I haven't laughed this hard in a long time. This is truly a riot for anyone who watches Days of Our Lives and doesn't have memory lapses during every commercial break. The following is taken from the September 1, 1998 issue of Soap Opera Digest, from the section "Sound Off." When it all comes down to it, the stupid viewers are just as much to blame for the demise of Days as the stupid writers.

I am writing about the current phenomenon of "Mike and Carrie's Angels." We are a group comprised of some of the most enthusiastic fans ever to watch DAYS OF OUR LIVES. We adore Mike and Carrie, and believe they're one of the hottest new supercouples. Every "Angel" continually supports and encourages our show and the wonderful performers who bring it to life, especially Roark Critchlow [Mike] and Christie Clark [Carrie]. I truly hope that DAYS realizes the potential they have in this duo. If their storyline follows a path of love, DAYS may very well jump higher in the ratings. The support for Mike and Carrie is growing every day. With just a little more time, they could become the Luke and Laura of the '90s.

To start off, the very top of the cover of this Soap Opera Digest issue had the headline "Fans Speak Out: DAYS's Carrie & Mike," yet there was only one letter -- this letter -- from a Mike and Carrie fan printed. Perhaps it's because they're so use to having the die hard Mike and Carrie fanatics out there stuffing ballots they assumed all the other Mike and Carrie letters were written by this same person.

Actually, the most enthusiastic fans to ever watch Days are absolutely pissed off at the nose dive approach to making the show the powers that be have taken over the past several years. They aren't too happy that everything that they have watched over the years -- things that made them love the show in the first place -- have been completely rewritten or ignored, that characters -- like Mike Horton -- are pathetic hollow shells of their former selves.

The true fans do not go "rah rah rah" thoughtlessly and endlessly no matter what the show puts out. If Days does something stupid, they will take notice and get upset. Only a complete moron would take everything as-is without giving it another thought.

Wonderful performers like Christie Clark, huh? I bet you also felt Jensen "One Note" Ackles was robbed of an Emmy and that Steve Wilder, Victor Alfieri, and Jaime Lyn Bauer should have entire shelves filled with acting awards by now. Acting talent goes to die on this soap, especially considering that these days the less ability you have to act, the better your chances are of landing a major role.

I suppose Mike and Carrie could be the Luke and Laura equivalent for the viewing audience that sits in front of the television set in a vegetative state with drool dangling out of their mouths. Calling Mike and Carrie a Luke-and-Laura-in-the-making is like saying leaving NYPD Blue is the best career decision David Caruso has ever made. Anthony Geary (Luke) is a powerful actor and one of daytime's premiere talents. He creates dynamite chemistry with all the women he works with, and when he nails down a dramatic scene perfectly, everyone else gets blown off the screen. Simple as that and more obvious than Austin Peck reading a cue card. When Mike Horton came back to town in the form of Roark Critchlow, he basically became a background character, devoid of any personality, spunk, or conviction. Then one day viewers thought he looked cute together with Carrie, and all of a sudden his backbone (along with what was left of his history) was tossed out too. Is that what you call good writing?

Those who adore a Mike and Carrie pairing know less about character development and continuity than Bill Clinton does monogamy. Next thing you know, we'll have another fanatical "Mike and Carrie are my only reason for living" addict writing to Soap Opera Digest telling them how much of a foundation the love between Tom and Alice was for the show, and how Mike and Carrie are currently that. Oh, wait! That already happened, didn't it?