Today was one of the first episodes of As the World Turns that I've been disappointed with in quite some time. As a whole, the performances were solid (was that a hint of growth from Chaunteé Schuler?) and the writing was decent, but there were a number of small and large plot elements that got on the very last of my nerves:

• So, Jack has the gall to ask Carly, who he's never hesitated to browbeat in fits of moral indignation, to talk to Janet — who he recently didn't hesitate to browbeat in a fit of moral indignation — about Jack's absence while the former keeps Jack's mission a secret from the latter. I almost recited the inevitable Janet's "You could trust Carly but not me!" argument with Jack coming a mile away, but I was only partly wrong. Janet stormed into the police station and demanded respect and common courtesy. Excellent! The only thing Janet and Carly should be keeping secret is how a cup of sugar wound up in Jack's gas tank.

• Didn't Janet's conversation with Carly about Jack sound a lot like Cassie's million laments about  "the connection" between Josh and Reva on Guiding Light before Josh dumped her? READ MORE

Always and Forever! It's the week Josh and Reva (I refuse to call this legacy couple Jeva) fans have been waiting for, next week on Guiding Light!

This week's Soap Opera Weekly, on newstands now, is reporting Josh will finally come to his senses and ditch Cassie for Reva. All I can say is its about damn time BUD!

While I realize interlopers separating our favorite soap couples is a necessary plot device,  I have never, ever, EVER bought that the Cassie Lane Winslow I came to love when Laura Wright held the part  would do that to her sister. Sure the Sisters Shayne, er Lane, er Shayne-Lane fought over Richard, but Cassie knew all-too-well who Reva's true love was and she never would have gone there.

This storyline was allegedly one of the reasons why Wright proved herself to be the Courtney Thorne-Smith (who left Melrose Place and Ally McBeal just before both shows started their downward spirals) of daytime when she smartly decided to jump ship to General Hospital.

Kudos to Wright's long-suffering replacement Nicole Forester, who is a strong actress in her own right, for being saddled this storyline stinker and finally KUDOS to TPTB at Guiding Light for finally LISTENING to the fans and bringing it to an end!