Patti

 Rafe explodes on his sorry ass, consequences be damned.  Nicole is doomed to become E.J.’s slave, unless she takes Brady’s warning as a precursor as to what’s in store for her if she keeps trusting in this arrogant asshat.  And please, Rafe, stop trying to protect Sami and put this pansy where he belongs …. like through the wall.  Violence be damned, I want to see that so bad.

 and think all 4 actors are doing a great job with it.  Boy, you can really see the beginnings of Carly and Daniel though, can’t you?  This is gonna’ happen, I’d bet on it.  Liking the acting a lot as well as the make-up.  They really do look like they’re dying.  I don’t know who was with the original patient first; probably Melanie, since she was prepping the patient long-before Nathan got there.  Then Nathan was next, and Carly injected the virus directly into her bloodstream, so her symptoms are far beyond someone who caught the virus through contact with the original patient by means of a cough or a sneeze, or even through the air.  That’s the only way I can see the difference in their progression of the symptoms.  In any event, this story has my interest far beyond the normal EJ/Sami/Rafe/Nicole bullshi* I have to keep myself from not throwing something at the 4 of them each and every day.  Yep, my preference goes to the first 4 mentioned in the virus storyline any day.

I somewhat see your point, but I’ve reached the point where the bad writing of today totally outweighs the good writers of yester-year.  Early soap writers were much more talented, creative and fan-caring writers compared to today’s writers (IMHO), and the recycled storylines reflect it.  Now-a-days it’s simply a ‘same church, different pew sorta’ thing, with the difference being the newer soap writers of today do NOT care enough to even watch the fruits of their labors themselves let alone afford the fans the enjoyment that past writing teams afforded, and that’s not just on DOOL …. it’s on all soaps.   My own opinion is budgets, smudgets ….. doesn’t excuse watching and listening to today’s writers who continue to write mediocre stories, with an occasional "winner" every other year or so, and then dragging them out til’ the cows come home, and in this day and age of soaps, my friend, the ‘hurrier they go, the behinder they get’ until they’ve lost their way so much that they may never find their way back. Sorry, Bonbon, but when soaps go off the air completely, I’ll remember the bad reasons why long after the good ones are gone.  Writing is an art, a talent if you will, and if it could keep the ratings booming (which it did) and millions of fans dedicated enough to stay tuned in for all of those years (which it did), why can’t they find the talent to return those fans in droves? An extra half hour added to a show 5 days a week compared to a half-hour show, which is what soaps were in the early years, shouldn’t make that much of a difference if today’s writers possessed anywhere near the creative imagination of their predecessors, who gave this die-hard fan so much pleasure when soaps were in their prime (and so was I).  Unfortunately, for today’s writers, they’re not even close.

 than three months, i.e., from the beginning of a sweeps month, until the beginning of the next sweeps month.  There are 4 sweeps months in a year …. February, May, August and November.  Stories get repetitive and boring after months.  Fans began watching soaps for one reason and one reason only … to escape into a fantasy world of love and seduction and family oriented scenes involving all the characters they loved, but in different storylines.  They need to interact the cast more than they do.  Put some of these actors with other cast members with whom they do not usually work.  Stop the nonsense with the same 7 soap plots over and over and over until fans begin to turn away.  Return to the romance between charismatic couples with the OCCASIONAL triangle thrown in once in a while, but don’t make it their life’s work.  Plan their families well, but don’t use too many young kids in acting roles.  Most times they’re never with their parents, and they’re too young to hold my interest, even if they are adorable.  Don’t let them be used as pawns …. I would rather not see them at all.  Keep the psychos down to a minimum …. seems that’s all we have now are bad guys …. to many villains …. not enough lovers.  Don’t go so far beyond reality with certain storylines and plots that they become laughable to the fans, and never try to outsmart your audience by throwing in ridiculous reasonings why people survive, whether it be legal, medical, or homicidal.  It only makes writers look like fools and infuriates fans to a degree where they have no choice but to play the ‘reality’ card on those responsible for bad storylines with somewhere in-between incredulous and non-existing reasonability, and stop worrying about budget expenses and hire people who can hold our attention longer than fifteen minutes.  The fans know what they want.  Pay attention to them.  Then, maybe ….. just maybe soaps will survive critiques like this one.  Sorry for the rant, but tired ‘ain’t’ the word for what I’m feelin’ for most of the soaps I watch.  

 to have J&M back.  The story lines their return could open would be endless, and Sami so needs them now.  I hope and pray it’s true.

 and now those poor children are going to be living in that mansion with Stefano, Kate, E.J., and Nicole, who obviously will now be in and out every day until she worms her way back in for good, with one thing in common between them ….. who can wear the carpet out first in the area from the door to the living room to the bar.  That’s leading by example ….. oh, for sure.

 ANY of the other women right now.  I remember when she first went to see Hope when she returned, and when they hugged, the guard said something like, ‘hey, I thought I said no touching,’ and Jen replied, "oh yeah, well why don’t you come out here and try and stop me."  I could have hugged her myself.  She’s always been spunky, and I hope they don’t change her too much.  I don’t want her to jump right in with someone either, but if this doctor is another villain, which it seems that’s all there are in this show now, I hope Jenn is in the story line that will take him down.  That’s why I don’t want her falling for him and making it too difficult on herself if she finds him involved in the prison stolen organs story line, or whatever in the hell they’re calling it.  Jen needs to be on her own for a while.

 but keeping them the same age for too long a time is just as silly.  If they’re going to keep pace with the storyline, as someone posted, Will was in high-school when he was played by Christopher Gerse, so he should have graduated by now and been at least a freshman in college by now.  But, tptb simply think dumb ole’ soap opera fanatics like us would never pick up on something like this.  Think again, idiots, or hire a head writer (whether she actually pens the show or not) to do the math —- or, in this case, the research.