What does it take for a show to get that fans are incensed about a character, or storyline? Apparently, the show runners will never get it, if ALL MY CHILDREN is any example. Ryan Aloysius Lavery (sorry, his middle name makes me laugh; it's the only thing that makes me laugh about Ryan) came to Pine Valley in 1998, as a con man, and committed adultery with the first love of his life, Gillian Andrassy Martin. He was a thief and attempted murderer. Like many soap heroes, he has been redeemed and is now AMC's go-to knight in shining armor. Nothing wrong with that.

But why force viewers to watch him pair up (again!) with Greenlee, the show's go-to bitch-on-wheels, back from the "dead" and getting revenge on all those in Pine Valley who "forgot" her and had the temerity to move on during the year she was in a coma (and lest we forget, she's currently charged with the murder of her husband, David)?

Ryan technically kidnapped Greens some years ago, to prevent her from seeing Juan Pablo, and married Annie while still wed to Greenlee. His first marriage to our Green gal was initially motivated by business reasons.

Greenlee's sins are many: She tore off Kendall's fake baby belly in court (Kendall was just trying to help out Bianca); she stole Ryan's sperm and lied to him about being pregnant, which made him leave town by faking his own death. After he returned to Pine Valley, she got into a car accident with his son Spike that Ryan initially believed caused Spike's partial deafness.

But what the hell, what's a few "spats" between friends and lovers? Maybe Ryan and Greenlee belong together. But they don't belong on AMC's front burner, as the "hot" couple that everyone supposedly loves and is rooting for. Note: Don't mistake this as dissing the actors who play Ryan and Greenlee; I have nothing but respect for Cameron Mathison and Rebecca Budig. They're simply playing what's written for them as best they can.

I liked Greenlee's pairing with David. It was different and interesting (I'm still fervently hoping that David somehow returns from the dead). And Ryan was becoming likeable again as he gently romanced Madison. Now he's broken her heart, giving him another go at Greenlee. It's the old soap saw…they never stopped loving each other.

Maybe once the trial's over and the two can actually have a relationship, things will improve.

But I can't help thinking that between this and the misstep of throwing Caleb in between Erica and Jack (that's another blog), AMC is deliberately trying to sabotage what little cachet it had regained in the beginning of this year, as the show celebrated its 40th anniversary.