mr. Canary would let little tells slip through, so it really did feel like one man impersonating another. Then, with Tad's tearjerking speech, AMC demonstrated the thing so very unique to soaps, where characters don't just grow and change overnight (not counting rapid aging syndrome) but evolve over decades, in Tad's case, little by little he moved from abused boy, to a cad sleeping with mothers and their daughters, to a grown man so responsible that it made perfect sense for him to deliver the most important toast in the town's history. Of course there are some quibbles, like a party that's declared a rebirth yet with some quite funereal looking fashion. And there was that "ending." The nod to Gone With the Wind was really clever, and so apt for Erica, and the shot ringing out a classic soapy cliffhanger, but none of us know whether Susan Lucci will transition to the internet, or if we'll personally have access to see where that shot landed, so who knows whether to feel frustrated or think, wow, that was a really cool beginning to the next chapter. It must be the most thankless task figuring out a way to close a show that shouldn't be ending, that means so much to so many people after so many unforgettable years of tackling tough subject matter like Vietnam, AIDS, abortion, and so many other topics that television otherwise was afraid to go near. There's so much to love and miss about All My Children. The one and sadly, probably still only African-American supercouple, Jesse and Angie. Leo and Greenlee. Lily's autism. Erica working as a waitress. Phoebe toting around her little dog, long before Paris Hilton. Tad rescuing Dixie from the loony bin. Billy Clyde Tuggles. Jack's son, Reggie, so brilliantly played by Michael B. Jordan. Cluck-cluck's. That loveable old goat Pete Cooney. The bear that wouldn't dare eat Erica Kane! Zach's obsession with the Red Wings. Nico Kelly. Janet from another planet. Myrtle. Kelly Ripa in a black wig with her Uncle Porkchop. Julia's Cinderella nuptials with Noah. Ryan and Gillian. Laura's death. Santa Claus. Brot. Jake and Amanda. Erica Kane's many, many weddings, especially the beautifully shot one in Florida, with Jackson. Those are just a few of the memories I have from my years of watching AMC, never mind the stuff I wish I'd seen like Cliff and Nina, and Jesse and Jenny in New York. It's horrible to think that come Monday, a man in orange crocs will actually attempt to fill Erica Kane's pumps. Please, show ABC that it can't be done. Switch to Days, or B&B, or turn off your tv until OLTL's timeslot. AMC's ending may not have satisfied everyone, but The Chew, crashing and burning would make us all feel better.

The dynamic duo of Susan Lucci and Julia Barr reunited today and what a surprise (at least to the execs who thought the show could do without Julia), their scenes were perfection, rich with history, emotion, and in their own deliciously warped and grudging way, warmth. Erica and Brooke rate right up there on the enjoyability scale alongside any of Pine Valley's supercouples. The catty barbs flying between these two always brought a wealth of humor to AMC without crossing the line into juvenile mean girl territory. Erica and Brooke's relationship has long been filled with jealousy and antagonism, they never let one another get away with anything, and it has led to some brutally honest moments neither character probably would have owned up to with anyone else. It's terrible to think of how much Erica's recent storylines would have improved, including her double waltzing around with David, if Brooke had been in the mix. What a crime to think all those years went to waste and now we may never see these two ladies work together again, when they so clearly bring out the best in one another. And added applause to Susan for having the guts in the new forward of her autobiography to say what many are thinking rather than towing the company line.

This week’s honors go to two ABC stars too often ignored by their shows, All My Children’s Jill Larson and One Life to Live’s David Fumero. In the case of Jill Larson, honoring her is more for her moments in the past, for all those humorous and heartfelt chats Opal had with her gal pal Erica, and any scene where she sparred with Palmer or mourned him. This talented actress’ abilities were never used as much as they should have been, and while it was great that the writers threw her a mini story this last week with the legendary Carol Burnett, it left one so wishing they would have thrown her a little story around rebuilding the Glamorama or reconnecting with her youngest son Petey, rather than something that felt all too random, and didn’t mine Jill’s emotional range. As for OLTL’s David Fumero, given his intermittent storylines over the years, it would have been no surprise if Cristian was one of those poor characters who one day just vanished from the canvas without explanation, thankfully though, OLTL came up with one of the all-time great send-offs for him. How perfect that Cristian to flew off to Spain and met a fellow teacher named Erin, played by Erin Torpey, the actress who once played Jessica, and with whom David shared such sweet chemistry. This should be the template for every soap character ending, give us a nod to their past, and a glimpse at a promising future, the scene was small, yet satisfying.

While aspects of All My Children’s baby Lucy storyline have been as far-fetched as the back from the dead plots, at least there’s been a strong emotional pay off. Where some favorite actors are stuck with awkward reunions to play or nothing at all in the case of Jake and Amanda, thankfully Debbi Morgan and Darnell Williams, two of this soap’s, if not acting’s all time greats, have been given material they were able to sink their teeth into and showcase their immense abilities. Debbi’s Angie dug through the dirt, trying to get to the baby girl she’d lost, and pain and anguish rolled off Darnell’s Jesse as he watched his beloved wife come undone, the very thing he’d hoped to save her from in the first place. It was wrenching stuff, and there were so many more scenes equally as harrowing, whether it was Angie giving Lucy back to Mia, or Jesse confiding in his best friend Tad. With Debbi off to hopefully a complex role over at Y&R, this story may be the last we see of Angie and Jesse, so thankfully, it’s a memorable, emotional tale worthy of them.

One Life to Live said goodbye to two exceptional talents this week in Gina Tognoni and Robin Strasser. It boggles the mind why they weren't kept around as long as possible. Even though Gina wasn't given nearly enough to do this go around, her Kelly remains one of the most lively, and life-like heroines ever in daytime, she's fun and feisty and as prone to putting her foot in her mouth as anyone watching. Easily one of the most memorable moments in recent years was Kelly's drunken, rambling declaration of love on Joey's answering service, watch that and you wonder why all these milquetoast actresses headline big screen romantic comedies when Gina could bring such shine and such heart to those roles. Speaking of shine and heart, no one does either like Robin Strasser. Llanview is always a lesser place without her hats and her French affectations. There's no one to champion the Cramer women, and no one with the ability to turn the unlikeliest couplings (with Joey, Mel, and David) into three of the all-time great couples. Then there's the greatest coupling of all, Dorian and Viki, the two never stronger, or more vulnerable than when they're together. Robin Strasser's fearlessness will so be missed on-screen and off (is anyone more honest with fans than her?), here's hoping for a quick recovery from her surgery and a triumphant return to entertaining all of us.

All My Children's Lindsay Hartley has never received her proper due, she created a sparkler of a character on Passions, a soap that was never taken seriously enough for her to land an Emmy nod, her role on Days' wasn't thought out, and now she's been shoved into David's clutches. I get that there are diehard Tad and Dixie fans out there, and I don't begrudge them their reunion, but when Cara had her tearful goodbye breakup with Tad and walked away from him, I wanted him to go after her, and that's thanks to Lindsay. Even when Cara was pining for Jake, and potentially coming between him and Amanda, Lindsay managed to make her character likeable, someone you feel for, and hope finds her happy ending. It seemed like she'd found that with Tad, like she was the best thing that's happened to him in a long time, she reinvigorated Michael Knight, brought out the flirty zing we all fell for decades ago. I'm sure plenty of people love seeing Tad and Dixie together, and it's probably right to honor their supercouple past, but for me, as with Cady McClain's prior returns, something's fallen flat, and I find myself so wishing Cara winds up with Tad instead, or she at least finds a kinder fate than inexplicably landing in David's bed. As for Lindsay, if she doesn't transition to the internet AMC, what I wouldn't give to see her and real-life hubby Justin in a weekly primetime romantic dramedy, the pair were golden together on Passions.

Amidst the stilted coming back from the dead business, All My Children's Kate Collins and Chrishell Stause delivered down-to-earth emotion. Yes, Kate plays Janet from Another Planet, the woman who offed her daughter's dad and shoved him into a freezer and in recent years she's mostly been used for laughs, but this week, for one lovely day, Janet returned to a sincere, heartfelt place. Facing cancer and a hysterectomy, Amanda reluctantly reached out for the mother who has so hurt her in the past, she crawled onto her mom's hospital bed and Janet tried her best to comfort her. It was so beautifully played by both actresses, Janet's yearning, and Amanda's weariness, you had the feeling the whole time, like it wasn't easy on either side of that relationship, the past was still very much between them, it will never be neat and tidy and easy for this mother and daughter, and that made it feel real, that made it so much more touching than Dixie's return (the actors tried, but really, how do you make something that unreal feel real?). Kate and Chrishell are two very talented actresses, hopefully, if neither shows up on the new AMC, we'll see them soon elsewhere, Chrishell seems tailor made for a CW drama.

All My Children has featured Vietnam, AIDS, and numerous other social issues. While they've had their share of returns from the dead, a possible mad scientist lair full of them feels so far from the show I know and will miss. It feels like a Days of Our Lives stunt before their recent swearing off of such absurdity. It feels full of holes (David panics when he's in the hospital a few days, how did his patients survive months of him in a coma?). It feels lazy. As do cameos that may just be a figment of the imagination. I'm hoping this all turns into something more creative, and truer to AMC's heart before it's over. Still, watching Josh Duhamel and Rebecca Budig's reunion, I found myself willing to settle for less than great story to see those two sparkle again. It has been so grating over the years to hear Greenlee declare Ryan the love of her life when her character and the actress, have never been more alive or likeable than she is in any moment with Josh Duhamel's Leo. It's like she feels more, and then so do we. I'll never consider secret laboratories an AMC thing, but feeling certainly is.

One Life to Live's premiere of David's movie Vickerman, may rank as some of the funniest stuff ever done in daytime. OLTL's cast and crew delivered one hilarious moment after the next. The insane movie poster. Dorian threatening the leading lady for wearing the same gown. A reference to the old soap opera Bo once produced. Harrison Ford and Mel Gibson, starring respectively as Bo and Clint. Mia Korf, the original, Asian Blair, cast as Blair. Nate's porn debuting instead of the movie. Adorable Vimal and his proud parents. Rama, with a water balloon in lieu of a baby bump, punctured by toothpicks. All that, and in the end a classic Friday cliffhanger, two Todds and one flabbergasted family. To look at this soap you'd never suspect that they're only a few months away from being banished to the internet, the quality is still so there, if only the network support had been.

All My Children's Susan Lucci and Michael Knight are not only two of the actors fans most associate with their favorite AMC memories, they're as vital to the show now as they were then. While the Erica/Jane plot hasn't been the best, Susan's done a great job creating someone totally apart from Erica, giving Jane her own mannerisms, and vulnerability. That vulnerability was key this week as David broke Jane's heart and Erica helped put her back together in scenes that ultimately freed Erica, and showcased all the hard work Susan put into these two characters making them distinct beings. Speaking of vulnerability, Tad had so much of his exposed this week as the death of Seabone brought on thoughts of Dixie, while his stepson JR fell off the wagon. It seemed in every scene Knight hit an emotional high point in a lovely, quiet way, so subtle and natural. I cannot even begin to express how much I will miss watching these two actors on a daily basis.

One Life to Live's Sam is officially the cutest character on television. With his glasses and sweet raspy voice, he sends the adorability quotient off the charts whether in an interrogation scene with John, discussing their pal Santa, or hero-worshipping Spiderman. I have no desire whatsoever to come January to watch someone's daily weight loss struggles, that's what bad cable channels are for, but I would love the chance to watch this little guy grow with his character, the way we were lucky to see the Alderson siblings transition from darling to truly great actors. Honorable mention to General Hospital's Ingo Rademacher for his tearful breakdown at the police station after Sonny set him up.

The Bold and The Beautiful's Alley Mills stole some of the Brooke/Ridge/Taylor thunder this week, no easy feat given all the wedding drama, but Pam's humor shone once again. Who needs a poorly dressed self-important chef on daytime when Pam's kitchen talents are far more entertaining to watch? Pam prides herself on her lemon bars, and other homemaking skills so it was great fun to see her dismay and downright disgust over Steffy's undomesticated lifestyle. It was like Martha Stewart and Paris Hilton tried to host a reception together. Hilarious. More Alley Mills, please. Especially while soap fans await details on AMC & OLTL, we could use some humor to get through the trepidation.

Daytime television lost one of its all-time great villains this week with the passing of Anthony Herrera, who portrayed As The World Turns' infamous James Stenbeck. There were probably never two more chilling words in all of soapdom than a simple, spine-tingling, "hello, Barbara," from James. It's testament to Mr. Herrera's delicious take on James that fans craved more of a character who lived to torment favorites like Barbara and Paul. We didn't root for the bad guy, but you never ever wanted him to get his just desserts either, he was way too much fun to watch. If you never had the pleasure of witnessing this man's talent, do look him up online, he delivered classic stuff every time, all the soaps still on the air should look to him for their model of villainy. An honorable mention this week to GH's Tyler Christopher and Jonathan Jackson who under other circumstances would absolutely have been the actors of the week with their blisteringly emotional scenes.

For several years, General Hospital's chief creative struggle has been balance, basically it's Sonny and Jason's show while everyone else gets crumbs here and there, none have taken a bigger hit than the Quartermaines, a family the fans love, and deserve to see front and center again. It was a pleasure to watch John Ingle's Edward this week as the wily old guy caught Ethan scamming him, and turned his grandfatherly charm on Abby eager to have her help him bring his grandson Michael back into the fold (a story that would be brilliant, as the Q's aren't much more upstanding than the mob, and Michael's parents sure wouldn't like the defection). Ingle is a great actor, he shouldn't be shoved aside because of network TV's obsession with the 18-49 demo. If you want anyone of any age to watch, give us characters as compelling as Edward, someone with clear motives like their love for their family, rather than the likes of Lisa, who's simply one-dimensional crazy, the only answer for why she does the things she does is, crazy, and that's not a good enough answer. Crazy, just for crazy's sake isn't interesting, depth is, and John Ingle brings that with ease so why not use him more often? Sonny and Jason are great characters, but they're not the only ones.

One Life to Live's John-Paul Lavoisier has always been good for a laugh whether as Rex on screen or in an interview, but this week he's once more proven what a solid serious actor he can be. In a twist that sideswiped Rex and the audience (a good thing, though sad to lose Farrah Fath early), Gigi is brain dead, on the day Rex was set to finally marry her, instead, he barely held it together as he informed their son that she won't get better. Soaps get such a bad rap but you watch a story like this one and think really, this should be any actor's dream, how many TV series or movies let an actor be the sarcastic one, the romantic one, the good dad, and still a bit of a bad boy all at once? Most characters/actors are put in a box and not allowed much wiggle room, soaps give actors like John-Paul the opportunity to flex the full breadth of their talent, to be more than one thing. When you look at say, a Josh Duhamel, unless you watched him on AMC, you'd never guess how much more the guy has to offer as an actor, he isn't given the chance to really show it, its yet another reason to mourn the loss of this special genre.

Martha Madison did an outstanding job on General Hospital as she filled in last minute for an ailing Rebecca Herbst. Any DAYS' fan can tell you what a great recast Martha was as Belle, so it's no surprise she proved up to the challenge of plunging right into a highly emotional story without any time to get to know the character of Elizabeth. Hopefully Martha will find another permanent role somewhere soon, she deserves it, and so do the viewers, talent like hers should not be stuck on the sidelines.

For the second week in a row an All My Children couple with potential yet a too brief future ahead of them, proved the standout performers. As Madison and Scott grieved over her baby daughter together, what might have strictly been achingly sad, became something achingly romantic as well. What happens between Daniel Cosgrove and Stephanie Gatschet is the fluttery, sparkly stuff legendary supercouples are born with, and a gift to soap fans that both actors seem to bring with them to every role. It's depressing to think that not only our time watching Scott and Madison fall even deeper in love will be cut short, but probably most of that time will be handed over to Ryan and Greenlee, the dull as dirt pair only a network exec seems to love.

All My Children will be ripped off the air in a few months, so naturally, Bianca and Marissa, along with the actresses who portray them, have finally hit their stride with little time left to enjoy them. These two share a supportive friendship (nice to see between women in any medium) and a sweet chemistry that could ignite into a memorable couple (if those in charge take advantage of the fact that they've already been cancelled, there's nothing to lose anymore). Christina Bennett Lind had the thankless task of filling Eden Riegel's beloved pumps, and this week she really took ownership of the role as a strong Bianca stood up for her sister and flashed back on her rape trauma in the process. Meanwhile, Sarah Glendening, faced her own recast challenge, transforming a once blah character into the spunky friend anyone would want in their corner. It's too bad we won't have years to get to know these two better, they had potential, but, as we're all painfully aware, network television often has a big blind-spot where potential is concerned.

In the eighties, Days of Our Lives' Jennifer was one of the best teens on daytime, in the nineties, she grew into a great, feisty heroine, and she's been as genuine and endearing as ever in her return to Salem amidst marital woes with hubby Jack. It has been such a treat to have Melissa Reeves and her relatability back on the show. Whether the sorrow of her marriage dissolving, or the jitters of dating again, Reeves has a talent for bringing everything down to earth, making Jen feel like an everyday human being, someone as prone to tears or humor or awkwardness just like any of the viewers cheering her on. If your favorite soap is cruelly being ripped away from you soon, and you're looking for a new favorite character who's a lot more fun than chefs in crocs, you can't go wrong investing in Jen, especially when her other supercouple half, Jack, is headed back to town soon.

One Life to Live's Bree Williamson had another scene stealing week as another personality emerged from her character, Jessica, this time though, it's a guy. Like fellow alter Tess, Wes is brash and sexual and a laugh a minute. Bree has the most brilliant comic timing whether hitting on Llanview's unsuspecting ladies, or attempting guy talk with Wes's old pal Brody. With some sad times ahead involving Matthew, nevermind the saddest thing of all, the show's end, a little levity is a nice counterbalance to all the tears headed fans' way. Hopefully Bree's funny bone will end up so sharpened by this story that she lands a prime-time gig, like say, a much welcome return engagement to Gossip Girl.

The Young and The Restless' Billy Miller and Amelia Heinle have plenty of chemistry as Billy and Victoria, but for whatever reason the writers have rarely capitalized on the dramatic possibilities for this pair. As romantic as they are together, they could have been so much more star-crossed, so much more conflicted over marrying into rival families. As cute and sexy as they are, it would have been so much cuter and sexier if reckless Billy had to try harder to coax Victoria into letting her hair down with him, instead she jumped right in, like she hadn't been uptight since she was a teenager, cheating the story of all the delicious moments where she could have been resisting his bringing out that side of her. Just like the baby story would have been even greater had Victoria challenged Billy's explanation, had she fought loving the baby for fear Lucy would be taken away, only to fall hard for her anyway, then the worst does happen. That said, the payoff has still be pretty perfect thanks to these actors, both brilliant with such rich drama to play; Victoria torn between loving Billy and resenting him for letting her love Lucy, and Billy ripped apart, so very sorry. It's tough moments like this, and the miscarriage months back, that make this couple's trademark playful scenes actually poignant and sweet, rather than contrived. There's no reason to skim the surface and get less from a story, when there are two actors clearly capable of digging so much deeper like Miller and Heinle did this week.

Each actor involved in General Hospital's intervention on Thursday proved you don't need budget busting scenery to put on a compelling show. Not that I'd try to give the networks any ideas, surely they know what they're doing, but hey, before they go cutting off the hands that have fed them for decades, they might try other options like shared times slots, half hour soaps, or simply stripped down to the bare essentials. All GH had in this episode was a room, dialogue truthful to the characters' histories, and a group of talented actors. It looked more like a play, but still worked as great soap opera. I love pretty sets and even prettier clothes, in the ideal world, the soaps would still be as glitzy and glam as they were in the 80's but clearly the networks aren't willing to put in money to make money these days, which is okay, since all I really need is a good human story told with honesty that connects with the audience like a great, sprawling novel. Soaps offer a unique depth of storytelling unmatched beyond the pages of a good book, like books, soaps deserve to be savored, and saved, and maybe they will be someday by someone with more vision than a talk show hostess who's own network isn't exactly blazing trails in ratings or quality.

ABC is on a roll, at least as far as poor decisions go, last week's cancellations of AMC and OLTL were exhibits A&B, now this week exhibit C, comes in the form of General Hospital's recently let go, Tyler Christopher. Nik poured out his heart and his regrets this week to his little boy (at least he thinks Aiden's his) stressing the importance of family, and stressing the importance to me of characters with history and actors who care and who are capable of making their audience care. I don't know, maybe I'm the boneheaded one here, not ABC, but it just seems if you have someone still very much in his leading man prime, with genuine talent, in a role as rich with possibility and ties to the canvas as ever (a Cassadine, brother to two Spencers, a cute single dad, struggling to forgive himself and maybe really truly fall in love again), well, wouldn't you lose everyone else who doesn't meet all that criteria before you lose Tyler's Nikolas?

Given yesterday's abomination, All My Children and One Life To Live are clearly in need of some love this week, not to mention genuinely deserving of it, these are two shows that have gone places most prime time shows still haven't dared, they've tackled AIDS and sexuality and abuse and race and war veterans with more dignity than they'll ever be given proper credit for. You have to laugh (bitterly) when excutive morons stress that these two beloved shows received the wrecking ball because viewers want something more relatable. Clearly no one on the planet could relate to stories of bullying, infidelity, still-births, child custody, lovingly dysfunctional families, first loves and lost loves, mistakes and redemption, scars inside and out. Why ever would we want messy stuff like that, stuff of the heart currently happening in Pine Valley and Llanview when we can dive into the shallow end of diets and makeovers? Why would we want to cry and laugh and commiserate with these characters we love when we could watch lifestyle shows eager to teach us how to hate ourselves even more for not wearing the "right" clothes or fitting into the "right" size. Why would I want Tad and David to tickle my funny bone? Why would I want to watch Destiny, Dorian, Viki, Angie, Bianca, and Erica blaze their empowered trails across my television screen when I could spend every afternoon being made to feel bad about myself instead? Or, I guess, you know, I could always turn off the television, did they notice that very likely option in all their "research" of this change everyone's clamoring for in daytime? CBS already lost me for two hours a day, welcome to the club ABC and your advertisers.

For a young kid, One Life To Live's Austin Williams has already played a lot of tough stuff as Shane battled cancer and struggled through the discovery that Rex, not Brody, was his dad, and he did a great, moving job on both, but he's gotten even better. As a boy bullied to the point of attempted suicide, Williams has been feeling this part, showing his wounds in the hunched way Shane walks and the lack of eye contact when he talks, he's made it real, and he's made it as genuinely heartbreaking as these stories are in everyday life. Soaps receive more than their fair share of bullying, too, mocked for their plots, and their dialogue, and their hair, but just like if Jack took the time to really know Shane, if naysayers ever took the time to actually watch, they'd see an actor like Williams, giving his all, in an important, heartfelt story and surely minds would change.

It's no wonder All My Children's Darnell Williams was once the acting coach on another soap, the man is capable of delivering a master class on the art as he demonstrated this week. Williams' Jesse face a harrowing decision, either tell his beloved Angie that their baby died at birth, or let her believe an abandoned baby belongs to them. Rarely in recent years had I been tempted to call anything the AMC writers do ingenious, but this story qualifies, and could not have fallen into the hands of a better actor. There is so much for Darnell to play in each scene, he has to decieve his wife, and then there's the guilt of deceiving her, letting her fall in love with this child who could be taken away from them, and on top of that, Jesse is grieving for their biological daughter. The scenes of him holding his lifeless baby, and later in the week, kneeling at her grave should so land him an Emmy (now that would be ingenious). Best of all, this is exactly the kind of multi-faceted, emotional story, along with Tad's greencard marriage, populated by actors the fans love, that maybe, hopefully (please, please) could right the ship before it's too late, convince the execs that Pine Valley still has so much life left in it.

While the death of a child, even fictionally, is always tough to watch, it has, nonetheless, been a pleasure to watch General Hospital this past week, and see nearly the entire cast rise to the challenge of such an emotionally charged plot. Jake's death and his subsequent organ donation is one of those umbrella storylines that show soaps at their heart-tugging best, involving viewers like no superficial talk show (especially a Tori Spelling one) ever could. From the guilt-ridden potential hit and run drivers, all gutted by the mistake they may have made, to the grieving parents, and those whose child survived at the expense of another, so many aching lows have brought this drama to one of their all-time highs. My lone complaint is that there's been no sign of Bobbie, couldn't someone else rest a day or two to make room in the budget for Lucky's Aunt, who knows exactly what he's going through, while at the same time she's Carly's mom, her grand-baby was the beneficiary of this tragedy, and of course, she's Luke's sister. Maybe next week? It's a beat of the story I just hate to see missed.

Galen Gering, whether in Days' Salem or Passions' Harmony has earned a lot of fan love as the most morally upstanding hero in town, so, like last week's standout, Bree Williamson, it's highly entertaining seeing him in the totally opposite light. I had no idea this actor could be so intentionally funny, or menacing, or boorish. Watching Galen run wild as imposter Rafe has been a revelation. While Rafe #2 is far from the romantic soap lead type, in fact, he's pretty well a heartless jerk (see his not so smart advice to Johnny), part of me hopes he sticks around after the truth comes out. Imagine if he joined forces with Nicole in an evil love match, the hilarious trouble they could cause together.

One Life to Live's Bree Williamson is clearly having a crazy-good time reviving Jessica's naughty alter Tess. From her red lips to her trashy clothes and brazen tongue, Tess is pure guilty fun to watch as she recklessly hits on other people's boyfriends and gives Todd a run for his money in the hilarious nasty insults department. While I love Jessica, and look forward to the heavy emotional scenes that will come with her eventual reintigration, as well as in her relationships with Brody and Natalie, it's always great when Tess visits for awhile and we get to enjoy the flipside of Bree's dramatic talent.

All My Children's Michael E. Knight should have been pushed to the frontburner the instant David Canary (ex-Adam) retired. Actually, he never should have left the frontburner, the man has always been capable of illiciting tears and laughs, how he was taken for granted in favor of the likes of Ryan, I'll never understand, I'm just thrilled he's back where he belongs. While I still don't know whether I'll be able to get past the age thing and his brother's ex wife thing, if any actor could sell me on both, it'll be Knight, through his humor and his heart. Tad's greencard "romance" with Cara is one of the biggest joys Pine Valley has offered up in some time.

Weeks like this one, it's apparent how much Days of Our Lives will miss Jay Kenneth Johnson, he owns the role of Phillip. While perfection in those morally ambiguous moments where we see Phil's apple didn't actually fall that far from Victor and Kate's dastardly trees, both Jay and Phillip truly hit their stride in vulnerable romantic mode. He's the ideal flawed hero with his poetic face and ever conflicted show of emotions, the entitlement, the guilt, they way he loves (see his gorgeous teen romance with Chloe) Jay lets it pour out of him, this strong alpha guy, an aching wound. Too often on soaps, a dashing scene like Phillip diving into the water, then carrying Chloe into the hospital comes off as corny, but not with Jay at the helm, appropriately shaken, and stricken, in no way playing up the hero, ensuring he came off as more of one. What a pleasure he's always been to watch, hopefully his exit this time will bring a talented actor the wider audience he deserves.

Although Don Diamont doesn't receive as much screen time on The Bold and The Beautiful as he once enjoyed on Y&R, his "Dollar" Bill is a far more interesting and entertaining character than Brad Carlton ever was, for one thing, when would Brad have ever done anything as intentionally humorous as pass out hand-sanitizer to all who entered Amber and Tawny's home? For another thing, Brad wasn't consistent, he was the victim of something Y&R does far too often which is reshape people to fit wherever they need the plot to go. Bill, on the other hand, is never all villian nor all saint, thanks to the writers, and Diamont, he straddles the line perfectly so that if one day he's fantasizing about tossing Amber off a balcony, and the next pouring his heart out to his comatose son, you can trust both sides exist in that one man. He keeps you guessing, but never in that Huh, where on earth did that come from way, that sometimes plagues daytime. How great for a vet like Diamont to receive this opportunity, now if only we could see a bit more of him and Katie.

One Life to Live's entire cast delivered outstanding performances in a huge, if abbreviated week in Llanview, with reveals and heartbreak galore. Aubrey and Cutter squirmed their way out of yet another close call. Destiny confided in big brother/Uncle Shaun. Starr broke up with Cole offscreen, but there wree still plenty of tears cried on Langston's shoulders, and a frustratingly soapy misunderstanding with James. And as if all those stories weren't enough, the paternity tests blew up, sending Clint to jail and leaving devastation everywhere, Rex, Charlie, John, Natalie, Brody, and Jessica. If you haven't checked into Llanview for awhile, now is the time, it's a sweeps to remember.

The Young and The Restless had a rare stroke of genius the day they decided to cast Tristan Rogers as Cane's father Colin. The mystery of Cane's past finally became interesting these past few weeks. And having a vet like Rogers in the role, someone capable of threatening lives one minute, yet equally believable the next as a grieving dad, was a big help to forgetting that this seems yet another oh he's dead yet not dead ploy played on us viewers (we don't enjoy those by the way, in case anyone ever felt like asking). It's tough to feel much for the death of a character when there's a hugely gnawing suspicion that somewhere down the line, Cane won't be dead, but thanks to Tristan, for at least a few scenes I was able to look past that and just enjoy some great acting.

Days of Our Lives' Nadia Bjorlin hasn't had the best storylines since her return as Chloe, she's mostly played, well, kinda trampy. There have been moments along the way, particularly any time Chloe's insecurities show, where the actress' genuine talent shines, but those good, meaty moments haven't come her way consistently enough, until now (I hope). Ever since Chloe gave birth there have been these instances of post-partum depression, the occasional crying jag, or feelings of helplessness. She managed to mostly keep it under control until the truth of her baby's parternity surfaced and Daniel left her, sending her into a downward spiral. This week the crying and the helplessness intensified, leading her to take desperate measures - faking the baby's illness to win Daniel back. What could have been the standard soapy manipulations blowing up in her face became something so much more as Chloe suffered an emotional break and deep denial, all of it brilliantly performed by Nadia.

General Hospital's Molly may be one of Port Charles' youngest citizens but she's also one of the show's most interesting characters played by the adorable Haley Pullos. While we've mostly known Molly for her dreamy romantic nature, meddler in love lives and a voracious reader, who brightens up every room she walks into, ever since this sweet girl survived a bus crash, she hasn't been quite the same. She's haunted by flashbacks of the accident and experiencing odd bouts of rage, scared she may be manic depressive and rather than telling her mom, she's trying to deal with it on her own, very true to the character of a kid who's a little too smart for her own good. What a great job young Haley has done so far with this very grown up story of trauma she's portraying, to share tough emotional moments with Maurice Benard and be every bit as captivating as him, says a ton. As always, GH is aces whenever they bring one of the Davis girls front and center.

All My Children's Finn Wittrock finally got to do some acting again this week after a puzzling few months where the writers had nothing for Damon to do other than play Liza's concerned sidekick. While sex with his girlfriend's mother was a predictable road no one wanted to travel down, at least it's given us a glimpse of what might have been with this actor. This young guy was really good and tortured as he confessed his mistake to Tad, filling his scenes with shame and regret. It just goes to show that when given actual material, something to do other than fake chemistry with Colby, Wittrock, could create really compelling moments, an ability that for whatever mindboggling reason this soap failed to capitalize on when they could have done so, so much more than they did with the father and son storyline. I just hope it's actually true that Finn chose to leave, and this wasn't another boneheaded decision from higher-ups that deprives us from seeing potentially great drama, that could have involved fan favorite Michael E. Knight in a front-burner capacity.

Ex Guiding Light star Melissa Hayden made the most of a small, one day role on The Young and the Restless this week. As Agnes, a woman involved with the guy who found Daisy's baby, in less than a handful of scenes Hayden showed more authentic emotion than half the actors on this soap manage over months, you could feel her attachment to the baby, and most certainly see it in her expressive eyes. It's so wrong that this actress isn't on contract somewhere. Given Agnes' role in this baby plot, she'll probably appear again in the future when the whole thing unravels, by then, maybe viewers will be in luck and Y&R will have more in mind for her to do, surely Adam had a girlfriend back in his farm days, didn't he? Just please don't make her a one dimensional psycho, enough with that already. More than enough.

The Days of Our Lives cast stood out this week, and not merely because they were the only ones that actually managed to air five episodes. Things kicked off with Salem's Christmas, done to perfection running the gamut from funny (Viv putting coal in everybody's stocking) to romantic (Victor and Maggie, Rafe and Sami) to poignant (Alice's ornament and chair). As the week wore on tensions mounted in every storyline, Melanie learned Nathan planned to move to Baltimore, Nicole and Sami had a knock-down fight over Sydney, and Kayla arrived, appalled that her mother and Stephanie had yet to reveal the truth about Parker's paternity. By Thursday and Friday explosive action happened all over the place. EJ forced Nicole to choose between marrying him (to needle Sami) and being a mom to Sydney, or her relationship with Brady, which produced outstanding scenes galore, especially with Brady as he adamently denied his feelings for Nicole yet clearly harbors them. Then Kayla, so upset with her mother that the pair had an argument at Parker's baptism where every interested party overheard leading to Caroline's stroke, Mel and Phillip's breakup, and Daniel and Chloe's breakup. There was so much good stuff going on, so much blame being thrown around, Chloe's tears, Daniel physically recoiling from her, broken-hearted Mel and her Dad apologizing for keeping one another in the dark. DAYS is often criticized for dragging on and on, but the benefit of dragging on and on and playing every single beat of a story is that when things finally blow up, it makes for massive, riveting episodes.

Compared to a certain tweet last week, being called Scrooge must not seem half bad to Eric Braedan, particularly when it gave him his first truly showcase episode of Y&R in a long while, an hour of pure Emmy bait, not to mention the perfect holiday gift for fans who don't understand why we're inundated with the likes of Jana, Chloe, Daisy, and Ronan. While I wasn't crazy about the dubbing for Victor's father (surely there was a better match to that distinctive voice somewhere), everything else was lovely, watching Victor watch himself, eyes shimmering with tears as he saw the day his mother left him, and their reunion so many years later orchestrated by Nikki. Perhaps my favorite moment of all came near the end, when Victor decided to make peace with his family, but rather than some big showy declaration of love between Victor and Nikki, there was just this quiet minute of him standing at the door, and her reaching out to fix his collar. "Thank You," he said. Simple as that, and there was born a moment more memorable than any tornado or pregnant psycho that this show has been so keen on throwing at us lately.

Days of Our Lives' Abe and Lexie are so rarely on the show, especially in their very own scenes together that sometimes you forget they're even in Salem, which is such a shame when you consider how great James Reynolds and Renee Jones were this week when given actual story to play out. Abe and Lexie were overjoyed as their autistic son read aloud from a book, only to be heartbroken once they realized the boy couldn't actually comprehend anything he'd read. While Abe kept a brave face, Lexie broke down in the arms of another doctor, and Abe saw them, right after Sami reminded Abe of Lexie's previous affair, cue an explosive argument. Abe and Lexie have so much baggage in their relationship, never mind this major parental challenge, both providing such an emotional, meaty minefield for these two talented actors to play in, if only the powers that be would allow it to happen more often.

Though John Wesley Shipp had a run on ATWT in the 80's as a stalker, he's better known to most people for his prime time roles as the boxer boyfriend on Sisters, or the Dawson's Creek dad, neither role really hinting at what a creepy psychopath the man makes. Whether a storyline is super serious, funny, romantic, or frightening, the best stuff to watch is when the actor is clearly enjoying themselves, which Shipp plainly is, reveling in his character's every nasty, delirious move. It's all credit to the actor, that this dispicable, impossible to like creation, while repulsive, is also compelling to watch.

Days of Our Lives' Lauren Koslow hadn't much to do of late as Kate other than squealing to Sami about E.J.'s intentions of running off with the children, and the whole paternity issue with teenager Chad. Neither really made sense at the time, Kate tipping off her long-time nemesis? Kate letting this kid horn in on her share of Stefano's fortune? Finally, in a handful of well done scenes Kate explained, and Lauren Koslow's wealth of talent once more had a proper showcase. To say that Kate actually did both things out of the goodness of her heart, no ulterior motive on either score, would surprise most fans to the point of unbelievability, but Lauren totally sold it. What a particularly smart turn by the writers to mine Kate's history, have her equate Johnny and Sidney's being ripped away from Sami, to Billie and Austin's being ripped away from her, it gave the actress such rich, deep emotion to play, and the perfect episode for her Emmy reel.

It's only fitting that with the "death" of All My Children's Zach last week, Alicia Minshew would be the standout performer this week. Kendall's sobbing rage in the courtroom, railing against David for inadvertantly causing her husband's "death", was a speech not only with Emmy written all over, but Minshew's heart, as well. The emotional outbursts kept coming with Greenlee, Griffen, and alone, her every word, her every pained move a tribute to her former co-star, conveying how much he meant to Alicia, Kendall, and their fans. Hopefully AMC has enough sense (or sensitivity) not to rush things between Kendall and Griffen, viewers need to see her grieve for awhile before they'll ever accept her with someone new, Jordi's a great actor, and they could be a great couple if it happens at the right pace.

All My Children's Thorsten Kaye leaves huge whole in Pine Valley as his character Zach went down in a plane this week (though on a hopeful note, the body was not recovered). While Kaye's talents were pretty well wasted in these final weeks (much like everyone else stuck hanging onto the coattails of the Ryan/Greenlee saga), Friday's dream/goodbye with Kendall had to rank among fans all-time favorite moments even if it was terribly bittersweet, the speech perfectly captured the rugged poet thing the man does so well. Zach's very romantic, very masculine presence, will be sorely missed, though perhaps, if we're lucky, Kaye will at least bring those same winning qualities back to OLTL, where Marty could sure use some Patrick in her life.

The performances of General Hospital's Kimberly McCullough are just about the only redeeming, watchable aspect of this soap's neverending remake of Fatal Attraction. While I love Patrick and his portrayer, the writers did the guy no favors by a) giving him little motivation to justify his actions and help us sympathize, and b) no discernable chemistry with Lisa, it's not like there was at least serious heat tempting the guy, or us viewers into buying them as a potential couple. Thus, the sole quality moments here have boiled down to Robin's struggle over whether or not to forgive him, as well as her essentially being the voice of the viewers where Lisa's concerned, completely frustrated that this psycho is still in her life. Kimberly had some great scenes this week in the aftermath of Lisa rescuing her from Mac's burning home, getting sentimental with her uncle over the house he raised her in, and raw and vulnerable wondering if Patrick would still want her when he saw her burns, then pushing him away nonetheless, believing that's what she's supposed to do. Best of all, at the end of a sort of greatest hits montage of Patrick and Robin, were Kimberly's tears, again, speaking for the audience, we're mourning that relationship, too, it was one of GH's most charming and real couplings, and hopefully will be again once the show gets over its fascination with Lisa or at least explains to baffled viewers what on earth is fascinating about her (no offense to the actress, she could be good, we'll never know with the current direction of this story).

One Life to Live's Cole and Starr have had more trials and tribulations than most supercouples twice their age, and their story is coming to a close (for now?) on yet another down note for them. Believing Starr and Hope dead, Cole got his vengance by murdering Eli in cold blood, only to learn his love, and his daughter were alive. He and Starr tried to find a way out of what he'd done, but ultimately, after one last night together, Cole decided to turn himself in. As usual, depsite their ages, Brandon and Kristen played out this wrenching drama for all it was worth, sending Brandon out on an acting high-note.

Two shows, The Young and the Restless, and The Bold and the Beautiful stood out in very different ways this week. While several of the soaps dressed up their little ones for Halloween, Y&R was the lone one that really stepped it up as far as costumes and fun, covering the gamut from Hugh Hefner to Pretty in Pink, most, thoughtfully tailored to suit their character. The ABC soaps took a day off this week, but it was Y&R that actually served up a holiday. Hopefully every soap has some celebrations planned for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's, it's those episodes of community, whether focused on humor or drama that really make this genre shine above anything else offered on daytime TV. Speaking of community, and shining, B&B aired two very special episodes this week, as Stephanie spoke with Los Angeles' real-life homeless, much praise to Susan Flannery, as well as to those courageous people willing to share their struggles.

One Life To Live's Shenell Edmonds has made Destiny, Llanview's sweetheart, everyone in town adores this girl, as do all of us eavesdropping from our living rooms. Destiny's one of the best TV teens to come along in ages, bright and gutsy, rather than whiny and dense, Shenell makes it extremely easy to root for her multi-dimensional character. Whether attempting to celebrate her birthday with a heavy heart, or thrown into tears by the revelation that her idol Greg, is in fact her father, not her brother, this young actress never fails to infuse every scene with emotion, bringing a reality and relateability that plenty of actors many years her senior should envy and emulate. Here's hoping someday an even bigger audience discovers this talented actress, though Llanview would be so much poorer without her.

The Bold and The Beautiful's Susan Flannery mentioned retirement a few years ago, a possibility that certainly adds to the drama of Stephanie's life-threatening cancer storyline, but it's really the actress and the script that make this a poignant tale. While initially there was a silliness to the plot as Stephanie tried to live out her bucket list, Friday's episode took an extremely serious turn when Steph bonded with a young homeless woman and a baby, realizing that if she lived she could do good things for those less fortunate. From that revelatory conversation, to Stephanie embracing Brook, and the scarf flying through the city, it felt like the half hour that will nab Bradley Bell his third consecutive Best Drama Emmy.

All My Children's Annie started life in Pine Valley as the ultimate good girl only to seemingly overnight transform into a psychopathic gold-digger. Neither extreme did her portrayer any favors, but now that Annie has reached a middle ground with understandable motivations, Melissa Claire Egan's acting abilities are finally shining through. She's made Annie a sympathetic underdog, never more so than in this emotional week for her when the party she'd hung all her hopes on was dismantled by J.R., and then she made the mistake of thinking she could find solace in his bed. Though it's taken a couple years to get there, with a blend of good intentions and bad mistakes, the character, and the actress seem more and more like they may soon deserve the overabundance of airtime they'd always been given. And just wait until Daniel Cosgrove is J.R.'s rival for Annie's affection.

General Hospital's Spinelli isn't a character for all tastes, but for those of us who've missed the humor and heart Bradford Anderson injects into the often dark and violent Port Charles, this week brought a welcome return to form. His overeagerness to please the divine one, Brenda, was such fun to watch and Vanesa looked like she was having fun acting opposite him, too. As much as I enjoy the broody intensity of GH, it's always best when soaps sprinkle in some light to balance things out, that's where the Q mansion always used to be such an asset, providing the occasional breather from the more tragic stories. Spinelli gives us a little taste of that. Now that GH have light and serious covered again, here's hoping they and the other soaps soon remember that romance belongs in the mix, too, front and center.

Days of Our Lives' Vivian and Brady are making the buried alive plot even more fun the second time around. Louise Sorel's barbs are sharper than ever, and nothing's funnier than Vivian seeing herself as the innocent victim. Meantime, Brady's dark, twisty turn, had given portrayer Eric Martsoff the chance to show off comic timing, and an edge that's made his character far more intriguing to watch. If you're going to revisit a story, this is the way to do it.

Soap Operas are not meant to end. Maybe that's why As The World Turns' producers and writers squandered so much time leading up to today and left so little room for the show to conclude in a satisfying way. I loved Bob's voiceover, and the world turning at the end. I loved Luke and Reid's tragic goodbye last week. I loved Holden's very real tears when he reminisced with Lily yesterday. But other than that? Pretty unsatisfactory stuff. It's almost like someone drank the Les Moonves kool-aid and agreed this soap wasn't special. The final stories should have started playing out two or three months ago, not two or three weeks, giving ample time for them to explore the layers and layers of emotion that have in fact, made ATWT one of the most special shows in the history of television. Instead, Lucinda and Barbara quit their jobs to be with their men? When did they stop being two of the most dynamic career women in daytime? When did Lisa become a dayplayer? Why wasn't some dashing scoundrel checking into her hotel, bringing out the vixen in her one last time? Where was Snyder Farm? And specifically, Emma, in her kitchen, fretting over her kids and baking one last pie or batch of cookies? How could Dusty and Janet warrant a happy ending, while Holden and Lily were left in limbo, without even one last kiss? We know they're seeing each other tomorrow. We know they love each other, Lily tried to say it, Holden said he knows, they parted with tears in their eyes, it was actually a great scene, I'm just torn over whether it was enough, since we are never seeing them again. And really, would it have been that hard to cut out all the teens no one cares about for the last week, and give their time over to old clips of people the audience cared about, memories fans wanted to relive, for some reason Another World is the only soap that put great montages at the end, while ATWT couldn't even search through the archives for a scene where Nancy says, "Goodnight, dear," surely one exists somewhere. Okay, enough for the complaints, after all, this show was special, there's more of it to celebrate. The last few weeks I've praised couples and characters that remained on the soap till the end, but there were plenty of other memorable players we haven't seen lately, tops on my list would be the aforementioned Emma Snyder, any scene with her, was for me, the true definition of comfort food. The best triangle ever would not have happened without morally challenged, yet physically gifted, Damian Grimaldi. Some of the best couples in recent years would not have happened without one of the last working class guy's in daytime, Mike Kasnoff. Kirk. Samantha. Aaron. Georgia. Isaac and Bonnie. Camille and the original Brad. Scott Bryce's Craig. Duncan's Scottish brogue. Jessica, sometimes the lone diversity on the canvas, but by no means the reason she was there. There are so many more names I'm sure I missed among your favorites, I wish I had tuned in sooner, seen them all, but the moments I did see will always stay with me, such as Andy's struggle with alcoholism, John and Barbara and Casey and Gwen losing their babies, and Holden and Lily in the bell tower. Somehow I don't think the Chenbot and company will ever deliver anything as memorable or as heartfelt. Holidays will never be the same without Oakdale, The Snyder Farm, and the Hubbard Squash.

The second to last week of As The World Turns belonged to Luke, Reid, Lucinda, and John. While disappointing that Luke and Reid didn't get their happily ever after (or even a sex scene), the wrenching end to their love story gave Van Hansis and Eric Sheffer Stevens their most powerful scenes yet. Together in that hospital room every look, every shaky breath and touch, it doesn't get any more heartbreakingly romantic than that. Almost as bittersweet was watching John and Lucinda, and realizing how much richer the show could have been in recent years had Larry Bryggman never left, and how much Elizabeth Hubbard's immense talents have been squandered. Though I would love to see any of these actors show up on daytime in other roles (Eric as OLTL's new Joey, Van bringing his trademark emotion to GH as the final recast for Michael, Elizabeth as a rival for Erica and pushy grandmother of Madison on AMC, Larry mixing it up with OLTL's David and Dorian) all four actors really belong in serious, Oscar-worthy independent films.

This week As The World Turns' tribute to Nancy not only gave us some lovely clips of her, but also let us spend some much welcome quality time with the Hughes family as they did good deeds in Nancy's name, and dealt with Chris' illness. Of course, there wasn't nearly enough of Tom and Margo, there hasn't been for years, hopefully we'll see more before the end. Margo's long been one of daytime's best career women, and Tom, her perfect sparring partner. Y&R could use two actors so adept in the law and order department, nevermind in the chemistry department. Speaking of chemistry, Daniel Cosgrove has it to burn, I should resent his Chris for hogging so much screen time from Oakdale vets, but he's fit in so seemlessly, you love him like any other Hughes. AMC should consider returning him to the role of Scott, not only would it finally make sense why Annie would choose him over J.R., but he'd make a great option for Greenlee or Kendall, too. Then there's Casey Hughes, the endlessly endearing family screw-up now headed for a happy ending as a law student and newly engaged man. Initially made so recklessly adorable by Zack Roerig (FNL, Vampire Diaries), Billy Magnussen has kept Casey the slacker to root for, and already seems on his way with a Joel Schumacher film under his belt. Lastly, Don Hastings and Kathryn Hays, what performances they've given this week, not to mention the last several decades. These two remain such vibrant actors, if they choose to go on working, please could any show out there see the value in multi-generations and hire them? And if only someone had seen the value in bringing back Andy for any Hughes' event this year, even a brief Julianne Moore hello. Such a shame that never happened.

There may be no more tortured supercouple than As The World Turns' Jack and Carly. It's insane how many times this pair has broken up, especially lately, where it seems to happen every other episode. This constant whiplash would have turned off fans a long time ago if not for Maura West and Michael Park. Few actors are better at ripping one another's hearts out in a fight and then behind slammed doors believably yearning for that same person. Over the years, the writers have attempted everything in their power to screw this duo up; Carly's icky affair with Jack's cousin Holden, her attraction to Craig, and Jack's devotion to Janet, among many other examples could have permanantly derailed their appeal. But despite the sabotage, we still crave Carly and her G-man together as much as the characters do, and as much as we did at their most classically steamy times, like in Montana. Individually these two have had a ton of really memorable moments as well, among the too many to mention, when Carly lost Mike's baby, and Jack accidentally killed his brother. It's great to see Y&R has already noticed Maura's worth, now if someone would just wake up and hire Michael, say AMC, as a long lost Martin brother. Additionally this week, applause to whoever had the lovely thought of Will and Parker reminiscing over Benjamin Hendrickson's, Hal, and then Barbara mentioning him after her wedding as well; he should be remembered.

As The World Turn's Trent Dawson and Terri Columbino have been called on to play just about everything possible during their time in Oakdale. They've proven they have the talent to pull off shifts in their characters without losing their fan appeal. Terri's Katie has gone from scheming teen to romantic comedy heroine to baby drama queen and finally, a widowed single mom struggling to move on, each change as believable as the next thanks in most part to the actress. Then there's Trent's take on Henry, it's doubtful many other actors could have made his initially villainous turn so endearing that he not only landed a return invitation, but his character kept on expanding from martini swilling charlatan to comic relief to a full blown leading man grieving over a miscarriage, and these days romancing grande dame Barbara Ryan. It's been great fun to watch these two actors develop over the years, hopefully it won't be goodbye for long. While there have been rumors of Terri heading to Y&R, she'd make a perfect Babe on AMC back from the dead courtesy of usual suspect David, and Trent's sharp humor would fit in nicely at the Quartermaine mansion on GH as a resurrected AJ.

As The World Turns Holden and Lily, more than twenty years after sparks first flew in the barn, and with a different actress in the role, continue to deliver beautiful, fluttery moments. You know you're watching one of the great soap couples of all time, when packing up his ex's stuff somehow became these great flirty, romantic scenes, with as much heat as any traditional candlelit love scene. I've always loved these two characters, the great pull between them, the warmth that won't quite quit no matter how much either of the may have wanted it to at given points over the years. There's so much history there, and it's so sad that soon there won't be any more. Martha Byrne set the groundwork for a great heroine, creating a spoiled heiress viewers genuinely related to, and though she's been given a really hard time by some fans, Noelle Beck truly has continued to do our beloved Lily justice. And what a leading man both actresses had in Jon Hensley, from brooding young stableboy to grown up hero, enough can't, and hasn't been said about his subtle, stellar performances. If Thorsten Kaye opts not to return, AMC could sure use someone of Hensley's caliber to re-imagine say the role of Del Cooney, giving Caleb some family, and the ladies someone other than Ryan to tussle over.

Over the years, As The World Turns' Molly has quite possibly shed more tears than all the residents of Oakdale combined, and thanks to her portrayor, Lesli Kay, every drop has felt genuine, whether motivated by the character's rare bouts of happiness, or her many, wrenching heartbreaks. It's hard to think of any actor, on any size of screen, who engages their eyes in every moment to such dazzling emotional effect. It says it all about the actress, that diehard Lily fans could also dearly embrace her rival for Holden's affection. Lesli and Molly gave us something special to watch from her very first day on the show. I hope we'll get to see her back on B&B soon as Felicia, if not, she'd sure make an amazing Billie on Days.

As The World Turns Kelley Menighan Hensley plays one of the most complicated women on daytime to perfection, or at least she will for another month and a half until The View Part Deux replaces her (such a heart warming thought). Catch this brilliant portrayal while you can. It's not every actress who pulls off cold, calculating and heart of gold all at once. She makes you root for a villainess, and can make you cry, too. Her Emily has been so unlucky in love over the years, albeit half the time it's her own desperate fault when things blow up in her face. Those blow-ups, the squirming, and digging herself in deeper only to finally deliver an emotional mea culpa, may be horrible for Em to endure, but they're ideal scenes for Menighan-Hensley to sink her teeth into, and for fans to watch. It would be great to go on watching this talented actress say as a new love interest for Jack on Y&R, or better still, on a show like Mad Men where they specialize in the complexity she does so well.

As The World Turns Jennifer Landon and Jesse Soffer are proving what talents they are by seemlessly blending back into the Oakdale scene after a couple years absence, instantly the pair remind you of how much you loved them, and how much the show missed their contribution while they were gone. They've just jumped right in and already turned out some stellar scenes just like the old days, no better examples than when Gwen faced off against her scheming mom Iris, or when Will looked out for his mom during a chat with her suitor Henry. The sad thing is, soon we'll have to miss them all over again, along with the rest of this outstanding cast, even the young actress playing Faith finally got the chance to really show what she can do on Friday's episode. It's such a shame. Like the world needs another version of The View, and all the holier than thou negativity that spews from it.

General Hospital's Claire, as portrayed by Dahlia Salem, makes Port Charles officially the must-watch place for engaging female lawyers. Dahlia's Claire is a thoroughly modern heroine, with a devotion to a her career, and yet desire for a family that, along with some forbidden lust for mobster Sonny (even viewers questions their attraction sometimes to this bad boy), has quickly turned her into one of the most relatable characters on the canvas. Salem was a great young actress right out of the gate when she started as Sofia on Another World over a decade ago, and her talents have only grown since, holding her own in charged scenes with Maurice Benard and honest ones with Jonathan Jackson, showing major chemistry with both actors, and a gift for subtly conveying emotions. Between Claire, Alexis, and Diane, ABC could have one amazing primetime law series, three women a lot stronger, and more complicated than any of those on Wisteria Lane.

As The World Turns’ Colleen Zenk Pinter has long been one of daytime’s most entertaining actresses, infusing her one of a kind Barbara with feistiness, a mean streak when need be, and a big heart. Just to further prove her genius this week, the actress made scenes opposite a toy clown not only watchable, but downright emotional. This is why when people say oh, the Emmys did a great job this year, it sickens me. There should have been a ton of clips not only from World Turns’ incredible vets like Colleen, but the current soaps as well, giving viewers a taste of the good stuff that’s still going on in daytime, entice them to check it out. Selling the product was the original purpose of every award show, not selling something that has nothing whatsoever to do with the awards being given out. The argument was that, well, if they didn’t hand the broadcast over to Vegas then they wouldn’t have even aired. Well, then, maybe they shouldn’t. Maybe we’d all be better off if they celebrated the soaps at some brunch somewhere with plenty of time to truly honor a medium that doesn’t get any of the respect it deserves. Somebody could capture the whole thing on their phone, and upload it to YouTube to share with fans who oddly enough don‘t tune into the Daytime Emmys for The Blue Man Group or The Lion King.

All My Children's Angie actually has something resembling a storyline! Always one of daytime's finest, Debbi Morgan is apparently such a subtle actress that her immense talent has, for the most past, fallen under the writers' radar since her return, but finally they seemed to have woken up and are piling plenty of drama on her. Thanks to David's budget cuts at the hospital, Angie treated a patient without the necessary precautions and wound up with an infection that may lead to blindness. So not only is Angie dealing with frightening bouts of waning vision, but she feels she has to hid it all from Jesse, lest he seek vengance on David. We, the viewers are the lucky beneficiaries of all her turmoil, with another emotional performance from Ms. Morgan. Honorable mention to OLTL's Tuc Watkins for his stars and stripes shorts showdown with Ford. Comic genius at work.

Everyone at Days of Our Lives, in front of the camera as well as behind it deserve praise for the past few weeks' tribute to beloved Frances Reid's Alice. It was a brilliant idea to have so many old favorites return to say their tearful goodbyes, show how many lives Alice touched, how important she had always been to the soap. It's amazing how all of these actors walked into our livingrooms again and it immediately felt as though they'd never left, there wasn't a single false moment, even with nu-Bill. What a pleasure it's been to reminisce along with Jennifer and all the rest, the warmth they bring to the screen feels like old times, the very best times in Salem. DAYS has done Alice, and Frances proud.

One Life to Live's Trevor St. John and Florencia Lozano are shining as Todd and Tea deal with her terminal diagnosis. Any veteran soap fan as seen the deadly tumor plot so many times that you probably feel ho-hum about sitting through months and months of tears knowing full well a miraculous cure is coming. And okay, yes, this one will likely have the same miracle ending, but the journey there is a lot more interesting when you get to witness cold, withholding Todd wearing his heart on his sleeve, and taking care of Tea, seeing him vulnerable. Every scene between these two is pure pleasure right now, full of aching sadness, and yet somehow sexy and fun, too. If you're going to pull out a tired old plot device, this is the way to do it.

Unlike a lot of TV characters (not just on the soaps) General Hospital's Kristina hasn't just magically gotten over her trauma to become little Miss Sunshine and Happiness. This teen was abused by her boyfriend, and even though he's gone, she continues to have the scars to show for it. Whether correcting her little sister's perception of romance, or questioning the role her mobster dad played in her accepting such a violent relationship, Lexi Ainsworth never fails to impress, delivering a performance with emotional depth and understanding beyond her years.

Naming Y&R's Marcy Rylan actress of the week is all about the most important quality her Abby Newman brings: energy. While I don't know if I'm crazy about the reality show story or pairing her with Daniel, a guy who won't even remotely hold his own with her dad, Marcy brings spark and spunkiness sorely lacking in Genoa City. There's a major sleepiness going on there with uncharacteristically convoluted plots and chemistry free romances, hopefully this young star's enthusiasm will inspire some from the writers.

All My Children's Susan Lucci and Michael Nouri are off to a good start as she's crash landed (literally) into this gruff, mystery man's life. Yes, both actors are playing the stereotypically soapy hate at first sight thing a little over the top, but that's what makes it fun, and that's what we've always loved about Erica Kane, her bigger-than-lifeness. This is vintage Erica, giving Susan ample opportunity to show off how good she is at romantic comedy, to bring back some fizziness to AMC, and to mention that bear she stared down all those years ago, which never fails to bring a smile. Plus, her early sparks with Nouri, suggest that for once if there's a triangle ahead, the other guy might actually be competition for Jack, not just a plot device. We can hope.

One Life to Live's Mark Lawson not only looked good in uniform this week, and showed off an impressive voice but also seriously delivered as Brody, the man forgotten by the love of his life. Traumatized and electroshocked, Jessica has reverted to her sixteen year old self, the one in love with Cristian, not Brody. He still loves her though, with everything in his heart, the actor made that poignantly clear at every turn whether consoling Jess over Cristian at the prom, his pained reveal of Jessie's near rape, and even when he fell into bed with Natalie. A lot of fans have written this story off as unbelievably silly, but take a closer look at the emotion and depth Mark brings to his role, he might change your mind.

While soaps enter the season usually reserved for teen romance, DAYS is bucking the trend with the beginning of a romance for Victor and Maggie that's shaping up to be one of the most interesting tales of the summer. They're the classic story of bad boy and the good girl, add in Victor's forced engagement to Vivian, and Maggie's illness, and you've got endless tortured romance possibilities. It's great to see Maggie bring out Victor's tender side, while she shows major sass in telling him exactly what she thinks. DAYS may have had to make some painful budget cuts in recent years, but it's heartening to see them appreciate two of their all-time MVP's in John Aniston and Suzanne Rogers.

Daytime lost another legend this week with the passing of As The World Turns' Helen Wagner. Though rarely the centerpiece of any story, Wagner's Nancy was always there to listen and counsel, her small scenes as integral to Oakdale life as Lisa or Lily, thanks to the actress' ability to make every moment authentic, whether drawing a laugh or a tear. Nancy's one-on-ones rank among ATWT's most endearing and memorable moments, my personal favorites being her friendship several years ago with Jessica Dunphy's version of Alison. From uttering the soap's opening lines to her final appearance at Bob and Kim's anniversary, Helen's bright, no-nonsense Nancy commanded not only the attention and hearts of the Hughes family, but of every viewer priviledged to have welcomed her into our homes.

This week, One Life to Live's Todd saw his world go from slightly improving to as bad as it can get without actually dying. Just when the guy was making some headway with the daughter he never knew existed, his other daughter's boyfriend (believing Todd pusshed his mom Marty down the stairs) beat him into a flatlining nightmare. Definitely a rough one for Todd, dreaming that everyone celebrated his death, and wed people he detests, but if anyone deserves a taste of his own cruelty, it's probably this guy, and Trevor St. John, as always proved more than up to the task of running an emotional gamut from rare instances of tenderness to his trademark nastiness and dark humor.

While All My Children's exit for one of their all-time greatest characters proved stunningly lackluster, it doesn't at all detract from decade upon decade of sterling performances from David Canary. There's a reason why this guy, even as he aged (which strikes such fear in the networks!) always remained at the center of Pine Valley activity. Whether as ruthless Adam or sweet-hearted Stuart (forget Dixie and her pancakes, he was this show's most senseless death, we lost Stuart, plus Adam's never been the same!), Canary could seemingly play anything and make you believe those were two living, breathing brothers. I loved that no matter how much Adam schemed and manipulated, he never had a mustache twirling cheesiness about him, even if you didn't agree with his actions, you always saw they were motivated by emotion. I loved watching Stuart, one of the most unconventional leading men ever, find two great loves, which again, were made true by the emotion Canary put into every scene. I loved his petty, vindictive rivalries with Tad and the late, ever so great Palmer. I loved that Stuart was a conscience of sorts for Adam, and those softer moments when bits of Stuart would come out in Adam's mannerisms. I hate that for the last year or so Adam's edges were so horribly dulled that the show let an amateur like Annie manipulate him and in the end, though I love him with Brooke, he didn't part the show on some final big hurrah of vengance true to the character we all loved to hate, and who will hate to accept is no longer there come next Monday.

All My Children has done a lot of things wrong in recent years, but one thing they've done right is cast J.R. Martinez as Brot Monroe. While he's not on screen nearly enough, when he is, you can count on heartfelt performances just like this week as he confided in Jake his fear that Natalia's entry into modeling, a world of physical perfection, would mean she won't find a physically imperfect man like him attractive. Then he dared drop a spontaneous kiss on Natalia only to have her seemingly confirm his fear by recoiling, the hurt in his eyes, a true heartbreaker. Both moments provided an endearingly honest vulnerability sorely lacking at AMC these days. It no wonder that as much as she's trying to fight it out of her own fears, Natalia actually is hot for him, sexy scars and all.

Regardless of the appallingly little screen time they've received over the past decade, ATWT's supercouple Bob and Kim haven't lost an ounce of their spark in the twenty-five years since their first wedding. When Kim discovered they haven't actually been married all that time, rather than hurry down the aisle, she slammed on the brakes, risked ripping out her own heart in hopes of saving Bob from an early grave, to force him to put their life ahead of his career. In the episode's emotional high point, Bob chose his true love over his scalpel, only to have Kim tear up his resignation from the hopsital, she loves him too much to let him quit, she just wanted his priorities straightened. Add a wedding, Casey's romance advice, Lisa's sweetly tarty faux play for the groom, and you get a nearly flawless episode, save for too little Franny and the absence of the Dixon men. I will hold out hope of seeing Andy and John (who totally needs to butt hard heads with Reid) until the final minute we have in Oakdale.

General Hospital's Tony Geary showed this week how an actor can take months of vacations and still get nominated for leading actor Emmys. In five days, his character went from intimidating Kristina to flirting up a storm with Red (aka Skye). Without much time at all the canvas, Geary manages to have one of the most multi-faceted characters, one you can somehow watch be really tough on a scared, vulnerable girl yet still like him when he brings on the quippy lines and comical leers. It makes sense that even though he's not on our screens nearly enough, he rightfully remains an awards favorite given the believable range he displays over such sort periods of time.

How can ATWT, the soap that is next to die, the one the boss man declared "not special enough" be the same soap with the best new character/actor in Eric Sheffer Stevens' Dr. Reid Oliver? How horribly unfair that we only have months not years to enjoy this grump with the ever so guarded heart? Though many rightly compare him to House and our much missed John Dixon (please, please bring him home before the end!), Stevens' Reid is very much his own infinitely interesting man, every scene, every peek into who this guy is, makes you want more. He's fun and he's dark and he's warm in appealingly grudging fashion. There's such an excitement when this actor appears in an episode, the way he sparks off everyone else, whether taunting Henry, being knocked down a peg by Bob, or getting under Luke's skin while desperately trying to prevent Luke from doing the same to him. Every minute with Dr. Reid is pure pleasure, yet another reason I'll hate to say goodbye to Oakdale in September.

General Hospital's Kiefer and Kristina, portrayed by Christian Alexander and Lexi Ainsworth, are far from the usual teen soap couple where their biggest drama revolves around being annointed prom royalty. Their "romance" is unhealthy, addictive, and ugly. Kiefer abuses Kristina. And she forgives him. This pattern's happened over and over for months. Now, he's beaten her badly enough to land her in the hospital. She protected him though. She blames herself. This young actress does such a brilliant, wrenching job of playing a girl deeply wounded on the inside. Her scene partner has proven equally stellar. Their story wouldn't be half as horrific and real, if the actor took the easy route and played his role as a stock villain, an always scary, why would anyone go near him kind of guy. Instead, there are moments where Keifer charms, where there's remorse, where it's sickeningly understandable how a vulnerable girl could make the mistake of forgiving him. Just like countless girls and women do in real life. Here's hoping that maybe some of them, in rooting for Kristina to love and save herself, recognize themselves, and find a way out.

At last, Days of Our Lives has given Shawn Christian more to show off than just his chiseled abs. Anyone who watched Shawn originate the role of Mike on ATWT, knew he was a better actor than age-challenged romances with Chelsea and Kate, or his lust-fueled start with Chloe portended. Given great material, this actor's capable of delivering conflicted heroes worth rooting for. While Daniel's wife is suffering heartbreak over her inability to give him a child, he's discovered that Melanie is a daughter. Every scene Shawn's in now, resonates, whether reassuring Chloe and Melanie, threatening Vivian, or pouring out his concerns to Maggie, there's new, heart-tugging depths to Daniel, thanks to writing that finally matches this actor's strengths.

One Life to Live's Viki has had a lot to deal with of late, the murder of her step-son/son-in-law, her alcoholic husband's subsequent slide off the wagon, then the kidnapping of her D.I.D. afflicted daughter, Jessica, who electro-shocked, and nearly raped by her father has regressed to seventeen. Yep, a lot to deal with, though sadly for viewers we haven't seen nearly enough of Viki dealing with it, certainly not to a degree that matches Erika Slezak's acting abilities, it's just been stuff she could play in her sleep. But this week, in a handful of scenes with Charlie, as she told him their marriage was over, as she ached for everything her little Jessie's endured, there was the riveting display of emotion and gravity that's made this actress a fan and Emmy favorite for decades. Please, OLTL, write this woman more scripts like this, meatier stuff she can tear into, such talent is a terrible thing to waste at any age.

Days of Our Lives' Vivian is about as loony tunes as any villian gets, she's a perfect combination of wickedly evil and wickedly funny, every scene a can't-miss. Louise Sorel brings such delirious life to this character that every week you think she couldn't possibly become even more compulsivably watchable, then she goes and gets her heart(!) lodged in her throat, she's actually torn about following through on her act of vengance, Melanie touched a soft spot neither Vivian nor anyone watching would really think she had, but thanks to Louise the moment proved entirely believable. What a great conflict. What a great actress.

As The World Turns' Julie Pinson has three soap roles under her belt, but it wasn't until this week that she delivered her most memorable scene. Disowned by her parents as a pregnant teen, it took her daughter's illness to even semi-reconnect Janet with her father. With tears streaming down her face, in the course of a phone call Janet visibily waffled back and forth between hostility and hope and the actress proved she deserves a far stronger story to play than clinging to Jack, there's a much more dynamic heroine waiting to happen here, hopefully we see more of the woman from that phone call scene, before we have to say goodbye this character and Oakdale.

Walt Willey is one of those actors I failed to fully appreciate until AMC kicked him to the curb. In the week he's been back, Pine Valley has grown ever the richer. Greenlee's at least a little more likeable just for the fact that we see how much Jack loves her. And hallelujah, he convinced Erica to dump the ick-fest that was her relationship with Ryan! If that wasn't reason enough to garner a standing ovation for his return, Jackson continues to have more chemistry with Erica in even a simple hello than most of her suitors manage in bed with her. Tight families, and hot couples are essential to good soap opera, little did I realize, Walt Willey is essential to AMC as well.

Anyone who has ever watched Days of Our Lives feels like they lost their honorary grandma this week. The beautiful, talented Frances Reid delivered such light and warmth and real feeling in her role as Alice Horton that every viewer longed to be a part of her family. We wanted to be on the receiving end of her donuts, her sage advice, and her hugs. Mrs. H, and Ms. Reid, were simply the best, whether Alice was discovering her husband's nom de plume or inviting us all into her home each Christmas or candy-striping at the hospital, she brightened Salem and our television screens like no one else ever could. There are not adequate words to express the loss of this singular woman's sparkle to all the days of our lives.

While known to many musical aficionados as a sublime dancer, soap fans adored James Mitchell for bringing to life one of the most memorable characters the genre has ever known. Born to rags as Pete Cooney and risen to riches as Palmer Cortlandt, Mr. Mitchell's performance seemlessly blended those two very divergent lives into a one-of-a-kind villain, at every turn, both blue collar scrappy and blue blooded dapper, whether lording over the manor, or The Chicken Shack. Sometimes when an older actor is slowly phased out of a show, sadly, you hardly notice, but as Mr. Mitchell appeared less and less on our screens, his absence was greatly felt. Gone was someone with the same incurable sweet spot we all feel for Erica Kane. Gone was the master manipulator and meddler we loved-to-hate seeing get his way. Gone were the zingiest deliveries of one liners you'll ever hear. Gone was a true, formidable foe for Adam Chandler. Gone were his hilariously immature yet wonderfully grown up sparks with Opal. Gone was his rascally twinkle of a smile. Gone is a character you couldn't help loving in spite of whatever dastardly deed he commited. Gone is a lovely actor who will forever be missed.

While Jonathan Jackson's baby face will probably need a decade's more seasoning before it's easy to buy him as a cop, the actor has been entirely believable as the scorned man. Hurt, frustration, and anger, poured out of Lucky throughout the week in varied, spellbinding ways. The silent tear staining his face when he saw the love of his life giving herself to his brother/best friend. The violence in swinging that the baseball bat, destroying his already destroyed home. The eerie menace when he loaded his revolver, went to the airport and asked Nik/the enemy to stay in town. Then Lucky soaked his wounds in alcohol and bitterness, even managing to out-cynic the usually most cynical guy in town, his dad Luke. Through no fault of his own, Jackson may still look very much like the teen who left the soap all those years ago, and maybe that is a hindrance to the career side of his character, but it's the emotional side that matters on soaps, and in that, he's proven an A-list grown up talent.

Days of Our Lives' goodbye to Mickey proved amazingly poignant this week considering that several years have passed since the actor who truly embodied the role retired, yet thanks to the other actors, he's now missed all over again. There were so many great/sad moments that it's impossible to list all the ways the show got this right, from poor Melanie jokingly asking who died only to burst into tears when she realized someone actually had died, to Maggie's devastation over deleting Mickey's final text, and the family gathered together, remembering, complete with a clip from when Mickey and Maggie met that left me longing to see more. And speaking of longing, the soap brilliantly used the characters' vulnerability in mourning to reach out to one another, Hope to Bo, Nathan to Melanie, only for all involved to end up aching even worse. If you were a Days fan who quit because NBC's budget crunched your favorite off the canvas, or if you've never visited Salem, you should give it a chance now as they're hitting all the vintage soap opera notes, heavy on family and unrequited love.

So many shows, daytime or primetime, come off like they're preaching from a pamphlet when they tackle social issues, but thanks to actress Sarah Brown, this week The Bold and The Beautiful managed to avoid that uninvolving trap. When Sandy discovered the very real life fact that hers, along with so many other victims' rape kits can take years to test, sometimes even past the statute of limitations, unlike so many other storylines with a conscience, Sarah Brown's performance conveyed much more than statistics. You felt Sandy's horror, you felt her raw indignation and desperation to make things right for all these women who deserve justice, who deserve a shot at maybe feeling safe in their own homes again. There was a time before soap powers decided this genre should mostly be plot driven, where daytime viewing was all about feeling. This story was a prime example of what soap stories should and could still be.

One Life To Live's Fish and Kyle stood out this week by not standing out, by not being treated any differently than any other love story in Llanview. Hopefully, there will come a day when seeing a same sex love scene on tv that isn't any less romantic, or more covered up than a heterosexual scene, won't be a big deal. But for now, in a climate where a certain idol gets banished from a network due to showing his sexuality, when two of the three soaps that just barely dip their toes into same sex relationships get cancelled, OLTL deserves a cheer for having the courage to tell Fish and Kyle's story exactly the same way as they would tell anyone else's, with maturity, and heart, and yeah, a little skin.

The last Snyder family Christmas ever on As The World Turns proved to be the most memorable holiday offering any of the soaps put forth, yet again showing why they don't deserve this thoughtless cancellation. With Lily married to Damian, it seemed unlikely that she and her true love Holden would share this last Christmas until Lucinda and Emma conspired to bring Lily to the Snyder farm. What a great episode from Dr. Bob's voiceover, to showing us how all Lily and Holden's turmoil has affected their kids, and seeing everyone trim the tree together, as a family, then the bittersweet ending when Holden's current love interest, Molly arrived, made for an almost perfect Christmas episode, one only wished the Hughes family gathering had been equally as complete (where were Nancy and Lisa? Why am I always wondering that?).

One Life to Live, already rich in teen characters, has found yet another great one in Dani, played by Kelley Missal. While the character's age compared to other kids on the show doesn't compute history wise, and I was prepared to dislike any potential rival of Destiny, the actress has won me over. What a powerhouse performance this week as she laced into mom Tea over the "death" of her "father" and told off Todd (unbeknownst to Dani, her actual father). To convincingly pull off such emotional intensity, not only at a young age, but so early into her first stint on a soap, and up against two of daytime's best, is a stunning achievement, and I can't wait to see more from this talented newcomer.

The week ATWT's cancellation was announced, actor Trent Dawson just happened to give one of the best performances of the year, not that I'd imagine any CBS execs were actually watching, you get the distinct feeling that's not how these networks are actually run, they just look at their numbers and bring down the axe, quality or integrity be damned. Anyways, that bitterness aside, we still have a little less than a year to enjoy the residents of Oakdale, and how could you not thoroughly enjoy Trent Dawson on Friday's episode? Trent usually plays Henry, however this particular day he also played Brad, the dead guy who used Henry's body as a conduit to get closer to his widow Katie and their baby. Not only did Trent brilliantly mimic actor Austin Peck's mannerisms, while at the same time still pretending to be Henry, but he played the emotions too, when "Brad" saw Katie, smelled her hair, and held his baby for the first time, there was no trace of the character Dawson has played for years, he was, in those moments, undoubtedly Brad. If this complex characterization doesn't at least get an Emmy nomination, there's something even more wrong with that process than there is with network television, which is saying a lot at this point.

All My Children's Thorsten Kaye showed just why he's such a swooned-over fan favorite this week as Zach struggled to come to terms with his wife "abandoning" him (while we viewers struggle to come to terms with the utter destruction of Aidan's character. Why, oh, why?). Like any alpha male scorned, he grabbed the next available woman, thin king he could drown his pain in her. When Liza refused him, he hit the bottle hard, and Jake even hard, right into a photo of Myrtle. Zach's (and our) beloved Myrtle. The change in Zach's demeanor was instant, his seething shell as shattered as the glass from the photograph. With anger, heartache, and a single tear for the woman who would have counseled him through all of it, Kaye delivered on every level.

As The World Turns' Helen Wagner (Nancy) was such a treat to see on the Thanksgiving episode, and not just because the show boneheadedly chose to show very few older actors (really, they couldn't trade Rosanna, who's on her way out, for actual faves like Bob and Kim?). You never fully appreciate how much you miss Nancy's advice and Helen's warmth, until you see both the character and actress in action again, feel her in action. She brings such a lovely heart into performances. Maybe she's not one of the leading ladies on the show, but her presence is every bit as affecting and important. Fingers-crossed, we'll get more of Nancy come Christmas.

The actors and writers involved in DAYS' Baby Switch plot shone this week in dramatic fashion as baby Sydney was finally returned to her rightful mom Sami. First a thank you to the writers for not being afraid to take their time with this story, in the old days fans used to gripe about how long every plot took to unravel, but now that every show is in such a hurry like we all lack an attention span, so many of the emotional details of stories get left untold (I'm sure that's why so few supercouples are born now, they either meet and jump right into bed or to the altar, either way most of the good tortured romance gets lost in the dust), I think we're all much more appreciative of letting things play out for as long as they need to play out. And as for the actors, there wasn't a word or a moment that wasn't delivered in pitch perfect fashion. From Mia's heartbreaking realization that her baby had died, to E.J.'s that his had lived, then a teary-eyed Sami let a downright weepy Nicole hold the oh so adorable Syd one last time, and Brady showed up at the instant Nicole felt entirely alone. This has been such great storytelling, such a great advertisement for the emotional ride soaps can still be, this genre is still very much alive and ever so more engaging than anything else daytime has to offer. If your favorite soap isn't exactly doing it for you right now, don't give up, DAYS wasn't the most brilliant thing on the planet awhile ago, but now they're really working, maybe your show will turn around too.

The Bold and The Beautiful's John McCook and Susan Flannery delivered one great snide remark after the next this week when Eric and Stephanie hijacked Katie and Bill's reception. While the oblivious couple wed, ex couple Eric and Stephanie hilariously slugged back champagne and criticized the food they were shoveling into their mouths. Whether together or frenemies, these two can always be counted upon to liven up any party, proof positive that veteran daytime players never get old.

The Young and The Restless' Daniel Goddard personifies the perfect romantic hero in his role as Cane. He's got the face, the body, and the accent. There's an air of mystery around him, he's just shady enough to keep a girl on edge, waiting for whatever the other shoe is to drop, yet there's something magnetically safe about the guy, too. He had to be a loner most of his life, and through Goddard's expressive gaze, every time he looks at Lily, his love, we see his longing, an almost desperate need to never live alone again. He's been endlessly warm and strong for Lily as she battles cancer, to the point where you think this character couldn't get any more attractive, but then overwhelmed by the fear of losing her this week, Cane excused himself from Lily's hospital room, and in the hallway, crumpled to the floor, riddled with pain and tears, and... sigh... he became even more attractive.

Considering he's General Hospital's leading man, it's been awhile since Maurice Benard had one of those episodes where he stands at the deliciously explosive center, every other character and storyline sent splintering off him. At the start of the week, Sonny actually seemed to be growing closer to Mafia wife Claudia, confiding in her, comforting her during a rough flight, he was even throwing a birthday party for her. But before the party, Jason played a tape for Sonny that proved Claudia's involvement in his son Michael's shooting. Sonny handled the news with a chilling calm, telling Jason the party was still on, he even surprised Claudia with jewelry and toasted her. You just knew though, the anger in him was coiling tighter and tighter, and finally, at the party, he gave Claudia such a vicious tongue lashing, you could practically see the steam pouring off Maurice, a truly spell-binding speech. And then the guilt set in, as not only had Sonny frightened his daughter who had never really understood why she should be afraid of his lifestyle, but his actions also caused Claudia to kidnap a dangerously pregnant Carly. Hopefully the show actually gives us more of the emotional fallout from Sonny's tirade, when you've got such a sublime actor he really should be used to the fullest of his capabilities. I'd much rather see Sonny explode, than any more warehouses, he's a thousand times more riveting.

All My Children's Lucy Merriam (Emma) has yet again, at her tender age, proven a far more interesting screen presence than the majority of Pine Valley's adults. Though very few viewers were as schocked as Charles Pratt assumed we would be to learn Adam shot Stewart (kind of confirms that this writer thinks we're all a touch stupid, like we didn't guess almost from the beginning?), I bought the pop of surprise on Emma's face when she flashedback, just like when this little girl cries, throws a tantrum, or her loyalty's torn, her emotions often ring truer than the older actors around her. And when she decided to blackmail her mom, even that made more sense than any of the grown-up blackmail going on in PV, cuz at least Emma appears bright enough to pull it off. It's a sad commentary on the current state of AMC, that their most riveting, complicated character is played by a grade-schooler. I don't know if this talented little one is just fed her lines, or if she acts from memory, either way, there are a number of her castmates that could stand to mimic her methods.

The Bold and The Beautiful's Stephanie recently suffered a stroke, definitely a challenge in anyone's life, though particularly for this character. Susan Flannery plays the Forrester matriarch as if she were made of steel, to show vulnerability is like a crime against Steph's nature. So, this week, Stephanie fought off Steffy, Pam, and Taylor's fussing, and rather than risk any further pity, she resigned from the job she loves, determined to keep her weakness to herself. But once word spread of the real reason for her leaving, the troops rallied, and true to form, our alpha female tried to push them off, and rolled her eyes at their cheerleading, but those eyes were also clearly touched. And so were the viewers, thanks to the perfect little touches Susan Flannery always brings to her performances, whether in her expression or her inflections.

One ATWT triangle (Damian, Lily, Holden) and one DAYS couple (E.J. & Nicole) provided such classic soapy goodness this week that it was impossible to choose just one. Recasts are tough to accept, especially for someone as beloved as Martha Byrne, it's taken time, but now that Lily's heart is once more severely torn between gothically romantic Damian and heroic farm boy Holden, Nicole Beck is very much Lily, too. She, Paulo Seganti, and Jon Hensley deliver perfect soap opera moments, none more so than this weeks stormy wedding, as Damian and Lily exchanged vows "dead" Holden walked in. This is a story that keeps viewers coming back to see what will happen next, that's what DAYS is doing with E.J. and Nicole, too. This week E.J. confronted Nicole for "adopting" their baby and pretending to give birth to her. There were lies to cover lies, and tears, and anger, and wrenched hearts (especially every time E.J. forced himself to resist that sweet little baby). We watch soaps for storytelling like this, for intense emotion, not junk about stolen paintings or who-done-its without real payoffs.

As The World Turns' Ellen Dolan after an overlong wait on the backburner has finally been given meatier story than merely acting as windowdressing at the police station or as Casey passes through her kitchen. Margo succeeded this week in keeping her oldest son out of prison, she was soaring, filled with hope for Adam's future, one that she couldn't wait to share with him, to set right this time. Ellen Dolan's face and voice captured Margo's absolute joy in that moment, only to turn to grief and anger when Adam left town, at her other son Casey's insistance. She ripped into Casey, spitting horribly hurtful things at him, then later wept in her husband Tom's arms over what she'd done. Ellen Dolan did some brilliant acting throughout those emotional turns and hopefully reminded the writers why Margo has such a rich history to dig into, the woman is good!

Over the past year One Life to Live's Scott Evans has created one of the most endearing characters as good guy cop Oliver Fish. Oliver is every bit as dreamy as any other soap guy out there, he has a cutely humorous way about him, and happens to be gay. For a long time he's tried to deny it, tried to fight it, hidden it from his parents for fear they would walk out of his life. In a series of strong scenes we saw Oliver finally empowered enough to stand up for who he is, to no longer feel ashamed, to go so far as to tell his mom that what he felt for another man was every bit as real and true as the love she shares with his father. Sadly, his parents (and probably some of the viewers) still have a long way to go in actually accepting Oliver wholeheartedly, but at least it was a beautiful thing to see him accept himself.

Let's Make A Deal. Terrible title. CBS really should change it to Let's Plunge A Dagger In Your Heart. Yep. That sounds right. That sounds like a talentless game show about dunces in costumes replacing a drama with heart and soul and Coopers and Spauldings and Bauers and Reva Shayne. This feels like I'm writing an obituary. Seventy-two years, that's a very long life in radio and television (especially now when people seem to have misplaced their attention spans, the era of fifteen minute soaps may need to be revived), but as far as I'm concerned, seventy-two years wasn't nearly long enough for Guiding Light, there was still so much life left to live vicariously through. If there's anyone out there who was lucky enough to have listened and watched for the entire run, I so envy you, my devotion to Guiding Light only began twenty-two years ago when finally a local station picked up GL. I was ten years old and immediately fell for a certain dreamy Greek mechanic and his feisty teenage sister. The down-to-earth Coopers hooked me on life in Springfield, and right up to the end they held a special place in my heart, though most every character who ever walked into Company, visited Cross Creek, or trespassed into the Spaulding mansion was truly something special, brought to vivid life by some of the most talented people on the planet, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. They gave us unforgettable matriarchs and patriarchs like Bert, Maureen, H.B., Hawk, Sarah, Henry, and Ross. They gave us an incomparably complex villian named Roger Thorpe. They gave us so many serious well-told stories such as childhood cancer, body image, addiction, paralysis, teenage pregnancy, marital rape, racism, death, and Vietnam. They gave us humor with Nola, Nadine, Billy, Fletcher, Dinah, Alexandra, Rick, and so many more. They gave us some of the all-time great love stories in Frank and Eleni, Olivia and Natalia, Lucy and Alan-Michael, Dylan and Bridget, Phillip and Beth, Harley and Mallet, Cyrus and Marina, Harley and Gus, David and Kat, Rick and Abby, Matt and Vanessa, Ross and Blake, Remy and Cristina, Bill and Lizzie, Jonathan and Tammy, Quint and Nola, Billy and Vanessa, Buzz and Nadine, Buzz and Jenna, Ed and Maureen, Fletcher and Alexandra, Alan and Hope, Danny and Michelle, Mallet and Dinah, and Josh and Reva (sorry if I forgot your favorite). Not surprisingly, a soap that even in its worst moments was always one of the finest shows on television, went out in lovely fashion, doing their best to give each of our beloveds their own version of a happily ever after, still there won't be a Thanksgiving (at Bill and Lizzie's house this year but hey we can watch a game show instead. Yippee.), a Christmas, or a Fourth of July, and probably a lot of the days in between when I won't wonder where all of these characters are, how life is working out for them, did Rick burn the burgers this year, who's dressing up as Santa, have Natalia and Olivia shared a real kiss yet, did Alan really, truly die, and which Spaulding offspring is having the latest Romeo and Juliet moment with which Cooper offspring. I'll always wonder. I'll miss them all.

Guiding Light's Justin Deas, Tom Pelphrey, and Jordan Clarke have breathed life into three of the most humorous and most intense characters ever to hit daytime. Deas' Buzz returned years too late from Vietnam, reconciling with his family (particularly son Frank who had to become the man of the family) and himself has been an ongoing process, filled with deep dark emotionally scarred times. Some of my favorite GL scenes ever were Buzz's flashbacks during the Fifth Street fire as he debated whether to let his family's diner go up in flames. Tom Pelphrey's Jonathan began in an extremely volatile place to the point at times of being vile (seducing his cousin for revenge) and yet he had this vulnerable stuff beneath it all that managed to charm (seducing us and his cousin into what should have felt like a truly creepy romance). From going toe-to-toe with his powerhouse mom, particularly when he took his own dip in her infamous fountain, to climbing into Tammy's hospital bed as the life faded out of her, there was never a dull moment. Like Buzz and Jonathan, Jordan Clarke's Billy tended to handle his emotional scars in the most destructive way he could think of, in his case, he took to the bottle. When sober, he had this fun, rascally appeal, when drunk he drove away everyone who loved him, he was a terrible husband, father, and brother, but in either mode, the actor's scenes always riveted, maybe never more so than in the harrowing fall from grace that won Clarke the Emmy a couple years ago. It is performers like this, and the writers and crew supporting them, the heart they put into the show, that made GL so special, it's a shame that the show's resident diva couldn't be a little less self-involved in her interviews and celebrate what gave her money, fame and acclaim, rather than rag all over it (particularly to rag over building homes for Katrina victims! Yep, that Ellen Wheeler, she's just the devil incarnate for televising doing something selfless for other people).

Of the many outstanding GL performances this week, the best involved characters faced with big truths, Doris and Ashlee, Phillip, and Olivia. First, the tricky mom and daughter relationship between Doris and Ashlee, played so superbly by Orlagh Cassidy and Caitlin VanZandt, that they took their characters from day players to integral parts of GL history. Doris has never been the most loving mom on the planet, and feared a taste of her own medicine if she came out to her daughter. When she finally did, Ashlee lashed out at her mom, not for being a lesbian though, but for never truly sharing herself, for all the years of cruelty that left Ashlee feeling so vulnerable, unaware her mom had her vulnerabilities too. Phillip revealed his own vulnerability this week as he informed his family he hasn't long to live. Grant Aleksander in Emmy worthy style (how can it be that Sunday's Emmys were GL's final awards for elgibility, what about all these weeks since that voting period ended? Makes no sense. But the Emmys rarely do), has conveyed all the yearning and anguish you'd expect someone staring down their final days to feel. And Phillip too aware of how short life is, shared his newfound wisdom with Olivia. She spent the last week in emotional knots, craving (Crystal Chappell should teach an acting class on that emotion, she's raised craving to the fine art it should be in the romantic land of soaps) Natalia, yet afraid to trust her until that lovely moment when Phillip's words resonated and she took the leap to try again with the woman she loves. I hate to say goodbye to any of these characters, but at least we can follow Crystal on DAYS and Venice. As for the others, the prosecution in Genoa City could sure use someone more competant than Paul's daughter so there's at least the possibility someone might get convicted, who better than Cassidy's Doris? And over on ATWT, Caitlin VanZandt would be a great rival for the Hughes' brothers affections, and surprise sister for Alison, either yet another spawn of Emily and Larry, or just Larry. Lastly, Grant Aleksander, any soap would be blessed to have him as a leading man, but especially OLTL, we know he can play devious to perfection, how about making him Rex's "dead" papa, and a rival for Todd?

Guiding Light favorites Liz Keifer and Frank Dicopoulos have thankfully moved at least a little closer to front burner during these waning days; for the past few years we haven't seen nearly enough of either one of them. Frank particularly, has had some really juicy story lately what with fathering the baby Natalia's carrying (in case you didn't know, she loves Olivia not him), and then there's his daughter's marriage to his best friend falling apart. Despite being a manly guy, Frank has always worn his big heart on his sleeve, he fills every scene with genuine emotion and empathy, that's what I'll miss most about the actor and the character, so much heart. And then there's Liz Keifer, her Blake ranks as one of the all-time great vixens and yet she never failed to tug at the heartstrings, just like Frank. You couldn't not root for her, even when she was stealing her mother's boyfriend. Partly because her mom's boyfriend turned out to be the love of Blake's life. How many brilliant memories did Liz invoke when she visited Ross' grave this week, when she talked about their love, just the look in her eyes... I'll miss that quiet stuff GL's actors have always done so well. And I'm definitely going to miss seeing how this online flirtation Frank and Blake have going, turns out, since Frank can't help being such a good boy, and no matter how reformed Blake seems at the moment, she's still got that undercurrent of bad girl. I so wish that had started sooner. But hopefully we'll at least see these two actors elsewhere. Taylor on AMC could sure use a big-hearted brother to add some warmth to her character and a best frenemy who could get a little more than friendly with Tad.

Guiding Light's Kim Zimmer and Robert Newman showed why they have been one of daytime's favorite couples for decades now as Kim's Reva begged Robert's Josh to help her through mourning the man she's currently married to. Poor Josh, seeing Reva in agony tears him to pieces but it also tears him to pieces to be the guy who loves her with everything in his soul and yet he's reduced to best pal status. Even in simple scenes, I don't know whether it's because of all the history between these two characters that there seems such heightened emotions at all times or if its entirely the actors who just add that undeniable spark to every conversation Josh and Reva share, either way never seeing that special something again will be one of the saddest things about the end of GL. That said, I hope it won't be the end of us seeing these two actors on our tv screens, wouldn't Zimmer be a great long lost Quartermaine on GH mixing it up with Tracy and flirting with Luke, and should Susan Lucci stay with AMC (please!) Robert Newman would be the leading man she deserves, someone with depth and experience, not like the writers current sorry choice that's all about hopping on a trend.

Guiding Light's Alan Spaulding is one of daytime's all-time great villains, not only on the page, but when brought to brilliant life by his portrayer Ron Raines. That Alan would choose to shun his dying son Phillip and instead focus on placing his grandson in a position of power to protect his own heart from having to grieve again is as selfish as any villain could be, and yet at the same time, the vulnurability Ron showed in those scenes convinces you to feel for Alan at the same moment you want to shake him. With so much plot driven story happening in daytime right now, it's hard to think there will be many more "bad guys" with gritty, deep emotional reasons for their behavior, which is a real shame because Alan has been a pleasure to love to hate, particularly over these years that Ron has played him. Also an acting mention goes out to grieving dads Remy and Bill, as well as to everyone over on sister show ATWT involved in Holden's "death", the lead-up with Damian and Lily's chemistry, the crash itself, and the reactions were perfection, the ATWT I first fell in love with.

Guiding Light's Dinah skipped town this week rather than head to prison for murder. I have a sneaking suspicion this isn't the last we've seen of Dinah, still, her break-up with Shane and her goodbyes to Vanessa and Mallet registered as "permanant," they were highly emotional scenes to watch, you truly believed this was it, Dinah would never see her loved ones again. Exactly the level of believability you come to expect from Gina Tognoni. Whichever show ends up winning over this actress (YR has been rumored), they should thank their lucky stars to have someone who puts her heart into every scene, no moment is ever lackluster or inconsequential when her characters are involved. As with past cancelled soaps like AW, the actor of the week will focus on celebrating GL from now until their sad demise, but an honorary mention goes to OLTL's Fish and Kyle. OLTL cut away from their kiss way too quickly, but their chemistry, and the emotional struggle of their story is great stuff.

Guiding Light's Mandy Bruno has played much heavier stuff of late than the standard flirty and tumultuous stories Marina mostly had in the past. It's interesting to see how the actress deftly handles the dueling emotions of love for Mallet and her fury at his thinking she murdered someone. Mandy shows you how torn Marina is between kissing this guy and giving him a good swift kick. And on top of displaying her flair for serious drama, Marina's temper boiling so close to the surface, has provided some hilarious hotheaded sarcasm aimed at Mallet. With Mandy's range, and youthful appearance, it would be so great to see her get a primetime shot on a CW series when GL ends. Oh, and honorary mention to B&B, for Brooke's priceless intrustion on Ridge and Taylor's wedding. The horse made for an instant classic.

Days of Our Lives has had to purge a lot of beloved stars lately in the name of staying within a budget and on the air, luckily, they've managed to find a few new stars along the way, Molly Burnett (Melanie) proving to be one of the brightest. Recently Maggie (how great that they're using her so often and so well!) pointed out that Melanie reminds her of Jane Austen's heroine Emma, a perfect comparison and prime soapy material. Poor Emma, and Poor Melanie, all they want is to be loved and help the people they love, only it continually blows up in their faces, particularly this week, when Mel reached out to a drunken Phillip. Now naturally, Mel is terribly drawn to those dimples, but she did her very best to be a good girl and just get the guy home, not take advantage of his drunken, heartbroken state or ruin her burgeoning friendship with Stephanie. It's harder to say which were the most endearing scenes, Mel's moral struggle away from her old crush Phillip, or when a jealous Stephanie said some truly hurtful, uncalled for things, and Mel burst into tears, the way Molly played it, it was like you could physically see her heart breaking. You can't help loving Melanie more and more every week. If you haven't watched DAYS in awhile, it's probably with good reason, you're missing your old faves, it doesn't feel the same, but they really do have some great, actually emotional stories happening right now, with some really appealing new talent, which is a lot like DAYS used to be every summer, like the soap equivalent of an engrossing yet sunshiny beach read.

Guiding Light's Bill and Lizzie, and, Remy and Christina, may have wed this week in decidedly low budget fashion, but both stories were as rich in heart and romance as any of the supercouples daytime once thrived on (when did tptb get it in their none too brilliant minds anyway that we wanted explosive action and mystery more than explosive chemistry?). Bill and Lizzie's wedding was the perfect showcase for his dimples and her sunbeam smile, the couple's signature sense of humor shone through from their twinkie cake, to the invitation snafu and dealing with their relatives, many of whom were responsible for the trials and tribulations their relationship had to endure. Remy and Christina's wedding also played wonderfully with their crazy history, the pair once more drunkenly saying I do. Except this time, neither was all that drunk, each just thought it was the only way the love of their life would ever marry them. The honest declaration of their feelings was every bit the awww, sweet moment we expect from this couple. While I miss splashy soap weddings (Patch and Kayla's yacht nups on DAYS always spring to mind) these two prove smaller scale can make for really special moments too when tied tightly to character, history, and really endearing performances.

Y&R's Daniel Goddard (Cane) could easily be one of those soap actors who coasts by on his ability to do shirtless scenes very proud, thankfully though, there's much more to his talent than chiseled abs and a sexy accent. In the wrong actor's hands, with the revelation that Cane swindled everyone, the character would be on his way out of town, he's pleas for understanding, not only unforgivable but unbelievable. Goddard's delivery of those scenes, however, made me a believer. His story of his lonely childhood, his longing for love and family, his insistance that he ony kept up the ruse for fear of this very rejection, was filled with so much emotion and sincerity that you're half tempted to consider Lily and Jill the bad guys for not offering forgiveness. As a viewer, I love pretty boy eye candy as much as the next gal, but I love it even more when the pretty boy eye candy can actually act.

One Life to Live's Dorian hand-delivered invitations to a soiree this week in an effort to redeem herself in the eyes of her daughter's boyfriend's parents. So off Dorian trotted in her gorgeously snooty dress and hat, teeth gritted, to beg her enemies to help her put on a good show. Thanks to the incomprable Robin Strasser, not only were the scenes hilarious but tinged with the vulnerability of a mom who just wants her daughter's happiness even if it's at the expense of her own pride. Hopefully those in charge of the purse-strings at OLTL actually watch their soap once in awhile and recognize Strasser is worth more to the show than three or four newbies combined.

As the World Turns' Geneva Swift isn't your average ordinary soap heroine, in the grand tradition of Another World's Krystal Lake, Geneva happens to be a guy. In an effort to get his wife fired and away from male eyes, Henry has disguised himself as Vienna's disapproving nemesis. Trent Dawson has always been ATWT's go-to-guy for comic relief, but in drag the man has reached the peak of his powers, from the squeaky voice he affects to the barbs he throws at Brad, and his never to be forgotten pole dance. I can't wait for Trent to play alongside "mom" Lynn Herring, its sure to be a comic classic.

One Life to Live has foolishly chosen to say goodbye to Kathy Brier's Marcie. Not only did Kathy break the tired mold of what a soap heroine is supposed to look like, but she was so much more than that, a comedienne, an incredible singer, and one of daytime's finest criers. Very rarely do actors show such heart and soul as a day player that they graduate to sidekick then a major part in the action. It's a shame the writers haven't known what to do with Marcie in the last year. That says more about their talent level than Kathy's.

For a second week, Days' produced the stand-out performance, this time from James Scott as E.J learned that deceased baby Grace was his daughter (actually not, but that's another explosive story to come). It never ceases to amaze me how brave Scott is in his choices with this character, here the actor is with that accent, that face, that body, he could easily coast as a romantic hero instead he risks the viewers not liking him, even being afraid of his controlling nature, his raging temper. You couldn't blame any actor for playing scenes in a way that garnered fans' adoration and his own job security, but there are moments when Scott's E.J. is downright ugly, every bit a part of his makeup as the tender goodbye he bid to the daughter he never really knew. While E.J.'s angry response to Sami was undoubtedly scripted, Scott could have played it in a silent, seething, more heroically understandable fashion than the booming rage that was far truer to character, and far harder for fans to love, yet riveting television.

This week, Days of Our Lives' Sami learned the harrowing news that her baby (actually Mia's, unbeknowst to Sami) has meningitis. Alison Sweeney, as usual, played heartbreak and grief to perfection, a champion crier, with a dollop of guilt piled on for keeping the child from E.J. It cannot be easy to make an evil schemer seem like she's got a heart of gold, yet time and again, Sweeney makes us believe.

Y&R's Billy Abbott as played by Billy Miller has become the character to stop whatever you're doing and watch. He's slept with, and possibly impregnated his brother's wife, his own wife, whom he does not love, just left him and took the baby he adores with her, oh, and his high school sweetheart, the one he was devastated to learn he was related to, only to discover he wasn't related to her, well, his heart still thunders for her, but she's engaged to his best friend. Wow. This character is the most endearing train wreck, and that endearing part of the equation is all thanks to Billy Miller. The guy plays internal conflict amazingly well. I'm not sure every actor would be able to seemlessly blend the cocky, strutting, careless playboy facade with the vulnerable heart underneath without crossing too far over one line or the other. There's nothing more compelling, or attractive than every time Billy approaches Mac with his pompous foot in his mouth, and that broken, yearning in his eyes. Like, I said, wow. If anyone asked me when Billy Miller was on AMC if I thought he was capable of stealing any show, the answer most likely would have been no. Clearly AMC's fault. Cuz now, I'm certain this guy deserves prime-time and big screen exposure.

As The World Turns' Ewa Da Cruz (Vienna) could easily get away with being just another pretty face, goodness knows, daytime has had a number of actors who do exactly that, but this is an actress who clearly pours all her heart into her character. For a long time now, Ewa's Vienna has longed for a baby, so much so that she even offered to carry one for her friend Katie, just to feel what motherhood is like, little did she expect that she'd actually end up pregnant with her own baby and her child-averse partner Henry would welcome the idea with open arms, for the briefest of moments Vienna was living her dream. And then she crashed down to her earth. This woman, with that big heart Ewa infuses her with, so wanted to make amends with her friend Katie, felt so emotional over depriving Katie of a baby, that she wasn't watching where she was walking, tripped, and lost the baby she wanted more than anything. Vienna's beautiful face crumpled in a way that told you everything, the words in those scenes in the hospital, and later, when she told Henry, were absolutely unnecessary, Ewa conveyed it all in her expression, that big heart of Vienna's, crushed beyond repair. As The World Turns, and acting, at its best.

In a very short period of time, Guiding Light's James (Zach Conroy) has proven himself a chip off the old Spaulding block, bilking people out of their money, tempting his dad to off grandpa, and charming the ladies. One minute he's manipulative, the next he's flirty; he's both tender, and an evil schemer, with a conscience that he may keep hidden, but it's definitely there. It takes talent to not only hit all those divergent beats but to find that tricky groove so quickly. Add Zach Conroy to the list of reasons why it's a shame CBS is turning off the Light, he's a young actor who would have done the twisted Spaulding legacy proud.

Days of Our Lives' Rachel Melvin exited her role as Chelsea this week much to the soap's loss. In the few years Melvin played Chelsea, she and the character have grown together despite the sometimes thankless stories she was given (flight attendant and grandma stealing her guy come to mind, among many others). With a less talented actress, Chelsea's journey from shallow teen to admirable young woman, would neither have been as believable, nor as rewarding to watch. Starting with the Zach tragedy, the actress gradually became a master of showing Chelsea's vulnerabilities, be it sadness, guilt or insecurity, endearing the character to the viewer. Hopefully Rachel Melvin will find ample opportunity to show that talent to an even wider audience sometime soon.

One Life to Live's Eddie Alderson (Matthew) was clearly born to act, he's impressed and stolen scenes ever since he was a little boy. And now that his character's faced with more dramatic challenges than ever (tormented by his peers and confined to a wheelchair), Eddie's giving performances of a depth that should be far beyond his years. The teen just plain breaks your heart and yet at the same time you're admiring his strength. Add in the adorable Desitny, and OLTL has the most promising youth-oriented story potential for the summer. And speaking of sunny days, an honorable mention to Guiding Light for their playful, romantic, and drenched (poor Alan!) trip to Universal Studios. Sure, there was a lot of tourism ads plugged into the dialogue, but it was still a fun, vicarious vacation for the viewers.

While General Hospital sorely misses the daily dose of sparky romance Patrick and Robin provided, at least the actors and the show are doing a commendable job of portraying post-partum depression. And better still, they're doing it with a character who really had her life together before everything became unbalanced. They're showing it can happen to anyone. And they're showing that's it's not easy to snap out of it. As much as we all want Patrick and Robin's sexy banter back, in the meantimes Jason Thompson's frustrated, helpless husband, and Kimberly McCullough's near-drowning wife, are giving voice to a very real issue that thousands struggle with, too often in shamed silence, every single day.

For the second time in three weeks, Guiding Light's tale of two women falling in love trumps all the other drama out there. Crystal Chappell and Jessica Leccia possess the chemistry of daytime's classic supercouples. It's the kind of tortured romance sorely lacking on most of the soaps these days. What do you do if your beliefs, and society tell you the thing you want most is wrong? What do you do if loving someone may bring them hurt? Olivia encouraged Natalia to marry Frank. Natalia pushed herself all the way up the aisle. Both Olivia and Natalia, in one of the most memorable moments ever, stood there at the altar, bride and maid of honor, with sorrow streaming down their cheeks. And if that wasn't wow enough, Natalia ran out on the ceremony and finally, confessed her reluctant love to Olivia. In the past week or so, DAYS' producer and a GH actress, have both trashed GL, saying the show was in ruins, but they couldn't be more off-base. More pity the future of their shows if they can't recognize that high quality storytelling matters more than the size of a set.

Erica Kane hasn't had much to do of late in Pine Valley other than worry after her daughters, so how refreshing must it have been for both Erica and Susan to have themselves a good hissy fit on Friday over it? I know, there are some stick in the muds out there who think Erica's long past the age where she should have turned into some meek mild grandmother figure, but really, that wouldn't be the Erica most of us love, and some misguided souls loathe to watch. The most fun time had all week in Pine Valley and quite possibly any other soap, was Erica Kane, splattered in grime, griping over how her life has become about looking after her children and she needs a break, darn it, she needs to get back to what she cares about - herself. It was a classic Erica moment. And an all too rare classic AMC moment. Could we please, please have more like them before this show joins Guiding Light in the graveyard? The truer you are to the character selfish natures or their humor or whatever else it was that made them tick and made us fall in love with them is where AMC needs to be, not having them do the most inexplicable things just to service lame plotlines.

How typical that one of the most natural, heartfelt romances currently in daytime is playing out on the show that just got the axe. Guiding Light's Olivia and Natalia have journeyed from rivals, to best friends, to yearning for one another. They want to be together, you can see it in every tender look and touch, hear it in their breaking voices as both try to convince themselves and each other that Natalia marrying Frank is for the best. Their relationships have always been with men, add in Natalia's religion and their steamy chemistry, and this is one complicated, highly emotional love story played out by two of the finest actresses in daytime. Not that they're going to be in daytime for long. Thanks, CBS.

As The World Turns welcomed back an old favorite this week and Paolo Seganti's return as Damian Grimaldi couldn't have come at a better time. With Paul and Craig practically twirling their mustaches, their villiany that ridiculously obvious, it's a relief to have a guy around with an air of mystery about him. Damian sounded as though he had sinister intent during a phone call and he winced seeing his son kissing another man, and yet he also looked at Luke with such affection that you're not quite sure he wasn't telling the truth, that he's there to accept him. Thanks to Paolo's portrayal, Damian's an unsettling presence for nearly every character he comes in contact with, he leaves them completely uncertain, which makes for much better soap opera than someone acting so obviously villainous that you just wonder how stupid the other characters can possibly be to even speak to them let alone be involved with them.

The cast of One Life to Live were a busy bunch this week dealing with Blair's hospitilization, Cole's accident, Shane's leukemia, and the baby switch, and that's just to name some of what's going on. It's a good week on a soap if all the performances are so strong that you can't possibly pick the best. How could you possibly choose? There was the confrontation between Matthew and Cole. Brody and Jess fighting their attraction. Marcie and Starr yearning to understand what happened to their baby as Jared and Natalie figured out the difficult truth. Heartbroken moms Nora and Marty. Rex and Shane shaving their heads. Gigi in the hospital chapel. Roxy torn between saving her grandson and destroying her son. On and on they came, one outstanding scene after the next that made you wish some of the other shows that are in a bit of a slump right now (AMC & ATWT come immediately to mind, please fix them before it's too late!) might turn on their TV's and figure out how to do classic umbrella storytelling.

As The World Turns Elizabeth Hubbard finally returned to the canvas this week, and instantly the 'World' felt at least a little more right with her Lucinda in it. Three stern heart to hearts with Brian, Lily, and Luke almost made up for the endless minutes of the Dusty, Meg, Paul love triangle that feels like it should be interesting and yet, it's so utterly blah and senseless. The divine Ms. Hubbard, not nearly on as much as she should be, not a member of the coveted demographic, yet she is instantly riveting the moment the camera touches her.

Since arriving in Llanview, One Life to Live's Cole has rarely had a moment of frivolous teen fun, luckily the casting department found an actor capable of playing so much dark and gloominess. Drugged up performances tend to go over the top, but Brandon Buddy pulled off just enough lack of control this week as the strung out kid raged at his mother, and Todd, then Starr, and finally capping it off by stupidly driving off with Matthew (Eddie Alderson, super good this week, too) in his car.

The Young and The Restless' Billy Miller has officially made All My Children look like bumbling imbeciles for not only letting him go, but for not using him properly when they had him, sure there were glimmers of charisma here and there, but for the most part he was a stock villain, you wouldn't have known him an actor capable of complexities. As Y&R's Billy Abbott, Miller, is not only oozing charisma, but talent, too. Sibling rivalry, hero worship, drunk, and reluctant daddy, he played them all in the span of a week, and left one wondering what AMC might be like right now if they'd just given him more to work with.

Guiding Light's Justin Deas has had little to do as Buzz in recent years beyond doling out advice, so as much as I hate to see a member of any core family killed off, at least Coop's death gave us another chance to watch a master class in acting. It was vintage Deas, raw emotion pouring off Buzz as he screamed at Alan, the anguish nearly buckling him as he pulled the plug and watched his boy slip away. If you were ever a GL fan, and were turned off by the cosmetic changes or cast members jumping ship, now is the time to give these brilliant characters another try. With Phillip newly back in town and Buzz seeking vengance on Alan, it's only going to get better.

For the second week in a row, One Life To Live fans recieved the sad news that an all-time favorite has passed away. Phil Carey was one of the biggest presences to ever grace our small screens. He could make us cry, make us want to scream at him, and make us laugh, often all three at once. Pa, was truly one of a kind. There will never be another character like Asa, and certainly, never another person like Phil Carey.

Though Clint Ritchie's version of Clint Buchanan hasn't been seen on One Life To Live for several years, his performance in the role remains fresh in any fan's memory. Whether going toe to toe with his Pa, romancing Viki in his gruff cowboy way or just being a plain old softie with his little girl, Jess, Mr. Ritchie left an indelible mark on the role, and on viewers' besotted hearts. Long ago we had to say goodbye to his Clint, but we cherish him all over again as we now say goodbye to the talented man who gave him such life.

Anna Stuart returned this week for a short stint as Greenlee's mom, Mary Smythe, instantly making her case for an extended stay. Claws at the ready for her uppity daughter, Erica, and anyone else in her path, Anna Stuart injected a much needed dose of intentional humor and acting ability into a show sorely lacking both at the moment. How great would it be to watch strong, snarky Mary hold her own in business and in Adam's bed, as opposed to watching the Fusion girls strip or simpering Krystal cling to David? This is a female oriented genre, AMC should trying giving us a few we can respect, a rival to go toe to toe with Erica would be the perfect place to start.

Deirdre Hall and Drake Hogestyn maybe possibly (this is DAYS) exited Salem for good this week. While I'd love to say they went out in some glorious, heart-melting way befitting two performers who have long been the most valuable players on their soap, sadly that wasn't the case. John was poisoned, regained his memories, we were given a couple of flashbacks (they've been on the show long enough to fill episode after episode with their greatest hits) and one of the fastest, least glamorous soap weddings in history (I'm still not sure you could even say exchanged vows). It was pathetic and disrespectful that they weren't by any means the sole focus of Friday's episode, and frankly, a prime example of why DAYS is in a fight for their life, the writers and producer willfully ignore characters we care about and try to force feed us things like Daniel and Chloe's chemistry-free affair instead (if they have that many sex scenes and there's still no sizzle there just isn't going to be, people!). I realize there's a budget crunch, they have little choice but to trim out the higher-priced talent, but while those marquee names are still there why not use them to the hilt, why not give John and Marlena the kind of goodbye that has fans in tears for the right reasons instead of out of frustration. I mean, they could hook up a device so that Sami could watch her kids open their Christmas presents, they couldn't have done the same to let mother and daughter say their goodbyes? Anyway, the show thoroughly botched the end of John and Marlena's story, but as always the actors did their very best to infuse heart into what they were given, you never doubt that Deidre and Drake know what their fans hunger for. One can only hope that if this exit is indeed permanant, the two of them get some other opportunity be it on another soap.

As The World Turns Brian finally admitted this week that he's gay. The moment would have had even more impact if it weren't the end of the character on the show (there's a ton more story to tell), but Lawrence Lau made the most of what he did get to play. Whether trying to stoke his attraction to Lucinda, or stifle the one towards Luke, the darkness as he contemplated suicide and that great moment of light when at last he was honest with himself, Lau turned a predictable tale into a heartfelt one.

Though it was as recent as Christmas when General Hospital's Kirsten Storms (Maxie) and Bradford Anderson (Spinelli) last stood above the other performances, there was no way not to acknowledge them yet again in a week that offered plenty of surprises and emotion for both. While Spinelli has long had to watch Maxie flirt with other guys, the tables turned this week when Spinelli found a fan in geeky Winnifred. Throughout the week, Maxie was both jealous and in total denial of her feelings, insisting that she simply wanted Winnie away from Spinelli, suspicious of the girl's motives. The twist was, that green to the gills as Maxie may be, she was also right. Winnie's an FBI agent looking to bring down Spinelli and the mob. Of course, sadly for Maxie and Spinelli, this information didn't come to light before they had a brutal argument (though that was great for us viewers). How amazing was it to see Spinelli stand up for himself and yet at the same time you couldn't help feeling sorry for Maxie that after all the changing she thought she'd done, he threw the old shallow card in her face. These two actors are just great, no matter what a snore other parts of the show may be, you can count on Maxie and Spinelli to entertain.

One Life to Live's Trevor St. John (Todd) and Susan Haskell (Marty) continue to be the most fascinating non-couple in daytime. First Todd was playing cruel mind games with Marty (albeit with his own warped idea of good intentions), now it's Mary's turn to play with him, her intentions full of vengance. Every scene between these two is like psychological warfare, their faces, their voice, showing every scar, riveting viewers to their seats. And if you saw the moment Todd leaped off the roof at Marty's request, there's no way you won't be tuning in again next week, is there? Not only do St. John and Haskell always deliver in stunning fashion, but they've brought back the old fashioned cliff-hanger, a device that used to keep the audience engaged and addicted, waiting for what happens next.

General Hospital's Christmas episode, while annoyingly, not aired on Christmas Eve as it should have been, delivered the best holiday this year. Spinelli and his apprentice elf Maxie filled in for Santa around Port Charles, helping to light a menorrah, give Diane a little romance, the Scorpios some sentimental sweets, and the Spencers, a touch of Laura. And best of all, for a moment, Alan and Monica were a bickering couple again. If only Spinelli could have worked a permanant miracle and brought Alan back to life for good. Honorary holiday smiles go out for GL's Natalia and Olivia, as well as OLTL's belated celebrations (again, why not Christmas Eve?) And a big bag of coal to ATWT for letting Janet take over Emma's kitchen (blasphemy! Has she ever even heard of the Hubbard squash?).

All My Children may be in a creative lull at the moment, but at least they managed to deliver a fitting tribute to Eileen Herlie and her unique character, Myrtle Fargate. Friday's episode was devoted to citizens of Pine Valley receiving gifts from Myrtle that sparked some of theirs', and the viewers' memories of the beloved character and actress. Whether giving someone a dressing down or doling out sane advice to the insane (pretty much everyone in PV), Myrtle was always an integral part of the show regardless of the number of lines she ever received and it was great to see the show honor her. Though the episode teamed with brilliant, touching moments, nothing compared to Zach's reciting of that most perfect poem, the ideal words for Myrtle and Eileen.

One Life to Live's Wednesday episode featured the funeral for Cole, Starr, and Marcie's baby, and the entire cast pulled together a perfect Emmy reel. From the younger actors' stunningly deep portraits of grief so far beyond their experiance, to Kassie DePaiva's flood of tears and Bree Williamson as Jess, praying for her and Starr's babies, everyone delivered and then some. While OLTL is far from perfect at the moment (those poor Vega brothers, is it in their contract that the worst stories go to them? So not fair), it's certainly one of the strongest acting ensembles in television.

Every time Eileen Fulton's Lisa appears in a scene on ATWT (criminally rare), she leaves you hoping that maybe, just maybe, we'll finally get one more story of one of the most entertaining ladies ever in daytime. Alas, the writers have other snoozy plans (ones named Liberty, and Dani, and others that are difficult to care about), so we have to settle for the glimmery fun that happens whenever Lisa does get some screen time. Who doesn't love that despite growing older, Lisa still has her vixen edge, whether it's goading Janet into a wedding she can't afford, or casually dropping the bomb on Carly about said wedding. So few lines, and yet every one of them a deliciously catty treat. I only wish I'd been able to start watching ATWT before the mid-nineties, other than those Christmas days when CBS showed classic episodes (why did that stop?) I basically only saw Lisa's disasters with Eduardo and John, I missed out on the rest of her "life". To me, of all the soaps, ATWT is the one that still has so many great vets on their roster, it's an utter shame that, if the actors are in good health, the writers and producers don't take full advantage of their presence, as someone in the most coveted age demo, in my opinion any soap is enriched by having all kinds of people represented, not just the twenty and thirty-somethings (some of whom aren't at all interesting).

Days of Our Lives may be going through some tough changes lately, but the acting hasn't taken any hits, Arianne Zuker, for one, is as good, if not better than she's ever been. It helps that she's got a treasure of a character to play in Nicole, the bad girl with a tender heart deep down inside. And boy was it tender this week as she grieved not only the loss of her baby, but the possibility of never having a child. Now, the writing seems to be on the wall that Nicole will somehow pass Sami's baby off as hers, which we've all seen a million times, but know the story is in Ari's hands makes me more than okay with the repetitive plot, she'll undoubtedly pack the scenes with emotion, especially the moment when she must give the baby back. If I knew whether they'll still be giving out Emmys next year, I'd say this story could finally earn Ari a well-deserved award.

Days of Our Lives' Nick came completely unraveled this week from a mix of mental issues, painkillers, boose and all that unrequited love he keeps throwing at the wrong girls. From the moment he arrived on the show, both the actor and the character have been a favorite of mine, a very non-traditional soap hero who really hasn't been given the story line to live up to his potential. While this particular story seems to clearly point towards an exit, at least it offered an entire week where he was onscreen every single day, every scene packed with raging emotion from screaming to tears to crazy happy. This guy is so good. It will be such a shame if he is a part of the budget cuts as rumored. Not only does he offer up something different, but finally Maggie had some incredibly wonderful scenes this week too, there's so much untapped potential here from seeing him recover after this breakdown, to romantic interests, and family. It will be a shame if he goes.

One Life to Live's cast stood out this week on the strength of two explosive storylines as the babies were switched and Marty learned that Todd raped her. Congratulations not only to the actors involved who took what could have been some really outlandish stuff and made it honest, but also to the writers for taking your time building to this moment. If OLTL had used the hurry up approach too many soaps employ these days (as if none of us have attention spans), the payoff wouldn't have been nearly as strong, we wouldn't have watched Marcie set her heart on that baby, experianced Cole and Starr's hard choices, the depths of Jessica's grief, or Todd and Marty's morally questionable relationship. Top-notch acting, twisty, challenging storytelling, what more can one ask for other than to see more of the same on every soap, week in and week out just like their eighties' heydays.

This week the real life stories from a group of Iraq war veterans on All My Children trumped any acting. No daytime hero could ever match the courage those men and women showed, not only in serving their country, but in their every day lives dealing with physical and emotional wounds. And then to share those struggles with an audience? Beyond Brave.

In recent episodes of The Young and The Restless, Peter Bergman's Jack has droned on and on into a tape recorder doing a really lame imitation of The Mustache. It made for horribly bad, watching paint dry television. However, the show, and Bergman, more than made up for it when smiling Jack straight face denied to Adam that they were ever partners in crime, leaving Adam's head spinning. Jack's running manipulative game upon manipulative game and Peter Bergman plays everything so deliciously that I can't decide whether I want to see it blow up in Jack's face as these things usually do, or for him to finally win. Either way it's bound to be fun and Emmy-worthy in Bergman's hands.

While I am not generally a fan of All My Children's J.R., I do enjoy that very soapy moment where the guy cradles the love of his life as she lays dying in his arms, and Jacob Young played that sentiment to the hilt this week. In classic fashion, J.R. whisked Babe away from her hospital bed and miraculously found a quite little haven in the middle of a tornado in which to say goodbye. Good for Jacob Young that he resisted the urge to take the moment over the top and instead kept his voice quiet, restrained, it made me think there's more range there than I tend to give the actor credit for. Sure, the scenes were purposely devised to bring out the hankies, but I'd rather a soap try to hook me that way, than by say, creating convoluted scenerios, like Jesse not telling Angie right from the start that there'd been another woman, or saintly Bianca going behind her sister's back to have a baby with Zach.

There are times recently-not good times-when As The World Turns doesn't seem like itself, but then Elizabeth Hubbard's Lucinda storms into a scene and its almost the Oakdale of old. She packs Lucinda with every bit as much fire as she ever did, never do you see complacency or a phoned in performance. If I ever come to accept nuLily as the actual Lily, I know it will owe in large part to the talented Ms. Hubbard, the woman could read a phone book and make me care about it. I love Lucinda's whip-smart remarks, her heart (I could watch her all hour long with Luke) and I love the potential with Brian. Here's hoping this love story is actually going somewhere complicated, though with this soap's current direction, it's hard to be hopeful.

This week came the news that daytime lost two of its greatest character actresses in All My Children's Eileen Herlie (Myrtle) and Another World's Irene Dailey (Aunt Liz). Though quite different-Myrtle, the warm advice dispenser, Liz, the meddling busybody-these two shared an ability to steal scenes from some of soapdom's most riveting leading ladies and men. Pine Valley will never feel the same without Myrtle's carny tales, just as Bay City never felt right without Aunt Liz barging in with a caustic opinion. These grande dames will be missed, and remembered.

All My Children's Opal hasn't had an actual story in years, and that didn't change at all this week, but Jill Larson brightens up the canvas whenever the writers throw her a bone and she deserves recognition for that (more lines on the show would be the best way to do that, but hey, why would they cut any of Ryan's unintentioinally hilarious scenes for Opal's charming ones?). This week, Opal's psychic senses tingled and her sharp wit flew at gal pal Erica's interest in Adam. Each scene showcased her deft ability to swerve from one-liners to heartfelt fear for her loved ones, and left me perplexed as to how her name is constantly rumored to be out the door. Is any wedding, holiday, or Erica crisis complete without Opal? It's pretty obscene that the writers can't find anything substantial to do with this character given that she has a psychotic little granddaughter, a son mentored by corrupt Adam, and a beauty parlor that was always more catty fun than that Fusion farce ever manages. Hopefully someone at AMC will at some point see all of Ms. Larson's potential before one of those awful rumors becomes fact.

General Hospital's newest face, Lisa LoCicero's Olivia, seems like just the ingrediant needed to at last juice up Sonny and Kate's story, at the very least, maybe now their reminiscences about the old neighborhood will feel more authentic with someone fresh from the block. At worst, fans might say Olivia's an attempt to recapture Lois' magic, but give Lisa a chance, on The City she created a great character, she's got what it takes to play opposite Maurice Benard and maybe even to make a play for Sonny. In only a week's time, the actress and the writers (always good when they're actually helping), have already given Olivia such a well-drawn character, feisty, unpretentious, and still harboring a crush on the boy turned mobster next door, on top of family issues with said boy's bride-to-be.

General Hospital's Max and Diane may not rank as one of the soap's supercouples but half the time they're more entertaining. This week their breakup was not only full of funny bickering between the two of them, but, in their complaint sessions afterwards to Sonny et al., they breathed a sense of humor into some other characters who aren't all that fun to watch at the moment (didn't Sonny used to be exciting? Why are they writing him dull as dirt lately, or at best repeating his history with Carly over and over). Max and Diane's magic is the perfect example of engaging actors written to their strengths. Now if only GH could get back to doing that for Maurice, is there any more engaging actor out there?

General Hospital's Kirsten Storms continues to evolve from the cute girl we first met as DAYS' Belle into one of daytime's most appealing actresses, young or old. The minute Storms' Maxie appears in a scene, she rivets your attention to the screen. Whether she's got her catty claws out for the other pretty young things in PC or she's flirting with every guy in her sightlines, you can't help but love the burst of energy she brings. But Kirsten and Maxie's appeal isn't limited to her feisty bravado, this one can also strip her character down to the raw vulnerability inside her, show us an insecure girl who doesn't feel worthy of the town geek, of love. It's not every actress who can do comedy, sexpot and relatable heroine all in one week. GH has themselves a real MVP here and if ABC is smart someone from primetime will take a look at her too.

Days of Our Lives James Reynolds and Renee Jones are tackling an unusually reality driven, heavy storyline for this soap, as Abe and Lexie come to terms with their child's autism. The Powers That Be could not have chosen a more worthy pair for such an important topic, not only do they deserve their own front burner story to tell, they are also two of the finest actors in daytime. James and Renee beautifully convey the frustration and anxiety that anyone in their character's shoes must feel, along with those moments of bittersweet joy at the slightest connection with their child. It's a tough subject, and an ambitious one for any soap to handle, hopefully they see this through the way they've started it, in a respectful, realistic way that makes parents in the same situation maybe feel a little less alone.

Guiding Light's Kim Zimmer owned the majority of this week's episodes as Reva struggled to get her wedding with Jeffrey on track and to deal with another lump in her breast. For all the changes in daytime, Reva is still one of the juiciest characters around, something you appreciate all the more when you see how many actresses from Zimmer's age group on the other shows are basically playing grandmas now, they're not laughing and having sex, they're not raising hell and as angsty as their teenage granddaughter. Zimmer is every bit as vivacious in the role as she was two decades ago, and every single day I watch her I can't help thinking what a shame it would be if her issues with GL at some point lead to her hopping to another soap. Not only would that be a loss GL would likely be unable to recover from, but it would probably be a loss for Zimmer, too, what are the odds another soap would give her anyone as alive as Reva to play?

General Hospital's most unsung leading man, Tyler Christopher wrapped up yet another great week as Nikolas that will undoubtedly go ignored at Emmy time. This is a guy we've watched mature both in years and ability since he first arrived on the soap to become an actor every bit as capable as Maurice Benard of giving deliciously nuanced performances. Not only is Nikolas still struggling with the death of the woman he loved, but now, like his mother, his sister has been placed in a mental hospital, and though he tried to put on a brave face, by the end of the day Nik unraveled. And Nadine bore the brunt of it. Not that she didn't benefit from that a little. Nikolas kissed the breath out of her in an attempt to prove how dangerous he was to get involved with, crazy never looked or felt (vicariously, anyway) so sexy. And the kiss woke up the prince, too. He decided to try to live again. But the great thing is, that, even though Nik treated Nadine to a romantic dinner on his island, it wasn't like he was suddenly well and truly over Em the way it usually goes in soapy fashion, you didn't get that feeling likeTyler would let his character off the hook that easily, he played it so that you knew Nik's demons aren't completely gone. And hopefully they never will be, it would be a shame to watch such a talented actor have to play just some ordinary hero when he's so good at going to those darker, twistier places.

This week, All My Children's Carmen again proved herself not only a breath of fresh air next to all those shallow rich girls in Pine Valley, but a valuable player performing the miracle that is getting us to care about Randi. While we still don't know the exact details of their relationship, the naturalness that flows around Carmen in every scene made me instantly buy the history between the characters and want to know more. And as for great scenes, there may be none better than the sight of Carmen telling Adam how it is. This is one fun, endlessly compelling character and hopefully she soon gets a love interest every bit as compelling, my vote is for Jake.

Although most of us have been unable to see Passions since NBC dropped them last year, unlike this year's Daytime Emmy telecast, I believe the soap deserves a tribute as they go off the air. From Timmy and Tabitha, to Theresa, Julian and hermaphrodite Vincent, this show easily delivered the most colorful cast ever. No one will ever accuse Passions of realism, but that was the charm of visiting Harmony, that the most adorable little witchling on earth. Oh, and an orangutan nurse. And people obsessed to the point of insanity of their first loves. For a show that was barely given a budget from day one, the cast and crew deserve applause for putting on hours of creative, escapist entertainment which is far more than can be said for the sluggish ode to diets and menopause that is that fifth hour of the Today show that inexplicably replaced them.

Guiding Light's Lawrence Saint-Victor as Remy upholds this show's long standing tradition of some the most realistic performances in a genre not known for its realism. Recently there has been much whining about GL's new look but you know, even if I was in the haters club (which I'm not, Springfield has always felt like a less glamorous world than the other soaps deliver so why not give it the raw feel of a documentary camera observing small town Americana?), I think I'd be able to look past whatever my gripes are about the scenery or the direction because ultimately GL has always offered such a high caliber of acting that it wouldn't matter if they performed in empty white-walled rooms, wherever they are, however close or shaky the camera gets, they deliver the emotion and emotion is what soaps are all about, aren't they? Watching Saint-Victor this week made me think of a recent interview that somewhat ungraciously departed GL stars Ricky Paull Golden and Beth Ehlers recently gave in which Ricky stated that Beth had been the heart of GL. Excuse me? At the time of reading it, I'd thought, well, Harley was undoubtedly great, but if anyone's GL's lifeblood it's Kim Zimmer, more than a little disrespectful for neither actor to mention her. It wasn't until watching Remy's joyous longing and fierce desire to be a father to his newborn son that I realized Ricky was partially right, Harley was the heart of GL, as is every actor on that soap, it's always them, the Lawrence Saint-Victors, the Kim Zimmers, or the Tom Pelphreys, who move us whether to tears or to smiles. So if you're one of the people considering ditching GL because it looks different than it used to (by the way, would you have taken issue with the move from radio to tv, from black and white to color and the inherent bumps along those paths too?) just remember that, even though the outside has changed, Guiding Light is still the same on the inside, it's about heart and that's why you always loved it.

One Life to Live made a huge mistake years ago when they killed off alcoholic newsman Mel, by far Dorian's best love interest. Bringing him back in spirit form for the show's anniversary has underscored what a loss he was to the canvas. All these years later the chemistry still crackles between he and Dorian like a '40's romantic comedy. And the actor brought back Mel's down-to-earth, everyman quality that easily sells soaps' more outlandish premises (like say, being dead and chatting with Dorian). Of course, the best over the top premise of all would be bringing Mel back from the dead and setting up a gloriously humor-filled rivalry between he and David.

Since All My Children's Michael E. Knight is one of the handful of stars just barely keeping AMC afloat, it's appropriate that the highlight of the week was watching him sail a little toy boat in a pool. It was an odd, eye catching seen when you noticed a toy boat nearly collided with an extra and then with a chuckle realize that Tad was at the helm, seated on the edge of the pool his legs dangling in the water. But his ability to draw a laugh isn't the only thing that has him on the long list of the criminally ignored by the Emmys, their were his sweet scenes with Kathy followed by the fiery ones where he told off Krystal for lecturing him about babying a child he never got the chance to baby, then the soft confession that he knew Krystal was right. And on top of those brilliant one-eighties, came that pool scene where he not only gave some giggles but managed to make Ryan not seem like a cardboard cutout. If AMC is going to survive their creative lull it's going to be on the backs of actors like Knight, so why not look for a really great leading lady for the guy, someone he has genuine heart thumping every time they're in a room together chemistry, not this ho-hum relationship with Krystal?

One Life To Live's Brandon Buddy faced a daunting acting task this week as Cole decided to spill the news of Starr's pregnancy to her controlling father, Todd-the daunting part being, how does he betray our beloved Starr (and Marcie) without coming off as a jerk. Luckily Brandon was more than up to it, his voice and expression remained in a constant state of unease, allowing the viewers to see that he felt he had no other choice, and to see the moment where it dawned on him that what he was doing would hurt Starr, that he would forever regret it. Often times on soaps the young actors spend a lot of their time trying to figure out how to act on the job which can make for cringeworthy, unrealistic if not absent emotion in scenes (see All My Children), but Brandon delivers as strongly as any of OLTL's older actors. I can't wait to watch the scenes where Cole sees his mom is alive and confronts Todd for keeping Marty away from him, they'll undoubtedly be amongst the best of the year.

All My Children's Mario Van Peebles hasn't had as much screen time as one would have thought for a name actor, but when he does get on the air, especially in scenes with Erica, he shines. There's a wonderful, natural aura around Samuel Woods that plays perfectly against the more over the top stuff Erica's known for, somehow Mario managed to bring the far-fetched scenerio of a political official getting trapped in solitary with a convict, down to earth. As Samuel told Erica about his wife, and her tragic death, it was some of the most honest work that has come out of All My Children in a long time, the show could use more. It's one thing if Mario is too busy with other projects to commit to several appearances a week, but if the man is available AMC should be ashamed of not putting him to work more, they need all the help they can get.

One Life To Live's Bree Williamson continued the show's recent streak of indelible performances as this week she held the funeral for her husband Nash. What a long way this actress has come from those early days where the most any had to say about her was she's pretty and why is Jess suddenly speaking with a Canadian accent? While I hate that Jessie and Nash's sparkly chemistry will no longer be on the show, the actress did her best scene partner justice by mourning him with the fervor we all felt at Nash's loss. Even when something managed to stir a small smile from Jess, like Roxy's speech, the deep sadness never left her eyes and never more heart wrenching than when she lashed out at Jared and Natalie, as if you could see her heart bleeding there, cut to ribbons she felt, by her sister which made it even harder for her to bare. I feel like a broken record by saying this, but if by some miracle the Emmy system rights itself next year (let us all cross our fingers) then here's a performance that definitely deserves consideration.

Guiding Light's Daisy had a rough week, first she learned her semi-boyfriend was flirting with her best friend and then she turned him over to the cops on charges-not an easy week for your average teenager never mind one who's parents aren't around. Which would probably explain why affection hungry Daisy did a quick turnaround, thinking that maybe her guy isn't all bad and rushed to the jailhouse to support him. Young actress Bonnie Dennison is getting better and better in her complicated role as Daisy, making the troubled teen's choices feel like they're coming from a real, emotional place regardless of how soapy the circumstances. Dennison's Daisy seems like an actual teenager in the way she dresses, her sometimes fickle and selfish behavior and especially her mistakes, hopefully when the Emmys roll around next year she'll be among the deserving names on the list.

While a cerain percentage of the audience finds him annoying, the rest of us see pure entertainment whenever GH's Spinelli walks onto our screens. This week Bradford Anderson brought the laughter, vulnerability, and surprisingly enough, something of a swoon factor as well. In a stroke of genius, the writers had Spinelli taking lessons in suave from Jax, and it resulted in some of the funniest scenes GH has ever had. Then there was the vulnerability that is always there every time he's in a room with Maxie and you look at Spinelli and you're certain you're literally watching his heart being cluelessly stomped on. Lastly, while his faux Aussie accent was surprisingly sexier than the real deal from Jax, what really made him appealing was his night out with Layla, the way he helped her out with her mom and played the hero in the face of bigotry-nothing at all annoying in that, is there? And didn't it make you wonder about a Spinelli and Layla pairing?

The Bold and The Beautiful's Heather Tom as Katie, is delivering a performance that is stealing the soap away from all of the show's leads. In one raw, emotional, scene after the next the actress plays out what everyone believes are her last days (her body is rejecting her donor heart) and as if the story couldn't get any sadder or in an odd way spirited, we're having the pleasure of watching her fall in love with Nick in a rare B&B romance that's actually-thankfully-taking its time despite her time allegedly running out. It is stunning to think that this is the third beautifully rendered character Heather Tom has delivered in daytime, especially given that each one of those characters was entirely different from one another when so often the big name soap stars merely jump from one show to the next basically to give us more of the same only with a different name (still waiting on Ricky Paull Goldin's Jake on AMC to feel less like a dour version of GL's Gus complete with quips). While I hope that this won't actually be the end of Katie, I can't help hoping she gets a bigger break in primetime and movies at some point, because although all of us love and appreciate soaps, the majority of people don't and this actress deserves widespread acclaim.

One Life to Live's Kathy Brier stood out among a number of great performances on the show this week as Marcie reacted to Todd's negligant accident with Sam (once her child) in the car. The actress' face and voice perfectly portrayed her emotions, from the hope that this might mean she'd get Tommy back, to her heartbreaking realization on the bathroom floor that perhaps she may never get the chance to be a mom again. Kathy is just an inspired talent and it's really a shame that the Emmy system is so screwed up because the girl should have a couple of them on her mantel by now.

All My Children's guest turn by Lawrence Lau as Greg outshone the absurd CGI-shots of Pine Valley this week (do the execs think we're comic book movie fans?). The only special effect required to make Greg's visit a success was heartfelt acting by his portrayer. Though I am too young to know Greg from anything but the old clips, it says a lot that the actor had me thoroughly engaged with every scene, it didn't for one second feel like a nostaligia stunt flying over my head. And wow, just by the way he looked and sounded whenever he said Jenny's name, you could feel the love and the chemistry, all the more impressive when you think of the contract actors on the the show who can't muster romantic chemistry when there's an actual scene partner in the room (Greenlee/Aidan, JR/Babe, Ryan/Annie, the list goes on). Which leads one to dream that if Jesse could come back from the dead, why couldn't Jenny too (and maybe Greg now too after that shot)?

One Life To Live's John Paul Lavoisier stood out this week as he drunkenly attempt to come to terms with his conflicted love for both his bride-to-be and his former girlfriend. Not only did John Paul give us his usual hilarity as Bo tried to sober him up, but we also saw a very dramatic Rex deal with his son's asthma attack and questioned whether to stay with Gigi. For a character who started out as weaselly little blackmailer type, it's been wonderful to see the show and the actor flesh out who Rex is, to turn him into, if not a leading man, then certainly one on the verge.

Tuc Watkins made another welcome return as One Life's David this week. Oddly, a daytime drama better knows how to use Tuc's humorous gifts than an Emmy award winning alleged comedy does. Hopefully the Desperate Housewives watched Tuc with his hair net and his hilarious tale of how he ended up a bus boy in Paris, Texas. Maybe DH will finally get a clue how to make the most of Tuc's talent, instead of using him for two minutes every couple of episodes - a total waste! Also, an honorable mention to Snoop for simply being his uniquely entertaining self.

Bold & The Beautiful's Logan family took center stage this week and every single actor gave Emmy worthy performances (well, if the Emmys ever get around to righting their nomination process). For those not watching B&B and really should be right now, to catch you up, Storm Logan accidentally shot his sister Katie, she needed a heart and so he, being the big brother who always looked after his sisters and feeling heartbreakingly guilty, shot himself to become Katie's donor. As every viewer has become accustomed to, both Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke) and Heather Tom (Katie) predictably made each scene, each tear feel real, they are two of the best actresses in daytime or primetime. Then there were the pleasant surprises, for those of us more family with Patrick Duffy (Stephen) from his Step by Step days rather than Dallas, it was a wonderful revelation to see the depths to which he went in his scenes, the grief for his son, his daughter and for the many times he could have been there for them and chose not to be. Similarly, it was great to see Jennifer Gareis (Donna) really dig deeper than her character normally requires and William DeVry (Storm) finally seemed like more than just a less harmful version of the psycho he played on AMC. Also, honorable mentions this week to couples on two other soaps GH's Nikolas & Emily (a beautiful goodbye) and OLTL's Jared & Natalie (a hot hello again). These three shows demonstrated very well the two most important aspects of soaps, in B&B's case, a focus on family, and the other two delivered pure romance.

After playing the character most closely identified with As The World Turns since 1985 (minus a brief absence) Martha Byrne exited the soap this week, taking a significant part of the show's heart with her. It is hard to imagine that hte next time with see Holden, their children, or Lucinda interact with Lily there will be another actress trying to look into her family's eyes with all the emotion, intensity, and history that Byrne so beautifully played in every scen. No matter how good Noelle Beck is (she was great on Loving), Oakdale will never quite feel the same again without Martha Byrne. Shove Katie down viewers throats all you like - undoubtedly she's the more financially appealing heroine to the powers that be - but she's like eating a light, pleasant enough snack where ATWT used to always offer a hearty memorable meal.

Days of our Lives' Tamara Braun has taken the off-kilter character of Ava, who in less capable hands could have been a one-note crazy into a complicated and even sympathetic woman despite her determination to come between everyone's beloved Steve and Kayla. While I'm not entirely sold on the story itself, the actress has easily sold me on the character, the same way she sold me Carly on GH even though before and after her I've never enjoyed that character. Tamara has the goods to play anything, and hopefully if she doesn't stick around Days, this time the primetime offers are much worthier of her talents than a couple guest shots on a mediocre sitcom.

Bold and The Beautiful's Katie has been languishing on the backburner far too long considering she's played by Emmy winner Heather Tom, and thankfully Bradley Bell has finally noticed and is doing something about it. In the span of a week, Heather has treated viewers to her great range - from the goofy, romantic comedy repartee with Nick, to the sexy leading lady who dove into a kiss with him, to the queen of dramatic acting as she explained to Nick why she had to confess to Bridget and then when the time came couldn't quite bring herself to. It's stunning how Y&R and OLTL ever let Heather slip through they fingers, she should be every soap's dream player, she can make absolutely anything on the page sing with life.

CBS daytime said goodbye to three crucial actors this week as ATWT's Jesse Soffer (Will) and Jennifer Landon (Gwen), and Guiding Light's Ricky Paull Goldin (Gus) exited. In Jesse and Jennifer, ATWT has lost two of their brightest talents, from the day each of them stepped in front of the camera, fans were treated to something special, even more special once they became Oakdale's sweethearts. These two actors have chosen to take the leap to try other things and if there is any justice they will meet with great success. In Ricky, GL has lost one of the greatest leading men they've ever had. Gus was never the typical soap hero, you'd more often find him chugging antacid than walking around without a shirt on and it was that uniqueness, that so endeared the character to us. As Gus passed away, and everyone in Springfield mourned, it wasn't moving merely because GL is full of great actors, but because one actor in particular made Gus seemingly live and breathe. Hopefully All My Children gets its act together enough to not squander his talent, this guy can singlehandedly turn a show around.

All My Children's Elizabeth Rodriguez has made her Carmen a three dimensional character in only a handful of episode on a soap where certain cardboard actors haven't managed to fashion anything remotely living or breathing in years of trying. Carmen is a funny, emotional and off-balance character and as a viewer you wonder what will fly out of her mouth next. And you look forward to getting to know her better. How about meeting her ex? Her family? Letting her slide on the criminal charges and join Erica and Opal in business and friendship? At least those scenes would not have the gag factor of Fusion. AMC needs a shot in the arm and this actress may just be the one to give that to them if they're only smart enough to let her.

Days of Our Lives' Brandon Beamer and Martha Madison exit as Shawn and Belle on March 24th, far sooner than most fans would prefer for two such important characters and talented actors. But since the soap feels Shawn and Belle have (for now) run their cours, we do have to say goodbye and thankfully the writers have at least treated us to some great on-screen goodbyes. There were the awkward partings for Belle with Phillip and her distant father, John. The touching scenes of Bo and Hope letting their son go. And come Monday (Friday for those who get to watch an episode ahead), Marlena does the same for her dear Belle. Brandon and Martha were recasts, always an unwelcoming position to start in, but they leave as Shawn and Belle, those characters became theirs. And hopefully may again someday.

Bold And The Beautiful's Alley Mills put on a humorously crazy performance this week as Pam threatened to do bodily harm to Donna, her sister's rival. It probably adds to the fun that we're all used to seeing Ms. Mills as the mostly quiet, unassuming mom on The Wonder Years, but all credit should be given to her clearly great range as an actress. It's not every performer who can do tender, funny, and scary, sometimes all in one scene. It's a shame the daytime Emmys don't have a best guest starring award to reward a truly memorable performance.

Guiding Light's Jonathan and Cassie are the rare soap characters who go on mourning and missing their loved one long after the funeral, giving us a much more realistic picture of grief than most of the genre manages. Their scenes at Tammy's grave were the perfect blend of love, regrets, and the aching for what can never be that lingers inside anyone who's love someone dear to them.

The cast of Days of Our Lives paid loving tribute to Brady patriach Shawn this week, that was both full of tears and laughs. It is so hard to determine the state of this soap when they can put on such a great week like this one and then seemingly go an eternity without anything that really touches you. A mixture of eulogies and clips of old memories, it was really sad and fun to watch, and a great goodbye to an actor who may never have really had the spotlight on the show but was always such a great grounding source who always nicely countered some of DAYS's wackier moments.

Though the explanation for Jesse's "death" on AMC has been as lame as such storylines ever are, it's a pleasure to see Darnell Williams and Debbie Morgan steal some screen time from Ryan, Annie, Greenlee, etc. While Ryan and co. only seem to make bad writing even worse (who isn't cringing over the promos for the stripping class? Will ABC not be satisfied until we are thoroughly ashamed to watch?), Jesse and Angie somehow make even the sludgiest material not only romantic but aching with heart, the way all soaps were once upon a time. It's so exciting to see actual talent instead of cardboard (think how great Tad and Adam's feud would be if it were over Brooke rather than Krystal's cleavage). And it's equally exhilarating to see major story for actors not only forty but (gasp!) a different race. It's ridiculous that romance and diversity seem like fresh, new concepts when they were the norm in the 80's. Back when these shows had tons of viewers totally invested. Everyone likes to blame O.J Simpson, the internet and more women in the workplace for the decline of soaps ratings, but they refuse to recognize that a big part of the problem is a decline in quality, lazy acting and lazy writing, things AMC has been oozing ever since the Proteus storyline (Years!). Give viewers something to invest in and we will.

As The World Turns' Van Hansis, was, as usual a standout, give this guy anything and he'll pull the viewer's heartstrings or make you smile, on some occasions he simulteneously does both. A Valentine's episode that was clearly filler for the writer's strike (thankfully over!) was made memorable by Van's unabashedly flirty, and joyful scenes sight-seeing around New York with Noah, in an alterna-verse where they met again for the first time, Noah in uniform, Luke, a student. Though one of the best dramatic characters out there, it was equally great to watch Luke have some fun. If only it had ended with a kiss, rather than yet another hug.

General Hospital's Sarah Brown roared onto the canvas with a wink and a nod to her former character Carly and a full bodied performance as her new incarnation mob gal Claudia. Feisty and in charge, yet a tender spot for her brother, what could have been stunt casting is early on looking like the start of something great. To be honest, from GH to ATWT, I've never been a big fan of the actress, but this go round minus the clingy gotta have a man or I can't breath trait that her Carly and Julia shared, she's turning me into a believer so far. The question is willl they dull some of her sharp edges to make her a standard soap heoine or let her stay intriguingly prickly around the edges?

The Young and The Restless has at last tapped into the side of Adrienne Frantz' Amber that B&B fans once fell in love with. Much better as a well-intentioned underdog who'd do anything to be loved, than as a manipulative twit who'd do anything for money, Adrienne Frantz ran away with all of her scenes the past two weeks, though they were especially affecting this week now that her absurdly unbelievable disguise is gone, leaving Amber with nothing but her big heart on her sleeve. In a series of great scenes she worried over Katherine, had her heart shattered as Cane broke it to her that he'll never be interested and in a nice little upturn bloomed with joy as Jack complimented her fashion designs. Most of the articles regarding the writers strike worry that story will be compromised with replacement writers and while I completely fear that will be true in a lot of cases, it actually seems to be a blessing for a Y&R, this evolution of Amber seems to indicate that someone there is finally steering the show back to the character driven place where it thrived.

Bold and The Beautiful's Taylor is on a downward spiral, as always a chance for her portrayor to shine. Hunter Tylo's always at her best when Taylor's perfect veneer cracks or in this case shatters. The actress sinks her teeth into each scene letting loose all the fragility and insecurities that the doctor usually conceals inside her professional shell. Taylor may not be the most interesting character on a daily basis, but in meltdown mode she gllues your eyes to the screen.

Though unwise to constantly trick (i.e. infuriate) fans with "deaths", Days of our Lives has actually managed to use the device to intriguing effect this time with John Black's erased memory, reverting him back to his original Pawn days. We get John's history via Marlena and his family's love for him, while the writers and Drake get an essentially new character to play with, his possibilities limitless as if it were the first time he'd set foot in Salem. It's fascinating to watch how Drake has stripped himself of John's trademark mannerisms yet maintains his sparkly chemistry with Deirdre. Between figuring out who he is, learning to be a father and falling in love all over again with Marlena, there should be no excuse to shove John in the background again for a very long time to come.

Though not members of the coveted age demo, somehow General Hospital's Nancy Lee Grahn as Alexis and Carolyn Hennesy as Diane actually got to take center stage this week. In an effort to reach the Female Litigator of the Year Awards, the enemies joined sarcastic forces on a funny and sometimes touching adventure. The brief story was exactly what most fans clamor for. We couldn't care less about age or special effects, you don't need murder sprees, explosions or Barbie doll shaped heroines. All you need is great actors with entertaining scripts.

The Young and The Restless confirmed what fools they were to fire Eileen Davidson when this week she returned for a brief visit and instantly enriched the canvas. How great was it to hear Ashley say Jackie? Or to hear someone scold Jack yet at the same time offer him a sympathetic shoulder? An actual family breakfast at the Abbotts? And just think of how much more spice she'd add to Victor and Nikki's split. Sure, Eileen's great on B&B, Ashley easily the most intelligent woman in L.A., but there seems little room for her, whereas on Y&R there's a giant gap where she belongs. Bring her back for good already.

One Life to Live's John Brotherton as Jared, helped to make this show's yuletide episode one of the best that all the soap's had to offer this year. Poor Jared, the guy's in love with the Buchanan name but he's every bit as in love with Natalie, the girl he has to treat as his niece if he's to pass himself off as a Buch. In other words, it's the perfect foundation for unrequited love and romance, something sorely lacking in our afternoon's these days. There was no sweeter, more affectionate scene this holiday season than when Jared gave his "niece" the meaningful gift of his mom's locket and you could see him aching to tell her the thoughts behind it were not remotely those of an "Uncle." Hopefully OLTL stretched out this tortured romance for awhile longer before the truth comes out, because Brotherton is skilled enough in those yearning scenes to be in a modern re-telling of any Jane Austen novel.

General Hospital's Lindze Letherman exited this week as Port Charles' ever loveable little daughter Georgie, and though she didn't even get to play out any deathbed love scenes the actress still stole the spotlight this week. While Georgie has sadly been given very little story to playout of late, It is due to Letherman's prior brilliant work that the loss of Georgie still terribly upset both everyone in her soapy town and the audience. The bright, joyous young actress created an endearing character whom it is not only heartbreaking to see killed off in such a brutal fashion, but to see killed off period, there was still so much more story to tell and great storyteller in Letherman to take us there. What a waste.

For the second week in a row, an As The World Turns vet out performed all the glossy daytime youngsters, as Emma reacted to her teenage grandson's request to let his boyfriend sleep over for the holidays. Kathleen Widdoes deftly handled the scenes with a just right mix of grandmotherly prudery and concern. Best of all, when the show wanted us to doubt her, Kathleen filled Emma's with such anguish and warmth for her grandson, that we knew there was no one it had anything to do with his sexuality, it was just an age thing - for both of them. These were the kind of scenes you could well imagine the legendary Douglas Marland giving us. More, please.

As The World Turns' Don Hastings at long last got decent screen time as Bob Hughes this week, albeit dealing with yet another sourly casted fake Hughes boy and ultimately ending up on the floor knocked out (poisoned?). Despite all that it was great to watch this veteran in action, be it the beautifully quiet and natural scenes with Kim, discussing family and their future, or chewing out his son Chris for being an immature brat. It's shameful that ATWT doesn't use Don Hastings and the other senior members of the cast more often, they are among the most talented in the industry and speaking as one of the coveted age demo, they don't at all turn off younger viewers, they in fact enrich what are often empty-seeming moments with actors that are far too new to be carrying storylines all on their own.

As we've come to expect from the so-called talent searches on tv, the judges got it wrong and one of the losers of Who Wants To Be A Soap Star actually turned out to be the real deal. OLTL's Beth Ann Bonner has turned Talia into three-dimensional fan favorite and at long last - argueably for the first time since Andie - is providing Antonio with a viable love interest, one where every scene, even the ones not intentionally intimate crackle the way great chemistry is supposed to. Talia is easily one of the most relateable females on the soaps, strong and beautiful yet somehow unsure of herself, exactly the way real women feel everyday. One Life is reaching a great place at the moment, and it's because of giving actors like Beth Ann a chance to show what they've got instead of listening to idiotic judges more concerned with their boring idea of giving us something pretty and blank to look at, instead of focusing on the entire package. Give me Beth Ann's down to earth style any day over the couple of male bozo winners who flexed muscles rather than talent.

Daytime may never have delivered a more perfect father and son pair than Scotty and Logan. Both Josh Duhon and Kin Shriner bring the same snarky feel to their deliveries, with the big wounded heart under all their bravado. While there were plenty of great scenes this week involving Emily's death, weirdly nothing beat Scott trying to share Thanksgiving with his long lost boy. There was the humor of Scotty mistaking the chicken for a turkey, the clear heartfelt longing on both their parts to bond as they at the same time shy from one another, and then Scott's none to sly exit the moment Lulu showed up. I can't wait to see more of these two testing the waters of their relationship, they are a big part of what makes GH one of the more solid soaps out there right now.

General Hospital's Nikolas suffered a devastating loss this week when he discovered his love, Emily, had died. Even more gut-wrenching, she may have died at his hands. As usual the woefully underrated Tyler Christopher did a powerful job of infusing his character with raw grief and guilt as Nikolas held Emily and wept for her and put a gun to his own chest determined to pull the trigger. Soaps are supposed to be tragically romantic so what better cliffhanger to leave viewers with than the sight of a Romeo willing to bleed for his Juliet.

Days of our Lives Sami Brady has officially made the transition from villainess to the show's leading heroine, as the character for better or worse not only now dominates the show, but this week went through that tortured heroine right of passage where upon one must marry the bad guy and pretend you don't spark like crazy with him. If they must hand the reins of the show almost entirely to one of the younger stars (personally I'd prefer a number of stories with varying ages) at least it's to the more than capable Sweeney, as equally adept with a zinger of a comeback as she is letting the tears pour down her cheeks, not to mention great chemistry with both of her leading men.

The cast of General Hospital brought old fashioned glamour back to daytime this week as Nikolas hosted the black and white ball. Every gown and mask was a feast for the eyes while the dialogue proved no less sparkly, whether Scotty accusing Luke of steaing his ticket or Maxi, Georgie and Robin commiserating over their love lives. And the show's hot new triangle got even hotter as Anthony stole Logan's date, whisking Lulu from the ball to save her from his psychotic father. Romance, intrigue, humor, this week GH covered all three to put on the most entertaining hours of the week.

Young and The Restless' Peter Bergman showed off his Tom Hanks sized chops this week as the explosive storyline stranded his character all alone, and as Hanks did in castaway, Bergman proved he doesn't need any support to pull off riveting scenes. Drawing the short straw with Nick, Jack was left to wait for rescue under a collapse of rubble at Clear Springs. There he contemplated his life and composed a letter and drew every viewer in emotionally even though we were pretty darn sure Jack wouldn't die, as usual it's a matter of following Bergman on the journey rather than caring about Y&R's increasingly predictable destinations. And while this was proof this Jack could have chemistry with a rock if need be, it just makes you mourn all the more for the fact that Y&R took away his entire family, the wealth of riches he brought to every scene with them.

Days of Our Lives threw away their heart this week by killing off Drake Hogestyn's John Black. Is it any wonder they're bound for cancellation in 2009? This is like AMC axing Erica or Y&R knocking off Victor, when you think of Days you think of Drake, now many will probably think of changing the channel, which is shame this show could so easily be fixed by gutting the cardboard college crowd rather than characters we love. For twenty years, Drake never let us down whether the script called for him to make us laugh, cry, or swoon. It's mind-boggling how a show can't find story, can't appreciate an actor who can do anything they ask, that they can't see how integral he is to the fabric of Salem, that he'd hold appeal to viewers of any age be it as a father figure, a son or their dream guy. Here's hoping Prime-Time appreciates Drake more, he deserves it.

One Life To Live's Dorian can often be known for her snarky comments and gloriously villainous ways, but this week we saw her softer as she took in orphan Langston. Robin Strasser makes you believe every word out of Dorian's mouth, you know she feels an instant bond with this girl, that she will protect Langston as surely as she protects any blood Kramer girl. And it's a fine example of how storytelling on soaps need not be limited to one age group, how heartwarming and riveting it can be when two ends of the spectrum connect.

Young and The Restless' Lily is ironically, starting to act her age just as she's becoming interested in an older man. In easily the most fun and romantic storyline on the canvas, Lily's crush on Cane, is sweet and funny and cute and refreshing after watching this young actress toil as an old married woman. There's so much light in Lily's eyes now, a vibrancy that character in their late teens and early twenties should bring to a show. And there's also the chance for a great supercouple with Cane if they take things nice and slow and real.

One Life to Live's Marcie hit her breaking point this week as the custody despite over her little boy spilled over into her career. As Marcie's terrible luck would have it, her adopted baby's biological half-sister just happens to be one of her students, the every bit as fiery as her parents, Starr Manning. Kathy Brier gave a stunning performance, not only in how real her anger felt but in that as viewers we've never seen this kind of anger from Marcie, at least certainly not directed at a child/teen, you felt every ounce of her frustration as she roared against Starr's demand to hand over her baby brother. And in a week that perfectly showcased Kathy's acting range, we later saw her remorse of how she handled the situation, how she barely fought being let go from her teaching position and then, on Friday, yet another side of her, almost the bubbly, friendly Marcie we've known, at her birthday party, though Kathy was ever careful to always keep the undercurrent of sadness loaming. We may sometimes forgot - especially the Emmys seem to - that Kathy Brier isn't just one of the best voices in daytime, but one of the finest actresses as well.

Fans are accustomed to ATWT's Carly scheming and manipulating to get what she wants but this week she learned no amount of plotting can save her from a fatal illness. We're again seeing what a talented actress Maura West is as she quietly grieves for a life she willingly threw away only a few months earlier. While we've all watched the miraculous cure storyline before - undoubtedly where this is headed - we can trust Maura to make it fresh and wring out every possible drop of emotion.

General Hospital's Alan died earlier this year but thanks to his amazing portrayer Stuart Damon, the character's ghost continues to be as lively as ever. In a series of scenes that felt like a throwback to GH's finest days, the Q's gathered in their living room to pry Lulu from Logan. Every actor was great but Damon stood out with his dry comments and his frustrated desire to help Monica find her medical journal. Here's hoping we get a ghostly love story sometime soon, Alan's painful and joyous attempts to connect with Monica, what a sweet, funny, poignant storyline to lighten the upcoming mob war.

The cast of Passions bid goodbye to network television this week, and though the series in no way offered any of the closure loyal fans deserved (instead cliff-hangers galore to lure us to Direct TV, ignoring that for many viewers the switch simply isn't an option!), the show should still be celebrated this week, for the weird, wild ways it brought to daytime soaps. From the heroines' insanse obsessions with first loves to the heroes always shirtless in their hospital beds no matter what the injury, this show had a playful way with the genre's stereotypes, beating us over the head with them until we couldn't help but laugh. And speaking of laughter, no soap has ever provided more, from Julian's alcohol soaked barbs, to a simian nurse and Tabitha's not so black magic. At times Passions gave us too much darkness - rape a constant theme, Jessica's downward spiral, Whitney lashing herself, to name only a few - but there was sweetness on our screens everyday as well. The very obvious instant chemistry between Justin Hartley and soon to be wife Lindsay. Tabitha's bonds with Timmy and Endorra. Anytime Julian came within a breath of Eve. And more favorite moments that should have been shown to us in montages or something as a thank you for eight years of viewership. Alas we got nothing, much as we'll get from yet another tedious hour of the Today show. Those of us in countries or cities where Passions will no longer be available can only envy those of you who get to continue in the strange little world of Harmony, while we're stuck with Anne Curry and some people we've barely heard of, further dissecting Paris Hilton and calling it news, when we all know the Crane girls and Esme are the far more interesting socialites.

From day one Passions' Brook Kerr has been one of daytime's most unheralded actresses, deservedly on her way to HBO when NBC's version of the soap ends next week. From teen tennis prodigy to first love and the mistaken belief said first love was her brother, to motherhood and her hubby cheating on her with her half brother, Kerr's Whitney has endured a lot and somehow, no matter how far-fetched, the actress makes you feel in every scene. This week she yet again stood out as first love Chad was allegedly shot to death. Where Passions usually specializes (in a fun way) in louse histrionics, Kerr's moments of quiet grief mesmerized. Can't wait to see her work with Anna Paquin.

This week The Bold and The Beautiful's Katherine Kelly Lang saw her character Brooke through my least favorite go-to storytelling device in soaps, violence against women. In tough to watch scenes a man forced his way into Brooke's home and sexually assaulted her. Horrible to watch. Just horrible even knowing it's far from really happening, still horrible. That said, these acts of violence do always offer an actress some of the finest most emotionally draining material they'll ever get to play out and Katherine, as always was more than up to the task. Her shower afterwards, the jittery meeting with the social worked, her confession to Bridget, there's more than enough material for an Emmy worthy reel. And though these stories aren't necessarily what I want to say, at least Bradley Bell added the highly compelling twist that it was Stephanie who sent this man to Brooke's door, not of course, intending him to rape her but that is what happened and it should be interesting to see when the truth comes out if Stephanie finally looks in the mirror and sees something of a monster.

One Life To Live's Robert S. Woods stole this week's two anniversary episodes. If we must say goodbye to the glorious Asa, at least we spent a lot of the time doing so through Bo's eyes. Asa was both an easy and tough guy for a son to love, especially for a law man to love and Robert showed us in this in one raw emotional scene after the next, most notably at the diner with honorary son Rex, tenderly in the barn with Matthew, and drunkenly venting to older brother Clint. Too often lately vets are ushered off the canvas without acknowledgement (AMC's Brooke, where are you?), while I still believe we never should've had to say goodbye to Asa, at least he went out with one of the big-leaguers up to bat for him, showing where the scant clips did not, want a massive impact he had on Llanview. And a special mention to the actors who respectively played, Joey, Kevin, Cord, Max, and Alex, all easily stepping back into old shoes, reminding us how much the show misses them.

Days of Our Lives James Reynolds returned to the canvas this week not only finally providing the family tie the Jett character needed, but giving the fan's a great reunion with Lexie. When last they saw each other, Abe was blind and distraught and Lexie sought comfort elsewhere. This week, in a series of tense, highly emotional scenes, Abe came to terms with the part he may have contributed to Lexie's wandering eyes, culminating with one of the most romantic moments in DAYS history. Lexie, ashamed of herself, stood with a hooded pulled close around her face, trying to hide herself, and Abe pushed it down, telling her he was no longer blind and the viewer and Lexie knew he wasn't merely referring to his physical sight. As a twenty year fan of the show, it was the romance, and strong emotional performances like Reynolds' that drew me in, and wanting another taste of them is what keeps me tuning in. Hopefully the talented Ed Scott sees those are the things that make DAYS' heart beat and we'll see a once great show return to its former glory. Using skilled actors like Reynolds is a wonderful place to start.

Three episodes of Tom Pelphrey's Jonathan on Guiding Light is not nearly enough and yet somehow completely enthralling. However brief, Jonathan's return managed to show off every aspect of his complex character. His volatile temper towards Olivia and more so just the thought of the Spauldings. The vulnerable with Reva, and his sense of humor as well. And lastly the romantic longing in that empty hotel room for his beloved Tam-Tam. As much as I'd love to see Pelphrey return full time, this short glimpse was a reminder that much larger audiences deserve to see his talent.

This week on Passions, Eve decided the best way to deal with the revelation that her long lost deranged son murdered her daughter's lover and seduced her other daughter's husband was to toss back some drinks. The scenes provided not only great drama for the actress to play given Eve's past addictions, but oddly there was humor to them as well (or maybe not so oddly, humor is Passions specialty), as Eve kept insisting to Julian that if he knew what was good for him he'd get plenty soused to before witnessing Vincent's half-man, half-woman transformation. The actress did an amazing job of covering such a vast array of beats, the sadness, the guilt, and the dark humor of the situation. When Passions switches to a network unavailable to this viewer, Tracey's performances will be one of the ones I will most regret missing out on.

Though likely the most unpopular pick for actor of the week ever, AMC's Sabine Singh deserves recognition for her ability to wring sympathy from a thanklessly written role. As if the Zach and Kendall devotees didn't have enough reason to not embrace this recast, the writers end the week by implying she's kidnapping Spike! Can't they help Sabine out a little here? How are fans supposed to learn to love Greenlee if she considers something like that and if neither her friends nor her family offer her an ounce of understanding? Ryan faked his death after Greenlee had already lost Leo. Kendall truly intended to give Spike to Greenlee, but how was Greenlee supposed to adopt the boy as her own wondering if the woman who tried to steal Ryan away so many times, wouldn't someday rip the child away to form a biological family with Ryan. And though Zach was protecting Kendall, he did destroy Greenlee's chance for a biological child. Everybody was a little bit in the wrong here, yet the writers would have Greenlee the lone villain. Luckily Sabine injects quite pain into Greenlee's every barbed remark and action or we'd be stuck watching yet another one-dimensional character (see Ryan, Annie, Di, Dell, Jamie, the list goes painfully on). Even if you can't bring yourself to love the often abrasive way the writer's write for her, appreciate the fact that your favorites like Zach and Kendall, have another true actor to share scenes with, they're few and far between in Pine Valley these days.

Days of Our Lives Alison Sweeney and James Scott have traveled back in time via love letters to play their characters doppelganger relatives Colleen and Santo. Argue if you like that their accents aren't always flawless but their chemistry certainly is. There was more heat generated in their handkerchief exchange than any half naked scene between say, Jeremy and Stephanie (Fans, if you need to vent direct it fully at the offspring that marr the names of two beloeved couples, far worse a crime than iffy accents). Best of all these historical flashbacks let those of us torn between Sami with Lucas or EJ, get both at the same time. If this show has any hope of survival it's through writing romance like they used to.

General Hospital's Scott Clifton exited this week as the ever enjoyable Dillon Quartermaine, a major loss for the show even though they haven't used him very much lately, shame on them. Thankfully his final handful of episode showcased all that we loved about Dillon, from the humor and pain of his relationship with him mother, to the endless sweetness between he and Georgie, and lastly, what we may sometimes overlook with this actor, his true dramatic abilities as he and Lulu said their goodbyes, reliving the tough emotions of her abortion, their rocky romance and then to think she's with Logan (a lie for honorable reasons so he'd pursue his dreams). Hopefully Clifton finds great success in primetime or movies, he certainly has the talent to deserve it.

All My Children's Susan Lucci and Michael Knight continue to be two of the few reminders of the Pine Valley we once loved, a place that crackled with humor, love and chemistry, even between longtime friends like Tad and Erica. While Erica planned to innocently use Tad to make Jack jealous, Tad turned the tables on her and made her squirm with his suggestive come ons, in some of the few scenes in recent memory on this show where the viewer isn't inappropriately laughing at bad newbie acting or the even more atrocious writing. And the story didn't just end with Erica a bit embarrassed by her scam, her pal Tad helped her set up a new scheme in the hospital that provided still more humor and even more warmth. This show is so often floundering of late between their, frankly insulting version of women in business that is Fusion to Jonathan's creepy interest in Lily's half sister (tell me she's older all you want she's still Levin Rambin still looking way too young for this guy) and several more dismal stories where those come from, the Tad and Erica scenes at least provided some sweet relief and some incentive to keep watching.

General Hospital's Rebecca Herbst stood out this week as she coped with the kidnapping of her baby, Jake. In one outstanding scene after the next, the viewer truly felt Elizabeth's loss, and the blame she heaped upon herself for it. From Lucky's accusations of bad mothering, to Jason being Jake's natural father, to believing they'd found her baby only to find out they hadn't, it was the most trying of weeks for this young mother and thanks to Herbst, every single moment vibrated with truth and pain. Clearly her Emmy reel for next year, and quite possibly a winner.

Guiding Light's Mandy Bruno and Murray Bartlett sizzle as Marina and Cyrus, the cop and the criminal who can't seem to stay away from one another. In the most promising star-crossed coupling on this show since those forbidden kissin' cousins Jonathan and Tammy, every scene between these two sparkles so much so that whenever one is on the screen you just hope the other is around the corner waiting to bump into them. With Cyrus' past, his employ with the Spauldings and Marina's protective papa Frank, their story is loaded with real reasons why these two can't be together which only makes it more entertaining to watch each pay the other little kindnesses along the way or share a dance as they did this week, as we watch and wait with bated breath to see when and how they finally become GL's next supercouple.

Days of our Lives' Doug and Julie returned this week for another of their invigorating visits that leave viewers wishing they were on the canvas full time. Contrary to popular myth, as a member of the coveted age demo, I'd rather see an array of ages on screen, different points of view. Soap stories are enriched by generations of family, something powerful that can't be achieved if everyone's under thirty. Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes are prime examples that youth isn't the only palce to find cool, energetic performances. Those two brought more personality to the simple reading of a letter than Jett, Jeremy and suddenly bad girl Steph mustered half naked at a beach party (show these kids in scenes with family we already know otherwise they're just pretty and blank - hence the need for generations). Doug and Susan are fun, romantic, and equally adept with drama, use them, they sparkle on screen at any age.

General Hospital's Lulu learned the shocking truth that her father once raped her mother and as we've come to expect from Julie Marie Berman, she played every scene to perfection. Horror, sadness, absolute confusion, sometimes all of these emotions in a single heartbeat. While her confrontation scenes were outstanding, even better were her reactions to Luke's explanation, her trembling lower lip spoke volumes. Julie has fast become one of the finest actresses in daytime regardless of age.

General Hospital's Robin Christopher stole the show this week as Skye came to terms with the fatal mistakes she'd made in the name of love and forced herself to let go of her baby's mobster father. In one of the most haunting scenes ever, Skye rocked her baby while in the distance you heard the faint thud of a body hitting the floor. Robin didn't allow Skye to flinch or cry (saving the tears for a guilt-plagued request to rejoin the Quartermaines) yet somehow the character still overflowed with emotion. The epitomy of great acting.

Y&R's Michelle Stafford stood out amongst Nick Newman's many mourners this week, as Phyllis not only endured the 'loss' of her husband and a shunning from her family, but also the possibility of the court case leaving her daughter parentless. While never a big fan of the Nick/Phyllis pairing nore of Phyllis (conveniently good or evil depending on what the story needs rather than what makes sense for the character) even this viewer couldn't ignore what a great job Michelle did this week. Any scenes with Michael, particularly those when Phyllis struggled to sleep and asking him to be Summer's parent, were Emmy reel stuff.

Days' Sami and Lucas married this week and while the Ryan and Annie nuptials on AMC offered prettier scenery, that bland J-crew couple feel like they're checking off a list of a greeting card company's idea of romantic moments, whereas Sami and Lucas always feel like the real deal. In the finest twist of any of Sami's weddings, when Lucas discovered what happened with EJ, he didn't dump her! Even when Sami revealed their baby might be EJ's, Lucas vowed to keep on loving her and the child. They didn't need a horse or salsa dancing or any other cliched notion of romance, there's nothing more romantic than love and support when you feel least worthy of it. It's a shame Days drove off so many fans, this was the payoff all of you waited for. Come back everybody, before it's too late.

Guiding Light's Kim Zimmer added yet more material to her Emmy reel this week as we witnessed the official return of her spunky side. While the Reva who frolicked in the fountain and bedded an entire family has been dormant since her breast cancer, one might even say a doormat for allowing her baby sister to think it's okay to hook up with Joshua, she roared back this week. At last she made it clear to Cassie she intended to fight, every scene between them sparked with Reva's desire to reclaim her life, whether she was actually saying so or not, you could practically hear Cassie quake when Reva entered into Josh's party. Though Kim had tons of great harrowing moments in the cancer storyline, this is where she truly shines, as a force to be reckoned with.

One might think sending up Tom Cruise on Oprah would be stale after all this time, but watching OLTL's Tate similarly visit The View proved it's an enduring classic, both hilarious and downright curious. First it showed that Chris Beetam's got comic chops to go with his good looks and the leading man charm some viewers may remember from his stint as ATWT's Jordan. Second, it further upped the intrigue surrounding this character much the way the real incident glued everyone's eyes to Tom Cruise. Does this guy have genuine feelings for Adrianna that he couldn't possibly contain or was it a publicity stunt? Does he have something to hide or is he an open book? Or hopefully, he's a little of both, only to become even more complex when his ex and dad show up, as any good soapy character should be.

Passions Tabitha faced the difficult decision of every mother - well, every witchy mother - keep her little witchling under her wing at home or send her off to preschool with the normal children. Sweet memories of Timmy wanting to be a real boy helped sway Tabitha to let Endorra out into the world as Ms. Mills, yet again showed what an imaginative yet down to earth spirit she brings to what will, no matter the fate of this show, always be one of the most memorable television characters ever.

As The World Turns' Vienna emerged this week from a shallow cardboard cut out of Paris Hilton to a full on character as Henry cruelly dumped her at the altar and she tried to come to grips with what happened, through tears and anger that felt very real for someone who had not so long ago felt artificial and unlikeable. A great step forward for both the actress and character, hopefully the soap will find a way to further weave her into the canvas, like maybe a career at worldwide or finding out she's related to someone.

All My Children's Zoe once again proved a standout as she faced her mother for the first time as a woman. The actor, as he has been doing from day one, infused the character with such anguish and frustration that you couldn't help feeling for Zoe, despite, likely the majority of the viewers having no idea what it would be like to feel what she's feeling. And feeling is what soap operas are supposed to be about.

General Hospital's Logan, Spinelli, Dillon and Milo, each shone this week in their own unique ways of trying to win Lulu Spencer's affections. Daytime doesn't get any funnier than to see Spinelli, Dillon, and Milo argue over who gets the first date with The Blonde One, Spinelli hoping for a random number contest he can rig with his hacker skills, Dillon, wishing for trivia, and Milo wanting a test of brawn over brains. Every scene involving any combination of those three guys with or without Lulu, is right up there with some of the finest romantic comedy ever made. And for those of us who like things steamier, there's that dangerous could be Scotty's son, Logan, the one guy of the four who could break our Lulu's heart or melt it in a single glance, who can wait to see what happens between them? Let the sparks fly. While over at As The World Turns, they've twice squandered their talented young actors in horror movie spoofs, GH has wisely just tapped into each actor's strength and come up with one of their most charming tales to date.

Days of Our Lives' Chelsea has come a long way from the obnoxious brat we first met, as has her portrayer Rachel Melvin. Ever since the accident that took the life of her little brother, Chelsea has slowly morphed into a character viewers can care about, like a Sami Jr. She makes mistakes and does awful things but then there will be scenes like the ones with Billie this week, where Melvin lets Chelsea's heart spill from her as she decided she could no longer live with her self-destructive mom. Both Chelsea and Rachel have come a long way and it will be fascinating to watch them reach even greater depths.

Guiding Light's Caitlin Van Zandt sparkles in the role of Ashlee, so much so that the day player earned herself a contract and potential love interest. This week she particularly shone as Ashlee turned eighteen. When no one showed at her party thanks to Lizzie, you felt so sorry for Ashlee yet we soon saw pity is wholly unnecessary for this young woman. We should envy her, not because handsome Coop showed up, but because of the scenes where Ashlee explained growing up in a trailer park, how while it shamed her mother, she never minded it. This girl gleefully loves life and herself under any circumstances. A role model for women of all ages and sizes.

All My Children's Zoe attended her first transgendered support group this week. Finely portrayed by Jeffrey Carlson and real-life transgendered people, the scenes thankfully never suffered from Y&R style clunky life lessoons. Instead they delivered true emotion, very heartfelt personal stories. Exactly what viewers visit Pine Valley for, not that satin slayer mess.

GH's Dr. Alan Quartermaine died this week due to an illness sweeping across the soap landscape, financial constraints combined with an utter lack of creativity in the writer's room. You'd think there'd be tons of story to mine for a character who's been married more than once to the same woman, never fully happily, who's lost one son to murder and another to the mob, who's nearing the twilight of his career all sorts of possibilities for what comes next and on top of that contending with a morally challenged sister and father. Yet apparently there's nothing left to tell. Shameful reasons to lose Stuart Damon's gift for making viewers laugh and cry and throw things at their TV, sometimes all three at once. For the next while we'll see him as a ghost but hopefully another soap will have sense enough to pick him up. What an interesting Mickey or Stefano he'd make at DAYS. And what impressive range that you could consider him in either role.

One Life To Live's Renee Goldsberry and Trevor St. John stole the show this week despite an outstanding concert from Nelly Furtado. As Todd grieved the death of his son (unaware the child is living with Marcie and Michael) Evangeline offered him a shoulder to cry on and their heartwarming friendship melted into a spark-filled kiss. And a whole heap of conflict. Evangeline loves Cristian. Todd loves Blair. Or do they? And can their friendship survive something more? In one scene after the next this week, be it with each other as screen partners or someone else, that one kiss has led to some of the most compelling, real feeling drama any soap fan can ask for. And this is only the beginning.

Guiding Light's Valentine's Day episode veered from the traditional romantic viewpoint of the holiday to showcase love of humanity as cameras followed the cast to the still ravaged Gulf Coast where they participated in building homes for those sadly still without them after all this time. What could have been merely an opportunity for the soap to pat itself on the back for being so charitable turned out to be a poignant, funny, heartwarming documentary that even non-soap opera fans could not only enjoy, but gain wisdom from. While OLTL put on a fun day with their storybooks, AMC was more family-like than it's been in awhile with their valentines sent to heaven, it was GL that offered up the most endearing, inspirational slice of life.

As The World Turns Faith is going through growing pains not often shown with daytime's model-like teen girls, severe body issues resulting in an eating disorder and the adorable little actress playing the part is doing a great job of conveying her self-loathing and pain, as well as the part her mother Lily's body issues play. A great storyline for women of any age to see and a nice dose of reality to balance out Paul's sudden psychic abilities which so isn't Oakdale territory.

All My Children killed off one of, if not their most beloved heroine Dixie Cooney Martin, this week. While Cady McClain's return has not been a rousing success, it was no fault of this very capable actress but of writers with no respect for their show's rich history, reinventing a character rather than finding new facets of the personality already there, the way real talented soap scribes used to do. These ones either turn Tad into a murderer or throw very blank slates at us like Annie and the Wildwind gang. In perhaps an even less intelligent move than so definitely killing off a legend, the soap showed us a million clips of the old days, reminding us how warm and creative and romantic Pine Valley used to be - could still be. How many viewers must've watched those clips and wondered why they're bothering to show devotion to something a shadow of it's former self? Maybe the ship will miraculously right itself, but at the moment Dixie's death is so similar to Maureen's on Guiding Light, a moment that forever dropped their ratings no matter how good they've been since, they're clearly the next show to get axed. How long before AMC joins them?

Guiding Light celebrated seventy years of broadcasting week in fine form, not only with a unique anniversary episode on Thursday but with high drama on the other days as well. While fans would probably still like a great clips show for all their fondest memories, the decision to show us how GL was born into radio and television, casting the current actors as old characters and the creator herself was a fascinating, extremely well done hour. As for the high drama - Tammy was hit by a car, one of the passengers' of which was Harley's daughter Daisy, and the hit itself was ordered by Alan. Tammy eventually passed away in the hospital, leaving her mom and husband devastated, tears pouring down their faces, Jonathan holding onto her as if someone it could bring her back to life. Not only extremely powerful stuff for Tam-Tam and Jon's exit but with Daisy and Alan involved, obviously the story will continue in a tangled mess long after they're gone, exactly what great soap opera is, one tale splitting off in a dozen other directions.

The Bold and The Beautiful lost Darlene Conley this week to cancer. The actress who brought larger-than-life Sally Spectra into our living rooms every day was one-of-a-kind, a talent we treasured each time she somehow both made us laugh and cry, throw things at the screen for her conniving ways, and embrace this wholly unique character for her giant heart. Her vibrancy both on screen and off will be sorely missed.

The Young and The Restless' Eileen Davidson played her final scenes this week as Ashley Abbott, and though the actress has previously exited the show, in the current climate of soaps where actors of an accomplished age are not readily hired for anything larger than glorified guest shots, it certainly feels final. And what a shame. Not only is Eileen clearly the strongest actress on the canvas capable of humor, drama and loads of heart (as witnessed in all those goodbye scenes) but she is the one character you totally buy coming between Victor and Nikki, now none of their breakups are ever going to feel like they have weight or the possibility to be permanant with Ashley no longer an option for him. And how about all these Abbotts out of the picture? Where does that leave Jack? Or the family we most identify as being the Y&R? This show has had a stranglehold on the top of the ratings for such a long time that it seems stupid to question any moves they make, but this is a vary vital piece of the puzzle they're just tossing away.

All My Children's Zarf/Zoe is to say the least a controversial character, not only is the concept of transgender difficult for a lot of people to grasp let alone accept, but on top of that the character is interested in everybody's sweetheart, Bianca. But hopefully linking Zoe to Bianca, someone most fans love regardless of her sexuality, will open minds and hearts to what is shaping into a truly unique (not freakish as some may assume) storyline. This week actor Jeffrey Carlson portrayed Zoe, in full dress and makeup and in heartwrenching scenes shared the sorrow of having to live a lie in order to find the tiniest amount of acceptance since very early in her childhood. Then, when rejected yet again - by Bianca - the one person she thought would understand, Zoe fell to pieces, first by outing herself at Fusion singing a song meant to be rousing but underscored by pain, and later after the police took her in for questioning collapsing into Babe's arms. It was affecting storytelling and acting and hopefully effective as well, if someone out there looking for understanding might find some thanks to this soap's bravery to treat someone with dignity even if the other characters around her and even some of their viewers may not choose to do so quite yet.

Days of Our Lives' E.J. has officially become a villian to rival his papa Stefano. In the masterful hands of James Scott (foolishly dropped by AMC) Elvis Jr. is downright scary yet without just a drop enough of humanity lurking somewhere underneath that it leaves you entirely uncertain. Although, admittedly none of that humanity was on display as he shot his sort of brother John and forced Sami to sleep with him in order to impregnate her (though there does seem some sort of twisted affection for her too). Like the rest of DAYS, in the hands of the new writers, E.J. has become a must watch character.

One Life to Live's Nash stood as the holiday stand-out this week as many of the soaps either have to celebrate late due to pre-emptions or have chosen not to be as merry as most fans would like, either way, there was no match for Nash as far as Christmas spirit goes. From opening gifts with little Bree and outfitting her in a motorcycle jacket from Mama Tess to the sweet locket he gave Jessica and the way this guy just pines for Tess/Jess everytime she's in the room with him and even when she's not. Forbes March gave fans exactly what they want for Christmas, humor and heart.

Guiding Light's Ricky Paull Goldin is finally starting to take center stage where he belongs again after months of very little story. Gus has learned he's unable to father a child with Harley, but thankfully rather than forcing us to watch him wallow in self pity and leave his true love, the soapy thing to do, he chose another path, a pretty sudsy one itself. Gus kidnapped a baby this week, but of course in Ricky's hands it wasn't creepy or particularly psycho, it was funny and sweet and ultimately resulted in he and Harley petitioning to care for the child full time (her parents are in prison). While most critics are loudly against GL's In the Light episodes (apparently wanting their jobs to go down with the soap ship - c'mon, these shows have to change try something or they'll be replaced by talk and judge shows, right?), I'm a fan, so much so that without electricity that day, the next I cued up GL's podcast and it just showed me all the more what a talent Ricky is. All the charm, all the heart was found right there in his voice, no visuals required as he flirted with Harley, joked with their sons, and tried desperately to impress a social worker. If GL's ever reduced to their old radio format (fingers crossed the mass viewer exodus won't continue) they've got one great leading man for the part. Hopefully someday the Emmy's will see that too.

Legendary actress Betty White proved this week that she has the acting chops for any role by taking on the decidedly unfunny, darkly dramatic part of Stephanie's mother. White deftly portrayed a woman in denial of the horrible abuse afflicted on her daughter by her husband and not once did the viewer think oh, this is ridiculous seeing The Golden Girls' Rose in such a dark light, instead it was wow, too bad there's no guest shot Emmy for soaps because after only a few episodes it would be hers. Brilliant casting and some of the best acted scenes by all involved in this show's history.

GH's Kimberly McCullough and Maurice Benard showed again this week that their show is at it's very best when mining the past. The two shared memories of their time with Stone, of his painful battle with AIDS and in the process reminded all the viewers of how important and compelling GH can be. The soap is headed in a great direction finding at least somewhat more of a balance between the mob and the rest of the canvas, never better illustrated than by bringing Sonny and Robin back into their unlikely friendship (Patrick being there for her wasn't half bad either!).

General Hospital's Genie Francis ended her limited run with the show this week leaving fans wanting more. Not only is her chemistry with Luke still beyond compare, but how great were all of the scenes with Nik, Lucky, and Lulu and how much do we all want to see more of them? Genie's Laura brings a warmth to Port Charles that is sometimes absent amidst the mob wars, it's a shame we couldn't enjoy it longer.

What does it say about the state of All My Children that a four year old is their most riveting actress? Well, none too flattering things about those in charge except for the one brief shiny moment they had sense enough to cast Lucy Merriam as Emma. This little girl isn't just an adorable face, she seems to have genuine ability. It wasn't the adults that made me believe child services was ripping Emma from her home, it was this little actress. Thankfully the viewers have this Dakota Fanning in the making to save us from falling asleep watching the drippy, dull adults on this show.

One Life to Live's Bree Williamson rose to the occasion as Jessica prepared for her wedding to Antonio all the while the traces of Tess inside her craved Nash. Torn in two seems to be right up this talented actress' alley, for once the viewer really couldn't be sure whether she'd go through with the marriage or not and even as she did, we're still left wondering whether that's really the end of things for Tess and Nash. This young performer is just getting better and better and the material is starting to match her note for note.

All My Children's Dixie finally returned to Pine Valley this week, sure, the character has been roaming around for months, but even Cady McClain's staunchest fans would probably admit she hasn't been the Dixie they spent years clamoring for. While the newly returned Dixie was selfish, man-stealing and judgmental along with other unlikeable attributes similar to what Ms. McClain brought to her role of Rosanna on ATWT, a character, like Dixie, once the sweet loveable girl next door suddenly turned harping shrew in this actress' hands or maybe the writers, who knows? A mistake nonetheless. Thankfully someone has woken up, and while her compassion a few weeks ago for Tad's confession acted as the jumping off point, this week Cady McLain finally completely dove back into one of daytime's once most beloved characters. Dixie revelation that she should give up on the little girl she thought was hers because the child already has a mother was a heartbreaking speech to watch and so the woman we knew. Could this soap please look at that scene and see that kind of emotion is exactly what this show is so lacking now? Maybe in time to take their heads out of the sand and plead with Julia Barr to stay on as Brooke, because it is characters like her and the real Dixie, and Erica that build a show's foundation, not the next pretty young thing (see Erin, Colby, Amanda) who after months hogging our airwaves, most of us either hate, or even worse, are indifferent to.

The cast of As The World Turns bid a touching farewell this week to one of Oakdale's finest, Hal. While it's doubtful any of these actors had to dig deep to find the raw emotions they surely felt for Benjamin Hendrickson, it must have been one of the most difficult performances of their career and we as the audience were priviledged to be invited to watch such personal scenes. Just as we were priviledged to knw that every kind, complimentary word spoken in Hal/Benjamin's honor, was the truth.

Guiding Light's Crystal Chapell once again showed why One Life to Live tried to steal her talents away as she explained to Buzz that she hated her daughter Ava before the girl was even born. The product of a teenage night out that spiraled beyond Olivia's control, she doesn't know how to love her grown daughter now, nor, from the violation that resulted in Ava's conception does she want to love that child. It's such a complicated, harrowing issue that sadly far too many women face, that's your child but you didn't say yes, so what do you do? Olivia's choice wasn't easy even though to her giving up the baby seemed the only option the same for other women keeping it would be all there is, and Crystal captured every tortured moment of that decision, her guilt, her confusion, and her sadness.

Bold and The Beautiful's Taylor has carried around the heavy secret for months now that in a drunken state she ran over and killed her friend Darla. Now having fallen in love with Darla's husband and daughter, her guilt reached a boiling point, and in perhaps the most realistic performance of Hunter Tylo's career, her Taylor finally confessed to what she'd done. Taylor wrenched, as if turned inside out by her guilt and sadness. While B&B is great as a breezy, distraction from the everyday sometimes its really wonderful to see their performers in a new more dramatic light.

Comic performances from Guiding Light's Kim Zimmer and Y&R's Jerry Douglas stole their respective shows this week. On GL, Reva tried out medical marijauna prompting her to rename Alan, Anal, and invite him to dinner which provided countless moments that had Jonathan, Lizzie, and the viewers giggling right alone with us and our favorite hellraiser. Over in Genoa City, John Abbott haunted his son, giving sarcastic commentary on Jack's every move. Who knew Mr. Douglas had such comic chops, maybe death becomes John after all. GL & Y&R proved what face have always known but execs have yet to catch on to, there are limitless possibilities for your show's vest if you just use them. There's little doubt AMC would stop their ratings and creative freefall if we saw as much of Brooke and Opal as we do the far less endearing Colby and Erin.

One Life To Live's Nathaniel Marston gave a touching performance this week as Michael, a young doctor who become a father the same day he believes he lost his brother in a car accident. At this year's Emmys, OLTL received only one acting nomination but they are sure to receive a nomination for supporting actor is Marston submits any of his scenes from this week, especially where he wrapped his arms around his new son and promised to be a forcefield for him, in less skilled hands a totally sappy moment, in Marston's - endlessly touching. This actor and so many others on OLTL are so exhilerating to watch when they get something really great to play, it remains a mystery that there aren't outstanding moments like this on their soap more often.

The cast of Days of Our Lives presented one of their finest hours in years on Thursday's episode. Belle and Phillip learned Claire is Shawn's daughter and the two guys scuffled over it. Bo and sis Kayla bonded over their problematic love lives in the sort of teasing, caring Brady sibling scenes that have been sorely missed since the days of the fish market. And lastly Salem said goodbye to our beloved Jack and Jennifer in a series of tearjerker moments from Jack dancing with daughter Abby, to Jen's goodbyes to cousin Hope and grandma Alice. If this is any indication of Days' future, the show seems headed back to the place of heart and home it once occupied in the late eighties when they showcased some of the greatest couples in soap history. Honorable mention to One Life to Live for John's fantasies of playing pool with Natalie and their lookalike kids, as well as the flashbacks that reminded us that this couples had sparks before and could again if it's written well.

As The World Turns' Colleen Zenk Pinter showcased her considerable (and woefully underused) skills this week as Barbara's mothering instincts played out in two very different ways. First, out of devotion to deceased daughter Jennifer, Barbara not so nicely guilt tripped Lucy out of a dinner with son-in-law Dusty. Next, in what is fast becoming one of daytime's great relationships, Barbara asked daughter-in-law Gwen to go shopping with her for Fall clothes. What could have been a simplistic throwaway scene for any other actress, was a heartfelt moment of sheer longing for all that Barbara has lost. Zenk Pinter is a pleasure to watch no matter how little screentime she's given but it's about time Barbara became front and center again and no in psycho-mode, but in romance and business.

DAYS' Jack and Jennifer returned to their roots this week to kick off (sadly) Matthew Ashford and Melissa Reeves' grand finale with the soap on September 21. As usual with Jack and Jen the actual story they're investigating is beside the point what matters is their Cary Grant/Rosalind Russell repartee, their screwball comedy antics, and the fun, sweet romance that results. Jennifer's classic black and white spoof of film noir was brilliant and charming and another reminder of how DAYS screwed up by killing Jack eighty million times and not using this great couple when they had the chance. It'll be such a shame to say goodbye to one of the last true supercouples of soaps and while Missy has chosen to leave to commendably support her talented hubby, one can't help but wonder if the powers that be had bothered to treat these outstanding actors with the respect and great storytelling they deserved maybe we wouldn't have to watch them go.

General Hospital's Lulu is terrified by her pregnancy and what a refreshing change that is for a teenage girl on the soaps these days. Generally daytime teens get pregnant on purpose to trap their dream guy without suffering any of the fear or confusion that must accompany such a drastic life change. It's great to see Lulu refuse her chance to marry the boy she adores, to actually not use their child, what a concept. While for instance, DAYS, showcases their college age group in an unrelatable infertility drama more suited to adult character, this young actress portraying Lulu tackles a very adult decision wihtout forgetting the fact that she's still just a girl.

Guiding Light's Michael O'Leary took the spotlight this week but as good as his dramatic showcase was on Wednesday, the actor's standout performance actually occured on the ads touting that epidose. Any devout GL fan will recall past scenes where Rick perfectly mimicked his buddy Phillip, this time in the ads he did an hilarious version of Jordan Clarke's Billy. While there were certainly several fine dramatic performances on the soaps this week that I probably should've acknowledged, O'Leary's comedic turn could not be ignored.

Y&R's Peter Bergman put in an Emmy worthy performance this week as Jack faced the loss of his father/mentor/best friend John. He protected his father's desire for quality of life all while grieved, wanting deep down to side with Gloria. He was gentle and fatherly towards Billy, Colleen, and Abby, strong for them whie his heart was breaking (making you hope Phyllis' baby is actually his). And more poignant than anything were the quiet moments reflecting at his father's bedside, sharing childhood memories that we viewers never saw, yet in Bergman's delivery they struck a very real emotional cord.

AMC's Jack and his daughter Lily faced off in court this week giving Walt Willey and Levin Rambin one of the few storylines on this soap right now that A) makes any sense as far as being in character and B)actually moves the viewer, feels like AMC's true style, tough family issues not weird unabortions. What makes this story so riveting is their truly is a great argument for both sides. Jackson has every right to be concerned about his daughter's well being whether she's autistic or not, she's only eighteen years old and married a guy who once threatened to kill her, has killed others and used to beat up women. While the guy claims to be reformed Jack finds out Jonathan's lying about his mental state, yes, we as viewers know Jon has good intentions but what parent on earth wouldn't do everything they could to get their kid away from a potentially dangerous older man? As for Lily, for the first time in her life she feels really empowered and in charge of her life and she loves Jonathan. It hurts her so much to think she could lose him and her independance to have her beloved father of all people question her competancy. Who doesn't feel for her as much as they do Jack? A tough story where no one wins and the viewers are fully engaged, that's what good soap opera is.

General Hospital's Alfred, Nikolas' butler, stole scene after scene this week as the elderly gentleman played matchmaker to his boss and Emily. The scenes were sweet and funny and a charming way to move a great couple through all the murky baggage that forced the writers to break them up in the first place. Alfred is a rush of fresh air on a show too often mired in violence and darkness, and ill-advised teen storylines, an absolute delight to watch. By all means keep this actor on the show, surely Alfred has family out there somewhere, maybe even in Port Charles or gasp! How about a mature romance on a soap? How long has it been since we've seen that? At this point with the ratings on every single soap dwindling to nothing why not quit doing what's expected.

One Life to Live's Forbes March while not nearly as attractive to this viewer as he is to millions of others, sure is impressing with his acting skills. In a desperate attempt to bring out the love of his life Tess, he kidnapped Jessica this week and did everything he could, begged, pleaded, really heartfelt emotionally scenes that had to make you root for things to somehow work out in his favor. What a long way this actor has come from his annoying teenage role on All My Children. His intensity and heart help make this often reality-defying storyline watchable.

Guiding Light's Gina Tognoni reigned in Wednesday's spotlight episode as a harried bride to be. Insecure, funny and heartbreaking, Dinah seemlessly moved from brawling over a wedding dress to bouts with her own self-doubt. Tognoni is so versatile that every scene is entertaining no matter the gamut of emotions she's asked to run. It's stunning that in the actress' break between One Life and GL that no one in primetime was smart enough to snap her up, nevermind all those Kate Hudson and Cameron Diaz movies, to name a few, that would've been saved with her vibrancy and abilities. For the many of you that don't watch GL you're missing out on a fantastic star.

For years The Bold and The Beautiful has wasted the character of Darla and the talents of her portrayer, Schae Harrison. Once in awhile the show throws her a quick storyline but other than that she's been window dressing at best. It's a shame. In some of Darla's final scenes this week with Thorne, Alexandria, Stephanie and Sally, you could see the sweet quality she brings to an often sour flavored show. She always shared such fun scenes at Spectra and the woman could cry with the best of them. Hopefully this will be a blessing in disguise for Schae and she'll find a soap more willing to make room for her untapped talents.

As The World Turns' Benjamin Hendrickson sadly passed away this week. Thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends for their tragic loss. A brilliant actor in every medium he tried, Benjamin will most fondly be remembered as our beloved Hal, in his countless emotionally resonate performances that never failed to tug at our hearts. A wonderful talent, his warmth will be greatly missed each afternoon by all of us lucky enough to see his art. May he find peace.

DAYS' Matthew Ashford constantly amazes. For the millionth time he's taken an absurd story - this one, dying and handing the love of his life over to another man - and he's somehow wrung heartfelt emotion from it. Jack is one of the greatest characters in daytime solely thanks to Ashfords ability to rise above mediocre material. It should be interesting to see what happens to the character when the witty new head writer takes over. With the right scripts there is no doubt Ashford could compete with the likes of Maurice Benard and Tony Geary for the Emmys.

One Life to Live's Bree Williamson has grown leaps and bounds as an actress since portraying split-identities, Tess and Jess. While most fans clamor for a return of Tess, it is interesting to see that Williamson seems to have better grasp of playing the more angelic Jess now too thanks to the fun she's had with Tess. Jessica showed a newfound strength this week as she confronted the man who molested her, and in turn forced her to create Tess to cope. A good girl on soaps can be every bit as complex and strong as a vixen, it's just a much tougher challenge, one Williamson is capable of meeting.

Y&R's Victor has never been more entertaining than he was this week due to some sort of malfunction in his normally steely, ruthless brain. Few soaps have displayed funnier scenes this year than those involving Victor cooing over a puppy dog, joking with archnemisis Jack and giving Brad full permission to father Abby. Next thing you know the guy won't wear black to the Fourth of July barbecue! While hilarious, the plotline is also a stroke of genius, giving Jack an opening to finally one-up the mustache, making viewers wait with baited breath for the moment the real Victor re-emerges and possibly, for once, finds himself without the upper hand.

As The World Turn's Mark Collier turned in an anguished portrait of grief this week as Mike dealt with his cousin's death at the hands of his beloved wife - in essence, to him it felt like two people died, maybe all three of them. While Katie pleaded self-defense, Mike looked and obviously felt tortured by doubt, certain that his cousin would have run away without truly harming them, that he was killed for no good reason. As one watched Mark Collier it is stunning to think no one snapped him at pilot season, not only is the man easy on the eyes, but he is also, easily one of the most underrated, brilliant actors in daytime.

Though technically not acting, this week singer Jewel, gave the best performance on daytime in her guest appearance on Y&R for the MADD benefit. Singing two songs from her new album accompanying herself on guitar she sounded as amazing as ever to the point where one can't be sure if Melody Thomas Scott's tears at the end of one of the performances were real or acting.

One Life to Live's Kristen Alderson and Trevor St. John perfectly played out emotionally wrought scenes of Starr saying goodbye to her father on death row. Ridiculous as Todd's storylines have often been, it is his relationship with his feisty daughter that has redeemed the character through everything. Each actor has overcome a tough obstacle - for Alderson beautifully growing up before our eyes and for St. John as a recast - to develop one of the richest relationships in daytime.

One Life to Live's Kevin had to make a choice, the hospital could save his wife or his son. Upping the anty, Keivn's wife and son had just slept together. Kevin chose Kelly, his son, Duke, died. And a big part of Kevin died too. In a spellbinding performance, Dan Gauthier conveyed Kevin's overwhelming guild and aching pain with a truthfulness that saved this plotline from the over-the-top melodrama it could've been. Hopefully, come Emmy time next year this very talented actor will not again be overlooked.

The Young and The Restless' Neil went through the ringer this week as he discovered the daughter he loves more than his own life belongs to his brother. While the reveal lacked a certain punch - or rather - a slug to Malcolm's handsome jaw, the actor who portrays Neil still conveyed all the betrayal and contempt for his wife viewers have long clamored to see. And on the flipside, he continued to shower his daughter Lily with the same brand of warmth he always has. For a show that too often has characters do complete one-eighties to suit their plot (Phyllis is a vixen! No she's a heroine! Brad's a caring father and husband! No he's a scam artist!), it was nice to see this big moment pulled off with Neil behaving exactly as you'd expect - self-righteous, wounded, but above all putting his daughter first.

While AMC deciding to pair a character as beloved as Lily with a much older guy who used to beat women is deplorable, Levin Rambin is such a talent that her story doesn't even matter. Watching her lost and afraid in New York, she yet again shows a deep understanding of what would be a very complex character for someone twice her age to play. Hopefully someday, if they insist on finding a love interest for Lily, they'll find one that ably matches Levin's charm and talents.

While this week on GH, Robin bemoaned her inability to truly live life, her portrayer, ironically, presented the viewers with the most vital, fully formed female character on the canvas. She's the woman you root for. Who hesitates to take risks with her body and especially her heart. Who throws herself into her work rather than wait for some mobster in shining armor to define her. Add in her prickly relationship with dad, Robert and sexy bickering with Patrick and Kimberly McCullough has accomplished a rare feat - actually living up to her much-hyped return. AMC & Cady McClain should tune in for pointers.

While Dixie's return to Pine Valley is thus far every bit as convoluted as Maria's was, the one bright spot is the story gives Michael E. Knight a chance to shine. Tad's confusion, anger, and heartbreak at learning his beloved Dixie was alive and hiding from him, rang very true. The hurt that wrenched his every word perfectly illustrated the Tad we've watched for years struggling to deal with his grief.

General Hospital's Tony Geary once again proved his comedic mettle as Luke prepared to walk down the aisle once again with Tracy only to skip out at the last minute. From hilarious exchanges with the bride to be and his always great repartee with Robert Scorpio to starring in the Quartermaine maid's bridal fantasy, this was blast to watch.

Guiding Light's Elizabeth Keifer as Blake was featured more this week than the talented actress has been in years, and while the work came at the expense of killing off yet another veteran character, her husband Ross (though the body was not found), it feels worth it since that actor left for OLTL and this frees Blake for a world of opportunity. Keifer shone in her Wednesday episode, grieving Blake's loss, alternately blaming and bonding with her stepdaughter over her husband's perceived betrayel, and finally doing the trademark Blake move we've long loved, of picking herself up, dusting herself off and taking control. Hopefully in Blake's new quest to hold onto Ross' mayoral seat, we'll see a return of the feisty schemer, who was, in the nineties, clearly her father, Roger Thorpe's daughter.

One Life To Live's Jerry ver Dorn, Erika Slezak, Bree Williamson, and Forbes March, all gave Emmy worthy performances as the show tackled the highly sensitive subject of child abuse. Scene after scene from Viki and Clint watching the tape, to Clint breaking the news to Nash and Tess ripped apart by her secret coming out, knowing it could strengthen her alter Jessica, this was hands down some of the best, most affecting acting this show has done since Marty's rape. Fear. Guilt. Anger. Despair. The emotions ran the gamut yet not one came across as false. It's just a shame this compelling drama is on the same hour as the Spencer Truman mustache twirling, it's like watching two different shows.

Guiding Light's Wednesday episodes are proving to be true actor's showcases this week featuring pitch perfect performances from Crystal Chappell and Justin Deas. It's odd how many people have complained about these episodes considering they offer so much more room to delve into the characters we love, as opposed to the everyday shows which are really focused on advancing the plot. It's fun to get inside the characters lives, to see Olivia interact with her child as opposed to the faster paced hours where they send the kids off to another room. And any time you can let Justin Deas do his easy, natural magic on a scene is fantastic whether explaining the 'dead' horses on the carousel or pining for his son's girlfriend in plain sight. So what if these episodes, don't always perfectly align with the rest of the week, they're creative and fresh, a new twist on a dying medium. If you want stale there's always Y&R where Jill, uh, sorry, Gloria is messing with Jabot.

Though not always a likable or believable character, All My Children's JR Chandler occasionally has a standout pay-off week to make up for what is often months worth mustache twirling villainy. This week, he reached a catharthis, appreciative of the fact that his son and love survived Janet's clutches he made emotional, intense amends with the many Pine Valley residents he'd tormented. It was a strong performance which hopefully will deepen his future devious moments, since GL's Roger Thorpe there have been few daytime villians that feel more flesh and blood than cartoony, this actor seems capable of accomplishing this, it's time the writers joined him.

Despite hearing two days later that the actors of Bold and The Beautiful poured their hearts and finest acting moments into a hoax (miracle of miracles Felicia will somehow be alive), we should not let manipulation from the show's producers (ever heard of just giving her remission when you finally woke up to what a great actress you'd hired?) diminish what fine job cast and crew did on Felicia's farewell scenes. The toasts were outstanding and reacted to in perhaps one of the most gutwrenching scenes ever, as Stephanie looked at them all, bewildered at their celebrating a dying life and scooped her daughter into her arms as if trying to will her on, the same way she's always forced her will upon everyone. Then both mother and daughter reached a certain peace. Gorgeous scenes, even if somewhat tainted now. At least the tremendous Lesli Kay is still employed.

General Hospital's Tyler Christopher not only landed himself a plum role in a primetime pilot this week but in his day job proved exactly why he's a hot commodity. Soap are, generally an actresses' medium, where she gets all the emotional breakdowns and he's there to hold her up, so it was thrilling this week to watch Nikolas' guts spill out of him as he mourned Courtney and tried to deal with the notion of Jax fathering her baby not him. Tyler is one of those great actors, who respects that just because he's played the same part for a few years doesn't give him license to phone in his performance or rely on his pretty boy good looks, it's been a pleasure to watch him get better and better with each passing day. While it would be a shame to see him leave the show again, you can't help but feel he deserves wider exposure than daytime can give him.

Days of Our Lives Arleen Sorkin returned this week as if she'd never left Calliope's wacky pumps behind. In a great blast from the past, Calliope was called in to help with Marlena's wedding and hired on for Mimi's as well. In a series of fun scenes she further illuminated Marlena about her past and found a kindred spirit in Bonnie. Calliope's always been one of daytime's most fun characters, hopefully she'll make some more visits in the future.

The cast of All My Children put on a great show this week in the face of the tragic explosion rigged by Janet. It feels like months since the show has done anything that felt like you must tune in the next day, but this explosion allowed for classic soap storytelling. Erica saved by the son she thought she'd aborted. Tad and JR calling a truce to save their mutual loved ones. David using Palmer's love of Dixie to get his job back, as Dixie herself sat nearby. Reggie scared for his entire family. A great overhead shot of strangers Opal and Erin, bonding over their missing loved ones. And the young actress filling in for Levin Rambin, has done a tremendous job keeping the very original character of Lily true to the girl we love, it can't be easy to jump in like that. It was great stuff, utilizing the entire cast, something that should be done more often rather than shoving three storylines regardless of their quality down our throats while everyone else waits on backburner.

General Hospital's Tony Jones passed away on Friday in a few short but powerhouse scenes. It is always a shame when a veteran cast member is pushed aside for younger flavors of the month, you often end up with a show you don't recognize. But at least Brad Maule was sent out on an acting high, reminding everyone, including hopefully some of the rare casting directors not in the market for models, that the man has a great talent for ripping out viewers hearts, something we haven't gotten to see him do since the show wrongly paired his character with Carly. Here, at the end, was fully the Tony we knew as B.J.'s caring dad, who wanted nothing more than to be with his daughter to hold her hand. A perfect ending, though all too soon.

General Hospital's Tristan Rogers returned this week as Robert Scorpio, master spy and by far the most intimidating force in daytime. In reunions with his daughter, brother and pal Luke, we were treated to everything we love about the guy, his humor, his surly nature, his brooding intensity. Great stuff. And should he stay beyond the outbreak story, how formidable an opponent would he make against Sonny and the mob?

Passions' Bollywood dream sequence proved to be the standout scene this week, yet again this oddball soap managed to bring something fresh to an overcautious genre. As Gwen learned she and Ethan would be moving to India she fantasized about their lives there, complete with song and dance and Theresa winding up alone. From opulant costumes (NBC would be well-advised to market the bracelets Gwen and Theresa wore) to an amazing group of singers and dancers, Passions put on a real showstopper. How great would it be and new for American daytime, if they plucked a few of those talented stars from the background and introduced viewers on a permanant basis to a different culture?

GH's Ben Hogestyn aquitted himself well this week as Lucas, coming to grips with his sexuality and facing discrimination for it. The scenes were especially good considering the actor must've had to conjurn most of the fears of coming out to the Spencer clan purely from his imagination, since the show stupidly chose not feature a lot of family scenes, before he came out. So great job Ben for finding all the fear and emotion needed to make the scenes really pop when the writers didn't necessarily give you all you need. Hopefully this week wasn't the beginning, middle and end of Lucas' story but the soaps do tend to get squeamish.

For a second week, DAYS stood out, primarily Peter Reckell as Bo and Rachel Melvin as Chelsea, both reeled as they discovered Chelsea was the hit and run driver who killed Zach. Finally, Rachel was given some scenes that weren't childish wanna-be Paris Hilton moments and her talent shone through, she drenched her character in guilt, clearly devastated that she killed her newfound little brother, great stuff. And if last week Kristian Alfonso surprised, this week her on-screen partner stunned. After years of seeing strong, heroic Bo, it was amazing to watch Peter Reckell embrace all the pain of a grieving father who'd not only lost his son but lost him because he'd handed his keys to his reckless daughter. Really impressive work.

Days of Our Lives' Kristian Alfonso proved probably to many people's surprise that she's much more than the pretty half of a supercouple, she's an actress with talent, that perhaps on another more serious series, would've garnered more attention and perhaps even an Emmy nod. As promised Days is slowly edging back to what they were at their height, a show of romance, family, and heartbreaking drama when Chelsea accidently hit and killed her little brother Zach with her father's car. In perhaps the most difficult (in a good way, not a Swamp Girl way) to watch scenes DAYS has ever produced, Hope sank to her knees discovering her little boy's body on the road, her grief made even more palpable by the brilliant decision not to use a child actor but instead employ camera cuts of his little lifeless arms and wrenching sound effect cries. Really impressive work from both Alfonso and the crew to convey the loss of a child and as the week drew to a close and the scenes shifted to the hospital, you could see that this sad storyline promises to be the richest work any of the actors involved have ever done, creating a ripple effect through Bo and Hope's marriage, Chelsea's relationship with her new family, and Lexie, with her strong connection to this boy, now the doctor who lost him. Storytelling at its most brutal, but also its best.

All My Children's Kate Collins has faced some criticism, not for her acting but because fans were very attached to Robin Mattson (not to mention Janet had plastic surgery!) and seem to have kind of forgotten that Kate originated Janet from Another Planet. Hopefully since the initial dismay fans have settled in and enjoyed this thoroughly off-kilter performance. Collins plays Janet unlike any of the current stock villains on the other shows (YR's Sheila) in that she plays Janet not only as a murdering psycho but as a vulnerable needy murdering psycho and if she weren't poisoning people and such you might almost root for her. Here's hoping Janet can extend her stay and maybe bring back Uncle Porkchop to smooth out her rough murderous edges again.

The cast of Guiding Light delivered yet another classic Christmas episode this week. Alan taught sweet baby James to not take no for answer when it came to whatever gift the boy wants. Buzz and his son Frank both harbored crushes on Olivia. Mallet wore Cary Grant p.j's and Dinah ate cookies in bed, much to one another's delight. The Shayne/Lewis clan gathered, and much like the audience were divided as to whether or not they supported Tammy and Jonathan's relationship resulting in Hawk and Rusty hiding the mistletoe from the kissing cousins, as well as a brawl that knocked down the tree. It's such a shame that the audience for this show is so small, you don't know what you're missing, if you're tired of your show recycling the same stories over and over, try turning on the Light before CBS puts it out permanantly.

The cast of As The World Turns delivered outstanding performances this week as many of their long gestating storylines culminated. Will and Gwen slept together for the first time in scenes with just the right mix of mushy and odd to suit this unique pair. Holden and Lily's chemistry sizzled the way most twenty year romances do not while sneaking around behind her fiance's back. And biggest of all it was revealed that Gwen's baby is Jennifer's. Gwen, Jennifer, Will, Barbara, Carly, Hal, the list goes on and on of stellar performances associated with this storyline and there's more to come now that Margo knows Casey lied. Great work that should not be overlooked come Emmy time.

Rick Springfield has returned to his decades old role as Dr. Noah Drake on General Hospital with amazing ease. Having not seen Springfield in his original run on the series and knowing him almost entirely as a rock star, it's been surprising to see how seemlessly the singer stigma vanished from his first scene onward. Springfield's Noah is down and out, a drinker with a fractured relationship with his son, a juicy character with loads of possibilities should he and the show choose wisely to extend his stay. It's great to see this soap back in the hospital, revisiting what distinguished them to begin with, including Rick Springfield.

Guiding Light's Tammy played by Stephanie Gatschet was thrown for a loop this week when she found out at the altar that her groom already happened to be married. Adding, to Tammy's troubles was the fact that she wasn't even sure she was upset about the news given her feelings for kissin' cousin Jonathan. In Tammy's every look, her every move, Stephanie played all her confused emotions, the tug of war inside her between what's right and what feels so right. It's a great storyline to watch, as the viewer, you're torn too, here's this tremendous chemistry between this couple and yet they're cousins. This young actress has simultaneously helped bring red-hot romance back to GL while giving the show a dose of controversy, that as a viewer whether you like it or not, at least gets them some media attention, this struggling soap needs all the press they can get when magazines only want to put Y&R, GH, and DAYS on their covers.

Passions has yet again come through in another year where GH refused to have any fun with the Quartermaines dining on pizza. From Norma quoting Silence of the Lambs to the basement reacting to a nun in Tabitha's house and the babies' thought bubbles, it was quite possibly the most creative hour of daytime you'll see all year. The show may struggle with serious storylines, but with lighthearted fare, they've got the other shows beat by a mile.

Matthew Ashford plays Days of Our Lives' Jack, an otherwise jovial man, dying, attempting to leave his family on his own terms. His performance has been not only affecting but surprisingly Emmy nomination worthy given this show's bleak history on awards' night. Actually Ashford's performance isn't the surprising part, it's that Days in their Days way (vague illness, could be a DiMera plot) has alongside, Belle's post-partum troubles created a story with roots at least half way grounded in reality, and they're proving they can write compelling stuff, thought-provoking stuff that doesn't rely on disguises and islands. The best moment all week on the show came when Jack downed his pills prepared to die only to realize he hadn't yet said goodbye to his daughter, Ashford's anguished voice and expression proved spot-on, heart-wrenching and the actor's wobbly history with the show (inexplicably fired twice!) adds to the intrigue leaving us to wonder whether these are Jack's final Days (we hope not).

OLTL's Robin Strasser found her alter-ego dumped on her wedding day this week and gave a powerhouse performance as usual, too bad the fantastic scenes came at the expense of the show's best couple. David and Dorian are a genuis pairing with their sly barbs and dry wit, not to mention that both those qualities cover up a large quantity of vulnerability. It was perfectly Dorian to watch her, destroyed hold it all together and play hostess, direct her wedding guests to the reception and then take her wrath out on an unsuspecting Viki. All of it perfection. The perfect advertisement against playing for demos rather than hearts.

Days of Our Lives' Belle played by Martha Madison faces one of this soap's most compelling, realistic issues in recent years- post-partum depression. Ms. Madison's delivering a rich performance that goes far deeper than her unrequited love for Shawn, she captures the emotional struggle with her newborn, a situation far too many women in real life feel alone in. The only problem with this heartfelt performance is that it yet further shows the limits to Kyle Brandt's (Phillip) acting abilities when he's wooden as a board while his co-star Madison plays everything gutted and raw and real.

As The World Turns Brian Gaskill as B.J. portrays one of the more oddball creations this show's ever cooked up (far more known for being one of the more realistic soaps) and while we don't like anyone messing with out Mike and Katie, B.J.'s awfully entertaining. From his chocolate milk crutch to his dorky insides, this character's unlike any other psycho on daytime, you don't know whether to hug him or run. Wasted on B&B, Gaskill shines here just as he did as Port Charles' Rafe with an otherwordly unexpected light that keeps the viewer tuned in to see what will happen next, exactly what good daytime drama is meant to do. Let's just hope ATWT has a long term plan for him.

All My Children's Thorten Kaye proved the standout in Pine Valley's confessional week. While Di and Ryan's admissions will surely pack a bigger wollop on everyone's futures, it was Zach's far quieter conversation with Kendall that proved most impactful to the viewer. The only one of the three who professed no regrets, Zach refused to apologize for protecting his wife and Greenlee, refused to say he did so out of love even though it radiated from his every movement, even though his eyes begged Kendall to forgive him something that he still feels was right. Thorsten's a great actor, not only for the way he makes writers words come vividly to life but for the things he doesn't say as well.

Guiding Light's Jerry Ver Dorn has played fan favorite Ross Marler for over two decades now and its highly disappointing to see him leave (hopefully OLTL will give him tons of story as Clint, but since Viki and Asa constantly languish its tough to maintain hope). From Ross' villainous beginnings to his position as elder statesman (and mayor) of Springfield, wishing us a Merry Christmas each year, there is no aspect of this actor or character that I won't miss. Ross' friendship with Ed was one of the richest in daytime. His sexy relationship with Blake proved some of the most enduring chemistry on soaps and one of the rare May-December romances that doesn't make you cringe in the slightest, you get why they love each other and that's all that matters. And finally, the image that Jerry left us with (if only we could've had some real closure scenes but GL's just not in a healthy enough place to have the luxury of time) exploring Ross' enduring guilt over the part he did, and did not play in raising his troubled daughter Dinah. Sublime down to the last day, even with that disconcerting mustache, we'll miss Ross, wish Jerry will, and hope that maybe OLTL might consider lending him back every December for that third-wall breaking speech that makes GL feel like home. Please?

General Hospital's Maurice Benard and Ted King, mobsters Sonny and Lorenzo, showed this week why so many loyal fans couldn't care less that this soap is no longer about a hospital. In vastly divergent storylines the two actors displayed the criminal with a heart of gold thing to perfection. For Sonny it was not only saying goodbye to arguably the love of his life Carly at a mental hospital, a place he promised she'd never end up, and he also let go of his other love right hand man Jason. The scenes oozed the believable emotion we expect of Benard. Meanwhile King's Lorenzo set about tempting Skye in some of the most heated, chemistry driven scenes (as opposed to plot driven yawner romances) this show has seen in awhile, his alpha male attitude seems more than capable of holding his own in a fight with Luke for Skye's affection, and if that doesn't work out, the actor had tremendous chemistry with the Laura Wright (the new Carly) when the pair were on The City together. While this show could still use some more balance (say equal parts Quartermaines and Sonny), any week that doesn't end in a slo-mo shower of gunfire is a pleasant change.

Guiding Light's Elizabeth Keifer this week displayed why she deserves to be on contract again, as Blake's humorous new romance novel debuted skewering Harley's love life. This actress has superb comic timing, it is a shame that we so rarely get to see it and with Ross exiting, the opportunities for her character will likely become even thinner. Why not hook her up with Frank or Rick and see what happens instead of recasting Cassie, use what you've already got?

Passions Fox and Kay played by Justin Hartley and Heidi Mueller are fast becoming one of this show's best couples, refreshingly flirty and not so tortured as the rest. Their story only gets better now that Kay has left the cannery for a position as Fox's secretary providing fun His Girl Friday style comedy relief and a great team (remember Kay's quite the conniver) to battle for control of Crane Industries. This burgeoning couple is step in the right direction for a soap far too mired in rape and prostitution.

As The World Turns' Jennifer Landon in the few months she's been with the show continues to amaze. In outstanding scenes this week, this young actress showed tremendous range as Gwen was duped by Carly, lost her baby yet again, lost her best friend and faced off with her absent mom. What a tremendous find she's turning out to be, hopefully she will not be overlooked come Emmy time.

GL's Danny and Michelle have yet again proven why their dismissal from the soap is such a headscratcher. The actors deftly handled highly emotional hospital scenes in which Danny tried to explain to Michelle that their baby is dead (Edmund stole the child). These two could act the phone book and be enthralling. While this is probably yet another move from budgetary concerns it is disheartening, hopefully they at least go out on a happy note, as not only are we losing one of the all time great supercouples but also one of the final two Bauers.

General Hospital's Carly, as played by Jennifer Bransford after numerous traumas a finally succumbed to a breakdown. Amidst rumors of her ousting, Bransford has more than ably captured this shattered side of Carly, especially in the scenes where she almost shot Sonny and returning to her hometown. It's a tough situation replacing another actress who was so popular, not to mention who had a great deal of romantic chemistry with Sonny (if Bransford is let go, hopefully it is due to their familial rapport that should be sizzling as opposed to a question of this woman's acting chops) but when given a shot to show what she's made of Bransford clearly is up to the task.

Bold and The Beautiful's Susan Flannery this week put in what has to be one of the most hilarious performances ever, daytime or primetime. Stephanie's long running disgust with on-again off-again daughter in law Brooke led the Forrester matriarch to give her enemy a special gift- a gun! Next thing you know Steph is throwing all these taunts at Brooke, telling her shoot me or shoot yourself who cares you'll either be dead or in prison, you lose either way. Eventually Brooke did shoot the door and when she asked Steph what will the neighbors think, Steph smugly answered, they know what you're like. These scenes were over-the-top cleverness, perfectly in line with the current Desperate Housewives craze, a tone that this show should consider adopting more often.

This week Stephen Schnetzer brought AW's loveably oily lawyer Cass Winthrop to ATWT. NOt only were the handful of scenes a reminder of this actor's talent but also of what a richer place Oakdale would be if he hung his shingle there permanantly. With Cass' casanova rep, half-bake schemes (dressing in drag), and proabably a teen daughter who's a chip off the old block his addition would make a lot more sense than nu-Meg's does. Puls Dusty bares a striking resemblance to Cass' brother Morgan.

ATWT's Martha Byrne and Jon Hensley reignited the greatest chemistry in daytime this week. Whether helping their son through his tumultuous teens or being set up on a dinner date by her mom Lucinda, after all these years Holden and Lily continue to be a leading supercouple. Thanks to this charismatic duo of actors, the writers can take this pairing down all sorts of seemingly unforgivable roads, break them up a thousand times and still you root for them to get back together. Every show needs a couple like this, the genre's survival depends on it.

Passions' Mrs. Wallace received one of the most memorable send-offs in soap history this week. For the past few years Kathleen Noone has brilliantly played caustic Edna adding intentional laughter to the oft bleak world of daytime. Her exit (hopefully not forever) was appropriately humorous despite that given this years' world events we all know Tsunami's are not really a laughing matter. However in the fictitious world of Harmony it's best not to take things too seriously (Jessica's teen troubles would be a prime example that this show struggles with serious). Caught in a giant wave, Mrs. Wallace asked for a sign and the goodbye, you're leaving Harmony sign flew into her path, the older woman promptly hopped on board and surfed out of town. Funny, and blissfully no teen hookers.

Y&R's Roscoe Born plays Kevin's abusive father Tom to scary perfection. Intense and oily yet with an underlying charm, ever-threatening you never know where or when he'll strike out. Born is a master at acting the villian, as seen on AMC and OLTL, but his true greatness relies in those hints of other things going on underneath, that he makes these characters fuller bodied than the writers were able to transcribe on paper. For the tiny percent of us that watched The City in which he played an ordinary man struggling with alcohol dependancy, it would be a pleasure to see Tom become more than the deliciously evil persona and drift more towards the guy who appeared genuinely hurt by Ashley's rebuffing, after all they semi-redeemed (semi-redeemed is important none of these violent guys should ever come off cuddly) Kevin and Michael, why not their terrible dad too.

OLTL's Kevin and Kelly played by Dan Gauthier and Heather Tom are far and away this soap's hottest couple and this Friday they finally got to show their greatest in scenes humorous, romantic and sexy. Kevin decided to surprise Kelly in the shower and that he did. Thinking that he was a criminal she sprayed shampoo in his eyes to hilarious effect, the funniest scene in a long time not to include David. Then naturally the bickering started (these two are pros at this worthy of fifties screwball comedies) leading to romantic longing leading to getting naked in a tastefully sexy way that made one wish for the days when soaps weren't mostly about serial killers, especially ones that we all figured out months ago. Soaps should be unabashedly romantic, not unabashedly violent, Kevin and Kelly prove that rule.

The cast of As The World Turns this week proved that baby switch storylines never get old and are a perfect stage for compelling tear-soaked drama. Craig recently lost all rights to his child and intended to adopt teen Gwen's baby when opportunity struck and both babies were born simultaneously, he switched name tags. Gwen's baby died, only everyone thinks it's Jennifer's. Now Jen, Mike and Katie are wracked with guilt. Barbara's devastated for her daughter (she lost baby John several years ago). And the teens (increasingly better actors by the minute) have finally let out the truth to one another that Casey is the father of Gwen's baby who they think survived. Will the Hughes' wage a custody battle? Will Jen be able to prove to anyone that baby is hers? Will Craig get away with it? And, why were any of us skeptical about a new head writer at ATWT? Fantastic stuff.

This week AMC's Tanisha Lynn was finally given the chance to play Danielle as more than a sassy teen and while most fans disliked the turn of events it looks to be a great showcase for this feisty young actress (not to mention its really refreshing to see such a range of African-American actors on AMC again). As for that fan outcry, yeah, it would have been nice and sweet for Dani to lose her virginity to Reggie but AMC has always specialized in tough verging on realistic subject manner. The truth of it is Dani's a teen, they make mistakes, especially when upset (especially about their parents) and when drinking to pretend like everyone's first time is perfection wouldn't necessarily jibe with the Agnes Nixon creation we've loved all these years. Dani's a confused kid which only makes her a more compelling character which is what fans should really want. And lets try to hold off judgment on Josh just yet, he's still a mystery man who knows what direction he's actually headed in.

Bold and The Beautiful's Katherine Kelly Lang somehow routinely manages to rise above the dreck that she's given to play and infuses Brooke with tremendous heart that allows the viewer to forgive a multitude of sins (and there is a multitude). Yet again Ms. Lang is stuck in the triangle of the century or quadrangle if you count Stephanie's creepy Ridge obsession. The story is old and tired and it is much to this actresses' credit that there is any rooting value left whatsoever. The scenes in which Brooke toyed with Stephanie's breathing tube was great over the top camp, but nicely infused with an obviously broken heart that grounded the whole thing at least a little. Lang clearly works hard (against thankless scripts) to make Brooke likeable, it's about time she got rewarded by say kicking Ridge to the curb where he belongs, and hooking up with Antonio Sabato Jr.

GL's Tom Pelphrey plays Jonathan all his emotions heightened to the extreme be they anger, love, or fear. This guy is a pure pleasure to watch and is easily the standout performer on any show in any given week. From his warped yet warm friendship with kooky Dinah to the Fagin-like father figure who repulses yet draws him in, Pelphrey somehow manages to sell every aspect of this young man's roller coaster personality. Even his disturbing sexual/romantic chemistry with alleged cousin Tammy is compelling rather than vomit-worthy like Bold and The Beautiful modus operandi. This guy got robbed of the Emmy, may the voters wake up next year as well as the fans who need to start supporting this superb show before every old favorite is on recurring or worse.

Passion's Rebecca went back in time this week to hilarious effect thanks to Andrea Evans impeccable comic timing. Turns out Rebecca didn't fall too far from her ancestor's tree. Her relatives wore the first scarlet letter, sold out Custer to the Indians, and arranged Lincoln's assasignation. Absurdist humor and creativity are where this show excels and where they should stay, their forays into cutting, drugs and date rape are so not working, bordering if not crossing the line of responsibility.

ATWT's Jennifer Landon is accomplishing the near impossible on daytime, create an instantly intriguing likeable character that is not related to anyone on the canvas (at least not that we know of yet). Landon's Gwen is feisty, sarcastic, and looks refreshingly unlike any female soap teens in recent memory. As any daytime viewer is familiar with, from May to September are the teen months which can prove grating if not cast properly (the jury's still out on Celia), so with the introduction of Ms. Landon at least all the adult viewers can rest assured that we'll be shown something of substance.

General Hospital made a smart move in hiring former DAYS star Kirsten Storms as their new Maxie, the experianced actress is ably navigating what would've been an awfully tough tale for a newbie to tackle. Maxie's bond with sister Georgie is nice dynamic to watch on a show where all the women are at one another's throats (Carly loves Courtney so she tries to sabotage her life? Huh?). She also has a great burgeoning chemistry with Diego (played by a charismatic young actor thus far misused). To top things off Maxie's storyline is not only reminding us why this soap has the name it does, but also that this show used to constantly write some terrific everyday families struggling to cope. It's truly refreshing to see a story revisited on this show that won't involve a shoot out every Friday.

One Life To Live's Riley played by Jay Wilkison experianced a tough week to find out your dad is gay would be a shock to most but not anywhere near what it's like to hear that dad killed your girlfriend in order to stay a closeted murderer. While it's aggravating that daytime still treats homosexuality as an exploitative plot device, this story has at least allowed the talented Wilkison to show what he's made of and apparently what OLTL has woefully underused. The actor's reaction to Jen's death and his father's secrets has proven the young man has more depth than just being that guy who plays guitar. There's a rumor Jay's has been let go, a shame, the guy has looks, charisma and most importantly chops. DAYS should check him out as a possible recast since does anyone out there even like the current Phillip? Anyone? Their triangle would be far more compelling if one third weren't made of cardboard.

General Hospital's Jane Elliott provided much needed relief from the soap's neverending melancholy mob saga this week. Providing much needed laughs, Elliott's Tracey went to stop what she thought was her son's quickie Vegas wedding to Georgie and wound up married to Luke instead. Absolute genious to pair these two in any situation and it opens up the possibility of a very intriguing triangle with Skye. Can anyone imagine? An actual story without gunplay just clever words?

The cast and crew of All My Children this week pulled off a rare feat, a suitable tribute to a lost legend. Ruth Warrick's Phoebe was a fan favorite and thankfully Pine Valley did not insult her history by inviting a bunch a people to her funeral who'd never met the illustrious duchess (no likes of Ryan, Greenlee, or Simone feigning a relationship they never had). Too often shows shortchange a moment like this as an opportunity to spur on other storylines instead AMC let it focus on this special woman with a heartfelt tribute culminating with a toast that brought a tear or two to many eyes. It's just a shame this year's Oscar telecast didn't choose to recognize a cast member of the all time great Citizen Cane but then it has always been daytime and its loyal followers priviledge to celebrate the shamefully secret gems of the acting community.

AMC's Julia Barr as Brooke did Aunt Phoebe proud this week. Long acknowledged as one of the best criers in daytime it's been nice lately to see the very capable Barr do more than mother Jamie. Her emotions regarding Phoebe were little doubt coming from a very real place and they made for some Emmy worth moments but perhaps the even greater scenes involved Adam their tremendous chemistry as intact as ever. With their sons at war is this not perfect timing to unite this couple (more than just under the sheets like awhile back), theirs is a romantic tale filled with conflict and two outstanding talents.

Days Of Our Lives finally brought Jack home (we're pretty sure he's home anyway) and what do you know, with Matthew Ashford back where he belongs the show instantly got smarter, funnier and warmer. Every scene in the hospital was what fans have waited for, the great humor, the effortless romantic chemistry with Jennifer and at long last the young actress playing Abby came off as likeable rather than a whiny brat. Now that Roman and Marlena have also returned could we please have a return to DAYS' 80's heyday like Hope mentioned, the supercouple era, that's where this show shines not for instance with some unintelligent and vaguely insulting portrayal of a POW (does this version of Phillip have any fans yet?).

GL's Robert Bogue after a week is already nicely filling Mark Derwin's shoes as Harley's beloved albeit cheating ex Mallet. Bogue makes any longtime viewer a believer, continuing Mallet's laid back charisma and fiery chemistry with Harley. And anything that'll give Frank and Buzz more airtime as Harley's protective family, I'm all for, the scenes at company were classic Cooper men moments. Superb casting and great acting are the key to any recast especially with a character as memorable as Mallet, looks like GL's gotten this one right and launched probably the first ever actually interesting prison tale in soap history.

AMC's Erica and Lily not only had the quietest scenes of the week but in the end also the most moving. It's fascinating the amount of explosive violence the soaps traffic in these days when it turns out that the simplicity of a mother-figure dying a young girl's hair with a towel is something that will be remembered a lot longer. Not to say that the other actors in the their big flashy moments weren't good but that Di gal has no Dixie vibe no matter what Tad says, and the whole Jonathan story was filled with holes, they just make you appreciate small personal storytelling all the more.

Y&R did the smart thing waiting a lengthy period to recast Victoria Newman and it's paid off to great effect with the casting of Amelia Heinle. Heinle shined as Steffi on Loving/City but the writers at AMC were never able to match this actress' talents to a worthy story, thankfully Y&R saw what they missed. It is already evident after a few weeks that Amelia is loving her new gig, she's as perfect a replacement for Heather Tom as anyone could hope to be, nailing the character's vulnerability and her feistiness. With companies at war over her services, rooming with Phyllis, and strong chemistry with Michael, there is no limit to great story potential here.

Guiding Light's Frank Cooper has long been a backburner character and this past week it's been so nice of the writers to notice that all those rich Harley storylines get even richer when big brother Frank is involved. Dicopolous is so great as the over-protective nice guy and which made his scenes punching Danny, the former mob man dating his daughter all the better, you could tell the angry dad knew it wasn't the right thing but it sure felt good in the moment. Then of course the best of the week, he and Harley in the tree house reminiscing on old times when it was them against the world, vintage GL stuff. Now if only we could get this guy a viable love life, that wacko Dinah would certainly be interesting.

As The World Turns' Mike this week momentarily lost his all around good guy cool when Jennifer confessed to him that she'd slept with Craig. Even in anger, actor Mark Collier, used that sublime subtlety of his, not looking her in the eyes one moment, glaring the next. The recollection of his past mistake with Carly was relived to perfection and as he yelled at his current love, even implied she's less than wholesome, he infused it with the agony of a man still very much in love. I feel as though I've written this a thousand times before but I still don't get how this man is not nominated for an Emmy considering that day in day out he delivers with such quiet brilliance.

Y&R's Greg Rikaart portrays unstable Kevin Fisher as by far the most interesting person in all of Genoa City and this week it got even better. Normally tormented and tortured by his numerous inner demons Kevin won the lottery in perhaps the greatest show of jubilance one has ever seen aside from Cuba Gooding Jr. winning the Oscar. In a handful of hilarious scenes Rikaart showed an amazing ability to convey absolute joy, probably a far more challenging emotion than sadness to make believable. Of course this being Kevin, things are bound to get worse, after all, he feels the teensiest bit guilty since the ticket's actually his brother's.

GH's Tamara Braun this week underscored the reason why this soap's loyal following are so distraught over the prospect of her leaving. As Carly, ganster's moll, and devoted mother, Braun has dazzled with many dramatic moments none more so than when she came to terms with her son's death (don't worry, Michael's not dead, and neither is A.J. despite Alan's trip to the morgue). Scene after scene Braun's body contorted in grief, and every word from her lips, sadder and more despairing. Here's hoping this talented actress finds a larger audience in her future endeavors, it would be a shame if only a small portion of us daytimers were privy to such gifts.

Guiding Light's Ricky Paull Goldin was this week, among many other notables (GH's Maurice Benard, OLTL's Dan Gauthier, AMC's Alicia Minshew, etc.) robbed of a Daytime Emmy nomination. Sometimes you have to wonder do they pick names from a hat or what? Anyway, Goldin has been brilliant ever since his run on GL began, and in this week's episodes he reached another high, this time as the effortlessly romantic Gus who wants more than anything in the world to protect the woman that he loves. His plea to his father Alan to help him save Harley from jail was among the most gut-spilling performances in recent memory. And yet nothing this brilliant actor did in the past year was more compelling that say B&B's Jack Wagner (love him but the role's beneath him, and another thing, voters seem really confused over what lead and supporting mean) serenading anyone within earshot? I think not.

The cast of All My Children gave Bianca a great send-off this week, from Palmer's puppet show to Erica teaching Miranda important French words like couture. The show employed a great song, Martina McBride's In My Daughter's Eyes, to showcase what an impact the Kane women have had on Pine Valley through the years, especially great that they did so in the form of a scrapbook which has long been a show staple. Eden Riegel's poignant goodbyes to Erica, Kendall, and Jack on the airplane will long be remembered as some of the soaps best example heart and home. And finally, allowing Maggie to still grapple with her sexual identity was far smarter than any instantaneous lesbian revelation would've been, yet the writers and actresses still conveyed that these two are likelier headed to a bond deeper than friendship. An all-around fantastic send-off for a promising star on the rise.

General Hospital's Alan played by Stuart Damon had actual lines the last couple weeks. How quirky? The soap's named for a hospital and for once a doctor got as much face time as the mob. What a downright retro concept, and oh, yeah, a fantastic reminder that there's more than one guy on this show who can act. It was nice to someone other than A.J. for once address Michael's parentage, and also to see Alan admit to his own faults in raising his troubled son. Though doubtful, one would like to think that Damon may have more rich material in the future to play with grace and heart like he did at A.J.'s funeral. It's also a shame that these great scenes came at the possible (sometimes the dead aren't so dead) expense of a finely crafted character all to Courtney yet another in her long line of imbecilic storylines.

One Life to Live's David Fumero gave his finest performance ever this week as Cristian Vega. Brainwashed to kill Cristian did not believe he really was Cristian that deep down he was a good kindhearted man worthy of loving Natalie. But John produced the DNA test that proved them both wrong. Fumero had several outstanding scenes in the prison cell anguishing over the truth and flashing back to what he now knew were real memories (flashbacks seem to be a challenge for most actors but Fumero thankfully had anything but a blank stare on his face that gave the moments great depth). It's a shame that the acted opted to leave because the minute he insisted that John keep his identity a secret so that Natalie would believe him dead rather than an imprisoned murderer the guy graduated into one of the show's most poignant heroes. And boy does OLTL need some of those right about now.

As The World Turns Henry was at his sad clown best this week as he and Katie deepened their deception. The pair plan to wed but only so Mike will get jealous and want Katie back. Or at least that's the plan Henry says he's going along with. What makes this story sing (unlike pretty much all else on this soap right now) is the fact that underneath it all Henry is in love with his best friend Katie. Whether hurting because Margo stated that Katie doesn't love him or thriving when Katie refused to wear her wedding dress in front of him, Henry is great to watch in sadness, jubilation, or sarcasm. Every soap should have a Henry.

Passion's Liza Huber as Gwen has gotten to play both the saint and the villain now it's on to the lunatic. Or is it? Distraught that Theresa's baby is not hers (a long twisted story) Gwen stabbed her rival and was subsequently carted off to jail. For a few weeks now she's been going slowly mad. Or at least a version of mad where Theresa went so far as to compare her to the crazy lady in Jane Eyre. Liza played her role so well that you actually believed that she believed her delusions. Even better the twist at the end of this week when Gwen's behavior turned on a dime and you saw that she's in fact lucid. Not sane. But lucid enough to fake an attempted suicide and plot to kill Theresa. Very Passions. Unlike Paloma's rape which is a perhaps too serious topic for a show that's never taken things seriously. Maybe they'll surprise though.

All My Children's Ruth Warrick played Phoebe from the show's inception and whether in a front burner capacity or a appearance like on the anniversary episode she was always a delight to watch. My earliest memory of AMC is very much connected to Phoebe carry her little dog into the bank with and trading zingers with Tad. And everything with Langley, Brooke, and Cecily was top notch. Even though her appearances were less and less frequent over the years, this soap will never quite be the same without her.

All My Children's Thorsten Kaye as Zach had several character defining scenes this week that made up months and months of convoluted ill-conceived moments that were far beneath this outstanding actor's capabilities. Ethan held his father Zach at gunpoint distraught that he'd been denied his whole life. Zach in his tortured Shakespearan way explained that he should not want to be claimed by the Cambias legacy, that they are no better than trash, than garbage it was a scene of greatness one that entirely explained why Zach altered his identity and why he aches to be Ethan's father but can't bear the thought of what he might do to that young man. There's is an intriguing story, one as fraught with potential as Erica and Kendall's difficult relationship. Hopefully the show will continue to focus on the father/son dynamic rather than harp on an old romance that hasn't sparked much in the way of flames.

General Hospital's Maurice Benard and Nancy Lee Grahn had a rare moment this week without gun-play or immenant tragedy and it was so nice to watch. The pair squabbled over their daughter's future education, a nice normal parental scene that happens in daily lives. Sonny's already a great character but to watch him deal with everyday stuff and merge it with his mobster mentality is way more entertaining than any gunfights. Over the top fantastical adventure and intrigue is GH's trademark but by involving the characters in real moments it makes the other stuff a whole lot easier to swallow.

ATWT's Mark Collier this week showed yet again that he is more than a pretty smile and a shirtless chest. Katie's latest scheme to win back Mike got foiled this week, though initially it was nice to watch him fall hook line and sinker into that chivalrous rescue mode he does so well. But where things got really great, and how you know these two belong together was when he teared up realizing she'd lied, lied for months. He pushed her away and thanks to Collier's great performance you could tell it killed him to do so. Outstanding romantic stuff an oasis from the mess this show has made of two favorite Snyder men, Holden and Jack.

The cast of Guiding Light brought forth a classic holiday episode (if CBS ever returns to airing those this one should be first on their list) on Friday. The hour teamed with romance, humor and warmth. Buzz told his grandson about the butterfly effect setting in motion a seemingly simple tale of a broken star and a lost dog. Which led to among other things a greaty flirty, jokey scene between Coop and Lizzie, Jonathan making an actual sacrifice for his family, and it culminated in a fantastic kiss between Gus and Harley. Seriously if you're not watching this show right now, what's wrong with you?"

As The World Turns veteran Larry Bryggman exited the soap this week to no fanfare and hardly any scenes. Nice. Apparently John Dixon's getting the disappear into the ether treatment rather than a suitable send-off for a character who has enthralled fans for three decades. Bryggman is one of the finest actors in the world, regardless of genre, stage, screen, or television and to not get a few really moving great final scenes with Margo, Kim, or Lucinda is unfathomable. Here's hoping this actor finds a new role of such a spectacular nature that it wins him a Tony or an Oscar, perhaps then those in charge will see that ageism is an appalling practice and should stop.

All My Children's Jacob Young is giving one of his most mature performances to date as the forgotten father. The one who has been as wronged as Bianca but somehow overlooked. This week JR continued to cling to his fate hope that Bess is his daughter, that his baby didn't die. Young played every beat, from denial and guilt with Bianca to outrage with his step-brother and wife. A surprising raw and emotional performance from an actor who's style I didn't particularly enjoy in previous roles or this one until the past few weeks.

Days of our Lives' Sami is one of the few characters on this soap right now who is not a shadow of her former self. The rest of the lot have either become morons (Shawn, Belle, Mickey etc.) or are still inexplicably missing (why can't Jack come home?). So to see Sami in a panic to marry Lucas for fear that the double influence of Brandon and Kate could alter her path is a huge relief and the one part of the show you still can look forward too. Sweeney crying plea to Lucas regarding her parents death and not wanting to share her wedding with her flaky little sis was particularly outstanding especially with the underlying subtext of Brandon.

Passions' Tabitha and Endora have taken over where General Hosptial dropped the ball. GH used to be the go to soap for Thanksgiving frivolity, but like the Nurses Ball, they're apparently intent on obliterating their show's history. So if you want some holiday laughs Passions is the new place to be thanks to a witch and her adorable offspring. Tabby reveled in the Lopez-Fitzgeralds argument filled dinner while her daughter used her magic producing an ever growing live Turkey as well as a 'bleeding' pinata (a send-up of DAYS).

The entire cast of Guiding Light, including the dead guy who shouldn't be dead shone this week. Over the past five days it's difficult to recall any cast member who has not been featured in some small way, it's thrilling even if you'd prefer Phillip alive, that one story could reverberate and create a ton of ripples for all the other characters. GL was chockful of terrific scenes, from the montage showing everyone grieving to the funeral and Phillip's video will. And then there's Reva and Jonathan, sitting in that famous fountain of hers, outstanding.

Guiding Light, having learned nothing from the backlash and lost viewers that accompanied Maureen's death this week killed off Phillip. It's been a strange trade off for fans. In the process we've watched some of the finest writing in years but have lost one of daytime's finest actors. Grant Aleksander has played Phillip as everything youthful tormented hero to Beth. An adult struggling to hold onto his morality in a screwed up family. Tracy to Harley's Hepburn. A man consumed by the voices in his head. And our favorite incarnation, best friend to Rick, never were there more flawless scenes than those. Grant's performances will be very missed and the thought of this actor unemployed is as depressing as Gary Sinise wasting away on CSI:NY. While I cling to the hope that Alan rigged Phillip's demise, I do advise any of the other soaps to take a look at this fine actor, especially OLTL, B&B, and DAYS, which could all use a jolt of electricity right now.

General Hospital's Nancy Lee Grahn proved the standout of the week as Kristina life hangs in the balance. Kristina needs help from her yet to be born half-sibling, possibly putting the baby in jeopardy as well. Alexis' passionate pleas to Sonny and Sam were from the gut and heart wrenching. And likely earned the actress another Emmy nod.

All My Children's David Canary has not been front and center in a long time which is a shame, look no further than this past Thursday for evidence that the man is brilliant and deserves a story of his own behind fathering that mustache-twirler JR. Never are this master's talents put to better display than when his twin characters Stuart and Adam switch places. Unlike a lot of dual roles in daytime, you can actually see Stuart struggling to pull off his Adam disguise where most actors make the choice to have the switch be sublime. Canary lets us, the viewers in on the gag, this show can have as many young men as they want doffing their shirts, but David Canary is the real deal.

Guiding Light's Tom Pelphrey plays the scary JB (or Jonathan as he's known to his cringing long lost mom Reva) with outstanding conviction for any actor let alone a newcomer. In this controversal storyline, JB, in an effort to exact revenge on the family that abandoned him relieved his cousin Tammy of her virginity. Unlike say B&B's lukewarm attempts to shock, this story somehow works, probably because it has wide-reaching affects on the citizens of Springfield, as opposed to merely being a gross-out for viewers. All credit goes to this young actor for bringing to life GL's most charismatic evildoer since Roger Thorpe, JB is without a doubt morally bankrupt and yet he's enthralling, with unknown depths and an unknown past that brought him to a place where he can simultaneously choke up, and choke his mother. With a return to family, GL is the hottest it's been in years so if your show's leaving you cold give this one a try, you won't regret it, especially if you're in the mood for a fresh young actor who clearly won't be sticking around in daytime for long.

This week General Hospital's Tony Geary dressed up as a boozing homeless man and rescued the endlessly funny Dillon from all that Viagra nonsense he's been stuck with these past few months, what a refreshing change it all was from the slo-mo gunfire this show now so heavily relies on. Sure Luke's disguises are always laughable but we're laughing with him which is the ultimate comedic compliment. With Laura lurking on the horizon, before his next extended vacation hopefully he'll also have us shedding some tears too, the man is so good at every aspect of his job.

Bold and The Beautiful's Darlene Conley returned this week as Sally, further enriching the only storyline currently worth watching on this soap, Forrester vs. Spectra. Sally's monologue about her arrival as a child in New York City, the birth of her love for couture, and a very funny diss on the Statue of Liberty's fashion sense, was the richest scene B&B has offered up in awhile. The math is simple, Sally is a great full-bodied character so we care. No matter how much shock value that comes with the two cradle robbing storylines on this show, it doesn't matter, because we don't yet care about Thomas or Caitlin, so until they become something more than an icky Calvin Klein campaign from the late nineties do not feature them so prominantly, give the loyal fans the vets like Sally that they long for.

As The World Turns veteran Benjamin Hendrickson vacated the role of Hal this week another sign that daytime is headed in a precarious direction. Most speculation would say that ATWT decided to find a less expensive actor to play this role after spending a year luring over costly ABC stars whom any true fan would gladly trade to have our Hal back. This is nothing against Randolph Mantooth (Hendrickson's replacement), he was great on Loving and The City, but he's not Hal. Benjamin's strength and smarts will be greatly missed from the canvas. It's a shame that history is so unimportant to the people in charge, for some reason they think drastically altering characters personalities on a dime (Dusty, Roseanna, Nikki, Holden, the list goes on) won't matter to the fans, but in fact that's how you breed loyality, if what happened ten years ago, or two years ago has no impact on today then why should we feel compelled to tune in everyday? As for the immensely talented Hendrickson, one hopes to see him again soon, ATWT's ignorance will be theatre, television, and the movies gain.

Agim Kaba as As The World Turns' Aaron displayed this week everything we love in a daytime hero but oddly see with little frequency anymore, he's just supportive and adoring of his heroine (paging papa Holden, what happened to you?). Poor Aaron realized this week that he didn't want Ali to get married not simply because Chris is a near cheating cad, but because he loves, loves, loves her. This young actor has come a long way since his somewhat wooden debut, now in every scene you can tell there's something going on behind the eyes that this is a fully realized character not just great hair and a handsome smile. Aaron's declaration of love to his platonic pal was heart swelling and loaded with chemical sparks thanks to that spontaneous kiss. And when Alison rebuked him, there was our hero, hurting for himself but even more for her obviously shaky future. It's nice that soaps are going back to serving up some guys that women with actual self-respect could find dreamy, give me Aaron, ATWT's Mike, or AMC's Jamie any day over the likes of GH's Sonny and AMC's Ryan and their hypocritical pass/fail tirades that make their respective heroines come off as needy and pathetic.

This week is more about honoring atmosphere than acting, Passions, proved that you can still have a splashy wedding on a low budget. Luis and Sheridan weren't married legally but still it was an even to behold like the old DAYS, you know back in the 80's. From the sunny Mexican village, to the flowers, the dresses and the ceremony the show did this supercouple justice. The horse and carriage idea was old school dreamy and wasn't it just plain nice to be outside even if it was a backlot in Hollywood? Oh, and to the wardrober, Sheridan's mantilla with the perfect red rose, inspired stuff, it should be mandatory for all brides.

Y&R's Keith Hamilton Cobb after waiting a year or so finally got a scene worthy of his talents this week. That's Y&R in a nutshell, why we keep watching even in the lulls, because a character like Cobb's can bore you to tears then suddenly out of nowhere hit one out of the park and shine up his Emmy reel quite nicely. Damon relating the death of his young son to Phyllis was hands down some of the finest work of the year.

Once again OLTL's Heather Tom proved this week why so many people thought those at Y&R insane for letting this marvelous actress slip away. Watching Tom portray Kelly's descent into madness is more enthralling than all the storylines on this soap combined, she is singularly holding this canvas together while the writers try and fight there way through the hundred corners they've boxed themselves and viewers into. Heather Tom's reaction to the loss of her baby (actually Babe's from AMC) was a performance of such magnitude that it would not have been out of place in Girl, Interrupted or The Hours, leaving all of us to envy the population of New Jersey who have the opportunity to watch this dynamo on stage in Proof, there is no doubt she seamlessly will slip into Mary Louis Parker and Gwyneth's shoes.

Y&R's Nikki was perfectly portrayed by Melody Thomas Scott this week as a traumatic childhood secret came back to haunt her. Relegated for the most part in recent years to meddling in her children's lives and to forgiving Victor no matter how machevelian he becomes, even if this new story doesn't fully work (she married a guy named Joshua that didn't trigger her memory that she'd killed a boy of the same name?), it's been great to see Scott front burner on her own. Normally it's a tough sell when grief leads to an act of passionate betrayal (see Rosanna and Jordan this week on ATWT) but faced with the trauma of knowing she'd murdered two people, unintentional as it was, it made a sort of sense that Nikki would crave her pre-Victor life and seek solace in Bobby's arms, a couple who after one kiss look like they'd make for some tremendous storytelling sparks. It was all thanks to Melody's often over-looked dramatic skills that any holes in this tale were purely circumstantial and easily shaded.

As The World Turns Jon Hensley continues to prove that he and his character Holden deserve a front burner storyline. While Holden was a great, romantic hero as the young stableboy when he first came on the scene and I would not be opposed to his returning to that sort of way of being, his recent scenes from bringing Lily back to reality and mourning his cousin Jack have been a revelation. Hensley offers up raw emotion and grief at every turn, especially the scenes with Molly (though please don't put them together) which totally had me thinking Peter Krause in Six Feet Under. It's well past due that the writer's offered Hensley such meaty material to play with because while he'll always make for nice Lily arm candy, this is so much better, though I'd still like to see him at Emma's more often, daytime needs a good farmboy.

One Life to Live's Robert S. Woods is indisputably one of daytime's great romantic leads, a feat all the more stunning given that he hardly ever doffs his shirt (how many daytimer's careers have been made that way?). Bo's monologue about the glory of barbecue and family traditions is not the kind of thing we usually see in daytime which is why we love this character. And we also love him for his enduring chemistry with Nora, lovely, funny and adult as it is. A crime-fighting, dancing cowboy, Woods is the small screen's answer to Robert Duvall.

Guiding Light's Beth Ehlers and Ricky Paull Goldin were full of fiery torment this week as Gus and Harley's impending wedding collapsed. Harley's been burnt often, mostly by Spauldings so when she found out Gus was keeping secrets to protect his newfound family at Frank's expense there was no way she could say I do. From Harley's anguished recitation of her aborted vows to pleading, longing in every inch of Gus' body language, watching this pair was like witnessing the most exquisite rendering of a Broadway play, like daytime turned perfectly Tennessee Williams for a couple mesmirizing hours.

One Life To Live's Kevin played by Dan Gauthier finally discovered the truth this week that baby, once thought to be his, and then Todd's, doesn't even belong to wife Kelly, the child was kidnapped. Gauthier has stepped up placing his Kevin easily amongst the likes of Todd, Asa, Bo, and David as one of the most fascinating guys in daytime. Soaps are an odd medium, far more friendly to females, it's the men in the afternoon who tend to be more akin to windowdressing the way women are in primetime and the movies, so when an actor fleshes a character beyond the shirtless boyfriend or mustache-twirling villian viewers take notice and applaud. Much like his character on the brilliant series Tour of Duty, Kevin could easily be written of as a cocky jerk if not for Dan's ability dig at the emotions lurking underneath, the veiled vulnerabilities.

ATWT's Henry played by Trent Dawson provides much needed comic relief in a world that now seems to turn mostly around the melodramatic Rosanna. Henry's romantic pursuit of Nikki has helped to create the most fun couple in all of daytime, that being Henry and Mike. Henry's constant orders that Mike downplay his handsomeness is always priceless and the whole cologne bit was fantastic. Dawson's sharp tongue is worthy of Curb Your Enthusiasm, and television does not get any funnier than that.

General Hospital's Jane Elliott was the standout this week in a noble effort to memorialize the beautiful Anna Lee and her beloved character Lila. On a show teaming with newbies and recasts an admirable if technically difficult undertaking played out over an emotional three days was hit home by Jane's portrayal of Tracy. Tracy lashed out with anger over the sad news, and fought for control over little details like the memorial, not knowing any other way to deal with the shattering loss. A performance of this calibre was a fitting tribute to a grand lady, the only classier move GH could have made would be an apology for depriving us of such a bright light sooner than necessary.

General Hospital's Tyler Christopher shone this week as amnesiac Nikolas finally learned the whole truth. While Nik's easy transformation to the mob has echoed Jason's brain damage to far too great a degree, the storyline's differ in one key way, while Jason turned cold, Nik is accutely feeling everything. Every scene confronting his loved ones who had kept him in the dark, ached with raw emotion, not to mention the frequent displays of angry lung power reminiscent of a young Pacino. Thrilling television outside of HBO, that's something of a novelty.

Susan Lucci helped cap off a memorable week for All My Children, aside from J.R. officially on the darkside, Kendall sleeping with Ryan's brother, and the increasing jubillation that Reggie and Danielle bring to the screen, the most important hour was filled with an intervention on of all people, our favorite diva Erica Kane. Susan Lucci as always rose to the occasion of such gritty material forgoing full makeup and putting a dowdy sweatjacket over her glam red dress was merely the physical change, emotionally she was laid bare. Her family (including Mark, why is he not a permanent cast member always was great and still is) confronted her with their hurt and pain, true to character Lucci fought with all her might to hide Erica's intense vulnerabilities which heightened the drama of each scene all the more, most noteworthy her toast to Jack, Kendall, and Bianca. Friday's compelling episode all the more underscores my feeling of annoyance anytime a fan knocks Lucci or the one of a kind Ms. Kane for inane reasons like jealousy over her sublime aging process, or storylines like the showgirl stuff which is by the way the fault of writers not actors. Any fan of As The World Turns who have watched horrified as the vibrant life force Lisa has been aged right out of the show basically due to lack of writer imagination would tell all AMC fans to be grateful that your prized vet is still on the canvas, she's the glue of your show, start appreciating it.

Guiding Light's Nancy St. Alban has been portraying good girl Michelle to absolute perfection for the last couple of years, there are few heroines on daytime in fact more easily likeable. And let it be known that she is in fact such a good actress that for once an amnesia storyline is not one to be dreaded but to embrace wholeheartedly. Giving a bastion of the show the inability to remember opens up so many windows of opportunity not previously available to this multifaceted actress now she can play snide, even kind of a little mean in her scenes with Marina, Michelle Bauer, meanie, that has a great ring to it. Not only the slight changes in personality are now possible but Michelle's love life can get a little juicing as well, maybe we'll be watching her fall in love with Danny or there's a definite chemistry brewing with Tony that might be explored. If done right, to the Nancy's fullest capabilities this amnesia plot will continue to draw on the character's rich past and hopefully create a fuller future.

One Life To Live's Matthew played by Eddie Alderson spent the week meddling with his mom and dad's relationship to both great comic and heartfelt appeal. Like his older sister Kristen who plays Starr, Eddie is a natural rather than one of those cloying actor kids. There was no better scene on One Life this week than Matthew and his Grandpa conspiring over Bo and Nora, and it was every bit as attributable to Aldersen's talent as well as Phil Carey. A soap is so much better when even the child stars are believable and OLTL hit the jackpot with two of them.

All My Children ventured into tricky territory this week by reintroducing Lily, Levin Rambin is portraying Jackson's autistic daughter and so far so good. Not only does this young actress possess such a sweet demeanor that one automatically cares about Lily, but her interactions with Reggie were fantastic, an instant sibling bond, now there were some scenes with across the board diversity (if only the other soaps would show this kind of progression). Hopefully this story will continue down a fairly realistic path and expand the unnecessary limitations that have until now been placed upon the characters in daytime drama. And if the writers are looking to pair Lily up with someone romantically they couldn't go wrong with the equally sweet Jamie.

Guiding Light's Daniel Cosgrove surprised this week as Bill Lewis, having watched him on AMC and 90210 one never really figured he had such a performance in him. Bill's fiance Eden was tied to the mob and forced to go into witness protection so her death was faked in an explosion. Bill believes she is gone and Cosgrove's reaction was one of great emotional depths, Guiding Light at it's best and purest. The finest scene of any show this week (Viki's heart on OLTL was one of many contenders), at Eden's funeral a heartbroken, distraught Bill said his wedding vows. It was romantic, beautifully written, it's one of those moments that makes you glad to be a soap fan.

All My Children's Alicia Minshew and a beautiful (yet utterly wasted) setting were the only things that kept this week's wedding fiasco from being entirely unwatchable. There are so many questions. Why is Ryan suddenly best friends and chief supporter of Greenlee, who repeatedly tried to tear he and Gillian apart not to mention nearly got Kendall sent to jail? Why is Greenlee, staunch girl power devotee and one half of this show's lovelier recent romances dropping herself into a loveless marriage? You know what? Who cares, those two can go off to DAYS' fictional little Island of the Dead for all anyone cares at this point, it was Alicia Minshew's Kendall who came out of this debacle smelling like a rose. Somehow Ms. Minshew managed to hold onto Kendall's dignity, an uneasy feat these days looking at AMC's femmes. Alicia deserves better than this, the writers need to either put her with Aidan or someone knew, wishy washy Ryan doesn't cut it.

Guiding Light is slowly being caught by last place Passions in the ratings and their ingenious solution is to let Peter Simon exit once again. In what could have been a great return, Ed dealing with the traumas he witnessed in Africa and returning to the family he'd abandoned (his daughter married a mobster for goodness sake) was instead a big letdown. Still even though the character was left to flounder as a meatless sideman, Simon was and is one of the most fascinating actors to watch, it's all in the quiet moments which sadly are of little value these days in soap land. Oh well, Fridays scenes with Rick and Michelle were magic at least, such wonderful, tearful goodbyes. GL promises they are returning to the tried and true, the families, it should be interesting what without having their most important patriarch but I keep my fingers crossed this show is full of such history hopefully it won't become just that.

Y&R's Christian Leblanc, as Michael continually proves that he is this top-rated show's top player. It is sheerly because of this man's talent that the viewers are at all willing to set aside this character's past misdeeds and now he is the link to keeping yet another morally ambiguous character believably tied to the community. Michael's ever evolving relationship with his brother is by far the standout storyline amongst some pretty lame stuff like Sharon's non-murder that seems to have no ending. Also to be commended this week are Y&R's behind the scenes crew responsible for the scene where Michael's grieving anguished face was blended with Kevin's hospital bed, and the cries of childhood. This is outstanding stuff, the kind of thing you want to see if the soaps are as they seem shifting the focus from romance.

Bold and the Beautiful's Samantha as portrayed by Sydney Penny is finally starting to come into her own after months of little more than a slight crush on Ridge to bide her time with. The sad death of her beloved dog has set in motion a series of reveals about the character, from having a manipulative mother, to in her teen years falling for an older boy from the working class, and biggest of all her belief that the baby conceived with said love died at birth. While the audience now knows that the baby has grown into Caitlin, the girl that Samantha is mentoring at work neither of them know it, there have been several great scenes of each talking about their losses, not knowing the gaping hole in their lives is waiting right there to be filled. As for the long lost love, Hector, he stormed over to Samantha's ready to berate her for ignoring their child all these years only to be met with Sam's devastated confusion of how could he be so cruel to her, their child died. This complicated Romeo and Juliet scenario is one of the few storylines out there right now with a true, romantic heartbeat laying underneath, if only more shows toiled in the traditional soapy waters of unrequited love perhaps we wouldn't be stuck watching pale imitations of the Sopranos on certain other shows, mistresses don't wear well on even the supposedly darkest of daytime heroes.

As The World Turns Real Andrews actually got to perform this week as Walker Daniels without being limited to tossing out medical jargon and it was a great thing. For so long, even in her various Hal phases Barbara has basically had to beg men to look at her, be with her and stay with her, well at long last she's actually stumbled upon a real gentleman. Way back at the end of last year Walker offered a distraught Barbara the use of his sofa to sleep on, and sparks flew, so it was no surprise to eagle-eyed viewers that his little confessional this week was charming, sexy, and way overdue. It was such a great adult moment, him saying he wanted someone to talk about art with, or sports or really anything because he just wanted to spend time with her, it was a definite awww moment. So from Real's thankless days on GH (c'mon, like anyone is bringing down Sonny) to this very slow build on ATWT, it's beginning to look like this underappreciated actor may get his due in the romance department, now how about letting out a few details of his past, so that he has even more beats to play besides loving the town pariah.

As The World Turns's Barbara (Colleen Zink Pinter) was once designing fashions on the level of say Carolina Herrara however in recent years from an horrific fire, obsessively loving her off-spring, and going a touch batty, her booming business went kind of bust. Aside from the fact that both her sons are more than a little troubled, Barbara's life looked to be on the upswing, she was sketching like made when suddenly she couldn't see her hand in front of her face and thus is where brilliant acting trumphs soap cliches. Zenk Pinter is superb at playing the stuff underneath the facade, which is the essence of Barbara, she holds her cards close. She refuses to tell her children she's ill so throws on her uber-woman disguise even though she's crumbling underneath. Perhaps the best scenes involved killing her longtime rival Carly with kindness, Babs had to hire her to keep the fashion business on track and you just know it was one of the biggest sacrifices she's ever made. Awesome acting from one of the genres greatest, now here's hoping for a budding romance with Walker.

When you think of Bold and The Beautiful's Lorenzo Lamas one's mind may quite naturally travel towards an infamous laser pointer or his black speedo poolside adventures on Falcon Crest, frankly for me the thought of him as a working class latino guy never occurred and I'm so glad I was wrong. Lamas plays noble firefighter Hector Ramirez and father of two who as we've just recently found out was in his younger days all mad and passionate for Samantha only her rich parents vehemently disapproved. This is classic Romeo and Juliet stuff only with a big twist that Hector's teen daughter is actually the baby that Sam thought died all those years ago. Lorenzo is doing a fantastic job of playing the wronged hero still longing for his first real love and c'mon, what 80's fan doesn't love that Lance is having scenes with Sue Ellen? Perfect casting and the reason B&B is so huge around the world.

Days of our Lives Frances Reid is a national treasure, though it's anyone's guess as to whether the producer realizes this. The serial killer storyline has reached a murky place where all the fans are starting to question what's real and why do these ghosts interact with the living with such ease so, I write this as though the travesty that Alice has been killed off has actually happened of course maybe it hasn't, who knows? Look up Frances Reid in a dictionary and I would imagine you'd find the word loveliness in the definition. At a young age, the interaction between Alice and her granddaughter Jennifer was what caught my eye and kept me coming back (it was not a shirtless hunk or anyone's head spinning spitting up pea soup). Alice was all warmth and heart, which sadly seem to be traits no longer trendy enough for daytime where blood doesn't mean family ties, but more something like the Chainsaw Massacre. Realizing it was supposed to be tongue-in-cheek, ha-ha funny to have Alice die choking on her famous donuts, it just came off as a sorry commentary on the current climate of things, a total, utter lack of respect exchanged for a moment of shock. Frances Reid's kind comfort will be sorrly missed, Christmas will never be the same again.

As The World Turns' Jessica Dunphy continues to be one of the most fun to watch young gals in all of daytime. Her Alison is caught between girlhood and womanhood (and not in the lame Britney Spears song way), it's a portrayal equal parts funny, sad, and sympathetically realistic. Not many of the soaps truly address the struggles of age difference in a relationship but ATWT is showing it to perfection with Alison and Chris. Alison feels like she can't be truly comfortable and herself around him, forever on this tightrope that she might do the wrong thing, that he'll realize that she's still pretty immature. The storyline makes for a nice alternative to Lily's endless grief, and in some ways taps into the country's fascination with those newlyweds Nick and Jessica.

Young and the Restless' Greg Rikaart has somehow managed to take stock villain Kevin and turn him into one of the most fascinating, oddly sympathetic characters since his co-star Christian LeBlanc managed the same feat. This young actor is getting better with each passing week, showing us that Kevin is trying to fight his demons in scenes like the ones where he tried desperately to convey to a scarred Britney that they aren't all that different, you simple can't see his scars. Then there are the moments with his brother Michael, vintage minutes passed by two such damaged people, two such characters you wouldn't necessarily expect to see in daytime. It's also kind of nice to see a young actor that's given more to do than doff his shirt and save the girl, more shows oughta try it.

OLTL's Tuc Watkins plays David as the perfect antidote to all the doom, gloom, and blood on daytime. It's a given that this guy is hilarious as evidenced by his talking his way into a job at Blair's magazine. In addition he's also surprisingly supercouple-y as paired qith Dorian, classified as a mature romance though so totally not. All that plus he has a sort of heroic streak when it comes to the Kramer women. So where's his Emmy nod?

This week was 34-year vet Bill Hayes turn to exit DAYS and in step with the others it was appropriately vile and heinous. One half of one of daytime's original supercouples (alongside real life wife Susan), Bill's Doug also happened to be Hope Brady's father, in other words deep rich roots in the show. Being in the now coveted age demo for daytime, I wasn't priviledged to watch the show when this gentleman was front burner but that didn't make Marlena running around beating on him any less horrifying to watch. It's awful enough that these older actors are being disguarded like used tissue, there finally scenes do not have to be so entirely stripped of dignity in order to garner ratings gold.

General Hospital's Kin Shriner appeared in his final (for now) scene this week, actually one of the few axed daytime vets who got a really appropriate goodbye for his character. Via videotape Scott taunted long time nemesis Luke with his trademark humor, a trait which this show is going to seriously lack for from now on. It's a shame GH is so mob-centric, as they could have done some great stuff with Kin if they'd brought Lynn Herring back on the scene as well, imagine, more than one type of storyline going on, one can hardly remember the day when that happened on this crime driven show. Now, here's a little idea, Kin could move on over to AMC and be Brooke's long-awaited love interest, since they're so cross-over mad he could even play Scotty and bring his daughter along.

Days of Our Lives John Aniston played one of the most legendary villians in all of daytime so it's only natural that his character be killed off by a snivelling little twit that the fans have never cottoned to. It was all terribly dignified, at least the other vets were killed off by the star of the show. Anyway erasing the bathtub scene from memory, Mr. Aniston's contribution will forever be appreciated for his dry wit and general scariness. It's a shame they never fully explored his relationship with son Bo, especially when Caroline died, but that seems to be the way things are now, heavy on the shock value. A recommendation - Lorenzo Lamas could sure used a strong papa on Bold and the Beautiful to go up against Massimo and Eric, Aniston would fit that bill to perfection.

General Hospital's Tony Geary and Robin Christopher gave two of the many outstanding performances set against the backdrop of a towering inferno. While the CGI shots were painfully obvious it's been a great set up as far as advancing stories from Alexis' baby to Georgie and Dillon. However the absolute best was Luke and Skye's back at ya, moment. It was one of those most memorable important moments ever Luke gallantly offered Skye his ticket to safety but she refused only to follow him outside, where they shared a tender, tearful kiss goodbye. It was absolute magic. Luke will always be linked to Laura, that's a given, but these few scenes made for a strong case for Skye, one of daytime's most under-rated performers.

As The World Turns' Martha Byrne shone yet again while grieving her twin sister. From the fake hope provided by a psychic to feeling as though her husband Holden is constantly betraying her wishes at every turn, it's been a mesmerizing portrait of grief. There are few in daytime more skilled with such moments of heightened drama, made all the better with her ever so convincing chemistry with talented co-stars Jon Hensley and Grayson McCouch. While Rose was a funny, quirky vacation it's nice to have Lily back full time, a greater identifying character of what ATWT is supposed to be cannot be found.

This week marks the thirtieth anniversary of Jeanne Cooper on the Young and the Restless, amazingly enough she is still embroiled in front-burner storyline a rare feat in the current daytime climate. Learning that her rival is in fact her long-lost daughter has rejuvenated the role of Katherine this past year from a shoulder for Nikki to cry on back to leading lady prominance. Using Jill and the destruction of her home as excuses Katherine has fallen back into her old drinking habits, feeling sorry for herself and clouding up her mind in an attempt not to feel. Applause to Y&R who unlike other soaps realizes that life does not end nor get easier after a legendary facelift, it can in fact prove to be as compelling as ever.

ATWT's Benjamin Hendrickson and Colleen Zenk Pinter were at their vintage anguished best this week during the reveal of their son Will (also a fine performance from a very young actor) as the killer of Rose. The ravaged souls of two distraught parents were on display as Barbara begged Hal to let him take their son away, and Hal not only as a police officer but also as a father knew that no matter how much hurt was ahead for his son the right thing to do was have him face this head on. Zenk Pinter and Hendrickson always bring out the best in one another especially during these high-stakes type of dramas, hopefully the guilt fueled aftermath will play out as well and not just set up some weird revenge scenario for Paul.

One Life To Live's Heather Tom is an undeniable talent no more apparent than now having gone from the heavily self-controlled Victoria on Y&R to her now desperately delusional Kelly, that is an amazing range. How often have you seen someone who seemed like a lifer on one show move to another and within a month totally sheds her old alter-ego? Never. As a recast it's inevitable to compare her to her predecessors and not to sound unkind as they were likeable actresses, the true comparison is with the likes of Jennifer Connelly, Cate Blanchett and Kate Winslet. If you're a Y&R fan who misses the Newman heiress take a peek at OLTL she may be different but it's the same old high quality work.

Guiding Light's Peter Simon (Ed) is in an enviable position right now as other daytimers of a certain age find themselves getting the ax, he is center stage in a thrilling ensemble mystery. Like a shrewd mix of Stand By Me and The River's Edge, toss in an infamous political scandal, and the writers have weaved a tale about a young adulthood night of debauchery that is still reverberating today on a group of our beloved Springfield men. Peter Simon's Ed has perhaps taken this return of his hidden ghosts worst, slapping the daughter he adores, making medical errors, and in general behaving as spooked as that kid from Sixth Sense. For any aspiring thespians out there tune into GL every weekday and you'll find yourself in a free master class.

DAYS' Roman was yet another in the long string of history obliterating murders. Though Josh Taylor never got as much to do in the role as the original actor it doesn't make his character any less significant, he was arguably the love of Marlena's life, he was the eldest Brady brother, and father to Carrie, Sami, Eric and apparently Rex. This guy mattered whether he only got half a page a week or not. As for Josh, we'll little doubt see him again soon, he's one of the lucky few actors who has with relative ease been able to bounce back and forth between daytime and primetime, I'm thinking over at the O.C. Ryan needs to find his long lost pop.

As The World Turns Jon Hensley and Martha Byrne are finally back where they belong, front and center (Rose doesn't count, Lily is her "real" role). When you watched Lily fall apart at the funeral attempting to channel Rose and then Holden picked her up in his arms and carried her away, it all flooded back to you, everything that makes these two a legendary pairing. While it was highly disappointing that Emma was not included in the Christmas Eve episode, Lily's manic behavior and Holden's attempts to deal with her and his verging on adulthood son were done to the perfect standard that this show set back in the Douglas Marland days. The only concern here is that Lily will have some lame affair with Dusty, which is far too predictable for such skilled writers, hopefully they think so too.

All My Children's Bobbie Eakes splashed onto ABC daytime with the kind of spunk that her former alter-ego on B&B never indulged in. Krystal is tons of fun and the perfect mom for Babe and you can tell with the electricity eminating from Eakes that she's genuinely loving every minute of it. The opportunities for this character are endless now that Eakes has quickly proven that she is as adept at comedy as she has been all these years at drama. Now wouldn't it be great if Babe's dad turned out to be a Pine Valley resident? My vote goes to David, he could use a shake up right about now.

Passions' Baby Endora is the most fun semi-human character in all of daytime right now. The mini-Grinch as the same Christmas allergy as her mom that sends everything flying around the room. The best of Endora comes out around Rebecca when she uses all sorts of supernatural tricks to get under the redhead's skin. Yeah it's little strange that a demon baby could be actor of the week but a sense of humor comes in really handy when all the other shows are offering up careless cases of murder in attempts to juice ratings and lighten their financial concerns.

One Life To Live's Robin Strasser and Erika Slezak are two of the few vets in daytime who aren't relegated to supporting roles and the show is all the better for it. Fantasy episodes are not a favorite of mine but at least with two such skilled ladies at the helm the faux scenarios were over the top in a humorously watchable way even if they didn't advance the plot. The best moments though, as they usually are, were the one on one scenes, confrontations about the past, admissions of jealousy and that perfect feeling of elation when they finally got free of the cave. While one would certainly prefer less cliched contrived story for this duo, at last they're getting story and screen time, which is a pretty valuable commodity for any actress over thirty-five these days, such is the sad state of things.

All My Children's Tad as played by Michael E. Knight almost (almost) made up for the fact that the Quartermaines annual pizza on GH was cancelled. Tad was the life of the party at Thanksgiving with clever one-liners for all involved. This is precisely where I don't understand the murder sprees going on with other shows, to make any scene pop, especially on the holidays it's good to have some characters with history with everyone in the room. Now that he's semi in cad mode again, one hopes that his relationship with Bobbie Eakes' character might be full of sparks and romance, since she will probably have some of that spitfire attitude that Dixie initially had.

Two picks this week, DAYS' Peggy McKay for sentimental reasons, and Y&R's Eric Braeden for surprising ones. First Peggy, Caroline was the latest victim this week, another bizarre badly written exit for a vet who deserved better, blah, blah, blah. It's just so bothersome, there was still a lot of story there as a mother, grandmother, and the love of Victor's life. Now peak over at Y&R you have a character in Victor that we all figured we knew inside and out yet still new threads get woven in (what would be so wrong with that lazy writers at DAYS?). Admittedly I've never been a huge fan of Victor, but Eric Braeden was just so commanding this week. From Victor's dream interaction with his father (Braeden in a dual role) to the real thing (with a fine supporting performance from George Kennedy) there was everything that makes great soap opera and great character, strength and vulnerability on full display. This story is compelling because it mines the character's history past and present, as opposed to DAYS's strategy which would appear to be to delete such richness and wallow in shallow ground.

As The World Turns' Mark Collier and Terri Colombino are not murder suspects, in the mob, or being manipulated by the supernatural, they are as ordinary and average as daytime gets these days and to paraphrase Martha, that's a good thing. Watching one manipulative backstabbing person after the next has become old quick no matter how witty the dialogue and the actors are on ATWT. I'll take the sweet, slow developing romance of Mike and Katie anyday over any Paul, Rose, and Dusty machinations they throw my way. All of Mike and Katie's scenes are flirty and emotional and such a gift to watch. ATWT's writing remains highly clever, but the majority of these characters feel like they've been distorted like Paul's voice on the telephone. Scenes like the charged simple moment of Katie buttoning Mike's shirt is the real reason why any of us ever got hooked on a quality soap opera and should be used as a template if this genre has any hope of continuing.

One Life To Live let the ever charismatic James DePaiva go this week joining the other soaps in their absurd cost-cutting measures (though GH takes the cake, taking 90 year old Anna Lee off-contract is simply hateful). For me Max will always be intricately linked with One Life, having begun watching in the early nineties at the start of his magical relationship with Luna it is hard for me to imagine this soap without him, even if they haven't been using James to the fullest over the last few years. DePaiva is just so good at everything from his great sense of humor to tug at your heart drama it's annoying that they couldn't find a place for such talent on the canvas. It's ridiculous that one should thank OLTL for this exit, but at least they had the decency not to bludgeon a favorite to death, it was just a nice sweet moment of Max knowing that Luna is his guardian angel and then (like Matthew Ashford on DAYS) he winked at us. Perhaps your ABC affiliate is like mine where they spend PC's old time slot pretending like they have enough local news to now stretch an hour, wouldn't it be great if there was a homespun soap in that slot instead, say city guy Max trying to make amends with his twins in North Carolina? Failing that pipe dream, how about on AMC that long lost Martin son who went up into the attic to wax his skis? James would be great at that, what if after all those dusty years of neglect in the attic he became the sort of ruthless business mogul the Martin's despise and he hooked up with Erica? Just a thought.

Guiding Light's Phillip, the control freak to end all control freaks has lost the grip on his own existence and it is absolutely the most absorbing thing to watch. Grant Alexander has always played Phillip as a sort of dictatorship and to watch that all encompassing power dwindle away leaving him with a new found feeling of vulnerability has been like bearing witness to a master class in characterization. This is sadly a rare example of storytelling weaving in everything from his past (over at ATWT it's seeming like a videogame where they just start over with a new history any time they please) Phillip's fall has been a culmination of a thousand big and little things that the viewers have actually witnessed over the last twenty odd years. Phillip's mental breakdown not only echoes that of his troubled young daughter but also brings in beloved favorites like Rick and Ross who were otherwise shoved to the sidelines. This is the real Guiding Light, the real Guiding Light is about the human condition not hocus pocus, CSI, or a long-lost absurdly aged child.

DAYS' Melissa Reeves has risen above the logic defying mess that is this serial murdering spree and delivered one of the most touching performances of the year. Bedside vigils at hospitals are usually the stuff of Emmy bait, hysterical crying, hyperventilating, draping yourself dramatically over the body, I can happily report that Mrs. Reeves did none of those things to perfection and gave the kind of subtle realistic portrayal that the Emmys should but will not reward. Her grief was a tear-soaked quiet and as private as it could be (as half the time all the suspects gathered in Jack's room, huh?), from the way she choked that necklace between her fingers to the oh so Jennifer way she listened to the woman in the chapel who's husband benefitted from Jack's passing. As stated this storyline is almost entirely absurd, but hopefully the show will stay afloat as the rest of the widows and widowers attempt to give as much as Melissa did (as opposed to Lexie who was given maybe two scenes tops), the bar has been raised.

DAYS' Jack will soon get killed with a brick, is there a sweeter ending for a lovable humor based character than that? Ah, yes, but this is a master plan by the writer to regain viewers, and after all it worked so well when Another World killed off Frankie then Ryan then Carl and then Michael, I wonder what happened to that show? Enough complaining it's time to celebrate Matthew Ashford's tenure on Days of Our Lives. Matthew made his version of Jack (once a vile rapist) one part Cary Grant and one part Jim Carrey, he was lively, romantic and bubbling with wit (and if he did the Risky Business dance we would have laughed with him, not at him). There was so much to enjoy in the performance from the father learning as he goes, to his own goofy relationship with surrogate dad Vern, and at his very best bickering with Jennifer over the newspaper. A suggestion to All My Children who seem to be overun with annoyingly desperate women, if you hired Matthew Ashford maybe you could rid yourself of gimmicks and go with genuine funny. So there you have it and another one bites the dust, it does make one wonder if the P.T.B make room in their schedules to actually watch the shows they're messing with.

Port Charles bids adieu this week to dropped jaws, unresolved storylines, and a myriad of fans who have watched since day one unable to see the final moments. The circumstances in daytime have become horrific not only with this perfectly fine soap being cancelled but vets losing jobs on every show (Y&R won't pay the superlative Heather Tom but they can afford to let Brittany carry a Murikami bag, go figure) and taking risks in television isn't even a consideration. So those behind the scenes and in front of the camera at Port Charles can be proud that they're going out swinging despite the fact that the affiliates were hardly ever on board. Port Charles could be an exhilerating ride and it could be as tepid as tap water, but that's the nature of soaps, even the most prolific of writers couldn't toss off Gone With The Wind every week, this show's best offerings could go head to head with any of the higher rated dramas. Here's a little list of what to miss about Port Charles: Kevin's intellect (you know there aren't a lot of book smart types on soaps). Ian's manly Irishness. The interns experimenting on Frank. A place where you can get a hot muffin while your motorcycle gets fixed. Alison's Juicy Couture and sunny disposition. Eve, Chris, martinis and that finely tuned sarcasm. A drill to relieve the pressure. Caleb's sexy darkness. Livvie's sexy insecurities. Jamal's smile. One particular Angel on earth and seeing two characters fall in love before the writers really meant them to. And our Queen, Lucy Coe with all her romantic tragedies and the most memorable costume changes on earth. One last thing, if you were a devoted PC fan, it's time to place that devotion somewhere else every soap has at least one good storyline to recommend it so give them a whirl don't support those cheapie Judge shows and talk shows, because how else are your PC favorites going to get other jobs if there's nowhere left to go?

Days of Our Lives is partaking of a literal bloodletting in the coming months with the uncermonious dismissals of several cast members beginning with longtime vet James Reynolds. It is with a certain amount of disgust that one watches this serial killer storyline unfold not only is it pulling out major blocks of history that fans hold dear but the writers are asking us to believe that it's a possibility that Sami or Kate did it? Stupidity in the writing abounds and has for quite sometime, that is why you need budget cuts, that is why you lose viewers. But on to Mr. Reynolds whom I would guess was the longest running African-American in the history of soaps an enormous achievement in itself. As far as storylines go Abe often got the short end of the stick (something television in general is guilty of) but regardless of the number of lines Reynolds was always believable and an important member of the team. My favorite Abe moment came during the revelation that Brandon was his son (oh the things they could have done with that story that got eschewed for those silly twins) their goodbye scene was warm and heartbreaking, a superior finale compared to this violent exit. It is a shame to think that an actor known for his charitable ways was treated in quite the opposite, though wouldn't it be fantastic if All My Children picked him up as some wayward uncle or father to Reggie? Also, a bonus mention to OLTL, all the actors involved in Al's death were stunning to watch and like Mr. Reynolds you were left to wonder what moron can't find a place on the canvas for James DePaiva.

What can you say about Port Charles' Lynn Herring that could possibly begin to describe her worth to this difficult genre? From mousy librarian to bad girl to bad girl with a heart of gold to heroine watching Lucy Coe all these years has been moving and electrifying. Lynn makes you ache for Lucy when she makes her enevitably wrong choices and laugh uproariously when she has the opportunity to tap into her inner Lucille Ball. Ironically, despite the fact that you can see she can play absolutely anything, with the current budget cuts she may be the hardest of all to cast in another roll but here's to hope. If only Guiding Light would drop the psychic phenomena, the Richard clone, and oh, Cassie's lover/guy who ruined her life and instead give us the most perfect ever addition to the Spaulding clan with Lynn as Amanda. It's just heartbreaking to think of the rubbish that remains on my television screen and the class that will soon be exiting.

Jon Lidstrom is one of the handful of original cast members still with Port Charles more than half a decade later and that is because he has been able to translate the story thrown at him no matter how convoluted. Lidstrom acts with his brain, which, no offense, cannot be said of everyone. From nice guy to evil twin what has always made this actor standout and flourish in a romance with sometimes dippy Lucy, is that each scene the wit is there. Yet again it's amazing that this guy doesn't have employment elsewhere already so here's a suggestion: Why not bring Jon to One Life To Live and drop him into a triangle with the equally charismatic intellectuals Nora and Bo, he could also be a member of law enforcement in some capacity just to up the tension even more. One more thing, an honorable mention to Y&R's Don Diamont his reaction in the hospital waiting room to the death of his baby boy was beyond anything we've seen from him before, hopefully there's more to come.

Port Charles has probably one of the top five leading men in daytime with Thorsten Kaye's portrayal of Ian. Tune in any given week and you will marvel at the fact that this guy doesn't have another gig on another soap just yet. With an Irish brogue to leave Colin Farrell envious and a refreshing lack of all-American looks, Kaye makes for a standout heroic figure. In a favorite scene of the week Ian confessed to Lucy he was taking an experimental drug to rid him of being a vampire so that when they made love it was about the sensation of skin against skin not need (the vampire thing, a long story). It was one of the most intimate and sexy scenes on Daytime in recent memory, and surprise, surprise, it was fully clothed. It was a scene not written like a h man (AMC's Fusion has Maxim written all over it, that or moronic woman) but played to the hilt in an incredibly manly fashion. Thorsten really belongs in this medium and so here's a suggestion send the guy over to All My Children, and let those Fusion ninnies drool while a real character in limbo by the name of Brooke finally meets the man of her dreams. He'd make a great single dad of a little girl, and a spy, just a suggestion.

Port Charles will be gone in less than a month and so will your chance to see what Kiko Ellsworth can do. While other actors have already lined up new daytime gigs, in the final month we're going to spotlight those who producers need to take a look at. While Jamal has not of late received the biggest piece of the storyline pie he started out like gangbusters. Together with Erin Hershey he created one of PC's very few legit supercouples, from their first memorable Christmas together to their muffin selling garage they were magic, and Kiko more than proved he's got the goods to be a romantic lead. Kiko has easily segued from the dramatic (his gang past coming back to haunt him, Jack's "death") to a the great sense of fun he brought with him into all of this oft-misguided vampire goth. So, here's a suggestion since DAYS is so insistant on firing nearly everyone that's ever meant anything in favor of those barely out of diapers the least they can do is bring in a young guy like Kiko who has the chops to keep viewers from cringing (paging Cassie and Phillip). If Abe is being killed off why not bring back his brother Jonah (can't remember how he exited, but it soaps it wouldn't matter if he died) known for his vigilante spirit and a torrid affair with Lexie, Kiko would be perfect for the part. Just a suggestion.

One Life to Live's Marcie (as played by Kathy Brier) gave a spine tingling rendition of America the Beautiful this week, for the two or three fans who hadn't already fallen in love with this character they were efficiently drawn in by this performance. OLTL has taken a controversial real-life world wide topic and brought it into our homes in an effort to illuminate what freedom means. This probably isn't going to change anybody's minds, sadly nothing ever really does, but it's good to put a face to something just as One Life did years ago with Billy. And as for Ms. Brier she is continually proving herself to be some kind of angel on earth, so endearing and ever so talented. Marcie, along with AMC's Reggie are two extroadinary examples of casting unconditionally, which underscored the disappointment I felt when reading that Passion's primary goal in casting is traditional prettiness, how sad it is to think that the youngest audience of a medium that still has untapped potential is not privy to the kind of talents that are entertaining slowly penetrating ABC's airwaves.

For the second time in little over a month All My Children's Susan Lucci, Eden Riegel, and Alicia Minshew put in powerhouse performances that simply could not be overlooked. These three are providing so many brilliant scenes each week that it is enough to make you overlook that moronic sexiest man fluff. Bianca's reluctant confessional scenes with her mother were so painfully intimate you nearly felt guilty for eavesdropping. Erica taking her anger out on her cell phone and barely being able to muster up the voice to say Bianca was raped to Jackson were moments of reality that no one wants to know. And lastly Ms. Minshew, her anguished feelings of guilt and thirst for revenge make you think Sarah Michelle Who? The only trouble facing this trio is how do you narrow down an Emmy reel this impressive?

Port Charles' Kelly Monaco is winding down her final weeks on the show in fine Livvie fashion. Her jealousy of former pal Alison is as strong as ever with her usual witty snide remarks suddenly tossed aside for sweetness and volunteering her services for the big fashion show. Yeah she was up to no good. Only her plan backfired and her father Kevin was hurt in the crossfire, Livvie herself was severely pained by this outcome. Monaco really brings it all to her role, intensity, insecurity, and a presence three times her diminutive stature. General Hospital fans are awfully lucky to get her come the Fall, here's hoping her character is paired with A.J. or Nikolas, someone as dark and brooding as her current beau.

Guiding Light's Matthew Bomer portrayed the final sad days of Ben Reade this week. Anyone who has watched this soap since the eighties had seen this character grow up, they saw him playing around on the golf carts at the country club with his pals Bill and Michelle and they fell in love with one of the most charming father/son relationships, any child of Fletcher's would always be as important as a Bauer or a Spaulding no matter the inexplicable turns the writers made with this character. By now (it's so weird to say) serial murders are almost a staple of daytime, someone unimportant goes psychotic and then the story ends nice and tidy. But this one just ended horrifically. Ben had been sexually abused as a young teen a fact which he had kept hidden deep inside him for years, a revelation which shed new light on all of his strange activities ever since his return to Springfield from wagering on Marah's virginity to his relationship with the much younger Marina, in hindsight depth has now been added to what had been uneven storytelling. This storyline turned overnight into a showcase for an actor who despite his Superman setback appears destined for big things. All the actors involved in these poignant last scenes were outstanding, each paying homage to the history that the viewers held dear which too often goes ignored these days. All you could think when Ben said to O'Neill, "Do you believe in hell, I do," is that Fletcher was somewhere mourning his little boy, and if that didn't break your heart maybe you don't have one.

Passions actress Deanna Wright brought new maturity to her role of Kay this week along with a reminder that this girl is still very much a child. Kay has long been on a desperate search for love often making choices she shouldn't in an effort to get the attention that means so much to her. Her stay in the hospital this week was a fascinating culmination of everything that this young actress has played so far (Deanna is reportedly exiting leaving some pretty skilled shoes to fill). All through the scenes of her C-section and the aftermath was a wide-eyed fear and naivety highlighting the fact that this is a baby having a baby. Now the thing everyone says about Passions is that nothing ever happens which is kind of true in the big picture sense, but it seemed if you looked close Kay did herself some growing up during the whole ordeal. She was crying for her baby, not for the fact that without the little girl she would lose Miguel, but genuinely unselfishly crying for her baby. Sure Kay's obsession with Miguel is going to continue but the actress is helping usher in a little era of reality.

Natalia Livingston's portrayal of General Hospital's Emily Quartermaine has been the sort of journey that this show has been in dire need of for quite some time. It has been a wonderfully quick progression to watch this young actress take the command of this tricky part making her vital and not simply out of sympathy. The actress has suffused the character with an inner strength not evident in the mob molls that overpopulate this drama and it's been an entirely refreshing take. Her scenes as she tries to brave the fight of her life against cancer are riveting and her moments of releasing her vulnerabilties to Nikolas are all the more poignant because of that tough go it alone attitude that she tries to hold so close. This Emily has been the best casting the soap has done in some time, she is not only dramatically capable but she also brings a much required romanticism that this medium has misplaced. So far the Emmy race for best younger actress is a two way tie between Livingston and AMC's Eden Riegal and it looks like it's only going to get better.

All My Children's Susan Lucci, Alicia Minshew, and Eden Riegel starred this week in one of daytime's most harrowing hours. In the same week that Y&R's Chris told Wes all the horrific things that had happened to her conveniently minus her ex-husband Paul raping her, AMC graphically displayed the troubling long term effects of such a violent act. Tuesday was a hard to watch fulfilled promise by the new writing team at AMC, they promised us the show of old and delivered. All three actresses stepped up valiently and a big step it was from the shallow storylines that had been overwhelming the content of this show for the past while. Emmys will abound for this episode but hopefully the momentum doesn't stop there, Y&R is begging to be taken over for that top spot in the ratings and truthful hard storylines like this may just be the thing to do it.

As The World Turns Mark Collier is one of the greatest castings this soap has done in years, which is actually saying quite a lot for a show that is lining up all-stars as though they're the Yankees of daytime. Thankfully for the character of Mike who was always pretty laid back and blue collar they resisted the urge to go with an established name and seemingly plucked Mark Collier from heaven. While easily the nicest on the eyes (usually not a good sign, see AMC), this guy can actually act too, right from day one. For anyone who watched back in the day you'll notice that while he does not resemble the previous actor there is some sort of shared quality there that makes you believe that this Mike is the same Mike that lost the baby with Carly (a feat even vet Cady McLain has not reached, her Rosanna is unrecognizable). So when he discovered this week the shattering news that he did not father Sage, there were so many layers of emotion there that you'd swear the guy had been inhabiting these shoes for eight years. Never mind that the tears were fantastically done not too showy (paging DAYS' Cassie) and not too girly (the medium is oft guilty of writing men from an idealized feminine point of view). Collier so easily matches the tone set by the big guns like Maura West and Hunt Block that he's effortlessly moved past rookie status right into the major league batting order.

PASSION's Beth, Mrs.Wallace, Precious, and Charlie along with an artful behind the scenes crew (who truly with those great wide shots make you wonder why Chicago needed even half the budget they used) put together one of the great fantasy sequences in soap history. With an original song and wholly original characters the ladies shimmied through that cell block, making you sorry that they don't give soaps prime-time specials any longer, Beth's outfit alone would have spiked ratings. For anyone who stopped tuning into Passions back near the beginning when they were high on hokey special effects you'd be pleasantly surprised by the sleek look the show adopted this Friday. It was a great and dismal week for soaps, honorable mention to OLTL's Wednesday of Love and GL's Rick impersonating Phillip (which deserves an entire episode). Much sympathy to Port Charles cast, crew and fans, sadly as AW, both SB's, RH, Loving, and a myriad of others will tell you this grave mismanagement isn't the first and won't be the last.

Unfocused as Port Charles may be look hard enough and you'll still find Lynn Herring amidst the confusing vampire merry-go-round doing her thing making every scene seem as real as possible. It should go without saying that Buffy the Vampire Slayer was one of the most creatively satisfying shows in the history of television, part of the reason for that was the rules that governed that fantasy world, you couldn't hop back and forth between being a vampire and a human every five seconds, and certainly not by using some different convoluted method each time. So yeah, there's a pretty large portion of this soap that isn't clicking but what is has Lucy struggling to come to terms with the fact that she is dying. How do you say goodbye to your daughters? How do you look into the eyes of the man you love and say no to his offer of eternal life? This story works because if you strip away all the trappings it's about motherhood and doomed lovers and not knowing how this can be fixed. The problem with everything else on the show is they write it into a corner and invent a way out, with Lucy, or maybe it's simply Lynn Herring's forever on the mark acting we are left expecting something more, something grand. Port Charles is rumored for cancellation, which would be a shame with a full roster of talent there seems an easy solution to re-earn them those Emmy nods, if you're on a schedule not unlike the HBO dramas, the writers should have the luxury of time to fine tune their mini-universe, we should not be looking at giant pot holes that appear to be last minute on-set rewrites.

Days Of Our Lives Bart as played by Steve Blackwood is one of a kind in daytime or any other time for that matter. If you managed to watch his MeMimi scene with Mimi (the increasingly adorable Farrah Fath) without laughing well, please check for a pulse. Honestly you watch that scene and you wonder A) why can't Bart be Mimi's long lost dad or something? and B) why doesn't NBC give this guy the post-Friends timeslot so we have something actually funny to watch. To further emphasize both those points look no further than later in the week, in the heartfelt scene where Bart bid his pal Rolfski adieu, see the thing was Rolf was in the midst of being dead on a park bench and Blackwood played Bart's lack of observation skills to perfect comic effect. Blackwood's one-step slow sidekick is testament to the fact that soap operas do not have to be any one thing, you can have sweeping romance, social awareness, and have a giggle all in one hour.

A week of memorable performances on nearly every soap leads to a three-way tie AMC's Finola Hughes and Vincent Irizarry, along with the departure of DAYS' Matt Cedeno. Both storylines in differing ways were about loss and what might have been. Pine Valley saw the kind of tragedy as pivotal and as reverberating as the one that took the life of Brooke's daughter Laura so many years ago that still in many ways defines that character as a person and mother. Anna and David were confronted with the fact that their divine little Leora was simply not strong enough to survive. In scene after scene from holding the passed on baby, accusing others of murder, and alternately planning or avoiding the planning of the funeral this was the best product AMC has put on the air in maybe at least a year or two. The grieving process is heartbreaking for everyone but also an extremely personal individual thing, captured perfectly in it's diversity by Finola and Vincent. Over on DAYS' Matt Cedeno spent his final days on the show proving the powers that be incredibly wrong. The long awaited reveal that Abe is Brandon's father (while executed in far too much of a hurry) culminated in one of the finest emotionally charged goodbyes this show has ever seen. Having already had an ugly breakup with Sami, Brandon was in a tough place so when his biological father came to see him he didn't know what to expect, there was the open vulnerability that just happens, it's just being, not acting. When Abe announced proudly that his two sons were born that day, and that his youngest would be named Theo Brandon Carver, Brandon melted into tears and his father's waiting arms. Both of these stories share things in common, the most obvious being that soaps are fifty percent writing and fifty percent acting, it's all about the perfect balance. Simply hiring inexperianced cheaper performers may ease budget woes (then again so would losing designer fashions, for starters) but lack of devotion inspires the same in others.

It is said that on the set of Passions when other performers are scheduled to play opposite Ben Masters they take an extra cram session with the on-set acting coach in hopes of matching his level. It's a shame the allegedly revamped Emmys (halfway there, at least Maurice Benard finally got something) don't have the same respect for this actor who can seemingly do anything. Last month he did an ode to Ozzy, one of the many humor tinged episodes that Masters leads with an acidic pompous Steve Martin sort of vibe about him. So yeah, soap critics and whoever the mystery Emmy people are, humor (the purposeful kind at least) elludes them. Well, if his gift to perk up viewers and slap a smile onto there faces isn't appreciated how about taking a look at his surprising new turn as one half of a supercouple with Dr. Eve Russell. With just one subtle change of tone, suddenly this randy guy who enjoyed romping in costume has transformed into something of a romantic leading man, turning a kiss into something much more. Julian and Eve are shaping into something fresh out of a 1950's Douglas Sirk drama, not only an interracial couple but one with a million other reasons why certain people would say they shouldn't be together. With every character Julian is another believable version of himself (who among us can claim to be the same person with everyone we meet?) from gentleness with Whitney to resentment of Fox. Ben Masters not only elevates the performances of those around him, but is constantly taking what at times can be a stale genre to new heights.

OLTL's Clint Ritchie returned yet again this week, and it was another triumph. He lent a masculine cowboy shoulder to all three women in his life and shared a stogie with Pa and brother Bo. This isn't rocket science, pay the man what he wants, let him work five days a week or one day a month, who cares as long as his fatherly presence is felt.

Aside from actually keeping the shows on the air, the hardest thing to do in daytime is a recast. OLTL achieved the impossible, the character of Jessica has had the smoothest transition since Nadine Stenovitch replaced Amy Carlson as Josie on Another World. Canadian actress (and no her accent isn't nearly as prominent as picky critcs would have you believe) Bree Williamson has kept Jessica as the sweet natured blonde we know and love, while infusing the role with subtly nuanced hints that she's grown up. It helps that we never saw Bree at thirteen making it much easier to now accept Jessica in adult situations such as her fantasies of Antonio (which let's face it would have seemed somehow inappropriate with Torpey in the role) and losing some of the little girl fragility that makes it believable when she mixes it up with Dorian and Blair. Particularly great (and parallel in a lot of ways to Torpey's Jessica when she befriended her Uncle Todd) has been the push, pull of Jessica's relationship with biological sociopath father Mitch. Williamson conveyed every emotion this week believing that Mitch is dead and that she is to blame, there were times of immense guilt, times of hope that maybe things would be as they once were before this mess began, and probably wondering if she could take things that far, if maybe she is more like her father than she would ever wish to be. While Williamson and Torpey share many great similarities, as that wordsmith Paula Abdul would say Bree, shines and is making it her own.

As The World Turns Martha Byrne is a standout any given week (despite the fact that the show's focus has heavily and oddly shifted from her Lily to Cady McLain's ABC like diva Rosanna). Martha's Jersey girl Rose is still very much alive in a triangle with best pals Paul and Dusty. After admitting to herself and rogue Dusty that her feelings for him have most definitely evolved, she grappled and agonized over the realization. When at last she faced fiance Paul, it was everything you'd expect of this actress who has grown up before our eyes. Rose fumbled and she stalled, and as if almost against her will the word "love" in it's past tense form flew out of her mouth. Paul lashed back at her declaring her stupid for falling for Dusty and instantly tears flooded her eyes, stupid, she had always had issues of feeling not worthy of a guy like Paul, stupid, was every bit the dagger in her heart as Dusty was in his. While Paul is on his way out (this is a solid leading man who could so easily fill the gap on any one of the other ailing dramas), following in the "boring" footsteps of Andy (producers term, certainly not mine) hopefully Martha Byrne's vibrant portrayal of Rose will encourage the writers to use their imagination as well and not declare another character of that vintage era, boring.

Bold and The Beautiful's Shae Harrison has spent so many years in the soap trenches (i.e. the sidekick/secretary role) that it must be a thrill to finally be the center of the action especially such heartwrenching scenes. In a night of drunken need Darla slept with her best friend's guy and got pregnant. Full of anguish and guilt she made the painful tear soaked decision to abort the baby even though she was already in love with the child. Just as the procedure was to start Thorne ran in and explained that he wanted to adopt the baby since Macy is unable to give birth. From the sorrow of entering that clinic, clinging to Clarke's hand to the furious uprising with regard to Thorne's outrageous request, Shae proved that she is a big league actress who should never have been warming the bench. Bradley Bell should be applauded for trimming the cast of ineffective newbies and rewarding this actress's loyalty, you don't need to create new characters when you can build and expand on history to benefit all.

Llanview's bubbly Marcie (portrayed to endearing perfection by Kathy Brier) is exactly the sort of character that OLTL should focus on now that they've lost the services of their go to guy Roger Howarth. Marcie's value lays not in the fact that she is physically unusual for Daytime (though it is kinda nice) it is that Brier infuses the character with so much heart, all you need do is check out AMC's Fusion girls to see how important that quality is when it's horribly absent. While at first relegated to sidekick, magically (for once) the writers saw the potential and they've gone for it. Her burgeoning relationship with Al, helping him through his drug addiction, sharing her life story with him, is grown up romance at it's unforced best. Brier is a true find, and with the Rappaports truly having run their course, why not bring on those three brothers and father that she so expressively described to Al on Friday (a move that would see ABC introducing a gay army cadet brother, now there's a risk way beyond someone who doesn't fit into size 2 Prada).

Bold and The Beautiful found the true definition of it's title when they were lucky enough to sign on Jack Wagner as sea captain Dominick. Not since the arrival of the equally charismatic adventurer Frisco Jones (coincidence?) has daytime so pulsated with vitality. Perhaps best of all Nick has shaken up the dynamics as far as Ridge is concerned, let's face it, there have been a lot of challengers but no one until now has actually looked up to the task. And then there's the fact that suddenly Southern California no longer seems so clausterphobic, now mixed in with the office and home scenes we get a boat, fake as it may be it's as close as you get lately to location shooting. B&B's Bradley Bell continuously pushes the boundaries of what traditional soap fans are comfortable with, combine that bravura with a similarly conceived portrayal by Wagner and one can picture Y&R handing over the #1 slot.

It has been at least five years since Guiding Light's Frank DiCopoulas had so many meaty scenes to play successively. While there have been big brother advice moments from time to time and putting wayward dad in his place, there haven't really been any Frank moments since Melina Kanakerides left the show (though maybe he should thank his lucky stars there's no San Cristobal or time travel in his history). There were so many fantastic moments this week from sitting in the waiting room in silent pain (also an intriguing conversation with Cassie that begs for exploration), launching a vendetta on Gus and later laying down the law for his teenage daughter. A very full week, which, cross your fingers Cooper fans (wasn't Nadine superb? C'mon Reva's been dead a million times surely Nadine can be revived), hopefully as GL seems to be dabbling in some sort of CSI business that a cop like Frank might have more of this kind of work headed his way, it's well-earned.

As The World Turns Molly is in such an emotionally fragile state that she's providing her portrayer Lesli Kay with some of the best material she's had in years. Molly has always lived her life in desperation, afraid of what won't come next, doing anything it takes to not be alone. Her latest love Mike (whom she glommed to when previous love Jake was killed) betrayed her with best friend and cousin Carly. This week she decided that sex was the ideal replacement for lost love and friendship, first came Dusty then she trolled the bars. After seeing Mike's face in every available leech, Isaac came to her rescue and sent her on her way (definite untapped chemistry between those two). Once again she ended up at Mike's begging him to forget Carly and Dusty, convulsing in tears on his sofa. Molly is one of daytime's best creations in decades when the writing is there, neither the heroine nor the villainess, she is messy and complicated and if ATWT were a movie Kay would be Oscar bait.

It is odd that HBO was so willing to hand over the cash to Sopranos James Gandolfini when soap fans know that GH's Maurice Benard fills his shoes everyday in a far more captivating style. This week we were privy to a rare glimpse at Sonny not only did we see the violence when he held a broken bottle to Jax's neck (the kind of menacing scariness that should be displayed more often by the character, it should be this difficult to love a mobster every week) and we saw the vulnerable ravaged man that he is as he laid his weeping head against his wife. These two warring factions in Sonny's head are the essence of what made viewers want him to stick around after his short term beginning as a small time strip club owner who had to get Karen hooked on drugs in order to keep her with him (good looking and repugnant, now that was daring soap opera). It is great to see that at last GH is exploring Maurice's wish to dramatize the life halting effects that depression has on far too great a number of the population, not only does it deepen the viewers bond with Sonny and his relationship with Carly, but, perhaps an exploration of treatment might actually help some people.

In this shortened week of daytime dramas and morbid images splashed over our televisions, unlike the Oscars this actor of the week honor fully intends to celebrate the frivolous, the distractions from the real ugly world that we're all getting a little too much of these days. No one better fits this role than PASSIONS newest cast member Precious, a lovely young nurse who happens to be an orangutan. There's not a better distraction around than an orangutan in a food fight with an elderly woman.

Looking at the Emmy nominations this week one has to wonder, exactly how good does the cast of As The World Turns need to be in order to get their due in the nominations department? Well, maybe next year, if this week was any indication then again there weren't any squealing cosmetic execs nor vampire sagas (that need some dose of logic, albeit of the fantasy sort) so probably not. Here's a sampling of acting that was apparently unworthy (as they've been going strong all through the voting period): Jessica reeled from her perceived rape as her daughter tried to come to grips with her own questions about that night. Marshall with the barrel of a gun pointed into his chest by Jessica begged her to shoot him if she really believed it possible that he raped her. Margo's horrific past was written all over her face as she listened to Jessica's case. Carly was hospitalized forcing she, Molly, Jack and Mike, to take a big old step towards growing up. Fireball of comic relief Alison manipulated her way out of jail and had a hilarious scene involving a hairbrush and Avril Lavigne. Katie curled into a ball in her house refusing to live her life in case Simon should try to contact her. While all the shows have their niche, and all are populated with outstanding casts it just seems that there ought to have been a few more nominations where Cady McLain's and Benjamin Hendrickson's came from, unless there's now an ABC prerequisite in the latest oddity that they call a voting proceedure.

This was a great week on DAYS to be one of the show's periphery players like Bryan Dattilo's Lucas Roberts. Not only is it nice to see the guy finally get a love interest (one who appears to have an agenda herself) but any chance you get to see Lucas use sarcasm at Sami's expense is well worth the wait. This is a guy who with each episode proves he could hold his own verbally sparring with the likes of ATWT's Hunt Block as well as AMC's Michael Knight, two of daytime's quickest wits. Dattilo is up there with a long list of supporting players on DAYS who help keep a humorous balance to the show, among the honorable mentions this week go to Mimi and her cold medicine, as well as gadget guy Ops.

It is a complete credit to Y&R's Susan Walters that she has managed to in the span of a few weeks turned her Diane into some semblance of a sympathetic character. For a lot of the time Diane has been a one-dimensional character, she wants a man and does devious things to get him, standard soap stuff that no longer really makes an actress stand out. This week after losing custody of her son, Diane wallowed in her loss, she refused to live life anywhere other than cooped up in her apartment, utterly alone. It was clear that she'd never even considered losing the boy as a possible consequence to her actions and now that it hit her she was drowning in it. Not only does Susan resemble screen actress Diane Lane, but this week she displayed the depth of emotion that earned that star her first Oscar nod.

OLTL's Clint Buchanan rode back into Llanview this week for fan fantasy. While it remains up to debate whether over-the-top comedy was truly what fans yearned for (hard to imagine a Nora/Bo reunion wasn't on the list but a lame Matrix redux was), they did get the Buchanan thing very right. There is something so comforting about the cowboy spirit of Clint Ritchie and it was captured perfectly as he came to his daughters rescue in the Wild West. While it was only fiction within fiction, it was still great to see some long awaited scenes between Clint, Natalie, and Jessica. Isn't there something a little bit absurd in the idea that OLTL intends to recreate the magic of the mid-90's (a classic time from Marty's rape, to Luna's mysticism, Angel Square and the AIDS quilt) yet they insist on doing it without an integral piece of the puzzle?

It was recently announced that Guiding Light's Maureen Garrett will no longer be on-contract with the show and the only word that comes to mind is- farce. Garrett has been a mainstay of fan's hearts since the seventies, her Holly has tremendous history with nearly every character on the show from Ed to Blake to Ben. While Ed spent the week trying to convince her that she wouldn't harm Reva, saying "It just doesn't make sense," that's what the viewers should be thinking as well. While Maureen is not exactly exiting the show, not being on contract pretty well means we won't see many more weeks like this one where we get to witness Holly's frustrations and fears. It's simply strange that at a time like this when GL is frantically trying to find their feet, they are shooting themselves in the foot.

DAYS' Alison Sweeney and Kirsten Storms were two of a myriad of standout performances in daytime during the first week of what promises to be a thrilling sweeps period. From OLTL's Blair to ATWT's Molly and even the mustache himself Y&R's Victor it was a great week for soaps, but there was something really special about the scenes between these two polar opposite sisters. Sami of course has really no idea that she's the one sabotaging all of her relationships so she thought why not give little sis the same kind of advice on her breakup that I'd give myself. Belle, however is known for being a levelheaded young woman and called her sister on her manipulating ways, actually causing Sami to breakdown in tears. The scenes underscored everything that defines these two young women- the differences that make fans love them both in entirely different ways. Where Sami leaps, Belle walks with careful cautious steps and yet this doesn't foster the kind of hate that was present in Sami's relationship with Carrie. This one is more real, in some ways more dysfunctional (in that great awkward Six Feet Under sort of way), and in the end even if they don't understand each other, they support each other.

Of all the complaints mentioned about the influx of teens on All My Children, few have bothered to notice that right in their very midst is a diamond in the rough. While fans are busily calling for the head of every actor that even dare play J.R., there's an extraordinarily charismatic young actor named Michael B. Jordan portraying foster teen Reggie. There's an authenticity to this character unlike most any other teens in daytime (for one thing no one's asking us to feel sorry for him because he's a rich kid who blew off a Harvard interview). Anyone who watched the superlative HBO series The Wire knows that this is an actor of depths (in many ways he was the emotional centerpiece of the show) but it's also evident from his verbal sparring with Kendall among others this week that this is someone who knows humor as well. With Trey exiting it will be a shame if AMC doesn't choose to capitalize on what could be their first African-American breakout character since the unforgettable Jesse (which was way too long ago). Speaking of Jesse, why not give guardianship of Reggie over to his old pal Tad, like he has anything else to do? Perhaps it's time daytime followed cable's lead and held out for grit over gloss.

Days of our Lives honored their very own national treasure this week as they celebrated Alice Horton's birthday. A surprise to both the character and her portrayor Frances Reid, this was a rich episode full of gifts for devoted fans. The timing was perfect to take little glimpses of the past family atmosphere that has always defined DAYS (along with supercouples), it is a smart move to remind viewers Salem should feel like a second home to them. From the carefully thought out quilt to our beloved Tom Horton's classically romantic poetry, the entire episode had a beautifully transporting quality (it almost made you forget those twins were ever running around naked). Thursday's spotlight on Alice Horton was so inviting that you would swear you could smell the donuts all the way from your sofa.

DAYS' Hope has been kidnapped probably more times than you could count, but plucky heroine that she is once her beloved Bo comes to the rescue all has been well and good. Only suddenly this last time when she and her baby were in danger it finally had lasting realistic (considering this is DAYS) after-effects. Hope is suffering from post-traumatic stress and Kristian Alfonso is proving herself to be one of the most under-rated actresses in daytime. Despite the whole damsel in distress rep, Hope usually comes across as one of the strongest women in daytime, so it's all the more jarring when our favorite heroine is a less than perfect obviously fragile version of her former self. To say the least the actors on the more outlandish shows like DAYS and PASSIONS rarely get their due, a completely unfair assessment of their work simply because they choose to dance to a different beat. Alfonso has had a very strong year and a half, it is a shame that just because the show dabbled in aliens and brainwashing that she will go without recognition.

ATWT's Jack as played by Michael Park went through a harrowing week, the lowest of lows, the highest of highs (which could well lead to his all-time low). Back on Halloween, Jack's psychotic ex Julia returned to town complete with a bundle of joy named Jack Jr. Well turns out after a few tender months of bonding they were indeed not father and son, the child was kidnapped. Jack's role has so often be reduced to being pushed and pulled between Carly and Julia that you almost forget what an amazing actor Park can be when given material all his own. His goodbye scenes at the airport were brimming with heartbreak and then to the other extreme of pure jubilation when Carly announced she was pregnant. Jack's always kind of had an obsession with being perfect, there is nothing finer than watching how he reacts when he's derailed so things should get even more interesting in the months to come.

Port Charles' Erin Hershey has unequivocally become the star of the show. It was only a couple of years ago that she arrived on the scene as little more than a dim blonde teenager. Over time she was put into a sweet coming of age love story with Jamal (chemistry which could still be mined for a perfect triangle) building up to her decidedly dramatic romance with Rafe, all the while an actress of magnitude has emerged. PC has found their Lily (ATWT fans will tell you that means the heroine you build your show around). While PC has been trying with great effort to find the right direction for the show, they have found an actress (along with Lynn Herring) who can carry the show through whatever rough patches come up. This week was big for PC, they were given an hour long episode in OLTL's slot and for the most part they hit it out of the park because of Alison. She crumpled in utter disbelief when she learned that her fiance Rafe may be her brother, her subsequent breakdown and finding a strange sort of comfort back in his arms again were well and deeply played. The writers still seem to not have quite a grasp on the supernatural, but this love stuff, they're starting to get it right. Hopefully the show will be on long enough for tortured fans of this supercouple to get the splashy wedding they thought was going to happen.

Guiding Light's Crystal Chappell earned an Emmy this year for her portrayal of Olivia Spaulding and it seems that win has given her some sort of free pass to the land of intelligently written stories. After years of pining for Richard and then Josh (which up until this year provided her greatest moment on GL, her operatic near suicide), she now finds herself embroiled in a triangle with her husband and step-son. Olivia is emotionally needy and power hungry all at once, the emotional part appealing to perennial knight in shining armor Phillip, and the power right up Alan's alley. Not since her time as Carly on Days has Ms. Chappell looked as comfortable and thrilled in her role as she does right now (OLTL's Maggie was poorly conceived from the get-go, and it never really made sense that up until now this dynamic woman was always someone's second choice in Springfield). With Olivia now fully established as her own entity the writers will no longer have to rely on Reva to pull the entire leading lady role.

OLTL's Mitch is a mixed blessing for fans, first he's played by an incredible actor and it is mining the show's history, but it's also twisting that history into something that messes with the Buchanans, a definite no-no. While the writers are taking unnecessary liberties, watching Roscoe bring this mad man to life is pure pleasure (as long as you put Clint and Jessie's sweet relationship out of your mind). Having seen this actor portray an alcoholic in a very real way on The City, it is no surprise that a role less ordinary comes so easily. Mitch is pure creepiness no doubt about it and the way he played opposite Jessica this week, almost behaving like he expected her to welcome him with open arms, was ingenius on that nutty scale of his. So basically if you're in the mood like OLTL is, to wreck your history, at least do it with someone as thrillingly, devilishly charismatic as Roscoe.

As The World Turns' Tamara Tunie is proving to be every bit the pioneer that Halle Berry was given the crown for earlier this year. It is a sad fact that an African-American character on television as fully fleshed out as Ms. Tunie's Jessica is quite an anomaly (one prays for the day when it doesn't feel like there are quotas of no more than four of any race on soaps if you're not caucasian). Jessica was once best-known for briefly being Duncan's bride and in recent years as the D.A. without a life. Boy have things changed for the better the last couple of months. We've watched as Jessica struggles to align a thriving career with mothering an adult daughter and getting herself taggled in a messy triangle (with Mr. Stability and a guy with an increasingly fascinating past). Oh, and another thing, Jessica, is not that coveted age demographic. So, you know, we shouldn't have to cheer when stories like this come along, they should be of the everyday variety, but since they aren't they should be spotlighted until suits and viewers alike take notice. So, bravo to ATWT for taking a woman who was the go to for a ton of prime-time shows (24, NYPD, etc.) and allowing her to flourish in the way that she should have been a decade ago. And, Ms. Tunie, here's hoping you do for the daytime Emmys what Ms. Berry did for the Oscars.

This week on DAYS, viewers were treated to a study in contrasts, that would, as far as quality goes, seem to shoot down the adage that satisfying younger demos is for the betterment of everyone. The differences in depth between the scenes of two couples of different age ranges was startling, one was touching, the other corny to the point of embarrasing to watch. Even the most strident Chloe and Brady supporters must admit that the last couple of weeks of moony montages have been right up there with the twirling stars over the bed thing that happened with Carrie and Mike a couple years back. The contrast to that over-romanticized yarn is found in Chloe's parents (come to think of it, they're the same ones who saved the Carrie/Mike dreck as well). Anyway there is some sort of natural coupleness about Craig and Nancy that does not require such bells and whistles. Craig was at Nancy's side when she learned the dangers of her pregnancy, he let her rant, he let her cry. And man, was she good, Patrika conveyed with ease the idea that a mother would throw herself in front of a metaphorical train to save one child let alone both. At the same time, quiet, stoic, comforting Craig is running his own rollercoaster of emotions having learned that Chloe is his, and yet its not exactly the right time to throw that kind of gigantic news out there. To get to the point, Craig simply loves his wife Nancy, there is no need for him to stand on a hilltop and shout it out, that's the difference, genuine romance.

Guiding Light's Nancy St. Alban lets her Michelle do what most soap ingenues never do, underplay things and it works to beautiful effect. This week she was faced with the realization that her husband may be dead, she greeted the news with the pretense that it was no big deal since they were seperated at the time. She went about the usual Thanksgiving chores as though nothing were different in her life as her family and friend Bill watched helplessly. A particularly poignant moment occured when Mel made a perfectly natural comment about loving spending the holiday with her husband, and the look on Alban's face said everything in a quietly, reserved mournful way. It's amazing to think that Nancy is the fourth actress to play this part (all of whom have been remarkably memorable in their own right), and yet it is totally hers. While GL has taken leaps and bounds this year (most notably writing off San Cristobal), it is consistant quality performances like this one that keep us tuned in even through the less watchable times.

General Hospital's Lane Davies has so smoothly stepped into his character Cameron's shoes that one would imagine he's been on the soap for years rather than weeks. His scenes with every single actor are crackling with intelligence, most noticably with his match made in heaven, Alexis, played by Nancy Grahn. It's a rare thing that actors' chemistry carries over from one show to another (see Steve and Kayla morph into Stefan and Katherine, for a bad example) but it's as plain as day with these two, striking even, especially since I have never seen Santa Barbara. Anyway, besides the intriguing romantic possibilities of a completely adult triangle (especially on the days with those teens that are just trying way too hard), it's just great to see any seasoned professional get another gig. After what seems like a billion failed castings for twentysomething heroines and little Jasons and Sonnys in training, it's a refreshing move on GH's part to at last get something right with blatant disregard for demos. Already Lane seems like exactly the sort of pal that Tony Geary can bounce anything thing off of and get a return just as swift and sure (no offense to A Martinez but that fit was never right). Bringing in new (to GH) faces like Rick Hearst and Lane Davies, are exactly the direction this show should be headed in, you have to have your foundation, your go to guys that they let go of years ago with the likes of Robert, Sean, and Tracy.

While Passions may at times linger a little too long on just about every story, they are aces when it comes to creating unexpected characters for any genre let alone soaps. Kathleen Noone's portrayal of Beth's mom, known mainly as Mrs. Wallace, is fairly uncharted territory for American television. Ms. Noone has proven time and again to be one of the most creative eye catching actresses around from her stints on AMC to Knots Landing to Party of Five and on to Sunset Beach (previously land of the wacky prior to Harmony). But, it is perhaps Mrs. Wallace, that is her greatest invention of all. Mrs. Wallace shuns make-up (the actress has abandoned all vanity issues), wears the frumpiest clothes, uses a walker, and in return is given the most killer zingers to recite. Mrs. Wallace is no Grandma Horton or Lila Quartermaine, there are no warm, fuzzies, coming out of this elderly gal. She's taunted and mistreated by her snake of a daughter Beth, she wears diapers and tells the world about it. There's nothing wrong with Glam, that's part of soap's magic, you've just got to have your Erica Kane, but you know, there already is an Erica Kane. So, bravo to Passions and Kathleen Noone for being original.

Every soap could use a villian as seductively evil as ATWT's James Stenbeck. The actor has created one of the most memorable characters in daytime history without ever once being predictable or typical. He's the only character that could come back from the dead a zillion times and not once do you roll your eyes in annoyance. He slithers through Oakdale destroying everything in his path and yet, we, fans of such good-hearted boys as the Snyders, we clamor for his every appearance. We don't know what's going on in that wildly crazy head of his and that's what so intrigues. Basically he's daytime's answer to Hannibal Lecter, only with still more style and flair (and thankfully lacking those tastebuds). Villians in any genre of drama often function in two-dimensions, this actor somehow manages around ten.

Seconds after Lindsey McKeon started playing GL's Marah she was nominated for an Emmy. Rather than this putting a spotlight on her early performances this, for most people highlighted the oddities that are the Emmy system and no one really gave her much of a second look. Somewhere along the way though, it would seem to be right around the time she cut off her Rapunzel locks, she began to really impress. At last the Marah we've been waiting for has arrived, the exactly right mix of her legendary parents Josh and Reva. Once a whiny teen, since her relationship with Tony turned hazardous and her mom has gone to jail, she's done a lot of growing up, mainly one suspects due to the influence of her portrayor. A standout, and what should be guarantee for her second (and definitly earned) nomination occured this week when in Josh mode she was obsessively making arrangements for everyone's visits to mom and just about every other diversionary tactic she could come up with; at last a Reva sized meltdown came in conversation with mom. It is always a pleasure to see someone emerge and take hold of a role, making it something that they and we completely connect with, this is precisely what Ms. McKeon has done. Not since Tammy Blanchard has a young actress come this far, this quickly on Guiding Light, and the best is most likely yet to come.

On and off for more than a decade, B&B's Hunter Tylo has won fans devotion and fought off tremendous (sometimes vicious) media scrutiny. As rumors would swirl and swell, Hunter would keep her head up and create a heroine in Taylor who embodied that same fighting spirit. This week was a sad one for all of those who have loved her performances throughout the years (not to mention that there will never be another triangle as strong as the one she formed with Ridge and Brooke). Watching those last scenes of Hunter in the hospital it was like she was saying much more personal goodbyes, especially with friend Ronn Moss. It's a shame that Taylor so rarely got stories to call her own (good girls aren't exactly welcome on this show it seems) but what she got to work with she always gave her all to. The loss of this character may seem like the end of an era, but Hunter's fans know that she'll pick herself up dust herself off and come back in that grand diva style that the gossip rags so love to label her with.

One Life To Live's James DePaiva this week recreated the same loopy chemistry he once had with Luna, and he did it by connecting with a videotape. If that teary, full-on reactionary scene wasn't great acting, what is? While there was certainly louder action on some other soaps this week (well-crafted character finales on B&B, AMC) it was Max's quieter moment that bespoke more truth than anything else. The last few years OLTL has run so far away from the idea of romantic longing that it almost seemed that there was no turning back. Certainly Roxy is one of the best characters they've come up with in eons so at first it was interesting when she was paired with Max, but then, as they do on this show, they deluted their marriage by setting up Asa and Rae in a similar one. That said, the situation is being fixed by this one pivotal scene of Max watching Luna on tape. Not only did it remind viewers that once upon a time Max wasn't merely a guy who traded witty barbs with his enemies, but he was also half of a couple that made viewers hearts leap, and that could happen again with Roxy (she isn't playing this as the gold-digger anymore, there's something else there). The result of a little reminiscing will mean a potentially richer story and at least that would give them two viable couples on the show. Todd and Blair can't do everything and those college kids are a wash.

AMC's Aidan is exactly the sort of guy that this show needs so naturally the writers are doing all things possible to make the viewers detest him. Smart, huh? Your one viable younger leading man who could fill Leo and Ryan's shoes and you make him the interloper in the Maria/Edmund dynasty. The thing is, this guy is much more likable and charming than that kiss this week would suggest to longtime fans forever pining for that reunion. The character of Aidan is so unlike the current crop on the show, thanks to the efforts of this Brit actor. For one thing, he's an all out hero unlike David's split personality or Edmund's hard-headed approach to every scene. There's something to be said for the old school way he looks out for all the women in his life (without making it cheesy like one Chris Stamp). Fools that they seem to currently be, AMC will probably let him go while hanging on to certain others (Trey) who just can't fill that Leo gap. There's an eighties song, something along the lines of "I Need A Hero" well, so does AMC, if only the writers could figure out that they already have him.

DAYS' Phillip is perhaps the most unstable leading man the show has ever featured, and it's all the more fantastic for it. While his rival nephew Brady is the supreme kind of soap hero that we all know and some love (checklist: oiled up shirtless scenes, the stoic hide your emotions type, endlessly cultured even though he wears jeans, etc., etc.,) the other half of the audience prefers someone who practices a little more emotional abandon. Jay Kenneth Johnson has brought new dimensions to puppy dog neediness, mixing in some volitile anger and a dash of dreamboat. This week was an especially not good time for Phil, in the aftermath of Chloe dumping him, his parents cut him off, Shawn wanted to kill him, and worst of all that creepy Cynthia got him drunk. It's perhaps that drunken scene where he busted in uninvited on Chloe's birthday party that best displays how the fans of this triangle could be so divided. While Brady is often depicted as having this effortless cool about him, poor Phillip reeks of desperation and he has no intention of hiding that fact from anyone; while Brady could barely bring himself to kiss his dream gal, Phil is willing to spill his guts and be stomped on. Some of us just can't help but root for the guy that wears his heart so flagrantly on his sleeve since you know it's going to cause him to keep falling on his pretty face. Sadly Jay Kenneth Johnson is leaving soon, and so even if they recast extraordinarily well this triangle will have lost a large portion of it's bite, but until that very last day, half the fans will keep pulling for their favorite underdog and one of the finest young actors in daytime.

It is rare when a star the size of Joan Collins can step into any show (primetime or daytime) and not stick out like sore thumb. Yet somehow in her first week this legend of evening drama was woven seemlessly into what is already a very familiar family in Springfield. Equipped with the tart tongue that the other actresses who also breathed brilliant life into Alexandra possessed, as well as a heightened glamor not seen on daytime since the eighties (most every viewer must have looked upon her with the same awe that Marina did), Joan Collins is the total package. She demands attention in that grand diva way that the soaps used to love (even Erica Kane has mellowed way out over the years, much to our chagrin). She is a classic, as demonstrated in any one of a half dozen scenes this week from her dramatic entrance at the Beacon to her obviously faux concern for her brother Alan. Ron Raines and Joan Collins as feuding siblings looks like it's going to shape up to be a match made in soap opera heaven. It's rare when stunt casting works, but after only a week in, it's fairly safe to say Guiding Light has hit the jackpot.

General Hospital's long nap should be officially over now that Vanessa Marcil is back where she belongs (perhaps not completely over there's still those lengthy Luke vacations that mess up the story momentum every year). Every show needs a little jolt of star power, a pivotal anchor, a go-to character that can be relied on during even the worst writing lulls. It became painfully obvious when Vanessa flew the coop for 90210 that she had become one of those actresses, her show's Martha Byrne, Kristian Alfonso, or that most hallowed of names, Susan Lucci. Vanessa made her Brenda fiery and lovable from the very start which left a void the size of the grand canyon when she left. Though she's been hanging around that yacht for awhile now, this week she officially arrived. Without amnesia to hamper the sparks (what a waste over at AMC) Brenda got longing traumatic looks at each of the loves of her life (quickly reminding viewers that this was a triangle up in the pantheon of soapdom), to watch Brenda's face move from elation to horror upon seeing Sonny "gunned" down in one large operatic moment was exactly the kind of rush of emotions that has made this actress so beloved. And the wisp of jealousy that came through when she spotted Jax outside with Skye, was still more vintage Brenda, the impetious girl who doesn't really know what she wants until she sees someone else with it/him. Throw in what seems to be the obsessive love coming from Alcazar, wild card Jason, not to mention a couple not so meek and mild probable rivals in Skye and Carly; and suddenly GH has six or seven potentially compelling stories to tell. At a time when the show has for what seems eons been turning out paens to the ridiculous (Laura's haywired exit, Nik and Lucky disposing of what seems about a hundred bodies by now, and Scotty's changing personalities like Carrie Bradshaw changes shoes) it's great to see that at least potentially this show has someone in place to build off of; Vanessa is doing her part, now it's up to the writers to keep it coming.

Y&R's Eileen Davidson has done a fantastic job of showing beauty queen Ashley Abbott dealing with the ugly truths of cancer. It's nice to see an actress willing to not look perfect for the sake of keeping a story as real as you can. The realities of the disease have hit Ashley hard, first it was the vanity issues then closing out her husband and now contemplating her mortality. Not that the storyline is entirely grim and depressing, an soap fan got a kick out of at last the reveal that Victor is the father of Ashley's daughter. This is where Young and the Restless is at it's best when harsh drama meets impending superb melodrama. From Y&R to DAYS and back again, Eileen is continually reaching higher in her performances, and the viewers are benefitting.

GL's Danny is nearly a perfect character for any show, he can be the leading man and he can also do a great job in the supporting category without it seeming like he's being slighted.  It is Paul Anthony Stewart's giving nature in his scenes that make then so compelling whether it's reacting to Cassie's recent woes (those two still ooze the chemistry they had on Loving, even if it only becomes a friendship) or in the superlative scene where he fought back tears while singing a song and looking at a photo of his wife and child & Stewart loads every moment with full emotion, and the opportunities to revel in this actor's talent are all the more abundant now that both Danny and Tony's violent sides are front and center (it's all right to keep the mob work vague, but show's like GH must follow GL's lead you can't pretend that your show's godfather is as gentle as a mouse simply because he's attractive, it is the ugliness that draws women to these men).  Guiding Light is hopefully back on track to their former level of greatness, the only gaping hole they need now address is the icky Lorelei/Bill connection, he is the antithesis in what went into casting someone like Stewart.

OLTL's Kamar De Los Reyes has most often since his much wanted return to the show had the unlucky fortune to be the designated shirt-taker-offer. A complete joke to anyone who has actually watched this guy act, he's not the model type who's only interesting once make-up oils him up, you could call OLTL's treatment of this tremendous talent, criminal. That said this week, his Antonio did something that most soap characters never do he felt mind wrenching guilt. Having accidently shot Ben (putting him in a "permanent" coma) police officer Antonio, could not deal with anyone's sympathies or assurances that they knew it was merely an error of the worst kind. Kamar's Antonio could not help reflecting on his past, his rise from gang-banger prisoner to upstanding citizen, which to him, makes this the ultimate fall. It simply isn't good enough that there are month long droughts for material this strong and for an actor of this calibre. Obviously to the writers and producers chagrin, this latino is much more than a lover, and it's time they woke up to it before he jumps ship yet again.

Y&R's Neil is a shaken shell of the former buttoned up businessman that we thought we knew so well. Everything about this story makes it the most fascinating that this venerable soap has offered up in some time. First off, you have the fact that Neil has always been extremely judgemental, no one could have been perfect enough to meet his expectations, and suddenly the tables are turned. If you've turned off Y&R lately tune back in, as you can imagine Dru (who could basically do nothing right by Neil) is back and we all know she has some opinions. St. John's performance of a man who used alcohol to numb the pain and who is now being used by the alcohol has been nothing short of brilliant, there has not been a daytime portrayal of alcoholism this real since Linda Dano's Felicia on Another World, and that's what she got her Emmy for. A lot of the time television is so concerned with keeping the glam that they are unwilling to truly go to the messy ugly depths of a situation. The fact that Y&R's ratings are slipping a teensy bit is a worry to the industry in general but with stories like Neil's harrowing descent into the bottle and Ashley's cancer battle perhaps viewers can overlook the other spotty parts (like for instance, Sharon's weird obsession with non-latin latino Diego).

ATWT's Margo is facing the challenge of her life, as a result of a brutal rape years ago she developed Hepatitis C. It's a major turn of the tables for Margo, not one big on vulnerability, this strong police woman is anything but willing to allow her family to do everything for her. The last time we saw Margo in a storyline this big it was that weird relationship with Eddie and landing herself in the mental ward, not exactly stellar material. Fast forward to now when Ms. Dolan is getting to play on her character's rich history and you have a storyline so enveloping that when that Avanya mess comes on the air it seems like they pulled it from old eighties stories that GH tossed out. While Emily has been acting all Stepford lately, it's nice to see that no matter what happens scriptwise Dolan tries to keep her Margo on an even keel, always the curious cop, always hiding behind that tough veneer. It's simply a nice treat for longtime fans and the uninitiated when an actress and vet of this calibere is given the reins.

Passions Josh Ryan Evans was a gifted young actor and a person of tremendous heart. Harmony will be a difficult place to visit without knowing that right around the corner will be the gentle smile of a living doll. As a soap fan it was a priviledge to watch Josh mold and shape Timmy into a fully formed, loving and heroic boy, when in less capable hands the role may have been merely a novelty. Through his personal appearances on the likes of the Montel Williams show and Rosie, those of us who never had the fortune to meet him could see that Josh was a formidable person, full of heart and strength, he was the role model that the media seems to perenially be seeking. Josh's Timmy was responsible for so many laughs, bringing a smile to his audiences faces even through our most trying times. This week as we grieved alongside Tabitha, our tears were all too real, Josh Ryan Evans and Timmy left an impression in a place where he will never ever be forgotten.

This week Jesse Metcalfe's performance on Passions has been nothing less than revelatory. Miguel has basically spent the last couple of years quietly being the bland toy that the various Charity's and Kay's fight over, he's been a nice shiny trophy but little else. Cut to this week, not only does he now know that best bud Kay somehow duped him into sleeping with her, but with all that guilt hanging over him, his beloved Charity is lying ill in the hospital, on the verge of death. In the era of simply insincere unprepared emotion free acting (i.e. AMC's Simone, among other crocodile tears people), Jesse seemed to be really broken up over everything, it was quite brilliant to see, he just put it all out there on the line. Normally the only praise easily doled out to Passions is for their deft comedy stylings, yet somewhere lurking in the background was this young man who seemingly out of nowhere (but given the right sort of meaty material like his sister's execution) has turned into a real performer. This is one young man who obviously deserves to have more to do than be eye candy for teenage girls, hopefully there will be more where this came from, wherever on earth this came from.

AMC's Julia Barr has not had a whole lot to do for the last five or so years as Pine Valley's lovelorn sweetheart Brooke English. First she had a romance with her adopted daughter's pornographer (an ever so not-lovely storyline) and then she fell for the man who struck and killed her biological daughter (potentially interesting though ultimately ruined by casting and convoluted plastic surgery). Fast-forward to now, when Brooke is hooked up with Edmund again (she left him once before to do the right thing and be with Tad for Jamie's sake), all was going smoothly, a little too smoothly, yawn inducing smoothly. Only all of a sudden little hints have popped up here and there that have Brooke behaving all jumpy like that kid in Sixth Sense, and doing a mighty fine job of it as well. How often do you watch these back from the dead things on the soaps and the reactions by the all the characters is kind of like a shrug of the shoulders and then getting on with life as normal? Well life is anything but normal for Brooke, she's turned into a messed up bundle of nerves thinking that any moment her fiance's deceased wife Maria is going to come knocking at her door. While this Eva LaRue Callahan much vaunted return is taking way, way too long to get going, it's been nice to see a veteran like Ms. Barr reap some benefits from all the hype.

Supernatural leanings, hopped up on comedy, wacky coincidences, and romances ripped to shreds. This is Passions, a very love it or loathe it sort of place. Lately it's been pretty love it and laugh out loud at it stuff. Where to start, well how about the network actually laying down some dollars for daytime. How shocked were you really that that race of Brian's didn't simply consist of Diana's pained reactions on the sidelines? Instead we actually got stock cars, a pit crew, a fiery explosion, it was like that Simpson trial had never destroyed soaps at all. Such campy fun abounds all over the place in Harmony (this is the place if you want a slight respite from the seriousness of certain other soaps), just take a look at Beth's mom (played by superb vet Kathleen Noone), it's like yet another creepy take on "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane." Talk about creepy, if you missed the look on Ivy and Rebecca's face when "dead" Theresa sat up in her grave, then you missed some of the most priceless reactions since the silent film era. Wait, there's more, from the Father telling Kay she has lust in her heart to that endearing road-tripping coupling of Julian and Tim-Tim, if you want a little light-hearted fun to fit the sunny weather this is the place to be. Passions isn't always my cup of tea, it's more of a catch you in the right mood kind of thing, but when it does it's really one of the most fabulously decadent hours on television.

With GL's Kim Zimmer as the resident diva, it's rare that we get to see her in an out and out dramatic situation that does not involve fountains or red dresses. Generally the Harlequin stuff goes Reva's way, while the heaviness is given to the down to earth types like The Bauers (not that there's any room for complaining there), however this week she was forced to face a very real dilemma. Her brother-in-law and former husband Richard (this is Reva after all) was gravely injured in a car accident, his every breath was a painful and machine assisted one. Reva could not bare the sight of it, reeling for the ordeal put upon her little sister's family, but she determined that once again she must be the strong one. She found a placard where she could point and Richard could answer yes or no by blinking, after repeated heartbreaking confirmations she realized he wanted to die. In the belief that it was the only thing to do, morally right or wrong, she disabled the machines and through tears sang a gospel to her ailing family member. This is a controversial subject from any point of view, added to the fact is that afterwards Reva went to the chapel seeking some sort of forgiveness or understanding, a showing of religion that is often ignored in Daytime for fear of offending the most delicate ears. Rumors are swirling that Zimmer may once again be readying to leave GL for new challenges, but hopefully the scribes will be able to repeat this tough moving story a few more times and keep this most dynamic of divas around.

Guiding Light's Rick was not to be missed this week, and considering he's a heart patient in dire need of a transplant he's not this week's pick for the dramatic reasons you might think. You see this week Rick was a Yankee Doodle Dandy. This year the usual life of the Bauer barbecue was tossed from his normal grilling duties, left to observe all from the sidelines in a wheel-chair so he fantasized about how he would make it up to everyone next year and it surpassed Passions on the humor barometer. While there was loads of singing this week from patriotic to downright rockin' (OLTL's Jessie could quit anytime and become the next Gwen Stefani) by far the most fun had was by Michael O'Leary in his top hat and striped tails. When you see a guy who can switch so deftly from drama to humor, it's all the more irksome to see a piece like the CBS Sunday news aired last weekend virtually mocking the show at every turn while they claimed to be honoring GL for it's longevity. You'd think the network would show at least half the respect to these hardworking people as Mr. O'Leary shows to his fans each time he fills a performance with such gusto.

B&B's Jennifer Finnigan's elevated performance this week as Bridget was blow you away kind of stuff. By daring fans to dislike heroine Brooke, B&B took a great leap of faith, a truly great one. While the chemistry between Brooke and her randy son-in-law is still not quite to be believed, it has proven to be a showcase for fine acting by all involved. Anyway, back to Ms. Finnigan (as Warren Beatty I'm sure thrillingingly referred to her months ago), here is a gal who has been perfectly likeable since joining the show, but she not unlike Taylor, has, for the most-part been a sideline player. However now that she found out about Brooke and came at her mother with such force and such power, now this is definitely a woman to watch. It was a bit of a curiosity that Jennifer won the Emmy this year, again, not because she isn't good, but playing the pansy most of the time hasn't been all that flattering, but it seems after this week those voters must be a little clairvoyent. Finnigan just provided a series of stunning moments that were like verbal slaps to her mothers face, from the admission that she spent her childhood not growing up carefree but instead defending Brooke's actions and perhaps, the hardest hit of all when she delivered the news that she was no longer her daughter. Wow. Yes, maybe those Emmy voters aren't so corrupt just clairvoyent, maybe Jennifer is just the beginning and those best non-nominated actors on daytime over at OLTL will someday really be on the best daytime drama, that is if B&B doesn't steal their thunder first.

General Hospital's Billy Warlock (A.J) is by far the most underappreciated actor on the soap, and this is a soap that's currently underappreciating buckets of talent. For some reason the show feels that Sonny & Jason are the good guys and therefore somebody, anybody, A.J, has to come up with the short straw and be the villian who hasn't really done anything all that wrong ever. Yes, he was an alchoholic who accidently ran over Jason, note this was an accident, and Jason's pretty much long ago decided it was the best thing that ever happened to him anyway. And Carly? She fell down the stairs during a tussle with A.J and lost her baby, that was a two way tussle, and she has never been the mother of the year that her saintly mob cohorts like to repaint her history as being. Ahh, that was a relief to get it all out there, somehow despite every sympathetic thread of life that Billy weaves into his character the fans and the writers just won't give the guy a break. This marriage to Courtney (though so far not much more than the blonde sister/wife role) is a step in the right direction, not to Sonny/Jason's ridiculous level of sainthood but just to further emphasize the very human being inside the bundle of faults. As a long time fan of Warlock from his role of Frankie on DAYS to yes, even Baywatch, the guy has shown dramatic growth across the board so this particular week it was fun to see A.J making the rounds doing job interviews, how very un-Quartermaine of him, and how very much the most sensible current story among a sea of mixed up romances courtesy some creatively challenged writers. A.J is one of the few fully fleshed characters on the show right now, love him or hate him, try watching him without your rose-colored Jason glasses on and you might be pleasantly surpised with what you find.

ATWT's Jessica Dunphy has brought the same sort of spirited, slightly devilish aura to her performance as Alison, that Kelley Menighen Hensley has always delivered, talk about great casting. It hasn't been since Jordana Brewster that the teen scene has been so watchable on this soap, sure it's somewhat stereotypical, Alison is the blonde nasty girl, Lucy is the brunette nice girl, and Aaron is the cute boy they crush on. Still all three young actors have chemistry and an immediate commraderie that makes it more watchable than most of the manufactured tales in the summer. It is so much fun to watch Alison, always acting before she thinks, and feeling so much that she just doesn't know how to cope, a lot like Susan and Emily. Alison has been rapid-aged, there were probably only a handful of scenes that she actually had up until now, so extra credit goes to the young actress who has the ability to make it seem like we've been watching her squabbles with mom and sis for eons. Advertising dollars make it inevitable that every summer daytime will pander to those younger demos that often make year-long viewers cringe, but there is nothing to complain about when it concerns interwoven histories, for example, Emily or Days' Sami advising their little sisters is priceless stuff, but on the flip-side who knew or so far, at least, cares that AMC's Anna had another long lost relative, even if he is cute and British?

What with wacky candles and zombies invading the soap world its the tiny quiet scenes that one often craves, a thirst that was fully quenched with the scene of Ed Bauer experiancing tap water once again (he'd been lost in a hostile village in Africa). For every minute that Peter Simon brought this wonderful life back to the screen it was like having those terrifically awful memories of San Cristobal slowly etched one by one back out of our brains. Yeah, Richard has his fans, there'll be lots of tears, blah, blah, blah, but with the return of the prodigal father it feels like a return to vintage, a return to the reason the show has been running for some sixty years. Ed's standoffish reunions with his adult children (along with Holly and Vanessa) was as real as GL has gotten in a long time, there was so much history communicated with so few words, from his alcoholism, to his feelings of failure and enduring love of Maureen. It's disheartening to watch shows like AMC & OLTL (among other offenders) ignore their rich histories forsaking a true connection with loyal audiences in order to repeatedly introduce fresh faces who have little to offer the entirety of the canvas other than looking pretty in glossy soap mags. And maybe if we're lucky the powers that be may allow Mindy and Dylan to fill out the Lewis/Shayne clan a little further past the wedding as well.

Anna Stuart has brought exactly the sort of biting wit to the role of Mary on AMC that the soap has woefully lacked for many months. Between the confounding Proteus and Trey dreck to Dixie's death and Enzo's illness, nary a smile has been cracked. Along comes a comedic (and for anyone unfamiliar with her work, a dramatic dream) savior in the form of Ms. Stuart a veteran of the cruelly cancelled Another World, who like her co-star Mark Pinter can turn ho-hum writing into vintage gold. Her debut featured many the uproarious quip and a controlling nature that Erica Kane will look at and weep all over her Manolos. AMC is close to eighty-percent unwatchable at the moment, even the most ardent fans will agree, but with little additions like this they're heading in the right direction (you have to build families on these shows, you can't have too many singles floating around with no place to go on the Thanksgiving episodes), now if only they'd hire a writing team not so in love with quickie relationships and absurd twists of the illogic.

Strangely, Christine on Y&R came home to find her husband had fathered another woman's baby and for the first time in memory it didn't feel like she was a victim. In the past, Lauralee Bell's Christine has been the pristine epitamy of perfection that is constantly wronged but since the actress' return from maternity leave there has been a new unspoken strength about the character. There are so many people coming at Christine, from Paul to Michael, to Mary and Lauren, all equipped with their own agendas and for once the lady lawyer is not being pulled into all of their drama. Sure, she still has feelings for Paul and she crumbled a little at the end of the week, but it wasn't the same old weeping fest that it would have been back in the old days. Lauralee has said that her aim was to bring something new to the role she's played since a teen, and she has, and it's been good and subtle in a medium that usually calls out for drastic unrealistic changes.

Michael E. Knight's Tad will most often be remembered as Pine Valley's class clown. It never failed, in the eighties and through about half of the nineties, no matter the overwrought drama happening through much of the show, there was Tad with some witty aside to make us laugh. Suddenly in the past few years Tad has become somber and serious, not necessarily to the betterment of the actor or the show. You saw it in the clips they showed this week honoring Dixie's memory, from their first meeting to the infamous chicken suit there was a lightness to him that hasn't been there since his second ill-fated affair with Liza. This is not at all to say that Knight isn't a fabulous dramatic actor, which is precisely why he's this week's pick. Tad's reaction to Dixie's death was one of disbelief (similar to the viewers), all of the scenes including the quiet contemplative ones were outstanding, especially when he saw the framed sonogram with the name Kate. As involving as Michael's acting was through this you couldn't help noticing that the montage of Dixie was mostly taken from the archives as this go round the old spark really hadn't been written the way it once was. All of that said, hopefully if you're going to temporarily kill off a character with important ties like Dixie had, let's make sure it has some repurcussions, let's see a change in Tad that turns him back into some former semblance of himself who can leave the perpetual mid-life crisis behind him.

Y&R's Phyllis has had a very rocky road on her quest to go from vixen to Christine in training. Michelle Stafford has deftly handled the change, always keeping some of the old Phyllis' biting style while bringing forth a truly sympathetic vibe. Faced with the fact that her husband had a child with another woman her old instincts took hold and she tried to get Diane to leave town to no avail, as her rival has eyes for one big happy family. The case finally landed in court with a myriad of insults being flung in both directions but the biggest blow was at Phyllis. One of her few friends Michael, was defending Diane, and he hit Phyllis at her very core, attacking her ability to be a mother. Phyllis was forced to relive all of her past mistakes, just as she has been doing ever since losing her parental rights to Daniel, only this was no longer silently suffering in privacy. Stafford as usual came through with a forceful performance, her Phyllis was both commanding and weak on the witness stand, not an easy feet for any actor to accomplish.

ATWT's Tom Eplin gave his final performance as AW's Jake this week, obviously any moment this actor was on screen is worthy of mention even when his run is ending in a very wrong way. When it was announced that ATWT would be bringing on some old AW cast members fans were ecstatic that at least a little bit of Bay City would live on, of course then our beloved Vicky was killed and now apparently for nothing more than to give Molly a grand dramatic showcase we lose Jake one of the most dynamic characters in soap history, thanks a lot, AW fans were paid off for their viewership by getting salt rubbed into their gaping wounds. For any ATWT fans who don't understand this complaint let's put it this way, imagine Lily and Holden move to Springfield (GL) they get murdered by one of those anonymous soap serial killers and the people you see mourning them didn't know about his eight hundred million children or her eight hundred million husbands. Here's the ending that wouldn't have left such a bad taste, Jake discovers that in fact his true Lassiter love Vicky is still very much alive he takes Bridget and Michelle (named for Vicky's loved ones, not Molly's) to reunite with their mom. ATWT could still have given Molly enormous heartache and the AW fans their due all in one go. Years ago Jake's death was staged on AW, and there was a scene on that perfect history filled swingset where once sworn enemies Paulina and Vicky commiserated over the loss of their lover and friend as a Billy Joel song played in the background, that's the kind of impact Tom's character should have had, that one still remembers long after, scenes that were merely about him. This may have been one in a long line of examples as to why crossovers are impractical (history is awfully hard to duplicate by those who haven't witnessed it) but whether you're merely someone who met Jake through Oakdale or you watched from the moment he rode into our hearts on that motorcycle, you know that Tom Eplin created something special here, for anyone who remembers, you can count on Jake.

General Hospital's Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst) began her stint as the anti-Sarah and she was actually a whole lot more fun when sneaking out of Gran's house and acting bad seed like. Then Liz was raped and unlike other such to be unnamed victims on this show, it really did alter her whole world, as it should. Initially this offered the young actress a chance to shine, but somewhere the girl who breezed into town (not unlike the way Brenda did) became the damsel in distress, a role that should have long ago been outlawed on daytime. Liz has been left to linger on the canvas as the go to simpering wimp until recently when suddenly she was equipped with the same kind of clarity she once had. She finally saw right through her supposed boyfriend Lucky (recasting fizzled their supercoupleness), her friends (though Gia and Nikolas make for beautiful schemers) and her sister, who after all these years still has virtually no life of her own so she thieves from Liz. Anyway, the point is Rebecca Herbst has the acting chops and watching her sever her ties with these people was as exhilerating to watch as it must have been for the actress to play. Now that Liz's slate has finally been washed clean maybe there's a place for her in the show to carry off the romance while at the same time keeping that back bone that we all know she has (though please someone other than Jason, the last thing we need is another girl for Carly to be jealous of).

GL's Jordi Vilasuso plays Tony Santos as a volitile young man, often explosive, borderline dangerous. Borderline mostly because this is a soap and somewhere in there has to lay a romantic heart, and boy does he play that well (check out that last prison scene and the way he looked at Marah). This week everything came to a head in two fateful meetings orchestrated by assumingly one of Tony's very own family members. First off, Tony confronted his brother the priest and finally got the answers he thought he wanted until he actually heard them. When told the truth Tony flipped out striking his brother and then ultimately saddened, collapsing in his arms. The news? That his wife had lost their baby weeks ago and lied to him about it. Meanwhile his wife was having it out with his former girlfriend/true love both women were knocked out, the wife for good. Tony arrived on the scene full of rage until he saw what he thought had happened and took action to protect his true love (thinking she was his wife's murderer). Whew! It's a tangled web, but thanks to Jordi's smooth transitions through all those emotions we're not merely left thinking that this is one ridiculous misunderstanding, you just get his motivation completely this need to protect Marah because he started this screwed up mess. Vilasuso has had charisma to burn from the moment he stepped in front of the camera, it's nice to see GL slowly grooming him to take more of a leading role, equally nice was seeing him get one of the only deserved nominations in his category at the Daytime Emmys.

At long last Amelia Heinle has a character to play, it's funny how you can be on a show for months and only just suddenly get story. Anyone who watched Heinle's portrayal of bulimic model Steffi on Loving/The City has known the talent was there so it was frustrating waiting around for AMC to do something with her. Awhile ago Mia confessed to her sister that she had a baby and gave it up, information which weighed appropriately heavy given this week's dilemma. Liza in a heartfelt plea asked Mia to care for Colby should anything happen to her during brain surgery, naturally Mia was touched but also severely overwhelmed. Mia was genuinely scared and genuinely freaked out just by being in her big sis' hospital room because of the implications that some other life could now depend on hers. Thanks to big eyes that constantly look to be on the verge of spilling buckets and a gift for honest emoting Amelia made it seem like the logical thing that Liza would leave her daughter to this virtual stranger whom not so long ago she couldn't stand the sight of (it also helped to show her having some quiet time with her niece). Amelia's talent makes you forgive the AMC scribes for morphing her so many times, first as some con gal, then swiftly turning her into all the broken hearted guys favorite naked shoulder to cry on and now after much perseverance we're seeing the consistancy which allows for a character to take shape. With the promising new little family that is comprised of Mia and Liza, along with the introduction of Trey as a man from her past (and strangely with glasses like Cooper, her legendary love on Loving) there are now endless possibilities and the chance after months of Proteus to eschew the plot driven drivel and actually get creative on a real level.

Not only was Alison Sweeney the greatest contestant in the history of Fear Factor, but she does a pretty fine fictional meltdown as well. There are so many complaints that DAYS drags out all of their stories, but their payoffs are always so explosive so why complain? Sami has made a career of manipulating dim-bulb Austin, she even managed to sort of convince him that he was at least enough in love with her to get hitched in Vegas. She came pretty close to having all of her dreams come true, but remember this is Sami, her plans are nearly as rock solid as anyone who tries to oust Y&R's Victor from his power trip. Sami proceeded to dance around in her trashy wedding dress flaunting her soon to be bliss in everyone's faces, cue her enormous public downfall. One last bitter argument with Lucas revealed all to her eavesdropping fiance, not only did he dump her once in a private suite, he dumped her twice in front of family and friends at the chapel. It was all very melodramatic, very Sami, very marvelous. Only Sweeney could get away with screaming out his name the way she did and come off not only sympathetic despite her devious past, but as credible as the fantastic supporting veteran players around her. It has been a pleasure to watch the progression of this actress from teen crushing on her sister's boyfriend to protective mom to someone too lonely to know their own heart. Yeah, Sami deserved her comeuppance and it was nice for Austin Peck that at least on his last days his character was allowed a clue, but it really feels like Sweeney has only just begun. Somewhere out there this girl's Emmy moment is waiting to happen, we just have to bang loudly enough to wake up the nominating committee.

One Life To Live's producer recently expressed outrage at the Emmy nominating process because it basically decided that OLTL, DAYS, & PASSIONS are devoid of good acting, and he was right. Too many people seem to be watching PASSIONS the same way they would watch a more dramatically intensive show like ATWT and therefore they declare it cornball and a turn-off five minutes in. That's a big mistake, PASSIONS has turned into an ensemble show that excels at humor (a quality the highly praised AMC was lacking this year) and overblown romance (not seen with the mostly mismatched pairings on the highly praised GL). PASSIONS is meant to be fun and escapist, not everything has to be so serious. This week they introduced someone who should be put on contract immediately if he isn't already, Theresa's lawyer, a Johnny Cochrane type brought loads of laughter into a rather sedate week of soapdom. His "Outragious, bodacious, degredacious," speeches are some of the most classic soap dialogue ever. PASSIONS and this actor have created an hilarious character who actually has me looking forward to a courtroom trial (generally the big yawn on soaps), if that tiny innovation isn't worthy of noting that they're doing something right then, yeah, I suppose Proteus was swell stuff just so long as you didn't watch it.

So much has been made of PC's Rafe (deservedly) of late that another of the show's fine young actors is going unnoticed. Kiko Ellsworth's Jamal is another of the young magnetic men on GH's baby sister show. While he shares Rafe's same flare for the romantic he also offers up a sense of danger and disconnectedness unusual to anyone on PC who isn't an outright villian. Jamal is street smart and at times distant, a nice contrast to Rafe's huggability. Kiko was particularly remarkable this week when he finally broke down in front of Jack over the death of his old girlfriend and the responsibilty he felt for it, the guilt had been eating away so much at him that finally after weeks of pent up anger all he could do was wash it away with tears. Finally after a month or more of Jamal being cruel to Alison and doing things that generally seemed out of character in these few scenes this week it was justified, it is due to Kiko's understanding of the character that he was able to justify the writer's occasional waywardness. There were lately a lot of rumors swirling that Jamal would be exiting the show, hopefully this is just a rumor as not only is diversity necessary but plain old fashioned good acting regardless of color is a must.

It would seem that there is nothing better than watching ATWT's Benjamin Hendrickson act all creepy as Hal. Then again, everything on ATWT is so good right now that it really is difficult to single out any one performance but Hal becoming this zombie of his former self is such fun stuff. Hendrickson is doing a fantastic job, you truly never know what Hal's going to do next now that he's under James' spell, he seems far more troubled than Julia and that's saying a lot. And is Hal ever getting great reactions out of his old pals like Margo and Jack, and those scenes with John in the basement of the hospital were outstanding. This is such great use of a veteran actor, after all these years he's suddenly throwing surprises at us. Hal was always very much his own man, now he's become some puppet version madly out of control yet you can still see Hal in there somewhere. Hopefully the Emmy voters will ignore the pretty boys and give it to the supporting actor who was involved in the storyline(s) of the year. With acting like Hendrickson's everyday at ATWT is a cliffhanger day, a lost art over at the other soap that somehow yawned it's way to the most Emmy nods, of course AMC does have a built in mouth piece to publicize the upcoming ceremony that of late has starved for ratings.

OLTL's Roxy is the best trashy female to come along since before Opal was solely known for dumb looking clothes, back when she had spunk and a real misunderstanding for class. Ilene has always put in memorable performances from Ryan's Hope to a small stint on Another World and her latest turn is proof that she should be considered one of daytime's treasures. Roxy is so scattered from alcohol and just barely scraping through life that she is a complete 180 from the rest of the predominately posh characters on the show, it's almost rare to see a genuinely poor person on the soaps, over at Passions' low income Theresa seems to have a mighty big wardrobe. The key to this character may be her low expectations, as proven this week in the outstanding scenes in which she was gambling and drinking like a millionare only to reveal to partner in crime Alison that they got a whopping thousand dollars, you'd never see that screeching Gabrielle get excited over zirconia. And that's the point, Roxy's supposed to be one of the evil characters, a vixen, but the way Ilene plays her she's just loaded with redeeming value even though her every predicament is her own fault, she has taken a role that could have been so one-note and brought her to something real and vulnerable. OLTL's writing has so improved over the past few months (give or take some Rappaports) with a little more tweaking and some more fabulous casting like Roxy and they'll be back to the plateau they once reached with Todd's rape trial.

Bold and The Beautiful's Rick Hearst could make reading the phone book a fascinating task. Luckily for the soap vet and viewers, Bradley Bell is offering up a lot more juicy material than that. So far his character is a perfect combination of his beloved Alan-Michael performance on GL and his reviled one as Matt on Y&R. Whip is right in the thick of things, having offered himself up as the father of Brooke's baby in a very public way. Of course Whip is not doing this out of the goodness of his heart, he was sick and tired of being passed over for promotion so he took it exactly the way the mother of 'his' baby would. Hearst seems to be having a blast throwing sly insults at the very dysfunctional family around him (it is so cool that there is finally someone on this show who actually points out the crazy too closeness of these people); and in Friday's episode what made Ridge and Deacon's fight all the more priceless was the sight of Whip barely containing his amusement with it. Hopefully (this is a soap so definitely) Whip will fall hard for Brooke so we can see an end to this uncomfortable thing she has with Deacon, though kudos to the writers for taking such risks and for filling out the roster with talent like Hearst, this is what is bringing B&B to the upper eschelon with ATWT.

Days' Alison Sweeney is just so fun to watch that often times she can make the other actors look like they're phoning it in (really they're not). It's just so nice to see someone look as though they are genuinely enjoying themselves and believing in what they're saying. Sami gets absolutely the best lines to say always quick, biting, and hilarious. While much of the goings on in Salem right now concern two babies, the fact that Sweeney makes Sami appear not too much older than them is really what makes this character stand out, her evilness is so skillfully covered by something in there that the fans find endearing and worth rooting for. So give us more of Sami's venom with Kate (and less of pregnant teens, switched births etc.) and kindly give this girl a genuine love interest.

One Life To Live's Antonio seemed to be quite the forgotten man since his return to Llanview. An actor who was once one of the great unlikely leading men (latino wasn't getting much play in regular daytime back then) Kamar came back with much promise only to fizzle out in a storyline with the younger less charismatic Rosanne. Thankfully after a lot of waiting the actor's immense brooding talents are once more being put to good use as he's in love with his enemy's daughter, you can't get much more classic soap than that. From his heated antagonistic scenes with RJ to the quieter moments with his family, Kamar De Los Reyes keeps you riveted in the room (unlike say, Al and Jennifer). While the other soaps went the fantasy route on Valentine's Day (always fun), over at One Life we were privy to actual romance, a lost art of late. Antonio declared to Keri (the fabu Sheri Saum) that he wanted to touch her, feel her, thought about her all the time, sigh. And in case that wasn't heart worthy enough for you, on a completely superficial level is there anything better than shirtless Kamar mixed with Enrique Iglesias' Hero? I don't think so.

Elizabeth Hubbard's Lucinda stole Friday's episode of As The World Turns, of course this is something all of her fans (apparently excluding the writers) have come to expect of this consumate actress. Certainly Katie has her fans, but really, it's nice to get away from the buffoonery for at least a little while and escape to a place of strength. Lucinda began the day by forcing security on Lily (another MIA character) and proceeded to throw her weight around at the police station complete with her trademark biting wit. That was all great classic Lucinda stuff, but the best was when she came home to find Mitzi applying makeup to her grandaughter Lucy with all the subtly of Christina Aguilera. The grand dame tossed out poor Mitzi and wouldn't hear a thing Lucy had to say on any subject, only after a cool down did she allow the girl to move back with her father. It feels like such an honor to watch Hubbard the way she deftly slides between holding court and holding her family too near. Bob, Kim, Lisa, John, and the supreme Lucinda all in one week, what a pleasure it's been.

Admittedly Ronn Moss is not Maurice Benard (Sonny,GH) nor Justin Deas (Buzz, Gl) but just because he doesn't have that DeNiro method actor thing running through his veins doesn't mean he can't be pretty darn entertaining. Since the viewers found out that Ridge is not a Forrester (with that hair it's really hard to believe!) we've seen the mostly heroic good guy take a turn for the better, at least as far as story. For so long all Ridge has been concerned about is women and frankly that became quite tired, who knew that where Moss' Ridge really stands out is throwing his weight around in the boardroom? You couldn't help rooting for Ridge when he won at the meeting on Friday (however short-lived that victory may be) as for once their seemed to be actual reasons for his actions unlike some of his affairs. There is little more fun than watching Ridge blow his straight-laced top or hearing him espouse Clintonian style rallying the troops. So yeah, Ridge isn't ever going to be that Vietnam vet sitting up on the roof of his burning diner, but B&B has never been GL and GL has never been GH, diversity is why we stay tuned.

Port Charles' Casey can now join Rafe in the category of I don't know how you keep angels on a show but you had better figure it out before the thirteen weeks are up. While Amy and Paige are kind of your normal sedate heroines, Casey's got some kind of fire in her that we haven't seen since Kelly Ripa's black-wigged debut on AMC. Joy is a lively actress bringing the sort of sparks that make Lucy seem mild-mannered, all the while carrying a kind of sad longing for acceptance. The hair, the voice, the nationality, the burst of energy- they all combine to create something fresh for daytime which is exactly what we need. Casey is a precise example of why AMC & ATWT's dual stories of moms protecting their daughters from a jail rap is so tired, we know where those stories are going; thankfully with this little Angel only Heaven knows.

Nancy Lee Grahn's Alexis on GH has never been your typical soap heroine which at times can be maddening (has she ever had truly romantic chemistry with anyone?) and at others it's far more refreshing than seeing men tripping over themselves like they do with Erica Kane. Alexis is without doubt the greatest intellect in Port Charles (Bobbie and Felicia are definitely not in the competition); her dilemma comes in with the emotions, she doesn't know how to deal, flirting makes her uncomfortable, and the very mention of marriage gives her hives (she's the anti-soap woman). Because Alexis is so unique at times you can see the writers struggling with how to fit her in often times betraying the very character that the actress has created with such care. Be honest, she doesn't sizzle with Sonny, yeah, they have cute banter, but so do Rick and Phillip on GL, this pair is friends not lovers. There is too much plot driven story on GH right now (count it up- how many times a month can you say well, so and so would never have reacted that way?) this week however Alexis found out her sister and her ex-fiance Ned are hot for one another and she fled the scene arriving at the gym of all places, this a woman who only stocks her shelves with popcorn. This, unlike Sonny, turned out to be a totally perfect Alexis thing to do, the scenes portrayed every bit of awkwardness that she so endearingly displays outside the courtroom and her run in with Scotty gives hope that maybe there is a match out there for her, someone that she might make sense with. Nancy Lee Grahn has done her darndest in the past few years to create a female on daytime who was the embodiment of modernity but in actuality a completely backwards soul, all she needs are some more moments like this where the writers catch up to her.

Skepticism abounded when GL's Beth Chamberlin came to town as her character Beth's doppelganger Lorelei. Viewers have been down this road time and again on every single soap, this syndrome being otherwise known as the evil twin or the one not anywhere near as well written as the original. However it shouldn't be surprising that if any actress could pull it off it's this one, she has managed to do for Lorelei what ATWT's Martha Byrne has done for Rose. Without Lorelei one would have never guessed that Chamberlin was so adept at comedy or that she can squirm every bit as well as Gus when caught in a lie. This week in particular when Lorelei made the blundering error of not knowing that Lillian is a breast cancer survivor and as she thrilled in sharing her deceptive tale with an old friend, GL couldn't have been more pleasurable to watch (the same can't be said for Ross' icky situation). After only a couple of months Lorelei is her own entity that the fans can care about in a completely different way than they care about fragile Beth. When Beth inevitably returns from the grave, it will be exciting to watch the two ladies inside one actress vie for Phillip's attention, especially given his immense chemistry with both.

Passions' Tabitha and Timmy have reached their comic peak and along the way have become one of daytime's hottest couples albeit not in the traditional sense. Josh Ryan Evans' Timmy is quite possibly the only sweet soul in soaps, and as his reward this week he became the little boy he's always dreamed of being. When it seemed like the rouse was up Tabitha explained to the doubting Thomas' that she always carried the doll around to remind her of her grand nephew Timmy, who happens to be visiting her (it's amazing that these actors can keep a straight face playing this stuff). Anyway as consistantly hilarious as they can be, the finest scenes were when Timmy's hand bled for the first time and he and Tabby were forced to deal with the fact that things are not the same anymore, that, to paraphrase the wicked witch, he's going to leave her someday for a skanky girl (let's face it, it wouldn't be much of a competition to win Charity what with Miguel being dull as cardboard). So in the week that Juliet Mills' shed heartfelt tears as Tabitha, I, a lifelong and after, devotee of Another World have decided to cut this twisted show some slack. Not only have all the new characters they've introduced in the past months served integral to the plot (when stalwarts like AMC have to look up plot in the dictionary), but the writers are throwing us one curveball after the next, its exactly the kind of kick these shows need if they're going to survive much longer. So maybe instead of getting annoyed that the days seem to last forever and ever in Harmony, I'll start looking at it like they are the real 24 pioneers, not Kiefer Sutherland. I'll give them that, at least until the hokey special effects overtake us in the Summer yet again.

GH is slowly attempting to recover from their debacle of a year starting with giving Ron Hale's Mike a legitimate storyline beyond sharing every second Thanksgiving with Sonny. Soaps are at their best when all the characters are closely interconnected (see ATWT for proof) and it's about time that this show's most beloved character had some blood relatives to interact with on a regular basis. How exhilerating is it to watch Hale squirm when confronted by Janine, Courtney, and Sonny for all his past and present errors? And what a delight it is to see Maurice Benard playing opposite a genuine vet instead of wet behind the ears minions (Zander, Jason, et al.). Poor Ron Hale has been hanging around Luke's bar with nothing to do for so long that you could almost mistake him for a light fixture on most days, hopefully the tide has turned and not only will it reveal new insight into our favorite mobster with a heart of gold but also his endearing Papa too.

For the last few months Port Charles has been the very definition of bleak, but that has all blissfully changed thanks to angel Rafe played by the energetic Brian Gaskill. Rafe has mended all of the riffs and somewhere along the way managed to have as much if not more sparks with Alison than Jamal has, an actual to goodness triangle where both potential couplings have chemistry, I'm thinking that's a first over at PC. Gaskill was a charmer back when he was Bobby on AMC but on this show he's somehow managed to turn it up a couple more notches. It's a shame that the soap is letting this charismatic star go, but maybe their loss will be some other show's gain, Palmer sure could use someone's life to meddle in, couldn't he?

It's been a long time since ATWT's Emily has had anything more to do than wear pretty clothes and grow her hair out, but this week problems based on her past are arising again. While I'm not crazy about the lack of passion between Hal and Emily, the idea of her becoming domesticated is an intriguing one. Already in their first moments living together she has struggled between her loyalties to her career and those to her new insta-family, pretty real stuff to contend with. There have been so many great scenes espescially when Susan dropped off Daniel to an already frazzled Emily. However, the best has come at the expense of Tom and Margo appearing uppity and looking down at Emily, rehashing what to her at least had seemed like a long forgotten time. When Daniel went missing as she chatted on her cell, it was heartbreaking for her, the same old failures that she thought she had gotten past. Thanks to Menighen-Hensley's acting, the ticking clock, and cut-away scenes, her frantic conversations with the detectives and Tom's answering machine were on par if not better that her old panic attack days. As long as history keeps repeating itself on ATWT it will continue to thrive as the powerhouse drama on daytime.

It seems repetitive to constantly be picking either Kassie DePaiva or Roger Howarth as actor of the week, so this time they'll be co-winners. My introduction to Llanview came with the infamous rape trial, it still stands as some of the most riveting work I have ever seen regardless of medium and that is mostly due to Roger. Though Blair had loads of story with Max, she was barely a blip for me until this moving little Christmas scene where she and Todd, edging toward being in like, commiserated over a Charlie Brown tree. This is not a pair of starcrossed lovers kept apart by feuding families or anything soapy simple like that, it is the very destructiveness at their cores that repulses and magenetizes them all in one dramatic swoop. They have done countless hurtful things to one another yet remain the greatest most rooting worthy couple that OLTL has had in recent memory (no, Todd and Tea were never quite right no matter how hard the actors and writers tried). When they are on screen you can count on laughing, cringing, and seeing something completely touching all in the span of four minutes. The wedding this week was fantastic from Todd's usual fidgitiness to Blair's always suspicious nature and brilliant little Starr butting in during the vows. Their compliments are always double edged and the outcome generally heartbreaking, Todd and Blair have turned into daytime's answer to what would happen if "It Happened One Night" took place in "Casablanca".

Young and The Restless' Victoria has had quite an eventful young life, let's see, for awhile she was frigid, then for half a second it looked like she was marrying her brother and now her first love has been killed. When a ten year veteran on a soap decides to leave it's always tricky territory you can take the safe way and have them simply skip town, or you can give the story the dramatic denouement that it deserves, not that I wanted Ryan dead, but he deserved to go out in a weighty manner. Though there were many standout performances from loony Tricia to stricken best friend Neil, the most touching came from Heather Tom, since she was a teenager she has been consistantly providing the top rated drama with some of the finest acting on television. From the anguished emotions at Ryan's bedside to the stunned silence as little Cassie wondered how to deal, it was an Emmy reel performance, then again, that could be said for almost any week in Tom's young career, which means we have a lot to look forward to.

All My Children is perfectly terrible much of the time but this Thursday, just the one day, it aimed for it's old familiar greatness and it hit the bullseye. Anyone who has watched the soap for twenty years or even ten can tell you this is not a stellar time but we all keep watching because we remember. We remember how there were couples like Jesse and Angie, Mona's frustions in dealing with her daughter Erica, and yeah, back when Liza had a spine. This Thursday was American Thanksgiving and all of a sudden the family atmosphere that the writers have been avoiding like the plague was out in full force and what a pleasure it was to watch. It's not that AMC would be any better as total happiness, it's simply that there were obvious connections between all of these characters gathered around the turkey, there were no psychotic young women, no mythic drug lords, in short, it wasn't plot driven and that's what made it hum.

Justin Deas is invaluable to Guiding Light which is why it has been so frustrating the last year watching him play advisor to that insipid Sam and that's about all. While his budding romance with Holly is not exactly a return to excellence like the time he had Vietnam flashbacks during one of the diner (isn't it time to rebuild that? Company just isn't as homey) fires, it is something better than being simply the listener. Buzz has always been a fantastic character even when the writing hasn't been there and all the credit goes to Deas. Whether it's sharp humor or an inate angry sadness Deas is everready to make Buzz a living breathing entity. Perhaps the greatest thing about watching Justin is the fact that it never seems like he's there just to pick up the paycheck, he respects the audience which should be well appreciated by us all since there are far too many actors who think they should go over the top with their readings just because it's not airing in a presitgious time slot. Like his supremely talented and underappreciated wife Margaret Colin, Justin Deas deserves as much airtime as you can possibly give him, he throws Daytime's ageism rules right out the window.

Port Charles has been so heady lately with flashes within flashes never mind the morphing and manipulating that it's difficult to tell where anything or anyone is going. The one constant that they can brag about is a stable of actors with enough talent to keep things in some sort of order. This week like a lot of others, Erin Hershey's portrayal of Alison was a shining example of wholeheartedly believing in what's on the written page. The endearing thing about Alison and Jamal's relationship is that it has never been weighed down by the sci-fi adventures that have tortured the romance of the other couples. Not that this kind of storytelling won't possibly result in something fresh for soaps, it's just that more old fashioned tales are still the ones that are gripping and reverberate past the average "book" length. Alison's harsh and then regretful actions when she discovered that Hope may be her first love's child rang far truer than say Lucy and Ian hopping into bed together. The reason a show like Buffy is so respected is that at it's core is reality, they are all veiled scripts of a girl coming of age. If PC could inject more of Erin's natural qualities into their vampire mythology, they just may have something there. How about starting with that chemistry she's got with Rafe, now there would be a tale of unrequited love and what would Jamal think?

Dr. Marlena Evans was once upon a time the picture of perfection, she was in the tride and true mold that women like ATWT's Lily and AMC's ex-Maria (among others) have since co-opted. They are the teflon gals who can do no wrong even if they are doing wrong. Marlena's complicated romantic entanglements had always been brushed aside, because gosh darn it she's just so nice. It wasn't until her boardroom tryst with John that anyone even bothered to start calling her on her actions. Since that fateful witnessing by her daughter Samantha, Marlena has been knocked from her pedestal and Deidre Hall has had a lot more fantastic stuff to play around with. There is nary a resident left in Salem that Marlena doesn't have a longstanding argument with, and while it was sappily sweet to see her and Brady call a truce this week, the actual meaty material lay in her feisty confrontation with daughter Belle. Deidre Hall really sunk her teeth into those scenes it was almost like watching Marlena interact with her former self, the one who everyone including herself believed was heaven sent. It is awfully appealing to see a soap offering the best material in any given script to one of the more seasoned cast members, yes, for those three months of the year the teen storylines are important but it's the greats that keep us coming back the rest of the year.

Years later it's still stunning to realize that Guiding Light and All My Children were foolish enough to dismiss the incredible talents of Hunt Block, then again the evidence is in the plummeting ratings. A show that's flying higher than it has in years is ATWT and a great deal of that debt is owed to Block, whose Craig inspires every sort of emotional response that a viewer could possibly have. This week when his son Bryant died in a car accident Craig's world crashed around him, the regrets of his past acts were written all over his face. It's due to such a fine performance as Hunt delivered (actually the entire cast was perfection) that the death of Bryant was a moving tribute to life, especially considering that the boyfriend/son character was never particularly inspired. ATWT is proof positive that strong writing with acting that equals it, can deliver an hour that is polished enough for prime time and no one is embarassed to admit watching it.

There seems to be nothing that Kassie DePaiva can't portray and she does it with an eerily convincing quality. Her Blair has been through so many wringers that it's a wonder that there's anything left to this vixenish heroine. Obviously Todd and Blair are all mad passionate for each other and there hasn't been a pair this screwed up since Wuthering Heights; Blair lied about the paternity of her baby and in turn Todd, the teflon baddie, arranges the baby's faux demise. Certainly this is twisted horrific stuff but give kudos to both actors for being able to create something sympathetic out of two such messy lives. While OLTL has had a couple of up and very down years (they seem to being heading skyward again) it is actresses like Kassie DePaiva who wears Blair's often enormous heart on her sleeve that has kept this soap churning through some rather inconsistant waters.

Bold and the Beautiful's Brooke Logan Forrester Forrester Forrester (who knows how many of those to add on?) has never been anyone's idea of a saint, in fact, some of the most irate comments you'll ever read from soap fans are directed right at this fashion mogul. The thing that most people including Emmy voters don't seem to want to acknowledge is that it's Katherine Kelly Lang's divine performance that makes Brooke so fantastic to hate. Katherine plays Brooke in a way that makes her seem so self-involved and yet terribly wounded all at once. This week those qualities were on full force as she tried to win back you know who at the same time as she learned the devastating news that her father was conspiring against her in order to receive a quick payday. Sure, Taylor is nice, but there's a reason why Ridge and the rest of us are always caught up in Brooke's little overwraught dramas, she is the real reason we tune in. Katherine Kelly Lang has always been very reminiscent of Grace Kelly from the blond locks to Brooke's iciness, and like her counterpart it's a shame that she doesn't necessarily get as much credit as she deserves.

Esta Terblanche's Gillian said goodbye to her true love Ryan this week on All My Children and fans said goodbye to one of the few charismatic females to arrive in Pine Valley in years. Whether used as comic relief (her famous fumbling with the English language) or any number of tear-filled heart torturing moments through her tumoltuous love life, Esta seemed to give it her all creating a full-bodied character out of one that could have easily fallen flat. Gillian obviously did not exit in a way that any of us wanted to see, first a violent death and then months as an angel (apparently the AMC writers are in the midst of a two or three year long writer's block). It is to Terblanche's credit that this story was at all watchable and that Gillian evolved into one of those rare characters whom fans wouldn't even blink if she came back from the dead, they'd simply welcome her with open arms.

She's strikingly beautiful. Charismatically witchy. The silver spoon will have to be surgically removed from her perfectly glossed lips. She throws hurtful zingers left and right, and is easily forgiven because, well, just because she is. Who is she? She could be AMC's Erica, ATWT's Lisa or AW's Donna. She is Bonnie, Oakdale's newly returned belle of the ball, daughter of an AD and a Scottish rogue-aristo. The stunning part of Bonnie's story, at least as far as primitive soap landscapes go? This heir apparent to the diva grand dames is half African-American, now how many Erica Kane's in training have you watched whose diamond's set off their gorgeous dark skin? None come to mind do they? Bonnie's portrayer Napiera is a true find, a combustible force field of energy who commands attention in the tiniest of scenes. ATWT is in renaissance mode, if you're not watching you should be, stale ideas recycled again and again over at Y&R should not be rewarded time and again with number one ratings when there is a show that's trying to move forward away from the Aunt Mamie stereotyping.

In the big picture, or even the small one for that matter soap operas are terribly insignificant however at a time like this fantasy is the best medicine. Things don't get any trippier than over at Passions and while their teen science fiction remains one of the most loathable elements in recent daytime memory, the pure suds in their new adult quadrangle is proving to be golden. The Grace/Sam/Ivy triangle has been trudging along since day one of this show but it wasn't until Grace's possible husband David came upon the scene that this thing had any actual heat to it. David as played by yet another alumni of the defunct series Beggars and Choosers is by all appearances a romantic hero complete with a seemingly authentic accent and he has undeniable chemistry with Grace. This actor has elevated the performances of all around him so that a storyline that once used to seem flat now sizzles with tension in each scene, even the patented Passions three-week long scenes that used to be so cloying. Perhaps David's greatest charm is the fact that he's still basically an unknown entity something fans of the oft-telegraphed Passions haven't experianced since the first half of the pilot episode.

Following an hilarious turn on the cable comedy Beggars and Choosers Sherri Saum has returned to the familiar stomping grounds of daytime television. You may remember her as Vanessa, the good girl reporter on Sunset Beach, a meek and mild heroine. Sherri now joins OLTL and all signs of her former novice acting are long gone. Her character Keri, though only about a week old is showing great promise on a show that lately couldn't seem any more stale than if it borrowed from Transylvanian fiction (oh, maybe someone's already trying that). Anyway, at last Llanview has a gal who sparks some chemistry with Kamar's Antonio, a romantic casting task that should not have been so trying as ABC has made it seem. Saum's Keri has everything going on behind the eyes, all the wheels are turning yet its not completely obvious in which direction unlike all involved in the sleepy twin/murder tale that never ever ends. Sherri Saum can now be added to One Life's short list of actors who if actually given something tangible to play could make this lagging drama a contender once more; the actors are doing their part, it's high time the writers woke themselves out of this slumber.

To have been on and off a show since the mid-eighties, it seems strange to refer to someone as a fixture but that is exactly what Melissa Reeves delivers as the ever-adorable Jennifer Horton. Her comic timing is the stuff that It Happened One Night made so magic at the movies. And this week on top of her usual sparring with ex-hubby Jack, Jennifer addressed an issue that has long bothered her since her mother was commited to a mental hospital. Her interaction with Marlena was completely heartfelt, as woman who feels like she caught between childhood and adult, the moment on the stairway where Jenn chastised herself for not being able to pay the bills was a particular standout. If ABC ever wants to refresh their sagging line-up they should look to Days and ATWT who have done exactly that by mining their own rich pasts instead of scripping from others in lame attempts at cross-overs.

Open any of those mammoth fashion magazines and you'll find chic editors extolling the virtues of vintage. Well, the same goes for the soaps as far as I'm concerned. It is with wide open arms that we welcome back Alan Spaulding as full-time chief baddie in Springfield. Enough of the cartoony mustache twirling Britcom prince, its time to re-usher in the era of the seductively sly villian. Alan spent a good half a second mourning Beth and quickly moved in for the kill on Olivia, a gal he's been eyeing long before the producers came to their senses and gave the actor a contract. The key to Alan's cunning brilliance is that the viewers know that as a Spaulding he's operating (however appallingly) from a place of love, think about it, has he ever done anything without some unrequitedness be it for his sons, his sister, or his lovers as his motivation. It's been thrilling to see Alan rise from the daytime dustbin, as fresh as he seemed in decades past, much like the finest Yves Saint Laurent frocks.

Passions is no Another World, it doesn't vibrate with warmth and family. It's pace is head-achingly slow (fans deserve to see Sheridan in a glam new outfit every five not thirty days) and the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes special effects have got to go. This is not to say that the soap is unwatchable, Grace's two husband dilemma is classic storytelling and this week, for the first time since the show's scandelous debut they actually managed to surprise me. Julian and Theresa's marriage was a stroke of humorous genious. Master's Julian is a wimpy sleazebag of the nth degree, he oozes found money out of all his pores. He plied wide-eyed Theresa with boose (and tippled a few too many himself) and they wound up ickily wed. It is total credit to Ben Masters that this situation is jaw droppingly funny considering the creepy undertones regarding the age difference (it's still unclear whether T is out of school) and the fact that, well, he's Julian for goodness sake. So as much as Passions isn't always the old school fan's cup of tea, with their willingness to go absolutely anywhere eventually they're going to find the right direction, they'll never be Another World and maybe that will be okay.

Bold and the Beautiful has always been much heavier on the beautiful than the bold. They've been heavily dependant on the triangles and kidnapping plots leaving other shows to tackle Vietnam and Cancer. So when they hired Paulo Benedetti I'm thinking I'm not alone in believing they were yet again going the pretty boy route. However, it was stunning to learn that Paulo's character Tony who had just entered into a high profile romance with Kristin is HIV positive. While it's still annoying that this fashion industry show has never featured a gay character at least they are finally dealing with something tangible and real. Paulo shows Tony's situation as one of frustration torn between feeling sorry for himself wanting to protect this new love he has found, wanting to beat himself up for putting her in this precarious position. While the catfights will always be a delight at B&B, it's a thrill to see that when it comes down to it they can hold their own with some actual drama.

It takes a special sort of firebrand to fill the formidable shoes of Beth Ehlers on GL, yet twice now, Haley Sparks has done a fantastic job of keeping Harley as true to Ehlers' interpretation as possible. Sparks comes from great training ground as far as smart acting goes it doesn't get any better than her old home ATWT. Be it her ability to listen i.e. during Nicky's retelling of his father's murder; Harley's trigger finger defense mechanism that is the character's trademark (her emotional shouting fest with Rick), or the simple fact that her connection with Phillip at the airport was just as strong as it would have been had Ehlers herself done the job. So often when a recast is made there is an overly conscious effort to find a look-alike rather than matching the acting style, a horrible misdeed that GL deftly avoided in this case and it paid off big for the audience. Hopefully this under-employed actress will soon find a deservedly permanent place to display her skills such as on the woefully wayward OLTL, she'd make a fine Kramer girl, maybe she could help boot those overpopulating Rappaports out of town once and for all.

Colleen Zenk Pinter has never played ATWT's Barbara as a shrinking violent, shreaking perhaps, but shrinking never. This is in essence what makes the character's current shift endlessly fascinating. First she married Craig, done seemingly to simply prove to the naysayers that she could. Barbara is a creation of the 1980's, power suits and in what should be the enviable catch-22 position of almost always earning more money any man in her age group. Suddenly in one firy moment her carefully constructed life has tumbled down, a hard pill for anyone to swallow especially an unmitigated success story. Colleen's portrayal as an independant woman who is allowing her soul to be crushed by fear and vanity is a tour de force. The anguish on her scarred (bravo to the makeup artists) face was a reaction coming from a woman who has made a life of action. The only gripe is that the 'real' Hal isn't there to provide their usual potent chemistry.

Have soap scribes at long last realized that weepy ingenues who wear their neon hearts on their sleeves bore us into producing tears of our very own? While the older set on GH is still nestled perilously close to lost cause territory, the younger branch is finally focussing on the gal that deserves it, Marisa Ramirez' Gia. Not to say that passive Liz hasn't had her moments, but for the most part Rebecca Herbst could sleepwalk through her scenes and we'd be none the wiser, whereas Gia's spunk has to be physically lifted off the page. Gia's sky fell this week, the guy she opened her life up to basically slammed the door in her face, not that he wanted to, he was forced and she doesn't know it so it's like she's been blindsided by an eighteen-wheeler. Back to the Liz analogy, if someone hurt her it would be easy to turn on the waterworks, but Gia is a much more complex story which Marisa totally gets. Gia would never simply ball her eyes out watching The Way We Were, she's a girl that goes down kicking and screaming all the way which is the center of her rooting power; which is precisely why we are fearful for her when the creepy albeit excessively handsome Stavros comes a calling, because we aren't really sure that she's the sort who would let herself be rescued. Gia is that Independant Woman of the Destiny's Child song and the character archetype of a new kind of heroine if the soaps have any chance of surviving the demos crunch.

It is always great to see familiar faces return to the soaps even if it is in the form of a tired old trip to heaven (any show not done this yet?). However the appearance of Darnell Williams is a 10 000 watt blast of charisma whether he's living or dead. One of the saddest days in Pine Valley had to be when Jesse was gunned down in the line of duty, so whether Darnell is playing some sort of spiritual guide or a Jesse look-alike (Loving, The City) it's pure bliss for the viewers. It's sad to think that Angie and Jesse paved the way for African-American supercouples and there's few remnants of that blazed trail barely more than a decade later (musical couplings of convenience on Y&R don't count). Here's a thought, instead of relying on Buffy rip-offs certain soaps could revive their limp life-lines by merely hiring a dynamic vet like Williams and finally break free of the white ages once and for all.

These Passions ladies seriously need to get a life, one that doesn't include memorizing People mag's sexy bachelor list. Eliminating all the singularly obsessed, Whitney is by process of elimination the most fascinating gal in Harmony. Sure she doesn't necessarily play tennis on screen (a little bead of sweat and a towel around the neck would be nice touches once in awhile); but try to name an outside interest that any of these other boy-crazies posess? Whitney's got other stuff going on in her mind, she actually noticed and obviously cares that her sister was seriously injured, that's a triumphant step for humanity in Harmony and it's because of this human dimension that her love connection with Chad is already deeper than the show's so-called super couples. The best romances on daytime always involve extreme sacrifice and this actress' face expresses all the anguished confusion of a girl who has to choose between family and her first love. Once Passions encourages their other actors to find this same balance between camp and honest to goodness feeling, they will have finally hit their stride.

What a brutal ending to the character of Gillian, honestly since Frankie's murder on AW, has any act against a beloved character seemed so violent? And this wasn't even shown on screen you just saw blood gushing from the back of her head. Horrible as that was, Gillian's death was a catalyst for classic soap drama even if it means prolonging our term with that blank slate Laura it gives the fabulous Josh Duhamel even more time to shine. As impressive as Cameron Mathison may have been, stretching his talents as far as they're capable of going, it's Duhamel's naturalness that never fails to astonish. He adds the little ticks, the little physical-emotional connected moments that make every scene he's a part of seem real. Josh's Leo has become the center of AMC, so it's really no surprise that he's the one that gives this storyline heartbeat.

Duped again! Roman, Abe, Bo and John, the list is actually lengthier but who has the space to mention all the poor Salem souls who have missed their opportunity to nab the devious Stefano DiMera. It is thanks to the wit and wisdom that Joe Mascolo infused in the arch villian that we the viewers are able to put up with the "bad" guy always getting away. Most of the time he ran around all gleeful like a little kid on a sugar high, rubbing his hands together and planning his next move, yet we never really hated him. So it was a stroke of brilliance that Stefano's last scene (for now) was an ode to super villian Hannibal Lecter's exit in Silence of the Lambs. With Panama hat on his head and Hawaiian shirt on his back, The Phoenix took flight for parts unknown.

Maybe its the years of watching her play a heroine in distress, but it would seem that Martha Byrne has been showing us in the last year that we have all greatly undervalued her talent. While ATWT is loaded with gripping moments, most of them involve only Martha as not so polar opposite sisters Rose and Lily. Lily is the guilded princess and Rose is rough around the edges and honestly, if you didn't know it, you shouldn't feel ridiculous in thinking that maybe these characters are being portrayed by real life twins. Unlike that farce on AMC where Alex and Anna need to wear name tags to tell them apart, Martha's twins are inescapably their own persons though as shown this week during the mourning of Holden, Luke and Damien the two are connected at the heart. The heart is what makes ATWT so winning right now, there are so few false notes that it was difficult to pick out one actor among many.

The beauty of post-rapist (long forgotten) Jack Deveraux is the fact that he is a royal screw-up, he acts on impulse, and its generally an unsuccessful effort. If that had been John on the bridge Jenn and JT would have been safe and sound, it was a new thing for Jack to be a hero in the standard soapy sense. So even if he didn't quite carry off the knight in shining armor thing the way Bo would, in his own way, in the way he comforted Jenn, not coddling her but encouraging her, it was faithful to the comical guy we've come to know but it also showed growth. Mathew Ashford is the perfect example of an actor needing to find the right character to suit him, his Tom on GH was a disaster, but his Jack on DAYS continues to fit like a glove (thankfully one with a hole in the thumb).

Kim Onasch's Jennifer on ATWT makes a great teen, she's both likeable and selfish, not unlike her mommy dearest Barbara. She's a mix of too grown up for her own good (she can read Hal and Barbara like books) and too naive for her own good (re: that idiot she calls a boyfriend). These two opposing personality traits came to a head recently when at the alter she realized that Barbara was truly going to marry the dastardly Craig and she couldn't do anything to stop it so she threw a hissy fit. She got drunk, doffed her dress and hopped into a bubbly bath with said idiot all to get back at her mom. Kim is most likely older than the girl she portrays and it shows in a good way, she'll only let Jenn veer so far towards bratty terror before she reels her back in to being the serious girl that is the core of her personality, she doesn't let plot dictate. Forget teens, Jenn is a great character period, she's not all good or all bad, she screws up sometimes and that makes for a great building block for the long term future of the soap. Come to think of it, she's quite reminiscent of some guy named Andy that some terribly witty producer called boring.

Robin Christopher's Skye never fit in on OLTL, after all her character is basically Blair with red hair and they already have a pretty good Blair to say the least. Over at GH Christopher seems to be a much needed fit (even if I remain uncomfortable with the rewriting of AMC's history). GH was badly in need of a good naughty girl, Carly lost her spark long before Sarah Brown left, and Helena's brand of wicked is more icky than delicious. Robin has always played Skye as a fragile human, someone whose only goal is to be really and truly loved, she's so fascinating because all of her evil is done for pure reasons, similar to her new found Quartermaine family. It has already been fun watching Skye's rivalry with Ned and AJ, and there is no doubt she'll have great chemistry with Sonny (doesn't everybody?). With the addition of Skye and fingers crossed, a captivating Stavros, GH may be on the road to recovery; still we're left with one problem, her momma Rae, whom despite Linda's gallant efforts, just always seems like she's butting in, maybe it's time to hop networks instead of soaps.

Just when you think that ATWT has already reached its height of greatness they go and bring back one of their most complex male characters this side of John Dixon. Paulo Seganti returned to perfection as the slick Maltan business man and the only real threat (ever) to Holden and Lily's happiness. Grimaldi is so fantastic because he's one part dreamy romantic hero and another part viscious mysterious evil. Paulo's magnetic presence commands every scene he's in, and Damian's so powerful, that he even commands some that he's not in. Perhaps the only problems with Paulo Seganti's return are that it may be all too brief and, it will reemphasize the fact that wannabe leading men like Simon and Bryant have all the charisma of dishwater.

Has OLTL ever been worse? The writing is atrocious with plots going nowhere, and actors are changing places left and right or in some cases longtime favorites are going in directions that make no sense at all. Mob life has a history of being dumb on daytime so naturally poor Erika Slezak got dropped into one of these implausible tales. It is to Erika's credit (and only her credit) that our clickers haven't wandered off to never return again. As it was years ago, Erika has a seemless ability to slip from Viki into any one of her off kilter alters without missing a beat and without making it seem over the top campy as it's written. Bottom line Erika Slezak deserves better than this dreck, but her graceful talents clearly can save anything.

By the year 2001 it shouldn't be unique to see people of all shapes and sizes on television, but that's just reality on almost all of the soaps other than Days. At first it was funny that Nancy thought Susan was overweight but she herself was merely Rubinesque, but once you thought about it you realize it's kind of great that this woman who isn't the fashion ideal has such immense self-esteem that she loves the attributes that others loathe. Days is doing a great job of addressing something that affects more people than not, and hopefully if she doesn't already, they will award a contract to the young actress playing Susan, and not because of her size simply because she does the job well. Patrika Darbo's Nancy is every bit of a risk character wise as AMC's Bianca, and hopefully both won't be so unique some decade down the line.

Way back when he was Dean Frame a kid with a crush on good girl Jenna, next he became a psychotic stalker in Genoa City, and now he is a gust of fresh air in what was until now a dreadfully dull washed out version of my favorite city of Springfield. Ricky Paull Goldin's character Gus, a special agent with the FBI is all the manliness that a pair of prissy princes' are glaringly not, have they even heard of a cheeseburger? Gus riles up everyone without any mustache twirling and his chemistry with Harley is the most promising new romance since his target Danny was still wonderfully morally corrupt. Who knows? Maybe Gus has a brother out there and we will no longer have to suffer the further abominations aboard that ridiculous island.

Laura is not even a character and Bianca is sickeningly sweet, so what is a girl like Greenlee to do other than steal the show? Since her debut on GL as Michelle, we have seen Rebecca Budig progress as an actress who is now capable of stealing any scene she's in even against Mark Pinter and Susan Lucci. Greenlee is the single greatest female on AMC right now mainly because she's the only one with some bite in her even while they continue to make her seem more sympathetic. Greenlee and Leo remain the highlight of every hour of AMC, and they are the new Tad and Dixie now that the former have become so very old.

The Young and the Restless has not been the most romantic soap of late, which is really the whole gist of the genre. Half of the couples on this show are so rushed (Olivia/Malcolm, Brad/Ashley, etc.) that there simply isn't any rooting value. We can now breathe a huge sigh of relief thanks in part to the great talents of Peter Bergman, he being of a legendary coupling on AMC is a prime candidate for super-coupling and who would have thought it would be with Phyllis? Jack and Phyllis have all the ingredients for a classic, they started out with a no-strings fling, they work at very opposing companies, and neither one of them really trusts anyone. This week Jack's plea to Phyllis of sincerity was great to watch since she and we had every reason in the world not to believe him and it is all thanks to Bergman's adept skills that we can never really truly know what's going on in Jack's mind.

Laura Koslow had to play about eighty characters all wrapped into one combustable Kate this week. This one woman tried to kill her 'dead' husband, is responsible for her middle son's severe burns, and while sitting vigil at his bedside plotted to cover up the non-murder of Victor. Lauren's Kate, in a word, has become a mess and for that very reason is the kind of female character that movie actresses only dream of playing, as bad a rap as soap gets (Kelly Ripa is certainly playing up the stereotypes on Live) they are one of the few mediums where women over twenty-five get to play everything and anything.

A person could quite enjoy watching a twenty-four hour a day Hunt Block channel, mainly because after all of that time he would still keep his character as a bit of an enigma. How nice is it whenever there's a soaper who isn't painfully obvious in the good or bad department? All you have to do is look at the putrid things happening at Hunt's old shows AMC and GL to see how necessary this is. Craig is anything and everything, the same can't be said for two poorly accented Princes combined. Hunt's Craig has revived Hal and Barbara, made an actual threat to the Jack/Carly pairing (Julia never did), and still he's somewhere murky between villian and hero. Craig should be the prototype of the modern soap man, there is no longer a need for pointless arm candy in daytime, it certainly translates in the ratings.

While by far not the most fun I've had all week (that Starr on OLTL really should have her own show) watching the awakening fear on Leslie's Charleson's Monica's face at the prospect of a return bout with cancer was some of the best non-acting that General Hospital has offered in months. With the tell-tale heart beating and her silent voice begging it not to be true it was up to the actresses expressions to really pull it off to full effect. And, after that harrowing scene, Monica then had to put on a brave face for both her husband and her estranged daughter, whose absence is suddenly all the more wounding. While I'm not overly keen on another lengthy moralizing cancer story, these combined moments were certainly a step in the right direction for GH to get itself centered again.

Funny, a couple of years ago when he was tormenting Mike, one never would of thought that Craig would potentially be the best dad in Salem. But, that's exactly what he is for Chloe, somehow around her his snotty demeanor melts into an unspeakable softness essential to this week's explosive storytelling. All of the actors involved were superb Chloe felt betrayed, Nancy felt blame as the parent who had abandoned her daughter all those years ago (even though this wasn't her fault), Phillip was awash in regret, and because of these series of big emotions it might have been easier for Kevin Spirtas to play Craig as the overbearing bombastic dad, yelling and carrying on. Instead, we were priviledged to see him as acting as the calm inside the storm for the two women in his life while his feelings of rage and helplessness were etched on his face.

How can this actor be fired? Not only is Lucas the most intentionally hilarious character on the show but he's also got quite a few layers if the writers had ever felt like tapping into them more than once a month. There's the sibling rivalry he has with half the town, the loving relationship with his son that is a sign that he'd be perfect for the child minded Greta, and then, if you think about it, once Lucas is gone who will Sami have to blame all of her problems are. Lucas is a pivotal character that the actor makes fun to watch which is more than one can say for a certain ex-boxer turned biblical hero.

So, your wife leaves you for the criminal that you've been chasing for months. Your teen daughter is dating the criminal's son. And now, the criminal is instrumental in an attempt to distance you from your baby son. You would have thought it would be boring for a guy like Benjamin to have outgrown the stage of being the resident hottie of a show, but in fact he's one of the few lucky men on soaps who actually has a meaty storyline right now. It's been a blast watching Hal come up against brick walls everywhere he turns and that was meant in an insensitive way, it's just that the character has been on the show for so long and it's nice to once again after a long drought see those upstanding cop morals of his being put to the test. Much applause to the current ATWT heads for using people that are already with the show instead shoving a bunch of new faces at us.

Yes, Days of Our Lives was violent this week, but before everyone got up on their high horses they should have watched the aftermath, that showed people in a harrowing and even pathetic light. While many stars shined in the shocking fall out of Sami's quest for the elusive tape, none shone brighter than her love interest Brandon. Matt Cedeno had very little dialogue and used it to full advantage. As Brandon held Angela in his arms his eyes conveyed a death in himself, not simply her. If anyone wants to point a finger at Days for pandering to the lowest common denominator all they need do is look at the devestation written on that one actors face as he walked among the bodies, himself, barely more than a corpse emotionally and they will see that sometimes scenes of obscene violence can be the greatest moral lesson.

Having always been reminded of the brunette Barbie I had way back when, every time I see Hunter Tylo, I don't necessarily take her acting seriously. This week was somewhat of a revelation as Taylor was forced to face her daughter Steffy's presumed death by shark attack. A harrowing subject, that thankfully Hunter was fully capable of pulling off. She played fierce with her daughter's unsuccessful rescuers, she wilted in her father's arms, and perhaps most remarkable of all, she made a warm moment between Taylor and Brooke seem perfectly plausible. Even though one can be pretty sure than Morgan has Steffy, it is still a horrifying proposition to think that a child passed on so completely alone and Hunter Tylo made us feel each and every moment.

Paul is the sort of actor that could sit in a scene and watch paint dry while keeping me totally enthralled. This is a very good thing considering all the starts and stops we've seen for his character Isaac. Hopefully this week, (he was on at least three days- a miracle) is a sign that there are some great things brewing in his future. He showed he's the only one in town not eager to let Denise run the show (yay!), verbally spars with the king of smarm Craig, and he showed off his extreme and stupidly ignored chemistry with Emily. If that wasn't a series of entertainments, who knows what is? Certainly not the warped ratio of screen time that bland Simon receives instead of the bad boy charms of Isaac.

When omnipotent villian Stefano strolls onto a plane full of his sworn enemies it's bound to be a riotous time. Whether convincing Lexie to accept her blood born dark side or charming, the once seemingly unimpressed Chloe, he is must see TV. But the biggest laughs of all are saved for any scenes he has with perenially confused John Black, it's totally double eye brow raising stuff. Stefano feeds off of getting under other people's skin, so can you imagine what Craig's reaction might be if it turns out he's the older man who fathered Chloe? Just a thought.

He's menacing, frightening, dangerous, and absolutely the most charming man on Y&R. Rick Hearst's devilish Matt should not be as attractive as he is, after all this guy raped Sharon. That said he's not attractive in the usual Y&R way of roses and fine dining, he's the unexpected, the wild card, something that Genoa City could use a lot more of. For a brief moment this week Matt almost seemed redeemable as he pulled Tricia (Sabryn's performance has gone way up working with Rick) off of that ledge, though I am almost hoping that they don't, because the greatest thing about this character is that he's the polar opposite of Rick's Alan-Michael on GL yet you're secretly enjoying every devious minute.

Port Charles is a big mess, between constant newly invented villians rather than someone entrenched on the canvas to fractured tiny families, this soap is extremely tough to watch and it's only a half hour. That said anytime Kiko and Erin appear on screen its worth a look. And, that's because they're grounded to reality whether you look at it as interracial dating or trying to grow up. Jamal and Allison are lively unlike the dead weight swimming around them, especially this week when a stranger thought they were a hooker and a pimp because a young black man was with a pretty white woman. Kiko's Jamal was fierce with anger while understandably sheltered Allison really wasn't aware of what the big deal was. The big deal is, that when the Port Charles boat inevitably sinks Kiko and Erin deserve a shot at General Hospital.

The old magic returned instantaneously and should be enough to make Molly and Jake fans rethink their forced chemistry. Even in death, Jensen Buchanan radiated life as Vicky, from the ratty old sneakers to the shoes. There has not been a more romantic scene on soaps in eons since Tom Eplin's Jake reached out to touch Vicky and was unable to feel her. Vicky and Jake are prime example of a supercouple, however temporary, it's a shame this story has to be mixed in with the Lily/Simon mess, oh, but then it would actually be on Another World instead.

For some reason this week on the soaps had everything that sweeps did not. There were great performances across the board from Marlena to Carly, however the one story that cannot be avoided is Bianca's coming out party on AMC. Erica finally discovered that her daughter is a lesbian, not exactly easy news, even Cher took some time to adjust. Susan's Erica shook with confusion, she feared for her daughter's future, but she did not disown her. Yes she's still hoping it's just a phase, but that's making the story all the more realistic, it always takes forever to make a dent in Erica Kane's head it would be ridiculous if the multi-married woman embraced her daughter's newfound sexualty right away. Perhaps if Erica can get over it maybe the viewers might too.

Beth Chamberlain has to be the most underappreciated actress on soaps, week after week she puts in a staggering performance and yet come award time the nominations always go to someone else. The look of numbness on her face as she watched the ball of fire destroy her husband wasn't acting, it was being, not an easily accomplished feat. These past few days are must for her Emmy reel. And, the young actress playing Susan must also be commended for wearing her heart on her sleeve at every moment, unlike most soap kids she has a real quality in every scene whether gushing over a boy band or grieving the loss of a parent.

Laura actually had an argument with another woman this week and it wasn't over a man, what a novel concept. It was so refreshing to finally see Laura immersed in something happy and fun like this cosmetics company with Carly, that it almost seems worth having had to snore through her last couple of years moaning over Luke and Stefan. GH hasn't had an abundance of strong females of late, they are pretty much wholly dependant on men unlike most of the other soaps who have cardboard male characters. Seeing Genie Francis actually look as though she's enjoying herself in the scene makes it all the better to watch, the writers might keep that in mind from now on.

One Life to Live is horrendous right now, and if you disagree you must be watching with eyes and ears wide shut. However, the soul lights at the endless repetitive tunnel in Llanview are Todd and Blair (not to mention Starr). These two characters connive, feel remorse, and then connive some more. While the other characters rarely seem fresh, Todd and Blair can carry off a slightly tweeked version of the same scenario, a hundred times and it's never boring. Roger and Kassie are working miracles with scripts that are plodding and confusing (Who does Max love this second?). Now if everyone would just get over their Tea obsession, then something good, like a revival of spirits for the rest of this cast might actually be allowed to happen.

Belle was laying in that hospital bed for weeks and her wake up did not disappoint. Once her memory was triggered the young teen panicked to save her brother from a horrible fate only to be too late. The scenes between brother and sister are both antagonistic and caring, a nice switch from the teen sibling relations on most other shows. And no one could have been more shocked by how explosive Belle become towards her beloved mother Marlena when she found out about the witchunt for Brady. Certainly this actress is still a work in progress, but she's making great strides, quite seemlessly taking Belle from sweetness to ferocity.

Equal parts venom and vigor, Clarke is a character you love to hate and never ever see enough of. You have to love anyone who puts one of those self-righteous Forresters in their not so lofty place and Dan McVicar does it with aplomb. Whether flirty with the ladies or sniping at Ridge, Clarke is the center of attention even when he only has one line, perhaps someday he may even get an actual storyline as a nice refreshing reward for his years of livening up these disfunctional L.A. stories.

Colleen Zenk Pinter brings a shot of class to daytime whether Barbara is semi-flirting with Craig or carefully navigating her teen daughter's love life. Barbara is Erica Kane with less self-absorbtion and Marlena Evans, only more willing to admit her imperfections. Colleen is every bit the backbone of ATWT that Martha Byrne is, while at the same time keeping things as innovative and fresh as one of her best rivals Maura West.

Yes, they didn't include anyone not still on the show in the 35th celebration, but the clips and new scenes they showed more than made up for it. From Alice's sweet remembrances at Belle and J.T.'s bedsides to Hope's revelation that Bo wasn't just being a jerk, he isn't her baby's father. Along the way we saw Jennifer the wild child and the grown-up adventure mom that she is now, it's as though she never left the soap. If you're still complaining that you never saw Steve and Kayla etc., just keep this in mind, at least they didn't include that virtual Eden farce either.

As much as I enjoy the actress that plays Eve, this whole romantic comedy thing she had going was destroying the character of Kevin, until this week. Jon Lidstrom is always at his best when he can play dark and forboding drama. First Kevin discovers he might be Livvie's father, a shock in itself, but wait, there in the mirror was his old nemesis Ryan, the character you can tell that this actor really loves to play. Ryan is vile and maybe just a figment of Kevin's Mr. Hyde side of his brain, who knows, but when he tells his brother that he's the real father it's more potent to watch than any of the months and months worth of cooing with Eve. If PC would only cater to their actors and characters strengths then they might have something here before the axe falls for good.

How could there be no place for Lauren B. Martin on this soap? Are the producers not watching? From taking us on a soaring journey of breast cancer survival, to a momentarily quickly squashed interracial romance with Brad and then, the ultimate, being able to hold her own in endless squabbles with John, the character of Camille has crossed borders that most african-american characters are not allowed in daytime. For a brief time we were able to watch one of the standard three to four per soap racially diverse characters interact with absolutely anyone she pleased and with total logical ease. Lauren is gifted actress no more so evident than in her final goodbye scenes with Larry Bryggman, full of tears and heart. There is little doubt that this is one actress we haven't heard the last from, it's just a shame that ATWT won't know what they had until she's gone.

This actress has had the not so easy task of playing quiet sadness while everyone else around her is an eruption of tears. Perhaps the best scene in a long time was in the hospital chapel as Lexie assured Shawn that his baby brother would be okay, but her eyes said something completely the opposite when he wasn't looking. It has been great to see the blossoming friendship between Lexie and Hope, it has deepened the character quite a lot, especially in the harrowing instant when she had to tell Hope of John Jr.'s passing. One can only imagine what it will be like for Lexie when she discovers the baby that died was meant to be hers, Emmy reel stuff.

For the most part children on the soaps are insipid little brats, no offense to the great kid actors, that's just how they're written. However, for once a child is a direct reflection of their parents right down to her scheming mind. Starr is an hilarious combination of Todd and Blair with some added heart and cuteness built in. OLTL is in chaos right now with stupidity involving families no one knows, Starr is an example of how soaps do it right, by not letting the apple fall far from the beloved family tree.

Due to local network geniouses I was unable to see Joie Lenz' last episode of GL, baseball too presidence (priorities people!) Anyway, I have little doubt that as she did on a daily basis blew the audience away with her vibrant smile and sad tears. Joie is an actress who will easily fit in on any quality prime time show or in a smart film and those of us on GL can remember when we were the first to be thoroughly impressed by both Reva's clone and one of the few remaining Bauers.

The Mother wears her heart on her sleeve and can be more than a little controlling. The Father loves his wife and step-daughter unconditionally yet still manages to have a deliciously duplicitous side. The Daughter is a teenage girl angry and scared of the world, absolute perfection. Supreme writing and acting make this the number one story to watch in daytime right now, just try to close your eyes through the painful weirdness of that Adam and Eve plot.

It seems like Bianca always brings out the best in Susan Lucci and Erica Kane. The week began with Erica being her usual lovably selfish self by throwing a party supposedly for her daughter but really for herself. Susan Lucci somehow manages to make Erica endearing at the same time as she is unbelievably unaware of anyone other than herself. Erica clearly loves Bianca with all her heart, and you can see the visible hurt on her face when finally she figures out that her way of doing things isn't always the right way. Now with Travis gone, it should be interesting to see Ms. Kane embark on full time motherhood, we can count on plenty of mistakes and maybe, just maybe another Emmy nod for Susan in the bargain.

There is so much talk about television's influence on children that no one ever talks about adults and their echoing behavior of their t.v. counterparts. What kind of example are these soap parents, their children are always somewhere else off-screen and then we're supposed to care when there is a custody battle for them. So applause should go to GH this week, in a time when it doesn't seem like a parent on Passions would even notice if their kid was missing a year, Alan became irate over his daughter Emily's predicament. Granted, Alan and Monica are not ideal parents, but it was nice to see someone take an interest in their kid, enough so for him to actually chew out his somehow still golden boy of a son Jason. Despite what the demo-obsessed believe, adults are integral to keeping a teen story real.

I detest this storyline. Holden has lost more of the mind he hardly hand in the first place. There is an Aussie man who had a British sister. And why has no one asked Iva about any of this? Complaints aside, Martha Byrne has been making the most of her duel opportunity fighting through lame scripts to reveal two wholly seperate characters who in some ways are joined at the heart. Martha's Lily is freshly back from the Island with a renewed vigor, I never knew it would be so great to have her yell at Holden for his screwy double standards. Meanwhile Rose is slowly moving from cartoony into a flesh and blood creation, complete with a heartfelt bond to the people who's very exsistance she took for granted. I still hate Lily's flirtation with that smarmy bore Simon, but I applaud Martha for her ingenious efforts to salvage an oft-times unwatchable plot.

Greenlee is officially the most interesting female on AMC, well, besides Erica. Over the past few months the talented Rebecca Budig has transformed the pouted little deb from a one-dimensional baddie to a many-layered complex character. Greenlee has been fixated on Ryan to the point where she is so blinded that she can't even see when he's about to rip her heart out. Suddenly the "she has it all" Greens doesn't have much of anything and she reacted in an all too human way, she didn't know whether to scream in anger or in desperation. Rebecca was shortchanged with the role of Michelle on GL, here, she's allowed to be cold-hearted and bordering on a heroine, a person with too many facets that could never be saccharine. However, AMC better be careful because with his every move against Greenlee, Ryan is becoming less and less of the superhero and more of the swine.

It is terribly bittersweet to watch these occasional Another World reunions on ATWT. On the one hand it is such a thrill to see the likes of Donna and Cass again, and on the other hand it is just another painful reminder of the greatness that was lost with that show. Anna Stuart gave another of her impeccable performances caught somewhere between hope and sadness, exactly as you'd expect a grieving mom to be. Anna's Donna is such a spitfire it would be incredible to watch her interact with the likes of Lucinda and John, not to mention be a constant reminder of Vicky to Jake. If only ATWT would cut their losses on some of the new younger characters who aren't working and consider keeping on a talent like Anna Stuart.

DAYS is in a golden time, if you are not watching, start now before this story kicks into high gear. The introduction of Deidre Hall's sister has me intrigued already and it's only been a week. As the unremarkable looking waitress Hattie, who was totally obsessed with a radio show, Andrea is just so creepy you wonder how on earth she could have ever played Marlena's sister. The best part of this story is that they are going back to old history repeating itself, when Marlena had her talk show and her sister was killed by a stalker because of it. This is the reason Days is so fabulous right now, they use all their resources from the most sparkling teens in daytime to a core of veteran performers.

While it's disheartening to see that this solid core cast of four African-Americans has to pretty much indulge in a diluted form of incest to have any story happening, it is nice to see that they can have a scandalous story just like their caucasion couterparts. St. John was great this past week as the semi-wronged man as his former wife turned her attentions to his brother Malcolm. You could see the transitions that Neil was going through, the disbelief in his eyes, and it certainly helps that all the viewers know he's carried a torch for Olivia but never acted on it, obviously he would be irate over Dru's blatant lack of self-control. It is to be applauded that there is always front burner story for at least one fraction of minorities on Y&R, but imagine how juicy this story could become if just once someone outside this family could enter into the picture, the quota on skin colour ought to be stopped.

Guiding Light is pretty painful to look at these days, that could be because it looks nothing like it used to and it hasn't been a change for the better. Everyday there are scenes loaded with new characters that I couldn't care less about yet my beloved Springfield favorites are already in love with them like they've known them forever. This week we have more fallout as one of daytime's best actresses has chosen to leave because she wasn't given anything to play for sake of a certain new/tired old villianess who has no real purpose. Amy is a fantastic actress as proven this week in every situation no matter how ridiculously predictable or out of character her finale has become, the amount of heart she brings to the table will be sorely missed. And, Mr. O'Leary, the most overlooked man in soaps once again proved that he can make them laugh and bring them to their knees in tears. It is too bad that in order to see the kind of superbly acted stuff that only a couple of years ago GL served up on a daily basis, it means having to say goodbye far too soon to yet another member of a core family. But hey Noah, Olivia, the fake english guys, they all really scream long term success don't they?

Thorsten is a major distraction, no matter what you are doing he will grab your attention and draw it to the television. I'm not sure Port Charles has ever come close to having an actor like this before and so far they are taking this at a nice introductory pace, just enough to keep you wanting more. His semi-innocent flirtations with Lucy has been the first genuine sparks of chemistry this decidedly non-romantic (?) soap has ever seen. He also provides a much needed strong command in General Hospital, probably the first doctor in their storied history that one would ever consider competent. Watching Thorsten's Ian is like a microscopic viewpoint of a blood transfusion and the patient is getting better and better. Now if only they could do something about that pesky class of interns that gave the place a bad name in the first place.

I loved Macy, always thought she was one of B&B's best characters, however her death has set off a great storyline. Darlene Conelly in her usual over the top style has morphed Sally into some kind of godfather figure set on revenge against the Forresters. A much welcome change since lately Sally's been buddy buddy with Stephanie when we all know they should be tearing each other's hair out like the fine vixens they are. The fact that Darlene can make you get misty and laugh all in one take at a funeral no less is a testament to her underappreciated talent that has been backburnered far too long. Here's hoping that Dan McVicar can finally get another chance to shine as well, preferably with Sally herself.

Tad the Cad lives! Well, sort of, Leo is definitely a good imitation of him anyway. What started out as a euro-trash character most notable for wearing far too much leather, has become one of AMC's few likable newcomers in recent memory. It has to be partly the influence of actor Duhamel who gives this guy his wry spirit and even makes you root for a pairing with Becca even though she's far too insipid. Duhamel's Leo has family problems, is mad-passionate for a gal from Pigeon Hollow, and cracks jokes every chance he gets, lets only hope that somewhere down the line he doesn't go corporate with an ex-lover, we can all imagine how utterly boring cads in suits are, can't we?

Y&R is number one for a very obvious reason, they know that the fans want to live vicariously through these beautiful heroines. Any mom would admit that changing diapers can get a little overwhelming to say the least, so seeing Nikki finally leave the ranch after all this time provides a great escape for a lot of the viewers. Melody is one of those great divas in the Susan Lucci way, they are so large and omnipresent that often you overlook their everyday acting. This storyline has given Melody and Nikki a chance to spread their substantial wings and it's making Genoa City all the more enjoyable. It has created great dynamics between mother and daughter and of course, there's always daytime's original chauvinist pig Victor to contend with as well. Soaps need to realize that you can make as much impact slightly changing a beloved character as you can by messing with the chemistry and adding an overabundance of new, unecessary characters.

The Nurses Ball has always had good intentions behind it but generally all the AIDS information ends up sounding like people reading from clinical pamphlets instead of life, there was only so long they could live on Stone's memory (who would have been just another yawner Juan if not for the illness). This year, however miraculously, PC found some good writing in connecting Joe's errant fling a few months back with a genuine HIV scare. Never having been a fan of Gail since his 90210 days, I've been a reluctant viewer, until the stunned and pained look on his face when he heard the news, and the look in his eyes during Lucy's speech. It was so timely as suddenly it seems like people are becoming a little more complacent about the disease and to show it just hit someone like that was perfection. As for that speech, Lynn was her amazing self, drawing on all of Lucy's miscarriages to bring the plight of the world right into our homes. PC used to be an horrendous mess of disconnected cliched stories, but now, at least once in a while, it pays a viewer to make an appointment at this hospital that seems to be showing a couple vital signs.

All Harley fans (however, many of you haven't been turned off, literally, by princely matters) finally got what they've been craving all along for Beth Ehlers, a meaty storyline. Since Harley's return a few years back, she has basically been a sideline for other people's stories, even bringing Susan into her life was not as dramatic as it should have been. However, with this betrayal by Phillip and her now devotional love for Lizzie the stakes are heightened tremendously and Beth is acting her heart out, so much so that you could practically see it being smashed as she found out the awful truth. GL keeps slip-sliding in the ratings, but if you were a fan of old it is at last beginning to look like the past will indeed have some bearing on the future of this once brilliant soap.

In a sea of offensive music to one's ears, Erin Torpey shines through like a ray of light. When the competition is among others, Juan on GH who couldn't wring emotion out of the world's greatest song it was refreshing to hear a nice heartfelt voice arise from Torpey this week. She may not have the earthy quality that Sheryl Crow brings to the original 'I Shall Believe' but she didn't turn it into a sugary mess either. It may seem strange awarding actor of the week to someone soley based on a singing performance, but with B&B's Amber (Frantz has a voice made for rock not bubblegum) doing her crying rendition of an already insipid 'nsync tune one must acknowledge the few musically inclined moments on the soaps that don't turn dreadful.

When you get tired of all the carousel of insipid teens on the other soaps this summer pinning over some loser, make sure you switch over to Days. There is a compelling storyline centered around former rich girl Mimi who is now homeless. Farrah gives Mimi a heart but never fails in showing the superficial side of teens that cuts right through to reality. For a young girl there would be little more heartbreaking than parting with your beloved Backstreet Boys CD or walking into school looking filthy while your best friend is the ultimate prom queen. Days is doing a superb job of creating teens with relatable problems without being overly preachy.

Even the most devout GH fans would have to admit that in the past few years they really haven't been earning the Emmy, their lack of heartfelt stories has been appallingly replaced with the Ricky Martin cardboard era. However, their is one bright spot that continuously entices me back no matter how sleepy Chloe and Jax make me, the prescense of Maurice Benard never fails to open one's eyes with awe. Perhaps the most endearing quality about gangster Sonny is that although he presents the image of the toughest guy in town it is so painfully obvious what an emotional mess he truly is. Maurice makes the mob life look like the only outlet Sonny has to save him from a complete and utter breakdown. At a time when miscarriages have become a mainstay in daytime (lovely trend) it is hard to find a new way of expressing such heartbreak, but Maurice was clearly up to the job. If only every character, or at least a handful, were as complex as that of the tormented Sonny then, I would be the first to congratulate them on their deserved Emmy.

As a long time viewer, there is this feeling of exhileration, a reward, anytime an event long in the show's past pops up. It's like it's a secret that you share with a select few, even if millions are watching. When the subject of alcohol comes up, I count on Brooke to have a serious reaction because her daughter was killed by a drunk driver. At a time when soaps like OLTL can't keep consistant with what happened yesterday, it is a relief to watch Julia Barr mine her character's history for all its richness and all its pain. And, I especially like that these memories can haunt Brooke at any moment it's not just an anniversary to mark the last time the show did anything worthwhile and lauded (no offence GH fans). Hopefully, Julia will finally get off the backburner and provide her special brand of dependability more often.

At a time when my beloved Lily and Holden are mere shadows of their former selves, it is more welcome than ever that Kathryn Hayes, ever dependable, should take center stage. Kim is falling to pieces over the presumed death of her son Andy, she is clinging to his child with every ounce of her emotion. Kathryn infuses Kim with grace and dignity, she has formed a character whose life you sympathize with no matter how out-distanced her circumstances are from our own. She makes the self-absorbed Denise and Ben seem heartless, which may be a detriment to the future of those two characters, but it only solidifies all the fans belief that the veterans are not only the history of the show, yet also forever its heart and soul.

having watched Days for about fourteen years now, I would have never guessed that James Reynolds had a performance like this in him. In the past Abe has had all the impact of really loud wallpaper, never really having a story just playing the heavy handed cop to extremes. However, the writers have finally given him a backstory that helps viewers understand his righteous behavior. Abe is haunted by the accidental shooting that left a boy paralyzed and ever since he has taken the moral high ground to extremes. Reynolds has proven that you can come in cold off the bench and still pull off a Michael Jordan when the game is on the line.

Who would have ever thought that Another World's sweet greased lightning Dean Frame would turn out to be the second coming of Norman Bates? Ricky gives a very quiet nearly shy performance whenever his character is interacting with Victoria, so you can see her attraction to him when most men fall all over themselves flirting with her. It's a great acting choice, because even if the audience knows that this guy's unhinged there is totally no reason why the object of his obsession should know. Also, I love how un-soapy his alone time is, the visible cracking of that shy veneer, the voices in his head, normally in daytime when someone goes psycho it's over the top uncomplicated. Ricky's giving a fine performance, here's hoping they don't ruin the subtlty he's bringing to the table by using the standard kidnapping ploy as his exit line.

As hard as they tried no one really found the GH marital quadrangal funny, nor does anyone really honestly care whether Eve marries Kevin in all their faux passion glory. What we do care about is Lucy and for once we were given our just desserts. Hiding her pained reaction behind wistful congratulatory eyes, Lynn Herring capably made Kevin's engagement mean something other than cradle robbing fluff. Meanwhile she easily seagued back onto her familiar home turf, bringing more laughs to that dark and dank show than they've seen in months, not to mention that she actually gave sympathy to AJ what a novel concept in that town. The one bad thing about Lynn dead-on heartfelt performance this week is how obviously she is a major missing ingredient over in the real Port Charles.

Watching a show like Passions it is made clear that every show needs a matriarch, someone to ground the action into believablity when things get a little off center. B&B found their Alice Horton in the form of Susan Flannery's Stephanie, a headstrong morally upstanding citizen who whether they like it or not helps everyone see where they've gone wrong. Stephanie reacted with indignance when Amber showed up on her doorstep, though that quickly vanished into her strong calming form that the young woman was so in need of at that moment. Sure it was farfetched that Amber has been able to hide her cousin's cancer from everyone, but it makes for a nice pay-off when you can see Stephanie acting as a patient adult in the situation.

Vincent Irizarry has made David into a very complicated man leaving the viewers one minute believing him to be the most viscious man on earth and the next a vulnerable bundle of insecurities who can't even trust the woman he loves. By far the most compelling of all Erica's suitors, David is combustable and charming all at once, she doesn't know whether to slap him or kiss him. Vincent plays Pine Valley's answer to Hamlet with great aplomb, ably meeting Vanessa blow for blow, and helping newcomer Leo become at least mildly endurable. Vincent is in a class by himself on a soap that is becoming increasingly one-dimensional as a promo-vehicle for the other ABC shows.

This was the most cohesive episode of OLTL since the primetime one where Todd was manned with fake explosives. Seeing Erika Slezak get to do anything again other than moon over a going nowhere relationship was a real treat. Viki has that ever-present strength that brings at least a somewhat less sorrowful spin to this cancer story. Also noteworthy is the direction on Wednesday's episode with the easy transitions that made each part of Viki's everyday life flow into the next. This will hopefully be the catalist to some great storytelling and perhaps a few more risk-taking theme episodes.

Tammy has grown so much as an actress since she began her GL stint as the resident bad little rich girl. She has continually brought a nuanced performance to the table no matter what lame story she may be dealing and as of late GL is swimming in lame. It's great to see that genuine fear and sadness in her eyes as she sits at Jesse's bedside totally believing that he had heart problems, what makes it all the better is the anticipation of knowing that the fall-out will be something magnificent just because of this one actress. Whether its humanizing her dad Ben or showing conflicted emotion over friend Michelle, Tammy's Drew is beyond compare. Let's hope when she hits it big in movies she has the opportunity of American Beauty and isn't squandered in little teen flicks.

She breaks my heart. Long before Calista Flockhart came on the scene Ellen Wheeler was playing ethereal waif to absolute perfection. Her performance is engulfed with compassion and beauty that would make even the most hardened of hearts reduce to tears. It's rare that a character of such goodness (minus one psychotic lapse) can hold onto an audiences fascination the Wheeler's Marley can. It's a shame she was only on for a day, being as she never mentioned her Bay City love Tyrone, she might be available for Jake instead of some colorless creature that they'll no doubt pair him with.

"It's only hair, it'll grow back." Perhaps the most wrenching statement ever made in daytime, mostly because the words were uttered by this phenomenal little talent. Hayden continues to amaze with her ability to be genuine and actually seem like a young kid caught between Britney and boys. From tear-filled prayers to playing brave for her loved ones, the character of Lizzie is brimming with life even at so harrowing a time. If there is any justice, Hayden will pick up next year's Emmy and be the emotionally connected Jodie Foster of this century.

This has really been the best week in eons as far as acting goes, there were a lot of choices, most notably Y&R's Jill and everyone in GL's Lizzie's leukemia story. While those are tragic sad events, it was a quieter, more subdued everyday performance that caught my eye. The character of Chloe on Days is somewhat different for daytime, she's not a bubbly teen nor is she a vivacious vixen, she's more in the realm of real. Nadia plays her role with an honesty not often see especially if you flip to ATWT's Abby in NY piece of fluff. Chloe fights with her mom not over a mutual boyfriend, but over her hair, her clothes and what she feels was the ultimate sin, abandonment that has sent her retreating into a solitary world, her only salvation being opera. True, in real life it would probably be a fixation on Tori Amos, but it's still nice to see someone on a soap who is simple in her complexity.

Yet another end to an era. That seems to be an on-going pattern in daytime lately, out with the old and in with the somewhat painfully new. Robin Strasser over the last few decades whichever soap she's been on has managed an immense can't take your eyes off her presence even in the wake of ever-changing writers. Though there is little doubt in my mind that this talented lady will re-surface on some West coast show, it would have been nice if OLTL could have seen fit to give her a more Dorian-like send-off, instead of going out with a bang it was more like a whisper. Then, again, matched up against the likes of the Rappaports (yawn) that probably was powerhouse stuff.

First of all, pies in the face are not the definition of soap opera comedy, who knows what AMC was thinking a few months back. Now though we're regularly treated to Tad's corny dialogue and Joseph funny portrayal of an Italian lothario. It's been so great to see this actor back in action, especially in such a different direction from the heroic cop he once played on Another World. Here's hoping Joseph will consent to a full time gig, if not on AMC then somewhere else, since his kind of charismatic talent is few and far between on the soap scene right now.

Sure he has a gift for flirting, as all Y&R fans have been witness to since day one, but from time to time a more dramatic Malcolm has appeared. This week in an emotional powerhouse of a scene, Shemar rode that fine line between anger and frustration as he confronted Callie about her former boyfriend and to his surprise he discovered she's married. One can only begin to imagine how ever many great aspects of this actor have gone unexplored in favor of his fun, jovial side, hopefully following his exit he will have many opportunities to show us what he is made of, beyond what seems to be either gifted delivery or incomprable improv skills.

A much needed return! Upon hearing the news that the incredible Roger Howarth was only staying for a week, naturally fans were disappointed, however, Kamar more than makes up for his absence. Antonio has been a great, rare character for the soaps right from the start, a criminal who may not always do the right thing, yet he isn't treated as this one dimensional latino gangbanger which is probably mostly what the actor was offered for roles in prime time. Even though now he's pretty much reformed, maybe still married, maybe a lawyer, Kamar still infuses Antonio with that element of surprise that keeps the character edgy, a kind of anti-hero. Just look at Antonio's confrontational scene with RJ and it packs more punch that anything involving the seemingly always frontburner Rappaports, hopefully the powers that be noticed that as well.

In life we are overwhelmed with uncertainties which is why some high ranking official should give us all some much needed comfort by officially declaring Frances a national treasure. It's very true, drink all the camomile tea and do all the yoga postures you want, but nothing is more relaxing than seeing Mrs. Horton dispensing advice. Clues as to her importance to the show popped up this week, when she has scenes with Greta, it lets viewers know that we are supposed to care about swamp girl even though she still isn't a fully fleshed out character (what's taking so long), and who else would remind us of the significance of characters like Addie and Tom if not for Alice. In a flashback, Alice told Tom she would be his 'candle in the window' little does Ms. Reid know that she is already that for all of her devoted fans, maybe its high time they started marketing those donuts for real.

What sort of insane behind the scenes person would have only a few short months ago declared the character of Andy Dixon too boring to be frontburner? Well, no doubt the same person who thinks we buy Chris as a deep intellect with a thing for teenyboppers. Anyway, at least they finally woke up about Andy, and what a pay-off. Not only has Scott been given some of his best dramatic material in years, he doesn't even have to say a word and you just know he's reeling in shock; but we get the pleasure of seeing Bob, Kim, and John in a real story instead of hanging there like wallpaper. ATWT needs more stories like this one, follow Days' example, family is far more compelling than the single life on its own. The only problem with this story is after the way Denise has so harshly treated Oakdale's three nicest citizens, Lily, Holden, and now Andy, how as viewers are we at all supposed to sympathize with her plight? Now if only they could give legitimate story to Barbara, Lucinda, and Lisa, they might have something like competition for Y&R, of course, that requires not having rampant hirings and firings every two weeks. An addiction as heavy as Andy's over at ATWT.

Most of the time the really juicy dramatic stuff is handed to the female leads on Soap Operas. However, this week David Fumero got the chance to show how much he's grown into the role of Cristian. While playing out your standard yearning teen love tale he's brought a sort of a grounding affect to the Will and Jessie money is no object pairing. Cristian as played by Fumero is very strong willed and independant, making it known in every scene whether holding his own against the fierce Asa, or attempting to convince Jessie that they are meant to be together. He also doesn't want to hurt anyone, some of his best scenes have been when he's at one pushing away and pulling towards him the very fragile Rosanne. David has skillfully turned what once was essentially a vacant dreamboat character into one of immense complexities not so unlike his older soon to be returning brother Antonio.

There was always something heart and home, down to earth, and genuinely likeable about Georgia right from day one, which makes Jamie's departure all the more resonating for viewers. Her tears and overwhelming grief over killing her boyfriend's father were totally believable, just as everything from her relationship with her Aunt Lu to love for Eddie has been. Jamie is exceptionally talented and it's hard to understand how in a sea of young blondes, the current producer would choose to focus much of the show on one with very little charisma when he's letting a jewel go. One can only imagine the great things that Jamie will accomplish in the future after completing her acting studies.

It is beyond an atrocity that I was unable to see the last month of Sunset Beach, network television is ignorant but as witnessed this year, NBC is the crown prince. That said, I will greatly miss a lot of the great, unique characters and the outrageous storytelling, something that a couple years ago I never would have thought possible. Unlike Port Charles, over time the cast endeared themselves to us, especially with the wonderful romances, thrilling adventures, and even Annie's zany fantasies. It's a shame that everything on television has to be judged by ratings because at any point this year SB had more going on than either Bold and the Beautiful or stuck in motion General Hospital. The Sun doesn't have to completely set, keep you fingers crossed that the talent both in front and behind the scenes may soon come to your second favorite soap and add some much needed spark.

What began with a lame Lewinsky rip-off emerged into a great example of sibling rivalry and then ultimately a loving relationship between sisters. Both actresses made the motivations and feelings of their characters so clear that no matter the situation they made their opinions seem reasonable if not always logical. It was a nice multi-layered relationship, that is often taken for granted in lew of other more pressing demographics.

It has been a refreshing change to watch a latin family on a soap, or even television for that matter, whose mother is not somebody's maid, whose sons are not reformed gangbangers, and whose daughter is every bit the debutante as any other girl in town. From the sizzling forbidden romance of Gabi and Antonio, through Ricardo's (mostly) heroic persona, to Maria's high profile triangle, the Torres family has made a nice centerpiece for Sunset Beach. They are relatable working class people but at the same time they aren't stereotyped into being people who are so poor that they long for every material possesion the Richards have. Each of these actors has defined their characters so well that they have made them their own, body and soul, one could never fathom anyone else playing Gabi's heartfelt confusion, or Madam Carmen's mother knows best gypsy, and that is the mark of a fine actor. If the Lopez-Fitzgerald family is looking to fill out their family unit on Passions all they need do is look to the Beach.

Let me preface this by saying that my NBC affiliate has so graciously pulled Sunset Beach for its last month, so my tributes to it will be somewhat blind. It's sad to think that by the end of !999, the only two african-american true definition of super couples have been in the eighties AMC's Angie and Jesse, and now in the nineties Michael and Vanessa. Sunset Beach should be commended for having a romance of color that went through all the same trials and tribulations to be together as their other high profile pairings like Meg and Ben. Think about the other soaps, didn't it seem like on Y&R that Malcom and Olivia took about two minutes to wed, that's just one of about a million stories that got short-changed for seemingly only one reason. Vanessa and Michael's storyline not only made them for some time as large a part of the canvas as any Barbie and Ken but it also introduced one of the few black villainess' in Virginia. It will be a shame to think that with Sunset going off the air their will be few opportunities for an elaborately romantic engagement between two such characters, due to a ridiculous fear of a few malcontents in the audience.

With the sun nearing it's final setting, it's appropriate that the diva character of the show finally had something to showcase her humanity that didn't seem comically over the top. Olivia Richards has been a stuggling alcoholic since Sunset Beach premiered and we saw her slipping boose into her breakfast juice. This week, Down showed the disappointment that even Olivia herself feels at the setback of her ongoing recovery. She absorbed everything available to her, from her lover's distancing himself to her childrens utter digust that once again she had fallen off the wagon with a baby to care for. Sunset Beach will go off the air with literally no fan fair at the end of the month, a disservice to the cast and crew that is clearly still striving to give the viewers their all.

ATWT along with most every other soap besides Y&R is awash with new faces. While it may be intriguing to watch something fresh, it doesn't exactly play well for the major family holidays. ATWT showed the perfect way, in this shortened week, to blend everyone on the canvas, as Don Hastings gave a wonderful speech on the meaning of Thanksgiving as the camera panned through the lives of each character. Generation spans on the soaps are more important than the execs think, it's hard to find that familial warmth on a show like Passions when the oldest actors aren't even close to graying, every show needs an Alice Horton to bake donuts. These characters may not be as sexy as some but they provide a comfort like seeing It's A Wonderful Life, year after year.

I hate that they killed off Ben. I know many of you are ga-ga over the Prince, but he is, in my opinion such a dullard in comparison to the well-rounded beyond romance novel characterization that was Ben. That said, there is one good thing to come of this most untimely demise. This is yet another showcase for the burgeoning talents of Tammy Blanchard, who seems lately to have emerged as the next Judi Evans Luciano, meaning she can play anything they throw at her with buckets of heart. Tammy has helped shaped Drew into something real, which isn't easy in an age of teenage Greenlees (AMC). As much as I love being privy to Tammy's immense talents at least three times a week, it would seem a waste if this young ingenue doesn't leave at some point soon to achieve the bigger and better things that she is worthy of.

Lately it's just so pleasant to see any character on ATWT doing something for an actual reason, that Ms. Fulton's performance could not be overlooked. Lisa was great this week, like a flashback to the old days when talent won out over age. Not only were her hospital scenes with Tom and Bob incredibly heartwarming, history will do that, but when she chewed out Margo it made total sense and it was how most viewers wanted to respond as well. Even though I'm not loving this show right now since they killed off Vicky and have made Christopher a leading man, however if they keep baiting me with Eileen on a more frequent basis, I'll stay hooked.

If you think about it, each soap has their own identity, it's legacy if you will. Days has it's supercouples, GH has it's adventures, and apparently OLTL has a gift for the morbid. From Bo carrying his son's body everywhere, to Jessie's miscarriage, and now the death of Grace, there is an ability here to make the viewer feel the intensity of the situation even when it involves a character who for the most part didn't matter. The fact that Timothy Gibbs makes me want to watch something, in spite of the potentially depressing consequences, should say something to the producers of this often confused show, that mostly seems uncertain what to do with their bevy of actors. Timothy Gibbs should obviously not be wasted chasing after newspaper headlines, as evidenced by his work as Gary on AW, this is an actor capable of so much more, and it would be to everyone's benefit if we were priviledged to witness the darked edges of this actor more often.

Even all of you die hard GH fans out there must admit that ever since the wonderful Vanessa Marcil made her exit the show had been steadily declining in quality, and for the most part, personality. Recently, they've made tremendous efforts to regain some of that old adventurous spirit that once was the soap's hallmark. The character of Roy as played by A Martinez, brings to made the eighties when Robert and Luke were Port Charles version of Butch and Sundance, heavy on the kitsch. Martinez has that undefinable star quality that brings an added life to each scene he's in, whether shocking his widow Bobbie (not crazy about that pairing but whatever) or verbally jousting with Luke, has given GH the breath of fresh air they seem to be yearning for. Now if only Sonny would emerge from the duldroms and actually be the strong character he once was instead asking Jason's advice on every move he makes, this show might actually start kicking back into high gear.

We have mostly been privy only to the hardened version of Rosanne, a stark comparison to sweet Jessica. However once in a while when some of Rosie's vulnerabilities bubble up on the surface we get to see what a talent OLTL has in Erika Page. This week on that stage, she looked like a deer caught in the headlights, it helps that the actress herself has a certain resemblance with those big, expressive doe eyes of hers. While their seems to be a certain amount of tumult in the writing lately on the soap, since from week to week characters go from one radical transformation, it is comforting to the audience to have an actress of Page's caliber who can be counted on to ground Rosanne, never fully letting her stray from the confused girl who just wants someone to love her. Speaking of someone to love her, isn't it about time that Erika's real life flame, country crooner Bryan White made an appearance to seranade the ladies of Llanview?

In a perfect world Kathleen Noone would have gotten her first major solo story when there weren't merely a couple of months left in this fledgling but more watchable than most series. Noone's Bette, a seasoned veteran of matrimony has lately fallen head over heels for her best friend's guy, and plays it with tremendous longing even though the object of her affections is the dreadfully stiff A.J. It's a pleasure to watch this talented actress get some meaty drama to work with as opposed to being a foil for her teenage daughter's romantic woes, not that she doesn't blow everyone out of the water in those miniscule scenes as well. If there is any justice, Kathleen will land on another soap in no time flat, she'd make an interesting new love interest for John Dixon on ATWT, even if she doesn't pander to the twentysomething demos.

The character of Adam Chandler is consistantly at his best when he is being manipulative with everyone in earshot. Of course, at the moment it would take little to pull one over on this last shred of the old Liza that we have remaining, so this whole Colby fiasco has been strikingly unremarkable. However, AMC took a turn for the better when Adam started focusing his wrath back on his other spawns, namely Hayley, and Junior (wonderfully acter by a young performer, let's not have any rapid aging!). David obviously relishes the opportunity to play this evil with good intentions side of Adam as it shows in his very enthusiastic, very believable portrayal of someone who thinks father knows best wasn't merely a television show. The only thing that could make this controlling papa saga even more compelling is if the execs that be would wake up and ship Skye back to Pine Valley where she belongs.

This show is admittedly not a challenge to one's intelligence, in fact, we're often left to wonder if the producers think we have any at all. However, the one truly bright spot in the cast of shaky newcomers is Lindsay's Theresa, everybody knows her last name by now. With expressive eyes she takes this obsessive character and makes her heartfelt and likeable, and task still not achieved by the majority of the teens in all of daytime. Lindsay infuses the character with an interesting mix of ATWT's Lily, GH's Brenda, and Days' Jennifer, not a bad combination at all. If done right, she will be their star heroine for many years to come or until NBC completely withdraws from soapland, whichever comes first.

It was the best feeling of been there, done that, that AW fans have ever had. Not only did we get one last glimpse inside the cottage that Bridget picked out for our favorite feisty blonde, we were also treated to some very heartfelt, very Bay City moments. For all those ATWT fans who never watched Another World, Wednesday and Thursday were prime examples of the brilliance that you missed out on. Jensen is a gifted actress making it clear to everyone from longtime fans to casual channel surfers, that she truly cared about her mom's health, from the worry that crept over her formerly smiling face as she got the mysterious call from the doctor, to the tears the welled up instananeously as Donna (Get Anna Stuart a full time job pronto!) came in. It was like watching a master at work, and it was also a double-edged sword, reminding us all of what we've lost.

Talk about sacrificing for your art! Hunter Tylo, one of soap's true beauties, nevermind the world's, is willingly looking terrible and it's paying off big time for the usaully campy Bold and The Beautiful. Hunter has done a harrowing portrayal of Taylor as she struggles with the fact that she may indeed be giving up her own life as wife and mother, for her two unborn daughters. Taylor even brought Brooke to tears as she asked her arch-nemesis, in a weak, yet strong with emotion voice, to look after her beloved Ridge. As wonderfully comendable as Hunter Tylo has been of late, the real key to the success of this storyline is the fact that for once, we the internet obsessed audience are in the dark as to whether or not the actress is actually leaving the show. Can you remember the last time when you didn't know at least a month in advance that a character was being killed off? This medium would benefit greatly if there was less news leaked about intense plotlines, so that cliffhanger Fridays would actually mean something again.

The return of the romantic hero? Hopefully the answer is yes, given Peter Reckell's recent performance as Bo Brady, it was like eighties redoux as he tried to reconnect with his beloved fancy face. Reckell's Bo is the epitomy of a paperback hero, who lives for but one reason, to bring happiness to Hope, the damsel in distress. For a longtime it had seemed like the main ingredient that once attracted viewers in droves, the supercouple was extinct. But with the success of GL's old fashioned Danny and Michelle, some potentials on Passions, and the long-awaited (still) reunion of Bo and Hope, they may be fewer soap cancellations than we once thought.

As the baby traumas turn. It seems like nearly half of my picks for actor of the week have been somehow related to the loss of a child (see last week), but at least this one's a little different. For once, in a medium that mostly focuses on women, the character of Holden was given equal on-air grieving time over giving up baby Hope. Jon gave a wonderfully sedate performance as a man who was really in love with his baby girl despite that fact that she was not made of his blood. Holden was torn, he knew that Lily thought giving her back was the right thing to do, but he wasn't quite as willing and the pain was etched clearly on Hensley's face. Holden's devotion to family makes perfect sense since the Snyder's have always been one of the biggest broods in daytime and it will be interesting to see how this further complicates his relationship with Lily, since while it is obvious he wants to be strong for her, yet there may always be lingering doubts in both their minds as to whether the decision was the right one.

It's difficult seperating brilliant acting from a popular storyline devise that is continually undermining my enjoyment of the soaps as of late. Seeing one infant death after another on daytime is taking its toll to the point where now, us cynical viewers just come to expect it, instead of it having the natural impact it is supposed to have we find ourselves wondering is there something in the water in these fictional towns that will not allow any woman to carry her child to term. It is one thing to touch on important social issues like AIDS and cancer, it is a whole other thing to make them seem like everyday occurances, to the point of making some viewers feel immune to the actual devastation. That mini rant said, these tragedies are allowing for some of the finest work by both the actresses and actors confronted by the situation, immediatly coming to mind include OLTL's Will and Jessica though wouldn't it have been all the more interesting to see the young teens struggling to raise a baby. None of this is to undervalue Cady, who by my opinion would be absolutely remiss if she did not include the scene in which she tells Ruth, that she'd like to go into McKay's and ask for a table for five, that was pure Emmy gold. Only please could AMC somehow find a way for actresses like Cady to strut her stuff without so much unnecessary heartache, happiness might have some dramatic possibilities as well.

Who needs Girlpower when ATWT is giving us Womenpower? In a knockout one-two punch this week, the blissfully seen some life combination of Lucinda and Lisa took Oakdale by storm this week defying the demos. Lisa had hilariously catty run-ins with formidable competitors like Jake and Carly, making it painfully obvious what the viewers have been missing while the brilliant Ms. Fulton has spent her time twiddling her classy thumbs. The second home run for those out of boy band range came courtesy of the irriplacable Elizabeth Hubbard, who returned with her usual feistiness sparring with ex-John and speaking volumes in her stroke induced "silent" tirade against her nemesis Molly. We can all pray now that this wasn't a one time thing and Chris Goutman does intend to provide us with compelling characters of all ages.

The character of Annie seems like leftovers from soaps' heydays in the eighties, Sarah proudly infuses the villianess will all of the potent ingrediants that once upon a time made Lucy (PC) and Liza (AMC) so vivacious and eternally watchable no matter how far they waded into the bad girl pool. While those and certain other vixens have willingly surrendered their spark, Annie is still going strong, even if it means in the wee hours of the night in many markets. Annie is unrelenting in her quest for the almighty dollar, that's her one mission in life, and its fun to to watch her scam and scrape only to end up on the bottom of the heap each and every time. If Sunset does indeed go down like the Titanic, do not be surprised if Sarah quickly makes the leap to one of the many other shows currently starved for a queen of mean.

Carly has always been a manipulator in the guise of an angel complete with blonde pixie hair and porcelain skin, and never has she been more interesting to watch than when all of her machinations are found out and her world comes tumbling down around her. Maura brings a great combination of greediness, brattiness, and oddly enough, heart, to the role making her one of the few ATWT characters introduced in the nineties that continues to have impact. Seeing Carly lose her precious money and Jack all in one day, was great payoff for all the fans who love to hate her, but even they, like Barbara, would have found sympathy for her when she had to hand Parker over to Hal. Maura West is a wonderful actress and I can't wait to watch her as Carly scraping her way back up to the top of Oakdale society, there's always her old fashion career, a storyline that would also make way for the painfully underused Lisa Grimaldi, instead of having these two strong women continually pining over men they can't have.

Carly had a great moment when she told Sonny that no one can control life and death. Not a landmark statement by any means but timely since so many recent tragedies in the news, leaving no doubt many behind, grieving for the things they didn't think to do. Sonny's is feeling that way too. He's a little lost and angry, all the death and destruction in his past is finally hitting him like a ton of bricks and as is the norm Maurice Benard is masterfully illustrating his despair. With a range of emotions from bitter anger to self-pity Sonny is willingly taking the blame for the deaths of Lily and Brenda and nearly anyone else whom he may have passed on the street in his lifetime. At a time when GH has been going at a standstill in the drama department bringing out their finest light and letting him shine at his brightest powers is the smartest move the show has made in months, now if only they could put a halt to Tony Geary's seemingly endless vacations, they may finally find themselves right back on track.

This time last year Tammy would not even have been a consideration, but I have never seen such an improvement in an actress as I have viewed in her. Perhaps it is the fact that now instead of playing your standard 'I'm going to steal your man' Jerry Springer type she has morphed into a fully fleshed out character brimmer with emotions. Drew has become someone the viewers sincerely care about, they want her to find the happiness and the family she has so long been seeking. The scenes between Tammy and Patti D'Arbanville are so authentically moving that you would swear they truly are mother and daughter. With a certain dent in the Bauer and Spaulding dynasties of late it is a comfort that Springfield is still building stories based on things as un-groundbreaking as religion and the need for family.

No one ever believed it would be easy to fill the shoes of an actress as indelible as Vanessa Marcil, but a few months into the gig newcomer Vultaggio is holding her own. This week she brought out Hannah's greatest asset, her unrelenting backbone. For any actress not to get swallowed up in a scene where Maurice Benard is stark raving mad it's a miracle, and in Lisa's case for a few moments her Hannah was in control of the great mob boss. For a show that is of late struggling for compelling stories they are at least heading in the right direction with this character as long as they don't allow her to meld into the classic yet been there damsel in distress that Chloe seems to be.

Kristian has been given a rare opportunity to play the antithesis of her longtime character Hope, and she is clearly reveling in the moment. The actress comes alive when as Princess Gina she makes catty comments towards Marlena or Billie, and in the quieter times when she is longing for John. The actress seems to be having a rebirth of sorts, totally enjoying herself in the part, which was not always evident in the past most likely because Hope has never generally been the life of the party. Kristian has the capacity to play a wide range and DAYS should continue to allow her to stretch and grow even if it is at the expense of longtime Bo and Hope supporters.

Since I began watching AMC in the mid-eighties it has generally represented the everyday happenings of life on a slightly grander scale, it was perhaps Agnes Nixon's way of assuring the viewers that they weren't alone in their struggles. However somewhere in the nineties, Pine Valley started having pointless restaurant explosions and the like, which belong more on an adventure based series such as GH. It seems that Dixie's pregnancy along with a few other recent stories are bringing with them the return of AMC's beloved identity. Michael E. Knight did a great job showing the torn feelings of a husband and would be father, you see the fear in his eyes evertime he looks at Dixie that he may not have her for long; yet there's also the part of him that so loves the thought of having a child with her. As everyone knows Michael excels at comedy, but whenever given the opportunity for a very emotional, confronting tale, he gives that his all just like he would any pratfall or play on words making him one of the shows most invaluable actors.

I spent the afternoon sipping hot chocolate in hopes of removing the bitter taste from my mouth; it didn't work. For the life of me, I cannot figure out why I had to watch the final episode of Another World today when Sunset Beach just hit an alltime ratings low. I cannot remember a time in my life where Another World wasn't a part of it, some may see that as pathetic, I see it as testiment to a show that kept it's heart and integrity intact even when it was forced to do some foolish things in attempts at staying on the air. I was disappointed that they couldn't find time enough to air flashbacks of the old days, even a lame show like Home Improvement was given an hour and a half send off, though I suppose it was in keeping with NBC's treatment of their unsung crown jewel. When Joe remarked that he could still remember the first day he laid eyes on Paulina, it struck me that so could I. I remember the longing stare between Ryan and Vicky when she pulled up in the sleigh just before marrying Grant. I remember Carl's hanging by a thread confession that he was Ryan's father. I remember Cass dressing up as Crystal Lake and tangling with Tony the tuna. My point is that Another World gave the fans so many outstanding memories that they will keep with them forever, whether it be that no soap family will ever have as spectacular a Christmas tree as the Cory's or that no diva will ever wear a boa quite like Felicia, or believably munch on junk food like Vicky. I'm sure we'll see the immensely talented cast in other venues though all the devoted fans know it will never be the same. Keep AW's cancellation as a warning to all fans currently feeling disgruntled by your favorite soap, even if you don't like what's happening on it now, keep the t.v. glued to that channel even if you have to put on the mute button; do not give the demo obsessed executives an easy excuse to demolish your show. As for the fans who will be grabbing for the kleenex on Monday when you don't see the continuing adventures of your favorite characters, my only suggestion is to treasure your favorite end of the episode freeze frame cliffhanger moment that Another World so skillfully provided you with for the last thirty-five years.

The sole silver lining to the cancellation of AW has been that the imbecilic powers that be have seen fit to rectify certain mistakes that they made in the past that greatly contributed to the downfall of the soap, namely rehiring the marvelous Alice Barret and the irreplacable Charles Keating. Though Alice repised her role as Frankie only briefly as a ghost, that combined with her new character Anne at least helped to give a little closure to what was easily one of the most violent uncalled for demises in daytime history. Charles Keating meanwhile brought back his shakespeare-like presence that dazzles in even the smallest of scenes such as when he was trying to recall why the name Ryan meant so much to him or even when he held Rachel's hands in his for the first time in years. Charles is capable as both villian and leading man, who should be a welcome addition to any cast; and if the dogpaddling Port Charles is smart, they would make a move to recast him in the role of D.V., truly making the character as menacing as he is appealing.

Taylor Stanley is one of the brightest young actress to arrive in Daytime in years, one who was not hired because of her look but because of her talent. This week Remy's fondest dream became a reality and she discovered that Paulina is her mother. She shared a truly heartfelt scene with Judi Evans Luciano that made it totally believable that the two characters were indeed related. Taylor Stanley can cry with the best of them but she can also raise the exhuberance level in almost any scene, in the short time she has been with the show she has never glided through a performance, she clearly puts every ounce of herself into it. Remy would have made a great addition to the teen scene in ATWT, it's too bad nobody noticed.

Kim Rhodes in her few years in the role of Cindy has done the rarest of things by making a psychopath so endearing to the audience that we continually root for her to win despite the fact that we know she never will. Somewhere along the way Kim started ignoring the writers and infused the character with an actual irrisistable personality equal parts humor and deceit. This week she not only displayed her gift for dramatic confrontation in her scenes with Vicky, but also her deft abilities in the comedy arena when she was attempting to flirt with David,while simultaneously mocking Donna. Kim Rhodes is a great scene stealing actress, the kind of presence that would work wonders on a soap like General Hospital that is currently lacking in female characters with any sort of a backbone.

Every quality drama knows that some of the best scenes are made even more lifelike by filling them with secondary characters. This week Eric Morgan Stuart's Chris did the seemingly impossible by not allowing his humorous prescence to be buried in one of Jake and Vicky's arguments. It takes a strong actor to have created a character with very little story options along the way, yet still manages to resonate deeply with his audience. Chris and Jake's friendship has been one of the most enjoyable aspect of AW in recent years, which makes it all the more of a travesty that in the waning months the show is bringing on new actors rather than rewarding long time workhorses like Eric with a script that would finally allow him to showcase all of his talent.

I started sensing that Lila would be a lasting, indelible character the night she was preparing for her first date with one of the faux Matthews, and she did that wonderfully Scarlet thing of sewing her own dress, it was a signal that the lady had spark. That spark that Lisa has skillfully filled Lila with has carried her above the often lame (Shane) and certainly convoluted (Lumina) plots that she has so often been thrust into. Lisa has carefully allowed Lila to mature without losing any of her original southern charm that endeared her to Cass and the viewers. Now, things are only getting better, since there seems to be this growing fondness for Matthew in her heart, whether she is willing to admit it or not, this change is making the story all the more involving since suddenly this relationship has stopped being about the superficial things. Sadly, what could be one of the great quadrangles, will most likely end quickly with a rushed 'happy ending' for Cass and Lila, leaving Matt and Anne in the dust, all for precious demographics.

With the pairing of Felicia and Sergei their was the dreadful potential for them to be in the high ick-factor (e.g. Viki/Ben, Adam,Liza) range of the current I'm old enough to be your parent relationships smothering daytime. However, AW, has slowly and skillfully nurtured a warm friendship between the two extremely different charcters. Newcomer Jonathan Sharpe exudes charisma as the english challenged musician, bringing together a melodic combination of humor and sad vulnerability. As always Linda Dano's Felicia shines best when she's torn between exasperation and her natural caring spirit, that forces her to fight for Sergei hospital care, his citizenship, and his rights as a human being. Linda has expressed an interest to be Ally McBeal's eccentric mom, and one can only imagine the magic she could pull off with David E. Kelley's writing, though it would be a blow for daytime to lose her.

It is incomprehensable to me that the Meryl Streep of Daytime will soon be unemployed. As Paulina, Judi Evans Luciano, has nurtured a character with the sort of naturalness that isn't often explored in Soap Opera, such dramatic excellence is often eschewed for big hair and breast implants. It has been a pleasure to watch Judi through the years from the fun moments like maquerading as Madonna to the emotional turmoil that she has had to play out for the last few years. One of the most memorable scenes to me in AW history was in the park in Lassitor when both Paulina and Vicky were mourning Jake and they finally put their differences aside. If a borderline talent such as ex-Gl star Melina Kanakaredes can find success in prime time surely one of the few thinking producers out their will hire Judi.

Victoria Wyndham thankfully in the last remaining months is finally being given the opportunity to infuse Rachel with some of her old feisty spirit. Her former gutsy attitude reappeared with a vengeance this week as she fought with all her might to protect her family from the evil powers of Jordan Starke. Sadly in recent years we've seen little of Victoria other than as Rachel's evil doppelganger Justine and in those magnificently memorable scenes at the beginning of her romance with Carl in New York. I hope when Carl returns they give them the great send off that they deserve, perhaps something worthy of an Elizabeth Barrett Browning sonnet.

It's always enjoyable to watch a new romance blossom, especially on a serial as capable of great storytelling as Another World. The relationship between Marley and Tyrone has been slow to develop, unlike other shows who expect us to believe that their is this instant unbreakable connection between two people who have barely known each other for five minutes. What started out as an anonymous friendship evolved into a lawyer fighting for his troubled client and now in a most seemingly natural development their are generous amounts of sparks flying in their every scene. Most commendably rather than playing the race card, AW is allowing the main conflict in this relationship to be about Marley's mental recovery and the distrust she has within herself, especially when it comes to men like Tyrone who wish to rescue her. This is a slow building believable romance and it is a shame that we will be unable to follow it for an extended period of time.

Joe Carlino has always been a hero, from the moment he arrived as the private investigator working to figure out whether Jake was still alive or not, and of course when he fell for his beloved Blue Eyes. Ever since Joe has been totally guided by his high sense of morals, so now, since Grant's murder it's been interesting watching this new edge develop to the character. Barbara is masterfully guiding Joe into a descent from grace, blurring the lines between what's right and wrong, especially when it comes down to protecting your family. It's a shame now that Joe is officially the fully fleshed out character with flaws that we'll no longer have the pleasure of inviting him or any of these other brilliant characters into our homes.

Rick has been stuck on the back burner so long, that even a little taste of his great humor is a joy to watch. It was nice to see the friendship of Phillip and Rick brought back into focus for the all of two minutes that it lasted with this week's drunken escapes. Rick's apologies to Harley on behalf of Philip were truly hilarious as were the imitations of his friend. Michael has a genuine talent, whether be it drama or comedy and it is high time that die hard Gl fans used a bit of that furvor over Vanessa and Matt; and direct some of it in Rick and Abby's direction.

Bryan R. Dattilo superbly plays Lucas as Days' answer to Eddie Haskell. Equal parts sly manipulator and hilarious one-liner king, he brings tremendous energy to every scene he's in. Particularly sparkling has been his failed yet winning courtship of Nicole, including the Hollywood producer and everytime in his special way that he advertises what a great catch he would be. Bryan's portrayal of Lucas lately reminds me of another great dramatic/comedic actor whom Days' foolishly let slip away, Matthew Ashford as the once upon a time screw-up conniver Jack Devereux.

Daytime Soap Opera's greatest asset reigns supreme yet again! Fresh off of her nineteenth Emmy nomination, Susan Lucci has been handed her most challenging work since the drug addiction storyline and she's working all of her magic on it. She has been wonderfully oblivious to the scar on her face, giving Erica a few of her rare sympathetic moments and then the utter shock on her face when the realization hit her like a slap was mesmerizing. We all know that a scar storyline is nothing new on daytime but for once it's happened to a character where you can actually understand that it would have a massive affect on the rest of her life, that right now is perhaps the one solution to the current lack of believable storylines on every show, the ability to match character with story.

Danny is easily the most complex younger leading man in daytime. Carefully avoiding being neither the preening romantic nor the evil ogre, he is truly three dimensional. The Gl writers and the actor, together have created a character who is deliciously at odds with himself, a constant struggle between his inherent decency and his loyalty to a morally challenged family. As he did with his role of the good-hearted drug addict Casey on Loving, Stewart lets his character display his faults and virtues, bringing it to an even more dramatic level than GL is generally capable of.

In a rare break from the outlandish and the insane, this week Days introduced what could potentially be one of their more serious endeavors in several years and they picked a perfect actress to do it with. Patrika has been fun to watch since she arrived on the scene as the devilish Nancy, but now we're getting the opportunity to see her take the real to a whole other level. Whether or not it turns out that Nancy has cancer, the mere possibility is opening up new sides to the character, such as real friendship with Mike and Carrie, and showing more of the depths of her relationship with Craig that as yet continues to only be hinted at. This is the best way to teach about a serious topic like cancer, as a natural story arc rather than the opportunity to preach.

Kimberlin gave yet another standout perfomance as a mentally unstable person, though it was only a day long part she still managed to steal the show. It was interesting to see Marley have to deal with someone even more off-balance than she is. There are many shows out there currently struggling for weighty, watchable storylines that could use a talent that can actually steal scenes from someone like Ellen Wheeler.

Applause to a still fairly new actress who managed to ground the forever outlandish Beach in a little bit of reality. Kam gave a supurb performance in confessing the truth to her husband Cole, she filled the impassioned speech with all of the necessary desperation that would cause someone to go to the lengths that Caitlin went to. Such scenes, as Caitlin's eventual breakdown would have seemed comical in the hands of some lesser actresses, Kam is proving to be a pleasant surprise on a show that normally requires comic over-acting rather than subtlety.

It is great to see older cast members be allotted as much screen time as their much younger and often less talented counterparts. In this case, it was, as weird as it may sound, completely enjoyable to watch Holly go insane. Holly's feeling of inadaqacy as a mother lead her to a point of desperation where she felt as though everyone in Springfield was neglecting their children. While no doubt, this story was a little frightening for the real life moms watching, it was original, and creative, two things that daytime has been sorely lacking of late.

Judi once again displayed what a brilliant performer she is full to the brim with emotional termoil. She tearfully told husband Joe that she had a baby when she herself was a child, it was an amazing don't take your eyes off the screen moment, both husband and wife were mesmirizing in their despair. At a time when we are to be people like GH's Carly as mothers it is refreshing to watch a mother so vehemently defend her child, even if he isn't really hers, I can't wait for the time when Paulina learns the truth about Remy.

One of the best exits ever, Guiding Light literally made Dinah hit rock bottom this week. Her obsession for Hart, turned to an accidental shot in the back, and then in feeble desperation to get him to notice her she began shaking him at the hospital which led to his death. Wendy made Dinah so fragile and cracked, that in spite of her actions the character still garnered sympathy, I'm sure most viewers could understand Vanessa wanting to protect her. Wendy brought a vibrancy and oscar caliber style of acting to the show that will be sorely missed.

A striking performance is often achieved by many small moments rather than a grandiose in your face hour. The one specific moment this week occured when Adam was trying to convince Dixie to tell Junior about her illness, in a rare truly heartfelt and honest spell, Canary's Adam shared with her his regrets at having yelled at his mother not long before she died. It's these small, yet specific insights that mold a strong three dimensional character, that help define him as neither a villian nor a hero, but a simple human being.

Andy was Molly's first official friend, he wasn't blackmailing or using her, he was willing to accept her for who she is. The past few weeks has seen the dawning of a new non-selfabsorbed Molly, beautifully portrayed by Leslie. For once, not taking a cue from her wayward cousin Carly, she has pushed aside her own interests and has genuinely shown concern for Andy and his problems with alcohol. Leslie was exceptional in all her scenes, full of tears, measuring what the correct course of action would be, it was a whole new world for her, being faced with devotion to someone other than herself. Even as she told Andy's family what was going on, she seemed uncertain as to whether she had made the right choice in betraying his confidence, a feeling, probably shared by most friends and families of addicts, that there simply is no easy way out.

Nora has transformed into a first-class whiner. Sam has become a pushover. And, Bo lost his brain somewhere at sea. While OLTL has destroyed many a character with this putrid storyline, Catherine Hickland has managed to turn Lindsay into one of the most interesting, layered characters on the soaps. Somehow Lindsay runs around begging after Sam while at the same time maintaining some sort of pride in being so pathetically obsessed with this man. Catherine rants and raves with the best of them, and like any good villainess, reveals her nemisis' deepest darkest secrets right out in public. Frankly, I wish Lindsay would get over Sam, and find someone much more up to her lively attitude she injects Llanview with.

A fascinating study in madness. Ellen Wheeler has somehow managed to translate sweet, innocent Marley into the most shattered woman since Blanche Dubois with such ease that one can only marvel at her tremendous talents. Though her frail looks are a definite asset to the part, it is much more than that which makes Ellen portrayal of Marley so potent. You can tell, in scene after scene that her mind is running at a hundred miles a minute, totally channeling every twisted thought that Marley is having, she is a privilidge to watch in a genre where a lot of actors appear disinterested in every action. Special honorable mentions go out to Tom Eplin, Jensen Buchanen and the AW writers, for being extremely valuable supporting players in Marley's gut-wrenching decent into madness.

Where have all the cowboys gone? It is horrifying to think that the Buchanen men are slowly dwindling down to nothing. Llanview's original John Wayne a.k.a. Clint left this week after several years of being pushed out to pasture, so to speak. Still, Clint Ritchie sparkles with true grit in every scene, from his bitterness towards Lindsay to his teary eyed reconcilation with his daughter Jessie and, his never-ending longing for Viki. If only the writers could have woken up from there slumber actually given Clint Ritchie a meaty storyline, perhaps OLTL wouldn't be in the state of disarray that it's currently in. If the producer of the new soap Passions is wise, they'd notice that Clint Ritchie makes an excellent patriarch.

Finally Jill Larson gets a great dramatic storyline! She was terrific in confessing to Belinda that she couldn't tell Adrian the truth. Jill made it clear that with Palmer's evil help, she has been reduced to feeling like trash who could never be capable of providing Adrian with a nice, normal mom. Considering all the poor writing on the show lately with newcomers like Raquel and Kit, it is refreshing to see a tender and touching twist on the old story of the mother and child reunion.

Due to so many interruptions, this week it was somewhat challenging to find an actor who stood out above the rest, though I believe Doug did a very capable job. Usually a character built on witty quips, not intense drama, Doug has to be admired for his swift ability to change gears on a man generally stuck somewhere in neutral. He displayed a deft ability at conveying Paul's frustration and traces of anger towards a father who has no memory of him. And besides, you've got to have a certain measure of talent in order to have a lone tear escape your eye.

Justin Deas is the kind of actor whom given one scene could find five different yet equally enthralling ways to play it. It's been a long time since Buzz has had a meaty storyline yet Justin has managed to infuse even the most mundane conversations with Jesse into something watchable. In mourning the loss of Jenna, Buzz was overwhelmed with grief. Sitting in the diner next to Harley, he would try to hide his eyes everytime the tears became too much. And one of the most poignant scenes occured on the dock when Buzz collapsed in Jenna's ghostly arms, only to have her vanish. As much as I will miss Jenna, I hope this will allow for the truly gifted Justin Deas to finally get the front burner storyline that he so richly deserves.

Now is the time for all OLTL fans to pray that Roger is really only taking a three month absense and not a lifetime one. Over a stretch of only a few years, the character of Todd Manning has become as integral a fixture in Llanview as his sister Vicki, few shows or actors can boast of creating truly a one of a kind character. Of course it was fascinating to see Todd being struck by the fact that he really does have several personalities, but to me those were not the standout moments of his final week. When he talked with Vicki and Sam about everything that happened, he was able to achieve a strong emotional hold on the scenes without saying much of anything, he spoke with body language and his eyes darting everywhere except towards these two people. We all know Roger is gifted at playing snarly, revengeful types and it was a pleasure to watch him pull out the generally unseen side of Todd for these last moments. I hope Roger returns, though at the same time I think it's probably a waste that he isn't making Academy Award winning movies.

Neurotic,deranged,out of her mind; that's pretty much Cindy in nutshell. From the moment she arrived in Bay City she had been teetering on the brink of madness and more than a few times has gone over the edge. With a less skilled actress than Kim the character could seem rather cartoonish and would have worn out her welcome long ago, instead Cindy is an unpredictable bundle of nerves, never certain whether she should be angry or sad. This mass confusion is what has led her to her currant disasterous trust in Marley and her subsequant involvement in shooting the man she loves. Kim Rhodes has made Cindy's journey a fascinating one to watch, forever keeping the viewer on their toes.

Victoria has always been very much like her father Victor, in that she always likes to be the one in control, whether it be business or her personal life. Lately, though Victoria has been faced with the uncertainty that comes with pregnancy and it has been fascinating to see, Heather, portray Victoria's vulnerabilities and insecurities regarding parenthood. Now she is faced with the toughest emotional obstacle of her life, how do you grieve the life of a child that you never had the chance to know? Heather has conveyed Victoria's usual facade of strength while adding new grown up levels to this character. Surely another easy Emmy victory for Heather Tom and just the beginning of a potentially powerful series of stories for all the characters involved.

Luke finally came home this week and was sickened to see his entire family with the Cassadines. Whether it was intentional or not Tony Geary's newly shorn head aids the desired affect of making Luke appear somewhat less than stable. Confronting his son, Luke admitted he's never been a hero and that he feared sooner or later Lucky would realize just that. Luke Spencer continues to be the model anti-hero, unpredictable, exciting to watch character that has kept fans checking into GH over the past couple of decades and even throughout the current lack of storylines.

It takes a tremendous amount of courage to be an actress on a very asthetic show like B&B and choose to forgo the glamour look of velcro rollers and heavy Mac lipstick. Bobbie allowed for matted hair and minimal makeup to portray a grief stricken alcoholic on the verge of taking a drink since the loss of her husband Grant. It is refreshing on this show to once in a while see fine drama in favor rather than Hollywood vanity. Bobbie looked truly bewildered as Macy tried to coax herself back to work, and as all the voices chanting advice swirled around in her mind until she lost control of the car. If her Emmy clips didn't read B&B, Bobbie Eakes would be challenging Susan Lucci for the yearly nominations.

It was probably the saddest moment on television in a longtime but in a way a much needed one for AMC. Having an everyday occurence of family life happen, like the death of a beloved pet, was like a much needed return to a show once filled with heart and home as Agnes Nixon had intended it. All the actors peformed achingly touching scenes, that nearly every viewer has experienced unlike recent idiotic plotlines involving, certain new and rather unappealing characters. It was a bittersweet moment at the end when Harold met Natalie in heaven, and she quietly assured the animal that they would see the rest of their family again one day.

It was headline worthy news this week: Meg found her backbone! As any viewer of SB is well aware, since its inception, the character of Meg's mantra seems to be forgive and forget, she does this almost instantaniously with everyone. Finally, Meg actually kicked her lying, scheming ex-fiance out, she actually did something that made sense, we were able to see that Ms. Ward is capable of raising her voice above a whimper. Speaking of that whimper, this week, she yet again showed she's in the running along with PC's Lucy and YR's Sharon as one of Daytime's all-time great criers, no matter how decidedly far-fetched the storyline.

One of the smoothest recasts in memory, Nadine instantly made Josie her own, not an easy task on a show infamous for fast, swinging doors. Literally overwhelmed by guilt over an affair with her brother in law, Josie has been sweating and visibly shaken for weeks. Then came her worst fear, she's pregnant! While contemplating an abortion, Nadine, in an emmy worthy tour de force allowed Josie's history (which she never played) such as her days as a prostitute and her miscarriage, to fully impact the strong emotions involved in her scenes. A consistantly smart actress who will be probably be overlooked for the forgettable fact that two other actresses ever played the role.

Sheila went out with a definite bang! this week as she shot her longtime nemesis Stephanie and kidnapped her own daughter. Kimberlin Brown has created one of the most memorable soap villians of all time, right up there with James Stenbeck and Billy Clyde Tuggles. Sheila was always one step ahead of everyone even when she was in her nice phase, she was constantly scheming over ways to insure that James would love her. It's doubtful the James/Stephanie pairing will last long because without Sheila in the picture it's going to be a real snoozer. Bradley Bell has taken a large and likely bad risk by eliminating Sheila and Mike in favor of predictable teen stories.

I have to admit I have despised Margo's idiotic fascination with that man-child Eddie pretty much from day one. The storyline has dragged on and on getting more and more far fetched as it went. My misgivings aside, Ellen did a fabulous job this week as she struggled to convince Tom that the media had painted all these lies about her. Ellen was very true to character when hearing about Margo's miscarriage she refused to breakdown in front of Andy and Susan, she kept it all buried inside until they left. It was very poignant television to see this outwardly steel-like woman of the nineties curled up in the fetal position. Hopefully, this will begin to rectify the boring mess that the introduction of Eddie Silva has made of a once vital believable character.

There were several deaths this week on the ABC soaps, well, actually two were presumed dead. Opal had her one moment in years for a serious scene on AMC and Jax on GH was finally given the opportunity to be a three dimensional character, both were fine, strong performances. To me the most heartbreaking scenes of grief were delivered by Robert S. Woods. When the teary eyed father scooped up his grown son in his arms like Drew was just some toddler who had fallen asleep during a long car trip home, it was a moment of such distress and utter desperation that it was perfect. OLTL didn't have the ease that comes with the death of writing out a long time well loved character, full of flashback scenes, instead all the emotional weight was placed squarely on Robert S. Woods shoulders to show how important Drew actually was. He locked himself and a lifeless body in a room and wondered if his son knew he had been loved, and then in yet another painful moment regretted not having named him Tenacity instead, maybe that would have made him live. Robert is a treasure to watch and should be a model for any actor on how to show sorrow to its truest depths.

This week the character of Sami Brady may have finally reached a turning point. We witnessed evidence that she actually loves someone else more than herself. The scenes inside the hospital chapel when Sami tearfully asked everyone to pray for her son, were very well played, lacking the usual melodramatics of Days and appreciating the painful moment of an average mother perhaps facing the loss of her child. The scenes in which Allison interacts with Will have always been her most heartfelt, hopefully the future will see more of them, helping to make Sami more than just a character that every fan loves to loathe.

Sadly, David is finally reaching the end of his rope, sinking boats and taking pregnant hostages are a sure sign. What started out as a straight ahead villian played by a less capable actor, became a vulnerable, confused bundle of neurosis when Daniel brought his magic touch to the role. David has never had clear motivations on anything from his need to impress Lucinda to his obsessions with Molly and Emily, he lived without the certain borders put on other characters, which made him all the more vibrant and intriguing. Neither the stock hero nor a pure villian like James, the label free David was unpredictable and often sympathetic in spite of himself. David Markel was a true find and ATWT is way off base in letting him go, hopefully one of the floundering shows like AW will pick up on this talent quickly.

Cassie, being Dorian's daughter, has always been pretty understandably messed up, though up until recently she was under control, at least compared to the rest to the Kramer women. When she realized Kevin had cheated on her it brought down her whole world, and she felt she had to look at all her choices and question them. She had left a stable relationship and the son that she had so desperatly wanted in order to be with this man. It has been a natural and real performance from Kaufman that has made this a dazzling yet grounded story. Cassie was far too quick in forgiving and when that donned on her, she felt trapped by Kevin and attacked the sheets perhaps wondering if he had shared them with Barbara. Though many fans have been slow to accept the recasting of Kevin, the new tormented version, has allowed the very talented Laura Kaufman to give a breathtaking look at a woman scorned.

Rick has been a character laced with humor for so long that it has been a treat watching him turn into a strong, dramatic leading man through the last couple of years. Rick was clearly divided when choosing whether or not to open that envelope to reveal Kevin's true paternity, his face was full of anguish. For a second, with his soul torn apart he found himself on the brink of lying to Ross and accepting joint custody, it became a true test of a character we have watched grow from a boy to a man. Rick's emotional confession to Kevin that he would never be the one to teach him how to play ball or anything else was truly heartbreaking, even the child actor looked genuinely distressed. Michael O'Leary is perfect with any facet of Rick including the tragic and the comic.

Another World has a rich history of creating memorable villians, who could forget the dastardly deeds of Carl Hutchins or that inscrupulous Grant Harrison. The current king of evil in Bay City is Scott Guthrie, absolutely oozing with smarminess. Bronson has given the character that important air of mystery like any good hitchcock villian owns, the gift of never quite being sure what's going on in his mind. When his hands approach Amanda's neck you're never certain whether he's going to squeeze or it's just a massage, creepiness reigns whenever this guy walks into a room. Bronson is so skilled at being conniving and slippery, you have to be hoping Amanda doesn't go anywhere near a shower while Scott's around.

The most controversial storyline in the history of Gl has finally come to an explosive end. So many fans threatened to switch channels unaware that the cloning gave the show's most popular actress a perfect opportunity to display her wide range of talents. Though Kim did an episode of Seinfeld, I was still surprised out how hilarious she was in some of her scenes as Dolly, she and the writers smartly took advantage of what it would be like to have an inexperienced naive Reva Shayne, something we' ve never seen. As Dolly made the ultimate sacrifice to rapidly age to her death, the story became a touching portrait of the dangers of tampering with nature, classic Guiding Light brilliant observations without coming off as preachy. This outlandish storyline has revived that Reva fighting spirit and will likely win Kim another emmy nod, too bad some people didn't want to give it a chance.

We all know that at times Lynn can be daytime's answer to Lucille Ball, totally over the top funny with whoever happens to be lucky enough to be her chosen Ethel of the week. As entertaining as that aspect of the character is, my favorite Lucy moments have always involved children, it's when you see she really has a heart. Tragedy and tears are enevitable it seems whenever she's involved with a little one. Through the miscarriages, Serena's loss of sight, and easily the one performance years ago that made BJ's death so sad and heartbreaking, Lynn has shown how truly gifted she is at making you feel her every emotion. Part Meryl Streep and part physical comedienne, Lynn helps raise every one of her scenes to a rich new level.

Days has always been kind of twisted, so I was ready to write off this dental procedure as just some other ridiculous nonsense. It has however been a pleasant surprise, full of brilliant comic moments thanks to Louise Sorel. She is so much fun to watch no matter how far fetched the story may get, Vivian has done it all, from burying someone alive to being stuck in a mental ward. I really admire the hard work it must be flipping back and forth between moods everytime Stefano pushes a button, especially when a lot of these actors find one personality a challenge to play. I hope Vivian is never allowed to be an average soap diva, she is too hilarious in all her adventures with Ivan to be wasted in that way.

Bold and the Beautiful completely surprised me this week, by suddenly turning serious and diagnosing Grant with cancer. Charles Grant handled the scenes beautifully complete with the same shock that most of the viewers were feeling. This was a showcase week for the actor, first having to come to terms with the fact that he can't be a father, the one thing Macy most wanted, and then to have an even more deafening blow with the knowledge that he only has six months to live. He went home to his wife and couldn't find the courage to tell her the truth, already having felt like he had disappointed her too much. This is an extremely heavy storyline they are entering into, and Charles make every scene more harrowing than the rest, with the slight sign of tears in his eyes.

Beth has spent a long time letting herself be defined by the men around her, and this week when she lost Phillip, she temperarily lost herself as well. First, perfectly in character she turned to Ben, who rejected her too, sending her into a deeper downward spiral. The writers hit a stroke of brilliance in pairing these two tormented souls in a friendship. Then looking completely shattered, she crawled out onto a ledge, the camera made the city below look woozy just as Beth probably saw it, and instead of waiting for a white knight to save her, she had a little turnaround, she remembered Lizzie, and decided to save herself. Just as Reva told the clone today, maybe the same is true for Beth, today is the day you become you.

Since PC started Eve has always been the most watchable intern, if not the only watchable one. She was smartly allowed to interact with veteran characters like Scotty and Lucy that helped to make her more instantly three dimensional than her cardboard colleagues. Now the writers have finally privided Eve with both a past and a rocky future racked with guilt that Julie Pinsen is handling with the relative ease of a pro. She hasn't allowed herself any outlandish wailing or grandstanding because of Serena's accident instead you see her shuddering in corners and slowly, silently falling to pieces while the blame is shoved upon her. It's time PC introduced another core family besides the Baldwins, who still seem to belong to GH anyway, so why not reward Pinsen's fine talents with, a mother and sister to act opposite of.

This week One Life has had their most riveting scenes I can remember since Todd's harrowing journey in Llanview began with Marty's rape. Having half the town locked in a cabin together was a stroke of genious, it gave all the characters a chance to air their grievances in a believable way. Obviously we all figured out quite some time ago that Rachel is the murderer and the actress deserves extra credit for seeming so totally unhinged. Viki and Tea's pleas to Todd were tear drenched as though they were watching him go down with the titanic. This also gave the show a chance to build on the Sam/Nora/Bo triangle and the disfunctional pairing of Blair and Max. As always the standout was Roger Howarth, he conveyed everthing from manic anger to love to a kind of humble patheticness when revealed that the explosives were merely empty paper towel rolls. Finally daytime made a primetime episode that lived up to the billing.

I was skeptical at first when I heard the news that Ellen would be coming back to play Marley, I thought, how could they possibly seem like twins anymore? Marley would be tall and willowy while Vicky would be short and athletic looking, it seemed beyond disbelief. I am happy to say how wrong I was, because each actress gets to play to her greatest strengths, Vicky and Marley seem more deeply connected than ever before. Ellen brings the fragility to Marley that was always lacking whenever Jensen played her and Jensen plays the wild abandon of Vicky with tremendous spirit. Neither sister really hates the other which makes their feud over Jake all the more interesting, since there is no clear victim or villan. Another World lost a lot of viewers when the wonderful Charles Keating was let go, but Ellen Wheeler and Jensen Buchanen provide every reason for fans to return in droves and keep this still great soap on the air.

Finally they have given this actress a decent storyline to work with and also a very important one. Usually, the soaps have older woman with breast cancer, so ATWT has finally tapped into a big void that is both compelling and all too real. Lauren has played all the emotions that you imagine a person in this critical situation could have from denial to having so much fear that rather than losing someone she loves, she leaves hoping to save everyone pain. The look on her face when Ben arrived at the hospital appeared so genuinely full of relief, add to that the haunting melodies of Sarah Mclachlan that have been playing throughout the storyline, and they set a far more proffesional movie like atmosphere than daytime usually allows.

What was once a one dimensional character who's main purpose was to serve up the most creative one-liners on the planet, has become one of the most interesting females of any age group. Full credit should go to the superb actress whose abundant talents have finally been tapped into after so many years on the show. We are privledged now to see the many facets of Marion Colby most noticably her strained relationship with daughter Liza, and for the first time in many years wanting more than a one night stand with someone as unconventional as Stuart. Jennifer brings colorful life to every scene, it has been thrilling to see her play this new vulnerability as one of Marion's great strengths instead of a weakness.

Watching Maurice since he played Nico Kelly on AMC it has been a pleasure seeing him grow into such a consummit actor as the mobster Sonny Corinthos. He brings so much more to his scenes than what is simply written on the page, he never allows Sonny to appear flat or directionless when so many others coast through their soap roles. Maurice makes Sonny more than the typically sappy hearthrob, he is brimming with all kinds of pent up emotions such as the moment he told Jason that he will see Brenda's face when he dies, their was visible pain on his face and in lesser hands than Benard's the scene would have been laughable. I hope the rumors about NYPD Blue are true and this brilliant actor finally gets the shot at stardom he deserves.

The sign of a truly talented actress is when you don't notice that she's acting at all. Krista is so unafraid to take the risk of looking wiped out and torn during all of her scenes unlike most daytime divas who can never forsake that red lipstick. When Billie was giving birth, you could swear it was really happening to Krista herself, her face and her screams spoke so much pain, that the actress herself must have been exhausted by the end of the day. Though Lisa Rinna was extremely popular in the role, Krista brings layers and life experience to the character that just were not there before. She should have received an emmy nod for her scenes in Paris last year, and now with the trauma of portraying a mother with a stillborn baby perhaps it will give her the recognition she so rightfully deserves as being more than just a pretty face.

It is great to see Dinah back to the way she used to be when Wendy first started portraying her. She's regained her fiesty evil streek that makes her so much fun to watch and wonder at what out there scheme she'll devise next. Wendy is such a great actress though that you never really hate Dinah for her actions, she adds a little bit of regret to her performance,so you know there's some part of her nice mom Vanessa buried deep down. Dinah has the potential to become one of the great villianess' of GL, right up with Annie.

Congratulations to ABC and OLTL for having the courage to explore Lou Gehrig's disease when GL so foolishly wimped out. When you have the opportunity to cast an actor as brilliant as Michael Zaslow, you should have the brains to accept him in any capacity. It is amazing how much emotion the actor can convey with a look in his eyes or a hand movement, that so many others can't seem to achieve with a million spoken words. This storyline will no doubt be both heartbreaking and uplifting, and a big step in the right direction.

This week on Days, I hope everyone appreciated the celebration of fandom that they offered up to us. Of course, it wasn't your everyday fan who got a shot to play opposite her favorite characters, it was the sweet voiced Leann Rimes. I love the fact that she proudly states that she's been watching the show since she was two, like so many others. I was pleasantly surprised by her acting, though not shakespearean she showed definite potential. You could tell she was having fun and that ultimately should be the point of this kind of sweeps ploy. Now if they could only persuade vocal fan Julia Roberts to make an appearance.

Normally when choosing the standout performance of the week, it is the result of at least an hour or so of high drama or at least as high drama as soaps are allowed to get. For maybe a couple of minutes, however, I saw Scott Reeves pour such enthusiasm into his takeoff on Billy Bob Thornton in Sling Blade that I just couldn't ignore it. It was very noticable how much fun the actor was having in the scene, it was a side of this normally mundane character that we aren't allowed to see. It must have been a breath of fresh air for Scott after being one of the few daytime male's character's who have betrayed as less than heroic in turning the sultry Vicky frigid and not creating fireworks with Trisha. I hope Y&R allows each of their actors to spread their wings just a little like this, even the smallest moments can make for surprising revelations.

This week Phillip was yet again confronted by the fact that his father Alan is greatly lacking in scruples. When Phillip found out that Alan hired the man who beat on his ex and scared his little girl he was extremely angry and once again wanted to disown his father. Grant has always been great at being the angry young man, but even better was the uncontrolled emotions he displayed as tears ran down his face as Phillip read Beth's declaration of love that he received a year too late. This triangle is now fueled with even greater depth as everyone's cards are finally on the table, now does Phillip choose his fragile childhood love or Harley, whose strength isn't as great as it appears? Either way with this kind of acting it is sure to be both riveting and heartbreaking.

On an otherwise dull as dirt show, Lark shines as one of the few fully developed characters even though she's been in PC less time. Despite some really rediculous twists in her story (how dim is Jake?) the actress manages to keep the character fairly grounded, though not what I would call your typical teen. She very much reminds me of when Sarah Michelle Gellar was on AMC, she manages to pull off a quiet vulnerability despite the vixenish deeds her character commits. If the writers are smart they'll award this actress with more scenes like the one out on the ledge as she seems quite capable of actual drama.

Though the part of Jack Abbott isn't nearly as flashy as that of Victor Newman, with all of his jet planes and wives, it seems to me that Jack is by far the more interesting character. Despite the circumstances that were causing Diane's divorce you had to enjoy Jack's unbridled enthusiam over the news. Of course on the other side of the spectrum, Peter again showed the great drama that made him so beloved as Cliff on AMC during the scenes where he believed his long ago love Nicki was near death. For a long time I thought no one could replace Terry Lester as Jack but Peter combines a great level of cynical wit and genuine emotion to make him the best character on this often slow soap.

Haley and Mateo are easily the best Romeo and Julient, tragedy prone couple on daytime. Since Haley arrived in PV wearing that black wig and huge trip on her shoulder, Kelly has made her one of the most engrossing characters of the nineties. Watching Haley weep at Mateo's bedside, she has infused herself with a new strength that she truly deserves to have found after having to deal with not only alcoholism but a seemingly neverending parade of handsome psychos. It is great to see Haley and Mateo front and center once again, but how about giving them something to smile about?

This week Jonathan Jackson showed what tremendous promise he has by being more that capable of holding his own in scenes that called for him to challenge the always superb Tony Geary. For a long time I have been wondering if GH would ever address the fact that Luke raped the love of his life. It was a brilliant move on Bob Guza's part to have it all come tumbling out in one of the battles between the two half-siblings, it is great storytelling to show how one event can have a domino effect on several generations. As for the several unthinking people I have heard saying that Lucky is overeacting to the news, I wonder what exactly they expect? A boy found out his mother was raped by his father, what is he just supposed to shrug that off? Jonathan has infused the perfect amount of anger and bewilderment into Lucky as someone who has just witnessed there hero falling. General Hospital better be careful, I get the feeling Jonathan could leave anytime and easily be the next Leonardo DiCaprio.

The queen of daytime may still yet be waiting for that elusive crowning emmy, but after this week no one can say Susan isn't trying her hardest to reach that podium. Susan has always been a pleasure to watch as the affected model/ceo of Enchantment though lately she has been revealing a whole other dimension of Erica as the truly caring mother of an anorexic. The scenes where Bianca pointed out each and every flaw of the perfect Erica Kane were very impressive to watch especially since they required Susan to react rather than be the one who was the focus of attention. She proved this week that aside from the couture laced appearance she really is capable of a subtle heartfelt performance. On the lighter side, Susan Lucci should be applauded for being able to hold her own with Regis Philbin on Friday, maybe if they refuse to award her acting perhaps someday she could beat out Oprah.

Next year there should be a new Soap Opera award for best crier and Judi would easily walk away the winner. Judi has had lots of practice playing the naive Beth on Gl, abuse victim Adrienne on Days, and now, probably her finest moments ever are being played out as normal everyday mom like Paulina Carlino. Instead of shoving her into the background when she gained some weight, AW was actually brave and confronted the issue that so many of their viewers deal with on a daily basis. Judi has been superb as she has been trying to convince Joe that she didn't burn down the house. Of course now that she's done all of this very moving and important drama, wouldn't we all love to see her do something funny again. Remember when she dressed up as Madonna, maybe Dante should meet Lourdes?

The ever-brilliant David Canary once again was in his prime this week. Adam had dramatic moments begging Liza to have a change of heart and the next minute he was fighting truckers in a bar with Tad. Even though this current storyline with Joy is somewhat exhausting David infuses it with a great deal of energy that is often lost on a lot of model looking actors that these shows are tending to hire. His range continues to amaze, the heartwarming Stuart scenes with Marion were some of the most hilarious I've ever seen. I hope David is already preparing a speech for the Emmys in May.

Never having been much of a fan of Michael Hudson, I was a bit taken by surprise by what a great impact his death would have on this show. Sadly the loss of the love of her life is allowing the character of Donna to flourish like she hasn't done in years. Anna Stuart has been absolutely terrific all week, especially in her conversations with Vicky, when she lectured her on making the same mistakes she herself had made with just about every man in her life. The most heartbreaking scene happened when she place Michael's ring on her finger, it really seemed as though she too was lost for a moment. This tragedy is allowing AW to shine again like it used to, Donna has vowed to again meddle in her daughter's life and it looks like even Vicky is ready to leave behind her "I wanna be Marley" phase.

I've never been sure how to view this character, should it be with empathy, anger, or even fear? Those very questions are what make Todd Manning so compelling to watch week after week. The fact that they didn't simply gloss over his past (like they do with fellow rapist Luke on GH) constantly reminds us of how brutally violent and real he is. Being falsely accused of rape, is bringing back the old questions of whether the town of Llanview can live with someone like this. Todd himself seems to be constantly afraid of that former self too, as so wonderfully portrayed by Roger when the character made Tea leave him. Roger Howarth is one of the too good for daytime players.

I'm certain most GH fans were ready to yell Freedom! a la Braveheart himself when they heard that the truth would finally come out this week. This story has been dragged on for so long that I was beginning to think the actors involved were misplaced Y&R characters who happened into the wrong studio. The two mother and child reunions it turned out were perfectly planned and acted. Sarah Brown helped create a character that is sympathetic in awkward kind of way making Carly a true Spencer. There were countless great scenes where she rejected her child and her mother Bobbie. The moment of truth came and the silence when the camera focused on her face built the tension to great heights as we saw her soften right before our eyes.

By far the most talented actress on television, you can never take your eyes off the screen. Finally at her wedding to Alan, Annie manipulations finally caught up with her and it looked like this might finally be the end of her reign of terror. Even arch enemy Reva declared it was over, but when GL cut to a prison guard reaching out to our favorite lost soul, it now seems her revenge is just beginning. Cynthia is leaving in March and is sure to have even better more desperate scenes to come before this tornado finally destroys Springfield.

Rex began as a purely evil villian but recently as he has become more and more insane,PC has actually become a fun show to watch. Wayne has been exquistly over the top in the way that can only be learned by someone who has worked on Days. I can't wait for his wedding to Lucy, since she wore red to wed Alan, she will problem land somewhere between Medusa and the Bride of Frankenstein.

Ever since Mel first "fell" for Dorian, he has been one of the most interesting characters on daytime. His problems with Ms. Lord this week lead to yet another drunken binge. Though it had serious undertones it turned into some of One Life's most humorous scenes ever. The rest of the soaps should look at Mel as an example of how to write a three-dimensional male character.

In a week when Y&R took three days for Grace's confession, it has been a relief to watch the fast paced witty dialogue on ATWT.Holden & Lily's wedding has given the entire cast the opportunity to shine. From the sharp contrasts in wedding preparations for the nice Lily & evil Molly to the strange alliance of Lucinda with both Iva & Lisa, it has been jam packed with humor and history.

Brooke was at her diva best this week.First of all she announced she was pregnant and then squirmed as Taylor questioned her condition. Since she has more plans than Days' Stefano she found a way to keep her enemy away from her wedding or did she? I don't know if I like her with Ridge but it is fun to watch her try.

A true tour de force. Davidson perfectly plays four truly different characters with a gift for comedy. Her scenes on Christmas
Eve with all her selves was great to watch. Must see Thursday should think about hiring her.

A noteworthy performance especially considering the subject matter and the fact that she is on a usually laughable show. I hope they start doing more believable stories like this one.

Brenda's long in coming breakdown was superbly acted by Marcil. She is constantly showing her growth in acting, especially since the loss of Maurice Benard.

He delivered a subtle yet convincing portrayal of a father grieving over a child that he would never have the chance to know.