I’m back! Thanks to all who sent their good wishes and kind words while my baby was in the hospital. I’m happy to say he is home and much better. While I was living my own drama, the drama in Pine Valley continued to intensify. What a week!

While you know that I am not a spoiler-free columnist, I can assure you that this installment is spoiler-free. I’m surprised that being spoiler-free seems to be the way the majority of you prefer to watch AMC. I can tell you that while I was taking care of my son and unable to watch; knowing what was coming up helped me get through missing the show, and I don’t feel behind. That is a sad commentary on AMC as it doesn’t seem right to miss a day or two and not feel like you’ve missed anything. But I do feel like I came back just in time.

Bianca’s party didn’t disappoint me in the least, especially since I was looking forward to it and the appearance by O-Town. (I admit I was a fan of their show, Making the Band my Friday night guilty pleasure that I already miss!) For weeks I have been waiting for Miss Bianca to speak up and tell Erica or anyone what her problem was, and boy did she let Ms. Kane have it! Even though Bianca didn’t come clean with all of her issues, she finally gave her mom a piece of her mind. Their argument in the ladies’ was fabulous, and I think the casting of Eden Riegel is a coup for AMC. She’s a terrific Bianca – I am already a fan. (I even enjoyed Millicent’s visit to the ladies’ and her feeble attempt to make nice with the Kane/Montgomery gals.)

As if Bianca’s horrible night couldn’t get any worse, it does when Erica informs her that her father Travis has died from a stroke. I’ll admit that while I wondered how they were going to keep Bianca in Pine Valley, I never thought they’d kill her father. I was so looking forward to a possible return by Travis’ portrayer Larkin Malloy.

I thought the scenes following were both well written and acted. Bianca’s tirade against Jack and Erica was very emotional and sad. Poor Bianca. I am also a fan of the true friendship and bond that she’s formed with Leo. Their conversation on the porch was sincere and the mystery with Bianca continues as she tells Leo she planned to tell Travis "everything". Unfortunately when Leo questioned "everything" Bianca didn’t respond. (I’m looking forward to knowing "everything" about Bianca, the sooner the better. But I do think this story is progressing in a timely manner.)

I liked Junior’s attempts to woo Bianca to the dance floor with strong encouragement from Hayley and Mateo. I thought Bianca let him down easy and was more than kind to do so, he looks so young and little compared to her. The conversation between David and Jr. was touching, that Dr. Hayward continues to evolve. I could have done without Dixie’s goofy look while she watched them talk, and her gratitude toward David was a bit much. (Of course it didn’t occur to her that while David has been there for Jr. twice now, Tad was nowhere to be seen.) Vanessa’s two cents about David’s taste in women almost made sense, and you could tell that David thought so too.

Speaking of Dixie and David, was I the only one irked by Dixie discouraging the good doctor from going to Erica’s to offer his condolences? Who the hell is she? She’s got to mind her own business already and someone needs to tell her so ASAP. My disgust for Dixie continues to grow; I’m on the verge of yelling at my TV. Please, make her go away, far far away.

Now for a new mini-feature in my column called, "It sucks to be you!" This will appear periodically as the need arises. Our first contestant is the one and only Ryan Lavery.

Ryan, where do I begin? First you return home to Pine Valley sans your Princess Gillian, which immediately should cause doubt about your future with her. When you arrive at your apartment you see that it has been seriously vandalized. You have no idea what’s going on and suddenly you get a visit from the local law enforcement. You think Derek has come to take a report, when in fact he’s come for you. On what grounds does he place you under arrest? Money laundering, you fool! How long did you think you would get away with "borrowing" that $3 mil?

Then your pal Greenlee arrives to visit you in the slammer, only to inform you that she was responsible for bringing you down. Not only that, but your idea for IncredibleDreams.com was only possible because of her and Gramps' deep pockets. She is responsible for funding your dream, and all this time you thought it was you. Yes, Ryan, it sucks to be you!

Since Greens is finally getting even with Ryan for causing her pain, she still seems to be fighting the strong chemistry with best friend Leo. Although the passion light finally went on in Leo’s head, I’m glad the writers haven’t thrown these two together right away. (You know how boring couples in soap land get once they’re together.) His attempt to romance Greenlee was interrupted by his dip off the dock. I’m enjoying the comic relief that Leo’s provided lately. I also appreciate the way the friendship between Leo and Greenlee has evolved into something more. This romance has been nurtured by the writers and has gotten me to invest in it. (Take note writers, that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Why can’t you do the same for Brooke?)

I don’t think I’m fully caught up on the Adam/Liza/Arlene story, but I do know it’s far from over. I’m not sure I buy Adam’s new resolve just yet, and I think that Liza is being too hard on him (again). She acts like Adam was the only one who did anything wrong. Yes, he tried to push her and Colby away and wanted nothing to do with his family, but Liza pushed him first. She also went out of her way to make him believe that there was something going on between her and Tad. I think she’s just as responsible for everything that went wrong with their relationship. I just hope she doesn’t dwell on it for too long. I’d love for Adam to return to Chandler Enterprises and take back what’s his.

ODDS-N-ENDS:

• Let me also say that I am still thrilled with the Santos lovebirds being on the back burner.
• I’m glad that Palmer is back to keep Vanessa on her toes. I’ll be interested to see where their marriage leads since it seems that Palmer is going to let her stay awhile.
• I like the dark Edmund and I hope he continues down this creepy path.
• Erica’s pathetic attempt to ignite the old flame in Dimitri was comical. One of his meds must also be an Erica Kane vaccine. Pretty slick how he acknowledged their song and then kindly escorted his wife Alex home.

Well, friends, I better quit while I’m ahead as being spoiler-free is starting to make me woozy. Next week, I probably won’t be able to hold back so be prepared. TTFN!