by Reggie Jackson

Last week, Luke ended things with Noah. Luke has been trying too hard to make Noah want to be with him; it was time for him to rip the Band-Aid off and move on. Sparks have been flying between Luke and Reid, so Luke probably won't be alone for very long.

I was not aware until Wednesday that this was going to be a short week. I think that all preemptions of this show should be cancelled (no pun intended) since we only have a few months left. We have a few new faces in Oakdale the last few weeks: nuChris, nuFaith, and now nuLiberty.

Janet and Dusty
Its official - Janet accepts Dusty's marriage proposal, which means that Dusty will again be raising another man's child. I wanted to see Dusty as a father of his own child. I guess in some ways he is being like the man who raised him, Burke Donovan. Burke raised him knowing that Dusty was not his biological son. Dusty also had John Dixon who adopted him after Burke passed away - John treated him as much like a son as he did his own son, Andy.

Janet has given up her need to be with Jack and has committed to Dusty, who she seems to be a better match with. Jack is okay with this so he can be with Carly. Carly is more than okay with it as long as she can be with Jack. Who wants to bet that all will not go smoothly for either one of these couples? It looks like everyone is being adult about all of this chaos by choosing to be with the ones they love.

Noah and Luke
Luke ends things with Noah then a minute later is having a moment with Dr. Oliver. They continue to be in each other's space, so it was just a matter of time before sparks would fly. Actually, sparks between these two guys were flying when they first met. In recent months, Luke was trying too hard to make Noah want to be with him. It was time to rip the Band-Aid off and move on.

I believe that if a romance between Luke and Reid is on the horizon then it will not be smooth sailing. It will be nice to see Luke get some of his personality back; he has become so whiny, pushy, and needy lately. I don't know if Reid can work a miracle, though I am interested to see how this all plays out. Reid is fun to watch, as you never know what he will say or do.

Henry and Vienna
Why did Vienna come back to Oakdale anyway? Her continual comings and goings have somehow diminished the character. I used to be a big Vienna and Henry fan and - like Noah and Luke - this relationship has lost most of its sparkle too.

I know Barbara is older than Henry; big deal? There have been other successful older woman, younger man pairings in Oakdale - remember Katie's parents: Lyla and Casey Peretti. What about Alison's parents, Larry and Susan McDermott? Their breakup was a product of poor writing and a hatchet job on the character of Larry McDermott, who was really a good guy. I think Barbara and Henry need a chance. Barbara is showing her insecurities especially since Vienna came back, she doesn't think she can compete. Well, it is Henry's choice who he wants to be with.

Meg and Eliza
Meg is starting to get better, and Emily is starting to get attached to Eliza. Paul is being honest by telling Emily that he wants Eliza to think of Meg as her mother - valid point. In the meantime, Emily is being a real mother to Eliza while Meg is in the psych ward. I think it will work itself out unless Emily gets crazy and possessive. We all know how much she wanted another baby of her own. This is a bit soon after the Mick fiasco, so she may be a little vulnerable. This is one of those wait and see what will happen next sort of situations.

Rating the Recasts
NuFaith Snyder - what a dramatic change in this character. Well, I don't think we had a chance to really know Faith before. She was shown rarely and her character did not have a storyline since her eating disorder story. So for this character to be at school smoking pot seems so far-fetched. I also hated her getting manipulated by Damian all of a sudden when it was just a few months ago she hated him and was very verbal about it - major change in character. I think more needs to happen with this character, as she is being forced on us and we barely know her.

NuChris Hughes - excellent choice in actors for this role. Daniel Cosgrove has made me forget any previous Chris Hughes rather quickly. It is good that Chris has been away for a while too. It's too bad we won't be able to have him around longer.

NuLiberty - this young actress instantly took hold of this role and made it her own. I am pleased with the casting choice for Liberty too. Sarah Wilson has captured all the nuances of Liberty and, in short order, made me like her. You know how sometimes it takes some time to like a recast; well this time from her first scene as Liberty, I was won over.

Now, it's time to open up the mailbag and see what readers have to say:

"Reid is the best new character (best character PERIOD, for that matter) to be on ATWT in a very long time. He's unique. He has no hidden agendas, nothing to prove. He is who he is, and the people in Oakdale can take it or leave it. He's cold on the outside, sure, but it's so clear that there's far more to him than what he allows people to see. He constantly has me wanting to know more about him, wanting him in as many storylines as possible and interacting with as many people as he can - and I have never said that about any soap character, let alone a newbie." -- Casey

"I have been watching ATWT since I was a kid - I'm 47 now and the afternoons won't be the same when it goes off the air." -- Bhim

"I agree that Henry needs to be front and center (in a serious, substantive manner) and that Barbara doesn't need to be sitting on the sidelines either. However, I do not agree that throwing them together romantically was a good idea. Trent and Colleen are both incredibly talented actors, and I enjoy their characters new friendship. Anything more than that has been and will always be a big fat joke no matter how the writers try to spin it. Barbara is old enough to be Henry's mother, and is the mother of his brother, Paul." -- PS

"I don't think Dr. Oliver is an unlikeable character. I liked him from the beginning. He is just honest, doesn't see the necessity of being slimy or something else. To me he is the one and only (okay, Luke, too) real character on As the World Turns." -- Halforgood

I am looking forward to Julianne Moore making a guest appearance. It would be nice if other past characters could come back in the next six months. Who would you like to see come back for a quick visit?

And finally, on Friday, March 26 at 6:00pm Eastern/3:00pm Pacific, join me as I visit with Dan J Kroll on Soap Central Live to talk about the soaps. For more information, visit: soapcentral.com/radio

That's all I have for now.
Reggie Jackson

Reggie Jackson

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Two Scoops is an opinion column. The views expressed are not designed to be indicative of the opinions of Soap Central or its advertisers. The Two Scoops section allows our Scoop staff to discuss what might happen and what has happened, and to share their opinions on all of it. They stand by their opinions and do not expect others to share the same point of view.

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