After several months of Jerome Preston Bates playing the role of Derek, Charles Parnell has returned to the character he left in the fall of 2007.

Today's return was an enjoyable one: Derek and Jack got to watch Erica begin (yet another) crash and burn course.

Charles left All My Children last fall to appear in the off-Broadway production of "The Overwhelming,"a play that focuses on the aftermath of the 1994 slaughter of 800,000 Tutsis in the African Republic of Rwanda.

The production follows one American family who travels to Rwanda just before the attacks and follows what happens to them during the aftermath. Charles played an evil government official whose power continues to grow after the slaughter.

Did you think Bates did an admirable job filling in? Let us know right now in our forums!

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.