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.
Days of our Lives long-running cast member James Reynolds revealed on the November 10 edition of Entertainment Tonight that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and his character of Abe Carver will now be going through an on-screen Parkinson’s battle as well.
Speaking with ET’s Nischelle Turner, the 80-year-old actor and Daytime Emmy winner shared how he attempted to hide the warning signs dating back to 15-20 years ago when he would have, “What they call the hallucinations. My wife (Lissa) would say, ‘You were hitting me last night in bed,’ and I would say, ‘What?!’ I was having these really horrible dreams.” Reynolds also added that he realized falling out of bed was an early symptom of Parkinson’s too.
Discussing the on-going tremors that have become more noticeable over time especially in hands, James shared that when he finally told the Days of our Lives cast they were nothing but “extraordinarily helpful and supportive.”
Photo: ET
SCREEN LIFE TO MIRROR REAL LIFE
Now with DAYS about to launch into Abe’s Parkinson’s storyline, Reynolds hopes that he can turn his experience into something positive by encouraging others facing the disease to keep fighting. During the sit-down, Reynolds co-star Jackée Harry (Paulina Price) recalls her reaction to learning of Reynolds’ real-life diagnosis and how she has continued to search for new treatments to inform James about.
Although Parkinson’s disease currently has no cure, there are medications and treatments can help those manage symptoms and improve quality of life. The condition progresses at a different pace from individual to individual.
As discussed in his conversation with ET, Reynolds cited Michael J. Fox and Alan Alda as two high-profile celebrities who have brought awareness to the disease.
Photo: JPI
In story on DAYS, Abe in recent weeks had been experiencing tremors which led to seek help and a diagnosis Dr. Kayla Johnson (Mary Beth Evans). Soon Abe and others will find out of his battle with Parkinson’s. Although on the promo for this week’s DAYS, Abe is seen telling Kayla, that he will do something, “when the time is right.”
James Reynolds is one of the most prolific performers, being the longest-running Black Actor in a role on a television series, not to mention his aforementioned Lead Actor Daytime Emmy win in 2018, and being inducted in 2025 into the Daytime Emmy Gold and Silver Society of honorees.
You can check out James’ in-depth conversation on his Parkinson’s diagnosis below.
Share your thoughts for James after learning of his health battle, and what do you think of Days of our Lives incorporating the disease into Abe Carver’s Salem storyline? Let us know in the comment section.
Alice Halsey is making a return to her Daytime Emmy-nominated role of Rachel Black on Days of our Lives. In a twist, Halsey is actually filling-in for her successor, Lorelei Oliva Mote.
According to TV Insider, an offer went out to Halsey to make a short comeback for four episodes when Mote had a scheduling conflict. The episodes Halsey taped will not be seen until late in 2027, due to Days of our Lives ongoing production schedule which tapes almost a year ahead of dropping new episodes on Peacock.
Mote has been playing Kristen DiMera (Stacy Haiduk) and Brady Black’s (Eric Martsolf) daughter since March 2026. Halsey had stepped away from the role in which she played from April of 2025 to March of 2026, and earned a Daytime Emmy nomination along the way in the Outstanding Emerging Talent category at the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards.
Photo: JPI
FROM ‘LITTLE HOUSE’ TO SALEM
Halsey is now starring in the central role of Laura Ingalls in the Little House on the Prairie reboot on Netflix, which premiered this past June and in which the second season wrapped last month in October.
On coming home to Salem, Halsey shared, “It was very exciting. My parents told me that I would be coming back for a few more episodes, and I was so happy. I was freaking out. I was like, ‘I get to go back to Days. I get to see everybody again.’ And I’m just really glad that I get to be here.”
Stepping into Rachel’s skin after months away from the role, Alice explained, “I came in, and I did my work, and it was just awesome. It was fun, and it reminded me so much of back when I was Rachel before, and it made me even more grateful to be able to be Rachel again.”
She added “Rachel has matured a little bit more than when I was there, and it’s really fun to be able to play that up. She is older now, and so, of course, Rachel has changed, but my portrayal of her is essentially the same. She’s still the little girl that she used to be.”
Now below, you can check out Michael Fairman TV’s chat with Alice on the red carpet at the 2026 Daytime Emmy Awards via the Michael Fairman Channel, where she furthered discussed being a part of the reboot of the iconic series, Little House on the Prairie, plus loving her Days of our Lives family.
So, what do you think about Alice filling-in for Lorelei Olivia Mote on DAYS? Have you watched her on Netflix’s Little House on the Prairie? Let us knoq via the comment section.
Days Of Our Lives
‘Days of our Lives’ Celebrates 61st Anniversary: EP Ken Corday Teases New Character’s Arrival in Spring 2027
Today, November 8, marks the iconic Days of our Lives 61st anniversary having first burst on to the soap scene back on this date in 1965 on NBC. For 57 years the soap opera was a part of the NBC daytime programming block, and then in September of 2022 it debuted on the NBCUniversal streamer, Peacock as the first broadcast television daytime drama to move onto a streaming platform.
Now, here we are in DAYS sixth decade, and it’s found a way to survive with their unconventional taping schedule of shooting almost a year ahead of dropping new episodes on the platform, and Salem is still kicking as of this moment.
The anniversary week of episodes which begin tomorrow on Monday, November 9 through Friday November 13 will feature: the returns of Thaao Penghlis and Leann Hunley as Tony and Anna DiMera, more on the arrival of the newest DiMera, Dominik Marino as played by Kyle Pryor, Leo Stark (Greg Rikaart) in dire straits, and whatever secret long-running character, Abe Carver (Daytime Emmy winner, James Reynolds) is keeping.
Photo: Corday Productions
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER ON SALEM CANVAS LOOK IN THE MONTHS AHEAD
Days of our Lives executive producer, Ken Corday, who took over the reins of the soap from his parents, the late Ted and Betty Corday, fully in 1986, previewed what’s ahead as Salem turns 61 with Soaps.com and talked about the foundation of the shows legacy characters and families. Previously, the series was renewed for its 62nd and 63rd season.
Most intriguing is Corday revealed there is a brand new female character coming to the show in the Spring of 2027. Ken explained what lies ahead, “There are some new, young loves, rekindled romances and complicated triangles. I’m particularly excited about a brand-new character who brings some levity to the canvas and gets herself involved with almost everyone in Salem. She’ll debut in the spring. Stay tuned!”
Corday also added, “We are having fun exploring the dynamics between the Kiriakis and DiMera families, much like the Montagues and the Capulets. Each of our core families – the Hortons, Bradys, Carvers and Hernandezes – will be important in upcoming stories and will intertwine.”
NEWCOMERS AND FAMILIAR FACES
Pictured in the celebratory cast photo which was shared with the outlet were: DAYS newcomers Sofia Mattsson (Chloe Lane, and ex-Sasha Gilmore, GH), Brytni Sarpy (whose DAYS role is yet be revealed, ex-Elena, Y&R and Valerie, GH) and the return of Bryan Dattilo (Lucas Horton).
You can check out this action in Salem and DAYS anniversary week promo below.
Then, share your congratulations today for Days of our Lives as they celebrate their 61st anniversary via the comment section below. Let us know your thoughts on who could be playing the brand-new female character Ken Corday is speaking of? We previously reported that it looked like Brytni Sarpy would not be hitting the screens till early Summer.
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Inches Closer to ‘General Hospital’ in Total Viewers
B&B’s Sydney Bullock Weighs In on Future of Dylan and Will: ‘I Think She Can Hold on to Him for Awhile’ (Exclusive)
Antonio Sabáto Jr. Breaks Silence on His Son’s Arrest for Fatal Hit-and-Run
DANCING WITH THE STARS: A Shocking Elimination on Grammy Night Leaves Ballroom Silenced
Y&R’s New Head Writers Share Vision for Genoa City: Contemporary Homage to Bill Bell, Mixing Heightened Escapism and Grounded Reality
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Preview: Episodes From New Co-Head Writers, Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor, Begin to Air
‘General Hospital’ Casts Ayla Bullington as the New Avery Jerome-Corinthos
‘Days of our Lives’ Celebrates 61st Anniversary: EP Ken Corday Teases New Character’s Arrival in Spring 2027
‘Days of our Lives’ Kyle Pryor Debuts as Dominic Marino and Says of Alleged TV Mom, “Deidre Hall is the Absolute OG, Amazing” (Exclusive)
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Katie Kicks Bill to the Curb … for Now
B&B’s Sydney Bullock Weighs In on Future of Dylan and Will: ‘I Think She Can Hold on to Him for Awhile’ (Exclusive)
‘Days of our Lives’ Veteran James Reynolds Reveals Parkinson’s Diagnosis
Y&R’s Matt Cohen Talks Role as Compassionate Zookeeper in Rom-Com ‘Christmas at the Zoo’
Alice Halsey Returns to ‘Days of our Lives’ as Rachel Black – Find Out How Long!
-
News3 days agoY&R’s New Head Writers Share Vision for Genoa City: Contemporary Homage to Bill Bell, Mixing Heightened Escapism and Grounded Reality
-
Previews4 days agoTHE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS Preview: Episodes From New Co-Head Writers, Jamey Giddens and Dan O’Connor, Begin to Air
-
General Hospital3 days ago‘General Hospital’ Casts Ayla Bullington as the New Avery Jerome-Corinthos
-
Days Of Our Lives4 days ago‘Days of our Lives’ Celebrates 61st Anniversary: EP Ken Corday Teases New Character’s Arrival in Spring 2027
-
Days Of Our Lives7 days ago‘Days of our Lives’ Kyle Pryor Debuts as Dominic Marino and Says of Alleged TV Mom, “Deidre Hall is the Absolute OG, Amazing” (Exclusive)
-
General Hospital7 days agoGENERAL HOSPITAL: Tracy Leaves Port Charles to Help Dillon; Paving the Way for Jane Elliot’s Temporary Exit
-
News6 days agoB&B’s Lawrence Saint-Victor to Guest Star on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
-
Interviews1 week agoRoger Howarth Reflects on Daytime Emmy Win, 32-Year Record Gap, and Embracing Matt Clark on ‘The Young and the Restless’ (Exclusive)
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.