This is part two of a special two-part year-end Two Scoops showcasing the best and worst of As the World Turns in 2009. This week, Reggie is here with his thoughts in the past twelve months. To read Jennifer's commentary from last week, offering up her thoughts on ATWT's hits and misses, click here.
We've put together a special year-end list of the top ten most-read Two Scoops columns over the past 12 months. To check out the list and see what came out on top, please click here.
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Riley - Adam came back to town and pretended to be someone else because the writers made Adam Munson so unlikable the last time he was in town. This was a disservice to the actor, who was good, however, he was crippled by the writing of this story. Adam Munson is the son of Hal Munson and never should have turned out the way he did. Another bad move before things started to change in 2009.
Audrey Coleman - Henry's mother arrived looking like Lucy Coe from Port Charles; that's all I could see the whole time she was in town. To add insult to injury, she was another annoying character who always tried to drug another character. I was happy to see her leave town. Considering all the potential backstory, I think the show missed an opportunity for a more dramatic story for this character.
A Breath of Fresh Air
Molly Conlan Returns - To have Molly back in Oakdale just shakes thing up because her history with so many characters makes it so much fun. Just the look on Lily's face when she saw Molly was worth Molly's return. Molly is breathing new life into the character of Holden and that is a great thing.
Bad Storyline Moves
Who Killed Reg? - This was one of those stories that seemed like filler until the writers could think of something else for certain characters to do. This was bad because no one cared about the character that had been murdered except Luke. They brought back Matt, a character with potential as a red herring, as the murderer: boring, boring, boring!
Mason and His Crush on Noah - This was another attempt to cause problems for Luke and Noah with the professor. The poor guy got fired for kissing Noah on the forehead, which was completely stupid in itself. This was laughable, though I was laughing to keep from crying because this story was so bad.
Vienna Trying to Pass Off Her Baby as Katie's - As bad as Katie wanted a baby, her surrogate, Vienna, lost the baby then got pregnant on her own and tried to pass off the baby as Katie's. This happened during the time when the stories moved so fast that when they were not good, the viewers never had to wait long for the story to end.
Story That Never Ends
Carly and Jack - It is always good to see the strength of a couple like Jack and Carly. It is great to see them moving towards each other again, and it's not happening too fast. I am a huge fan of Jack and Carly, so this is a story worth watching.
Character That Will Be Missed
Brad Snyder - Why did they decide to kill off Brad? Katie and Brad were a magical couple that had so much more story left for them. I hated to see Brad die, though him returning as a ghost was done very well. The scenes as he finally said goodbye to Katie, Jack, and Liberty were the reason why this show should not be canceled.
Characters Never Given a Fair Shot
Derek - He shows up as a shady guy and turns out to be Jade's father; he attempts to date Bonnie then he disappears. There is a serious problem with people of color in Oakdale lately, so he was destined to fade out quickly.
Bonnie McKechnie - Why bring her back and not know what to do with her? She went from one man to another. She leaves town abruptly because she gets involved with the wrong man: Dusty Donovan.
Storylines That Had Potential Then Cut Short
Henry and Vienna Lose their Baby - This was an opportunity for Trent Dawson so to show his dramatic chops; this was another rush job that so quickly forgotten as the character moved on to something else.
Amnesia Paul - This is another case of a story that was rushed; Paul was so much fun to watch when he didn't know who he was. He was funny and smiling, which had not been a character trait for Paul Ryan in a very long time. I hated to see him get his memory back so soon.
Interesting Plot Twist
Meg Snyder had gotten to be fast forward material when she was with Paul on their love merry-go-round. She started falling for Damian Grimaldi, who then rejected her, and something snapped inside Meg that made her much more interesting to watch. Meg is no longer the one-note song; she is unpredictable and confrontational, which gives the character much more depth than we've seen in a long time.
Best Actress of the Year
Maura West - The writers can give this woman anything and she makes it work. As she became an alcoholic then went to rehab and returned, she struggles on a daily basis to keep it together. Maura West continues to be one of the best things about Oakdale. Now Carly is moving back to Jack as she fights her attraction to Craig - she is a joy to watch.
Best Actor of the Year
Michael Park - His character accidentally killed his brother, and the character of Jack left his overbearing wife. Michael Park has been phenomenal as Jack, who is no longer the steady hand of Oakdale, the good guy who can do no wrong. His character is moving towards Carly again, which always makes Michael Park do his best work against Maura West. This story has been the one that finally get him his Emmy.
Best Story of the Year
Carly's Alcoholism - This story did not end when she went to rehab; it has continued as the character struggles each day not to drink. This is the story of the year, as all the actors have been doing some of their best work.
Hopes for 2009
Someone realizes it was a mistake to cancel this wonderful show and the show gets a new lease on life somewhere.
Give Luke and Noah a real story of dramatic substance.
Let Parker and Liberty have some friends their own age.
Keep Simon around so Katie can slowly find love again.
Bring back a Hughes family member so we can see Bob and Kim more.
Let Holden and Molly become a couple to upset Lily when she finds out that she made a mistake by remarrying Damian.
Keep the show at its current quality level until it ends in September.
Finally, thanks again for all of your feedback throughout the year. I appreciate you taking the time to share how you feel about what is happening in Oakdale. I would also like to wish everyone a happy and healthy 2010 as we enjoy the final months we have to enjoy the happenings in Oakdale.
Until next time, please be sure to check out the other year-end Two Scoops columns for other soaps. Over the past two weeks, all of the columnists have been reflecting on the best and worst of 2009. It's definitely a fun read -- even if you aren't familiar with all of the soaps!
Plus, feel free to head over to the Soap Central message boards and join in the discussion about the highs and lows of the year gone by. And, if you're feeling prolific, start your own blog and offer your own take on the Two Scoops' best and worst edition. If we like what you write, you might just see your comments posted here!
That's all I have for now.
Reggie Jackson
