Days Of Our Lives
DAYS Cast Shines In Saddest Of Episodes As Salem Learns That Will Has Been Murdered!
Courtesy/NBC
If you ever needed to reach for the hankies watching your favorite daytime drama, look no further than Monday’s episode of NBC’s Days of our Lives.
The series picked-up their unimaginable Friday cliffhanger with Gabi (Camila Banus) finding the strangled Will (Guy Wilson) dead on his apartment floor. As the episode unfolded, key characters including: family members, loved ones, friends, and Will’s husband, Sonny (Freddie Smith) all learned of Will’s demise.
Gabi called her brother Rafe (Galen Gering) first, who comes to the crime scene. Rafe is later followed by Hope (Kristian Alfonso). And in very touching performances by both Galen Gering and Kristian Alfonso, the two cops try valiantly to hold it together, but can’t as they struggle to come to terms with the murder of the beloved Will. Hope than decides she will be the one to call Will’s father, Lucas (Bryan Dattilo), and break the news to him. She urges Lucas to get to Will’s apartment right away. When he does, Lucas is beyond griefstricken in a heartbreaking performance by Bryan Dattilo. When he calls Will, “My boy!” … major hankies were needed. Lucas is then the one who has to tell the devastating news to Sami (Alison Sweeney) – Will’s mother.
Courtesy/NBC
Will’s grandmother Marlena (Deidre Hall), who has always been by Will’s side through his coming out, and supported him emotionally can barely hold it together when she learns of the news.
Marlena interuppts John (Drake Hogestyn) and Steve (Stephen Nichols) conversation, while they are talking about Bo’s (Peter Reckell) whearabouts, to tell them what happened and is shell-shocked. In Paris, Sonny (Freddie Smith) hears Will’s voice message where Will finally says to Sonny that everything that happened was his fault, and he loves Sonny so much. Sonny decides he is going to head back to Salem and see Will and try to make his marriage work. But he is stopped by a tragic phone call from his Uncle Victor (John Aniston). Sonny learns Will has been murdered and crumbles to the floor. Back in Salem, Abigail (Kate Mansi) while in bed with her fiance’ … killer Ben (Rob Scott Wilson) … reels when her mother calls her to tell her the shocking news of her cousin’s murder. Ben tries to say that Chad (Billy Flynn) struck again, and murdered poor Will!
Courtesy/NBC
Abby goes to meet Gabi who is with her little girl Arianna trying to process Will’s murder, and how on earth she is going to tell the baby girl her daddy is gone! Will’s dear friend, Chad (while hiding out in the DiMera mansion) learns via computer that Will had been murdered by the necktie serial killer! Chad is griefstricken, and then is desperately trying to piece together three murders and who could be framing him. And he does! He realizes it’s Ben! And at the end of the episode, he confront the killer! Finally, as Marlena, Lucas , Rafe, John, and Hope have gathered at the Salem PD, in comes Sami who has arrived in Salem looking emotionless and shattered, and goes to her mother for her a very sad hug.
Major kudos have to go to the performance of the cast of Days of our Lives for this one: In particular the men: Bryan Dattilo, Galen Gering and Freddie Smith really broke our hearts, and the ladies: Kristian Alfonso, Deidre Hall, Camila Banus, Kate Mansi all played their reactions spot on in this most saddest of episodes for long time Will Horton and WilSon fans.
So, did you need to reach for the hankies during Monday’s DAYS? Which performance was a stand-out to you? Did you how the residents of Salem found out about the death of Will? Even though, the series killed off this legacy and important character of Will Horton, do you think it provides DAYS with long term story, or just a short term temporary shocker? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, as the sadness continues all week long in Salem.
The June 22 episode of Days of Our Lives reminded us all of why Deidre Hall is iconic in the role of Dr. Marlena Evans. Here we are 50 years later, and Marlena is still the heroine of the long-running soap opera, and Deidre remains one of the most most recognizable names in the history of soaps.
To pay tribute, and to look back at the life and times of Marlena, the story starts with Marlena flipping through a photo album of her with John (the late Drake Hogestyn) over the years. As she misses him dearly, she gets a knock on the door and its none other than John’s son, Paul Narita (Christopher Sean).
With Andrew (Colton Little) in Salem working on a case, he sits down with Marlena, who says she can’t believe its been fifty years since she first arrived in Salem! Cue: Deidre’s first scenes on DAYS when she finds Mickey Horton (the late John Clarke) playing chess against himself inside the mental institution she worked.
Courtesy/Peacock
THE FLASHBACKS OF MARLENA’S LIFE
From there, viewers definitely got the cliff notes version of the history of Marlena and entrenched within them, some of the biggest moments in Deidre’s enduring run.
Paul thinks he is looking at 70s, and early 80s Marlena while going through her scrapbook, but he is actually looking at her twin, Samantha (Andrea Hall). Cue: when Marlena confronted Samantha about impersonating her, and then later getting a call on her radio show from the Salem Strangler (Jack Coleman as Jake Kostichek) who killed Samantha thinking it was Marlena.
In the present, Belle (Martha Madison) has arrived at this time to meet up with Paul, unaware of this trip down memory lane. She wants to go over the findings in the chess board mystery Stefano willed to Marlena and John, in private with him, since Marlena previously said she wanted nothing to do with it.
Back to the history lesson, Marlena speaks highly of Don Craig and even though their marriage didn’t work out, she could find a path forward with the new love her life, Roman Brady. (Wayne Northrop however is never shown, possibly to keep the story focused on John as Roman for confusion sakes?)
Paul sees a photo of a young Carrie (Christie Clark) in the album and Marlena says she was such a godsend after losing her baby. In fact, Marlena says caring for Carrie prepared her for her having and raising her own twins, Eric and Sami. Cue: The twin visiting Marlena in the hospital.
JOHN AND MARLENA’S LOVE CONQUERED ALL
Then, in a way to get through and incorporate the wild storylines only Marlena could have been in, she tells Belle and Paul, she has been through so much in her life, how lucky she was to find John, and some of the most unbelievable experiences no one could imagine. Cue: Marlena possessed by the devil and levitating from the bed. Next, John confronting Marlena being the Salem Stalker, where she admits she killed Alice Horton, pretends she needs help, then pulls a gun on her beloved John!
The comment is made by Paul and Marlena, that she literally has been to hell and back and she could not have survived were it not for her beloved John. Cue the big emotional highpoint clips; The Pier Scene! Marlena steps out of the fog when John sees her from a distance. After believing she was dead for four years, here she was before him in one of the greatest reunions in a soap opera love story in history. What followed were other times of the life of times of Jarlena.
Courtesy/Peacock
MARLENA’S ‘GIFT’ FROM STEFANO HAS A NEW CLUE
When Marlena makes a brief exit to the other room, Belle fills in Paul on the chess set Stefano left her mother and the photo of the Lire. Paul said he will investigate. Marlena comes back into the room and overhears, and says to promise her if things get dangerous he will back off, she does not want anyone hurt by Stefano’s games.
As the episode comes to a conclusion, it’s just Belle and Marlena going through the photo album giggling about 70s hairstyles and all the memories. Belle speaks on the impact Marlena has had in everyone’s lives, and that she is both the heart of their family and the heart of Salem.
An end card comes up acknowledging Deidre Hall’s 50th anniversary as Marlena, and we fade to black.
So, what did you think of Marlena’s walk down memory lane? Were you happy to see the flashback clips utilized throughout? Were you touched by the scenes and the performance of Deidre Hall? Let us know what you thought of Deidre’s 50th anniversary episode via the comment section below.
If you have ever tuned-in to the soap opera genre over the last 50 years, and witnessed some of the greatest romances, drama, classic and outlandish storylines of all-time, you would have seen Deidre Hall smack dab in the middle of it as longtime Salem heroine, Dr. Marlena Evans.
It was 50 years on this date, June 21, 1976 that Hall first appeared on DAYS on NBC which was its home for 57 years before it moved to its current streaming platform on Peacock in September of 2022.
In Hall’s first episode she was introduced as a psychiatrist treating Mickey Horton (John Clarke) at Bayview Sanitarium after he suffered a complete mental breakdown. Mickey learned that his brother Bill Horton (Edward Mallory) was the biological son of Mike Horton (Wesley Eure) with his wife Laura (Susan Flannery) and that he had been lied to for years and years. From that moment on, the rest is television and soap opera history. Days of Our Lives put Hall front and center.
Photo: NBC
There were so many heartbreaking and shocking story twists involving the beloved Marlena. One of the first was the historic crib death of baby DJ (Don Jr.) in 1980, Marlena’s infant son with Don Craig (Jed Allan). The story had never been told on daytime television and Hall’s performances received accolades from TV critics to fans when Deidre received thousands of letters from grieving mothers who had gone through the same thing in their own lives.
DAYS also brought Deidre’s twin sister, Andrea Hall Lovell to the show as her on-screen sister Samantha, who had a grudge and even locked Marlena up in a sanitarium and took her place! Fast-forward and in 1982, DAYS launched the Salem Strangler story where everyone believed Marlena was his next victim, only it turned out to be Samatha. Jake Kositchek (played by Jack Coleman) was revealed to be the actual serial killer.
Later, Deidre would assume the role of Marlena’s look-alike, Hattie Adams in 2004, once played by her sister, Andrea. Over the years, Hattie has come back to Salem and caused trouble giving Hall a chance to play a different type of character, then the always upstanding Marlena.
Photo: JPI
THE LOVES OF MARLENA
Deidre Hall struck gold with all her leading men: from the late Jed Allan, to Wayne Northrop as Roman Brady, and of course, her enduring love story with the late John Black played by the iconic Drake Hogestyn. In fact, Marlena’s 1986 wedding to John (who was believed to be Roman at the time) remains a favorite of fans to this day.
TOP MARLENA STORYLINES OF ALL-TIME
While the list is long, here are several that were some of the memorable during Deidre’s five decades in Salem!
The Possession (1994- 1995)
Considered one of the most ambiguous, outlandish and unforgettable story arcs in soap opera history, then Days of Our Lives head writer, James Reilly went there! Marlena was possessed by the devil! That included; the demonic eyes, hissing at father John (Black) the priest, morphing into creatures, and the classic levitating in her bed! It became a cultural phenomenon and cemented Deidre Hall’s status as a daytime television legend. Just ask Ryan Gosling!
Photo:JPI
The Affair with John Black (1993)
John and Marlena’s forbidden love could not be denied and they had passionate affair, while she was still married to the real Roman. Problem was her daughter, Sami (Alison Sweeney) caught her mother having sex with John on a desk that changed Sami forever.
The Salem Stalker Mystery (2003-2004)
In a shocker, Marlena was revealed to be a serial killer who bumped off several Salem favorites residents who were all alive on the island of Melaswen (spelled “New Salem” backward). Turns out, she was manipulated and gaslighted by Andre DiMera (Thaao Penghlis) to do the “killings” and had no memory of her actions.
The Pier Scene (1991)
This remains Michael Fairman TV’s all-time favorite Deidre Hall moment, which featured some of the best acting in the storied careers of both Hall and Drake Hogestyn.
In the story, a presumed-dead Marlena returns after four years. One foggy night on the pier, John is alone, and Marlena steps out of the fog to reveal herself, and is reunited with the love of her life. You can watch it any year, any decade, and in any moment, and it will have you reaching for the hankies again and again. (best music score fo a soap scene of all-time too!)
Photo: NBC
Kristen’s Secret Room Reveal (1997)
Marlena was caught in Kristen Blake’s (Eileen Davidson) elaborate web of lies, when she was held hostage in a secret wine cellar/room until John managed to track her down, leading to an iconic on-screen reunion. The classic catfight between Hall and Eileen Davidson was one for the ages.
It should be noted that Maison Blanche, Queen of the Night, Possession, Aremid and Lady in a Cage were all a part of classic DAYS storyline and all featured Hall at the epicenter of it from 1993-1996.
THE RECENT YEARS OF MARLENA
In recent years, DAYS brought back the possession 2.0 storyline under then head writer Ron Carlivati in 2021 where the devil leapt back in Marlena after taking advantage of a frail Doug Williams (the late Bill Hayes)
In 2025, viewers watched the end of the love story of John and Marlena, as John succumbed to injuries sustained in an explosion saving a vial of medication needed to bring Bo (Peter Reckell) back to life. Marlena has been a widow on-screen since June of 2025 as Hall as portrayed the good doctor struggling with her grief and to move on with her life since his death.
Photo: JPI
One story that never goes away is Stefano DiMera’s (the late Joe Mascolo) obsession with Marlena, his “Queen of the Night.” Even in death, Stefano is toying with her from the great beyond with the mysterious chess set and the missing “pawn,” that he had gifted John and Marlena in his will. The mystery is currently unfolding on all-new episodes of Days of Our Lives.
Tune-in to Days of our Lives on the Monday, June 22 episode as Marlena looks back at her 50 years in Salem.
Share your congratulations to Deidre Hall for this incredible 50-year milestone as Dr. Marlena Evans on Days of Our Lives in the comment section. Then let us know, what is your all-time favorite storyline or moment in the life of Marlena over the past 5 decades? And, just for kicks, and to celebrate this amazing milestone, here is Marlena levitating below circa Christmas Eve 1994.
Days Of Our Lives
Al Calderon Reflects on ‘Major Chapters’ Coming to an End on ‘Days of Our Lives’ and ‘Brilliant Minds’
It’s been a bittersweet time for Al Calderon. The talented actor/singer/songwriter has watched from his vantage point to roles he loved so much come to their conclusion for different reasons.
In a heartfelt message posted to his Instagram story on Saturday, Calderon took a moment to share how grateful he was for the opportunity to play Javi Hernandez on Days of Our Lives, and nurse Nico Silva this year on NBC’s second season of Brilliant Minds. Currently, Brilliant Minds has two more episodes that will air on June 24 and the series finale on July 1.
Calderon expressed, “As I sit here reflecting on this lovely Saturday afternoon over the last two years of my life, I have two major chapters closing that have been part of my life every day for the last two years. We have Brilliant Minds. Our last episodes are wrapping up, and then my last scenes aired yesterday as me as Javi on Days of Our Lives.
Photo: JPI
“I’m just unbelievably grateful for the chance and the opportunity to be a part of something so much larger than me,” continued Al. “I (will) love Days of Our Lives forever, my family. Thank you for supporting me and supporting my decision to take the leap of faith and believe in myself and, and tell other stories. You know, it’s never goodbye. It’s always ‘see you later’ to me and just leaving with love and leading with love.”
Al concluded with a special mention to some very important people, the fans: “Thank you to the fans and the support from everyone, the lovely messages. So this next chapter, hopefully it’s not a dragon, hopefully it’s a gold coin.”
Photo: NBC
Calderon’s journey on-screen on Days of Our Lives began in October of 2024 and concluded this month. In one of his last appearances Javi was asking a favor from Gabi (Cherie Jimenez) before bumping into his ex, Leo (Greg Rikaart). In story, Javi has a new romance with Gus (Michael Ocampo), while fighting his feelings for Leo. The role of Javi will be played starting on June 30 by Jacob Martinez who takes over the role.
NBC decided to cancel the Brilliant Minds, after it split up the airing of its second season which began in the fall of September of 2025 and the back-half started airing after a long break this past May. Calderon joined the medical drama staring Zachary Quinto for the new season, which sadly was its last.
So, will you miss Al on Days of Our Lives and Brilliant Minds as his time on-screen has come to an end? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
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Where the heck was Kate in all of this?? She was a doting Grandmother to Will, doing everything she could to help him! Why wasn’t she just as important in this storyline?????? GEEZZZZZ Writers get it together! She should have been there!!! Lauren Koslow would have knocked it out of the park!
you are right, Kate and Will were very close and she should have been there for sure!
Maybe the writers will have Kate show up for the funeral.
That’s true were was Kate I wonder how she is gonna take this the writers forgot about Kate?lol
So sad he was killed I hope they don’t drag this for long and show who the killer is
I quit watching “Days of Our Lives” a good 22 or 23 years ago and so I have to ask: Are they intentionally trying to lower their ratings?!
what does it matter if you don’t watch? why even weigh in that’s so silly…BYE FELICIA
agreed.
with Angela — Kate should have been around for these scenes.
I was wondering about Kate too. Is anyone going to tell her? Marlena was told right away.
When they did show Kate on todays show she shed a few tears with Lucas,in the park.Then it was back to everything as usual….Kate should have been very upset.. crying her eyes out!!She was supposed to love Will so much.Shame..SMH
They are doing an amazing job! Looking forward to the rest of the week and maybe next as well.
Yes, me too! The fight between Ben and Chad–great to “save” Chad by putting him the the hospital–and now the truth can slowly come out–and “love can conquer all.”
That’s what we want to see, isn’t it? (And for Ben to be caught, of course!).
True
yes..Ben is, like my aunt used to say, crazier than a bedbug!..lol
Ben is chillingly creepy and the suspense is ratcheting up. Abby and Chad are both so vulnerable now. Yes, Nancy, a slow reveal and love conquering all is just what we want to see!
All of Salem is supposed to find out that Ben is the neck tie killer during the 50th Anniversary events. Does anyone really think that the whack job will not end up going after Abby. And how could Abby be so dense!! Anyone with half a brain could tell there is something not right with Ben. I spotted it almost from the beginning.
I just have to say, Bryan Dattilo was outstanding. The rest of the cast, IMO, ranged from okay to not so good in their acting, but BD kicked butt and took names. I cried during his scenes, and I wasn’t a big Will fan to begin with. However, I now think the decision to kill Will was a mistake for a few reasons, and at the top of the list is that there is too much loss, death, presumed death, and near death on this show, and that’s just in one episode. Caroline is teetering near death, Bo is presumed dead, Paige and Serena are dead, now Will is dead, and Marlena was almost killed. And we’re not done yet. While this loss is the biggest among the others, and I’m emotionally invested, I wish DOOL had found another way to write off Will, great performances or no great performances. JMO.
I agree, Bryan Dattilo hit it out of the park. You really feel his character’s pain.
Totally, totally agree!! Bravo to Bryan R. Dattilo who was the one standout character who actually resonated and made me feel his true anguish. Bryan always delivers and is my favorite actor on the show. Losing his only son so soon on the heels of Adrienne breaking up with him is way too much heartbreak to bear!!
I sincerely hope with all my heart that Bryan submits these scenes for much overdue Daytime Emmy consideration. His range of talent and popularity both have been greatly ignored by TPTB!!!
Moreover, I concur that DAYS is focusing entirely too much on death, presumed death and near death stories. Killing Will was a senseless move because he provided an integral link to so many other characters and thus results in a huge void going forward.
Agree Beth — Bryan stepped up to the plate on these scenes. Dee can always cry on cue. Poor Kristian, she never has been able to squeeze out tears. Loved Will played by Chandler Massey so not broken up terribly with this Will being gone, but still, they probably just should have sent the character away with Sonny.
If you don’t think Kristian can cry go back and look at the scenes of Zach’s death. She rocked then and broke everyone’s hearts
LOL
“…Poor Kristian, she never has been able to squeeze out tears. ”
I agree… they should never have panned her so much
Kristian Alfonso excells… in two areas
1. Lovelorn… romance…
2. as a mother and familial bonding
yeah… with all the drama going on… i thought… hello? what’s up with this?
but then again…. we never see KA’ Hope emoting too much beyond coppers, romance, and family bonding
that’s enough for me
tip my hat to @Ray… the drama was all their for Deidre Hall’ Marlena to lose it
and with poster’ @Angela…. “DAYS” !!!!! do not rob us the opportunity to see the lovely Kate Roberts heartache of her much beloved grandson
dang it tho…. i’m present in Salem
I do like the way that Days is tightening up it’s cast though, even if it requires this serial killer story and other “bummer” events….Clyde getting hauled off to jail, Eve leaving town soon etc. Looks like Aidan and Dr. Dan are out as well. I HOPE Days doesn’t add too many new characters! And, YES, Bryan D was so touching today. So good.
Loved Deidre and Drake’s understated performances. Did they cut a scene where Marlena collapses into John’s arms? My only gripe is that she didn’t. Or at least, we never saw it. It’s very unlike John and Marlena to be so distant at a time like this.
To say that their performances are understated is being kind. I like them, and I’ve only been watching the show for two years or so, but I find Deidre Hall’s performacnes to be a bit stoic and distanced – Marlena doesn’t seem quite real to me, and John with that raspy one toned voice of his, I don’t know, they just don’t impress me as great actors (albiet competent ones).
I’m saddened that Will was “written off” in this harsh manner and that there shall no longer be a “sonny and will” to go back to. It could possibly mean that the show itself is preparing to close the curtain.
I agree that Marlena’s performance was lacking. That is what brought me to this page.
I respectfully disagree. Both Deidre’s and Drake’s tears were very real to me. It’s a shame that the show chooses to move on so quickly from their scenes to focus on others. When Deidre and Drake are given meaty material, they shine. I wish the show would focus on them more as core and leading characters rather than supporting two bit players.
I think the writers went for short, temporary shocker and in the end, no ratings boost and a loss of a core family character. As usual, with Days and Ken Corday, another HUGE mistake!!!
An exceptional show filled with exceptional performances. Pointles but everyone was wonderful. Give Freddie another Emmy, please!
Yes, Freddie definitely deserves another Emmy for this.
Another Emmy? No offense (I like Freddie as Sonny and wish he hadn’t chosen to vacate the role) but all he did was slump to the floor in disbelief,
I mean any capable actor should be able to do that.
I think his overall portrayal of Sonny has always been good.
On another note, I wish they would have re-cast Sonny and given more storyline to Will and Sonny – but then the writers run the risk of “offending”
the older viewers who aren’t interested in the gay characters escapades. So, in this manner, they don’t have to worry about their fleeting gay storyline….and Sonny and Will didn’t get to ‘ride off into the sunset’ with even a chance of returning in the future. I doubt they will have Sonny return to find Paul, who’s absence through this entire scenario is a bit odd (at least as of today, Oct 15) since he was “friendly” with Will.
Another stellar episode! More on their way!!!!!
Outstanding episode. Whether you agree or disagree with the killing of Will, all of the actors did an amazing job. Kudos to everyone!
I totally agree. All the performances have been superb.
Well said. Outstanding.
Much like the death of Delia on Y&R two years ago, this story basically writes itself and many of the performances we have seen will be in Emmy reels this year. But I do hope the show can lighten up just a bit– between watching Eve grieving and now the Horton and Brady’s grieve Will we could use a breather— a romance in the making, a baby’s birth, something positive right about now would be nice.
i thought this was where they were going with good news for Adrienne
and with the “cure” for Caroline ?
altho… I too have to agree with posts… that they should not have strayed from her having Alzheimers’
and should have let this antidote put her in remission…. ???
although yet again…. I have to agree with more posts… that huh? this is what Bo has been held captive all this time… for not revealing this secret formula?
dang it tho! didnt Peter Reckell look muscled toned out and ahem… sexy
we haven’t seen Eve in a while… shoot… this just riles and rankles now that the funeral is over… and DAYS is moving on…. does this mean less Kassie DePaiva…and she becomes filler?
DANG IT
what will become of Aiden, when Bo comes back
my 2 disgruntles plus killing off Will
still must see
Ali Sweeney in that one scenes… hugging it out with John and Marlena was magnetic
WISH LIST ! if EJ is alive… Michael Muhney !
I don’t know if you’ve seen today’s episode (10-13-15), Patrick, but it appears that Aiden is entertaining the idea of being a copycat necktie killer for Hope’s $5,000,000 life insurance! Remember seeing DAYS’ 50th anniversary promo? In the promo Hope is attacked and retaliates with a pair of scissors!!!!!
I have to say, the Delia’s death story on Y&R was even sadder than the three deaths so far on Days . What a tear jerker! Y&R is still playing out that tragedy today. And many viewers were ticked that Delia was killed off because she was a legacy character as both a Newman and an Abbott. Sooo, maybe legacy character Will’s death will provide much more Day’s story, like Delia’s did? Several Y&R actors also rec’d Emmys for their Delia death performances (Billy Miller and Amelia Heinle).
Yes, I was tearing up.
DOOL was fantastic Monday. It has been a long time since I re-watched certain scenes. I agree that Bryan D did an excellent job. I think not having Kate notified yesterday at the same time was a big oversight. I would have liked to have seen everything that happened yesterday play out over a few days to make it more believable. Marlena should have started screaming in the bedroom and John should have picked her up. She should have been inconsolable and should have aluded to that she was waiting on him to respond to their “Words with Friends” game. Marlena should have contacted Kate and the two of them should have had a meltdown together. Gabi should have been at the police station with Lucas, Marlena, John, Hope and Rafe. She just got out of prison for killing someone an it didn’t enter anyone’s mind that she might have killed Will? Sonny and Will should have had a phone conversation about forgiveness before Will died.
There have been so many great performances in the past few weeks. DOOL will to make a big decision of who to nominate for a Daytime Emmy in each category. I hope to see Kassie D in the Supporting Actress category. Lauren Koslow has been under-appreciated for too long. Kristian Alfonso has been a great Lead Actress this year. Kate Mansi and Billy Flynn MUST win Outstanding Young Actor and Actress. I would also like to see Jen Lilly and Eric M nominated.
I absolutely agree with you that Bryan R. Dattilo was magnificent, giving an Emmy-worthy performance! Lucas stood out and made you feel how shattered he was down to his core!!
Also, not including his mother, Kate, was a significant omission.
Bryan Dattilo is doing an outstanding job.
I can understand not including Kate on Monday. Lucas is completely devastated by Will’s death. If that dreadful woman was my mother, I wouldn’t be too anxious to see her now either.
it was with absolute wonderment… as we bear witness with Lucas…. “go in to shock mode” with both Rafe and Hope
yeah… I hope for big scenes with Kate… and even Adrienne
let alone Sami
big time
Monday’s episode would be a great Emmy contender.
Loved Camilla Banus, Brian Datillo, Dierdre Hall, Kristen Alfonso and Kate Mansi most. Cannot wait to see other performances.
This is what a soap death should be! Real, raw, heart breaking, far reaching, and long lasting impact!! Bravo to the writers, crew, and actors. No more being held on an island by Stefano. I hope what Corday says is true and that dead people stay dead!! Days is by far the best soap on the air!!
They are already planning to bring EJ back, so he didn’t stay dead for long lol!
First I have to say that the scenes of each character learning of Will’s death have been jaw droppingly realistic. So powerful. Right off the bat Camila Banus gets major props for her portrayal. This young woman is stunning in her portrayals. She killed it when Nick was murdered too. I am so glad she is back in action in Salem. This is what the show needs. When Lucas found out (Bryan Dattillo) he surprised me at his depth. Usually this actor knows one range when he reacts but for whatever reason he just expressed so many layers to his reaction and he deserves to be given major attention for it. It was flawless. Everyone else was a letdown. Deidre Hall as Marlena Evans is too overrated. Her reactions are always so sedated. As a grandmother she should have seriously lost it. Especially with how close Will was to her. Instead she just displayed a cold distance. Her usual reaction to every calamity that befalls the residents of Salem. Hope was a little overwrought and her behavior as a detective was not professional. I am not saying she shouldn’t have expressed her emotions but seriously hugging Rafe in her capacity as a police officer on duty? Not good at all. Not telling Caroline is wrong. She is miraculously healed of her “mental” illness since it is not Alzheimers. I won’t even go into what a horrible message that sends out to those dealing with parents and grandparents dealing with Alzheimers. Maybe on a another rant. Victor has no range. I love his sarcasm but that man is one dead fish and as he gets older he gets even worse. I will give Freddie Smith some praise because his reaction was sincere. I feel like it was definitely all in response to his feelings on what they did with all the gay characters on DAYS. And even though this is solely based on Monday’s episode, I was very happy to see Sami show up angry and looking all full of piss and vinegar. Alison Sweeney is best when she is angry. Can’t wait to see what she does with all the news about who they suspect for the murder. My absolute favorite moment of the whole episode however was one without many words. When Abby came up to Gabi in the park with Ari and just hugged her and they both cried. I lost all composure. I was snotty sloppy mess. I felt so bad for that young actress who plays Ari. She must be so confused as to why everyone is crying. But both Ms. Banus and Kate Mansi were stellar. I don’t always like Abby but I feel for her situation. Especially when it comes to her and her current situation. Good work to all on DAYS. I just wish that they would quickly end all these stories of the past. They are so boring. Patch and Kayla. YAWN. Bo and Hope YAWN. Victor and Caroline YAWN. Here’s a newsflash — that eye patch is so 70’s and you’re not on set for Pirates of the Caribbean. The 70’s are over set them free…..
I too would have liked to have seen Marlena really lose it! That would have been amazing. I mean Will was her “favourite person in the world”. It didn’t seem right to me at all that, after the initial phonecall, she appeared serene.
That said, I think she is very often excellent. And the Will and Marlena scenes are legend.
Peggy McCay is too good to be wasted on Alzheimer’s and stroke stories, where she is barely functional. Thank goodness that it over. Please let it be so!
My dad had Alzheimer’s and it is certainly bizarre to have a story with fake Alzheimer’s and a one-dose fake cure. What really disappoints me though is the non-rational decision-making. Kayla is initially right to question the lack of sound testing and controls. But having decided to give her mum the drug, a real professional would never have said that we’re not going to record it. She would have recorded it, so this one-patient experiment could contribute to the general scientific endeavour, with the hope that others could benefit in future.
Great job everybody!!!
No matter how good they are I will not watch. They are a group of quality actors, they have just been given a bad story to play.
Shame about Kate really . Why sadness and grief for the show ‘s 50th anniversary ? This should have been a celebration ! when you have a show struggling in the ratings you don’t take risks , you bring on the characters the audience loves . All the soaps are going down the drain ! Bold and the beautiful is totally unwatchable . It is the worst of the soaps on the air . Thank god it only goes for a half hour but then i stopped watching it for good last month so who cares .
Shout out to Danielle Page for her nuanced Monday script. It was only her third or fourth script and she did an outstanding job. Too bad the story point i.e. Will’s murder is one of the worst creative decisions any soap has ever made.
Killing Will was a huge mistake. Alison (Sami) has stated her anger at this turn of events. It was said to have been done to make room for previous players coming back, but from what I hear none are staying for the long haul so what is the point?
Long term story generated from Will’s death? Not likely. In fact, I’d be surprised if the character is even mentioned in a few months. I think this was a “shock” meant to get new and lapsed viewers to tune in and hopefully stick around once they sampled what the show is offering these days (a tired rehash of the infinitely superior Salem Strangler story from the 80s).
Unfortunately for DAYS I think Will’s death will be regarded as a HUGE mistake much like the death of Maureen Bauer on GUIDING LIGHT.
Bryan Datillo gave an Emmy worthy performance! Camilla Banus was wonderful as well. Alison Sweeney did well playing stoic Sami. Looking forward to seeing the real Sami come out.
Was surprised that we didn’t see Eric or Kate. Perhaps Greg Vaughn was on vacation?
And what about T? He was one of Will’s closest friends.
I am not looking forward yo the real Sami coming out. She’ll be blaming everyone under the stars and Ali will do her ususl scenery chewing. Bryan was perfect yesterday.
I wonder why Kate was not included in the scenes, she is Will’s grandmother and Lucas’ mother,
Great episode. Bryan D. was superb and def deserves to be nominated , along with kassie d. For her portrayal of eve, for a gut-wretching performance for the loss of a child. You felt their pain and unimaginable sorrow. Even though will was a main character to the shows history, I think the performances were superb.
I was thinking (hoping) that there would be a continuing story line between Sonny and Paul Narita. If Freddie isn’t going to come back for the long term, that only leaves two gay characters left. I started watching DOOL because it was the only show dealing with that as a major story line. Without it, DOOL is just moving characters around to do stories that we’ve all seen before.
I didn’t tear up one time. I knew what was going to happen and I was so angry at the writers for continuing to destroy the show that I could not even get into the storyline. RIP Will, RIP DOOL
I am having my doubts over these new writers. The plots are the same as twenty years ago. What’s going to happen when Bo leaves. Why fire Daniel Cosgrove? Why completely ruin Eric and Nicole. They had so much potential. A true soap love story. Why let Eve go. She was wonderful and Paige was really coming into her own. Terrible decisions. Another serial killer plot line for the 50th anniversary. How original!!! Why bring back all these so called legacy characters to save a soap. Days is dead in the water. RIP days. I will still miss you. Been watching for almost 50 years.