As I wrote last week, I have had, on behalf of the Tad/Dixie fans so let down by the show's resurrection and subsequent re-killing of the character last year, mixed feelings about what they've done with Cady McClain's alter ego this time around, at least when it comes to her actual interactions (or lack thereof) with Michael E. Knight's Tad (not to mention the character's son, Jacob Young's JR). But darn it if the show didn't get me when Tad told that precious little girl that he is her father. That Alexa Gerasimovich (Kathy/Kate) is such a painfully cute kid, and Knight such an affecting performer, that I was mush by the time OLTL came on.

Here's something else I can raise my glass to from AMC recently: Rebecca Budig and Ricky Paull Goldin's easy chemistry as Greenlee and Jake. I'm not rooting for a romance, but I really dug their scenes together at ConFusion, and I especially loved Budig's hilarious and believable work playing drunk. Drunk is really hard to play well, and she was terrific. I must also praise Susan Lucci (Erica), who had me in stitches as Erica shared the Zen-like fruits of her jail-acquired wisdom with Kendall, then went bonkers upon learning she'd been replaced as the host of NEW BEGINNINGS. The joke worked so well because her energy was pitched just right in both modes (serene and ballistic).